//------------------------------// // Chapter 46 - Long live the King // Story: Wherever the Light Shines: Part 2 // by MLPSolarDash1907 //------------------------------// In his throne room, King Clawdius sits in his place, his chin in his right paw, bored and impatient to receive the report. Then, he heard somelion enter. He looked up to see his trusted lioness, Leandra. She approached and bowed before him. “Your Majesty,” said Leandra. “We’ve caught the target.” Clawdius nodded. “Good. Where is she now?” “In the bunkers just outside the residences.” “Bring her in,” Clawdius’ look hardened. “This had better be worth it like you said.” He shifted in his throne, placing his chin in his left paw. “You get the guards to round up all in the kingdom for this occasion.” “Already on it.” Starlight couldn’t breathe. All she could see was the rough fabric of the sack she was in. It felt like it was closing in on her, and wanting to squeeze the very life out of her. She looked down at the chains on her hooves, keeping them from moving freely. I... I was just sitting! She thought, shutting her eyes shut, hoping to wake up from a very bad dream. She wanted to be back in Equestria, safe in her bed, and forget about this nightmare. Unfortunately, when she opened her eyes, she only saw the sack she was tightly wrapped in. “The King’s ready,” said a voice, causing Starlight to cover her face. “Is the pretty pony ready?” a second chuckling voice asked. “Yeah,” replied a feminine voice. Starlight felt something sharp jab her in the side. “The king wants to see you, little pony! It’s your lucky day!” Starlight could only tremble as she let out an involuntary squeak and nearly yelped when she felt the sack being dragged along the floor. Then, she felt the sack being turned over, causing her to tumble out of it and landing flat on her face. “Get up!” a feminine voice barked, grabbing Starlight roughly by the mane. Starlight screamed, only to receive a powerful slap across the face that shut her up. “Move now!” Numbed with fear, she did so, keeping her head low. About one hundred yards away from the walls of the kingdom, Mystic and her party had been watching them for what felt like an hour. They stayed behind various smooth rock formations that were a part of the treacherous mountains. Mystic impatiently prodded at the ground with her hooves. She glanced over at Applejack, Rainbow, and Pinkie. Both Fluttershy and Rarity decided to stay back at the village, and Mystic thought it was for the best. But she remembered how Fluttershy’s confidence that she’d known had vanished. She lowered her gaze towards the ground and just breathed out her nostrils. I guess if we do succeed, we’ll see how much this’ll affect Oogundaa, Mystic thought. “I’ve done my sweep of the northern wall,” Sunset said from behind Mystic. “Good,” came Twilight’s voice. Mystic turned to see her approaching. “Because we just got our final report.” Mystic held a glare as Jia approached the herd. “Jia, how’re things going?” Applejack asked. “So far so good,” replied Jia. “The place was rather tough to get through, but my soldiers and I managed to make a hole and get inside the wall’s perimeter.” “What’s the layout of the place?” Rainbow asked. “Well, we’ve got residencies on the north and south sides followed by two smaller temples and at the center is the main temple,” Jia explained. “Our troops have managed to sneak in and take out the watchers along the walls.” “Anycreature notice anything?” “Not that I know of,” replied Jia. “The wolves are moving into position close to the temple along with the best of my troops.” She sighed. “I can’t believe how stealthy they are.” “They’re hunters,” said Mystic. “Unlike all of you.” Jia just turned away from her. “So, we’re about ready?” Sunset asked. Mystic could see a spark in her eye, one she knew too well. “We’ll wait for my second in command and the lead wolf to give us an update,” replied Jia. She looked behind Mystic. “There they are now.” Mystic turned to see a burly brown stallion and Gunnolf crouching as they approached them. “We’ve got a problem,” Gunnolf whispered. “What now?” Twilight asked with a sigh. “Apparently, the pony you’d just rescued has been captured by the Pride.” Mystic froze as Twilight’s eyes widened. Applejack put a hoof over Twilight’s mouth, the alicorn releasing a muffled scream into it. “What’re we going to do now?” Mystic asked, getting past the shock. “Accalia says she has some