//------------------------------//
// Chapter 36: A Path is Laid 
// Story: Daring Do and the Hand of Doom 
// by Unwhole Hole 
//------------------------------//

Caballeron dropped to the ground and ran forward with a roar. He barely even noticed that he did not have an oxygen mask, nor did he care. Instead of oxygen, he was propelled forward by pure rage.
They had used him. He had been betrayed and distrusted. All these things were things he would have done himself without hesitation, but it was entirely unreasonable and inconceivable that others would do it to him. The teeth not obeyed him. They had not meant to. And now they were pursuing her, attempting to take the right of ending Daring Do away from him. 
Something in the distance blotted out the night’s sky. An icy feeling seemed to trickle down his spine as he heard the distant sound of crows descending. Something was wrong, and his instinct told him that it was something unnatural and unclean. The thoughts of the raven-mage that he had seen before came to mind, and he screamed in rage. Daring Do had found herself yet another ally- -and, most likely, one who would not use or betray her. 
Dark shadows passed over the ground. Caballeron looked up to see a pair of white Pegasi passing overhead. A third was moving quickly on foot, visible only through the tiny slats in a decrepit fence as he effortlessly climbed one of the town’s many steep stone staircases. 
Caballeron ran after them. Rogue was beside him, and suddenly so was Withers.
“Withers!” cried Caballeron. “How many?”
“Two.”
“DO IT!” 
With a flick of his wrist, Withers removed a detonator from his collar. He pressed it. 
Two explosions rang out in the night. One of the two Pegasi overhead erupted with a plume of blue-white magical discharge and tilted off course, landing awkwardly as his power armor failed. The one that was running also suddenly crumpled. 
Caballeron laughed, even though he only knew that Withers had bought him time. Both Pegasi’s armor had been rendered inoperable, but there was nothing to stop them from ejecting- -at least nothing that Caballeron knew of. Similarly, only two had been incapacitated. Fortunately, the third had behaved just as Caballeron had predicted: she descended with her brother, helping him stabilize on his way down. She would no doubt stay a few seconds at least to make sure he was safe- -and to determine that the interference disruptor charge that had taken down his armor was one of those that she had supplied to Caballeron. 
Reflecting on this, Caballeron found for once that he was glad that ponies- -even knights- -were such idiots.