//------------------------------// // Chapter 29: Lab of Horrors; Ascend the White Wolf // Story: The Tale Of A Lost Wolf // by Solaris Night //------------------------------// It's been a little over two months since Trider enrolled into the Royal Guard and right now, he and his teammates were stationed in a small town near Trottingham. The group was currently playing poker and doing nothing productive. "I raise twelve bits." Frost said and dropped a stack of coins onto the pile. The others looked at her with narrowed eyes, trying to see if she was bluffing. But it was hard to tell with the mare, since she normally wore a blank expression. Sighing Ace dropped his cards. "I fold." he said. Trider and Whip looked at each other, before Whip called Frost's bet. The Kanisar mulled over what he should do, but eventually he decided to go for it. "Call." he said and dropped his own coins. Afterwards they all dropped their cards and the stallions groaned in frustration. "Fucking full house?!" Trider exclaimed and slammed his fist into the table. "How the heck do you keep winning?" Frost smirked and pulled over her loot. "You guys just have bad poker faces." she said nonchalantly. "Bullshit. I was part of a rebellion. Lying was practically a necessity." he argued, as he dealt the cards. "That may be true, but there is difference between lying to save your own hide and gambling sugar." Frost teased with a smirk. "And out of all of us I had the most experience in it." "How so?" Ace asked and picked up his cards. "I was once part of a thief's guild." she said and put on her poker face. The others shot her a look of disbelief. "There is so much more you don't know about me." she said and threw a couple of bits onto the table. "Needless to say, if you couldn't read ponies you could either get robbed or even killed." "Call." Whip said and put his wager on. "Well, before we delve into any morbid topic, like usual, where do you guys plan on being stationed once we complete our training?" he asked, hoping to change the subject. "I'm thinking Dodge City." Ace said and raised his bet. "The place seems nice." "Badlands probably." Frost declared with disinterest. "There are many bandits lurking around those parts and quite frankly I'd like to see them all either dead or behind bars. Preferably the former." "I've never been to Vanhoover before." Whip added, as he folded. "Plus one of my sisters lives there with her husband." They then looked at their alien friend who was in the dilemma of either calling or folding. "And you Tri?" Frost asked, as she shot him a bemused grin. Trider didn't even look up from his cards, as he responded. "Doesn't matter, since once I'm done with this I'll go back to my carefree life." he proclaimed. The others looked between each other, exchanging worried glances. "Trider." Ace spoke up. "You do know that you have to decide where you want to be stationed?" As soon as he said that, Trider looked away from his cards and gave him a confused gaze. "Wait, you mean to tell me that I have no means to decline that?" His friends nodded. "You have an obligation to serve in the Guards for at least ten years, before you can retire from it. During which you have to be stationed in an established base." Whip explained. Trider's eyes shifted all over the place, as he tried to comprehend what he was told. The others braced themselves for the inevitable outburst, but instead of an angry rant, they heard him chuckling. They looked at the Kanisar confused, as his chuckle turned into a full blown laughter. "You OK there buddy?" Frost asked, slightly concerned. "Fucking hell." Trider exclaimed. "Guess I'll have to suffer for the next decade I guess." he said and looked back at his cards. "If that's the case then I guess I'll go to Ponyville. At least I can take my frustrations out on my friends." he said in a playful tone. "That might not be possible." Ace said, as he avoided the glare the Kanisar shot him. "What do you mean?" he asked, narrowing his eyes to stare holes through the dog-pony. Ace continued to avoid his eyes, hoping one of the other two would help him out, but they gave him a look that said 'You dug your own grave'. Eventually he sighed and gazed back at Trider. "Trider." he began, speaking in a calm manner. "Ponyville isn't registered as any kind of outpost. So you can't be stationed there." The Kanisar didn't react at first, choosing to slowly think over what he had been told. "WHAT?" he suddenly shouted and jumped out of his chair, slamming his hands onto the table, creating cracks in it. "Calm down Trider or we'll have Whip tie you up. Again." Frost said. Although Trider has trained himself to not succumb to his anger, he still had the tendency to have outbursts from time to time, but they were usually quickly resolved. Taking a few deep breaths he calmed himself and sat back down. "Sorry." he apologized. "I just can't fucking believe it." "We can understand. Having to leave your friends is tough." Ace said and placed his hand onto his shoulder. "Maybe you can ask Princess Luna to arrange something?" "I'd rather not. She has already done so much for me and I don't want to abuse her kidness for my selfish needs." the Kanisar sighed, as he ran his hand thorugh his hair. Silence fell over the group, until Ace looked at the clock on the wall. "Hey guys," he said, getting everyone's attention. "It's almost time for our shift." Nodding, everyone stood up and left the room. "About time, I thought I was going to rot inside here." Trider said and popped the joints in his back. "I agree, as much as I like to laze around, even I can't do nothing forever." Frost agreed. They soon reached their rooms and went inside to change. When they were done they all stepped outside, clad in their golden uniforms. "So who goes with whom today?" Whip asked. "Today it's Trider and Ace patrolling the riverside, while you and me look over the market district." Frost answered. "Alright then, see ya in a few hours." Trider greeted and the group split, each pair heading in their own direction. *** "You sure you don't want to talk about it." Ace asked, as he and Trider were walking along the path. "For the fifteenth time, I'm fine." the Kanisar graned, tired of his friend asking the same question over and over again. "I'll be fine. I'm just not sure how the girls and Spike will handle the news." "I'm sure they'll be heartbroken, if you're as close as you say you are." Ace said. Trider gave him a deadpanned look. "Not helping." "Sorry." the dog-pony apologised, folding his ears. The two countinued their walk in silence every so often confirming with one another they were heading in the right direction. This was only their first week here, so they still needed help from a map to find their way around. Just yesterday Trider got lost and had somehow found himself in Trottingham. As they were walking along the shore they spotted a bunch of foals. Most of them were older, around twelve or so, and in the middle of the group was a younger kid. As soon as they spotted them they realised what was happening. The younger one was being bullied by the others. "What's wrong Mellow Tone?" one of the kids teased, as he and the rest tossed something between each other. "Give it back!!!" the small colt exclaimed, as he tried to retrieve what they took from him. "I'm sorry I couldn't hear you over all the crying." another kid teased. The rest laughed at the reamark. When another foal was about to catch the item Mellow tackled them to the ground. They both grunted and began to struggle with one another, rolling around the ground. But eventually the younger colt was overpowered and they all ganged up on him. "You think you're tough, huh?!" the colt who was tackled to the floor shouted, as he kicked Mellow. "Becasue of you my favorite shirt is now ruined." He lifted his hand to reveal a small pendant hanging from it. "I'm sure this piece of junk could bring some bits." Mellow laid on the floor, clutching his sides and crying. "Please... don't..." he begged, but the others didn't hear him. Suddenly a shadow fell over the group and when they looked up they saw two guards looking down at them. "What do you want?" the colt asked, clearly annoyed by their presence. "I am sorry to disturb you citizen, but we couldn't help but notice that this little guy here was in trouble, so we decided to see what was going on." Trider said, a huge smile on his face. The kids looked at one another, nodding they picked Mellow up and the colt with the pendant grabbed and pulled him closer. "There's no need to worry officer, he just fell down. You're going to be alright, right?" the colt said, jabbing Mellow in the ribs with his elbow, harder than necessary. "Y-yeah." the young colt said in a weak and scared voice. "That's strange." Ace suddenly spoke up. "You said that he fell, yet these injuries seem too severe to be just from a simple fall." The kids slowly became nervous, but the colt, who still held Mellow and was clearly their leader, smirked. "Don't worry about him. We're just going to get him to a hospital. You two seem to be too busy to deal witha bunch of foals anyway." Ace and Trider glanced at each other, before they both sighed. "Kid." the Kanisar spoke. "We were going to let you go off easy, if you'd just admitted that you beat this kid up, while stealing. But now I'm afraid (not really) that we'll have to teach you kids a lesson." At that point nearly all of them began to sweat, but the lead kid stood his ground, a victorious smirk on his face. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you." he said, his voice oozing with confidence. "And why is that?" Ace wondered. "Becasue my dad is the mayor of this town and if you even lay a finger on me, he'll have you fired from the Guards and send your butts to-" that was as far as he got, before Trider grabbed his arm. Slowly he began to apply more and more pressure, until the colt yelped in pain. He released Mellow from his grasp and dropped the pendant. Trider released the colt and picked up the necklace, while Ace pulled the little colt closer to himself and began to apply first aid. The lead kid massaged his sore forearm and glared at Trider. "My father will hear about this, you freak and when he does-" He stopped mid-sentence, when Trider gave him such a cold glare, it sent shivers down the colt's spine. With slow steps the Kanisar approached the kid, until he was looming over him. "I really hate kids like you." he said and grabbed the hem of the colt's shirt, lifting him to eye level. "All talk and thinking the world will bow to them, just because their parents are influental. Well let me tell you something kid." "Right here and right now your parents aren't around to help your sorry little ass and I doubt your friends here would give another crap about helping you." He continued to glare at the colt, seeing him shiver. "You are nothing more, but a shitstain, that I would just love to smear all over the ground." The colt struggled against his grip, but no matter how much he kicked or even bit, the Kanisar's grip continued to be steel strong. "Y-you think you're tough, w-when you're picking on a little kid." the colt taunted. Trider however chuckled. "Really? This coming from a shitstain who didn't even have the balls to take on another kid by himself." His chuckle quickly died and his eyes turned cold again. "You'll lose your job and you'll even be sent to jail." the colt continued to counter. "You just don't know when to shut up and let the grown ups talk, do you?" Trider shook his head. "Let me tell you a little something about myself shitstain." "When I was your age I had to watch how my parents were killed in front of my eyes, was put through hellish training to join a rebellion against oppressors, was thrown into your happy little world, against my will, had to fight Chrysalis, had my body and mind broken by King Sombra, and after all that I had to join the army as a punishment for slaughtering ponies while I was fighting said unicorn king. If you think even for a second that the thought of having to quit the Guard or being thrown into jail scares me, you have another thing coming." The colt was practically shaking, sweat running down his forehead and Trider thought he was going to piss himself at any moment. He decided to finish his scolding, but not before driving the point in. "If I ever see you doing shit like this again, I swear, me berating your ears off will be the least of your worries." The colt gulped, before nodding his head. "Good." Trider said and released the colt. "Now scram!" The group all ran with all of their might, trying to get away from the deranged alien. "You could've handled that so much better." Ace said in a deadpanned tone, behind the Kanisar. "Maybe. But that would mean I'd have to be tactful and you know I don't even know the meaning of the word." Trider shot back, a massive grin on his face. "You'll be in so much trouble once we get back, you know that." his friend sighed. