> The Conversion Bureau: Dogs of Winter > by Cloudhammer > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > 01 - Grasping at Straws > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The CONVERSION ►Bureau Dogs of Winter By Cloudhammer Year 6, Week 5, Sunday Day in, day out, the schedule was always the same. The guards would wake him up at 6am for the morning meal. Then he would spend the next few hours in his cell, before being fed lunch and taken outside for the hour of physical activity. Though for most of that he would simply enjoy the chance to be outside and see the sky. The other three men who had surrendered with him would sometimes come and enjoy the sun with him. After the hour was up he would be escorted back to his cell, where he would remain until dinner and then lights out. To say that former HLF member Steve Rangel was bored would be a severe understatement. There was at least one thing that make the hour outside more interesting. After all, being a fellow inmate to the first pony prisoners of a maximum security facility was pretty groundbreaking. They’d had something shipped in from Equestria, some special metal rings that nullified magic to prevent the unicorns from pulling anything. Though none of them seemed to be doing as well confined indoors, and there were rumors that the ponies would be shipped out to some other prison soon. He knew, however, that this was the punishment for committing acts of domestic terrorism, even if he had not killed anyone or anypony. What had made his pretrial hearing mildly interesting to the media was that the ponies he’d been ordered to kill vocally protested his imprisonment. He’d found it amusing himself, though he supposed it was in their nature, especially since he’d saved their lives. He was outside, back against the wall of the pit that formed the exercise yard, looking at a small piece of paper when a guard approached him. “Prisoner, on your feet.” Rangel looked up, tucked the paper into the small pocket he’d fashioned, and pushed himself off of the ground. “Yes officer?” “You got a visitor. Move.” The guard indicated with his nightstick and Rangel started walking, his mind now kicking into overdrive. He’d not met with his lawyer in months, had told the FBI and CIA everything he knew about the HLF, and reporters were banned from this most secure of prisons. So what in the world would make someone want to come all the way out to Florence ADX to see him? “Are you sure about your recommendation, Cloudhammer?” Luna asked as they trotted down the hall toward the balcony. “Yes. As much as I question his reasons for joining the HLF, he demonstrated an admirable adherence to his ideals over following an order he knew was wrong. Not to mention that letting someone who can make decisions like that rot in prison is a waste of his talents. He is perfect for this.” “And what of the other four? Will they be ready in time?” Luna lit her horn as they reached the balcony, reaching out to her destination with a careful focus of power. “I’ve ensured that each of them had an instructor who was capable of teaching them assigned. They will be ready,” Cloudhammer said confidently, only flinching a little as space twisted around him and he felt the dry heat of the savannah sweep across him. Looking around, he could see the same tree from his last visit, and swept his gaze around patiently until he spotted a slightly darker patch of grass. “There they are.” “Indeed.” Luna said as the grass suddenly parted, a trio of hulking forms rising up to stand in front of them. Giving the figures an appraising look as they approached, she let a small smile cross her face. “K’rik, it is lovely to finally meet you. My sister speaks highly of you.” “And you as well, Mistress Luna.” K’rik hefted a long fishing spear across his shoulders and looked down at Cloudhammer. Taking a brief sniff, his lips pulled back from his teeth in a smile. “And it is good to see you among the living, Cloudhammer.” Cloudhammer nodded. “You’re looking well. How are things with the zebras?” K’rik sighed. “The relations with the zebras go well, but food is getting scarcer. We will need to relocate the pack if we are to survive.” The bulky dog’s speech had improved drastically the more time he spent working with the zebras and the Equestrian ambassadors. “Well, I am sure that given the circumstances of the arrangement, the United States would be more than willing to lend its support,” Luna said as she began to envision her next destination in mind. “However, we are due for a meeting with the project directors, and hopefully the first full test of the new serum.” K’rik nodded and gestured to the diamond dog next to him. “This is Ferrik, my Beta in B’kar’s absence. He will teach the human, should he survive.” Ferrik nodded his head in greeting, and he and K’rik took their spears and passed them to the third, who took a few steps back. “We trust that weapons will not be needed?” “Of course not,” Luna said firmly. “Well, we had best be going.” With a flash of gold light the four figures vanished with a faint thud of displaced air. The third dog growled his displeasure at the stench of magic on the air before slinging the three spears across his back. He trudged back toward the tree, dug his claws into the ground and soon vanished in a flurry of dirt. Rangel sat quietly in the chair, eyes calm as he stared at the suit across from him. A small, thin metal briefcase sat on the table between them The handcuff chains holding his feet to the chair clinked as he shifted slightly. “So, what brings you out here to pay me a visit? I gave all the info I could to the FBI and CIA when I was taken into custody.” “I’ve been instructed to ask you, have you given thought to Conversion in the past?” The man’s voice had a reedy, rasping quality to it, though the expression on his face remained stern. Rangel was taken aback by the question. Sure, he’d considered it for all of thirty seconds before he’d decided it a colossal load of shit. Joining the HLF had seemed like a logical thing to do, and had appealed to his sense of pride in his species. But then had come the deployment to St Louis. He and a few other guys from the scratch unit that had been formed were ordered to clear a room filled with foals and civilians. They’d refused, shot their former comrades, and surrendered to the police. Which had, of course, led to his current predicament. While spending twenty-three hours of each day locked in his cell, he’d thought often of the one pegasus stallion he’d briefly spoken with, Cirrus. The majority of their conversation had been Rangel sticking his foot in his mouth and the pony calling him out on his decision to join a group like the HLF. He’d realized, after some deep staring at the ceiling, that while he still felt that efforts should continue on finding an alternative, using the solution that did work for now wasn’t really a bad thing. And even then, there might be a way to change back, for those that wanted it, at least. Besides, maybe being a pony wouldn’t be that bad after all He realized he’d been staring blankly when the suit coughed roughly. “Well, I’ve given it some thought, yes... but why is that important?” The suit nodded and opened the slim briefcase he’d brought with him. Taking out a piece of paper, he pushed it across the table to him. “Read this document please. At the top is a standard non-disclosure agreement stating that you will not repeat a word of what you’ve read should you decline this offer.” Rangel stared at the man for a moment, then pulled the paper a little closer and gave it a closer look. Eyes tracking back and forth, it wasn’t until he reached the third paragraph that he blinked and sat back. “Experimental? How dangerous is this shit?” “I do not have the details of the project. I have been told enough to tell you that it has been strenuously tested. If you read on, you will see that in exchange for your volunteering on this mission, you will immediately be pardoned, and allowed to go free.” Rangel hesitated again. As leery as he was of ponification, spending the next ten to twenty years in prison like this was not appealing to him either. He took a deep breath and met the suit’s gaze. “Alright, I’ll do it.” The suit nodded and slid a pen across to him. “Excellent, thank you.” Once Rangel scratched his signature onto the line at the bottom, he pushed it back to the suit, who tucked it into the briefcase. Motioning for the guard to unchain him from the floor, the suit got to his feet and adjusted his tie. “Let’s get going, the helicopter needs to leave soon if we are to reach the facility on time.” Rangel blinked as the guard started leading him toward the door. “Wait, we’re going to do this today?” “There is no time like the present, Mr. Rangel, and we are, I’m afraid, on a schedule,” the suit said as he followed them out the door. Ferrik felt his knees go weak as the teleport completed. His nose twitched madly as a host of new smells flooded it, and he was dimly aware of something nearby making noise. Shaking his head to clear his vision, he looked around and gaped at his surroundings. The floor, walls, and apparently ceiling were made of some light grey stone, but as he concentrated on the bottoms of his hindpaws, it felt... off. He dropped to all fours and licked the floor, a multitude of flavors warring for his attention. “There deepstone here!” He felt a paw seize him and haul him upright as K’rik snarled, “Mind your place! You are not a sniveling cur, to taste another’s stone!” Ferrik snapped his teeth, but relented under his alpha’s glare. “Soooo, we’re sure they’re friendly, right?” Dr. Walter Lewis said as he watched the two doglike creatures snarl and snap at each other. “Of course,” Luna said calmly, “they just tend to be more... vocal than ponies are.” The bigger one finally turned his stare to meet Lewis’, and he was pointedly reminded of those nature shows on wolves that had them staring directly at the camera. Only this time a mere eight feet separated them, and he was decidedly uncomfortable with that. Finally, the moment passed and those yellow eyes turned to Luna as it spoke a short, guttural string of words. Luna nodded and looked at Lewis. “He says that you need not act like prey in front of him, he is not hunting you.” She inclined her head toward him. “This is K’rik, the Great Alpha of the savannah diamond dogs. Beside him is Ferrik, his Beta.” The smaller one opened its jaws in a form of a grin, though that had the side effect of displaying its mouthful of very sharp teeth. Lewis swallowed nervously. “Right. Right, okay.” He took a step forward and held out his hand. “My name’s Walter Lewis, it’s nice to meet you.” Ferrik tilted his head slightly, leaning forward to take a deep sniff at the outstretched hand. Feeling a bit more adventurous, he gave it a tentative lick with his tongue. His muzzle screwed up in a half-snarl at the plethora of flavors and scents emanating from the flesh. “Taste bad.” K’rik chuffed in what could be approximated for laughter as Lewis nervously took a step back, then looked back to Luna. “This human amuses me.” Luna allowed a small quirk of a smile to touch her face. “He is the lead researcher on this project, so I believe frightening him is not exactly wise.” K’rik flicked an ear. “If we are to proceed with this, then he must know the pack. We are not ponies after all.” Luna nodded. “That you are not, my friend.” Lewis waved his hand to catch their attention. “Umm, sorry to interrupt, but I’ve not got a clue what you’re saying. And if the phone call we received was right, our first patient will be arriving here at any moment, and there’s some more things that need to be discussed before he gets here.” Luna nodded. “Of course Dr. Lewis. Lead the way.” Giving the two canines another nervous look, Lewis led them through the door to the inner labs. “Well, there was some... peculiarities with the last test that Azure discovered, I think you’ll be very interested to hear this Luna...” Rangel jolted awake as the helicopter settled onto the pad. Looking out the window, he could see that it was well and truly dark outside. As the rotors spun down, the guard escorting him unlocked the leg cuffs from the floor. Opening the door, he helped Rangel shuffle awkwardly onto the concrete and toward a well-lit, heavy looking door. Glancing around, Rangel could tell that they were still somewhere in the Rockies, but any more than that was beyond him. As he was led inside, he blinked a little at the blinding lights spaced evenly along the ceiling. The hallway was the same as any other government facility he’d ever been in, dull grey and lifeless, even with all the scientist types walking around. Dull brown doors barely served to break up the monotony of the walls, odd numbers on the left and even on the right. Finally, the guard stopped him in front of one of the doors, number 111 gleaming in dull bronze on the front. Bending over, he unlocked the leg and handcuffs and bundled them up. “You will have new escorts from here. Proceed through the door for further instructions.” The guard opened the door, revealing yet another featureless hallway, though the pair of soldiers standing there waiting for him seemed very lively indeed. “Please, come this way.” The one on the left said, gesturing down the hall. Rangel obliged, the soldiers falling into formation on either side of him as they walked toward a single, massive door at the far end. “So, have you heard anything about this serum? All I got was that it was experimental.” Rangel asked as one of the soldiers typed in a long passcode on a pad next to the door. At the soldier’s silence, he shrugged. “Just asking.” The door swung open and the soldier motioned for him to walk through. The next room was a wide, sweeping space, with medical equipment and computers spread around. In the center of the room was a single operating table, with life support equipment patiently waiting nearby. Along the left wall was an observation area, where he could see the unmistakable form of Princess Luna conversing with a scientist, an officer, and someone he couldn’t see. One of the soldiers walked over to a speaker and pressed a button. “The patient is here.” Luna and the scientist turned their heads, saying a few more words to each other before they walked out of sight of the windows. The door swung open a few seconds later, the officer, a colonel, leading the scientist, a blue unicorn, Princess Luna and her guard. What rooted him to the floor were the two hulking forms stepping through the door after them. The shorter of the two was six feet tall and brown-furred, the taller seven and coal grey. Both wore crudely made shirts and pants, with what looked like crocodile hide armor on top. Their forearms were elongated, almost like a chimpanzee’s, the fingers tipped with large claws. Their eyes were like wolves’, yellowed and decidedly feral, yet bearing intelligence as well. It was a very unnerving stare, but Rangel was determined not to pussy out and stood his ground. “So, guess I was wrong about this ‘experimental’ serum being ponification serum then?” Luna smiled. “Indeed not, Steven Rangel, indeed not.” > 02 - Raising the Stakes > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Year 6, Week 5, Sunday David Young trotted through the door to the lounge and nearly collapsed onto the couch. “I take back everything I said about boot camp. This is a hundred times worse.” The white and red unicorn let out a sigh as he sagged onto the couch. “Aw shut it David,” said the red and black pegasus trotting in behind him. “Fuckin’ Moody is running my ass ragged with her flight training.” “You’d catch a break sometime if you didn’t keep chasing that flank, Desmond,” the earth pony stallion following Desmond retorted as he emerged from the washroom. “Last time we caught you two ‘training’, I wondered if we’d have to request a new trainer,” Emmet said with a chuckle. “You shove it too, sir,” Diamond replied irritably as he flexed his wings, wincing as they protested the movement. The final pony to enter the lounge was silent, plodding slowly to the largest of the couches and slouching onto it gratefully. He was a massive specimen, easily larger than any of the instructors that had been assigned to him. The couch frame groaned in good-natured protest, but held the black-coated body up. “Hold still Moses, I’ve been practicing my healing magic,” David said with a smile, his horn igniting with a crimson light as he washed the spell over his friend’s body. Moses sighed in relief as his sore muscles relaxed. “So when the fuck are they going to tell us what’s going on?” Desmond asked as he looked out the window at the beach. The small base they had spent nearly five months living and training at was safely hidden away on the northern coast of Kauai, with three full squads of Royal Guard to keep any wandering tourists away. While they’d appreciated the chance to return to active duty, five months without any significant contact was a long time. A very long time indeed. The peace and quiet was broken by the thud of hooves on floor as a deep red stallion entered the room, a broad smile on his face. “Up and at ‘em colts! Good news!” Aegis said cheerfully. With a chorus of groans the four stallions heaved themselves into formation and saluted. “Now now, no need for the fancy salutin’. Finally got permission from the higher ups to tell ya why you’re here, and I think you’re going to like it.” He took a pause for dramatic effect, enjoying the anticipation on the four’s faces. “Y’all get to find out what’s been going on in Scythion, the home country of the griffons.” Emmet, once he’d picked his jaw up, blinked a few times. “Mind explaining sir?” Aegis nodded. “Well, there were griffons involved in the attack on St Louis. We determined that they were responsible for the magic explosion that killed your unit. What we don’t know is how the HLF made contact with those griffons. But, your mission is simple. Infiltrate Scythion, find out what’s going on, get out. You’ll have a specialist accompanying you for the mission, they should be here within the next day or two. Unfortunately, they’ll need to have to be trained in their body before the mission is a go, but it oughta be a bit easier than it was for ya’ll.” Emmet tilted his head. “Is there anything else you can tell us? Going in with an asset we know nothing about isn’t exactly conducive to a successful mission.” Aegis shook his head. “‘Fraid not. Nopony’s told me anything either. But you four have passed every test we’ve given. If anypony can pull this off, it’s ya’ll.” “So wait a minute, let me get this straight,” Rangel said for the third time. “So this serum is going to turn me into one of them?” He pointed to the two canine bipeds with a wavering hand. “Well, yes,” Dr. Lewis said as he flipped through a few stapled pages, “the tests we’ve run have all come back as unequivocal. The serum will work, of that I can assure you.” Rangel shook his head, trying to wrap his head around it. “So why me? And why turn me into one of these things? No offense,” he added hurriedly. The colonel took a step forward. “I’m Colonel Harkness, in charge of this base. In the attack on St Louis six months ago, there were griffons participating in the attack. They helped slaughter a company of US Marines, and one hundred thirty National Guard, before making their escape through unknown means. Upon questioning of the griffon ambassador in Canterlot, he admitted to receiving a letter ordering him to destroy what documents he could and leave the country. In exchange for this information, he specified that no Equestrian set hoof in Scythion. Therefore, you will be attached to a specialist unit that has been assembled to infiltrate Scythion. This mission is to allow for the United States and Equestria to gain intelligence on the state of the country, and perhaps even learn how the HLF found out about the Hunters to hire them. Princess Luna has been the lead negotiator between us and the diamond dogs, and will explain further about what this project will achieve.” Luna nodded her thanks as she took over from Harkness. “In exchange for our assistance, the largest pack of canids, led by Alpha K’rik and his Beta, Ferrik,” she indicated K’rik and Ferrik with a wing, “have agreed to support us in this infiltration. There will be a team of ponies who will be accompanying you, all former National Guardsmen saved in St Louis. But ultimately, the decision was made to pursue this new serum for two reasons. One, the short term gain of having a diamond dog on the mission vastly increases its chance of success. Two, the diamond dog’s population is just too low. Something needed to be done to try and help them raise their numbers. This serum both does that, and gives humanity another option when it comes to Conversion.” Rangel held up his hand. “Okay, a lot of this is going over my head. Can I just have some time to think about this?” Luna nodded. “Of course. There is a small lounge through the door there. Take as much time as you need.” Rangel walked through the door without another word. K’rik looked at Luna, a faint trace of annoyance in his eyes. “The human is weak. He will not accept this offer.” Ignoring the canid, Harkness grunted. “If it were up to me he’d be suckin’ prison air for the rest of his life.” Luna laughed lightly. “I think you both underestimate him. Asking something like this out of the blue would cause anypony a great deal of confusion and worry. Just give him time.” She glanced at Harkness. “And if you’d really had fault with our recommendation for his selection, you didn’t express it at the planning meeting.” Harkness only scowled as he stared at the open lounge door. In the lounge, Rangel was preoccupied with counting the specks on the floor, trying to get the shaking hands back under control. He’d spent the flight over preparing to undergo Conversion and be a pony. Now things were starting to crumble again, and he was getting tired of the edifice of his beliefs being shaken up at every turn. He’d known that there were other intelligent species living in Equestria, but none of them had really made any effort at coming to Earth and mingling with humans like the ponies had. He’d wondered about that, but had never thought to ask one of the ponies, believing that they’d either lie about it, or worse, that they had conquered the other races and thus were keeping them enslaved. He found himself wondering if it really was as Luna had said, and it was simply that these diamond dogs were a relatively tiny population compared to the Equestrians. But then what did that say about the Equestrians? Were they even aware of the suffering of the other species? Did they even care? Maybe they didn’t know, but if they were telling the truth, he sure as hell knew now. But would Conversion be the solution to this, or would it simply be a matter of relocating the diamond dogs somewhere where they could increase their numbers? But where would they relocate to? He put his hands to his head in an attempt to quiet the storm of questions rattling around, not even noticing Dr Lewis entering the room and sitting next to him. “It is a tough choice, believe me, I know.” Rangel leaned back against the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling. “You got that right, Doc. Did you guys even consider that Conversion might not be the answer to this?” Lewis took a deep breath. “Well, I can’t say for sure. I’ve thought about it for a while during the development of the serum. From what I’ve talked about with Luna and the other ponies who were brought in, the diamond dog population’s just too scattered for them to have a viable breeding population. K’rik’s pack is a start, but from what I’ve come to understand the diamond dogs are a very fractious species, even more so than our own. Not to mention that trying to force those diamond dogs that don’t want to relocate would be just as wrong. So, Luna and Celestia felt that developing the serum to create new canids would be the best alternative. It’s not the best solution, but it’s the one we thought made the best of the situation.” He got to his feet and walked over to the water cooler, pouring himself a drink. Glancing back at Rangel, he tilted the cup questioningly. When Rangel shook his head Lewis drained the paper cup in a single go, tossing it into the garbage can. “I can’t tell you if undergoing this Conversion is the right or wrong thing to do. If it works, we’ll be able to give a species time while we look for another solution. The infiltration into Scythion will have a much better chance of success with you along though.” He sat back down next to Rangel. “You thought, in St Louis. You didn’t let your fear and anger control you and prevent you from making the morally right choice. There wasn’t anything to gain from murdering children.” Rangel nodded, only half hearing what the doctor was saying. “What happens to me when I come back?” Lewis swallowed. He’d known, in a way, that this question would come up. “Well, there are conditions attached... I want you to know that I in no way agree with them but...” “I’m not going to be allowed to just go back to a normal life, am I?” Rangel asked quietly, his hands still. “... No.” Lewis heaved a sigh as the word left his mouth. “I’m sorry, but the United States cannot just let you go free. Even if you did the right thi-” “Don’t.” Rangel rose to his feet and walked to the counter, gripping the edge tightly. “To be honest, for a while afterward, I couldn’t look myself in the face again. Let alone my family.” He reached into his pocket and pulled a simple piece of folded paper from it. Unfolding it slowly, he gave it a look before turning to face Lewis. “My family was in the Charleston Bureau when the attack happened. My parents disowned me. I admit I never really got along with them after I said I was joining the Army. When they found out I was one of the HLF terrorists captured, I guess it was too much for them. My little sister Carrie, though, she sent me this letter. Said she knew I wasn’t really one of the terrorists, that I was fighting them from the inside. She said that she’d never forget me, and to never forget her.” He folded the letter with shaking hands, clutching it tightly. “But, if I’d been sent to one of the other floors, I think I really would have shot the ponies there. But the sight of those foals, they reminded me of Carrie, and suddenly I couldn’t pull the trigger. I can’t ever look her, or my parents, in the face again.” He took a deep breath and looked up, his eyes a little wet. “So, what’s the specifics of that, Doc?” Lewis flipped through the papers. “You would not be allowed to return to the United States under your old identity. You would be expected to choose a new name for yourself, preferably a diamond dog name. Of course, should you so choose, you can emigrate to Equestria and live there as well, though that would present challenges of its own.” Rangel nodded slowly. He looked down at the letter held in his hand, not even seeing it, but the smiling face of his sister. Taking a