//------------------------------// // Chapter 20 // Story: Settling In // by A Wild Magikarp //------------------------------// Crunch... crunch... crunch... The sound echoed across the silent clearing. The only interruption in a world otherwise devoid of stimulus. A tail twitched, claws flexed, and a single reptilian eye slowly opened. Something had entered its territory. Something approached its lair. Something... invaded. No creature of the surrounding territories dared do such a thing. They were smarter than to do so, and those who were not had been... removed. So what creature could possibly be so bold as to encroach? The drakon raised its head over its back and scanned the area, his eyes settling on a pack of three creatures approaching the cave's entrance. Moments after they noticed it as well, freezing in place and staring back. Hoofed ones, like the prey currently within its cave. Small, and frail. None of them had wings like the annoying one currently in its possession. One of them had a horn, too dull to pierce, too short to block. No scales to protect or claws to rake. No barbs or fangs either. There was no obvious way for the things to defend themselves. The helplessness of such a creature confused it. And what kept drawing them here? Did they truly not see the signs of its presence all around? Surely those caught this morning, and its following hunt of the runner would have- And the reason for the invasion became clear. These fleshy creatures where here for their herd-mates. A hiss of pleasure found its way to its lips. With so few? With this, it would not have to hunt for weeks! The hornless orange one looked back at its fellows and made a series of noises, meaningless to its ears. The others however looked towards their companion and nodded, before all at once, they burst into action. The pink and white one ran to either side, while the orange pulled the cover on its head before charging. Surely its wasn't serious? Taking a deep breath and exhaling, the cloud of green vapors from its mouth swiftly covering the small thing, and it turned its attention to the others. Just as it looked away, a sharp pain struck its leg. A hiss of pain left its mouth and it turned to look at the source, so see the orange one running back off into the cloud, obscured from sight. The drakon froze. Impossible. No creature could withstand its breath. No creature ever had! Time and again the fiercest of predators and the most elusive of prey had fallen to it. How could such tiny creatures succeed where others had failed? Another bite of pain, this time to its side, as chunks of rock tried their hardest to pierce its hide. Most simply broke on impact, but the sting was enough to draw its attention. Another of the tiny things, the white hide, whose dull horn softly glowed the same color as the shards of earth being thrown this way. One projectile struck true just below the eye, resulting in another hiss. Rage settled in. These insects dared attack it in its own territory?! Pain clouded the mind as burning fury replaced cold logic. These creatures defied it through unknown trickery, and aimed to take what was his by right! Letting loose a primal roar, any other thought was replaced by a singular goal. Kill. Sky watched, mostly in fear, but with no small part of awe, as the drakon squared itself against Rarity, letting out a terrific roar. The noise was nearly deafening as he laid his ears back and fought down the urge to flee. Rarity for her part flinched back at the beast's challenge, ceasing her magical assault. The drakon took advantage of her balk and dashed forward intent on ending the white mare. It was interrupted as a pink one came crashing down on its head from the sky, forcing it into the ground and causing it to stumble over itself. "TAG! Your it!" screeched Pinkie Pie before she smacked the creature on the nose before dashing off, a wide grin on her face. The drakon shook itself, looked towards its new aggressor, and gave chase. Applejack came out of the gas cloud, looking a bit green herself, but otherwise fine, and followed. "Y'all didn't say nothin' about the smell as I recall!" "Fight now, complain later~!" Pinkie sang as she darted across the field, always just a moment ahead of the beast. It lunged, and the party pony bounced, once again landing on the thing's head and giggling. "You'll have to try harder than that!" The drakon shook and bucked, trying to remove the pink menace. Sky looked on in wonder as Pinkie held on tight, laughing all the while. A small cough from his right drew his attention to Twilight, her hooves planted firmly in the earth as she channeled magic through her horn, an overglow starting to appear over it. Sweat lightly beaded on her head as she grit her teeth. "This is... just as hard as it looks. If you could please -unf-... hurry and find the others, I would rather not hold onto this spell for too long after it's ready." Sky blinked and nodded, looking back to the fight and the cave it raged in front of. The drakon was focused on Pinkie for the moment. Every time either Applejack or Rarity drew its attention with a kick or throw, their bubbly friend would fly in and make enough of a scene to draw it back to her. Taking a deep breath, Sky steeled his nerves and ran for the mouth of the cave. The inside of the beast's lair was much smaller than Sky had anticipated. After affording himself a moment to ensure the creature had not spotted him making his way inside, Sky ducked his head back under the boulder he rested behind