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there." the Kanisar replied. He then looked at the small colt, whose wounds have been more or less treated already. He fumbled through the pockets of his uniform, before taking out the pendant. It was small, round and made of silver, while in the middle sat a small jewel. He reached out and presented it to the colt. "I believe this belongs to you." The colt's eyes widened, before grabbing it from Trider's hands. "Thank you." he mumbled under his breath, tears running down his cheeks. "You're welcome." Trider said, a cocky grin on his face. "Why is it so important to you that you'd have to fight for it?" he asked. Mellow looked between the Kanisar and the trinket, before replying. "It was given to me by a friend and I promised to them that I'll look over it." "Neat." was all Trider said. As Ace continued to treat his other wounds, the Kanisar looked at him with a raised brow. "Those kids always bully you?" Mellow nodded his head and avoided eye contact. "Why?" The colt said something under his breath, so Trider didn't quite hear him. "I'm sorry what was that?" "I said, it's because I'm an orphan and because I don't have my cutie mark yet." Ace and Trider exchanged glances, before they both looked back at the colt. "Assholes." Trider mumbled under his breath. "You shouldn't let them do this. You have to fight back." "Or tell an adult about it." Ace suggested. "Or that. But in my opinion you should kick their asses." the Kanisar agreed with a roll of his eyes. "By the way, what's your name little guy?" The colt slowly stood up from his sitting position. His bright orange coat shimmering in the sun, while his short white mane was mostly hidden beneath a cap. "I'm Mellow Tone." he answered quickly, but warily. "Nice to meet you Mellow. I'm Ace Quickpaw, a Royal Guard recruit." the dog-pony greeted. "And I'm Trider, also a recruit." he followed suit. "Now if you could tell us where you live, we'd be more than happy to escort you there." Ace offered. Mellow thought it over and eventually he nodded his head. "The orphanage is a few blocks away from the market place. I can show you the way." "Then let's get going already." Trider exclaimed and pumping his arm into the air. "By the way mister, what are you and where did you come from?" the colt asked, while tugging onto his arm. "Well little Mellow it all started on a Tuesday..." Trider and Ace managed to bring the kid back to the orphanage, just like they said they would. The caretakers took Mellow off of their hands, but before they could leave the young colt asked them if they would visit him. Of course the two agreed to visit him whenever they would be free. Around 5 o'clock they both returned to the base, where they were both then called to the Sergeants office. "What in the bucking Tartarus were you two thinking?" their commanding officer yelled. "You threatened and beat up a kid? Not only that, but he was also the mayor's kid. Do you two know in how much trouble you are?" Both of them barely reacted, since they were used to this kind of scolding from Blaze, who was much worse than the stallion in front of them. "If I may sir." Trider spoke up. "The shitstain had it coming." "Shitstain? You mean the kid?" the stallion asked with a raised brow. Trider nodded and the Sergeants coat seemed to turn a shade redder. "Did he now? And what exactly did he do?" "He and his friends were picking on another kid." The stallion waited to see, if there was more to it, but when Trider didn't follow up he glared at the Kanisar. "That's it?" he shouted. "The reason you did that was because the kid was a bully?" "Also because I didn't like the brat." Trider added. At that point the stallion seemed like he wanted to strangle the Kanisar, so Ace decided to intervene. "Sir, about the incident. Trider only lifted the boy into the air by his shirt, he never once hit him. And as for the kid, I have to agree with him. The colt was using his father's reputation to do what he wanted and I'm sure this isn't the first time he did so." he defended his friend. "Although the actions he took were extreme, but-" "That's quite enough." the stallion stopped him, rubbing the bridge of his muzzle with his fingers. "I can see you two meant no actual harm and I can concur with both of you that the kid is a... What did you call him again?" "Shitstain?" "That." the stallion snapped his fingers. "He has caused quite some trouble for me and my guards, but even so, what you did was still too much." He stood from his chair and walked over to his window. "The mayor is breathing down my neck, demanding some sort of compensation." "Sir?" Trider jumped in. "I'll take full responsibility for the incident. Ace did nothing to the shitstain." The stallion smiled. "Despite your many flaws, there are just as many good points to you Trider. But I'm afraid Ace is just as guilty as you are." His smile disappeared, replaced by a frown. "He could've stopped you, but didn't. You two are a team and when one of you gets dragged down others do as well. I hope you remember that." "So, is that it? We're done here?" Ace asked, grief in his voice. The Kanisar looked at him with a guilty look, opening his mouth to apologise, but was cut off, by the Sergeant. "Luckily no." he said with a semi-mirthy tone. "I managed to convince the mayor, that I'll give the two of you a proper punishment." At that the two looked at each other, their scowls turning upside down. "However!" the stallion continued, before they could begin cheering. "He still expects the two of you to apologise to both him and his son in person." "Bullshit!" Trider exclaimed, raising his arms. "I won't apologise to that brat, even if it's the last thing I do. I did nothing wrong." "Trider!" Segeant called out with a stern voice. "I know you feel like you're being treated unjust, but just for this once I want you to swallow your pride and do what has to be done. If not for yourself, then at least do it for your friend." Trider looked between the stallion and Ace, mulling over what he was told. Eventually he closed his eyes and released a loud sigh. "Fine!" he mumbled, crossing his arms. At that Sergeant and Ace both smiled. "Great. I shall contact the mayor, to set up a date for when you'll give your apologies." he said, sitting back into his chair. He grabbed a quill and began to scribble out a message. "Can we leave sir?" Ace asked for permission. "You may." he said, not lifting his gaze. The two turned around to leave, but before they stepped out the door, the Sergeant called out to them. "And please stay out of trouble, I don't want to save your asses again. Not since I am already overrun with the missing pony cases." Trider smirked and gave the stallion a thumb up. Afterwards they left. *** One week later Trider and Ace were making their way down the streets towards their goal, chatting with each other. "Man I can't believe how dirty the toilets were today." Trider complained. "Yep, that's what you get after a Taco Tuesday." Ace agreed, nodding his head. "But it wasn't so bad." "Speak for yourself. You don't have my nose." Trider rebuted. For the past week, the two friends had to clean the facility's tiolets as their punishment. It was grueling work, but to Trider it was still better than the apology part. He wanted to rip his own guts out, when he had to utter those three words. But despite the bad, there were a few positive things that came from that day. One is the fact that the kid was terrified of him and whenever the two would run into each other, the colt would freeze in place. The second, however was much better. Everyday, after they finished their jobs, the two would head down to the orphanage and play around with Mellow and their friends. At first other kids were wary of the Kanisar, since he wasn't exactly friendly looking. But eventually he warmed up to them and when that happened, they just wouldn't leave him alone. He was always asked to either play or help other foals, and he was more than happy to do so. But out of all of them, Mellow was the one that Trider liked the most. He and the little colt had a special connection and Trider saw bits of himself in the foal. He was always ready to help the little guy out and every so often he would give him tips on how to defend himself from bullies. Ace as well was popular with the kids. He was always asked to show them a few tricks with his magic and weapons. Whip and Frost joined them a couple of times, but were mostly watching what Trider and Ace were doing with the kids. Needless to say, they always looked forward to spending time with the kids. "I still can't believe that you are that great with kids." Ace said, somewhat amazed. "Since that day I thought you hated them." "I do. Only the bratty ones though." Trider answered back with a grin. They soon made it to the orphanage and Ace knocked on the door. When they opened they were greeted by a smiling face of one of the caretakers. "Oh, hello." she said in a merry voice. "Glad to see you could make it back again." "It's a pleasure, Honey Dew." Ace greeted back. "We're sorry we couldn't make it yesterday. Are the foals waiting for us?" "Oh don't be sorry. You two are Royal Guards, so it's to be expected that you two would be busy." she said and led them to the back. "As for the foals, they've been impatient all day, hoping you'd come today." "Good. In that case, we'll just have to tire them out." Trider added with a smirk. Soon they made to the back of the house, where a small playground was located. As soon as they stepped outside, they were assaulted by the foals. Each one pulled on their clothes or was shouting at them to do what they wanted. "Alright, alright!" Ace shouted over the screaming. "Today we have a day off, so we have more than enough time to play with everyone." As the dog-pony tried to sort through the chaos, Trider looked over the crowd, trying to locate a certain colt. After a while he still couldn't see him, so he told the kids he'd be back soon and he headed towards Honey Dew. "Hey Honey." he called the mare, getting her attention. "Where's Mellow?" he asked. "Oh my. I'm so sorry I forgot to mention. He was adopted yesterday." she said, placing a hand over her mouth. "Really?" Trider exclaimed with raised brows. "I'm so happy for him. I'm sure he'll be happy with his new family." he said with a forced smile. The mare however caught that and smiled to herself. "Just because he was adopted, doesn't mean he can't come over here. In fact many foals you see here have already been adopted, but come over to play with others." she then left, returning after a few seconds with a note. "Here. This is the address of the parents that took him in." she said handing him the paper. "Go get him and bring him here to play." Trider gingerly accepted the note. "Thanks." he said with a smile. "I won't be long. Can you tell Ace and the kids where I went?" "I'll be more than happy to." she answered. Satisfied Trider took to the skies and left in search of his little friend. After half an hour of flying he finally arrived at the address. "This seems to be the place." he thought to himself. He took out the note to double check if he was in te right place. Once he confirmed he was right, he walked up to the door, before he knocked. A few seconds passed before the door was opened by an elderly mare. "Yes?" she asked. "Hello Ms. my name is Trider, I'm part of the Royal Guard recruits, so no need to be alarmed by my