deep breath, he met Lewis’ gaze. “Alright, I’ll do it.” Lewis nodded, and walked back out into the lab, Rangel following after him. Colonel Harkness had gone back into the observation room and was speaking on a phone, his shoulders stiff. Rangel pulled his gaze away as Lewis spoke briefly with Luna, who relayed the news to the two diamond dogs. The larger one chuffed out a breath and turned to face him. This time, Rangel met it’s feral stare evenly, not willing to let himself be intimidated again. “He... may survive this,” K’rik finally said. “For how well the serum works, that will have to be seen.” Lewis, in the meantime, was busy helping Rangel get ready. The former soldier stripped out of his clothes and put on the plain hospital gown provided. “That’s good, just lie down on the table there. No sense in you falling over after all.” Rangel complied, wincing a little at the cold bite of the metal on his skin. He looked over as Lewis carefully lifted a tray bearing two needles and set it on the end table nearby. “So that’s it, huh?” One needle was full of a translucent liquid, what he assumed was the anesthetic. The other glimmered with a faint tan light. He could feel the barest tinge of his skin starting to itch with it sitting next to him, and looked at Dr. Lewis as he swabbed his arm. “So, is it going to hurt?” He wondered if all converts asked that question. Dr. Lewis chuckled as he picked up the needle of the clear fluid. “Well, that’s what the anesthetic is for.” He carefully slid it into the vein, pressing down on the plunger. “Just relax and let it do its job. You won’t feel a thing.” Rangel yawned as the anesthetic began to take effect, his body slowly shutting down as the medicine circulated through it on it’s way to his brain. His eyes stubbornly stayed open for a few more seconds, but they too finally yielded and drifted closed, his brain firing the last few neural snaps before they too fell into slumber. The crescent moon hung in the sky, a silent observer to the dance of life occurring under it. He lowered himself to the ground, eyes hard as he scanned the trail for the prey-sign. He had been stalking this prey for a long time, across the rough ground. Gripping the assault rifle tightly, he began to creep forward, toward a copse of trees. Bootprints led directly toward it, and he allowed a small mental smile to form as he noted the panicked spreading. The prey was afraid, and its fear inspired the opposite in him, a deep, primal desire to see it run down and ended at his hands. Nudging aside a low branch with his weapon, he paused for a moment in confusion, trying to remember whether it was a spear or an assault rifle he was supposed to be carrying. With a shake of his head, he dismissed the concern and glanced ahead, taking a deep sniff of the cold air drifting past. It was subtle, but the prey-sign was there, thick with the stench of fear and pain. Taking another few slow strides forward, feeling the snow crunching underfoot, he could see the ground slope down toward a small clearing, a thick patch of brush hiding the interior from view. His claws extended, the hardened nails gleaming in the moonlight. But his nose didn’t lie to him, and he quietly slid into the thicket, finally seeing it. The prey stood in the center of the clearing, having taken a moment to rest and lick its wounds. He peered at it in confusion, not recognizing the shape of the terrorist for a few seconds. But as he blinked, the form resolved itself into the more familiar prey-shape of the deer he had been hunting. It was a fearsome stag, antler points like knives in the dim light. He froze as a new, unfamiliar smell made itself known, just to his right, thirty feet away. Turning his head slowly, so as not to spook the prey, he could make out a shadowed form lurking, cold eyes staring back at him. He flexed his claws slowly, careful not to make any noise and alert the prey. The other figure did the same, and in unspoken agreement, the two turned their focus back to the prey in front of them. It’s head was up, ears twitching round as it sought the source of the sudden, dreadful silence that had fallen upon the clearing. Even the air itself was still, the whole, uncaring focus of the Wild brought to bear on the single moment in time. As one, the two predators leapt from the thicket, powering through the driven snow toward their quarry, which sprang into motion almost simultaneously. But it was a fraction of a second too slow, its injury too debilitating, and that second was lethal. He came down upon it first, his claws fixing into its shoulder, jaws closing on the neck. The flesh parted, the blood beneath gushing hot and fast into his mouth. It only exhilarated him, and with a twist of his head he tore free the mouthful of flesh. He felt it struggling mightily to escape, but he was mightier still, and soon it fell quiet and still, the snow beneath them stained black in the moonlight. He swallowed the flesh in his mouth and was reaching for another when something slammed into him from the side, knocking him sprawling into the snow. Surging to his feet with a snarl of breath, he saw the other predator clearly now. It was an enormous wolf, though after a second he realized it wasn’t, as it prowled forward. It stood easily six feet feet at the shoulder, fur as dark as the night sky, claws four inches long. It’s yellowed eyes stared directly at him, conveying a wordless message as clear as day. Submit. He snarled his rejection, standing his ground defiantly. The hulking figure acknowledged it by blurring into motion, flashing past him before he could even react. A hot flash of pain burned across his left thigh, his pants soaking with his blood. He shook his head and spun to face the figure as it turned around. Again, the figure demanded through scent and posture. Submit. He snarled and charged forward, spear raised to strike. The figure batted the spear aside with one paw and slashed at his arm with its fangs, scoring a second deep wound. He was knocked to the ground from the force of the impact, crying out in pain as his injured leg gave out. The figure turned and loomed over him, its head framed by the crescent moon. “Will you submit?” Its voice was like the rolling thunder, and for a second he found his knees trying to bend. With a grunt he forced them to stop, and with a hiss of pain, pushed himself upright. Looking down at the savaged body of the terrorist, he felt a mild sense of revulsion, but brought his eyes up to meet the feral ones staring at him. “Not gonna happen.” It’s mocking laugh rolled out of the bottom of its chest. “You are barely standing. How long do you feel you can keep this up?” “As long as I have to,” Rangel snapped back, his hands trembling a little from the cold and blood loss. The creature stared at him for a second, then heaved itself up so it was standing on its hindlegs. The dim moonlight started to brighten, until he could make out its form better. At best guess, he put its height at twelve feet, corded muscles rippling under its skin. It was similar in appearance to the werewolves he remembered reading about when he was young, but this thing practically radiated nobility in addition to the savagery. “You are an interesting hunter of these trails, Steven Rangel. You bring much strength to my pack. I will see you again, at the end of the hunt.” Throwing back his head, the monstrous diamond dog howled, a world-shattering cacophony that carried with it the loneliness of the winter night, the savage joy of the predator chasing its prey, and the warmth of the sunrise. Steve winced, falling to the ground from the deafening assault and the pain of his injuries. The sound kicked up the snow, swirling it into a tornado that blinded and spun him about until he was completely disoriented. Finally, he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness, the driving snow in his eyes fading into utter blackness. Rangel jerked as he took a gasping breath, feeling something trying to hold him down on the table. With a delirious shout he threw whatever it was off as he rolled off the table onto the floor. Leaping to his feet, he took a few staggering steps back, towards the wall that he knew was close by. Stopping suddenly, he realized that he could feel the wall, literally sense where it was in relation to his feet on the floor. Opening his eyes, he blinked at the brightness of the lights and sneezed. The breath that surged back into his nose was a second reason to freeze. He could clearly smell the eight other beings in the room, which his eyes picked out a second later. Colonel Harkness tilted his head. “The serum worked then.” Standing in the corner, hackles raised and ears flat, was another diamond dog. Standing about as tall as Ferrik, it’s fur was a range of greys, with splashes of russet along the shoulders and eartips. It’s eyes were the same shade of yellow-brown as K’rik’s, though they were currently widened in fear. Dr. Lewis wheezed from his new spot on the floor. With Azure’s help, he managed to pull himself to his feet, a massive bruise forming on his cheek where Rangel had struck him. “Well, his reflexes seem to be functioning fine, coordination is weak, but better than most newfoals.” “What’s going on?” the canid Rangel had become suddenly barked out. “I can feel the room, all of you pressing down on it!” Luna tilted her head curiously, then her eyes narrowed in realization. “Is that what I think it is?” “All diamond dog sense through the rock. Is our gift from the Alpha of Alphas,” K’rik said sharply. “Ferrik, bring him to heel.” The shorter dog nodded before taking a few steps forward and facing Rangel squarely. “Will you submit?” Rangel froze, the words of the diamond dog in front of him now making perfect sense to him, the scent and body posture a mirror to the dream. His lips instinctively pulled back and he crouched lower to the ground. “No.” Ferrik cracked his neck to one side, then the other. “Ferrik not ask again. Submit.” Rangel’s only response was to snarl. Dr. Lewis and Azure took a few hasty steps back, while Luna, Harkness and Cloudhammer remained where they were next to K’rik. “I do hope this behavior isn’t always going to happen,” Luna remarked to K'rik. “The standard Bureaus won’t be able to handle this sort of violent tendencies.” K’rik chuffed dismissively. “This is normal. Diamond dogs are not ponies. Our way is through strength. If needed, I will bring the pack to ensure discipline.” Ferrik, in the meantime, was nearly face to face with Rangel, both of them now snarling at each other. Rangel lunged at the diamond dog with a snap of his teeth, who rocked back while slapping out with his paw. The claws left three stinging cuts across his face, and Rangel instinctively yelped and closed his eyes. Ferrik grinned and lunged forward, grabbing Rangel’s arm and twisting it behind him, dragging the two of them to the floor. The two struggled violently before Rangel managed to pull his arm free. However, as he started to try and roll into a position to bite, he felt the pricks of teeth gripping his own neck. “Now, submit,” Ferrik growled. Rangel bared his fangs and started to swing up to claw at the other dog in an attempt to escape. He never made it, as Ferrik’s jaws tightened slightly, a hairsbreadth from puncturing his jungular and carotid blood vessels. “Keep going, Ferrik will end you,” the native said with a thick snarl. The room was silent as the assembled onlookers waited to see what would happen. Rangel’s mind raced, trying to think of a way out, but his body seemed to almost take over, his limbs going slack and his tail tucking itself underneath him as best it could. Finally, with a pleading whine, he went still. After a few seconds, Ferrik let him go and stood up. Rangel followed him with a resentful snarl. “Fuckin’ touch me again and it won’t go the same way, dog. And for that matter, why can I understand him now?” Ferrik’s response was only a harsh laugh as he walked away. “Ferrik likes this pup. He carries the heart of the stone in him.” Luna shook her head before walking forward to face Rangel. “We’ve been refining the base serum spells to allow for the Convert to understand the tongue of the species they become, and now...” she paused, a look of pride on her face, “now, it gives you a basic knowledge of how to speak it. Anyway, Steven, we need you to put this enmity behind you. You will need to be trained in how to use your body, and Ferrik here will be the one to teach you. ” Rangel bared his teeth slightly, but relented under Luna’s stern gaze. “Fine. But he thinks I’m gonna behave like a good boy, he’s got another thing coming.” Luna smiled. “Excellent! Now then, come Dr. Lewis, we need to take a blood sample and his vital signs.” Lewis grunted acknowledgement as he rubbed his bruised face. “Long as he doesn’t hit me again.” Rangel rolled his arm to try and alleviate some of the pain from it nearly being dislocated, and realized his tail was still firmly pressed against his rear. Taking a few deep breaths, he felt it start to loosen up and hang freely again. “Now that is going to take some getting used to.” > 03 - Beleaguered Castle > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Year 6, Week 9, Tuesday The structure was sturdily built, walls of steel-reinforced stone looming imposingly over the forest. At the single entrance to the building, two unicorns stood guard, their brown eyes glaring into the darkness. Beside them stood two earth ponies, their heavy armor rendering them like walking tanks. Overhead, three of the best pegasi the Guard could provide circled in surveillance pattern, keen eyes scouring the surrounding jungle for any trace of movement. Not even a small bird taking flight could escape their gaze. And at the very top of this fortress, a small red flag fluttered gently in the evening air. Down in the jungle, a pair of eyes was carefully tracking the airborne pegasi. “Damnit, they changed the pattern again. They learned after our last attempt.” Desmond squinted. “Fuck me, Moody’s up there. I know she’s out to get me.” There was a growling chuckle from the figure buried into the vegetation behind the red pegasus. “Maybe you should try baiting her again, she seemed to like running your dumb ass down.” “Shut the fuck up mutt,” Desmond hissed, careful not to let his voice rise above a whisper. “Just don’t screw up your part of the job.” Another figure leaned slightly out of the bushes. “If you two don’t shut it I’m going to buck you out in the open and let the unicorns take your sorry butts down like the time before last.” The two squabbling figures fell silent, though not before shooting each other a glare. Rangel slowly pulled back, lowered himself to the ground, and buried his forepaws in the loose soil. Slowly, he began to sweep, pushing the dirt aside easily, though he took great pains to keep it from rustling the bush or making any noise. Once he had cleared a hole large enough, he began to move down, pushing the earth past him until he struck rock. Closing his eyes, Rangel concentrated, letting himself feel the rock below the dirt, willing himself into it. Slowly, his claws slid into the stone, and he began to form the initial tunnel. Next to the forming entrance, a white earth pony, his coat thoroughly covered in mud to hide him from the eyes in the sky, carefully used his hooves to push the material to the side. “Alright, keep your eyes open,” Emmet whispered as he concentrated on not making any more noise than absolutely necessary. “David, make sure none of those Night Guard unicorns are sneaking up on us again.” “Freeze.” The final member of their team, a hulking earth pony, suddenly whispered. Almost in unison, the group complied, as a bat-winged pegasus zipped by not forty feet overhead. Once a full minute had passed, Rangel and Emmet returned to expanding the tunnel. “Those goddamned Night Guard pegs. Normal Guards I can put up with. But those bats are just plain cheating.” Desmond muttered as he swept the sky. “There, there’s the other one. Try to sneak around when I’m watchin’, huh?” “You’re just mad they caught you the second time we took this test.” David said with a quiet snort. Further conversation was ended as Rangel stuck his head out of the hole. “If you all are done chattering, we’re running out of time. We only have until sunrise to finish this.” The other ponies all nodded before carefully entering the tunnel. Once they were inside, Rangel carefully pushed the rock back into place, the stone almost acting like putty under his claws. He was still fascinated by how easily it came to him, almost like his body had knew how to do it from the get go. Dr. Lewis had explained that a side effect of the Conversion was the imparting of low-level instincts, like how newfoal pegasi knew how to use their wings, and earth ponies could sense the earth under their hooves. In his case, they weren’t entirely sure what instincts would be given him, so they’d had him write down anything Ferrik taught him, so they could use it for other diamond dog converts once the serum went public. The time dragged by as Rangel continued to tunnel through the raw stone. The darkness was dispelled by Heart’s magic, while Emmet and Moses worked to keep the stone moving behind them. Stopping every few dozen feet, the newpup pressed his paws against the stone and concentrated, feeling where the natural stone ended and the formed stone began. How he could tell had confounded him for most of his training, but ultimately he’d simply accepted that was how it was. No sense in trying to wrap his brain around a concept that ultimately couldn’t be wrapped around. Once he felt they were in the right spot, he set about expanding the area so they could bunch together. “Alright, we’re under the front wall. Give me an hour to get ready. Then make your moves.” “An hour? The fuck are we supposed to do for an hour?” Desmond asked irritably. Rangel only shot him a smirk. “Figure it out for yourself, ‘Diamond’.” The moon had just turned over the top of the sky, and the guardponies garrisoning the small fortress were in the middle of shift change. They were confident, all thirty of them were awake and the odds of four ponies and one dog attacking the fortress were nonexistent. And that was when the earth ponies at the front gate felt it. The ground seemed to... shift slightly. They peered around the jungle when suddenly, with a sharp crack, the entire structure sank a foot and a half into the ground. The pegasi overhead tightened their formation, the Night Guard pegasi joining them a moment later to scan the jungle for any sign of an attack. Further cracks came as suddenly, the whole rear half of the building tore free of the rest and fell backward into the jungle, throwing up a cloud of dust that obscured the ruins of the fortress from sight. Almost as soon as the ground finished shaking, a streak of red shot up through the dust, blasting through the middle of the pegasi overhead. One tumbled away, a wing spasming from the kick it had received. “That’ll show em,” Desmond hollered as he rolled over into a dive, the other pegasi giving chase. “I’ll give it to the mutt, he knows how to put on a good show.” Down on the ground, the unicorns and earth ponies were still stumbling around aimlessly, the dust too thick to see more than five feet in front of their faces. One of the earth ponies suddenly bumped into what felt like another pony, only this one was huge, towering a full head over him. “Wait a minute-” The rest of the sentence was never finished as a hoof collided with the front of his helmet, denting the metal and dropping the unfortunate pony to the ground. “Clear. Go.” Moses said as Emmet and David emerged from the tunnel behind him. Almost instantly the three ducked as a unicorn shot a spell at them. “David, take care of it!” Emmet shouted as he and Moses broke into a gallop, vanishing into the dust. David turned to face the other unicorn, both their horns glowing as they prepared to unleash their next spell. However, the dust was starting to settle, allowing Heart to see the five blurry shapes taking up position next to his opponent. “Oh, that’s just not fair.” The unicorns released all their spells, the dust blasting away in flashes of multicolored light. Emmet and Moses moved as quickly as they could, pouncing on the isolated and confused guards. But after the first three, the guards pulled into a ring around the two, not allowing them the chance to vanish back into the dust. “Guess we’re out of luck, eh Moses?” Emmet asked rhetorically as the unicorn guards trotted up, the immobilized David held tightly in their magic. “Yep.” The bulky earth pony was as terse as ever. The guards deposited David into the circle with a thud before releasing him. “Sorry Sarge, not much one can do against six.” “It’s fine, Sergeant,” Emmet said with a sigh. “Least we tried.” A blur of motion overhead caught their eye as the pegasi descended, harrying a solitary red form to the ground. “Damn bastards, using the Night Guard like that,” Desmond said with an angry toss of his head, his wings flared in challenge. “Oh shut it, little colt.” A bat-winged pegasus mare landed in front of Desmond. “Your technique’s still sloppy, want me to lend you a hoof with it?” she asked with a sardonic smirk. Desmond snorted, glaring at the other pegasus. “Bring it on Moody, I’m still better than you one on one!” “Whatever makes you sleep better at night,” she replied as she snapped her wings to take off, catching him sharply across the nose with her tail as she did. “Try not to sprain a wing, it makes it less fun.” “Alright, now let’s go find the mutt, he can’t be too far,” one of the earth pony guards said as the pegasi started clearing the cloud. “And you’d be right,” a new voice called out from the depths of the rapidly diminishing cloud. Instantly, the guards whirled, forming into a defensive wall. A figure heaved itself over a wall of rubble, something held under one arm. Tossing the unconscious pegasus Desmond had kicked to the ground, Rangel held up the flag in his left paw. “So, what do we win?” The room was silent, aside from the clip-clopping of hooves on wood as Captain Flare paced back and forth in front of the assembled team. “So, let me get this straight. Instead of following the orders you were given, which were to infiltrate the fortress, neutralize the guards, and capture the flag, you instead saw fit to demolish the entire building?” The four ponies all looked squarely at Rangel, who crouched down a little before sighing. “Sir, our unit made six attempts to take the fortress through conventional means and as per orders. I felt that making a seventh conventional attempt would not be in the best interest of the mission. And in our defense, the collapse was timed for the shift rotation so no one would be in the rear of the structure, sir.” Flare snorted. “And just what were the rest of you doing while Mr. Rangel here was off destroying a perfectly viable training facility?” The ponies shifted uncomfortably before Emmet spoke up. “Sir, we were playing cards, sir. Blackjack to be precise.” Flare just stared at them, trying to decide whether he was being serious or not, when a chuckle came from the doorway. “Well, it might not have been the idea we had in mind when this exercise was thought up,” Aegis said as he entered the room, “but they technically did get the flag.” “But... the facility-” Flare said dumbfoundedly, only for Aegis to gently cut him off. “Sometimes, when ya got no other option, breakin’ the rules is all you can do. Sure ain’t gonna be no rules to follow when they get to it where they’re goin’.” Aegis turned and faced the five. “Alright, ya passed the last test. So enjoy the rest of the night, you’re getting sent to the Equestrian northern border post at dawn. From there, you’ll be totally on your own. If you get caught, you are not citizens of Equestria, and there will be no help coming for you. Rangel, Ferrik wants to see you at the southern entrance. Don’t take all night now.” Rangel nodded, heaving himself off of the chair and making his way out of the barracks. Once he was outside, his nose twitched as he took a deep sniff of the night air. He could smell the ponies inhabiting the camp, the humidity in the air, and one familiar scent to his right. Walking calmly along the dirt path, he soon made out the shape of Ferrik lurking just outside the gate. “So, what’d you want me for?” “Ferrik have something to tell you.” He heaved himself to his paws. “Follow me.” Rangel nodded, yet again glad that the serum had imparted the basic understanding of the dog's language to him. He’d never done well with foreign languages of cultures on earth, let alone ones from other worlds. Together, the two loped into the dark jungle, moving steadily uphill until they cleared the treeline. The sky was clear overhead, the stars twinkling like diamonds around the silver moon. “So, what exactly are we doing?” Ferrik didn’t answer, instead leading him further up, to the top of the ridge. Once they were there, Ferrik stood stock still, staring at the moon. Rangel sat patiently for the first few minutes, but rapidly got bored. “So, are you gonna tell me anything or-” “Ferrik knows of choice given you before you became as us.” His voice was quiet, almost too quiet for Rangel to hear. “K’rik took great offense at it. We hear of what you did in St. Louis,” he stumbled briefly over the human words, “and there should not be punishment for that. So, K’rik and Ferrik decide on offer of our own. If you so choose, you may join K’rik’s pack when hunt over.” Rangel just stared. From what little he’d learned, this kind of thing was never done. Sure, other dogs could join, but only after proving their value to the pack, usually through dueling the beta. For the pack to extend an offer like this was a huge concession by the alpha, and potentially a loss of face should the new packmate not be up to standard. “I... I don’t really know-” “What is there to not know?” Ferrik tilted his head. “Pack would be strengthened by you.” “It’s just something I’m not sure I can decide now,” Rangel said with a sigh. “I mean, it’s only been a month.” Getting an idea, he looked over at Ferrik. “Can I decide when I return?” Ferrik nodded. “I do not see problem with it.” He lifted his head toward the moon. “Now, join me. We shall cry to the moon for a successful hunt.” The haunting howls rose into the air, echoing across nearly the entire island. In their homes and apartments by the beach the ponies glanced fearfully out the window, their instincts warning them of predators on the hunt. In the Royal Guard barracks, the guards stamped their hooves nervously, looking to their fellows for reassurance. Inside the lounge, David looked out the window toward the jungle. “What in the world is that?” Emmet joined him. “I believe that our new Joker is ready to go.” > 04 - Into the North > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Year 6, Week 9, Thursday Rangel felt his ears pop as the world spun back into existence in front of his eyes. He looked around to see the other four ponies