Zephyr was trembling in fear.
The wizard-stallion that stood before him was smirking that I'm-going-to-tell-on-you look. But instead he just stood still, continuing to gaze into her soul.
“Well, I know you're a mare because of that physique under your cloak, and if you've been sent here you must be some kind of importance, and I can tell by your glistening armor that you, little mare, are the future empress. But why the Empire would send their future leader to possibly her death, I am not sure.” He said. With one flicker of light from his horn, Zephyr’s cloak disintegrated into ash. The wizard’s smirk widened and Zephyr became frustrated.
“Who are you?” she asked. The wizard shook his head and circled around her like a shark and poor prey.
“Borealis, but I already know who you are.” He replied.
Zephyr found herself rolling her eyes. “Of course you do. All the tribes want me dead.”
“Actually, I would prefer your capture.”
“That's beside the point.”
Borealis sighed. “I don't get why the Pegasus Empire would send their most adorable assassin…” his sigh turned into a chuckle as he suddenly teleported to a window, taking a peak at the village below. Zephyr scoffed but stayed put, even though she wanted to strangle the blue stallion badly.
“I am not cute, and I am not an assassin. I'm simply here for… something.” She replied to him. Borealis turned and looked at her playfully.
“And what would that something be, princess?” He asked. Zephyr bit her lower lip. Perhaps she had said too much… it was initially supposed to be a quick run-in steal, but now… there was no chance.
Zephyr sighed and took off her helmet. “May we exchange like formal ponies?” She asked. Borealis smiled and walked back to her.
“Oh, yes we may, princess.” He replied with a fake posh accent. Zephyr cleared her throat and slowly held out her golden plated helmet.
“The helmet for… the stone.” She told him in a stern voice.
Borealis’s eyes widened for a second before going back into normal size. “Tsk tsk, princess… that's a tough trade. And I know which stone you're talking about.” He replied, holding up a glowing violet stone that seemed to radiate energy.
“Yes, that one.” Zephyr replied. “Isn't that a fair trade?”
Borealis shook his head and tucked the stone into one of his cloak pockets. “Look, cutie. The stone contains incredible amounts of energy and power, so much that you've never seen before. This little stone can shift the entire momentum of the war to whatever side wields it. How else would us unicorns be winning?” He replied. Zephyr was confused. Obviously the Pegasi were winning, right?
“Wait… the unicorns are winning?” She asked. Borealis simply nodded and once again took out the stone for plain view.
“As a matter of fact, our forces are advancing on your capitol right now.” He said in a playful tone. Zephyr was growing anxious. Borealis had to be sticking up that stone to tempt her… that was the mission’s main objective—steal the stone. A drop of sweat slid down her forehead.
Borealis seemed to notice this and put it on the table beside him. Suddenly he teleported right in front of her, so close that they could feel each other's breath.
“...we can work things out, cutie. That would make it a fair—” he couldn't even finish because in one quick motion, Zephyr pushed past him and lunged for the stone. She hoped to grab it and make a quick fly out the window, but that was crushed when she found herself tripped up by Borealis’s hoof. She fell face first onto the hard, cold floor and felt Borealis pin her down.
“Why did I expect that?” He asked. Zephyr groaned and attempted to get back up, but Borealis’s weight was too much. “Now let's try this again, princess. We can still make a fair deal, but we just need to adjust your part of it.” He told her.
Suddenly Zephyr got a hoof loose and tried to knock Borealis off her, but he anticipated it and grabbed it before it could touch him. After that he pushed her hoof against her back hard, sending a jolt of pain to her arm.
“Ack… I'm sure we can work something out…” she managed to say, ignoring the pain.
“Good.” Borealis responded. He got off her back and helped her stand up.
“Now, don't do anything stupid. If you try to attack me again I can easily send a ray of lightning through your body and instantly kill you. But why would I want to do that to a cutie like you?” He said, poking her nose in the process. She rolled her eyes and shoved his hoof back.
“Just tell me your ‘adjustment.’” She said.
Borealis mumbled something and pointed to the armour that she was already wearing. Zephyr was stunned.
“...really?” She asked. Borealis smiled and nodded.
“Yes, princess. That is a very rare metal you currently possess. It has such unbelievable power and grace. It would be the next step into making my… uh.” He told her.
“Your what?”
“Nothing you need to worry about, princess.”
Zephyr nodded in agreement, but it was fake. Whatever this thing was that he was planning, it was obviously not beneficial to either of the rival tribes. Maybe not even his own, which was the most disturbing part.
“So… all of the armor pieces?” She asked. Borealis nodded and turned away.
“I can give you privacy, like what a gentleman would do to his mare.” He offered. Zephyr scoffed and started to take off the armor.
“Ok, let's get this straight… I AM NOT YOUR MARE!” She yelled.
Borealis giggled but stopped when Zephyr threw the chestplate at him.
“Ow!”
This time, Zephyr was giggling. Borealis just let it go and let Zephyr take off all the armor and place it on the ground. “There. That's all of it. Now where's the stone?” She asked.
Borealis turned back around and gasped at the assortment of glistening beauty. The only words that managed to sneak out of his mouth were “the table…”
So Zephyr followed his instructions and took the stone, tucking it deep in her folded wing. But just as she was about to walk out, Borealis caught her in his magic.
“Wait, princess. I have something to say.” Zephyr turned around to find Borealis face to face with her. He smiled.
“Be safe flying.”
And he landed a small kiss on her cheek.
She felt herself blushing as he teleported her out of the fortress. If he liked her, did she like him back?
•=+=•
Diamond found herself slowly waking up, staring at complete gray stone.
Her view was sideways, so it looked like she was flattened against a wall. But she was actually just against the ground. She tried to stand but her entire body ached. The last thing she could remember was being pushed down a dark hole… which she was probably still stuck in.
Finally she gathered the strength to fully stand up but used the wall next to her as support. It was cold stone, because it was cold in this hole.
“H-Hello?...” she stammered.
The only reply she got was her own echo, which meant this hole or cave or whatever extended further. Using the wall as her guide, she crept around the room to find out if there was a tunnel. To her luck, there was, and it was also lit up too, but only dimly. She hesitated. What was in this tunnel anyways? More Pegasi? Or another danger?
She shook these fears off and walked inside. She found herself limping, probably because of how she fell. Diamond sighed. If she could only limp, what were the chances that she could be able to run away successfully from these dangers that could come out of nowhere and attack her?
Ugh… there's that fear again, she thought.
But was there really anything at all? The only sounds were the clomping of her hooves and the dripping of water trapped underground.
“Anyone there?...” she called out, her voice calmer. Still, nothing but her echo. As she entered a clearing, she could now hear a new sound: a crunch below her hooves. Diamond shuddered. Whatever the sound was, she did not want to know. She just kept going and going. Eventually she would hit something, right?...
Wrong.
Whatever she was in, it took forever to reach anything. But there was a new sound added to the crunching and stomping below her. This sound was the rumble of—machinery? Who would build a factory down here? A little after that she reached an opening to a balcony of some sort, where an incredible sight laid upon her. There seemed to be dozens of Pegasi working at a conveyer belt making weapons, explosives, prosthetics… what the hay?!
An entire enemy factory below Earth pony territory? How did the ponies not know about this, or this huge system of tunnels, or the outpost in the first place?!
Diamond sighed. No wonder the Pegasi seemed so intimidating; they knew everything. Every village, city, plan, strategy, all of it.
If there was anything to stop it, what was it?