appearance." he said first. His first encounters always started with the ponies scared of his appearance and ended with either them fainting or him getting chased away. "Ah yes I remember you. You're that kind gentlepony who helped me with my groceries." she said with a smile. Relieved, Trider didn't waste any time in telling the mare why he was here. "I'm here to pick up Mellow Tone, to take him to the orphanage, so he can play with his friends." The mare raised her brow and looked at him with a cocked head. "Who's Mellow Note?" she asked. It was Trider's turn to be confused. "Y'know Mellow Tone. Small colt, ten years old, orange coat and white mane and tail." he began describing the foal. "You or your children adopted him, right?" "I'm sorry sonny, but I live here alone and I'm in no condition to look after a foal." she answered back with a frown. "Maybe they gave you wrong information at the orphanage." The Kanisar furrowed his brows, as his eyes darted left and right, trying to comprehend what was going on. "I-I see." he answered and turned around. "Well, goodbye then." "A good day to you too." With that Trider once again took to the skies, as he headed back to the orphanage. As he was flying, he kept thinking over what the mare had told him. "This doesn't seem right." he thought. "Honey is one of the most meticulous ponies I know, beside Twilight that is, she would never make this kind of mistake." Dread slowly began to settle into his mind and he sped up. "I hope she was wrong." In matter of minutes he touched down onto the playground and the foals quickly ran towards him. But he paid them no mind, as he ignored them and headed straight for Honey. When she saw the look on his face she approached him, worry growing on her face. "Trider? What's wrong? Where's Mellow?" she bombarded him with questions. "Did something happen?" "Honey!" he said grabbing the mare's shoulders. "The address you gave me. Was it correct?" "Y-yes it was. Why do you-?" She was cut off, as Trider continued his interrogation. "The ones who picked him up, can you describe them?" "It was a stallion. He had a light green coat and his blonde mane was slowly becoming grey at the base." she began to describe the stallion. "He seemed to be some sort of doctor. He also wore a pair of glasses." After she was done with her description she looked at the Kanisar. She saw how his face changed from worry to fear and then to anger. He released her shoulders and slammed his fist into a wall. "GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!!!" he screamed, drawing attention to himself. "What's wrong Trider?" Ace asked, as he stepped closer. "Ace, we need to get back to the base and get the other two." the Kanisar said, as he began to leave. "What? Why?" his friend asked. "Because Mellow was kidnapped!" When he uttered that sentence, everyone looked at him with horror and shock. "Ki-Foalnapped? You sure?" "Completely. Honey descirebed the stallion who adopted him, but when I arrived to the house I was greeted by an elderly mare." Trider quickly answered back. "So? Maybe somepony else lived with her and she was unaware of-" Ace argued, but was cut off when Trider glared at him. "She said she lived alone. Not only that, I didn't even detect the presence of Mellow with my nose." At that Ace realised that Trider might be right. "We better leave then!" he said and followed his friend. "But do we even know where we should go?" he asked. Trider switched his gaze to Honey. "Hey, can you bring me something Mellow had or wore?" The mare nodded and quickly left. "You don't have to worry about finding him. Once I find his scent there is no place in the world where he can be hid." Once Honey brought back a sock Trider took it and took a whiff. With a growl he and Ace ran out the building, in search of their missing friend. *** The group stood in front of a cave entrance, several miles from the town. They looked down into the black abyss, as they prepared their armors and weapons. "You sure this is it?" Frost asked skeptically. "My nose has never been wrong before. And it sure as hell isn't now." Trider answered sternly. "Alright team. Before we head in, we have to make a few things clear." Ace commanded, others listening intently to him. "We don't know who or what or how many of the kidnappers are there, so proceed with caution and most importantly, don't get separated. Got it?" They nodded and proceeded to follow Ace into the tunnel. They each gripped their weapons tightly and observed their surroudings, which was illuminated by the small glowing crystals on their armors. "Tell me again why we didn't call for backup?" Whip asked, his eyes and ears shifting in multiple directions. "Because there was no one to call." Frost hissed back at the stallion. "Everypony is busy with something else and if we called for the guys in Trottingham, we'd have to wait hours for them to even respond." "It doesn't matter really. They would just slow us down." Trider added. The rest silently agreed with him. Slowly they made their way through the cave, until they stumbled upon a dead end. "Well, now what?" Whip asked, watching over the cave, in case of a surprise attack. "Trider, you sure this is the way?" Frost asked the Kanisar. "No doubt about it. He's behind this wall." Trider said and slid his palm over the solid rock. "There must be switch somewhere." Ace guessed and began to look around. "Everypony help me-" "Piston Cannon Dispear!" Trider shouted and punched the wall. With a loud explosion the wall crumbled, leaving a massive hole in it. Everyone looked at the Kanisar with less then pleasant glares. He however didn't notice the dirty looks they were giving him, instead he jumped through the hole and ran down another tunnel. "C'mon!" he shouted. "Trider wait!" Ace shouted back, but Trider either didn't hear him or he ignored him. "Dammit, why doesn't he listen?" Frost grumbled. "I don't blame him. If someone close to me was taken as well, I would go through Tartarus to bring them back." Whip replied sagely. "Wouldn't you?" The mare and Ace looked at each other, seeing that their friend was right. "Ugh, that guy is going to be the end of me one day, I swear." Frost said under her breath, before they followed their wolf friend. There was quite a distance between them and Trider, and no matter how hard they ran they couldn't catch up to the Kanisar. "Wait up asshole!" Frost shouted, but Trider didn't even glance back at her as he continued to run along the path. Eventually they began to close in on an intersection, one way leading to the left and the other to the right. Trider sniffed the air and he immediatelly turned right. "Guess we're going right." Whip said and they too began to head towards the right pathway. But as soon as Trider went through the moouth of the tunnel, a large metal door fell from the ceiling and prevented them from following the Kanisar. They skidded to a halt, right in front of the door. "Well, this is just great!" Frost exclaimed. "Now what?" she asked. "Simple." Ace said and raised his Naginata, electricity running through it. "We do what trider did before." With a mighty swing he smashed the blade of his weapon against the metal, a loud bang echoing through the cave. Smoke rose from the impact point and once it subsided their eyes widened. The door was intact, no visible sign that anything even hit it. "What the fuck?" Frost said and continued to stare at the large piece of metal. Whip approached the door to look at it closer. After a brief examination he turned back to their friends and shook his head. "It's no use. This door is made with antimag." he explained. "Antimag?" Ace repeated. "You mean to tell us that our magic is useless against it?" "Not exactly." Whip shook his head again. "Antimag metal is very hard to melt and mold, that's why only small collars are made entirely of it. This door has fragments of the ore in it, making it highly resistant to magic, but not immune. Look." he said and pointed at a spot on the door. The other two leaned in closer and saw a small slash mark across it, a small area around it was also melted. "As you can see the intense heat created by the lightning magic melted some of the metal." "So we just have to hit more then. Sounds easy." Frost said and summoned a battleaxe. "Not easy. It would even take Trider quite a while to breach thorugh it." "Then why don't we have Ace dig us a way through." the mare said and looked at her friend expectantly. "Why does everypony think I can dig through rock like other Diamond Dogs?" Ace exclaimed. "I'm only half Dog. I can't dig through solid rock like it's water. I even have trouble with normal dirt." "Then that leaves us with only one option." Whip concluded and walked over to the other passage. "And seeing as how those doors fell just as Trider went through it, we can speculate the foalnappers know we're here, so expect them to retaliate." The other two nodded, as they followed closely behind the stallion. They carefully made their way through the tunnel, watching out for any signs of attack. Suddenly Ace stepped on something and a small click was heard. "Get back!" Frost shouted and jumped backwards, dragging both stallions along with her. Without warning several thin steel beams shot from the ceiling and sank into the ground. The group stared at it with wide eyes, comprehending how lucky they were. "Holy. Shit." Ace gasped. "These guys mean business." Frost muttered under her breath. They all stood up and dusted the dirt off of themselves. "Alright from now on, watch your front, back, left, right, up and down." "Sure, just let me summon my eye magic that allows me to see in every direction at the same time." Whip said sarcastically and used his fingers to stretch his eyelids, making his eyes appear large. Frost gave him a nasty look, but said nothing, instead focusing on the now seemingly clear path ahead. From that point on they proceeded with even more caution, successfully avoiding any further trap. After several minutes they finally made it out of the tunnel and into a brightly lit room. The room itself was rather large, containing many different scientific machines, making it look like a lab you see in horror movies. "What is this place?" Frost said above a whisper, as she took in her surroudings. "I don't know, but it's giving me the creeps." Ace said, warily walking through the room. "It looks like some sort of lab." Whip guessed. "What kind I'm not sure." "Guys." Frost called out. "Please tell this isn't what I think it is." When they approached her they saw she was standing next to an operating table, which was covered in red stains. Whip dragged his hand across the stain and rubbed it between his fingers. "This is blood." he said. "OK. I don't know what we got ourselves into, but I say we head back, get Trider, get the hell out and come back with proper reinforcement." Ace said and the other two nodded in agreement. "Now we can't have that." a disembodied voice cackled, before the doors thorugh which they came through closed. They rushed towards their exit, hoping to bust through it, but weren't successful. "Let me guess, antimag." Frost said in an annoyed tone. "Correct my dear." the voice answered. "You and your friends are now trapped here." "Who are you and what did you do to the foal you took?" Ace barked at the air. They looked around and eventually saw the intercome through which the voice was projected. "Foal? You'll have to be more specific." At first they didn't know what he meant by that, until it dawned on them. "You foalnapped more than one?" Frost gasped. "Where are they? What did you do with them?" she screamed. "My, my. So many questions. I would love to tell you all about myself and what I'm doing here, but what would be the point, since you're all about to die." The voice began to laugh. The group looked at each other with nervous gazes. Eventually the voice stopped his laughter. "But I will gladly tell you that I am a stallion with a vision. A vision that was trampled by narrow minded imbeciles, who then casted me out." he explained. "I've been doing my work here in secret for the past few months and have made quite a progress. And you're about to see the fruits of my labour." Suddenly they