//------------------------------// // Chapter 52: The Savanna, Again // Story: Princess Essenta // by Pone_Heap //------------------------------// Antecedence Arc “Delia, no,” Essenta stated for the umpteenth time. “We can’t leave tonight! You’re crazy.” But Delia insisted, “No… No, I’m not.” “You are,” Essenta pushed. “Even if the army is out looking for you or us or whatever, you said it yourself: there’s nowhere to run. They’d expect us to stay concealed in the jungle… not run to the desert.” “We’re not in the desert; we ran to the savanna. Essenta… we lit up a city! I told you what happened—across the country—when that cock-goblin Hagano got away! He escapes some village and the whole country was punished! Discipline… torture… murder! There’s no way the regular army hasn’t descended on Nuinhof! Not after that! “I’d bet my life—don’t look at me that way… yes, my life—that they’re out looking right now! They’ve had an entire day of it. I don’t know just how well the border’s guarded, but it’s guarded! There’s no way they’re too far off.” Essenta was defiant, “How many hundreds of thousands of square miles is the country?! I don’t care how big their army is; it’s just too much ground to cover and you yourself said they probably can’t track worth a fuck… ‘Trained but inexperienced’! That’s what you said.” Delia was adamant, “If you think they won’t turn their eyes to the savanna—not more than a few miles from Nuinhof—then you’re stupid. And their soldiers? They might not be able to ‘track worth a fuck’ but there are an awful lot of ponies living nearby. How long would it take them to convince a few locals—maybe put a knife to their little ones' throats—who know the land to pick up our trail?” “The land’s a swamp, Delia! We got six inches of rain last night. A dog would lose our trail in that!” “Dogs are dogs, Essenta! They lack logic! Ponies don’t!” The two Earth ponies had been going at it for a while. Essenta was convinced they were safe… for the time. Delia was convinced they were hours from possibly facing something they couldn’t stand against. It hadn’t even been 24-hours since Delia came staggering out of the jungle, pulling their friends. Essenta and Delia were the only ones awake just then. Orni was asleep. The unicorns still hadn’t snapped out of their drug-induced stupors. And the other three hadn’t snapped out of their stupors. “Our ideal way would be to load the girls and go now,” Delia went on. “But waiting for the cover of darkness is probably for the best. We’re packed; you and Orni did a good job of it.” “We could be out of here in 10 minutes, you say,” Essenta repeated Delia’s thoughts. “I know… and I’m right,” Delia stated; she raised an eyebrow. “What’s that got to do with this?” Essenta sighed, “We can see for miles around us! We can outrun trouble that we see, Delia. I say we wait a bit—until we have a unicorn and at least Ama—to go.” Delia blathered, “That again?! Essenta… We can’t outrun an army. The wagon’s still got it’s lightening charm intact but if they send their air force out?” “Which we haven’t seen… Even a Pegasus acclimated to this climate can’t fly much during the day; it’d kill them. And if they come at night? All the rock formations and outcroppings around here… it’s like pimples on a greasy little colt! Good luck finding us, if we stay concealed.” Boooooom… Both Essenta and Delia halted their arguing. Booooooooooooooom…! Both mares’ faces constricted into a miserable grimace. “Oh, cunt-gravy…” Essenta mourned. “What now…?!” Creeping to the east opening, they beheld something difficult to perceive. “What. Is. That?!” Essenta’s eyes widened. Delia had never seen one… but she’d heard of them, “It’s an airship…!” Indeed, it was. Steam poured from its stern, a propeller moving it along. Its gondola—as big as any sea-ship’s—hung beneath its envelope… and the envelope was the length of a city. The girls saw a flash. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM…! An explosion rocked the land and smoke wafted up from a section of the jungle, joining another column the girls had just noted. BOOOOOOOOM…! They got a better look at the projectile’s origin. “A cannon?!” Essenta squawked. Delia’s mouth hung open; she closed it, “Yes… a cannon.” “What’s going on?!” Essenta and Delia turned to see Orni. Orni saw the airship… and the next firing. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM…! Essenta and Delia missed the actual blast but saw the aftermath as they turned back. A patch of trees at the edge of the jungle, visible even a few miles off, splintered and went up in flames. “Oh, fuck my ass…” Essenta whined. “Wha-wha-wha-wha-what’s going on?!” Orni squeaked. “Trouble…” Delia breathed. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM…! An outcropping at the edge of the jungle exploded, sending boulders the size of houses in every direction. “Shi-i-i-it…” Essenta gasped. The three watched a moment; the dirigible altered its direction slightly and began to waft along what they knew to be the country’s border. Booooom… Trees fell as toothpicks as the airship chugged along, firing in a line. Boooom… Essenta stammered, “Okay… We leave after dinner.” “Let’s tend to the girls; they’re not all sleeping through that,” Delia said. “Orni… make sure the wagon’s ready.” Orni only nodded and scampered back into the depths of their hidey-hole. Essenta watched the ship meander along, “Did Cassia say anything about airships…?” Birds, likely from the jungle, chattered in a panic as they sped by overhead. Delia shook her head, “Maybe she didn’t know… It’s a big country.” Regardless, the girls knew they couldn’t stay long. Moments before their supposed lunchtime, Essenta, Delia, and Orni pored over a map Cassia had given to the party. Delia pointed, “This is where we are… Based on the pattern that ship’s showing—if there is a pattern—it’s systematically firing along this ridge… And it’s coming closer. If it keeps up the pace it has, and based on the land it’s covering... it might reach our area by morning. They’ll foray into the savanna; I’m sure. They’ve been firing outside of the barrier, after all.” “Do you think they’ll keep up at night?” Essenta wondered. Booom… “I don’t know,” Delia said plainly. “It depends on what they’re trying to do. Where they are you can still see through the canopy. If they’re trying to see us… they’ll let up. But they wouldn’t be pulverizing the landscape if they were that intent on finding us. Nope… I think they’re blasting away… hoping to kill us or flush us out; they might send a mop-up force.” “What’s a ‘mop-up force’?” Orni asked Delia. “Soldiers on the ground to clean up. To find us once we’re dead… or kill us when they find us. After what we did… they’re not just letting us stroll away…” BOOOOOOOM!! The three mares started. A rather large concussion had been felt; it shook dust from the rock-ceiling. Orni looked ill, still on subject, “Oh…” Essenta and Delia had told Orni—in as little gory detail as possible—how the six mares had escaped… and about the dead family… and that a civil war was going on. It was rough on the little Knollwing. But Orni knew their lives were on the line; she was sturdier than some would speculate, “So once we leave, how do we keep scarce? Keep from their sight?” Essenta tapped a hoof on the map, “Well, other than traveling at night, we try to follow this path… until we reach the desert. It’s eight miles to the desert. We could make that in an hour… Even if they go blasting at night there’s a lot to overturn before they reach us, not that they’d have to blow up every landscape feature to flush us out… It would be hard to spot us on the savanna, anyway.” Boom… Orni blew her bangs from her eyes, “Right… but if they comb the desert…” “We’ll have to think more about that,” Essenta admitted. “We have a waxing half-moon going; it’s not getting any less bright at night for another two weeks. Spotting us wouldn’t be hard.” There were many things to consider. They hadn’t even touched on the ship’s possible fuel reserves—probably wood or coal—or the number of projectiles possibly on board. The ship would have to re-supply at some point, though… Yes… so much to consider. Booooooom… Delia’s stomach felt mutinous; they had another matter to deal with, “Right… And that brings us to the other ship.” Essenta and Orni’s stomachs flip-flopped as well. Not 15 minutes after seeing the first ship, they saw another appear further south and well into the jungle, in the vicinity of what they knew to be Nuinhof’s farmland and orchards. It apparently had come to ground where there was space to land the freakishly large vehicle. “The military’s in Nuinhof…” Delia considered. “They’re in the city and its surrounding lands and we have no idea just what’s going on. They could just be aiding the city and keeping order but I’m not counting on it.” Their fears were numerous. The five other mares still hadn’t returned to their senses. Ama and Wilka were awake but not doing much other than staring at the walls. Loress was still worse off, struggling very much with her part in the escape; the last time they’d tried to get much from her she just curled up, glassy-eyed and tight-jawed. But Dechaa and Zyra would be waking up any moment, Delia figured. “As far as leaving… we may just need to load up the girls and move,” Delia conceded. “But we’ve packed the wagon carefully and with the charm holding, we can trot right off.” Essenta considered time, “It's around seven hours until darkness. We can talk more about when to leave. We should just eat lunch. The others, too... if we can rouse them.” “Food…?” a fourth voice contributed. Essenta turned, “Dechaa?!” The unicorn leaned against the wall, looking exhausted, “I could use something to eat…” Essenta went up and supported her friend, briefly wondering what Dechaa might have heard, “You need to sit, Dechaa.” Dechaa didn’t refuse; she looked up miserably to Delia, who’d approached, “Do I even wanna know what happened this time…? My head kills… and I’ve got this awful crick in my neck… That, and…” Booooom…! “Yeah… that…” Dechaa moaned. Oh, boy… Delia thought. But Orni saved the moment, “You’ve all been through a lot… Let’s get you something nice to eat.” Dechaa was satisfied with that, “But first… I gotta pee…!” “Things have taken a turn,” Delia explained over lunch. “We’re