swaying on their hooves, their faces green. “You guys okay?” “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to teleporting...” Emmet groaned. “So why is the mutt not sick?” Desmond muttered irritably as he fought to keep his breakfast down. Rangel was about to snap a reply when his nose twitched and he looked toward the door. A second later it swung open and a unicorn guard trotted in, his face stern even by guardpony standards. “You all the ‘special team’ we got orders about?” His voice was harsh, with a wheezy undertone to it. Spade swallowed hard and took a step forward. “Yes sir. Master Sergeant Emmet Webb reporting for-” “You don’t salute me, you’re not a Guard,” the unicorn said with a snort as he turned around, “so shut it. Orders say to take you to the north gate, not socialize. Now follow me, you got gear waiting for you.” Glancing at each other, they followed the stallion down the hallways of the barracks, Rangel having to duck his head to make it through the doors. They came to a large room, with a counter and several rows of shelving behind it. They groaned with the weight of the equipment on them, everything from bedding to cloaks to what looked like field rations. With a pulse of his magic, the unicorn hefted five bags to them, one of them clearly modified for Rangel. Grabbing five cloaks, he piled them on the counter. “Now, I want to make it clear that right now, you’re taking supplies that we might need. Princesses’ orders or not, you understand and appreciate that little detail.” Trotting around the counter, he marched toward the door while they hurriedly put on the bags and cloaks. Exiting onto the street, the first thing they were made aware of was the biting cold. The second, for all they’d expected to see of Equestrian towns, was that this town was anything but that. There were few ponies out on the street, and the ones that were shot disdainful glances at the four ponies. However, their faces twisted into outright hostility as they looked at Rangel. “Friendly bunch.” Rangel said with a short huff as they descended the stairs into the snow. The cold briefly stabbed into his pads, but after a few seconds it settled into a mild chill. “You’re new here, so lemme tell ya something, dog,” the unicorn said coldly as he led the group down the icy street. “Up here in the north, every day we have to worry about raids from either griffons or Diamond Dogs. Everypony here’s lost something to them. Family, friends, food,” he coughed harshly, “sometimes even more than that.” “What’s your name, sir?” David asked quietly. The guard looked at him for a long minute before tossing his head. “First Lieutenant White Melody.” “Might... might I have a look at your neck? I’m a medic, I could maybe-” David said, lowering his head to get a better look at the three scars visible on the other unicorn’s neck. White Melody jerked his head up, ears folded half back in annoyance. “First off, nopony but my doctor looks at the neck. You ain’t him. Second, even if you could do something, I wouldn’t let ya. I earned these scars, and thanks to that mongrel that stole my song, they’re what I got left. In the north, you take what you can and keep moving forward. Stop to cry like a foal and you die.” David shied away, his ears folding. The rest of the ponies all looked at each other and decided that keeping to themselves was the best course of action. Rangel simply kept his eyes on everypony they passed, while admiring the architecture of the buildings. Each was built solidly, obviously intended to act as a defense from the elements and attackers first before anything else. Eventually, they reached the edge of town, the unicorn gesturing forward with a hoof. “The border’s that way. Dunno what the Guard’s thinkin’ though, sending just five of ya into Scythion like this. We haven’t seen or heard much outta the country in over ten years, ‘cept the occasional griffon coming south on official business.” Emmet nodded. “Well, we’re used to operating on our own. Thanks for the escort.” The unicorn snorted. “Don’t think ya should be thankin’ me.” He turned around and trotted back into town. Turning his head, he shouted back, “Odds are the lot of you will be gettin’ your bones picked over by the timberwolves, two day’s hence.” The wind was like a living thing, wheezing its breath through the stands of pine trees, snow billowing up in clouds and tornadoes of white, at times obscuring vision to only a few feet. There were faint signs of life’s passing, but as for the life itself, nothing. The very land itself seemed eager to stifle all signs that anything could actually live here. And Rangel loved everything about it. The barren, hostile landscape almost seemed to resonate in him, like one predator acknowledging another. He’d already become accustomed to the cold nipping at his pads, to the point where he barely even registered it. “Damn, but this feels like winter back home when I was a kid. Always loved it.” He pushed the hood of the cloak back to let the wind blow across his fur, his ears twitching at every creak of the branches. “Speak for yourself,” Desmond muttered, the pegasus shivering despite his coat and the cloak. “It figures, griffons can’t be nice and live somewhere like the beach. No, now our asses get to tromp around in the snow and freeze.” “Something’s not right,” Moses rumbled, the earth pony digging a hoof at the ground. “Earth feels strange.” “He’s right,” Emmet chimed in. “The ground... feels different than it did back at the border post. It feels more alive, more wild.” “There’s something similar for the magic around us.” David concentrated, a dim red glow forming around his horn. “It’s not only wilder... but there’s... less of it. It’s strange.” “I think you’re all just crazy,” Desmond grumbled. “For once I agree with you.” Rangel looked around for a second, just letting the smells soak into his nose. “So, where to go from here?” Emmet trotted a few feet ahead, eyes half closed as he concentrated. “There’s a road here, going that way.” He pointed with a hoof toward the northwest. “What do you think, Moses?” “We should follow it, see where it leads,” Moses said simply, already starting to trot forward ponderously. Emmet nodded. “Alright, then that’s the plan for now.” He turned to face the four. “And from here on, we leave our human names behind. Most of us know the score, Rangel, but given that it’s your first time out with us, my name’s Spade, Moses is Club, David is Heart, and Desmond is Diamond.” He glanced at his flank, the cutie mark clearly visible. “Suppose the names make even more sense now. And don’t worry, we got your name already picked.” He grinned. “You’ll be going by Joker while we’re here.” Rangel stared at Emmet in disbelief. “You’re kidding, right?” Desmond snorted. “Nah, that’s your job, Fido.” Rangel could only sputter as the assembled ponies just laughed. “Oh, I’m going to get you back for this.” The ponies only laughed harder as they turned toward the road ahead. Following the road, or rather, following Spade and Club as they checked the boundaries of the road, took the better part of two hours. The driving snow had at least abated, allowing them to see the landscape ahead of them. Towering mountains pierced the sky like daggers, their slopes dark with stands of pine trees. The sky for the most part was a brilliant shade of blue, though another snowstorm looked to be blowing in from the northeast. “Alright, that’s it, I’m tired of walking. Gonna pop up and take a look around,” Diamond said with a snort. Spreading his wings, he leapt into the sky, spiraling higher until he was a red speck against the blue. Though after a few seconds of hovering, he flipped over and dove toward them. “Got a village about two miles ahead, didn’t see any sign of life.” “Alright, let’s go take a look then.” Spade started trotting off in the direction Diamond had indicated, Club following along. Rangel caught Heart as the unicorn trotted past. “Are we even going to scout the place out?” Heart shook his head. “If Desmond says it looks clear, it usually is.” True to form, the town was deserted, many of the buildings collapsed into piles of rubble obscured by ice and snow. The team moved slowly down what appeared to be the main street, ears flat in the case of the ponies and hackles raised in Rangel’s. “I am seriously getting a bad feeling from this place,” Rangel muttered as they drew even with the first mostly intact building, a house from the look of it. “What do you think?” “Let’s check it out. Standard entry,” Spade said quietly, the other Cards forming up on the door. “Rangel, you come in after we say it’s clear-” “It is, I can smell it,” Rangel interrupted as he kicked the door in, a cloud of dust and snow billowing up. Taking a few steps in, he looked around and sneezed. “See? All clear.” Spade snorted, but followed him in. “You were right this time. But next time, we stick to a plan and move like a team. What we don’t need is someone like you going in like he’s John Wayne. You got me, Joker?” Rangel felt his upper lip starting to curl, and after an agonizing split second he forced it down. “Sir, yes sir.” Spade nodded sharply while the other Cards entered the house. “Alright. Fan out and see what’s here. You find anything, call it out. Move quick.” Rangel was already moving, ducking his head to enter the kitchen. It was similar to a lot of kitchens he’d seen, the dining table, or what was left of it, in the middle. There were a couple plates frozen to the remaining wood, and stains which he guessed were from food still visible on them. The chairs were knocked over, though the ice was rapidly working on turning them into featureless lumps. “Whatever happened here, happened fast. Given the lack of bodies, I’m thinking either snatch and grab or some kind of alert. What do you think boss?” Spade entered from the living room. “Looks like it. Okay, let’s keep going.” Every house they checked showed the same thing, the previous occupants leaving some daily task in a hurry. Given the number of dinner tables upset, they decided that it had to have happened during a meal. Finally, they stood before the largest building in town, the hospital. “So, what’s the plan?” Rangel asked. “We go in, sweep a floor, then go up to the next floor. Wash, rinse, repeat,” Spade said calmly as they approached the door. Rangel took one side with Spade, while Club and Heart took the other side. Diamond took back to the air, circling low to the ground to allow him to see into the windows. As soon as the unit was in position, Spade gestured with a hoof. “Go.” Rangel and Club swept in first, eyes glancing over the room for any waiting threats. As expected, there were none, but this room held something the other buildings had not. “We got bodies,” Club said as he relaxed a hair. Several skeletons lay scattered on the floor in varying positions, but all appeared to have died in pain. Rangel padded forward, crouching down to get a better look at one of the skeletons, sniffing a little at the mangled ribs and spine. “Sir, I’m no medic, but it looks like they were... shot.” “Let me take a look.” Heart crouched down next to him, peering closely at the body. “Well, I’d agree with you, though I can’t tell what kind of bullet he was shot with... hold on.” His horn lit as he gently swept his magic through the skeleton. “Now that’s weird, I can’t find the bullet. Whoever shot them must have dug it out. But looking at the damage to the ribcage, whatever hit them was a large caliber weapon.” Spade nodded as he looked toward the doors leading into the hospital’s back halls. “Let’s keep moving. Got a lot of hospital to clear.” The rest of the team nodded as they spread out, each of them taking a hallway. Outside, Diamond continued his slow, lazy circuit of the hospital. “Figures. Once again, I’m stuck with keeping an eye on the outside.” The pegasus dropped a little lower to drag a hoof through the snow. “Nothin’ going on out here but snow, snow, and more snow.” Overhead, far above the town, a pair of dark green eyes watched the pegasus floating along, while their owner licked its lips in anticipation. Circling around so the sun was in front of it, it angled into a stooping dive, glancing down to make sure its shadow wouldn’t give away its presence before there was no way for the prey to escape. As it closed in, it snapped its wings out, curving its tail in preparation to make the telling first strike. Diamond had next to no warning. If he’d been paying attention, he’d have seen it coming. As it was, he heard the snap of the wings from directly above and behind him, and was in the middle of powering sideways when something struck him hard along the shoulder, burning a trail of fire and knocking him head over hooves into a snowdrift. Gritting his teeth, he managed to get his head above the snow to see what had hit him, only to feel a surge of real fear grip him. The creature stood nearly ten feet tall, its hide a light blue patterned with white. It almost looked vaguely draconic, but instead of four legs it only had two hindlegs, the wings forming the upper pair. It’s head was almost birdlike, but the naked ferocity in it’s eyes was unnerving. With a chirping screech it started to hop towards him, drool starting to form in the corners of its mouth. And then Club crashed through the wall. Chunks of half-rotted wood went flying in all directions, several of them bombarding the beast, forcing it to hop away from Diamond and protect it’s eyes with a wing. Interposing himself between Diamond and the creature, Club tossed his head angrily and reared, bellowing a deep-throated whinny that Diamond swore lifted snow off the ground. He tried to get to his hooves to scoot further away, but suddenly sagged, his muscles refusing to respond. “Don’t try to move. I think it might have poisoned you,” Heart said as he skidded into the snowdrift beside Diamond. “Just give me a little bit, I should be able to at least prevent the worst of the effects.” “Figures, I get the easy job and then end up having the bad shit happen to me.” Diamond mumbled as he felt Heart’s magic sweep over him. He dimly heard other thuds and looked up to see Spade and Rangel joining Club in fighting the creature. “Good luck guys, it’s six on three in our favor!” Rangel ducked the stinger as it struck at his face, feeling the wind from it’s passage as it whipped back. Club, meanwhile, had to keep backpedaling to avoid getting bitten by the thing’s beak. However, this left an opening for Spade, who charged in and reared, striking a double blow on its side, below where he thought it’s ribs ended. He was rewarded by a screech from the monster, and a wing to the side as it whirled about. He tumbled sideways, winding up upside down in the snow, trying not to vomit from the nausea. The creature turned about, stabbing at Club with it’s tail while advancing on Spade. Which left Rangel an opening as wide as he could have asked for. Extending his claws, he ran toward it and jumped, looking to land on its back. “It ain’t stone, but I think these ought to hurt some!” he shouted as he dug three of his feet into it’s hide for purchase, while the fourth paw went for its spine, the claws parting the tough scales like butter. The beast shrieked even louder and forgot about Club and Spade, snapping its wings out roughly and taking off. Rangel kept the effort going for a few more seconds, but seeing the height they were gaining, released his hindpaw’s grip and slid down it’s side, tearing six deep gouges in the hide. For good measure, he slapped a paw across a wing as he fell free, ripping the thin membrane to shreds. Tumbling over and over, he landed flat on his back. Hard. Wheezing as the air was driven from his lungs, he managed to force himself upright to see the creature flapping awkwardly away, fat drops of blood oozing from its wounds. It cast a look back at the prey it had been cheated of and squawked indignantly before flapping higher and away. “Not too bad, Joker,” Spade remarked as he trotted over to help him to his feet. “Though next time, leave the flying to Diamond, okay?” “No argument from me there. So is he alright?” Rangel shook his head to try and make the ringing go away. “Yeah, David’s patching him up now. I’ll say this, magic sure beats having to use antivenoms and wait in a hospital. If only we could use it on humans in combat situations...” Spade trailed off as he thought of the possibilities. “So what the hell was that thing?” Rangel wondered as he pushed himself painfully to his feet. “That thing, was a wyvern,” a new voice said as a figure fluttered in for a landing. “You all did a great job driving that thing off for a bunch of southerners.” The griffon tilted its head curiously. “Might you be willing to do a little town a huge favor?” > 05 - The Beast Within > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Year 6, Week 9, Thursday “Mind repeating that?” Spade said as the other Cards started trotting over. “You deaf or somethin’?” The griffon asked curiously. “Saw how ya drove the wyvern off, was hopin’ to ask you all if you could lend us a claw... er, hoof or paw or whatever. There’s a whole nest of those things, and they don’t stay full for long. Our town’s the biggest source of food in the area, and we’ve just about run out of weapons to fight them off with. Will you help us?” The griffon was trying to keep his voice calm, but his desperation was clear. “Give us a moment,” Spade said as he turned to face the other Cards, Rangel joining him. “Alright everyone, huddle up. You heard him same as I did. What do you think?” “We got our orders, sir,” Diamond said firmly. “Don’t think the brass would appreciate us going on a side job like this.” “But we can’t just leave them!” Heart protested. “Could save them, ask for information as payment,” Club said quietly. “I dunno Sarge, Desmond has a point,” Rangel’s ear flicked. “I hate the idea of letting those things get a free meal too, but we just barely fought off one. We don’t know what condition the town is in, or even if it’s a trap.” Spade narrowed his eyes as he stared at the snow. After a few long seconds, he looked up and turned to the griffon. “Alright, we’ll do it. But we’re going to have some questions to ask when it’s all over.” The griffon nodded. “Fair enough. Though to be brutally honest, I’m still worried about how likely it is that we’re all going to die horribly.” Spade chuckled. “Oh, that makes this even easier then.” “Now this is just plain weird,” Diamond exclaimed, looking down at the griffon town. They’d traveled along the frozen road for nearly an hour, speaking little so they could keep their face wraps up against the biting wind. Finally, the dark spots of the buildings had become visible, until they had stopped at the top of the last hill. The griffon leading them, whose name he’d told them was Bloodeye, craned his neck back, his expression confused. “What do you mean?” Diamond didn’t answer, too busy staring at the buildings. They were long, low-slung affairs built from stacked logs, with what looked like patches of dirt showing through the snow on the roofs. “Those are Viking buildings, boss,” he whispered to Spade. “Right out of the fuckin’ history books.” “I see them too, Corporal. Now I recommend you keep your mouth shut. We need to maintain our cover.” “Well, come on,” Bloodeye called as he turned back to the town, “You need to be introduced to the rest of the town...” He tilted his head, peering intently to the west. As the Cards looked at each other confusedly, a faint, yet familiar screech made itself known. “And we don’t have a whole lot of time.” They hurried down the slope, seeing a multitude of other griffons starting to come out of their homes, all of them looking nervously at the Cards, though none of them were willing to hold their gaze for long. “What do we do Emmet?” Heart asked worriedly, as a large griffon stormed up to Bloodeye and proceeded to screech at him. The two argued vehemently for a few minutes before the larger one hissed in anger, looking up at the sky anxiously. “Start planning a defense, I guess. If their behavior is any indication, I don’t think those wyverns are too far off.” Emmet replied quietly as Bloodeye turned back to them. “Alright, the town elder has agreed to allow you to assist in our defense. I explained you would have questions, which he did not like, but has grudgingly agreed to answer them. Now, what is your plan?” Bloodeye asked eagerly. “The plan is for you to follow our instructions to the letter. I assume we don’t have a lot of time, and that means doing exactly what we say, when we say it. Do any of them not know Equestrian?” Spade asked, gesturing with a hoof at the griffons huddling in the entryway of the closest building. “If any of them don’t, we’ll need a translator.” “Um, right.” The griffon fidgeted. “I’m the only griffon in this town that knows Equestrian. I traveled there in my youth for a time, returning home before-” he cut himself off with a clack of his beak. Spade narrowed his eyes, very interested in what Bloodeye had been about to say, but tossed his head with a snort. “Alright. Then we’ll just have to make do. Heart, is Diamond ready to fly?” “Yeah yeah, I’m on it. Gonna pay those beasties back for thinkin’ to pick a fight with me.” Diamond said with a snap of his wings as he took off.” “Okay, I’ll take care of getting the defenses laid out, Club, you’ll help me with that. I want you,” he pointed at Rangel, “to take Bloodeye and get an inventory on weapons, anything you can find. We’ll need as many griffons armed as possible for this.” Rangel nodded. “Right, no problem.” Turning to Bloodeye, he gestured with an arm. “If you’d be so kind?” He followed the griffon toward one of the larger buildings in the town, a plume of black smoke rising from it. Pushing open the door, Bloodeye sighed. “It’s not much, but this is our arsenal.” Along the far wall, a series of racks held spears, swords, axes and even three polearms. It was the final rack that caught Rangel’s eye though. Padding across the room, he stared down at the three weapons with a mix of confusion and eagerness. “Are these what I think they are?” Bloodeye walked over and picked up one of the ungainly looking weapons.”I don’t know. I do know that these are the last of our firesticks. Though they’re not in the best shape. We don’t have anyone trained in their construction or repair.” Rangel picked up another one, sniffing at it closely. It looked vaguely similar to some muskets he remembered seeing in history books, though this one was at least half again as big. He winced at the sight and smell of the rust on the barrel. “Does anyone really take care of these things?” “We try, but without our smith we can’t make new parts.” Bloodeye remarked sadly. “Well, we’ll just use what we got,” Rangel said with a shrug. “Let’s see what else is usable.” “Alright! Set those logs down where I marked!” Spade shouted at Club, gesturing with his hooves for the benefit of the griffons helping. Barely even sweating from the effort, Club dragged the three logs into their positions, the other griffons stacking theirs atop his. They’d moved the griffons not capable of fighting into one of the larger houses, and were in the process of building a barricade. “Heart! Make sure they’re wedged together nice and tight. Diamond!” he shouted up at the red pegasus, “Any sign of the wyverns?” “Not that I can see, boss, but given their colors, they might be hiding up in the clouds for now. I’ll let ya know!” Diamond shouted back down. Spade nodded. “Alright, that’s going well for now. Club, keep things going here. I’m going to go check on Rangel.” He started to trot toward the building he’d seen Rangel going into, only to stop as he saw him walking toward him, a bundle of what looked like swords and spears under one arm, and an oversized rifle over his shoulder. “Tell me you got more of those coming.” Rangel shook his head. “Sorry, we only got two of these things. Third one’s too rusted up to be any use.” He set down the bundle and pointed to where Bloodeye could be seen dragging a sled with a few boxes stacked on it. “We got a couple polearms, plenty of powder and ammo. But to be honest, a lot of these weapons have seen better days. He mentioned the town smith is gone, but won’t say why.” “I see. Well, we’ll have to ask him about that,” Spade muttered in English before turning to face Bloodeye. “Who in the village is a decent shot with these things?” He indicated the rifle in Rangel’s paw. “Well, I used one a while ago...” Bloodeye trailed off uncomfortably. “That’s what I thought. Heart! Get over here!” Spade bellowed. Once the unicorn was in earshot, he indicated the other rifle. “I want you and Rangel to use the guns.” Heart shifted uncomfortably, but nodded, taking the other gun in his telekinetic grip. Spade’s expression softened. “I know how you feel Heart, but we need the best, and right now that’s you and Rangel.” “R-right,” Heart said with a nod. “I won’t let you down, sir.” Spade nodded and turned to Rangel and Bloodeye. “I want you and the rest of the griffons to fight the wyverns outside of the barricade. This is going to be our fallback position. Do you know how many of the wyverns are going to be attacking?” “I don’t know. Certainly their males. Wyverns usually have one female and several males, anywhere from one to six,” Bloodeye explained, flinching as the echo of a screech was heard, “and she won’t leave the nest. If we can kill the males, we can locate the nest while the female tries to hunt, destroy the eggs and offspring, and the female will leave for good.” “Well, let’s just focus on surviving the males first,” Spade muttered. Looking up at the sky, he waved to catch Diamond’s attention. “See anything?” “Not yet...” Diamond had a thought and glanced up, seeing nothing but the sky... except the sky didn’t slice through clouds. “Crap. Boss, I got em right overtop of us coming straight down. Hope you got the welcome mat laid out.” “Understood. Get down here, I want you behind the barricade to react as we need it.” Spade turned to Club. “You got your orders?” Club nodded, the earth pony already focused on the job at hand. Or hoof, Spade supposed. “Okay, let’s get ready to rock. Bloodeye, make sure everyone knows their positions and roles.” The griffon nodded, shouting out instructions to the others, who started to disperse. “Alright. It’s showtime,” Spade said as he started galloping toward his position. The silence of the village was shattered as four massive shapes landed in the central square, snow billowing up from their downdraft. The wyverns peered around, confused. Every other time they’d come to this place, the prey had always tried to meet it in the open. But now there was nothing. They’d seen the small red thing that had been flying over the town, but now it too was gone. With a sharp hiss, the biggest of the males started herding the other three to begin spreading out, while it approached one of the dwellings. Bumping its nose against the door, it blinked as it swung open, the interior empty. In a sudden rush of anger, it screeched, rearing