heard something fall behind them and when they turned around, their eyes widened in terror. Before them stood two creatures the likes of which they had never seen before. The first one was a large beast, that easily towered any one of them. It had a dark red coat, that had bald patches all over it. It's large arms looked like they were covered with small sharp rocks. It's lower half looked like spider's body. The creature had no neck, instead it's body and head seemed to be one and the same. It's face was absolutley horrid. It had three pairs of eyes, each one different in size from the other and weren't placed on it's face in any paricular order. The other creature however looked like something out of a ghost story. Since it was so thin you could see it's every bone and it had no legs, instead it's black and white body ended in a tail. It's spine curved in an unnatural arc, making it look like it could snap at any moment. It's arms were long and ended in long sharp claws, that looked more like knives. It's head was turned upside down and it's open maw showed it's jagged teeth. Despite both monsters looking different, they had one similarity. Their white, emotionless eyes. "What in the name of sweet fucking Celestia are those?" Frost said under her breath. "Those my dear, are some of my more successful experiments. I call them Brutus and Sickfreak. You can guess which is which." the voice answered. "And don't worry, your friend is currently dealing with the rest of them. Hope you have a painless death." The intercome crackled and the transmission ended. Without warning the two monsters lunged at the group, Sickfreak tackling Whip to the ground, while Brutus focused on the other two. Whip struggled against the creature on top of him, as it's long arms pinned his own to the ground. Sickfreak's head reared back and it then lunged at his throat. The stallion managed to dodge the attack, by twisting his head and he retalated by kicking the monster off of him. Sickfreak landed a few feet away from him, but it quickly scurried back up and once again jumped at Whip. "Fast little bastard, aren't you?" the stallion grumbled, as he rolled out of the oncoming attack. He then quickly swung his whip at it and catching it's tail in it. "What you gonna do now, huh?" he taunted. Sickfreak however unleashed an unholy scream, nearly deafening everyone in the room. It then jumped onto the ceiling and began to drag Whip around. He tried to fight back, but the monster was much stronger than him. "Let's kick it up a notch." he grunted and activated one of the gems on the handle. The crystal glowed bright yellow and suddenly electricity coursed through the whip. Sickfreak shrilled from pain and it fell to the floor unmoving. Whip moved closer to it and smirked. All of a sudden the monster lunged upward and slashed the stallion across the chest with it's sharp claws. "Agh!" Whip yelled as blood ran down his chest. He jumped away from Sickfreak, but it was still too fast for him. It grabbed Whip by his shoulders, digging it's claws into his back, while biting his left shoulder. Again Whip cried out in pain. He struggled against the monster, trying to get it off of him. Eventually he managed to hit Sickfreak on top of it's head with the hilt of his whip, making it let go of him. Grabbing the place where it bit him he cringed at the pain. The creature squirmed on the ground, still reeling back from the impact at it's head. That gave Whip enough time to summon his other whip, before Sickfreak stood back up onto it's arms. The two stared at each other, none of them making a single movement. "Disgusting." Whip said, making the monster flinch. "Usually when I'm hurt by someone else I can feel love, passion, ecstasy, but with you I only feel sorrow, anger and fear. And quite frankly, I don't like it." His eyes turned cold and he scowled. "Creatures like you have no place on this world and I'll make sure it remains so." The creature snarled and jumped at the stallion, but he didn't move. Instead he swung his whip and hit the creature in mid-air. The weapon connected and Sickfreak was flung into a wall. Before it even had the chance to get back up, the whip wrapped around it's tail and Whip began to toss the creature all around the room. Eventually he let up and the creature laid on the floor, green ooze covering it's body. "Vat is vrong?" Whip asked as he stepped closer to the beast. Sickfreak suddenly jumped at the stallion, but only hit air. It looked around confused, trying to see where he went. "Ofer here." Twisting it's body around the creature's eyes fell onto the stallion, but before it could react the whip wrapped around it's entire body, rendering it immobile. The gems on whip's handle began to glow and suddenly small spikes formed on the thong. The creature cried in pain, as the spikes pierced it's skin and even more green slime escaped from it. "That iz it. Scream for me." Whip said, a sadistic smirk on his face. Tugging at his weapon, the whip tightened around the monster's body, making it shriek even more. "Such pleasant cries. It bringz a zmile to my faze. But I'm afraid I'll hafe to put you out of your misery." "Any last vords?" he asked, but the creature just shrieked at him. "Fine zen. Auf wieder sehen." he said, before the whip he was holding burst into flames, engulfing Sickfreak in fire. The creature cried in pain for quite a while, but eventually it ceased it's cries, it's charred reamins falling on the floor. While the creature burned, Whip watched it, with a sadistic smile. "Und das is das." he said and retracted his whip. While Whip was dealing with Sickfreak, both Ace and Frost had their hands full with Brutus. They tried everything, from electrocuting it, to freezing, slicing, smashing, but nothing seemed to work, the creature seeming nigh invulnerable. "What the hell does it take to bring this fucker down?" Frost asked in between breaths. "We lack necessary strength to pierce it's thick body. If Trider was here, he could maybe be able to do something." Ace assumed, while dodging another swing from monster's giant fist. "I guess we're lucky it's so slow, otherwise we'd already be dead." Frost said. "We can't beat it and we can't run. What the Tartarus are we supposed to do here?" While they were debating, they failed to notice that Brutus had picked up a piece of the floor and tossed it at them. Before the two could react, the piece of rubble was caught by Whip and he tossed it aside. "Need some assisstance?" he asked, now standing beside the two. "Much appreciated." Ace thanked and turned his attention back to the monster. "Any ideas, on how we're supposed to kill something that is unkillable?" Frost wondered, as she ducked another attack. At that point Brutus was beginning to show signs of aggravation. He suddenly began to swing his arms like a madman, not caring what or who he hit. As he continued his rampage, one of his attacks hit a certain part of what seemed to be wall. Aloud metal clank was heard over the monster's havoc and the group saw that it had knocked down a hidden door. "Quick, through there!" Ace shouted and pointed towards their exit. One by one they weaved through Brutus's attacks and ran down a corridor. The creature saw them leaving and chased after them. "Alright, we're out, but what do we do about big and ugly over there." Frost asked as they ran along the corridor. None of them could think of an efficient way to stop the juggernaut. That is until Ace saw something up ahead. "Guys, when I say jump, jump!" he shouted, the other two nodding. They continued to run for a couple of seconds, before Ace shouted the command. With a mighty leap they all soared through the air until the landed on the floor again. But unlike the other two, Ace rolled over adn turned around, cocking his bow with an arrow in it. He released the arrow and it hit a small button on the floor. A loud click sounded off and before they knew it the ceiling above the monster, who was chasing them, dropped on top of it. Brutus managed to grab the massive wieght, but despite his monstrous strength he was soon squashed. Blood spurted from beneath the dropped ceiling, some of it falling onto the group. They stared at where the monster once was, waiting to see if it had truly been killed. After a few minutes they sighed in relief. "Well that's one way of doing it." Whip chuckled as he and the other two got up. "So now what?" Frost asked. "Well seeing as our only way out is currently blocked, I say we continue and meet this mad scientist." Ace concluded and the other two agreed. *** "This place is like from one of those books Dash reads." Trider said in an annoyed tone. He reached back and extinguished a small flame that formed on his singed tail. His armor and clothes were heavily damaged, but he himself was relatively fine. It took quite some time, before he realised that his teammates were nowhere to be found. He wanted to go search for them, but he decided against it in the end. He knew they were tough and they could take care of themselves. "But seriously, this place feel like a house of horrors with all of these things." he grumbled, as he dislodged a large tooth from one of his shoulder pads. Not long after he entered the tunnel he was assaulted by every trap you could think of and some time later, the monsters joined in as well. They managed to slow down his progress, but he easily disposed of them all. He raised his head and took a sniff of the air. His face contorted in disgust, as foul stench reached his nose. "Goddamn, did I enter a sewer or something?" he thought, as he continued his advancement. Beside burning his nostrils, the stink also made it impossible to track the foals scent and it made the Kanisar even more aggravated. Since there was no other way to go, he followed the tunnel, until it opened into a large room. It was circular in shape, with about a hundred feet in diameter and about three stories high. A set of staircases, cut into stone ran from one level to another. Along the walls of the room were cells with metal bars. Trider looked around the room, whistling. "Yep, definitely a horror house." he said out loud and headed towards the closest cell. As he walked, he noticed movement inside of one. Squinting his eyes he saw another abomination. "At least these ones are locked up." he mumbled to himself and proceeded to one pf the empty cells. Peeking inside he saw bones and a puddle of something. He wasn't sure what exactly it was, but it was certainly disturbing and smelly. "Whoever runs this place should probably hire a maid." he said and stuck his hand inside the cell, dipping his tips into the goo. As he closely inspected the stuff, a creature slowly approached him along the wall from above. When it was only sevearal feet above it's target it jumped off and lunged at the Kanisar. Trider however twisted his body and delivered a kick to the creatures side. With a loud yelp the monster flew through the air, hitting the floor a few feet away from the Kanisar. "You guys just don't learn do you?" he said, as he stood up and turned towards the creature. The beast got on it's feet as well and the two stared at each other. The monster walked on four leg, the front legs twice as long as it's rear ones. It's skin was orange in color and it had white hair around it's neck and chest, almost like a mane, as well as all the way down it's back to the tip of it's lizard like tail. On it's head it had two long horns behind it's long fox like ears. Trider also saw something glistening, but he paid no mind to it. The two continued to have their staring contest, until the monster roared and attacked the Kanisar. Trider dodged to the left and reared his arm back, hoping to counter it's assault. But the creature whipped it's tail at him and he blocked the attack with his armguard, just in the nick of time. With the attack blocked, Trider took the opportunity and blasted the creature away with a blast. As it skidded across the floor, he redirected his gaze to the armguard and saw the metal was starting to melt. Quickly taking it off he saw that in just a couple of seconds the piece of armor disappeared. "Alright, maybe this guy will be a wee bit tougher than I thought." he judged, before