//------------------------------// // The Pass // Story: An Earthly Portal // by Nightmare Darkness //------------------------------// The mountains began to approach rapidly and soon they climbed up high that it was hard to look up to see the snow capped peaks. I focused on looking after the bow and arrows that had been given to me. "Do you know how to use that?" Gilda asked after a few moments and I glanced up at her and then looked back to the bow and released its tension and laid it on the floor. "I have some practice." I said although I knew that I would need more practice if I wanted to be able to use it and fly at the same time. "Thankfully we haven't had need to really use it." Spike said as he watched as the trees and landscape passed by. I nodded in agreement and felt tired even though we had only woken up several hours earlier. "I'm going to take a nap." I then said and got comfortable listening to the constant rhythm of the train cars on the tracks. I awoke to a shudder and the screeching of metal on metal as the train slowed down dramatically. I blinked away my sleep and looked around. Spike was leaning out of the train car rook to get a look at was happening and Gilda was nowhere to be seen. I stood up and stretched my wings and collected my bow as I slung my quiver over my back and buckled it to my chest. "Whats going on?" I asked and Spike didn't look back at me. "Cant say, but something has stopped the train. Gilda is investigating." He informed me and just as I was stringing my bow Gilda landed by the car panting heavily. "Bandits." she said through clenched teeth. "Pony bandits?" I said incredulously, thinking it almost comical. Spike and Gilda looked at me with no humor at all expressed on their faces. "Not Pony bandits.... Spider ones." Gilda said unhappily. This took me aback, I didn't so much as fear spiders as some people I knew but they were still unpleasant. "There are unicorns and pegasi on this train so why try anything. Surely they cant stand against magic?" I said and She shook her head. "Spiders webbing can have magic negating properties." Spike said as he moved out of the way and Gilda hopped up into the train car and Spike closed the door behind her. "Well what do we do?" I asked concerned. "Not much we can do really we don't know how many there are and well they most likely are after jewels and bits so not really much a threat." Gilda stated and I looked aghast. "So we just sit here while the other passengers get robbed?" I asked incredulously. Gilda was about to say something and was cut off by a scream and we flew to the door and looked to see what the commotion was about. My blood run cold as seven large spindly legs spider-folk were unloading wrapped bundles from the passenger cars. The scream had come from a blue coated unicorn mare whose horn was wrapped in spider-silk who was seen trying to run away and one of the spiders had seen her trying to escape. "Where do you think your goin?" one of the male spiders asked with a thick accent that I could place as almost sounding a mix between British and Australian. "let me go!" she managed to choke out and he shook his head as he fixed her with four eyes that were transfixed on her. "Nah cant do that miss, you'all make good slaves see." He said with a smile that revealed sharp carnivorous teeth. The mare didn't see that one of the other Spiders had circled around her and then pounced tackling her into the ground as she screamed. The spider-ling sunk his fangs into her neck and she soon went limp. Spike let out a wimpier and I quickly placed my claws over his muzzle and held a claw to my beak symbolizing silence. The talkative spider looked at the train car they we were in and looked at the spider that hat just subdued the mare. "Check out the last two cars will ya." he ordered and I pulled away looking at the other door and knew it would be to loud to open and get out. The corner was dark but my white feathers would make me stand out then I looked at the floor I removed my quiver quickly and placed it in the corner and laid on the floor and spread my wings then began to gather dust and dirt to dirty my wings in filth and stood up now a matted brown with dark specks of rock and the like embedded in my feathers. Taking dust and whatever I could find and rubbing it on my neck and face. Gilda and Spike looked at me confused and wanted to ask what I was doing and I pointed to the corner. They both went to the corner quickly and I approached them. I turned to face the door and made Gilda crouch and I stepped over her and had spike stand in front of her face and I spread my wings in front of us to cover all three of us as best I could. I mouthed 'don't move' as the door to the car slid open with a grind and the Spider bandit stuck his head in and looked at us and for a moment my heart stopped. 'had he seen us? were we about to be caught and cocooned like the rest?' My mind raced as he looked to the other side and shrugged then removed his head. "Nothin ere but hay n chairs Vin." the Spider said. The spider that was seemingly running the show or Vin, scoffed. "Check the other one." Vin ordered. I put my wings back and side stepped so Gilda could stand. Sudden low growls and the scream of a frightened spider followed by a wet sounding crunch and the car began to shake as Cerberus began to thrash and tear at the intruders body. I managed to look out of the window to see Vin's expression of fear and surprise. It took a few moments and soon he found his voice again. "Lets pack up and move out, we got what we came for." he ordered and then the group of six spiders since one was now dog chow began to move out and shoulder four to six cocoons per spider. As far as I could tell a total of thirty ponies had