to its full height as it kicked the entire door frame in. It looked around and saw the others were having similar luck with their initial searches, and warbled quietly to itself as it tried to think. With a whisper of displaced air, the spear tore a ragged hole in the big male’s wing. A small spray of blood arced as the wyvern screeched in pain and rage, swinging its ponderous body around to try and find the source of the attack. An empty street greeted it, and it howled it’s frustration. With a rip, another spear flew in from the opposite direction and punched through it’s other wing, eliciting another cry of anger. The other wyverns gave voice to their own howls as they continued to find empty buildings and streets. One of the younger males, its head crest still stunted, cocked its head as it heard a scrape and a muffled curse. Hopping forward eagerly, it sprang around the corner of the building to see a griffon glaring at it from not five feet away, holding something in it’s talons. “Hello, ugly.” Bloodeye lunged forward with the polearm, the metal blade biting deep into the wyvern’s chest and lodging on something. Staggering back as a gout of blood stained the snow a dark red, the wyvern screeched even louder as it fell over backward. Bloodeye turned loose of the polearm as its rear-facing hook caught in the beast’s ribcage, more screeches filling the air as the other wyverns began to move through the town toward them. Grimacing as the sound did it’s best to deafen him, Heart hurried forward, the firestick held in his magic. Looking down at the writhing wyvern for a second, Heart sighed as he could see the wounds from the previous encounter with them. Angling the firestick downward, he shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry.” Pulling the trigger, the heavy ball tore through the wyvern’s neck, the screeching replaced by a thick gurgle as its lifeblood spilled out, staining the snow and pooling around Heart’s hooves. “Come on!” Bloodeye shouted as he grabbed Heart by the mane with one paw and the firestick with the other. “They’re going to be here any second!” The griffon hauled Heart back down one of the side alleys, where a few other griffons waited anxiously. The group quickly dispersed back, to the areas now abandoned by the wyverns. It was as one of the smaller wyverns was stomping past some of the residences that things started to go wrong. Stopping for a moment to wonder why it’s fellow male had stopped making noise, it froze completely as a single muffled noise was heard. A sneeze. From inside the building to its right. A curious arrangement of logs were in its way, which after a second’s consideration it kicked over, burbling it’s disappointment at not finding anything. Looking back up at the building, it curiously took a few hopping steps forward until it could see the huddling griffons within. It squawked excitedly as it rose upright, warbling at its fellows. The other two immediately changed course, the dead wyvern already forgotten. “Damnit,” Spade swore as he peeked around the corner. “Should have known that things wouldn’t work out. Club! Roll out the welcome mat!” The hulking earth pony nodded, trotting out into the street. One of the wyverns spotted him and cried out, turning to charge at him. The other smaller one decided to join it, the two wyverns falling into a matched stride. Club, for his part, simply stood his ground, not even blinking as the two monsters bore down on him. The wyverns lowered their heads into the sprint, both sets of jaws hanging open in anticipation of the meal ahead of them. “Three... two... one... NOW!” Diamond shouted from his hiding place on a nearby roof. With a series of whispers the hiding griffons threw their spears. Arcing over the buildings and out of alleys, the majority clattered off their hides, but some tore holes in wings or struck tender spots like their joints. The wyverns howled in agony as they came to a skidding stop, one falling onto it’s side as it lost its footing in the snow. They flailed and snapped at each other as they tried to figure out which way they wanted to go. “Right, let’s get them while they’re down!” Spade shouted. “I want some of you to go help Rangel at the bunker!” He gestured with a hoof toward the reinforced building, where the larger wyvern was still nosing at the building, looking for a good way in. The griffons nodded and leapt into the air, drawing their swords and axes. Several of them peeled off to join the others starting to harry the big one, while the majority swooped in on the two entangled wyverns, their swords slashing out to lay open their hides, though only a few swords were sharp enough to inflict any deep tissue damage. The wyvern on the ground flailed in an attempt to get to it’s feet, but felt something heavy press down on its neck. Struggling, it rolled its eye around to see the massive pony it had tried to eat pinning it. A griffon came up next to it, a long spear held in one paw. The griffon hefted the spear as the wyvern renewed it’s struggles to escape, the last thing it saw being the speartip driving straight for it’s eye. The griffon huntress worked the spear around for a moment to make sure the wyvern was well and truly dead, then yanked it out in a spray of blood. Looking over at Club, she nodded before taking off to deal with the other one, which was proving to be much more nimble than the prone one. “Keep driving it back! Don’t let it get away!” Spade shouted as the griffons jabbed at it with their spears, one of them carrying the few polearms. Every time the wyvern tried to spread its wings, the griffons would lunge in and stab at them. And every time the wyvern tried to bite at one of them, Spade would be waiting with a buck to the head. Finally, they had driven it against one of the buildings, where they formed a cage of spears to keep it from trying to escape. As it’s tail lashed out and struck another griffon with the stinger, Spade glanced up. “Come on Diamond, time’s a wastin’” Letting out a sigh of relief as he spotted the red pegasus, he shouted to the griffons, “Alright! Just a little bit longer! Keep it still!” Overhead, Diamond was in a vertical dive, the griffons following him with hard sweeps of their wings. “Alright, just like I showed you! Give ‘em hell!” Flaring his wings, he rolled to the side and out of the way. The griffons hefted their spears and flung them at the last possible second, the speed of their dive adding extra force to the throw. Each in turn tumbled out of the way of the griffon after them, a hail of spears soon rocketing downward, all aimed at the wyvern. Slamming into the wyvern’s head and neck, the spears punched clean through it’s armored hide, some even fully exiting the other side to embed themselves in the snow. With a gurgling warble, the wyvern collapsed, a crown of spears sticking out of its skull. “Good! Just one more left!” Spade shouted, the griffons echoing him with a cheer as they turned toward the last wyvern. Rangel pressed up against the edge of the building, risking a quick glance around the corner. He could see the bulk of the wyvern as it spun about, snapping at the darting forms of the griffons with its jaws and tail. As Rangel watched, a griffon tumbled from the sky, having failed to dodge the stinger. Most of it never made it to the ground, as the wyvern almost gracefully spun on its feet and lunged with its jaws. Not even stopping as the front paws, front part of the face, hindlegs and tail thudded to the ground, the wyvern swung a wing in a sweeping arc to strike two more from the sky. Tossing its head back, it swallowed the meal in it’s mouth and screeched its rage at the other griffons, who fell back in disarray. “Alright, time to turn this thing around,” Rangel muttered as he started to spin around the corner... only to remain where he was, legs shaking slightly and his tail tucking itself against him. Something about watching the effortless, predatory grace of the wyvern had terrified him on a fundamental level, and all of sudden he just wanted to bolt, to run and keep running until it was safe. He started to loosen his grip on the rifle, but a sharp cry snapped him out of it and he gripped the rifle tighter. He was a soldier, for Christ’s sake. He wasn’t some animal to run with its tail between his legs. Well, maybe he was now, but he was still human on the inside, and he’d be damned before he let a case of the shakes make him run away. Whirling around the corner, he froze for a second at the sight in front of him. The wyvern had knocked another griffon from the sky, and pinned it to the ground with its foot. Its green eyes flicked up to see Rangel staring at it, then with in an almost nonchalant motion bit down on the griffon’s upper body and tore it in half. The griffon’s eyes widened in disbelief and pain, meeting Rangel’s for a second before they went cold, the wyvern tossing the carcass into the air and biting down on it again, swallowing it too with contemptuous ease. The fur on Rangel’s neck bristled, his lips pulling back from his teeth in a snarl as he strode forward, nearly forgetting he had the firestick until he realized his claws were digging into it. Bringing it to his shoulder, he took aim as the wyvern hissed at him. “How’s this taste, you freak?” he crude rifle spat fire as he pulled the trigger, the lead ball riding it like a meteor directly into the wyvern’s face, right below the left eye. Breaking into a run as the wyvern howled in pain, Rangel wasn’t even aware of dropping the firestick as he leapt onto it’s leg, claws biting deep for purchase. He felt his anger growing, almost fueling itself, and welcomed it, his body knowing instinctively how to grip the wyvern so he wouldn’t fall off. As he scaled its back and finally reached the wyvern’s neck, he was snarling like an animal himself, several of the griffons banking away as he snapped his teeth at them. Turning his gaze back to his prey, he flexed his claws before plunging them into the wyvern’s neck, the scales parting easily. The wyvern screamed in agony as it flailed, trying to dislodge the stubborn dog, who only dug his claws in and held on. Burrowing deeper into the muscle, he could feel it, the lifeblood of his prey flowing frantic and hot. Howling his triumph, he plunged his head down, fangs closing around a column of bone and tissue. The bone resisted briefly before his jaw flexed, the teeth grinding through like saw blades until they met with a wet clack. The wyvern collapsed, it’s eyes rolling wildly as its brain tried desperately to make its body move. But nothing was responding from below the terrible injury to it’s neck, and that brought a fear the wyvern hadn’t known in its entire life. It felt the monster on it’s neck still, fangs biting deep, but the pain was rapidly fading and soon all it knew was blackness. Spade, Club and Heart trotted up hesitantly, even the griffons reluctant to approach the carcass of the wyvern. Diamond floated overhead, the pegasus feeling sick despite himself at the sight of the blood-soaked Rangel. “Hey, Rangel, ease up man, it’s dead-” Rangel snapped his head up, locking eyes with Diamond. For a second, he swore that he couldn’t see Rangel looking back at him, only a predator. His heart pounded a mile a minute, and he very nearly took off for the safety of the sky. A chunk of flesh hung from Rangel’s jaws, and he chewed it for a second before he seemed to shudder, his eyes losing that feral glint. Looking down at himself, he started to shake, dropping the hunk of meat. He looked like he wanted to be sick, but couldn’t bring himself to more than a hacking spit of blood. Spade shook his head and took a step forward, ears tilted back in a combination of nervousness and determination. “Soldier, stand down. Now.” With a low whine, Rangel heaved himself out of the ruin of the wyvern’s neck, stumbling a little as he hit the blood soaked ground. The griffons instinctively took a step back, as did the rest of the Cards. Only Spade held his ground, glaring at Rangel steadily. “What’s wrong with me, sir?” Rangel asked haltingly. “I don’t know,” Spade replied honestly. “Now, come on. You need to clean yourself off, and we need our questions answered.” > 06 - Cold Truth > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Year 6, Week 9, Thursday Inside the town hall, the atmosphere was tense as the five Cards sat facing the griffon chief. His left wing was splinted from where he’d been struck by a wyvern, and his eyes were flinty as he stared at Rangel. Though clean of the blood that had soaked his fur, none of the griffons wanted to be near him, and even the ponies were still on edge. The chief spoke to Bloodeye, who coughed a little from his bruised ribs. “Chief Stormwind wishes to thank you for your... assistance in dealing with the wyverns.” He glanced nervously at Rangel before continuing. “As promised, you will be able to ask us your questions.” Spade nodded. “I want to thank you for allowing us to ask you these questions first. And as for helping you defeat the wyverns, we could not stand by and let you fall prey to such monsters.” Bloodeye translated to Stormwind, who nodded gratefully. Spade took a breath before continuing on. “My companions and I came to this country because we’ve heard many interesting stories of the north, and wanted to see if there was any truth to them. However, after crossing the border, we came across another, smaller village, which had been destroyed by unknown means. Since you’re so close, perhaps you saw something, survivors perhaps?” Bloodeye translated this and the griffons in the room warbled lightly, nervousness clear on their faces. Stormwind, however, remained impassive, and after a few seconds thought spoke to Bloodeye. “No. We’ve heard nothing of this devastation. The first that I saw of it was when I was following the wyvern’s trail and encountered you.” Rangel’s nose twitched, the smells of the griffons becoming... off. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something wasn’t right. He took another sniff, focusing on Stormwind, but his smell had remained unchanged. He almost leaned forward to tap Spade on the shoulder, but stopped as one of the other griffons, his feathers nearly bereft of their color, spoke up, his voice a dry rasp. Stormwind clacked his beak angrily, but it was too late. “What did he say?” Spade asked Bloodeye curiously. Bloodeye gulped, risking a glance at Stormwind and the older griffon, who were still glaring at each other. “He... he said that the answers you seek would be found at the Mountain Eye Eyrie. I beg of you, do not go. It is a cursed place.” Spade narrowed his eyes. “Curses don’t scare me. Where is this eyrie?” He stared hard at Bloodeye, his expression ordering the griffon to tell him. Bloodeye swallowed again, before crumbling. “It’s further to the east, and a little north, the first mountain you’ll see. The eyrie is at the top. Though I warn you, it was not made with land bound creatures in mind. The climb will be arduous.” “Let us worry about that,” Spade said coldly. “Boss...” Diamond wheezed, “The next time we get asked for a mission like this, think you can just tell them no?” The hike to the mountain had taken them almost an hour of trudging through the snow, the looming edifice steadily growing taller until it nearly blocked the sun. Like Bloodeye had said, there wasn’t any real path, so the Cards had to improvise. Tying their ropes together into a pair of harnesses, they’d slowly made their way up the face. Stopping on a ledge, Rangel slumped to his haunches, leaning back against the rock face. “Whew. You guys may be smaller, but you sure weigh a ton.” Club’s reply was an idle shrug, the earth pony heaving Heart up onto the ledge with them. The unicorn was breathing hard, little chunks of frozen sweat clumping his fur. Club turned to look at Spade. “We need to hurry up, Heart’s not looking so good.” The other earth pony nodded. “I know. But we’re almost at the top. Let’s get up there and we can ask for some supplies and a place to rest.” “Sir...” Heart took a second to get his breath. “Why haven’t we seen any griffons? It’s obvious that this eyrie was placed to have a commanding view of the area, but there’s been no one sent to ask why we’re here, or to lend a hand with getting us up. Something doesn’t add up.” “Well, we’ll just have to see what we find when we get there. Diamond, think you can fly up and get a quick look?” Spade said after a moment’s thought. “Sure thing. Climbing was getting boring anyway.” The pegasus leaped into the air and spiraled upward, quickly reaching the cavernous entrance to the eyrie. After hovering there for a few seconds, he rolled over into a dive and sped back down to them. “Sir, you need to see this.” Spade’s eyes narrowed, and he turned to Rangel. “Get the harness, I want us up there five minutes ago.” “Damn, was just starting to enjoy the break.” Rangel muttered as he started securing the harness around Club’s shoulders. After much sweating, grunting and sprinkled profanity, the Cards were assembled on the ledge of the eyrie, all staring in shock at the sight before them. “Well, I think we know why there weren’t any griffons sent to ask us questions,” Spade muttered worriedly. The buildings were set right into the rock face, working their way right into the cave. What gave them pause was the condition of the buildings. Many of them were torched, the wood almost completely disintegrated. The buildings still standing had doorways ripped open, and the unmistakable signs of bullet damage on their facings. “Alright team, let’s move out. Stay on your hooves. Report anything you find, and I mean anything,” Spade ordered. Nodding, the Cards spread out, though none of them strayed out of eyesight of the others. The silence of the eyrie, broken only by the soft sigh of the wind, pressed down on them until all of them were jumping at shadows and every creak of aging wood. Rangel put a paw to a rotten door, only to wince as the hinges fell out of the frame and the door collapsed in a crash of wood. Glancing sheepishly at the other Cards, he turned back to examine the room’s contents. “Sir, I got a body!” As the other Cards hurried over, Rangel knelt to take a closer look. Unlike the skeletons in the first town, this one was in much better condition. Its feathers were a shade of grey, with brown mottling near the tips, while the eyes, frozen open, were a dark brown hue, speckled with yellow. Glancing down at the chest, Rangel could see that it was matted with blood, a large pool frozen to the floor under it. A gaping hole was visible, and Rangel’s eyes narrowed as he reached into his bag. Heart carefully trotted up next to him, peering closely at the wound. “Well, it looks like the same weapon that was used on the griffons in the first town-” He stopped as Rangel found what he was looking for, and held a paw up against the chest as Club, Diamond, and Spade entered the room. In his claws was held one of the firestick balls, the lead sphere matching the entrance hole almost perfectly. “And now we know what killed them.” The fur on the back of his neck bristled as he straightened. “Sir, I didn’t mention it before, but when we were in the town hall, when their chief said they hadn’t heard anything of the attack on the first town, something about the other gryphon’s scents was... off. I think they might not be telling us the whole story, sir.” Spade nodded. “Bloodeye did say he returned to Scythion before something happened, but cut himself off before he said what that something was.” He turned to look squarely at Rangel. “And if you think they’re hiding something, you tell me right away, don’t withhold important information like that again.” Rangel nodded slowly, and Spade looked toward the mouth of the eyrie. “I think I’d like to go back and ask them some more questions.” Diamond sighed irritably. “We just got up here, sir.” “Well, then we’re going right on back down. Get the harness secured around Club, Rangel.” Spade trotted to the ledge’s edge, eyes hard as he stared to the southwest. Whatever was going on in this country, it was rapidly becoming harder and harder to figure out, and that annoyed him. “This time, we’re going to get the truth.” The trek back down the mountain had, at least, been somewhat easier than the climb up. The mood of the Cards remained sour as they made the hike back toward the town. Diamond floated overhead, the pegasus shivering in the cold wind. “Sarge, can I come down? There’s not going to be anything to see, and my wings are freezing.” “Suck it up Diamond. We’ll be there soon...” Spade trailed off as they came to the top of the next hill. Squinting, he could see the griffons gathered in the center of the town. “Diamond, what’s going on?” The pegasus narrowed his eyes, drifting a little closer to try and get a better view. “Not sure boss, looks like four or five of them in front of the rest,” he watched as several of the griffons in the crowd came forward, and all of them took off, flying due north, “Boss, I think the ones in front were out of towners, they just flew off with a bunch of the locals, maybe hostages. What do you want to do?” “We keep going,” Spade ordered. “Much as I don’t like them taking hostages, we need to remain as low-profile as we can. So for now, we’ll keep going.” Heart was silent, his expression downcast as he trudged through the snow. “Do you think we were responsible for it?” Club bumped shoulders with him. “No point worrying about it. We’ll see when we get there.” Heart brightened up a little, only to shiver as the wind kicked up again. “I swear, I’ve never felt c-cold like this. It’s almost like it’s tt-rying to get under y-your skin.” He paused as he felt something settling around his shoulders, and turned to see Rangel giving him a wry grin as he finished putting his cloak around the unicorn’s shoulders. “Well, given where we are, it might be.” Rangel chuckled roughly. At Heart’s continued stare, he shrugged. “Was getting hot under it anyway.” Taking a moment to close his eyes as he felt the wind blow through his fur, he shivered slightly. “Well, I might want it back at some point, but you keep it for now.” “T-thanks,” Heart said, the doubled layer of cloaks dispersing the cold in short order. “Don’t mention it,” Rangel muttered as they made their way down the hill toward the town. As they approached the edge, several griffons paced out to meet them, angry glares on their faces. One of them took a step forward, screeching at them. “Where’s Bloodeye? We can’t understand you,” Spade asked. The griffons looked at each other, and after a few seconds Spade’s eyes widened. “Oh. Oh crap.” “You think they took him?” Rangel asked. “I’d say that’s a fair assumption Private,” Spade whispered back. Turning back to the griffons, he thought for a few seconds before he visibly brightened. Grabbing a small stick from the ground, he drew a few rough shapes resembling griffons, and the town. He looked up at the griffons, spotting the aged griffon among them. “I know you can’t understand me. But we need to know where they took Bloodeye and the others.” The aged griffon looked down at the drawing, then took a few steps forward. Dragging his claw through the snow and dirt, he traced a line to the north, finally stopping a full three feet away. With a few quick swipes to add in some mountains and forests, he took a step back and nodded. “Thank you,” Spade said quietly. “I can’t guarantee we’ll bring him back alive, but if we can, we will.” The griffon nodded, taking a breath. “You are welcome.” His voice was dry and raspy, and judging by the looks of shock on the other griffon’s faces, they hadn’t expected him to be speaking Equestrian. Spade and the Cards were taken aback as well. “You know Equestrian?” Spade asked, rather unnecessarily. “Why didn’t you tell us this before?” “Yes.” The griffon rasped a dry chuckle. “As for not telling you... it was an issue of trust. Be careful the further you go. Iron Talons does not allow ponies,” he indicated Rangel, “or your kind to roam free.” Rangel felt his fur bristle. “What do you mean by that?” The griffon shook his head. “Go north, you will see the truth for yourself.” > 07 - Under the Mountain > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Year 6, Week 10, Friday Rangel’s ears twitched as he stretched, wincing involuntarily as his paws hit the wall of his snow shelter. He’d barely slept the night before, the hunger gnawing at him stronger than ever. He’d thought it was merely the effort of hiking through the driving snow and cold at first, but was now forced to admit that his rations just weren’t what his body wanted. He glanced at the nearly empty bag, down to his last pack after last night's attempt to quiet his hunger. Ferrik had never mentioned this during the month they’d spent training, and his stomach growled irritably as he rolled over. On top of that, it certainly didn’t help that he and the rest of the Cards had been on slightly less than pleasant terms after the wyvern attack. To be honest, he was ashamed of himself for losing control like that. Spade had said that things were even between them so long as it didn’t happen again, but he could practically feel the distrust lacing their scents. Gradually, things had soured until they barely spoke, except for giving orders and checking the map the griffon elder had given them. He found himself missing the feeling of learning under Ferrik, the sense of knowing his place in the world on some fundamental level. “Well, might as well see how the weather is,” he muttered as he pushed free of the snow burrow and shook himself vigorously. Hauling his gear free, he settled the pack into place, then threw the cloak around his shoulders. As it had for the past week, the snow fell in a steady curtain, though he could see patches of blue sky beginning to make its entrance. “Good morning, Private.” Rangel turned as he saw Spade rise from his own burrow, snow clinging stubbornly to his coat. The earth pony turned and pulled his pack on, the cloak following a second later. “Let’s get moving, I want to reach that mountain range before midday.” “Yes sir,” Rangel replied dryly as he started to pad forward, the other Cards rising to their hooves. He ignored the looks from Diamond and Heart and pricked his ears forward, his nose already sifting through the myriad smells on the breeze. Ahead of them the mountains loomed over them like silent guardians, their peaks lost above the clouds. If what the griffon elder had told them was right, once they crossed the mountain range they’d be in Scythion proper, and be able to figure out some answers to the deepening mystery they found themselves in. As the next hour passed, Rangel’s stomach twisted again and he felt a compulsion to dig overcome him. He couldn’t explain how he knew it, but there was food below, and he was going to find it. He was up to his elbows in the dirt before he stopped, the Cards staring incredulously at him “What’s the matter, boy?” Diamond taunted. “Find a bone?” “Fuck you, Diamond,” Rangel snapped as he pulled his arms out of the dirt, grimacing as his stomach reminded him how empty it was. Spade snorted dismissively. “Look Rangel, it’s obvious you’re not okay. Now I want you to tell me-” The wind shifted and suddenly Rangel’s nose flared, a new smell hitting it like a sledgehammer. “Sir! New scent!” He froze, his tail stiff as a rail as his ears twitched in time with his nose. This smell... it was like him and Ferrik, but different, almost a metallic tang underneath it. Without even thinking about it, he began to power forward through the snow. Whatever else the smell meant, there were diamond dogs here, and he felt compelled to seek it out. “Damnit Rangel, get back here!” Spade shouted ineffectually. “Alright, let’s follow him, Cards. Diamond, get airborne and keep an eye on him.” “Roger that Boss,” Diamond replied with a snort as he tossed his cloak to Club. A quick pair of wingbeats later and he was circling skyward. “Figures the mutt would get sucked into chasing something. Ten bucks says it’s just a damn squirrel.” Rangel loped forward, his eyes, nose, ears, everything focused on following the scent. It led toward a grove of pine trees at the base of the mountain, and he slowed down as he drew near, hackles raised as he entered the trees. He was aware of the ponies coming to a stop behind him, Spade’s scent laced with anger and annoyance. “Listen Rangel, you have to get yourself under control. I understand it’s hard being in a new body, but we can’t have you running off at every new scent-” Spade stopped as Rangel silently raised his arm, pointing into the center of the grove. Huddled in a tight circle around a barely smouldering fire lay three forms, clearly canine in shape, though different from Rangel. At first they appeared frozen solid, but it became clear that they were still breathing faintly. “Okay, Heart, I need you to see about their condition,” Spade ordered sharply, “and Club, start finding some firewood-” he stopped as one of the forms shifted and staggered to its paws. “P-ponies s-stay back. Rover n-not s-s-scared of you, D-Diamond Dogs s-stronger than p-ponies,” the canine growled weakly, its Equestrian rough and halting. “Boss, remember what that guard back at the border town said,” Diamond said warningly as the other two canines started to stir. The ponies drew themselves tighter, shooting nervous glances into the woods as the three Diamond Dogs faced them down. “Relax sir, I know what to do,” Rangel muttered to Spade before he strode toward the one calling himself Rover. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before they each nodded once. Then Rangel punched him in the face. “Stop, that enough for now,” Ferrik said with a sharp nod. Rangel pulled his paws out of the stone, staring as it seemed to harden right before his eyes. “So how does that even work?” “It not important how. You ask more questions than a pony,” Ferrik replied with a soft growl. “Now, sit, it is time for lesson.” The canid glanced down the hole. “And no stoneshaping. Ferrik will know if you do.” Rangel growled, but wiped the sweat from his eyes and started to climb. It had been two weeks since they’d teleported his ass to Hawaii, two weeks of training that put Basic to shame. At least in Basic they’d let you have some time off every now and then. Ferrik seemed hellbent on showing up at any time, occasionally from any direction. Rangel still keenly remembered sitting down for dinner, only for the floor to give out as Ferrik pulled him underground for a lecture on awareness. He finally reached the top of the tunnel and hauled himself onto the ground, panting heavily. “Now, do you remember what Ferrik taught you last night?” The canid was sitting a short distance away on a rock, watching the sun make it’s way below the horizon. “Every diamond dog pack has an alpha. The alpha’s word is law, and without them the pack is lost,” Rangel grumbled as he heaved himself upright. “And?” Ferrik’s tone was level, but Rangel could smell his mild annoyance. “And in all matters of speaking to other packs the alphas will speak. Or if demands are made, fight for dominance,” Rangel finished with a sigh. “And do you know why it is this way?” Ferrik asked. Rangel blinked. This part hadn’t been talked about. “Well, probably because it’s the only way to make sure who’s the best to lead?” Ferrik chuffed as he heaved himself to his paws. “An answer typical of a pup, yet not entirely wrong. On the surface, yes, it proves who is strongest. However, it also prevents a return to the Ruin. After the fall of Chaos, the Great Alpha united the packs in a bid to rival the ponies. But this great pack did not last forever. When the long night came, the packs began to fight amongst themselves, and this angered Sirius. He descended upon the packs and we begged for his forgiveness. In his mercy, he sundered the packs and reforged us in the ideals of the Old Way. And a pledge was made, to Sirius, Sun and Moon, that we would never again forget the true way, and it has been kept ever since.” He laughed at Rangel’s confused expression. “When you return, Ferrik will take you to the elder singer, who can tell you more.” “Rangel! What the hell is wrong with you?” Spade bellowed as the two fell into a biting, clawing melee with each other. He started to move forward, only for the larger of the other two diamond dogs to interpose himself. “No interfere. This fight between them.” He turned to watching the two with an eerie intensity, the other one shuffling to stand beside him. “What do we do, Boss?” Diamond asked warily. Spade sighed in aggravation. “Well, looks like we’re waiting. At least we know they speak Equestrian, so that’s a relief.” He turned his head slightly. “Club, I want you ready for the big one if things go south. Diamond, the smaller one is all yours.” The big earth pony nodded slightly and rocked forward on his hooves a little. Diamond just flicked an ear as he glared at the two canines. Heart folded his ears nervously and sidled partly behind Club, a healing spell already prepared just in case. For Rangel, the conversation went unheard, his entire world reduced to the opponent in front of him. They circled each other warily, both bleeding from the minor injuries they’d taken in their initial scuffle. Rangel’s face and arms bore a number of shallow cuts, while Rover held a paw over the side of his head. Rangel swayed slightly on his feet, his paws slowly clenching open and shut as he snarled . He could smell the weakness in Rover, the diamond dog clearly malnourished and on the brink of collapse. He lunged forward to swipe at Rover, only to yelp in surprise as the diamond dog sank six inches into the ground and swung back, scoring a deep wound across Rangel’s chest. “You soft like pony. Rover strong,” he growled smugly as he pulled his feet free of the earth and lunged, bowling Rangel over as the canid staggered back. It was a perfect move. Except Rangel had been expecting it and, instead of attempting to throw Rover off, gripped him tighter and bit into his shoulder. Rover howled in agony and tried to pull back, but Rangel clung to him and shifted his jaws, gripping him by the neck. “Submit,” he mumbled, trying not to gag at the taste of Rover’s fur. With a pleading whine, Rover finally went limp, and Rangel released him, staggering a few steps back as his chest wound throbbed painfully. “Now submit,” Ferrik growled as he tightened his grip on Rangel’s throat. With a sharp whimper Rangel felt his body relax, and after a moment Ferrik nodded and released him. Rangel coughed as he felt air flow back into his lungs. “Damnit, I’m going to beat you one of these days.” Ferrik laughed harshly as he sat down. “Pup may keep dreaming.” He glanced up at the setting sun. “It has been twenty suns since Ferrik began teaching you. Tell me, do you know why your body submits when your mind doesn’t?” Rangel shook his head as he sat up. “Because it’s still too soft and needs to be toughened up?” Ferrik laughed harder. “Pup is right about that. But there is more to it. As is obvious, we are not ponies. Our way is different, passed down to us from Sirius himself. It is not a sign of weakness to submit to a stronger predator, but rather a sign of respect. However, this also demands the alpha know to respect his pack, for without them he is nothing. Do you understand?” “I think so, for the most part anyway,” Rangel admitted. Ferrik chuffed in amusement. “Well, don’t worry. Ferrik has plenty of time to teach you.” The canid grinned toothily. “But above all, trust yourself. Your body knows best, even if you do not.” Rover lay where Rangel had left him, breathing heavily. After a wary glance at Rangel, the other two crept to Rover and helped him sit up. Heart trotted forward and cast his magic over Rangel, the crimson aura soaking across the cuts and bruises before it sank into them. Rangel shivered as his flesh responded to the spell’s imperative, muscle and skin growing back together, his fur sprouting up almost before the wounds had closed fully. “Thanks Heart.” “Don’t mention it,” Heart replied with a smile. “I’m just glad neither of you were hurt too badly. Got to admit, I’m still getting used to how much easier it is to cast spells here than it was back on Hawaii. Flare always seemed to downplay just how big a difference it made.” He started to cast his spell on Rover, but retreated as the diamond dog bared his teeth. “Or maybe not.” “Alright Rover, now that that’s settled, I need to ask you a few questions. I know you speak Equestrian, so it’s not worth pretending you don’t,” Spade said gently. Rover ignored him, the other two Diamond Dogs helping him to his paws. “Hey, I’m talking to you-” Spade was cut off as Rangel stepped in front of him. “What were you three doing out here?” he asked firmly. “Fleeing,” Rover replied instantly, the other two glancing nervously back at the mountain. “From what?” Rangel asked, practically feeling Spade’s stare boring into him from behind. Club trotted forward and put a hoof on Spade’s shoulder. “Calm down.” Heart stopped on Spade’s other side. “So long as our questions are answered, it’ll be alright.” “Besides, if they don’t feel like it, we can always smack a little common sense into them,” Diamond added with a snort. Rover bared his teeth a little at the ponies, but turned his attention back to Rangel. “We were fleeing the griffons, Alpha.” “Fleeing them? What do you mean?” Rangel asked. Rover glanced at the other two Diamond Dogs. “It is better if Rover show you, Alpha. Follow us, we have a tunnel!” He pointed toward the mountain with a toothy grin. “First, let Heart tend to your wounds,” Rangel ordered. Rover growled, but relented as Heart’s magic made short work of his injuries. He poked at where a deep cut had been curiously, even giving it a tentative lick. Rangel shook his head in amusement. “Gotta appreciate the little things, I guess. Now, show me this tunnel.” He pointed to the other two. “And what are their names?” “Tall one Fido, and this is Spot!” Rover replied with a wag of his tail. “They members of pack from the beginning!” He began to stride up the slope toward the mountain. “Alpha follow, Rover show the way!” “Rangel, wait!” Spade scowled as he and the other Cards cantered after the canines. “Is it too much to ask for a nice, simple mission, with clear chains of command?” “Boss, we’re a bunch of ponies, on a secret deployment into a land of griffons and bipedal dog things. Where would normal even know where to fit in?” Diamond asked rhetorically as they trudged through the snow. Rover led the group to a small overhang, a crack into the mountain barely visible within. “Tunnel through here! Rover show Alpha!” He gave the ponies a sidelong glance and bared his teeth again. “Alpha really want ponies to follow?” Rangel nodded. “Just show us the way.” Rover’s expression soured, but he nodded and plunged into the crack, the other two following. Spade caught Rangel as he started to enter the tunnel. “Look, I won’t pretend to understand everything about diamond dog customs, but can we trust them?” “Yes.” Rangel’s voice was ironclad with certainty as he glanced back. “Just relax sir, everything’s under control.” He turned and jogged forward, vanishing into the darkness. Spade snorted irritably. “I swear, a simple chain of command. Is that really too much to ask for? Going to see about a transfer to a regular unit when we get home.” “Oh come on, Boss,” Diamond retorted, “you’d be bored out of your skull inside of a week.” He suppressed a shudder as he glanced into the tunnel. “Man, can’t I just fly over?” “Sorry Diamond, can’t risk the griffons finding us. Tunnel’s the only safe way, I guess.” Spade tossed his head nervously and trotted into the mountain, the other Cards following after. He hated it here, hated it with such a passion that his muzzle seemed to carry a permanent scowl. He dimly remembered and clung to memories of a time when he was free, with his brothers and sisters under the open sky. But then they had come, and taken him and his siblings because they were too slow. He’d not seen any of his pack in over two winters, and had lost hope that he ever would again. He scurried around and under the others who worked the line, his only task to gather the scrap and toss it into the smelter for re-use. The tang of the oil made his stomach lurch, but he had long ago learned the penalty for making a mess on the floor and ignored it. Only one thing kept him going, one simple thing he remembered his mother telling him the day before he was taken. She’d given him his first name, and he clung to it stubbornly, his only island in the sea of despair that tried to drown him. When it all felt like too much, and he felt like there was nothing left to him, that was the one thing the overseers couldn’t take. It was his. The overseer in charge of the bell rang it once, signalling the change of duties. Wordlessly, he joined the adults, to be bound together to prevent their escape. As they were led toward the door, he growled softly under his breath. “My name is Tumble, my name is Tumble...” “So, you’re sure we’re going the right way, sir?” Heart asked nervously as he picked his way past a stalactite. Patches of glowing fungus provided a faint illumination, and with his light spell they at least had enough light to see. “Well, it doesn’t seem like we have much of a choice,” Spade muttered. “How much further do we have to go?” Rover glanced back, but was otherwise silent as he started to climb the next incline. It was as he reached the top that his legs buckled and he slumped against the side of the tunnel. Fido caught him and lowered him to the ground, while Spot looked at Rangel worriedly. “What’s wrong?” Rangel crouched down beside them, taking his pack off. “Hungry, haven’t eaten since escape,” Spot replied with a low whine. Rangel sighed. “I know the feeling.” His stomach rumbled as he dug into his pack for the last of his emergency rations. “Here, give him these, they’ll help. Might as well put em to some use.” Spot stared at him incredulously. “What alpha not know what is food? Rover not pony, he needs gems!” Rangel blinked. “Wait, what?” “Spot show alpha! Follow!” Spot rolled over and began to dig, rapidly vanishing from sight. “Rangel, you got five. Make ‘em count,” Spade said with a snort as he and the rest of the Cards came to a stop around the canines. Rangel nodded and followed after Spot, soon out of sight as well. After he was sure Rover was okay, Fido glanced at the ponies. “Sooo... how long has alpha been alpha to ponies?” All four Cards just stared back. Rangel couldn’t see anything, but he could smell Spot ahead of him as the short dog quickly and efficiently burrowed down into the rock. He had to admit, the little guy knew how to dig, and was a lot better than he was. “So, how much farther?” he asked, this time trying out the native diamond dog tongue. Spot stopped, his scent now laced with surprise. “Alpha know stonetongue? Why alpha no say so?” “I didn’t even know that’s what it was called,” Rangel muttered as he sniffed. Suddenly, he stiffened as he caught a new scent. “What is that?” Spot scuffled about until he had turned around. “Spot find gem, see?” He pushed his paw forward until it bumped against Rangel’s nose. The scent that flooded his lungs was overpowering, and before he even realized it he’d snatched it and bit down. The gemstone shattered under his teeth, flavor washing over his tongue like a cold beer on a summer day. It reminded him almost of mint, and he eagerly crunched down on the rest of the gem. “That was amazing!” Spot tilted his head in the darkness. “Spot confused. How can alpha not know taste of gems?” Rangel hesitated. “It’s... complicated. Anyway, let’s find some more and get back to the pack.” Spot was quiet for a few seconds, before he squirmed around and began to tunnel again. “Spot follow, but want truth from alpha. Pack need truth to live.” “I...” Rangel took a breath, “I’ll tell you what I can, but you may not like it.” “It not matter if Spot like it. It truth. Pack work best when secrets exposed.” Half an hour later, the three Diamond Dogs were looking much healthier as they chowed down on the gemstones Spot and Rangel had managed to find. The Cards were gathered a short distance away, eating some of their own rations. A small fire burned in the center of the space, providing a small amount of blessed heat. “Rangel, can I have a word?” Spade called over from his spot next to the edge of the incline. Rangel looked up from where he was sitting between Spot and Rover and started to rise, only for Spot to tug on his arm. “Alpha want Spot to come with him?” The Diamond Dog’s bulldog features were creased with concern. “No, it’s okay. I’ll be right back,” Rangel replied absently Spot grabbed one of his gems, a ruby, and pressed it into Rangel’s paw. “Here, take. Alpha must stay strong too.” Rangel took a bite and stared, his tongue warming as an inexplicable flavor washed across his tongue. He paused, took another tentative bite, and glanced back at Spot. “Thank you.” Spot grinned. “Alpha no need to thank Spot. Good diamond dog look out for pack and alpha. Besides, all diamond dogs know how to pick a good gem!” Taking another bite, Rangel turned and crossed the cavern to stand next to Spade. “So, what’s going on?” Spade stared for a second as Rangel chewed noisily before he snorted. “Listen, I understand that you’re happy to have found some of your own out here, and I understand that this might help us in the mission. But you need to keep in mind why we’re here. We simply don’t have the time to keep going off-mission. If this doesn’t pan out, we need to get back on track.” Rangel glowered at Spade, then shook his head. “I can’t just leave them, sir. What if there’s something more going on here than what’s specific to the mission? If the griffons are doing something to the diamond dogs here, then I’ve got to do something about it. How would you feel if it were ponies we’d found instead?” Spade worked his jaw for a second, but finally tossed his head with a snort. “We’ll see what’s going on once we exit the tunnel. But don’t forget that the entire team’s lives are at risk if we start trying anything further. It’s my responsibility to ensure that everyone comes home safe, you included.” Rangel met his eyes levelly. “And it’s my job now to look after them. But I’ll keep it in mind, sir.” He crunched the rest of the ruby thoughtfully as he walked back to the diamond dogs. “So, you ready to go? I want to get through the mountain before nightfall.” Rover pushed himself to his feet. “Rover ready whenever alpha calls, it not much further now.” He started forward into the tunnel ahead, Rangel following him with Spot and Fido. The Cards yet again brought up the rear. “Boss, are you really sure it’s okay to trust the locals? Joker’s getting awfully tight with them, alpha stuff or not,” Diamond whispered. “Well, think about it, Diamond,” Heart replied quietly. “This is the first Rangel’s seen of anyone like him since we got here. I mean, yeah, Ferrik was training him and all, but I don’t think they ever really got past the “trainer and learner” stage.” “Still, it’s kinda weirding me out,” Diamond replied. “Cut the chatter you two, let’s just focus on getting the job done,” Spade said with finality. As the group picked their way along the tunnel, the oppressive darkness finally began to lift, a narrow hole in the wall becoming visible. The canines picked up their pace, leaving the ponies lagging behind on the slope. “Rangel, slow down, let’s not rush into things...” Spade trailed off as the Cards finally emerged into the wan daylight, the sun almost touching the horizon. The tunnel exited onto a small ledge, terminating in a dropoff. Rangel was crouched by the edge with the other diamond dogs, a spyglass already held to his eye. As Spade drew closer, he could see that Rangel’s body was tense, and his ears folded back as he realized that Rangel was shaking slightly. “What is it?” Wordlessly, Rangel held the spyglass out for Spade, and with a little adjustment he was staring through it at the valley below. A cluster of buildings were tightly grouped at the valley mouth, a wall winding around them. A large building similar to the foundry from the first village stood in the center, and several more that could be dwellings surrounded it. But none of that was what caught his attention and dropped the bottom out of his stomach. A line of griffons and diamond dogs, bound by what could only be chains, shuffled their way from the foundry towards one of the other buildings. He felt his jaw clench instinctively as one of the figures stumbled, one of the griffons escorting them striking it until it got to its feet and continued the somber march. The view began to shake, and Spade pulled back in alarm as Rangel dropped the spyglass, his paws flexing as his eyes narrowed. He took a few nervous steps back, the rest of the Cards following suit. “Rangel, I’m as upset as you are by this, but you need to keep calm-” “Fuck. You.” Rangel’s voice was thick; a low, wet growl bubbling from his throat as he rose to his full height. The air seemed to grow quiet, even the falling snow seemed entirely focused on the enraged diamond dog. Finally, something broke within Rangel and he threw his head back, his chest puffing out as he inhaled. The howl was deafening, something in it ringing in the minds and hearts of the ponies and diamond dogs. It sang of rage, and despair, and vengeance, and all the retribution that could be brought down upon those who prompted such a cacophony. The rest of the pack threw their heads back and joined in, the sound amplifying and tearing through the air. Down in the line, Tumble’s ears perked up and he stopped along with the rest as the overseers began to look furtively for that dreadful sound. The older diamond dogs glanced at each other uncertainly, but Tumble felt the howl burn its way through him, and he lifted his own head. His voice was tremulous, and barely reached beyond the walls of the camp, but wove its way into the main howl and added his own anguish to it all the same. He staggered to the ground as an overseer again struck him to the snow, but the adults had come to their senses, and soon the entire valley reverberated with their combined howls. > 08 - Fork in the Road > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The howl was all-consuming, a fire raging in his chest that was more than just the air in his lungs, more than just the sound ringing in his ears. The sight of the imprisoned diamond dogs had lit that fire like a match to tinder. Finally, regretfully, Rangel felt the howl fall silent, and opened his eyes. The rest of the diamond dogs fell silent as well, and the sounds of the world rushed back in. “Damnit Rangel, what in God’s name were you thinking?” Spade hissed, tossing his head. “Diamond, what’s going on down there?” “Looks like a couple of ‘em are goin’ airborne, sir!” Diamond called back, his wings half-spread. “We gotta get scarce, right the hell now.” “Alright. Move out, Cards. You too, um, dogs.” Spade wasted no time in half-pushing Rangel into the cave, the other ponies and diamond dogs following hurriedly after. Once inside the tunnel, they pressed themselves out of sight and held their breath. A pair of shadows passed by the opening, warbling shrieks causing everyone to press even more against the stone. The shadows continued on, and after another few minutes everyone relaxed. Spade swung his glare back to Rangel. “I have had it with your behavior lately, Rangel. You need to control yourself, or you’re going to put this entire mission in jeopardy!” He stamped his hoof angrily as he and Rangel stood hoof to paw, both refusing to back down. Fido growled and moved toward Spade, paws extended to grab him, when a literal wall of muscle interposed itself. “Don’t even think about it,” Club said calmly as he stared at the slightly taller diamond dog. The two ponies shifted slightly until they stood shoulder to shoulder, while Rover and Spot moved to stand with Rangel and Fido. Heart glanced back and forth, tail lashing anxiously as he tried to think of a way to resolve this standoff. Across from him, Diamond kept a wary eye on the tunnel opening, though the fluttering of his wings betrayed his nervousness. “I’m going to tell you how it is, Rangel,” Spade said, tapping a hoof on the ground. “We have our orders. If even one griffon escapes that camp, we’ve failed. We need to find out more information about what’s going on here in Scythion-” “And what if the start of that answer is in that camp, Spade?” he retorted. “We won’t find answers by hiding and watching from a distance, we have to take action! For Christ’s sake, they were beating slaves, Spade! We’re supposed to stand for better than that. I swore I’d stand for better than that after St Louis!” Rangel was shouting in English by the end, his eyes hot with anger. “We have our orders, Rangel. If you refuse to follow them, you’re not only putting the team at risk, but you’ll be considered AWOL!” “I fuckin’ might as well be!” Rangel snapped before he turned about and stormed off, the rest of the diamond dogs warily following. “Sir, Rangel does have a point-” Heart started, only to quail under the glare Spade shot his way. “Not now, Heart.” Spade snorted irritably and trotted to the other side of the cave. Club followed him, and the two began whispering to each other. “Diamond?” Heart asked weakly, looking to him for support. “Look, Heart...” he sighed, “I got to keep eyes on the sky, there’s still griffons out there.” “R-right,” Heart replied. He stood there awkwardly, trying desperately to think of a way to resolve the mess they’d found themselves in. Finally, he made his decision and turned, ears alert despite his nervousness. Fido looked up as Heart approached, his lip curling up in a slight snarl. “What pony want?” “I... I want to talk to Rangel, err... your alpha,” Heart finished weakly, forehoof pawing at the rough stone. “Fido, let him through,” Rangel said without turning. “What do you want, ‘Heart’?” The slight edge on his name wasn’t lost on the unicorn, who took