turning back to the monster. It was back on it's feet and it glared at the Kanisar with it's blank eyes. This time however it was Trider that was the first to move. He quickly closed the distance between the two and thrusted his leg at monsters face. But it avoided the attack by jumping into the air. Once it was airborn it swung it's tail sporadically, sending drops of purple liquid all over the place. Trider skillfully dodged the droplets, as the places where the liquid landed was eaten away by the acid. But as he was evading the corosive liquid, he failed to notice the creature falling back down, right on top of him. With thud it pinned Trider under it's weight and roared right into his face. "Man your breath stinks!" he exclaimed and turned his head away from the creatures maw, as it snapped forward, in hoping to bite his head off. "Roar Cannon!" he shouted and a beam of Ki blasted from his mouth. The blast hit the monster straight in it's face and it staggered backwards, releasing the pinned Kanisar. As it continued to rub it face with it's front legs. Trider took the opportunity and summoned his Spirit Claws. He quickly got behind the creature and slashed at it's tail. It roared in pain as it's limb was severed from it's body and it directed it's attention back onto him. "Piston Cannon Tetrastrike!" He hit the creature straight in it's side and sent it flying towards the far wall. While still mid-flight it was struck three more times by an invisible force until it hit the wall. "And stay down!" Tirder grumbled under his breath. He started to head towards the exit, when he heard something run towards him. Quickly spinning around, he grabbed by the creatures horns and the two were now struggling against each other, both trying to overpower the other. "You should have listened to me!" he said with a slight smirk. The creature roared at him and psuhed even harder. Slowly Trider was pushed back, but he wasn't going to let the monster beat him. He released one of it's horns and charged Ki into his palm. "Wailing Nova Sphere!" He thrusted his arm forward hitting the monster in the face at point blank range. A loud explosion sounded off and the creature was once again sent flying into a nearby wall. It's face was now mangled and bloody as it slowly slid down to the floor. Trider looked at it with disdain, one of it's hon still in his hands. "Motherfucker." he grumbled and looked at the horn. "At least I got a souvenir out of it." He smirked and admired his trophy. Suddenly his eyes widened as his eyes fell onto something that was hanging from the horn. It was a small a small silver necklace, that trider immediatelly recognised. With a shaky hand he took the pendant off and held it in his palm. With a terrified gaze he looked toward the monster and began to recognize some of it's details. With shaky steps he approached the downed monster, until he was face to face with it. "Mellow?" he asked with a shaky voice. The creature slowly twisted it's head towards the Kanisar, looking right into his eyes. For a few seconds it didn't react, but then it's mouth began to move and it uttered something. "Tr... Er." it muttered. For a second it's blank eyes gained back it's colors and a single tear escaped from it. But just as quickly as it's eyes regained their color, it disapperad. It's body became limp and it fell onto the ground, remaining there motionless. Trider stared at the body, squeezing the pendant in his hands. He slowly stood up and gritted his teeth. He looked around the room and saw that their fight caught the attention of other monsters in the cells. He saw that nearly every cell had one. His eyes burned with rage and his body shook, right before he unleashed an agonizing scream. *** The room Ace, Frost and Whip walked in was as big as a small house and engulfed in darkness. Along the walls laid numerous small machines and blinking lights illuminated the darkness. To them it seemed like they just walked into sci-fi novel. Slowly they made their way inside, the gems on their armor providing the necessary light. Suddenly they heard a loud clank and the lights in the room ignited. The group squinted their eyes at the sudden change of brightness. "Welcome. I'm glad you could make it." the voice greeted fromt the intercom. "I have to say I'm impressed you managaed to make your way all the way to here." "Cut the crap!" Ace shouted. "What the hell are you doing here? What have you done with those you kidnapped?" "As curious as ever." the voice chuckled. "Well since you managed to fight off my creations, I guess I can enlighten you a little bit." A whirring sound resonated across the room and when the group looked up they saw some shutters slowly removing themselves from one of the walls. Once they were completely gone they saw an older unicorn stallion with a light green coat and grey mane standing behind a glass window. His eyes were light blue and he also wore a labcoat over a checkered red shirt, light brown pants and a pair of glasses. "Allow me to properly introduce myself." he said, giving a curt bow. "My name is Doctor Gene Slice. One of the greatest scientist that ever lived." "Mad and has a massive ego. Great." Frost said with a roll of her eyes. "I might have an ego, but mad I am not. I prefer the term overzealous." Gene said, as he began to pace around his room. "Do you remember the Changeling invasion that happened a few months ago?" "Who doesn't? It was all over the news." Whip replied sarcastically. "True, true." the doctor nodded. "Well, once the invasion was over, we managed to get our hands onto some of the bodies of the changelings in order to learn more about them. But while my colleagues were focused onto learning what they were, I was more enthralled in what they could do." "As you may have known, Changelings posses the ability to take on any form they wish and I saw the great potential that could bring." Gene continued, now completely concentrated on his story. "Think about it, the endless possibility that could bring. Ponies having the ability to breath fire like dragons, posses the strength of a minotaur or even become alicorns themselves." "After I realised that I began my research. At first I used mice and rats to conduct my experiments on. For days, weeks I focused on it, until I finally managed to successfully give a rat the ability to metamorph into any living creature on the planet." the stallion said with great vigor and joy. But that happiness quickly turned sour. "But after my successful experiment I went to the Princess to ask for more funds, as well as a few test voulenteers. And do you know what she said?" Before anyone had the time to answer, Gene slammed his fist onto a table inside the room. "She said that that was madness. She didn't want to sacrifice anypony for the greater good, for the purpose of advancing science!" he roared, as his face contorted in anger. "When I saw there was no persuading her, I left and continued my research in secret. But eventually I was found out and I fled to here. One of my secret labs." "When I arrived, I imediatelly started on my research again. Money wasn't an issue, since I sold some of my inventions on the black market, but the real problem was test subjects. Do you know how many ponies want to volunteer to participate in experiments of a doctor whose reputation was runied by a Princess?" "None!" he again roared. His body was now trembling from anger and after a couple of minutes he relaxed himself. "So I thought to myself, if ponies won't come to me, I'll bring them here myself." The words echoed through Ace's head, until his eyes widened. "You're the one responsible for all of those disappearances around Trottingham." "Correct." Gene chuckled. "You wouldn't believe how easy it is to take somepony away, without anypony else noticing." It was Whip's turn to shout at the stallion. "But if you needed subjects, why did you foalnap foals?" "Simple. You see when I actually started to experiment on ponies, it always ended in the same way. They died within hours of alteration. And it drove me mad. I couldn't for the love of Celestia figure out why it didn't work." he exclaimed, as he put his hands onto his head. "That is until one day. As I made more and more experiments and began to see a pattern. I noticed that the younger the subject was the longer their body lasts, before it decomposes. And it was then that I realised." "Realised what?" Frost asked, not wanting to hear the answer. "That the reason why they all broke apart so fast was becasue they already their Cutie Marks." Gene answered grandly. "You see, when a pony earns their Cutie Mark their internal magic locks onto it's qualities, ensuring that the pony will have an easy time with their Mark. But Changelings internal magic doesn't do that, instead it remains unspecified, allowing them to copy the magic of other creatures and giving them the same abilities as the creatures they transform into have." Ace, Whip and Frost listened intently to what the doctor told them, their eyes widening at what he was telling them. "Where are they?" the mare hissed through her teeth. "Where are the foals?" "You've already seen some of them." Gene answered with a malevolent grin. At first they didn't know what he was talking about, until they realised. "T-those monsters. T-they were-" "Yes." he replied, with a clap. "Those creatures you fought and killed were some of the foals I experimented on." The answer made the groups stomachs twist and they couldn't grasp the truth. "B-but you said your experiments were successful, so why are they like this?" Ace asked, pointing a finger at the stallion behind the glass. "Tsk, tsk." Gene tsked as he shook his head. "You did not listen. I never said I was successful with altering the foals. I said that I managed not to kill them." "That's why I felt those emotions when I fought that creature." Whip thought and tightened his fist. "My research still needs some more work, before it is truly complete. And in order to achieve that goal I'll have to dispose of all of you." he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small box. "It was nice to have somepony come by, who is not screaming or crying for once." He pressed the button on the box and loud clancking noises echoed thorugh the room. A part of the side wall began to turn, revealing a small compartment. Inside the small compartment stood three suits of armor, that would be better siuted for minotaurs than ponies. Their large hulking bodies towered over the ponies, it's brown and silver colored plating allowed the group to see their own reflection in it. But what made them wary of the armors were the red glowing eyes. They stared at the armors to see is they would do something. After several seconds of remaining inactive they looked between each other. "What... What are these things?" Whip asked, as he glanced between the doctor and the armors. "I call them Sentinels. I created them myself." boasted Gene. "How? I thought you were a biologist or a genetic engineer." Whip asked. "Seriously?" the stallion asked, as he deadpanned. "You do know a pony can have more than one degree? I myself have one in genetic engineering and magineering." "So what poor sap did you put inside those?" Ace asked, clenching his weapon. "Nopony, they are fully automated." "So it's empty, huh." Frost said, as a smirk appeared on her face. "Then that means I don't have to hold back." She summoned a crossbow and aimed at one of the Sentinels. Pouring some of her magic into the arrow, she shot it at the giant, making it explode on impact. But instead of a victorious grin, her eyes widened in shock as her target was barely fazed by the attack. "How?" she said under her breath. "Antimag enhanced metal darling. I think you've already seen it in action before, right?" the doctor said with a shiteating grin. "Sentinels, attack!" At his order the three behemoth began to move, each one of their moves eliciting loud clanks. "Spread out!" Ace shouted. Heeding his words the group scattered, each pony dealing with their own enemy. The Sentines weren't very fast, but what they lacked in speed, more than made up with their strength. Ace quickly distanced himself from his friend. Once he was sure he