and observed the inside of the cave. The space was about twenty feet across at first glance, and just a bit deeper than that. Stalactites and stalagmites alike filled the cave as it made a downward angle farther in. Sky had the unnerving feeling that he was traveling into the pits of Tartarus itself as he stood and made his way into the darkness. The drakon's vaporous gas lingered here, creating a low hanging fog across the floor of the cave. Visibility waned as he neared the back of the cave, the rock formations blocking the light from outside. Slowing down his pace, Sky looked back and forth for any sign of the captured ponies. His search ended when he tripped over a particularly squishy rock, which groaned its protest as he landed atop it. Green vapors filled his nostrils, and Sky found himself agreeing with Applejack as he fought to keep his breakfast. Lifting his head out of the foul gas, Sky took a few deep breaths to clear his nose and looked down at the offending lump. Cyan fur and rainbow mane greeted him, barely visible in the deep dark of the cave. Rainbow Dash lay on the ground, a grimace on her face as she squirmed slightly in her sleep. The lingering gas seemed enough to keep her asleep, but not comfortably so. Her wing looked slightly off too him, resting at an odd angle on her side. He poked it lightly, the unconscious flier shying away at his touch. Looking carefully Sky could now see the others surrounding them, the fillies nearly invisible beneath the fog, and Fluttershy not far behind them. Sky couldn't help but sigh in relief, and quickly set to moving them out, starting with Rainbow. The mare proved far lighter than he had anticipated, perhaps due to her pegasus nature. She was an adult pony, and an athlete by her friend's accounts, but even though it was no easy task she was not much heavier than Melody, a pony in her early teens. A light sweat had worked its way onto his brow as he dropped the mare to the ground behind his hiding rock, and took a peak outside. While Applejack seemed to be breathing only a tad heavier, things still looked good for the A team, and so he set off to collect the others. The fillies proved much easier loads than the mare before them. He managed Scootaloo and Nyx in one trip, and Sweetie Belle was soon to follow. Setting down the small white filly, Sky made to return to the cave for the last occupant when a small gasp for air drew his attention back to the pile of ponies he had already collected. Rainbow Dash drew a few more desperate breaths before settling on a painful moan. Rolling away from her injured wing, the flyer's eyes where screwed shut in obvious discomfort before shooting open in a panic. She looked back and forth quickly, observing her surroundings before her gaze settled on Sky and her young charges laying beneath him. Her eyes widened even more at the fillies' still forms, an almost manic look filling them. Sky quickly reassured her, moving closer and putting what he hoped was a calming hoof on her shoulder. "They're okay, they're okay!" He said in a loud whisper. "They're sleeping like you were! They should be waking up in just a moment." The rainbow mare panicked for a moment more before his words settled in, and visibly calmed. Sighing in relief, she looked them over for a second before turning to him with a inquisitive look. "What- *cough cough* -What are YOU doing here?" Her tone was not an offensive one, merely one of genuine confusion. A notable improvement from their last encounter. Her voice was even raspier than the night before, likely an effect of the drakon's sleeping agent. "Apple Bloom found me after you got attacked in the forest. We got the rest of your friends together and they came to rescue you. I... I came to help." Rainbow Dash gave him a serious look. A loud explosion not unlike a cannon going off, followed by the sound of laughter came from the other side of the boulder. It drew both of their attention, and Rainbows frown turned into a grin, her eyes lighting up at the sound. "Ya, that's them alright." Sky looked to her wing, still hanging at her side. Probably broken if he had to guess. Pegasus wings where notoriously sensitive, and he found himself surprised she wasn't currently in a blind pain. "I still have to get Miss Fluttershy from inside their. Are you going to be alright with that?" He inquired, nodding towards her injury. She waved him of with her uninjured wing, and began shakily attempting to stand. "Don't worry about me! Get Flutters out of there and... do whatever it is you plan on doing next! I'm gonna see what I can do to help th-" She faltered, her legs giving out underneath her and dropping her unceremoniously to the ground. The landing disturbed her break, drawing a hiss of pain from her muzzle as she fought back tears. Sky felt the urge to cringe, but instead shook his head and returned the hoof to her shoulder once more. "You'll do no such thing. You've been under the effects of a sleeping agent for almost half a day, and its obvious your wing is in terrible condition. Your muscles are still weak, and you can't fly. You're in no shape to go fight a monster, you would only get in the way." Rainbow gave him a murderous look at that. "Not to mention I bet you're probably feeling a bit dizzy, maybe unfocused? Just because you're awake now doesn't mean your 'ready to go'. Miss Twilight has a plan, just stay here with the girls, and I'll be back soon, alright?" The two stared at each other, a silent battle of wills. Eventually, sanity won out