a few hesitant steps forward, giving Fido and Rover each a worried glance. “Well, I just wanted to try to talk to you-” Rangel cut him off with a curt shake of his head. “Do you mean it, or is Spade just trying to figure out how serious I am about liberating the camp?” “No, I’m just here to talk to you.” Heart cautiously trotted closer. “Look, I know things have been kind of tense since the wyvern attack...” he decided to simply ignore Rangel’s huff of derision and press on, “and I wanted to try to understand your side of things.” Rangel glanced over at Heart, and started to tell him to fuck off when he felt a tug on his arm. He looked down at Spot, the shorter dog staring firmly at him. “What?” “Alpha must calm self. It right to be angry at seeing other packs enslaved. But alpha must remember to be strong both outside and inside. Pack cannot, will not survive if it does not work together.” Spot’s tail wagged a little. “Maybe this time alpha include Spot in talk?” Rangel couldn’t help but smile a little at Spot’s enthusiasm. “Sorry, but not yet.” Spot scowled, though he cuffed Rangel good-naturedly and turned back to the others. “Alpha just remember promise.” Rangel shook his head wryly before he looked at Heart. “Alright, so what do you want to talk about then?” He made sure he was speaking English for this. He wasn’t ready for the pack to learn just everything yet, no matter how much it hurt to hide the truth from them. “Well, I wanted to ask what you meant earlier,” Heart asked quietly. Rangel glanced at the ground, mind racing. He knew the terms of his deal were supposed to be kept confidential, but with everything that had happened, he had to tell someone. He wanted to wait for the right time to tell the pack, but Heart’s scent told Rangel he was being honest. “Alright, but this stays between us.” He shifted so he was facing Heart and took a breath. “Basically, since I was involved in that shitfest in St Louis, I was given a deal: Test the Canification serum and I get out of prison early.” “Wait, then that means-” Rangel cut him off with a quick nod. “Yep. Deployed with the HLF, resigned by shooting my commander when he ordered me to clear a room full of foals. Surrendered to police when it was all said and done.” “And they still sent you to jail?” Heart asked despite himself. Rangel shrugged. “Honestly, I expected worse. Desertion and terrorism don’t sit too well with the Army, and usually have one outcome.” “So then what-” Heart stopped as Rangel lifted a paw. “It gets better. Part of the deal, so that the US wouldn’t have to admit they recruited a convicted terrorist into the program, was that I couldn’t come back to the US. Well, at least back to my old life. It was pushed pretty hard that I consider taking up residence here in Equestria.” Heart sat there, stunned for a second. “I... don’t know what to say...” Rangel huffed. “Don’t say anything. I had the chance to say no. Though with the way things are going, wondering if I should have said it instead.” Heart shook his head vehemently. “Don’t say that. If you hadn’t, we’d probably all be wyvern food. Or we’d not have found the diamond dogs, and be worse off with anything else that we find here.” He put a hoof on Rangel’s arm, ignoring the warning growls from the other diamond dogs. “Look, the truth is we need you as much as you need us. So I’ve got your back, Steven.” Rangel stared at him for a second, eyes conflicted. He wanted to stay angry at Heart, but he could both hear and smell the sincerity in his tone. Finally, he shook his head in bemusement. “Alright.” He pushed himself to his paws and motioned for the pack to follow him. He made his way across the cave to stand in front of Spade. “Look Spade, I’m going to liberate that camp, no matter what you say otherwise.” Spade glowered at him, then snorted in resignation. “Rangel, I appreciate your intention, I do. But this is too risky for the mission. If you go, you’ll be on your own. I can’t risk the whole team on this-” “Actually, sir...” Heart trailed off as Spade turned his head to look at him, but took a deep breath and continued, “I’m with Rangel on this one. I don’t want to risk the mission either, but I can’t see stuff like that and not do something.” “Heart, I’m only going to say this once-” Spade started, only to stop as Diamond hurriedly trotted back into the cave. “Boss, got somethin’ you might be interested in. Took another peek down at the camp and you’re not gonna like what I saw: They got Bloodeye down there.” Spade whipped his head around. “You’re sure?” Diamond snorted. “Have I ever been wrong with my spotting? He’s not with the regular prisoners, but they got him all the same.” Spade was silent as he stared off into space. Finally, he shook his head ruefully. “Can’t catch a break, it seems.” He looked over to Rangel. “Alright then, I suppose we will be liberating that camp. What plan did you have in mind?” Rangel hesitated. “Well, I was working it out...” He scowled as Spade chuckled. “So what’s your great idea then?” “Come on Rangel, think this through. We’re looking at a fortress, with only one way in or out. So...” he trailed off, an expectant look in his eye. “So we’ll just make our own way in,” Rangel replied, his jaw dropping in a wry smile. “I think we can deliver that just fine.” He motioned the other diamond dogs to gather around. “Alright, here’s the plan.” As he explained, the other diamond dogs grinned eagerly, tails wagging in anticipation. The two griffons unlucky enough to draw the night shift huddled around a small fire, feathers fluffed to ward off the cold. “Why do we always get stuck with guarding these wastes of meat?” one of the guards said with an irritated clack of his beak. “Because we’re not Blooded, or because our superiors won’t assign us to a raiding party,” another replied rhetorically. “Look at it this way, if Iron Talons wants to pay us to sit around guarding prisoners, I’m okay with that. Nothing happens out here anyway.” The first guard opened his beak to reply when there was a dull crack. The guards warbled nervously as they started to reach for their weapons, when the guard barracks swayed slightly and abruptly fell in on itself. A cloud of dust and snow exploded upward as the ceiling broke apart, followed by the walls. Muffled shrieks could be heard as the sound of crashing wood and stone faded, and once their shock wore off the two griffons started to run forward. They barely made five steps before the ground abruptly caved in, a pair of dirt-stained paws gripped their ankles, and they found themselves up to their necks in the ground. A hulking form heaved itself out of the dirt and glared at them. “Stay,” Fido growled. A few seconds passed, before he abruptly started laughing. “Ha, stay…” The overseer had jolted awake at the crash, and was halfway into his armor when a series of sharp snaps rang out. He managed to look down in time to see a circle of cracks form and the floor cave in, sending him falling head over claws into a dark cave only lit by his lantern overhead. As he tried to get his bearings, he realized he wasn’t alone, four blurry figures glaring at him. He blinked rapidly and they swam into focus, and his eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of three ponies and a diamond dog. “Club, restrain him,” Spade ordered coldly. Club nodded and strode forward, expression as calm as if he were simply walking along the street. The overseer smirked as he rolled to his claws. “One pony? And a mere mud pony at that? You must be joking.” He flexed his paws in anticipation before he lunged forward. Moments later, Rover scratched his head as the spectacle unfolded before him. “Rover admit, he not think leg could bend that way.” Diamond cringed slightly as the overseer shrieked in pain. “No argument from me there. Think he’s had enough, Boss?” Spade’s ear flicked as the overseer shrieked again. “I’m only going to ask you once-” “Please! I surrender!” the overseer howled desperately as Club let up on the pressure. With a snort he reached into his saddlebag and tugged out some rope. A few deft movements later and the overseer was securely tied, including his beak. “Alright, that’s taken care of,” Spade remarked. “Let’s get going, we need to get Bloodeye and meet with the others.” The slaves had been startled awake by the sound of the building collapsing, but their chains prevented them from much more than nervous shaking. The sharp cracks of a circular section of floor falling inward only made it worse, with several dogs inadvertently marking new territory. Tumble stared intently at the gaping hole, eyes wide as a red light began to illuminate the room. A tall, cloaked figure climbed out of the hole, alongside two shorter figures. He sniffed cautiously and recoiled in surprise as he realized that two of them were dogs like him. Something was off about their scents though, and he tilted his head. “Why you here?” he growled softly. Rangel glanced at the pup in confusion. “We’re rescuing you,” he replied in Stonetongue before he looked at Heart. “Think you can undo their restraints?” Heart fidgeted. “Yeah, but...” he glanced worriedly at the griffons. “What do we do with them?” Rangel glanced at them, his eyes cold. “Spot, explain to the dogs that we’re going to get them out of here, and lead them back up the tunnel. Heart, help him get their chains off.” “Right,” Heart said as he trotted to the nearest diamond dog, Spot following after him. While the dog spoke reassuringly to the prisoner, Heart gripped the bolt in his magic and forced it from the wall. “Whew, they stuck these things in tight. Gimme a second here.” Rangel walked over to the closest griffon and crouched down so they were eye to eye. “Can you understand me?” When he was met with a blank stare, he sighed. “Okay, guess we’re just winging it.” He put a finger to his mouth, then pointed to the tunnel. “You understand?” He repeated the gesture and the griffon nodded emphatically. “Alright, hold still.” He tugged the bolt free and carefully undid the chains, taking a step back as the griffon stretched its wings. They stared at each other for a moment, each sizing the other up before the griffon turned and started to release the others. Rangel watched him for a second, then turned toward the pup he’d talked to before. “Alright, stay still, I’ll let you go.” “Not trust griffons,” Tumble growled, his eyes fixed on the freed griffons. “They kill us at first chance. Should leave them.” Rangel stared at him, then shook his head. “Sorry, but I don’t leave prisoners to starve.” He pulled the bolt from the wall and started to unravel the chain. “Once we’re free, they’ll be told to go south, out of our way.” Tumble stared at Rangel, his eyes narrowed. “And where you going?” Rangel thought it over for a second, then shrugged. Just telling him a rough direction wouldn’t give much away. “North.” Tumble blinked. “You crazy.” “So, Boss,” Diamond remarked with a snort as he looked at the now-crowded cave, “still think this was a good idea?” Spade sighed. On one side of the cave, Rangel and the other diamond dogs tended to theirs, while on the other side, Heart and Bloodeye saw to the griffons. However, both sides were starting to give each other pointed looks, and the atmosphere was rapidly becoming hostile. He finally made up his mind and trotted toward the griffons “Alright Bloodeye, I need you to translate for me.” At Bloodeye’s nod he took a deep breath. “We’re going to release you on the condition that you go south. It’s pretty clear that whoever imprisoned you will be coming to find out what happened here.” Bloodeye rapidly spoke, a chorus of warbles answering him as the other griffons crowded forward. He finished and turned back to Spade. “They will go south, my village will see to hiding them. I need to go with them-” “I’m sorry, but I need you to stay with us,” Spade said sharply. “We need someone who knows the local language, to interrogate him.” He indicated the captured overseer with his head, who brooded silently under Club’s care. “And you owe me the truth about what’s going on here in Scythion.” Bloodeye glared at him, but after a few seconds seemed to crumble. “Alright, I’ll tell you everything. But you must promise to do what you can to help.” “We’ll see what you have to say, then I’ll tell you what we can and cannot do,” Spade replied with a grunt. Across the cave, the diamond dogs were huddled around Spot, the diminutive troll gesturing wildly as he explained the situation. Well, the situation as he saw it, anyway. “And so Spot tell alpha of course diamond dogs know how to pick good gem!” Spot concluded with a barking laugh as the other dogs joined in. “Alright, alright, knock it off, Spot,” Rangel grumbled. Spot waved a paw dismissively and turned back to the others. “Anyway, Rangel pack go north, where dogs go?” Rangel took a step forward, that feeling of emptiness starting to return, albeit weaker than it had before he’d found Spot and the others. “Any dog who wants a little payback can join me. I would bet that there’ll be more of those camps A larger dog, skin loose on his frame from deprivation, took a step forward. “Granite take his pack to the Dawnward Rise. Other dogs there. We hide, we go deep. Griffons not follow.” The other dogs started muttering agreement, with several moving to stand next to him. He tilted his head and gave Rangel an appraising look. “You should follow. Yapper Ten-Howls could use pack like yours.” “Well-” Rangel started to reply, only for Bloodeye to cut him off. “Wait a minute, did he just say Yapper?” Bloodeye seemed torn between honest curiosity and nervousness. “Yeah, what about it?” Rangel asked irritably. “He’s one of the strongest alphas in the north. There’s a huge reward from Iron Talons for proof of death, even more for his capture,” Bloodeye said animatedly, only to quail as the assembled dogs growled in unison. “I’m not interested in capturing him, that’s suicide! Just saying...” he trailed off nervously and took a few steps back. “He’s also been opposing Iron Talons for as long as I know, so he probably has even more information on what’s going on here in Scythion than I do.” “Well, what do you think, Boss?” Diamond asked. “This is getting pretty off-mission here.” Spade looked around the cave, everyone staring back expectantly. “I want the rest of you on your way first. Then you and I are going to sit down and have a talk, Bloodeye.” > 09 - Digging for the Truth > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spot yelped as the snow gave way underneath him, tumbling headfirst into the drift. He squirmed about, trying to sort out up from down until a paw gripped his hindleg and hauled him free. Blinking, he grinned sheepishly, tail wagging slightly as he dangled. “Sorry Fido, Spot not check his footing…” Fido grunted and flipped the smaller dog right side up. “Spot just like playing in snow.” “That true, but Spot also can’t see where snow is deep and where it is not…” Spot retorted before his face wrinkled up, “Spot gonna, gonna—” he sneezed, a cloud of snow accompanying the wad of phlegm that splattered Fido’s chest. Silence reigned for a deafening few seconds before he grinned apologetically. “Spot sorry.” Fido rolled his eyes and tossed Spot back into the drift. “Spot find his own way out. Fido not help again,” he said as he wiped most of the mess away. Rover snickered as Spot blundered his way free of the drift, a fresh coating of powder turning him albino. Granite shook his head as he glanced back. “Your pack not very organized.” Rangel sighed. “Yeah, well, kind of new to the whole being an alpha thing.” “Not good for Ten Howls. He not take weak pack like yours.” Granite grunted as he continued to lope forward, the rest of his pack following silently after him. Rangel felt his lip curl slightly, briefly considering how Granite would look with his head literally up his ass. His paws clenched, though he relaxed them a second later as Spade bumped against him. “Don’t let him get under your skin, Rangel. We need to figure out what Yapper knows first, and Granite’s our best clue to his location.” “Now, you are going to let me go back to my village once we find the mountain, right?” Bloodeye asked nervously. “Don’t get me wrong, I trust you and all, but being in a mountain full of diamond dogs who almost universally hate griffons is not high on my list of priorities right now.” “I told you, Bloodeye. We still need you to help translate what our… ‘guest’ has to say,” Spade said. “You’ve interrogated him plenty, what more could he have to say?” Bloodeye asked, glancing back at the trussed overseer lashed to Club’s back. “Heck if I know, but until I’m convinced he’s out of things to tell us, we keep him.” “Besides, it’s funny to watch him keep thinking he can take on Club,” Diamond quipped, ribbing the overseer with a wing. The griffon clacked his beak, but immediately quailed as Club turned his head slightly. Heart sneezed as a particularly large snowflake found its way into his nose, his coat dripping sweat and melting snow. The steady rain of flakes hadn’t let up in the two days since their raid on the slave camp, and it’d been slow going for the ponies. His stomach growled in frustration, the food bags depressingly light on his back as he trudged along. “Does anyone else have more of the food?” “No, Heart, we packed all of it into your bags. We’ll see about foraging for some more once we get closer to the mountain,” Spade replied as he glanced up at the towering monstrosity. “Well, at least I hope we’re getting closer to finding something.” “Pony worry too much,” Rover said as he glanced at the sky. “Dogs survive fine in north, so ponies can too!” “Well, ponies still need to eat, and gems and rocks don’t count,” Heart grumbled. Rover rolled his eyes, “Dogs not eat only rocks. Pony should learn before assuming.” “Alright you two, knock it off,” Rangel said as he fell back to stand between them. “I’m sure we can scavenge up something, Heart.” At the front of the group, Granite scowled at the nonstop back and forth of this odd pack who’d freed his. He was still wary of the odd ponies and the strange language they used. He might not be able to understand Equestrian, but he at least recognized it from the pony slaves he’d once been chained with. But, wherever these ponies had come from, at least they knew how to fight. He might be able to get some leverage out of them if he got lucky. His nose twitched as the wind picked up, the ground ahead of them beginning the rise to meet the mountain. Something wasn’t quite right, and he held up a paw. His pack stopped immediately, though he heard the annoying banter of the other pack as they didn’t notice his sign. “Be quiet.” The conversation cut off as the group clustered closer together. Spade, his ears up and twitching, trotted forward. “What is it?” “Granite smell fresh pine. New cuts.” “Well that makes sense, there are trees all over the place, and with slave camps they’d need the wood—” Spade began before Diamond cut him off. “Boss, take a look,” he whispered, pointing toward the closest trees. Spade peered at them in confusion. “I don’t see anything…” he trailed off as realization dawned. The trees sighed, almost in exasperation, as their intact branches waved in the breeze. “Oh crap.” There were maybe a few seconds silence before several square sections of snow burst upward, makeshift covers flung aside. Shrouded figures, each carrying a long-handled axe, had them surrounded before anyone could react. “What’s the call, Boss?” Diamond asked as the Cards bunched closer, Club urging Bloodeye into the center. Spade thought rapidly, eyeing the closest figure’s weapon. “Alright. Priority is getting the prisoner and Bloodeye out safely. Rangel, I want you, Rover, Spot, and Fido to cover us as we fall back—” “Ponies wait,” Rover growled. “These not enemies.” “Not entirely sold there,” Rangel said, clenching his paws. “They’re the ones pointing weapons.” One of the larger dogs tilted its head, sniffing, and lowered the hood glaring at Granite. “Why you come here? You working for griffons?” “Granite bring his pack, to seek Ten Howls. Rangel pack free us from griffons,” he indicated Rangel with a paw, “and Granite decide to let follow.” He cut a glance at the mixed pack. “They noisy, and Granite not think they have what it takes. But they have heart in the right place.” The other dog gave Rangel and the rest an appraising look, eyes narrowed at the sight of Bloodeye and the bound overseer. “They can enter. But Ten Howls will decide their fate. Check for weapons, and cover the eyes of the griffons.” Bloodeye winced, looking to Spade nervously. “Okay, do it,” Spade said firmly. At Bloodeye’s shocked expression, he shrugged. “Hey, you want to try making a break for it, be my guest. But I suspect you stand a better chance by going along with it for now.” “It might be the claustrophobia, but I’m really starting to rethink the running away option,” Bloodeye said, feathers fluffed up as they were led down yet another tunnel. Spade didn’t reply, but couldn’t help the small voice saying that Bloodeye might be right. The ambushing dogs had led them into the tunnels inside their hidey-holes; but despite doing his best to remember the turns, he was how hopelessly lost. The tunnels bore no discerning marks he could see, though the dogs certainly seemed to know the way. As they turned the corner, the tunnel finally split and the dog in front raised a paw. “Granite pack go that way. Rangel pack go this way.” He divided up their escorts, and without another word the majority of the guards led Granite’s pack down the tunnel to the left, while the Cards were taken to the right by a single dog. “Boss, I’m really feeling the need to revisit the ‘this is a bad idea’ topic again,” Diamond muttered. “We don’t know anything about these dogs, or even if they really are taking us to that Yapper character.” “Believe me, Diamond, that thought has crossed my mind.” Spade’s ears flicked, a faint echo coming from further down the tunnel. “But for right now, we know that they don’t work with the griffons, and that’s enough for me.” At the front of the line, Rangel’s head was on a swivel, the stone around him almost overwhelming in its enormity. Even on Hawaii there hadn’t been such a… presence, almost like the mountain itself was sizing him up. “Do you feel that?” he whispered to Spot. “Spot not sure. Should Spot feel something?” he asked, tilting his head. “Is Alpha feeling well? Need a gem?” “Just… nevermind.” Rangel felt his nose twitch as a waft of fresh air came from the intersection ahead, and glanced toward the source. He could make out an opening at the other end, faint firelight flickering. “What’s down there?” “Be silent,” the guard snapped in crude Equestrian, cuffing him across the head with the flat of his axe. Rangel bristled, but before he could do anything, Spot and Fido grabbed his shoulder and ankle, respectively. “Alpha not fight in other pack’s den,” Fido muttered. “Is bad luck.” Spot nodded. “Bad manners, too.” Rangel sighed, “Remind me to smack Ferrik when I next see him. Bastard never taught me any of this. All he did was throw me down holes over and over.” “So, Alpha raised like normal pup?” Rover asked with a toothy grin. “Couldn’t tell.” “Oh shut up,” Rangel snapped as the tunnel finally opened up into a high-ceilinged chamber, . At first it seemed a natural cavern, but as the guard’s torch cast light along the walls, the squared edges gave away its sculpted nature. At the far end, the ground rose up, worn steps carved out of the rocky floor leading to an elevated throne. At Spade’s best guess, Club could have sat in it with room to spare. “How big do diamond dogs get, again?” The guard grunted. “Not so big now. Legends say great kings used trees to pick their fangs, but legends don’t mean much now.” He motioned to the area just in front of the steps. “You wait here.” The group complied: Bloodeye nervously in the middle, the Cards surrounding him, then Rangel and the other dogs to their right. The guard climbed the steps, coming to the throne’s right. He pressed the haft of his axe into the ground, the stone giving way like putty until he was sure it would stand upright. Then he sat in the throne, eyeing the motley group in front of him. “So, what business brings a pack of ponies, griffons, and diamond dogs to my mountain?” His Equestrian was still rough, but much more articulate than before. For a second, thunderous silence reigned. “You-... You’re Ten Howls?” Spade asked incredulously. The dog leaned forward, claws clicking against each other. “Surprised? I know I’m not the typical muscle-bound dog, but I’m not doing too bad a job of it.” He sat back. “So, are you going to answer my question?” Spade coughed, regaining his composure. “Well, you see, we’re archeologists. There’d been some rumors of Crystal Empire artifacts surfacing in the far north, and we had hoped to put the rumor to rest. The griffon is our guide, while the diamond dogs are to help keep us safe from the hazards of the north.” Ten Howls tilted his head. “Now see, that is interesting. I’ve actually spent some time with an archeologist explorer from Canterlot, and I recall her mentioning that the ponies had written off the Empire as lost forever after the Shadow King’s curse. So it strikes me as odd that out of nowhere a new expedition is sent, doesn’t it?” To his credit, Spade barely faltered. “Well, it was fairly recent, so I’d not be surprised if you hadn’t—” Ten Howls raised his lip slightly. “Don’t lie to me, it only makes me trust you less than I already do. The dogs may not be the power we once were in the north, but I know enough to know that there are no new artifacts just appearing.” He stood up. “Furthermore, none of you carry yourselves like scholars, even the more adventurous type. If I had to guess, I’d almost say you were Royal Guard, except that’s not right either, is it?” He gestured. “You speak Equestrian well, but your accents don’t have the same tone as a native-born Equestrian. Your clothing, while well made, is nothing like Equestrian fabric. And the part that gave it away the most?” He leaned forward, teeth bared. “Your eyes. Your eyes may be a pony’s, but they are eyes that have seen more than their fair share of bloodshed. I suppose you could try to argue that you are of the Long Patrol, but that is equally unlikely, since true Long Patrol would not have been ambushed so easily” He pointed at Rangel, the other dogs, and Bloodeye. “As for them, they just make your story even worse. If the ponies truly believed that Crystal Empire artifacts were appearing, and sent Long Patrol to investigate, then they would not have need of guides or guards. The Long Patrol may be almost extinct, but they have honor and numbers enough for that.” “Finally, you have one of Iron Talon’s enforcers with you, specifically one who happened to be in charge of a slave camp not five day’s travel from here. Further, a slave camp that fell to a particularly skilled ambush from below.” He glared at Spade. “So, do you want to tell me the truth, pony? Or will I need to gnaw