was far away he turned and faced his enemy. With slow steps the Sentinel approached and Ace readied his bow. "Let's see if we can stop you for good." he said and poured his magic into the arrow. Once he released the string, the projectile flew at the giant with tremendous speed. The Sentinel didn't even bothered to dodge and let the arrow hit him. But once it connected the arrow bursted and encased it in ice. Ace dropped his bow and looked at the Sentinel with a wary look. All of a sudden the ice began to crack and the Sentinel was once again free. The dog-pony sighed, as he switched to his Naginata seeing as his arrows won't do that much damage. Quickly closing the distance he lunged at the giant, thrusting his weapon at it's chest. The spear connected, but he didn't manage to pierce it, instead making a small dent in it. The Sentinel swung one of it's arms at Ace, but he managed to dodge it. Not wasting any time, he channeled his magic through his entire body and his weapon. "Godspeed Thrust!" he shouted and began to thrust his Naginata at the robot with speeds that made his weapon nearly invisible. With the sound akin to machinegun fire, Ace dealt blow after blow to the Sentinel. After a few seconds he stopped and looked at how much he hurt it. But to his surprise, the armor only had several dents, but none of them pierced the robot. All of a sudden the Sentinel moved and swung it's arm at Ace. Caught off guard the dog-pony could only block the oncoming attack. The blow sent him flying across the room and he smashed into a wall. Slowly falling to the ground, he managed to stay on his hooves. A sharp pain flared across his left arm and he saw it was dislocated. Grunting he picked his weapon back up and looked over to the Sentinel who was slowly closing the distance. "No other choice then." he thought as he channeled his magic. "It might do more harm than good, but I have no other choice." He used his magic to jump high into the air, reaching the roof of the room. Once he touched it he quickly turned around and leaped from the ceiling. He held his Naginata close to his body, the tip pointed downward, directly at the Sentinel. "Thunder Jet Bolt!" he screamed, as the air began to swirl around him and he as well as his weapon were encased in lightning. In a split second he slammed to the ground, hitting the Sentinel as well, and created a loud explosion and a bright flash. Once the flash subsided, Ace stood up, covered in bruises and blood, using his spear to support his weight. He looked around to see where the Sentinel was, but he only saw one of it's arms. He smiled and lifted his arm in triumph. Suddenly a shadow covered him and when he looked up he saw the soulless red eyes of the robot. "Shit." he hissed, before the Sentinel struck him. *** While Ace and Frost were fighting their own battles, Whip had his hands full with his own opponent. He weaved around the Sentinels fist as it slammed into the ground. He cracked his whip and wrapped it around a stalactite, using it to jump over the robot. Once on the other side he summoned another whip. "Charming Snare!" he shouted as both weapons split at their ends and wrapped themsleves around the Sentinel completely. Whip then created spikes along his weapons, but they had no effect on the tough armor. Seeing as he was doing nothing he decided to crush the robot, by constircting his whips. Slowly but surely the metal began to creak, as the whips tightened. The stallion didn't let up, until he was certain that it was completely crushed by his attack. The Sentinel however fought back and eventually it managed to free one of it's arms. Grabbing the thong it swung the stallion through the air and slamming him into the ground. The impact blew the air out of Whip's lungs and he lost concentration, accidentally releasing his opponent. Taking advantage of the opportunity the Sentinel, still holding the whip, swung it's arm, bringing the stallion closer to it. Once it was close enough it struck him with a powerful blow right into the ground below. Whip laid motionless on the floor, as the giant lifted it's foot and brought it down onto the stallion. In the last moment he grabbed it's foot and held it in place. The two struggled against one another, but eventually with a scream Whip pushed the Sentinel off of him, making it stagger backwards. "Although you bring no emotions to the fight machine, I still enjoyed every bruise and broken bone you gave me." he said, as his whips began to coil around his arms. "But you stand in my way, so I have no other choice but to take you down. Au revior, Géant du métal." With lightning speed he charged at the Sentinel and began to strike at it's body with ferocious force. Each strike was stronger and faster than the last and Whip forgot all about his surroudings, even ignoring the loud explosion and a flash, as he focused solely on bringing down the metal giant. After several seconds he stopped his attack and looked at the now badly beaten body of the Sentinel. But to his horror, the giant was still standing, almost unfazed by his assault. It raised it's arm and swung it at the stallion. Too badly damaged to even move, Whip took full brunt of the attack. *** The Sentinel slammed it's metal fist right where Frost stood before, creating a hole in the ground. The mare backflipped out of the giant's range, switching her crossbow with a battleaxe. "I regret ever playing with toy robots when I was a filly." she muttered under her breath, as she leapt into the air. Swinging her weapon, she brought it down onto the Sentinels head, creating a loud bang when it connected. The vibrations casued by the collision nearly made Frost drop her axe, but she managed to hold onto it. Once she delivered her attack she jumped away again, eyeing the damage she caused. The Sentinel was still standing and was again approaching her. She saw a small indent and a scratch on it's head, but beside that, nothing else. "Alright, change of plan." she thought and brought out a spear. "If slice and dice won't work, then I'll just have to penetrate it." Twirling her weapon in her hands, she waited until the robot was close enough, before she thrusted it forward. Suddenly the spear began to extend, hitting the Sentinel, which was still a few feet away from her, directly in the chest. The force of impact propelled the giant back for a couple of feet, before it stopped. Frost saw she managed to create a small hole in the armor and she smiled. She began to push even more, hoping to completely pierce it. The Sentinel had other ideas however. It grabbed her weapon and began to fight against her push with his own. Soon the mare was overpowered and the giant swung the spear high above it's head, taking Frost along with it. In an arc she was slammed into the ground, where she released the hold on her weapon. With shaky legs she got up and was blinded by a bright flash. She had no time to pay attention to it, as the Sentinel slowly began to approach her. She gasped for air, as she began to think over her next strategy. Suddenly she saw her two friends lying on the ground, the other two damaged Sentinels slowly approaching them. The robot who was going up against Frost seemed to be fazed by the sudden increase in brightness and had to readjust it's optics. Once it could see again it searched for the mare, but the only thing it saw was a giant hammer flying directly at it. It had no way of dodging the weapon, as it struck it into the head and toppled it over. Wasting no time Frost jumped to where her friends were, summoning a longsword in the process. Just in the nick of time she landed in the middle of the two, as the Sentinels brought down their arms. "Stalwart Blockade!" she shouted and slammed the blade of her sword into the ground. Suddenly an emerlad green dome formed over the group and protected them from the attack. As soon as the giants hit the dome they recoiled, as they were struck back with their own force. But that didn't stop them as they once again began to assault the shield. Inside the dome Frost looked at her friends, who had been bady wounded. "Guys, how you doing?" she asked with ragged breath. "Could be better." Ace moaned and lifted his upper body. "And you?" Her answer was interrupted when another fist slammed the barrier, making the mare gasp. After a few moments she colleced herself, closing her eyes. "Physically, great. Magically, not that good. This dome drains a lot out of me and it doesn't help that those things are striking at it unrelentlessly." "So this is it? This is how we die?" Whip asked, melancholy in his voice. "No!" Ace exclaimed, as he began to think over their possible plans of escape. "There must be way." "There is." Frost said, making the two stallions look at her with hope. "I have enough magic to perform one more attack. But the problem is that it takes a long time to cast it, as well as that I can't exactly aim it." "So what should we do?" Ace asked, as he and Whip were kneeling beisde their tired friend. "I'll drop my barrier and then you two will try to stop, distract or at least slow them down long enough for me to complete the spell." she said, sweat beginning to pur down her face. "And right before I cast it, I want the two of you to get as close to me as possible, as that will be the only safe spot you two will have." The two stallions looked at each other and nodded. "We'll do our best." Whip assured, giving her a thumbs up. Right then the third Sentinel approached and joined it's two counterparts in breaking the barrier. "Ready?" Frost asked, as the giants all raised their arms, determined to break the dome with one massive blow. "Go!" On cue the shield dropped and the two stallions charged at the Sentinels, while Frost created as much distance as she could and began to channel her magic. Whip and Ace stood in the middle of the three giants, standing back to back. The attacks came at them and they dodged them to the best of their abilites. The dog-pony took a deep breath and charged his magic. "Windigo Howl!" he screamed, as ice and snow escaped from his mouth, freezing all of the Sentinels. For a few seconds the giants didn't move, until they broke free of the ice and advanced on the stalion. But once again they were stopped when tendrils wrapped around their feet. Whip smirked, his weapons dug in the ground. With all of his might he pulled and tripped the giants. The two friends joined up together again, ready to take on the Sentinels yet again. "Guys it's ready!" Frost shouted. Ace and Whip quickly turned around and ran to the mare, leaving behind the three giants. Suddenly the ceiling began to sparkle as swords, axes, spears and many other weapons began to form. Once the two were close enough Frost's eyes glowed emerald green and she swung her arm downwards. "Razor Storm!" she yelled, as all of the weapons were hurled down towards the ground. The group watched as numerous blades rained down upon the room, shredding the Sentinels into pieces. The storm lasted for several seconds, before all the weapons were gone. With a strained breath Frost gasped, as she collapsed to the floor. Both Whip and Ace caught her and smiled at her. She returned the smile, before they all glared towards Gene. "Hey doc." she said, lifting her shaking arm and giving the middle finger. "We win." Gene watched in bemusement, before he began to slowly clap. "Well done." he praised them, as a large smirk adorned his face. "You actually managed to defeat my Sentinels. Great job." He then pressed another button and another part of the wall began to move, showing yet another one of guradians. "But I wonder if you can defeat another." The group watched in horror, as the giant stepped out of the hole and began to slowly approach them. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me? He had another?" Whip said in a deseperate tone. "I've always been told to keep an ace up your sleeve. And that is waht I did." he casted his gaze towards his creation and snapped his fingers. "Crush them." The Sentinel was now standing over the group. Slowly lifting it's arm, the group closed their eyes. They were too exhausted and hurt to be able to avoid the attack. They waited for their inevitable demise. Suddenly a large explosion tore apart one of the walls. Everyone looked towards the source of the loud bang, with the exception of the Sentinel, who brought it's fist down onto the group. Out of the cloud of smoke jumped a shadow and right before the giant's attack could connect, it was struck with enough force to send it flying backwards. It crashed into the ground with a loud boom, it's metal body scraping along the floor. Everyone watched the behemoth slowly picking itself up, before they looked towards the figure that was responsible for attacking it. Trider cracked his knuckles, as he glared at the machine, before he looked behind himself. "You guys alright?" he asked, concern in his eyes. The group sighed in unison, relaxing themselves when they saw their friend. "About time you showed up." Frost grunted, as she was put onto the floor by the two stallions. "What took you so long?" "Frankly? I got lost." he replied scratching his head. Everyone glared at him, before they sighed in defeat. "That's our Trider." Ace said with an awkward smile. "You managed to defeat all of those monsters? I have to say alien, you impress me." Gene said from behind the glass. "I'll have so much fun when I dissect-" "Can it fucker!" Trider growled, pointing a finger at the stallion. "I'll make you pay for what you did to Mellow and my friends!" "So you know?" Whip asked, his voice full of saddness. "Yeah." Trider said with a nod. "I get the gist of it." He then again glared at Gene. "Just confirm he's behind it all." "He is." Ace said. "He foalnapped and experimented on ponies in secret. Plus he built those giant mechanical beasts." he explained and pointed toward the Sentinel, which was now standing again. "Be careful, those things are strong and are resistant to magic." "I see." Trider said as he clenched his fists. "Too bad for them I'm stronger and don't have magic." The Sentinel and the Kanisar slowly approached one antoher and when they were only a couple of feet from each other, they glared at one another. The giant raised it's arm and brought it down. Trider however didn't even flinch, when he caught the fist. Undettered it raised it's other arm and did the same as before. And like before Trider caught the other arm as well. The two were now in a power struggle, each trying to take down the other. "Is this all you have?" the Kanisar asked in disappointment. He quickly applied more pressure to his hands and crushed the Sentinels fists. The giant recoiled back and Trider thrusted his arm at it's chest. "Piston Cannon Pentaspear!" the fist connected, but it didn't seem to do anything. Bringing his arm back Trider watched, as the giant raised it's damaged arms above it's head. All of a sudden a tremendous invisible force struck it where Trider had hit it, creating a large hole right through it's entire body. It's red eyes dimmed and it began to slowly sway back and forth, before it fell onto it's back. Everyone watched in awe, shocked at how quickly he beat the behemoth. "Impossible!" Gene shouted from his room, staring down at his destroyed creation. Trider however glared at the stallion, his eye burning with rage. "You're next." he growled, as he pointed a finger at him. Gene watched in fear, as Trider began to walk towards his position. "You really think it'll be that easy?" he said and pressed a button. Suddenly the whole room began to shake and debris began to fall from the ceiling. Not wasting any time, Trider ran over to his friends and stood above them, shielding them from the rubble. The room eventually collapsed and buried everyone in it. A couple of minutes have passed since the destruction of the room they were in and one of the piles of rocks began to shift. Rising from the debris, Trider and his friends made it out relatively unscathed. "Everyone good?" Trider asked. He received grunts and moans in return and he nodded. "All right then. Now where is that fucker?" "Looking for me?" a loud booming voice answered. They turned toward the source of the voice and their hearts stopped for a second. Looming above them was another Sentinel, this one however was humongous. While the others were about a couple of feet taller than all of them, this one stood at about hundred feet. Another difference was the head, as it didn't have the soulless red eyes, but instead it had a small compartment, within which Doctor Gene stood. "Seriously? How many of these things do you have?" Frost screamed exasperated. The doctor however ignored her and instead focused onto the Kanisar. "You might have been able to destroy my Sentinels, but there is no way in Tartarus you're taking down my Mega Sentinel." he stated. "We'll just see about that." Trider said and flew into the air, heading straight for the machine. "Piston Cannon Pentaspear!" he shouted and punched the robot's chest. To everyone's surprise it had no effect whatsoever. "Ha, my Mega Sentinel is so much more powerful than those puny Sentinels. An attack like that won't even scratch it." he boasted. "I've spent a lot of my time perfecting my creation, so it could withstand even the most powerful of ponies. It's impervious against magical and physical attacks. There is no way you can win." "How about Ki then?" Trider countered and focused his energy into his palm. Soon a sphere of blue energy formed in his hand and when it was large enough he shot it at the Sentinel. When the blast connected it created a huge explosion, engulfing the giant in a cloud of smoke. Everyone waited to see how much damage the attack made. Once the cloud dispersed they saw that there was now a dent in the robot's chest armor, but nothing more. "Pathetic." Gene taunted, as he suppressed a chuckle. "I already told you that my creation is invincible. And not only that..." Suddenly with great speed the giant thrusted it's hand and hit Trider. The force of the impact sent him flying for several hundred feet, until he crashed into the ground, creating a line in the ground. He only stopped when he hit a large boulder, crushing it upon impact. Ace, Whip and Frost watched in terror, when they saw even Trider was unable to stand up to the behemoth. "But beacuse it is directly connected to me, it's speed is also greatly increased." Gene finished, smirking at the devastation his attack created. The Sentinel then turned towards the others and the doctor smiled. "Now, I think it's about time I finish you off, once and for all." The robot's hand reached down toward the group, threatening to crush them. But it stopped when a blast of energy struck it's side. Gene turned the behemoth to look at who it was that disturbed him. When he saw it was Trider, who stood in the same place he crashed, his eyes widened for a moment, before he smiled. "So the rumors about your incredible tenacity and durability weren't rumors at all." he chuckled. "But we both know the outcome, so why not just give up already." Trider didn't react as he simply glared at the doctor. He spat some blood out of his mouth before he snarled. "I would rather die than admit defeat." he stated. "Besides this fight is far from over." "Oh and what are you going to do? Your friends are useless, you have no other backup and we've already proven you're no match for my creation. So tell me, what do you think you can do?" This time it was Trider's turn to grin. "You have no idea what I'm capable of. In fact not even I knew." Trider began to explain. "It wasn't until I joined the Guard and began my training with Luna that I achieved something that I thought was almost impossible." He took a step forward and slammed his foot into the ground. "I attained the next level of my strength. And right here and now I'll show the true might of a Kanisar." He gritted his teeth and tightened his fists. Suddenly his body was slowly being encased in a white aura. The ground beneath his feet began to give way, creating a crater where he stood. The air rippled as he produced more and more energy, sparks of white lightning running over his body. Then, once he reached his peak, he unleashed a powerful yell, his body engulfed by a bright flash. Once it subsided everyone stared at him in awe. His once messy black hair was now snow white and standing up straight, His tail as well was completely white. But what was most captivating were his now neon blue eyes, that seemed to stare right into your soul. With slow steps the transformed Kanisar approached the Sentinel, the white aura flaring over his body, giving him the appearance of being engulfed in white fire. "Intriguing." Gene mumbled and watched Trider calmly stride forward. "I was not aware you could do something like this. The more I watch the more I become interested in you." He made the Sentinel raise one of it's arms up. "You just might be more interesting than my current project. I'll enjoy learning all about you." The giant thrusted it's arm toward the Kanisar, shaking the ground when it hit it. Trider flew out of the large cloud of smoke the impact created and flew along the arm until he reached it's chest. Rearing his arm he delivered a powerful punch that made the Sentinel stagger backwards. For a brief moment Gene was surprised by the increase in strength, but he was certain he'll be the one to prevail. Reagaining it's balance the large machine raised both of it's arms above it's head and swung them down at the Kanisar. This time however Trider didn't react as he took the full force of the impact. He crashed directly into the rock ground, creating a large crater upon impact. The doctor looked down in triumph, but his smile soon disappeared when he saw the Kanisar standing in the crater, seemingly unscathed. "You had your chance, now it's my turn." Trider said and jetted out of the hole and towards the Sentinel. The behemoth swung it's right arm down at the Kanisar, but he didn't change his route, still locked on the center of the machine's body. "Piston Cannon." he said calmly, rearing his right arm back. "Dekaassault." His arm suddenly began to glow with energy and he drove straight into the metal fist of his opponent. For a split second the two forces struggled against one another. All of a sudden the giant's arm exploded, pieces of metal raining all over the place. Gene stared in disbelief as the limb was destroyed up to it's shoulder. His astonishment continued when he saw trider now covered not only in white flames, but wisps of red as well. "Finish Breaker." With a burst of speed Trider hit the Sentinels chest. The metal bent under the immense pressure, until it gave in and the Kanisar pirced through it's entire body. The force of the impact was so powerful that the giant lost it's balance and it fell onto it's back. "Impossible, impossible, impossible." Gene muttered under his breath, as he tried to operate his invention. Trider however still wasn't done. He extended his arm and began to channel his Ki into his hand. Slowly a large sphere, the size of a soccerball, of red and blue energy formed in his palm. "With this you're done." he stated and lifted his arm high into the air. "Howling Nova Sphere!" he shouted and thrusted the orb at the Sentinel. The attack hit the giant and upon contact it exploded. The blast engulfed it's entire body and only when the smoke cleared could you see the destruction it created. The Sentinel's body was completely annihilated, with the exception of it's limbs and head. Trider slowly descended towards the head and when he was close enough he smashed the glass window open. He grabbed the coat of the doctor and pulled him out. He glared at him with his blue eyes, making the stallion sweat. "P-please have mercy." he begged, shivering in his grasp, swet flowing down his face. "Mercy?" Trider said astounded. "Mercy?! You want mercy after everything you've done?" he shouted, making Gene even more terrified. "Did you give mercy to all of those you killed or to my friends? Did you?" Although his tone was filled with rage, his eyes reamined calm, serene even. "If it was up to me I would end your miserable life right here and now." he growled, a ball of Ki forming in his hand, that was aimed straight at the stallions head. Gene whimpered and closed his eyes, tears falling down his cheeks. Trider continued to glare at the stallion, but eventually he closed his eyes