//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5: Take Flight 
// Story: Where Evil Sleeps 
// by Nanrite 
//------------------------------//

The pair searched the main hall from top to bottom, but there was no sign of Swift Hoof. No muddy hoofprints, no note left for them, not even signs of a struggle. It was like the Chomplane plantation had just swallowed him up. 
“Maybe Sky finally made it back?” Remy asked, turning to her squadmate and looking at him hopefully. 
“They would have radioed us if that were the case!” Lance cursed. “This… damn it, it makes no sense!” 
Remy opened her mouth to speak but didn’t know what to say. After a few moments she shifted her saddle bag off her back and rummaged through it, producing her walkie. 
“Bow, this is Golden Remedy, do you copy?”
Silence.
“Bow… Captain Swift… anypony?”
Silence.
Suddenly there was a crash from somewhere above them. Lance quickly grabbed his spear with his magic and backed closer to Remy. “Get your knife.” 
Remy threw her radio back into her saddle bags and grabbed the knife she had stored in a side compartment. She unsheathed the small weapon with her wings and held it in front of her. 
“Sounded like glass breaking,” Remy whispered in a low voice. 
“It’s the Captain,” Lance said. “Got to be.” 
“Why do you say that?” Remy asked. 
“The sound came from the second floor, no way that thing outside got up there without coming through here first.” Lance began. “And if that were the case then why haven’t we heard anything until now? Surely there would be a struggle since Swift was waiting here for us. Listen Remy… I will go investigate the sound, you stay here where it’s sa-” 
“We aren’t separating,” Remy ordered.  
“You know I am your superior, correct?” Lance asked with a laugh. 
Remy said nothing, just glared up at him in defiance. 
“Fine fine, lets go,” Lance smiled. And with that he turned away from her and looked around the room. “We need to get up there, no stairs here though.” 
“The library had a way up,” Remy started, but then remembered the pony Lance and saw who locked that path. 
“That’s a no-go,” Lance told her. He placed a hoof on his chin and then shrugged. “Fuck it, we’ll just search each room ‘til we find some stairs. It sounded like it came from the east side, so let's get going.” 
Remy nodded in agreement and the two made for the double doors on the east side of the main hall.


15 minutes ago…


Sky hadn’t seen it until its talon had slashed at her, grazing her left cheek then disappearing again back down into the fog. She spun, barely avoiding the creature and dropping her radio in the process. She flapped her wings then looked around, seeing nothing. 
“What the fuck was that?!” the batpony thought to herself. Then it appeared from the thick fog below her—a creature with the body of an eagle, if an eagle were ten times bigger. But its head... she couldn’t believe her eyes. It had the body of an eagle but the head of a pony. When it opened its massive jaws, Sky saw a mouthful of razor sharp teeth.  
Sky quickly dodged as the massive creature barreled past her, chomping down with its deadly maw. Sky wiped the blood from her cheek and drew out a bowie knife from her belt. As the creature veered around to get another go at her, she placed the blade in her mouth and waited. It drew closer, as it did it seemed to smile, its razor sharp teeth gleaming at Sky before it opened its mouth, ready for a meal. 
Right as it was on her, Sky flapped her strong wings and flew up, just above the creature, before descending again and grabbing the beast by its feathery back. It let out a screech and shifted from left to right wildly, trying to knock off the pony on its back. It flapped its mighty wings, flying faster than even most pegasi could. 
Sky held on with her hooves, the bowie knife still tightly secured in her muzzle. Using a wing, she gripped the blade’s handle. With all of her might and sent the large blade down straight into the back of the eagle-pony hybrid. It let out another screech and spun, sending Sky off its back in a tailspin before she could pull the knife from the creature. She flapped her wings, trying desperately to stabilize herself. After a few seconds she was in control again, but as she got her bearings, she could see the creature was flying straight at her. 
Sky tried to trick the creature again, but it was ready. Right as Sky flew up it followed with a loud chomp from its massive jaws. Sky flew as hard as her wings could take her, but it wasn’t enough, this monster was faster. She had to think of something. 
Suddenly Sky flapped her wings again and held herself still, like her body had just shut down. The creature didn’t mind; it opened its massive jaw as wide as it would go, threatening to swallow the batpony whole. But right as it started to bite down in anticipation of its meal, Sky kicked down, breaking a tooth off of the creature and slicing her back hoof open in the process, but that was all she needed. 
She kicked the creature off her injured leg and spun down behind it, grabbing a hoof-full of its feathers in one hoof and her bowie knife—still lodged in the creature's back—in the other. The creature flapped its powerful wings again, trying to shake off the foreign invader for a second time. Sky knew if it did, it would be the end for her. 
Sky exerted leverage on the knife and pulled it out with a hoof wrapped around the handle. Blood sprayed her face and chest, almost causing her to let go, but she held strong. The creature screeched in pain.  
Sky wasted no time. In a split second, Sky let go of the feathers and placed both hooves on the bowie knife, before sending it thrusting downward with every last bit of strength she still had, stabbing deep into the spine of the hybrid monster. 
It tried to screech again but just coughed up blood before descending in a spiral to the fog and the forest below, to its death. 
Sky ripped the knife from the creature and was hurled off its back, tumbling through the fog. She couldn’t stabilize herself this time. She smacked into something, breaking it before losing consciousness.