safe for now but we need to go.” Dechaa slowly yet eagerly fed herself some sliced fruit and cassava porridge, “That sounds like an understatement…” Booooom… “Yes…” Delia nodded. “They’re out looking for us. Please let it be for now… It’s complicated. We need to leave; the rest can wait.” To the knowledge of the three in better shape, Dechaa hadn’t seen the cart or clothing they’d come in with. Delia wished they’d disposed of that stuff, but they were bent on staying hidden. But Dechaa accepted, “Coming out of a shock isn’t much fun… I’m really getting tired of this feeling sick and you doping me up and some dying psychic filly that got caught in a thresher or something…” The others winced at Dechaa’s manner; the healer was in a foul state. “I know we’re out of the barrier—thank fucking goodness for that—but the little bitch could’ve kept it to herself when we were in it…” Dechaa chewed on a fresh slice of melon. Nasty… Essenta and Orni shuddered. Orni had never seen the healer in such a rotten mood... and it was more than Essenta could remember seeing, having spent more than half her life around the unicorn. “Well, she’s dead now; it's certain,” Delia managed to keep the emotion from her voice. “Don’t hold it against her…” “Easy for you to say…” Dechaa belched. Orni knew the truth—as far as she was told—and knew it best to keep quiet about the family that had been “made an example of”. That exact phrase was used to clue in Orni she was better off not pushing the subject. The little Knollwing had to excuse herself, heading to the east opening. “What’s her problem?” Dechaa looked after her. Essenta chided her best friend, “I know you’re upset… tired… sore… and whatever else but try to tone it down. Orni’s been worried sick over all of you… She’s been great. If not for her… I might’ve lost hope…” Whether she took heed or not, Dechaa hungrily continued her meal. “Eeeeep!” a girlish squeal sounded. Delia stood up straight, “Huh?” “Orni!” Essenta cried. The two Earth ponies rushed into the next cavity and saw their little Knolling wasn’t alone. Delia couldn’t believe her eyes; she goggled at the old mare tottering before them, “Cassia?!?!” Indeed, it was… and she looked as if she’d been through Hell. And her eyes bore witness to recent tears. Essenta’s eyes darted from Cassia to Delia, “Cassia? The mare that helped you and Dechaa?!” Something seemed… off to Delia; she felt something strange off Cassia but given all that had happened it wasn’t surprising, “The same, Essenta.” Orni backed towards the rocky wall, realizing something was wrong, “Uh, Delia… What’s going on?” Delia was unsurprised Orni picked up on the thing she recognized, “I’m not sure…” Essenta didn’t notice anything was wrong—it was dark and she had a tendency to shrug off menace, even when it was recognized; she was joyed to see the oldster and approached, “Oh, Cassia! It’s good to meet you!” Essenta wasn’t thinking, surprised to see Cassia. Just a day prior, Delia had seen Cassia’s city at least partially destroyed. Something was coming. Cassia wasted no time; her tearful eyes blazed in the cave’s near-darkness, “You miserable whore!” Delia knew that was meant for her. Cassia weaved past Essenta. Orni wasn’t sure what to do, “Cassia…?” Cassia barked at Orni, “Shut up, child!” Orni recoiled, ears dropping. Cassia didn’t miss a beat; she faced Delia, her face full of some deep rage, “Goddamn you… Goddamn you!” Delia hadn’t expected to see the geriatric unicorn again… alive or otherwise, “Now, Cassia…” Delia felt Cassia’s eyes bore into hers, “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Essenta saw Delia jerk; it was if she was transfixed. Delia struggled visibly, trying to choke out words and force movement. It was clear to Essenta and Orni. Cassia was in Delia’s head! Delia knew answering as she wanted might lead to… trouble; she had little right to it, but she belted it out, fighting Cassia’s influence, “I got us away from that Godforsaken town, Cassia! That filly was still alive, since you didn't seem to realize it! I think you know what happened. You can see it right now in my head, if you haven’t figured it out already! Do I really need to explain it?!” Essenta and Orni were shocked; Delia was infuriated… and she was writhing to get at Cassia. Cassia further lowered her gaze, eyes streaming, “You dare answer me in such a way…?!” Delia felt the affection—indeed, the love—she’d cultured for Cassia evaporate like dew on a hot rock; it was easy when the old unicorn was possibly trying to wrench her body apart, “Oh, I dare…” Cassia blew up, screaming at Delia, “You destroyed everything! You pony-garbage! They’re still finding bodies! Stallions, mares, and foals!” Delia was defiant and leered. It wasn’t a “normal” leer either; it had Cassia do a take. The old mare was put off enough it took a little wind from her sails. She focused on Delia’s resisting. “Fighting won’t do you much good, Delia,” Cassia advised, collecting herself. “Somehow I doubt that,” Delia spat between Cassia’s front hooves. “Your magic’s weak, Cassia… You’d better do something drastic or I’ll break free… And when I do…” Essenta and Orni saw a