and Rainbow Dash looked away. Not, however, without getting a word in edgewise. "You're lucky I'm not feeling one hundred percent right now, got it?" "Of course," Sky responded, and made his way back into the cave. "...Thanks..." Sky only smirked at the muttered word, and moved on. He had one more pony to gather today. Applejack wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this up. An outward observer may not have noticed it much, but it was true. Lungs gasped, legs burned, and striking at the creature's hide was no different from hitting the face of a rock. Her hooves felt as though they would crack at any moment. She was pushing towards total exhaustion, but despite the sweat in her eyes, and the pounding in her ears, she kept on. There was no stopping now, not with such high stakes. The farmer ran beneath the monster, kicking it once more as she passed its hind leg. A hiss of pain and a roar of outrage, and she knew she had its attention. Now to run until Pinkie could distract it once more. She wouldn't have to wait long, as the pink menace made her appearance out from behind the drakon's head, seemingly from nowhere. Continuing on with her usual theme of randomness, the pink pony pulled out a large piece of cloth and quickly wrapped it around the beast's eyes, tying it behind its crest to keep it secure. "Who's ready to play some pin the tail on the pony?!" Pinkie asked, from atop its head, and giggled. The creature found this much less amusing, and quickly began bucking and thrashing in an attempt to remove its new hat. Pinkie only laughed harder as she held on with one hoof, waving the other in the air and whooping at the impromptu rodeo. A sudden jerk of the head upwards sent the pink mare flying, her laughter cut short by a startled yelp. A gentle blue aura surrounded the party planner as her fall suddenly slowed to a much safer rate, eventually winking out once she reached a few feet off the ground. Rarity, several yards away behind a desiccated tree, gave a groan of pain, rubbing her horn. "Pinkie dear, pa-lease try and be more careful. I can't keep this up for much longer..." The drakon was momentarily preoccupied trying to remove its blindfold, but its blind rage was working against it, the constant thrashing keeping it from getting a solid grip on the thing. Applejack looked to the forest's edge where a faint purple glow emanated from the brush, and to the center of the clearing, where there was still no sign of the others emerging. Worry began to worm its way into her stomach. "Cummon Sky, where are ya?" A tearing sound could be heard as the drakon finally removed its impromptu eye-wear, and set its eyes upon the ball of energy that had placed it there. "Uh-oh," Pinkie said quietly before taking off across the clearing, the beast in hot pursuit. As Applejack watched, she realized it would soon be her turn to draw its attention, and prepared to run in once more. However, a noise from the entrance drew her attention. Sky, supporting an injured Rainbow Dash and laden with a sleeping Fluttershy, was making his way out from the cave. He had Sweetie Belle in one hoof, while Scootaloo and Nyx both supported themselves on Rainbow Dash's legs. Varying levels of exhaustion, pain, and fear could be seen on their faces. They where alive though, that was all that mattered. Applejack smiled wide and turned back to the fight. "Pinkie! They're out, lets move!" Pinkie Pie looked over to her orange friend and smiled. Suddenly, Pinkie nearly tripped as she began to favor her right foreleg. Her grin was replaced by a look of surprise, and turned around at the last moment to see the drakon uncoil, leaping out towards her with frightening speed. The creature seemed to grin viciously as it came down upon her. Pinkie quickly sidestepped to avoid being crushed, but was not prepared when the creature sideswiped her with its palm, sending her flying of back towards the center of the clearing. She bounced twice, before finally coming to rest and laying still. "PINKIE!" Applejack heard Rainbow yell, snapping her out of her dumbfound horror. The creature made no move to stop her as she bolted towards her downed companion, slowly approaching its latest victim in undisguised amusement. "Pinkie?! Pinkie answer me girl!" Applejack fretted as she checked her fallen friend, looking her over for any sign that she was alright. She got one as Pinkie Pie groaned, shaking her head and cracking her eyes open to look at the apple farmer. "... Pinchy knee. That one hurt too. Oooh..." Applejack shook her head, and moved to pick up the baker, when a shadow reminded her of their current situation. Her heart stopped as she slowly looked up, higher and higher, until she was looking the monster right in the eye. A flash of light, and the drakon's eyes settled from a bright red to a burning orange. Applejack felt her muscles tense and her fur stand on end as she found herself no longer able to look away, let alone run. She had forgotten it could do that. A thrill of true terror washed over her as the creature held her in its gaze. Finally, this joke was nearly concluded. He had to admit, the prey putting up such a fight was not something he had expected. There were tender points all across its legs that would be hurting for days after. Still they were prey, and would be dealt with as such. I mattered little in the end how much they resisted. The pink one had been the most infuriating, but soon after catching it off guard, the orange one had soon followed. It had raced to its