it out of you?” Spade thought rapidly, trying to figure out some angle out of the conversation, but nothing came to mind. He couldn’t just out and break the secrecy of the mission, but all their intelligence on the diamond dogs had indicated that none of them would be this perceptive. “I’m waiting,” Ten Howls said, his lip curling further. The room seemed to shudder slightly the more his fangs were exposed. Spade could feel the Cards behind him shifting slightly, preparing to launch an attack if they had to, but something inside told him that would be suicide. Even if they overpowered Ten Howls, they had no idea how many dogs were elsewhere in the mountain. He took a deep breath, readying himself for whatever came next. “We’re here to find out what’s going on in the north,” Rangel’s voice was firm as he took a step forward, barely ahead of Spade. “Our home was attacked, and we believe griffons were involved. We were sent north to try and uncover what Iron Talons is planning.” Spade hissed under his breath and almost took a step forward, but Club’s subtle nudge stopped him. Too late to stop now, it seemed to say. He gritted his teeth, but kept quiet. “Oh?” Ten Howls seemed genuinely curious now, lowering his lip and leaning forward. “And where was it that was attacked? I’ve not heard of any conflict between Scythion and Equestria.” “That’s because it wasn’t Equestria they attacked.” Rangel gestured to Bloodeye and the overseer. “We can’t tell you everything, but when we freed the prisoners from the slave camp, they’d mentioned you as being someone who’d know better than anyone what Iron Talons was up to.” “Oh, is that so?” Ten Howls chuckled. “Well, I can’t say they’re wrong, but I can’t say they’re entirely right either. The only creature who understands what Iron Talons wants is Iron Talons himself.” His face twisted slightly. “But yes, I do know what he is doing.” “Will you tell us?” Spade asked. “Should I?” Ten Howls turned to stare at Spade. “You’ve come to my den and lied to my face. Some would say that creates distrust. I’m certainly not inclined to argue that, given the circumstances.” He glanced toward the cave entrance and barked once, the sound echoing strangely from the walls. As if they'd been there the entire time, four dogs appeared and hurried to kneel in front of Ten Howls. "Alpha called?" "Take the griffons to the lower dens and confine them there. I'm not inclined to reveal anything in the presence of Iron Talons' mongrels. And ensure they are unable to speak to each other." The dogs nodded and moved at once, surrounding the Cards. Spade shook his head. "The overseer is our prisoner, as you said, and Bloodeye is not working for Iron Talons." "So you claim, but as my trust in you is nonexistent at the moment, I'm going to make sure my people are safe. And that means that they will be confined. If it means so much to you, pony, then I will swear to their safety while under our... care." "And how are we supposed to trust that?" Spade shot back. Ten Howls scowled. "What am I, some kind of griffon? I may be a dog, but we at least keep our word." He glanced at Bloodeye. "No offence." Bloodeye started to open his beak, but noted the guards flexing their paws on their poleaxes and closed it. "Splendid. Now, pony?" Ten Howls asked, staring at Spade. Spade glowered, but stood aside. "If any harm comes to either of them..." "Yes, yes, I'm well aware of what happens to those who break their oaths. Especially for my race." Ten Howls gestured, and the guards dragged the overseer toward the tunnel. The other two flanked Bloodeye and prodded him along, the griffon staring back half-plaintively at Spade. "Now, back to the issues of trust between us. I'm inclined to consider that you're being honest with me, but as I'm sure you've noticed, trust is a rare thing here in the north." “We’re not asking that you trust us,” Rangel swept a paw around the cavern. “But I think you should at least consider helping us. I mean, I’m still getting the hang of all this, but it doesn’t feel like you have the… er, dogpower to really afford any enemies outside of Iron Talons.” Ten Howls tilted his head. “You speak impudently, for such a young alpha…” “Ten Howls, I know that Rangel is often quick to speak,” Spade jabbed Rangel in the side, “but he—“ “…but not incorrectly.” Ten Howls fell into his throne with a sigh, paws steepled. “I guess the saying is true, you scratch the fleas you wake with…” His eyes drifted from each Card, to Rangel and the other dogs. “Suppose I tell you what I know, how will you help me?” “Well… we would need to get word back to our friends in Equestria—“ Spade took an involuntary step back as Ten Howls growled. “I’m not asking how Equestria or wherever this place you are from will dither and fail to offer real help. You are here right now, if you want my information you must help me. And truly, I doubt you would reach the border with Equestria anyway.” “What do you mean?” Rangel asked. “Between your liberation of the prison camp and your battle in that village to the south, I’d expect Iron Talons has some inkling that there is an unknown group of ponies and diamond dogs running around his kingdom. As a fellow leader, I know I would not be too pleased with such knowledge and take all needed steps to keep them from continuing to roam free.” He grinned. “So, as much as I need your aid, you also need mine. Help my people and I will not only tell you what Iron Talons is doing, but help spare Equestria what is to come.” > 10 - Unearthing Hope > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “We’ll need a few minutes to make our decision,” Spade said after a few minutes silence. “Of course,” Ten Howls replied. “I only caution you to not take long, events may decide your fate with or without you.” Spade nodded and the Cards withdrew to the far side of the cavern. Diamond spoke first. “Boss, I feel pressed to remind you that this is way off-mission. We’re not here to play hero and save the country from the big bad griffons. We need to take the information we have and get back to the States.” “I’m aware that we’re off the rails, Diamond,” Spade snorted, ears flat with irritation, “but I don’t think that Ten Howls will simply let us leave without a fight. Plus, like he said, he has more intel on what Iron Talons is planning.” “Boss, he’s playing us for idiots and you know it!” Diamond’s wings flared as he paced back and forth. “Anyone can say that they know more and just string us along. I say we take what we have and leave now, before Iron Talons drops his entire army on our heads.” “We can’t just leave these dogs to die,” Rangel interrupted. “Look, I know we have the mission, but regardless, we’re involved now. Look at what we’ve seen so far: Iron Talons is kidnapping dogs from all over the north for something, and I doubt it’s because they need to make more Girl Scout cookies. So, to me we can either take the scraps of information we have, which amounts to ‘We know Iron Talons is doing something bad in the north.’ or we can dig deeper and find out what he’s actually doing, maybe even stop it.” Diamond glared at Rangel, but before he could respond Heart stepped forward. “I agree with Rangel. There’s still too many holes in this we need to fill in, otherwise we’ve wasted our entire time here.” Spade scowled, then turned to Club, Rover, Fido and Spot. “Well? Got anything to say?” Club shrugged, while Rover shook his head. “Rangel is alpha, we follow him.” Rover’s claws scraped harshly over each other. “But Rover want to teach Iron Talons griffons not so above dogs they can’t be dragged down.” Spade closed his eyes, sighing heavily. “Okay, here’s the plan. For now we stay, see what Ten Howls has in mind to ask us to do. Once we have the information we need, then we are leaving to return to Equestria.” “I suppose that will work,” Ten Howls called from the far side of the room. He grinned toothily as every head turned toward him. “You are in my mountain after all, did you really expect me not to listen to your discussion?” Spade grumbled under his breath as he led the Cards back to the base of the steps. “Well, since we don’t need to repeat ourselves, what exactly did you have in mind?” He raised a hoof as Ten Howls started to rise. “Before you say anything, I will not take risks that unnecessarily put my team’s lives in jeopardy. Is that clear?” “Crystal.” Ten Howls clapped his paws together. “Now, I am sure that you have had a hard journey, and would like some food?” Heart’s stomach growled a loud assent, to his embarrassment. “I suppose we can accept your hospitality, since we are allies now,” Spade answered. “Excellent, then if you’d follow me.” Ten Howls leapt down from the top of the stairs, the barest hint of a thud marking his impact as he headed for the tunnel they’d entered. Startled by the sudden motion, the Cards and dogs scrambled after him, forming into a ragged line. Spade hurried to keep pace with Ten Howls, the dog’s longer strides forcing him to take two steps for his every one. “So, just how long has your pack been living inside this mountain? The tunnel network is enormous.” “Oh, we’ve only lived here for a short period, after we were forced out of our last den,” Ten Howls answered, his face growing dark. “You’ll understand more shortly, but it has been hard ever since Iron Talons took the griffon’s throne. We very rarely get dogs who’ve escaped, so information has been sparse on his most recent activities.” He raised a paw as Spade opened his mouth. “Don’t worry, you’ll get the information I promised you.” He lead them through several tunnels, some heading upward toward the peak, only to abruptly wind downward. There were torches spaced enough to keep the tunnels illuminated, but one feature was glaringly absent. “Where are the dogs?” Heart whispered. “Surely we’d have seen them by now, even just a guard.” “You’re right about that,” Rangel muttered, nose twitching as something in Ten Howl’s scent changed. The dog king’s ears and tail drooped slightly, and Rangel’s eyes narrowed as an unpleasant thought began to form in his head. “Ten Howls? Just how many dogs are living in this mountain?” Ten Howls stopped at the mouth of the next tunnel. He turned his head a fraction to look back at Rangel, eyes hollowed by the firelight and a weight of repressed grief. “Not enough.” With that, he gestured for them to follow him and stepped into the cavern beyond. It was spacious, the ceiling narrowing with the slope of the mountain. The floor sloped gently away from them, leading toward the far wall where several inset heating pits yawned. Traces of smoke rose into the air from them, drifting toward the distant ceiling and a carved flue. More openings were cut into the sides of the cavern, and as the Cards walked further into the room, huddled figures began to stir in the few closest to the pits. A bolder few growled challenges, their hackles raised. Spade blinked in shock. “There’s so few…” “I count thirty, Spade,” Diamond said quietly, his expression sour. “You have good eyes.” Ten Howls walked toward the firepits, waving off the dogs. “We have some dogs out keeping eyes on the mountain approaches as well, but this collection of packs numbers about forty.” Rangel growled, low in his throat. “What happened?” “Iron Talons decided that to continue his plans, he needed laborers. Of course the work was beneath his people, but he felt that the Diamond Dogs were the perfect alternative. Of course, we disagreed, and it wasn’t long before open fighting broke out.” He turned and walked to one of the closer pits, pulling a small pawful of gems from a pocket and tossing it to the figures cowering in the back. A faint murmur of thanks could be heard, to which he shook his head. “However, our own pack nature worked against us, and the griffons picked us off one by one. The pack which held this mountain initially refused entry to all others, but as our numbers dwindled, they finally saw reason and allowed us in.” “You say it as though you weren’t in that pack,” Spade observed. Ten Howls hesitated briefly. “I wasn’t. My pack was one of the first taken prisoner. I’ve seen what happens in his camps, and an idea of what he intends to do.” He shuddered as the memory returned. “It was hell, plain and simple. I won’t go into detail on what they used my people for, but I saw them use their vile rituals to travel to Sirius-knows-where, and they returned with weapons unlike anything we’d seen. I’d thought they’d use those weapons to burn out the remaining packs and any griffons that didn’t agree with his plan. But it was so much worse.” “What do you mean?” Heart asked. “They started bringing back piles of cut wood, nails, and other strange machinery, along with pony captives. I never saw their fate, but given the fate of the captive dogs, I still pray for them.” Ten Howls shivered again. “But, I did see what they’re building now. Airships, armed with these new weapons.” “From St. Louis,” Club muttered. “It sounds like it,” Spade agreed. “Though my next question is what’s their play? They can’t sail the airships into Equestria undetected; overhead would see them clear as day.” “Can they control the weather like pegasi?” Heart asked. “No, griffons only ride wind, not shape it,” Rover said firmly. “Their rituals,” Diamond blurted. “It’s their damn bloody rituals. Think about it, Boss, from St. Louis. They were able to teleport themselves from the middle of the country all the way here. A hop from here into Equestria would be a walk in the park.” “Why just Canterlot?” Rangel started to pace. “If they’re able to jump there, then how hard would it be to hit more?” Ten Howls nodded slowly. “It would make it impossible for Lady Sun or Moon to respond without sacrificing their people, which I have trouble believing they would.” Spade nodded slowly. “So, the question is, what can we realistically do?” Ten Howls’ ears fell. “Truthfully? Not much of anything. We just don’t have the numbers, and more importantly, these dogs lack hope.” “Well, let’s put our heads together, see what shakes loose.” Rangel said firmly. “You said you’d been to Iron Talon’s mountain, right? So how did you escape?” Ten Howls hesitated briefly. “I waited until they’d put us back in our cells, then dug my way out. I don’t know how long it took me, but I dug until I came across one of the ancient tunnels and then followed it to the surface.” Rangel scowled. “You told us earlier not to lie to you, but now you’re the one feeding us bullshit. If you want us to trust you, then you need to give some too. It’s not just yours or our necks on the line here.” He gestured toward the sleeping dens. ”For their sake, just tell us the truth.” “It’s…” Ten Howls trailed off as the other dogs began to perk their ears up. “It is not something we dogs really talk about with outsiders, so forgive my reluctance.” He cleared his throat. “Dogs share an affinity with the earth and the deep places, as I’m sure you know. But when the stars are right, a dog is born with a much stronger connection to the bones of the world. We called those rare dogs Stonesingers. The strongest of them were rumored to be able to shatter mountains or raise them up from the ground, but now there are almost none left.” He sighed heavily, then knelt to press a paw on the cavern floor. The stone seemed to almost shimmer like wet rock, and his paw sank up to the wrist. “I believe I may be one of the last, until more are born, but with our numbers so small…” He growled, shaking his head, eyes closed. “Wait, you mean stone shaping?” Rangel crouched down, peering at Ten Howl’s submerged paw. “Ferrik taught me a little about it, but he didn’t say anything about it being rare…” He pressed his paw to the floor, the stone parting around it like thick mud. The gathered dogs yipped in alarm and withdrew several paces. Ten Howls’ jaw dropped. “You… you are a stonesinger too?” “Um, I guess?” Rangel pulled his paw from the ground. “Like I said, Ferrik didn’t say much of it being rare though…” Ten Howls yanked his paw free and lunged, grabbing Rangel by his vest. “Who is this Ferrik? What pack is he from?” Rangel growled and shoved Ten Howls back. “He’s a diamond dog from the West pack. He taught me everything I know after my—” “Rangel, that’s enough!” Spade interrupted. “Ten Howls, I understand this is something alarming to you, but—” “Be silent, pony!” Ten Howls snapped. “A certain measure of secrecy I could understand and forgive, but to bring a Stonesinger here? One trained by other packs? Do you understand what this means?” His voice grew rougher, moisture gathering. “It means we aren’t alone. There are other dogs out there…” “Well, I’d not expect them to really be able to come riding to the rescue,” Rangel pointed out. “But yeah, there are other dogs.” He glanced at Spade. “Can we have a minute, Ten Howls?” He stared suspiciously at them, but nodded. “Thank you.” Rangel, the Cards, and the rest of the pack withdrew to a far corner of the room. “Rangel, you cannot tell him about yourself like that!” Spade hissed. “It’s a huge violation of secrecy, and could jeopardize not only this mission but the entire Canid project as well!” “How?” Rangel shot back. “They told me after I Converted the project was going to be announced  anyway, so how does telling these dogs who literally have no means to spread word to anyone else hurt things? Look at them, Spade!” “You don’t get to decide when information is released until it’s formally been cleared by the chain of command! And last I checked, you aren’t team leader here, so you will not make decisions like that without approval!” Spade half-shouted, stamping his hoof. “Um,” Spot tugged on Rangel’s jacket, “What Alpha mean, Converted?” Spade facehoofed. “How did I forget they were here?” “I can still hear you!” Ten Howls called, one of his ears to the ground and a mocking grin on his muzzle. “Cat’s out of the bag now,” Club pointed out. “And Rangel has a point, word isn’t going to get out from here anyway.” Spade growled, facehoofing again. “Alright, fine. But only discuss the specifics of your Conversion.” “Understood,” Rangel replied. “Wait, Fido confused.” He scratched his head, eyes squinted in concentration. “So Alpha was hooman, then got pony shot, and became diamond dog?” “Yes, Fido,” Rangel replied with a sigh. “And Alpha really saw Great Alpha Sirius?” Spot asked, tail wagging fiercely, practically on his toes in excitement. Rangel frowned. “Well, I think it was more a dream, but yeah, is what he said his name was. Truthfully I was expecting Princesses Celestia and Luna since they’re the only ones mentioned with conversion dreams, but since I was the first diamond dog convert I guess it makes sense that he showed up.” Ten Howls shook his head. “I have a hard time believing any of this. So if you are telling the truth, then there are hoomans out there… ‘converting’ into ponies and now dogs? But you haven’t really said why.” “Well, because apparently our world is going to be sucked back to where yours came from, so everyone has to convert. The diamond dog shot was made to give more choice, and help the population rise. I was given the choice as an alternative to my sentence.” Rangel muttered. “Alpha mentioned that before,” Rover growled. “What did Alpha do?” “I was…” Rangel swallowed, “I was part of an attack on a city in my country. Our mission was to loot the Conversion Bureau and kill any ponies we found there. I refused an order to kill a room of foals, and killed my sergeant and squadmates when they tried.” Rover bared his teeth. “These others, they were your pack, and you killed them?” Rangel shook his head. “Not really, not like that. We were drawn from different units across the Army, and assigned together for the mission.” Spot fidgeted. “So, Alpha was warrior before he became dog?” “Well, you could say that,” Rangel sighed. “Though I’m not sure any more.” “What kind of warrior was Alpha?” Spot leaned forward eagerly. “Well, I was an…” Rangel trailed off as he tried to figure out the word, “I was a…” he growled irritably, “I was an infantryman.” The English scraped over his teeth, tongue fumbling on the consonants. Spot tilted his head. “What word is that? Isn’t Equestrian or Stonetongue.” “Well, it’s the language where I’m from,” Rangel replied. “I was trained to fight, but not by myself, in a group.” “So, like a pack?” Rover asked, ears up despite his earlier distrust. “Well, you could look at it that way, but not really. We all trained together, but people got moved around as time went on.” Rover leaned back, eyes narrowed. "That makes no sense." “So, what did Alpha fight with?” Fido leaned forward, his tail twitching a happy beat on the floor. “Well, it’s tough to say…” Rangel glanced over as Ten Howls heaved himself to his feet, teeth bared. “I think I have an idea. It’s the weapons that Iron Talons has been bringing to Scythion, isn’t it? Your race invented them, didn’t they?” Rangel hesitated, and Ten Howls huffed. “That’s what I thought.” Spade shook his head. “Ten Howls, you have to understand that it’s not something our nation supports—” “But at the end of the day my people are still being enslaved and dying!” Ten Howls clenched his paws, while a wet snarl bubbled low in his throat. But, after a few moments the tension bled out of him and he slumped. “But, you are right, Spade. The threat that Iron Talons presents must be stopped.” “Not like we can just stroll up to his front door and ask him to stop,” Diamond said. Rangel idly dragged a claw through the floor, eyes distant. “Maybe use the back door?” He carved a second line, a crude mountain taking shape in the stone. “What are you thinking, Rangel?” Spade asked. “It’s like the fort, Spade,” Rangel said, tail wagging, his claws carving more lines. “We can’t go in the front, so we go in another way. We know he’s stockpiling weapons and the ammunition for them, right? Now, I might be wrong, but wouldn’t a tyrant not be keen on letting his prized weapons be far from his seat of power?” “Yeah, that’s not a bad assumption…” Spade nodded as what Rangel was getting at came to mind. “But why haven’t you tried that, Ten Howls?” He growled. “Because only a Stonesinger could dig quickly enough through the stone of their eyries to accomplish something like that, and I couldn’t risk leaving the packs here.” “Well, now’s different.” Rangel grinned. “Now there are two Stonesingers here.” He scratched more marks in the stone. “We know he’s going to have prisoners, do you remember where the cells were, Ten Howls?” He nodded, tail starting to wag. “I do, they were here, close to the western slope.” He crouched down, adding a mark to the mountain. “Okay, so here’s what I’m thinking…” Rangel continued on, gesturing and adding marks to the drawing. The Cards crowded around, making their own remarks and observations. Rover, Fido and Spot chimed in where they could, mostly pointing out where things could go wrong. Ten Howls helped refine the drawing, tracing tunnels and caverns from memory. And throughout the cave, a small flame of hope grew brighter. > 11 - Underground, Under Pressure > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Rover still think this plan is a bad idea,” he pointed out from his spot in the line. “Yeah, well, you could have wimped out and stayed home to watch the pups,” Rangel shot back with a grin, pushing another layer of stone to the side. Beside him, Ten Howls grunted as he shoved his own layer. The two formed the lead of the small formation, slowly extending their tunnel. Behind them, Rover, Fido, Spot, and half a dozen other dogs kept the excavated material moving. The Cards brought up the rear, stamping the scree flat to keep the tunnel floor smooth. They’d been digging the tunnel for the better part of a day, winding in a loose spiral upward from one of the ancient tunnels that ran beneath Scythion. They’d left the mountain den a week prior, spending five days walking in torchlit darkness to reach Iron Talons’ eyrie. “Are we close?” Spade whispered. “A moment.” Ten Howls closed his eyes and place a paw on the stone, the rock shivering slightly. “Not far now, there’s a tunnel just ahead and above us.” “Do you know where we are relative to the target areas?” Rangel asked. “I think so,” Ten Howls opened his eyes and shook his head to clear his vision. “Alright. So, we all know our roles, right?” Rangel looked at each small group. “Ten Howls, you have the prisoners, me and my pack handle the armory.” “And we’ll hold the entrance,” Spade added. Ten Howls nodded. “Then let us begin. And if any of us fall, there will be a place for us in Sirius’ Great Pack.” He glanced at the ponies. “Except maybe for you.” “Well, let’s just make it a point to all come back,” Diamond shot back, a grin on his muzzle. Rangel and Ten Howls looked at each other, nodded, and turned back to the front of the tunnel. Moving even slower, they carefully inched forward, until the stone began to drip free as they made the breach. Rangel took a deep breath as he stepped softly to the tunnel floor. “Well, here goes nothing.” He glanced left and right, confirming the tunnel was empty, taking a few deep sniffs. “Okay, I think the armory’s this way. Ten Howls, you move quick and get those dogs out of here. We’ll give you as much time as we can before making a move.” Ten Howls nodded. “Rangel pack be careful.” He padded down the hall to the right, sniffing constantly as he headed further into the eyrie. He could smell the stench of griffons everywhere, but underneath it were trace scents of dogs. He growled softly as the copper reek of blood also made itself known. He gripped his axe tighter and headed down the next tunnel. The tunnel sloped upward, side rooms carved at equal intervals. It made for slow going, as he had to stop and clear them one at a time. At this level it seemed most of the rooms were storing things like blankets, tents, and other tools. “Packs could use all of this,” he muttered. “Must bring more back to raid later.” He moved forward, reaching a steeply winding tunnel which headed up to the next layer. He put a paw to the stone as he climbed, eyes half-closed as he listened to the story it had to tell. It wasn’t pleasant. He could practically feel the anguish of the dogs who had carved this stretch of tunnel, the claw marks screaming at him as he ran his pads over them. He had to chew his tongue to keep a snarl bottled up inside, and fed it to his resolve instead. Emerging into a sprawling chamber, he saw it was filled with dozens of crates, stacked almost to the ceiling. A central avenue ran the length of the chamber, and he could see a griffon patrol standing at the far end. He hurried to the side, down one of the branch paths that went between stacks. When no alarm was raised, he let out the breath he’d held and turned to look at the closet stack of crates. He carefully slid one down to the floor and peeked back down the corridor to see if he’d been overheard. The griffons were still there, squawking back and forth. He sniffed at one of the nails, shrugged, and gave it a tentative lick. It had to have come from the same land Rangel had, it tasted entirely too