terrible anger in Delia; she was ready to kill the unicorn. Essenta—whether it was a good idea or not—intervened, “Now… stop this, you two…” The princess’s shaky voice and stupid statement irked Delia and Cassia… especially Cassia. Before Delia could snap at the princess Cassia reacted. The old unicorn’s horn lit up; she blasted Essenta against the wall, “Don’t you dare interfere!” Delia managed to lunge, with Cassia’s power diverted; she’d almost sprung on Cassia but was stopped. Cassia had just managed to catch her. Casting her gaze to the side, Delia saw Orni helping Essenta. It was apparent all this was very taxing for the psychic. Delia could see her shake and quiver; she felt the magic weakening and wavering. Delia studied her a moment. Taking in the vision of Cassia, Delia saw she was in sorry shape: she looked as if she’d been beaten; she was beyond exhausted; she looked ready to die! Delia realized… she was dying. It came out of Delia’s mouth, her anger dissipating for a moment, “What did they do to you?” Cassia’s face twisted into a sad mask of fury; she gritted her teeth. With a few gaps now visible in her previously perfect dentition, “They did what soldiers do, Delia… what some of them do... It doesn’t matter the age; they’ll take it regardless, sometimes. Delia realized in alarm that Cassia was bleeding out the back, in addition to her bruises and other injuries. “No…” Delia could barely fathom it and she'd known some awful things to happen. An old mare?! “Yes, Delia…” Cassia exhaled, struggling to maintain the spell, much less stand. “I managed to kill a couple of them… I blew their brains out… I was going to escape… cross the desert… and go die surrounded by my fillies! But they caught me… It’s taking all I have just to be here… alive. It took me all day to get here... I have moments, perhaps. So, I thought I’d pay you a visit. This all happened because you came here…” Orni cowered off to the side, now behind Essenta, who wasn’t feeling her beans much either; this was fucked up. The four heads in the opening turned as somepony staggered in. “What the Hell is this…?” Dechaa looked about blearily. Seeing another unicorn, Cassia countered quickly; she wouldn’t tolerate another magic user causing issue, “Sleep!” With a spark of Cassia’s horn, Dechaa dropped like a sack of potatoes. The old unicorn gasped in pain, just about falling to her knees. Seeing her friend “hurt” by Cassia had Delia’s blood running hot again, “Cunt!” Essenta and Orni dared not move, pressed to the wall. Delia seethed, her eyes darting from her friends to Cassia; she could feel Cassia weakening further but knew the old mare wasn’t done. Coughing violently, Cassia brought up a trickle of blood; hoofing her ribs, she glared towards Essenta, “You’ve let a real monster crawl into bed with all of you, Princess…” Essenta finally noted the menace Cassia gave off; it wasn’t like what she’d felt from the various “powerful stallions” in the past… it was black… “If you knew what kind of pony you and your little party wanted to drag along on whatever you’re trying to do you would’ve run…” Cassia breathed. Delia heaved against the magic; Cassia was calling on her very life energy, it seemed, to keep up her spell. She anxiously watched Cassia approach her friends. “Remember Noach getting you all calm and entering your minds? Kind of like making love?” Cassia asked maliciously. Delia realized what Cassia was up to, “No! Stay out of their heads!” Cassia released Delia, only to encase her in a bubble, “Shut the fuck up.” Delia bellowed and banged on the barrier, unable to do anything else. “Relax, whore…” Cassia hissed. “And save your oxygen; you’ll be in there a little while.” The old one moved closer to the mares. “Keep away from her!” Delia yelled to her friends. “Get away! Don’t let her touch you!” Essenta and Orni were too timid to budge; their eyes showed they were petrified. They’d faced a lot, but nothing like this. Cassia sneered, “‘Keep away’?! I’m a little more skilled than Noach!” Orni yipped, burying her face in Essenta’s tunic. The princess felt her blood run cold. “There’s something I want to see…” Cassia muttered. “NO!” Delia burst. Cassia stopped, glaring down at Essenta, “You first, Princess…” “Stop!” Delia was pounding against the bubble for all she was worth. Delia hesitated, “Then again… the princess goes last.” Essenta was magicked away from her friend; Orni's support gone, she toppled over. “Make room, whore…” Cassia magicked Essenta into the bubble with Delia. “Takes less energy for me.” Delia was pressed to the side; her face squished against the hindrance, “Shit…!” Orni was a little dazed, having bonked her head. “You’re Orni, right?” The little Knollwing looked up; she just about wet herself, looking into Cassia’s eyes. “I see…” Cassia seemed to look through Orni. “You’re a Knollwing… You really are.” Orni couldn’t be pressed any further agains the rock-wall; her terrified eyes streamed. “You’re first, cripple,” Cassia aimed her horn at Orni. Delia was fuming but unable to see; Essenta could see and cried out, “No! Please!” Cassia paid the princess no mind and set Orni to sleep, entering her mind.