companion, heedless of how foolish that would be. Foolishness born of attachment. Herd animals were all the same. The white one was still off at a distance, as it had been through the whole fight. He could see in his peripheral how it struggled on what to do next. One leg was raised to race to its herd mate's side, but it was unable to bring itself any closer to the predator hunched over them. He could smell the sweat and hear its breath. Exhaustion held it as much as the shock of what was happening. Focusing once more on the creature trapped in its gaze, he considered what to do next. The simplest answer was to store them away like the others. Oh. But they deserved so much more for their audacity. For daring to attack him here, in his own land. His tail flicked in delight as slowly, he moved closer to the orange hoofed one. She, as it appeared to be female as all the others did, could do nothing more than stare back at him, frozen in his eyes. Almost carefully, he leveled his eyes with hers, and gave a quiet hiss. He could hear her heart from here, thundering in her chest as fear consumed her. It was wonderful to experience. It was- There was a noise, and pain lanced as a blow landed just below his right eye-ridge, and forced his eyes closed closed as a roar of pain echoed through the clearing. The wounded eye would no longer open, but its good eye did so with rage and hatred filling it. The white one was the most obvious culprit. He turned to the impotent little creature, only to find that the growth on its head was not glowing. And neither was it looking to him, but rather beneath him. He followed its gaze down to a new hoofed one. Another hornless and wingless one, it was slightly taller than the others, with slightly more squared features. It had a shorter tail and mane than the others as well. A male, the herds patriarch perhaps. Its rear legs were facing him and its body was squared off from where it had obviously kicked him. It was looking back over its shoulder at him with a wide-eyed expression. His eye narrowed. It bolted. Sweet Celestia's sunny skies, what was he thinking?! Sky took off as fast as his legs could carry him. The drakon did not disappoint as it cried out once more and gave chase, barely missing the two captured element bearers in its charge. He realized he hadn't been thinking. Upon taking Fluttershy back out of the cave, he had found himself looking at something out of a nightmare. Applejack, standing frozen over a beaten and bleary-eyed Pinkie Pie. Rarity, looking on from a distance, horror in her eyes as the monster slowly drew closer to her incapacitated friends. The creature seemed to sport a feral smile as it grew agonizingly nearer to the apple farmers face. It was taking its time with her, terrorizing them. He had felt a fire enter his belly at the sight of it, despite the icy water that seemed to flow through his veins at the same moment. He hadn't thought. Only acted. That same fire fled him as the drakon leaped, attempting to pin him, but it overshot him and landed in front of him instead. This was insane! Sky ground to a halt and took off back towards the edge of the clearing, where he hoped he could lose it. 'Where Twilight Sparkle is currently charging her spell.' He slowed his pace only enough to turn right, aiming instead for an outcropping of dead trees about halfway into the clearing. The creature had turned itself around and was building speed towards him, he could hear it thundering behind him. Feel its powerful strides in the earth beneath his hooves. Must go faster! Must go faster!! A shadow fell over him and Sky's mind froze. there was a sudden, blinding pain as the beast collide with his barrel. He felt ribs creak and the air exit his lunges, and suddenly he was airborne. He remained that way for a few seconds before colliding face first with the unmerciful crag beneath him. The world went out of focus, and his ears rang from the impact. Something warm and wet seeped its way down his muzzle, but for the life of him he couldn't imagine what it was. His hearing began to clear, and Sky attempted to open his eyes, only to feel white hot pain as he did so. He realized it was blood pouring down his face into his right eye, blinding him there. He settled for one eye open, and looked up. The creature was there, its one good eye still glowing in an unnatural manner. He had the mistake of meeting it, and felt himself go rigid. "MISTER SKY!" A small voice rang out across the forest. One of the fillies, though he couldn't be sure which. The creature made barely any sign of noticing, its head turning slightly to the sound and huffing out a small cloud of green gas. As the gas settled, Sky could not stop himself from breathing in a small vapor of it, and suddenly he felt his muscles relax and his mind begin to idle. The spell had worn off. The predator above him took notice, and its eye ceased to glow as it raised its claw overhead to crush him. Looked as though it no longer cared if he lived to be 'stored' or not. Strange that did not fill him with the same terror it had moments ago. A flash of purple went off behind the beast, and Sky noticed with his failing vision that Rarity was gone. Another light enveloped Applejack and Pinkie Pie, and they vanished as well. Another flash went off, its origins obscured by the drakon's tail, but it was easy to guess what had cause it. 'Well,' Sky sleepily thought to himself. 'At least we did it.' The drakon struck, and there was another blinding flash. Sky's world darkened.