and sighed. "But luckily for you I'm no longer like that. I no longer deliver my own justice just becasue I feel it's justified." he said and dropped the doctor to the ground. "I don't want to break that promise I made to Celestia and to my friends. Not again. So I'll let the system deal with you." While Trider was berating him, Gene was already running away. He shook his head and disappeared, reappearing right in front of the stallion. The doctor's eyes widened when he suddenly stood in front of him. Trider raised his hand and flicked him on the forehead. The strike knocked the stallion off his hooves and into unconscience. Taking a deep breath, the white aura around him disappeared and he walked over to his friends. They were all now standing up and supporting each other. "What. The fuck. Was that?" Frost asked, when the Kanisar approached them. "What do ya mean?" Trider asked coyly. "Don't 'what do ya mean?' me, I'm talking about you suddenly being able to change your hair on a whim and becoming strong enough to knock a building sized robot down." the mare hissed at him. "Oh that?" Trider grinned, as he scratched his head. "That's just a little something I learned while I was training with Luna." "How long have you been capable of doing it?" Ace asked. "A little under a month." he answered. The group mulled over what he had told them, until Whip spoke up. "So what is it exactly?" Trider put a hand to his chin as he thought over how he should explain it to them. "Basically," he began. "It's kind of like my Feral Unleashing, only that it's more powerful and I access to it differently. At first it is like when I wanted to use my Feral Unleashing, but before I can completely succumb to my anger I suppress it while still drawing out the power. So in the end, even when I'm transformed I feel almost no anger." Ace, Whip and Frost looked at him in amazement. "So in order to obtain it you have to discard your anger?" "Exactly. Though once I did I lost my ability to use my Feral Unleashing completely. Now even if I tried I can't transform into it, though I doubt I'll ever need it again, now that I have this transformation." "Well that is wonderful news." Whip smiled. "Do you have a name for it already?" Trider smiled sheepishly. "Well I've been thinking and I decided to just call it Super Kanisar." "Super Kanisar? Really?" Frost said with a skeptical look. "Hey I'm a Kanisar and when I'm all white like I'm also super." Trider argued, crossing his arms. "Keep telling yourself that." Frost countered. The group laughed at her quip and soon afterwards they headed back to their base. *** When they came back they handed the doctor over to the Guards and before they were escorted to the hospital, they told their commanding officer about other creatures still being trapped there. They wanted them to rescue them and possibly find a way to reverse what Gene did to them. Right now they were talking among themselves, about what had happened today. "So you killed him?" Ace asked, his ears folded. "Yeah. If I knew it was him, I would've knocked him out and not..." Trider trailed off, as he remembered the last moments he spent with Mellow. "You didn't know Trider, you did what you had. If I was in your place I would do the same." Frost tried to soothe him. "I know and I don't blame myself, I just wish I could change the outcome." the Kanisar sighed, as he leaned his head against the headrest of his bed. "I'm just glad I was able to give him a proper burial." "So that's why you were so late." Frost said with a small chuckle. "I'm really sorry for what you had to go through." "It's fine." Trider shook his head. "I'm kind of used to it." "Look on the bright side." Whip chipped in. "At least those other ponies who were transformed might have a chance to return to their normal lives." The group smiled, realising he was right and that there was some good to come out of all of this. All of a sudden the doors to their room were slammed open and their Sergeant walked in. "Heya Sarge." Whip greeted with a wide smile. "So how is the retrieval going?" The stallion didn't answer, insted his head drooped and he kept his eyes closed. Everyone became worried at his response, but before they could inquire he lifted his head and looked at them. "The site has been cleared." he said in a hard tone. The group looked between each other confused. "Isn't that great news?" Ace asked. "It would be, if we were the ones to clear it." At that statement everyone's eyes widened. "By the time our team arrived at the scene everything was already gone. The creatures were all slaughtered and any sign of the Sentinels disappeared." "Who could do that?" Frost asked out loud. *** Couple of hours earlier The group laughed among themselves, not noticing two figures watching them from afar. "Now that's a show." the stallion whistled, as he watched the group leave the scarred battlefield through his binoculars. "We're not here to watch a bunch of foals goof around. We've got a job to do." the mare by his side said disgruntled. "Yeah, yeah." the stallion replied as he put away his gadget. "Shall we then." he said, standing up and running toward the scene, but not before slapping the mare's butt. She yelped and shot a venomous glare at the stallion, but he was too far ahead to see it. Sighing she followed him, her cloak dragging across the ground. The stallion had a dark brown coat with orange mane and tail. He wore a long dark blue coat, over his red shirt and black jeans. A stetson rested on his shaggy mane and it obscured his golden yellow eyes. The mare on the other hand was completely covered in her cloak, only her yellow muzzle and the tip of her horn could be seen. Soon they reached the place where the battle took place not a while ago. The stallion approached the remains of the Sentinel and whistled. "I still can't figure out how could one pony alone do something like this." he wondered. The mare didn't say anything, as her horn glowed with a light blue aura. "It's not here." she said. "Hmm." the stallion hummed as he looked at his surroudings. "Maybe it's somewhere else? I mean this place was supposed to be huge." "Maybe." she answered, before she channeled her magic and levitated some of the debris. Revealing a hidden corridor. "Atta girl." he said, slapping her ass again. This time however she grabbed him by the throat with her magic and brought him closer. "Do that again and I will snap your neck." she threatened. "Right... back... at ya." the stallion wheezed out, aiming a crossbow at her chest. They continued to glare at one another, before she released him. "Let's stop fooloing around and let's get going." she commanded, as she took charge. The stallion rubbed his neck, before he smirked at the mare. "Ohh, I'd so tap that." he mused, before he followed his partner. For nearly half an hour the two made their way through the cave system, stopping in between, so they could check if the thing they're looking for was there. Unfortunately for them they were unsuccessful in finding it. Eventually they made it to a room that had cells in it. "What the Tartarus is this place?" the stallion said, as he stepped deeper into it. As he lloked around, his eyes fell onto a small pile of dirt in a corner. When he approached it he saw that beside it laid a small stone slab and that something was written on it. Here lies Mellow Tone A friend He took off his hat and closed his eyes. "May whoever you are rest in piece." When he opened his eyes again he saw something glinting in the dim light. Picking it up from under the slab, he saw it was a small silver pendant. "Nice, free loot." he grinned and pocketed the necklace. Unbeknownst to the stallion, something was watching him from one of the darker corners of the room. It waited until the right opportunity and then it leaped out. The stallion was too late to notice it and the creature slashed one of his arms off. The stallion cried out in pain and jumped away from the monster. He glared at it and winced. "The fuck?" he said aloud eyeing the beast before him. "Who in their right minds invited Discord's ugly cousin?" he said before he took out a crossbow and shot it at the monster. The arrow embedded itself deep into the creature's body, but it didn't kill it. With a ferocious roar the beast charged at the stallion, but he only grinned, before he turned around and plugged his ear with his hand. All of a sudden the arrow glowed in bright red color, before it detonated, blasting it's top half right off. Turning around, the stallion looked at his work and cackled. "Serves ya right ya cunt." he exclaimed and kicked the cadaver. "Are you done?" the mare asked, as she approached him. "Yeah." he grunted and picked up his arm. "I could've really used a hand there ya know?" he said with a shiteating grin, as he pointed his severed arm at her. The mare sighed, before she looked around, her eyes filled with sadness. "These things, they are crying, begging for their torment to end." The stallion looked at her then at the cells, before shrugging. "I don't hear anything." he said as he picked inside his ear with his severed arm. "If she wasn't loony I'd totaly bang her." Suddenly the air became cold, cold enough for them to see their own breaths. The mare levitated into the air, as magic rippled through the air. Black smoke began to escape from beneath her cloak, as her eyes turned red and purple smoke escaping from their sides. The smoke slowly began to pile up and it suddenly solidified itself, forming black tentacles. With snap of her fingers each tendril shot itself into a cell, eliciting a cry of pain from them. When she was done she called back the smoke and it disappeared inside her cloak again. "That was so hardcore, I don't even care if she's loco in the coco, so screw it." he grinned to himself. "Or better yet, screw her." When the mare touched ground, he approached her. "Well done, high five." he said lifting the detached arm. The mare didn't react, so he blew a raspberry. "You're no fun, ya know that?" he said. It was then that he noticed the necklace that was now hanging outside of her cloak. "Nice jewelry, pretty metal." he said pointing at he red tipped black horn. The mare quickly grasped it, before she tucked it in her cloak again. "We should go. It appears we came here for nothing." she said and turned to leave. "As you say boss." he said swinging his detached arm and hitting her buttocks. Suddenly his head was wrapped with her magic and was slowly being turned around. "Now love, let me ju-" he didn't get to finish, as his neck snapped and she tore his head off, spurting blood all over the room. "I did warn you." she said coldly. She almost walked out through the door, when a sharp pain shot thorugh her shoulder. Quickly turning around she saw the stallion standing in the middle of the room, with a scowly on his face. "I warned you as well." he said, aiming his two crossbows at the mare. His body was completely fine, even his arm was now reattached. The two continued to glare at each other, before the mare sighed. "Let's just get back. We can settle our dispute there." she hissed, pulling out the arrow with her magic. The stallion shrugged, before he recalled his weapons and followed the mare back out. Once they were standing in the sunlight again, the mare unfurled a scroll, chanting something unintelligible. "Wait, wait." she was stopped when the stallion jumped in front of her. "What?" she nearly shouted. "If we come back empty handed the big stallion won't be so satisfied with our little outgoing." he said. "So what if we bring him back something he might enjoy." "And that would be?" she inquired, curious to see what he was getting at. Smirking he looked over her shoulder and she followed his gaze until it landed on the remains of the Sentinel. She smirked as well and gave him a bemused look. "Every once in a while, even you have some good ideas." she said as she stepped closer to the remains, beginning to chant again. "Mastermind will surely be pleased." "Soo, my room tonight?" he said and slapped her ass. Quickly his body was encased with her magic and she bent his back backwards, snapping it in two. "Maybe." she smirked, before both of them as well as the part disappeared.