pure, refined like nothing the griffons could make. He was even more curious what was inside, though the letters on the side eluded him. Going slow, he pried the nails free of the top, nibbling on one as he lifted the lid and set it to the side. Within, he saw rows of strange, cylindrical objects, packed into a soft material that kept them from bumping into each other. He lifted one out and looked it over. The bulk of the cylinder was a flat grey color like shale, with a red band around the top. He turned it over, feeling a weight inside it. He pried the top off and found a sphere inside, with the same coloring. A curious ring was attached to the top, and he saw it was attached to a metal spike that held a flat piece of metal down. He hooked a claw through the ring and pulled at it some, but froze as he heard the click of talons on stone. He stuffed the sphere into a pocket, set the lid back in place, hurriedly stacked the crate, and ducked out of sight as the griffons came down the main aisle. “We should have prisoner detail, guarding these supplies is an insult,” one of the griffons grumbled with a clack of his beak. The other rapped his compatriot on the shoulder. “Guarding these supplies is crucial. You remember when one of those mongrels breached a grenade? The deep worms love the smell, and can smell it for miles. You want to explain to Iron Talons why some of his precious human weapons found their way down a worm’s gullet? The most merciful fate you could expect would be getting sent after them.” “I still think we should simply take the weapons from the humans, they are weak, they can’t even survive exposed to background magic.” the first griffon muttered as they continued on down the corridor. Ten Howls slid from behind his crate, and cautiously rearranged the sphere to make sure it wouldn’t fall out or bump into anything else. He glanced back into the main aisle, seeing the tail of the rearmost griffon vanish, and turned to head deeper into the eyrie. He still didn’t know what this ‘grenade’ was, but if the griffons wanted to be careful around it, then he wanted it too. As Ten Howls moved down the tunnel, Rangel gestured to the left. “Let’s go. Stay close, and keep it as quiet as you can.” The other dogs nodded and they set off, moving quickly to the next intersection. Rangel risked a quick glance around the corner, seeing two griffons apparently standing guard. Slung across their backs he could make out the outline of M249s. He motioned, and the pack moved back slightly. “Okay, that’s really irritating. We could try to get them to come to us, but if they don’t take the bait, there’s no way we can make it down that hall without being turned into paste.” “Could dig?” Spot asked, scraping a claw along the floor. “Worked on griffons before.” “That… is actually not a terrible idea.” Rangel admitted. “You want the one on the left or the right?” Spot tapped a paw. “I take left.” “Okay, Fido, you help him out. Rover, the right one is all yours. I’ll be the distraction.” Rangel rolled his shoulders. “Alpha always the distraction,” Rover muttered as he started to dig. The griffons frowned as faint scratching echoed down the corridor. “You hear that?” the one on the left asked. “Cover me, I’ll take a look.” He started down the corridor, only to stop as a diamond dog turned the corner. “Hold on, this isn’t Vegas. I knew I should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque.” Rangel turned and ran down the tunnel. He heard the angry screeches of the griffons as they gave chase, and looked back over his shoulder in time to see them turn the corner. In their haste, they didn’t notice the twin holes filled with scree until they were right on top of them. Fido and Rover were already moving, grabbing the griffons by the head and smashing them into the floor. One was simply stunned, but Fido’s lay unmoving, head clearly at the wrong angle. “Okay, let’s bury them and keep moving. Don’t want to risk another griffon having heard that.” Rangel pulled their weapons free and slung one across his back. “Fido, you carry the other. See that little bit of metal there?” He pointed at the trigger and Fido nodded. “No matter what, do not touch that. I’ll teach you how it works later.” The pack moved on, the tunnel stretching out into the distance. At first, it remained the same dim glow broken by torchlight, but as they walked, the ambient light grew steadily. “Are we heading outside?” Rangel wondered. Fido leaned forward and sniffed. “Fido smell fresh air. And more griffons.” As he said it the smell became apparent to the rest of them, and they cautiously advanced. Eventually Rangel could see wan sunlight coming from the exit, and he waved a paw to pause. “Any guards at the end?” “No, Alpha.” Fido sniffed slow and deep, eyes half-closed. “’But many griffons ahead.” “Okay, let’s see what we can find. Spot, I want you up front, keep out of sight and let us know if anything is looking our way. Fido, Rover, keep an eye behind us, make sure no one sneaks up on us.” Spot nodded and started to creep forward, ears alert as he approached the tunnel exit. He sniffed again as he reached the end, waved back, and leaned out to peek into the space beyond. He stiffened and waved again, urgently. The rest of the pack moved up behind him. “What is it?” Rangel asked, even as he leaned out to look. His eyes widened as he froze, trying to come to terms with what he saw in front of him. “Spot have very bad feeling.” In the cavernous space that could only be a hanger, five large airships hung at anchor, griffons swarming over them: carrying boxes, securing lines, or patrolling. Rangel squinted at one of the boxes, and his expression darkened. “Son of a bitch.” “What Alpha see?” Rover asked. “Those boxes are full of ammunition for these,” he shrugged the M249. “With all those boxes, they’ll have thousands of rounds each.” “But griffons already own country, that too much for fighting dogs,” Fido pointed out. “This isn’t to fight Ten Howls,” Rangel whispered, “it’s for Equestria.” Ten Howls rose from his half-crouch, accompanied by the scrape of stone on bone as the two griffons slumped to the ground. He pried his paws free of the tunnel floor and hurried to the slab that blocked the entrance to the slave quarters. He pressed a paw to the rock and closed his eyes, letting his stonesense guide him. Slowly, the stone began to slump, his paw pushing further as he forced a hole. Suddenly, the slab gave with with a grinding crash, and he hurried in. Bewildered and alarmed yelps greeted him as he entered the vast space, and he shook the cloud of dust off. He stood tall, rolled his shoulders, and took stock of the room. Approximately thirty dogs cowered at the far end, though those with a clear view started perking their ears in hope. “Come! I lead you to freedom!” Ten Howls gestured urgently. “But griffons kill us if we run!” Somedog protested. “Griffons kill you if you stay!” Ten Howls strode forward, grabbed the first dog by the scruff and hauled them to their paws. “Follow Ten Howls, and you can at least die on your paws like a dog, not rot in dirt like worms!” He roughly pushed the dog toward the entrance, and moved to grab a second dog. But moving the first galvanized them, and dogs started hurrying for the door. Ten Howls ran back to the front of the mob, ensuring they didn’t stumble on any patrols. Thankfully, he soon smelled the familiar scent of the ponies, and spurred his charges on. “Go, follow ponies, they help Ten Howls lead you to safety!” He barked, turning to Spade. “I trust we are in agreement?” Spade nodded. “Did you see Rangel?” “No, he not back?” Ten Howls scowled as he glanced down the direction Rangel had gone. “Ten Howls go find him. Ponies take dogs back to connecting tunnel.” Spade put a hoof on his shoulder. “No, Ten Howls. Rangel and the others are part of our her-… pack, we’ll bring them back.” Ten Howls eyed the pony for a moment, then nodded. “Very well, Spade pony.” He reached into his pocket and retrieved the sphere. “I find this in box, maybe you can use?” Spade coughed in surprise, taking several steps back. “Um, where did you find that, and is the pin still in?” “Spade mean tiny ring?” Ten Howls flicked at it curiously. “It still in, though not sure what it for.” Diamond half-flew forward, gently lifting it from Ten Howls’ paw. “How’s about you let me hold on to that, big guy.” He pushed the pin further in and sighed. “Okay, it’s safe.” Moving slowly, he put it in his bag. “How many of them did you see?” Ten Howls frowned. “I did not count, but saw lots of boxes, all with same writing. Griffons seem concerned, said they attract deep worms.” “Do they?” Spade mused, looking at the other Cards. “Oh no, boss, I know that look, we’re not pulling Kabul again.” Diamond protested. > 12 - Fire in the Hole > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Diamond glanced around the corner. “Got nothing, boss. Light’s increasing, think we’re close to an exit.” “Any sign of Rangel and the others?” Spade asked as he moved up. Behind him, Heart and Club formed the rest of the train. After Ten Howls had walked them through his path to the weapons cache, they’d left him to move the captive dogs into the mountain. “No— Wait, I see movement.” Diamond squinted for a moment, then relaxed. “It’s them.” A few seconds later, the four dogs came into view. Spade gestured to Diamond, who moved further down the hallway to watch behind them. “What did you find?” “Nothing good.” Rangel shrugged off the M249 and sat down heavily. “Five airships, and they’re loading them up for war. They’ve got easily a couple hundred full crates of ammo for these on each ship, and I’d guess a weapon for every griffon they can put on board.” He stared morosely at the floor. “They’re going to invade Equestria.” “Now hold on, there’s no way they could just… fly in…” Spade trailed off as pieces started lining up in his head. “Think about it,” Rangel said quietly. “Remember how they escaped St. Louis. They’ll use their magic, teleport the ships directly over Canterlot, and open fire. Hell, they’ll probably put one ship over each major Equestrian city and wipe them all out, or hold them hostage to force the Princesses to surrender.” “Shit, it’d be a slaughter. No unicorn could handle even one 249, let alone a dozen or more.” Spade swallowed, brain racing ahead of himself. “Those airships can’t be allowed to leave.” “No argument there, but how do we stop them?” Diamond asked. “Not like we can just stroll in and ask em to line up to be detained.” “Well, there’s the armory that Ten Howls found, we can rig that to blow fairly easily. Depending on what else they have in there, that’d do a lot of damage to their operation, but they might be able to get the airships out.” Spade tapped his hoof on the floor, running ideas and dismissing them each in turn.” “Why can’t pack go in?” Rover suddenly asked. He tilted his head as everyone looked at him. “Griffons use dogs for labor, pack just need to sneak and hide among others. Alpha can then set griffon ships to explode, right?” “That… might work.” Rangel looked to Spade. “It’s at least a chance.” “I don’t like it. There’s too much risk of you being discovered.” “Spade, there’s not enough time to come up with another plan. Those ships are almost ready to go, it’s now or never.” Rangel stood up, and handed the M249 to Club. “I can handle the ships, you guys handle the armory.” “What Alpha saying?” Spot growled. “Whole pack should go!” Rangel shook his head. “I’m not excited about the idea either, but think about it. With just one of us, it’d be easier to blend in with the slaves loading the ships. Also, none of you know how explosives work, let alone how to set timers. And besides, you know that we need somedog to keep everyone heading in the right direction.” He put a paw on Spot’s shoulder. “I’ll be back before you know it.” “Okay, if Alpha promise.” Spot’s scowl lifted slightly and he started back up the corridor. Fido looked at Rangel, nodded once, then followed Spot. “Guess you get to be alpha again, least for now, huh Rover?” Rangel asked quietly. He expected the growl, not so much the punch to his shoulder. “Alpha better come back. Dog who break promise is the worst.” Rover ground a paw angrily against his eye. “And now Rover have something in eye from Alpha’s dirty fur.” Rangel clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll see you back at Ten Howl’s den.” Rover nodded and hurried up the corridor after Spot and Fido. Rangel watched him for a second, only to stagger as a hoof struck the opposite shoulder. “What is it with things punching me today?” Diamond snorted. “Just be glad I didn’t go for your head. Might have knocked some sense into it.” He shook his head and reached into his bag. “Here, you might need this, they left us plenty of spares in the armory. Rangel took the grenade and carefully put it into a pocket. “Thanks, Diamond.” “Rangel, as much as I would prefer you listen to sense and not try to play the hero, I know that you’re right and this is our best shot.” Spade poked him firmly in the chest with a hoof. “But so help me, you do wind up going out in dramatic fashion, I’ll dig you up, bring you back to life, and make you dig holes for the rest of your life.” “That wouldn’t be so bad,” Rangel said with a chuckle. The smile fell from his face. “Just make sure you succeed and I’ll meet you at the tunnel.” He turned and headed back toward the hanger, soon lost to sight. “Alright Cards, let’s get going,” Spade trotted back the way they’d came. “Time’s running out.” Rangel stopped a short distance from the tunnel exit, sniffed to make sure the exit was clear, and crept to the edge. Griffons were still loading material onto the ships, and he sighed in slight relief as he saw their engines were still immobile. “Okay, time to see if this is will work.” He peeked to either side, and saw a slope leading down to the hanger floor on the right. Edging out slowly at first, he hurried down and crouched by a stack of crates. Checking their sides, he frowned as he saw they were just more cases of M249 ammunition. “Maybe the explosives are on the ships already?” “You there, dog! What are you doing away from the others?” He barely had time to process the shout before a metal rod came down hard across his shoulders. Stars burst in his vision as his jaw hit the floor, and he struggled to get to his paws. Another blow drove out a yelp along with the rest of the air in his lungs;  he wheezed and curled into a ball to try to protect himself. Opening an eye with a wince, he saw a griffon standing over him, baton raised for another swing, and he cringed, very thankful the grenade hadn’t fallen out of his pocket. “Answer me, mutt!” The griffon started to swing the baton again, and Rangel yelped again. “Me sorry! Smelled something, came to look!” He hoped his acting wasn’t too hammed, but thankfully this griffon bought it. “You dogs are so useless, every time with a new smell you stick your nose in it. Go, get back with the others!” He pointed with the baton, and Rangel scurried to obey. “Yes master, kind master!” He ran across the cavern, half-hunched in case the griffon felt like getting one more swing in, and joined a line of dogs heading out of the cavern. They paused at the tunnel entrance for a group to come out with another load of boxes, and Rangel felt a surge of excitement when he saw what was printed on the side of the box. Soon enough the tunnel was clear and his group headed in. Partway through the tunnel, Rangel almost jumped out of his fur as a thickly accented voice grunted in his ear. “Dog knows what boxes said.” It wasn’t a question. “Umm, I see it in pony lands,” he tried. “I not know words, but recognize letters.” “You live in pony lands?” The voice was heavy with disbelief. “Not for long, enough to learn some, but pack was heading north. Found griffons, got captured.” Rangel muttered back. “New pup needs to learn then,” the owner of the voice stepped back into the line, “griffons not nice to curious dogs. If you lucky, they feed you to deep worms. And if you really lucky, they kill you first.” “Good advice,” Rangel replied, his ears perked up despite the warning as he heard sound coming from up ahead. “What’s your name?” “Doesn’t matter. Here, we are all just Dog.” Rangel didn’t reply as the tunnel exit came into view, eyes wide as he saw just how much material the griffons had stockpiled. The crates were stacked to the ceiling, and ran the entire length of the cavern. Griffons and dogs moved back and forth through the aisles, preparing another stack of boxes for Rangel’s group. Without a word, dogs started to take boxes and carry them back down the tunnel. Rangel hefted a box of C4 and quickly estimated  how many crates were just in his section. ’Okay, about thirty crates per section, maybe forty sections? Hopefully this is all they have.’ His thoughts continued to run in circles as the procession returned to the hanger, and he withheld a sigh of relief as they headed for the furthest ship. As they approached, he could see more details: angled plates of metal bolted onto the hull, detailed railing, and a carved griffon head frozen mid-screech for the prow. He grinned slightly, this had to be Iron Talons’ flagship. He trudged up the ramp into the hold, squinting in the dimly lit space. He nearly bumped into the dog in front of him, but managed to avoid dropping his crate. “Dog clumsy,” came the same voice. “Be careful. Drop box, griffons kill you on the spot.” “Thanks for that,” Rangel whispered, turning at an intersection. His vision was improving, enough to let him see the incomplete stacks further ahead. Sniffing, he couldn’t smell any griffons inside the hold, outside of the one by the entrance. He took a deep breath and risked a glance back to the entrance, only to see the griffon looking toward the other side of the hold. It was now or never. Rangel crouched behind a box and dug into the edge, feeling the wood give with a cracking groan. He grimaced, but felt what he was looking for, and carefully tugged a brick free. He wedged the side of the box back into place and felt along the edge of the brick. He grinned as he felt what he was looking for, and adjusted the timer. Once he was sure it was ticking, he wedged it in between two crates and slid back into the aisle. A wall of fur met him and he almost fell. A paw darted forward and gripped his shoulder painfully tight. Looming over him in the almost darkness of the hold, the diamond dog growled softly. “Told you, dog clumsy.” Rangel bit back the whine and bared his teeth in silent challenge. With a snort, the dog hauled him upright and pushed him down the aisle. “Next time, be less clumsy. You have plan to kill griffons, yes?” Rangel blinked in surprise, but nodded. “Plan to stop them, at least.” “Good. Me want in.” “Exit’s up ahead, boss,” Diamond called back as he landed. He didn’t break stride and galloped up the tunnel. The rest of the Cards followed, along with the remainder of Rangel’s pack and Ten Howls just behind them. They had left the rescued prisoners with the rest of Ten Howls’ pack, who were busy moving them into hidden tunnels in case the griffons could somehow follow them. “What do you see, Diamond?” Spade asked as they approached the tunnel mouth. “Not much of anything, so hopefully that still means we haven’t missed the fireworks yet. Hang on.” Diamond squinted, then pointed to a collection of black dots approaching. “Got what looks like a group of griffons coming in, couple big ones in the group too.” Ten Howls paled. “That’s Iron Talons and his honour guard, it has to be.” “Then I really hope Rangel’s already done and left,” Spade muttered as the dots swooped into the mountain. Spot whined softly. “Spot have bad feeling…” Rangel shifted his grip and willed his paws to stop shaking. He’d been able, with the help of the other diamond dog and a few others quietly roped in as distractions, to plant charges on each of the ships. He was pretty sure their timers were close to going off at the same time, but he figured that so long as the one on the flagship went off, the others would as well. He just needed to get the last crate loaded and then figure out his esca— “Halt, you mongrels!” The overseer’s whip cracked out over their heads, and the file stopped. The dogs looked around, confusion plain on their muzzles, until the whip cracked again. “Kneel, for the glorious Iron Talons himself has arrived!” Rangel nearly swore. He fell to his knees alongside the other dogs, but kept an eye on the opening to the hanger. This was definitely an unwelcome snag in the plan. A formation of burly griffons landed first, eyes cold as they swept the cavern. Once they were satisfied, one turned and warbled out some coded message. Two more overly muscled griffons flew in, escorting another griffon between them. Even without the metal claw sheaths, Rangel would have known who this griffon was. The aura of supreme arrogance and spite he exuded was plain to all. He felt a growl bubbling low in his chest, and had to force his lip back down. “My lord and king, I bid you welcome!” The overseer bowed deeply, a smile on his beak. “We are nearing full armament for the warships, and we will be able to begin preparations for the ritual soon after that.” Iron Talons huffed and idly clicked his claws on the stone. “Spare us your sniveling. Are the ships able to depart now?” “Y-yes, my liege.” The overseer gestured as he took a half-step back. “With what we currently have loaded, we will be able to rain overwhelming—“ “Then begin the rituals immediately. I want to have the Princesses begging me to spare their subjects by day’s end.” Iron Talons looked across the assembled dogs for a moment. “Take that one, that one, those two…” he paused as his gaze met Rangel’s. “And bring me that one.” “Of course, your Majesty.” The overseer turned and cracked his whip again. Griffons hurried to obey, though it was plain that Iron Talons motivated them far better than the whip. They grabbed dogs and force-marched them toward the ships. Rangel bared his fangs as two griffons seized him and dragged him forward, but didn’t resist beyond keeping his footing. Once in front of the king he was flung down, pain shooting through his knees as they banged off the stone.. “Tell me, dog,” Iron Talons said, almost amiable as he paced back and forth in front of Rangel, “where are you from? You certainly don’t look like the others, nor do you appear to recognize your place.” Rangel simply stared at Iron Talons, instinctively bracing in anticipation a second before the overseer clubbed him to the ground. His jaw bounced painfully, and a dull throbbing started up in one of his teeth. “Really hope that’s not gonna fall out,” he muttered. “Silence, mongrel!” The overseer’s whip rose, but a gesture from Iron Talons stopped him. The monarch took a step closer. “Now that is interesting. A dog that can speak English, very interesting indeed.” Rangel’s blood ran cold as he realised his mistake. His dismay must have been plain on his muzzle, as Iron Talons tilted his head, a self-satisfied smirk on his beak. “If you simply tell me where you learned English and who sent you north, I promise to reduce your punishment.” He tapped a claw on his chin. “Perhaps I’ll make you one of my personal slaves. It’s not too harsh a life, far better than these mongrels get here.” Rangel growled low in his chest and started to rise. The overseer snapped his whip back and the bodyguards interposed themselves between him and Iron Talons, but the king’s laughter interrupted their retribution. “You have spirit, dog, I will give you that. Does this mean you will accept my generous offer?” He smiled, the expression reminiscent of a cat who’s finally corned the mouse. Rangel glanced over his shoulder, seeing all the dogs staring at him. Some scowled in hatred at the newcomer being shown such leniency, but as he looked, he met the gaze of the hulking diamond dog he only knew as Dog. After a moment he gave a curt nod and turned back to Iron Talons. “You want to know who sent me?” He cracked his neck, toes flexing as he centered his mind, the weight of the mountain reassuring beneath his paws. He’d only have one shot to pull this off, but he had to try. He just hoped Dog realised what was about to happen. Meeting Iron Talon’s eyes, he took a deep breath and snarled. “This is for Saint Louis.” Iron Talons blinked. Then, as realization dawned and he started to step back, the ship at the farthest end of the cavern exploded. The explosion threw griffons and dogs like toys, while the pressure wave knocked the rest to the ground. As the deafening roar faded, Dog was on his paws and started shoving dogs for the tunnels. Griffon guards tried to intervene, but they were too shaken from the blast and were overwhelmed. Rangel gritted his teeth and drew on the mountain’s stability, while he reached forward and pulled. The stone around him rippled like mud, and Iron Talons, his entourage, and the overseer found their paws trapped. Rangel twisted his paw and the stone resolidified. With a grunt he shifted his feet and crouched to embed his forepaws in the stone as well. “What is this?” Iron Talons shrieked. His wings flapped in vain as he fought to free himself. “This is impossible, we exterminated all the dogs who could work stone!” Rangel opened his mouth to reply, but another ship exploded; burning shrapnel speared into the one moored alongside it. For a moment nothing happened, but then it shuddered and exploded too. The blast rocked the chamber, cracking the roof and swatting griffons from the air. Rangel’s ears ached, and he could feel blood leaking down his jaw, but he forced himself to crawl forward through the stone, eyes fixed on Iron Talons. He was sprawled awkwardly, one leg clearly broken from the last explosion. One of his bodyguards was still trapped in the floor, but the other one was nowhere to be seen, and Rangel made sure to not check the four holes where his legs had been. As he drew closer, he realized that somehow Iron Talons was still conscious, as he coughed a wad of blood-flecked spit and tried to get to his feet. “F-filthy animals, that’s all you are!” He tried to screech, broken by another cough. His eyes seemed unable to focus, but he shook his head and looked up to see Rangel in front of him. His eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. Rangel forced himself to his feet, drawing on the mountain one more time to keep steady as he looked back. He couldn’t see any more dogs running for the exit, though he felt a stab of guilt as he saw many scattered among the debris. He turned back to the broken king and drew his arm back. His punch knocked Iron Talons to the ground, but Rangel wasn’t done. He kept his paw in contact with Iron Talons and pushed. Iron Talons tried to scream as his head sank into the stone. His eyes remained visible, wide with complete and utter terror. Rangel took a shuddering breath and started to say something, but a sharp crack had him look up. The cavern roof, weakened by the repeated explosions, finally gave way and collapsed.