just been captured. Spike was shaking and at first I thought it was fear but I soon realized it was fury. Gilda was the first to break the silence. "Slavers....but who would by slaves?" Gilda asked to no one in particular. "Who cares! We have to save them!" Spike demanded and began to move towards the door. I grabbed him and he turned on me with eyes full of hate and I flinched away. I recognized those eyes, my father had those eyes. Spike seem to notice my reaction and he seemed to calm if only slightly. "We need to help them." He said again and I nodded wordlessly. "As we are now we cannot win." I said surely but Spike would not take any other answer. "We have Cerberus." Spike said simply. "Yes and they have numbers and venom." I countered. "Cerberus wont lose." he said again and Gilda broke in at that moment. "Spike we are obviously going after them but we need a plan and we need to inform the local authority." Gilda said calmly. "How do we do that!" He bust out in anger. Both Gilda and myself looked at him with a raised eyebrow and it only took a few moments before he realized. "Right.... My fire sends messages directly to the Princesses..." He said as he face-palmed himself. Quickly Spike got out paper and ink then began to scribe a message to the princess. Gilda then looked at me. "How did you think to hide in plane site by dirtying yourself?" She asked and I smiled meekly. "I'm use to hiding from someone wanting to find you." I said weakly, thinking of uncounted times I hid from my Father when he was looking for me just to beat the crap out of me. Just then the train jerked forward and we steadied ourselves. "Who is driving the train." I asked coolly as Spike stood up and rolled up the paper and breathed a jet of green flame burning the paper away into a smoke that left the barred window. I picked up the quiver and slung it over my back and fastened it into place as I opened the door. The train hadn't yet picked up speed then I jumped out of the door and beat my wings and sped for the front of the train. I pulled out and arrow and knocked it to the string as I dove towards the engine and steeled myself to go toe to toe with a spider. To my surprise it was not a spider but a grey coated short cropped blue mane earth pony who whirled on me as soon as I touched down on the deck and it eyes widened as I drew the bow back. "Stop...the....train." I ordered trying to act as imposing as I could and it seemed to work. The stallion quickly pulled the lever that caused the train to squeal to a halt. It was not long after that, Spike and Gilda soon arrived seeing the Stallion who only paled further. "How did you?" He began and Gilda's eyes narrowed and in a flash the stallion was up against the wall of the engine with Gilda's claws around his neck strangling him as she seem to vent all of her rage on the stallion. It took me a moment to realize what had just happened, the stallions eyes began to bulge as his mouth gave out wordless peas. I stowed my arrow quickly and quickly came up behind Gilda and slipped my arms under hers and pulled her back. "Release him Gilda we need information!" I said hoping she would see reason. After a moment she released the stallion who dropped to the floor coughing and sucking in air as he tried to stand but with a solid kick from Gilda into the Stallions face dissuaded him from doing so. At this I got angry and pushed her back into the wall and she glared at me and I glared back. "Take a walk." I growled and she shoved my arm away and jumped from the engine taking flight. Spike had simply watched but not seemed troubled by Gilda's actions like I was. I turned to the Stallion and he looked up at me with a quickly swelling left eye. "Start from the beginning." I ordered. After a hour long interrogation I stood up and looked down on the pony...no ponies were creatures of worth, this....thing had sold himself to the slavers and would bring train loads of unsuspecting ponies to the slavers for two hundred and fifty bits per head, five hundred for unicorns specifically. He did not know why they wanted them or who bought them but the Spiders paid handsomely and he was willing to go along saying that no-pony came onto the train and only ferried goods so no-pony would be suspect. I pointed out that ponies going to visit family would easily be missed and he explained that only ponies that were known to be traveling alone or as a group would be targeted, and that the ticket keeper was the one who in charge of the selection, got every-pony who were proper targets onto one train. This was his third train and the amount of missing ponies were over a hundred. Gilda had come back halfway through the interrogation, her feathers were ruffled and as she heard more I swear I could feel the rage boiling in her like a bomb-fire. Spike had remained silent and only had a paper with ink taking all the information down. After he was finished I looked down on this...this creature and contemplated ending his existence right here right now. A dark part of me wanted to extend my claws, squeeze his throat and slowly tear it out just to see him look up at me in terror and helplessness as I took the only thing he valued...his life. But I refrained, that was something I didn't want to hang on my contentious. I looked for a rope and found one. I hog tied him and secured him to a rung over center that connected the cars. When the soldiers find him he wont be able to hide there. Spike approached me as he rolled the papers and burned them away to Princess Celestia. Gilda came up beside me and looked at me. "I'm sorry. " I said and she looked forward away from me. "Its, ok I tend to get...heated." She said calmly. "Spike, Get Cerberus... Were going hunting for slavers." I said coldly.