ideas hatching,” replied Gunnolf. He looked over his shoulder. “Speaking of which.” The she-wolf came up to Gunnolf and whispered something into his ear. He looked intrigued but then his eyes widened and his jaw slightly fell. “Oh, no!” he said in a hushed tone, “We’re not doing that!” “But you’re so good at it,” Accalia grinned. “What is that, exactly?” Applejack asked. The she-wolf’s grin grew wider as Gunnolf shrank back. As a rattled Starlight forcefully walked through the section of the temple, she looked ahead to see she was in some kind of a wide, open area. It looked a lot like an arena, with bleachers to the left and right of her, both sides stretching up to about eighty feet. About one hundred yards ahead was the ominous picture of the main section of the temple where Starlight presumed the King resided. The chains around her legs seemed to tighten as she moved forward, deciding to look at the ground instead of watching her destination get closer. The temple seemed as old as Oogundaa itself. The granite stone made it seem as if it were almost a part of the mountains she’d been dragged up to. She could make out various carvings of lions within the walls of it and the carving of what she presumed to be the King carved onto the header of the entrance. Walking through the temple’s gaping entrance felt like walking into the bowels of Tartarus. The hallway broke out into an opening where Starlight could see probably hundreds of lions and lionesses sitting in the bleachers and on the floor. At the very end of the large room, the bleachers ended and stairs were leading up to a throne where a giant bi-pedal lion sat in it. He was roughly twenty feet tall just sitting there and wore a long, golden robe that signified his kingship. And to his right, there was a lioness dressed up in her bronze armor. Starlight was forced up the stairs towards the King. She gulped as the lioness next to the King snarled at her. “Bow to King Clawdius,” the lioness said. Not needing to be told twice, Starlight did so and bowed. “Rise,” said a deep voice. Her hooves frozen to the floor; Starlight slowly looked up at the King. His eyes held delight and malice in them as they stared into her soul. “So, you’re the one who wandered into my land, huh?” he asked, sending chills down her spine. Starlight squeaked, unable to respond. “The King asked you a question!” Leandra snapped. “Hush now, Leandra,” Clawdius glared at her. “This isn’t the way to treat our guest.” The lioness took a few steps back. “Apologies.” Clawdius turned back to Starlight. “My, you look ragged. Would you like something to eat? I only offer the best for all creatures. Starlight didn’t buy that for a second, but she decided to roll with things. “I-I’d... like something.” “Very well,” said Clawdius. He turned to Starlight’s right and nodded. Starlight looked in that direction to see a lioness with a hard expression walking over with a basket of fruit. Starlight could make out bananas, passion fruit, mangos, and watermelon. The fruit that caught the unicorn’s attention was a cut pineapple. Her favorite. “Which one do you want?” Clawdius asked. Starlight instinctively pointed at the pineapple. Then, the lioness grabbed it and reached it out to her. Starlight shakily levitated the fruit up to her lips and took a bite. Her eyes widened. Her taste buds danced in response to the exotic fruit that had taken her aback. She looked up at the King. “It’s very good.” Clawdius smiled. “Only the best for my guests and my Pride.” He leaned forward. Starlight nearly cowered but she stood strong. “And for you, I can make life good here for you if you could help me out.” “What do you mean?” Starlight asked nervously. Clawdius’ smile grew. “There’s no need for you to be nervous. You’re among a friend here. Yeah, right, Starlight thought, taking another bite of her pineapple. “You see,” Clawdius frowned. “My kingdom suffered a loss and you, little one, have given the spark back to it.” He smiled again. “And I believe you have what it takes to get it what it truly deserves. Then, we can all make life good for you.” Starlight hid her nervousness again by finishing the rest of her pineapple. “Do we have a deal?” Clawdius asked. “You help us, we give you the best of life?” “I don’t know what I could give you...” said Starlight, trying to suppress a tremble. Clawdius pointed at her. “I think you do, little pony. In fact...” He turned to Leandra. “Are you sure the outside ponies care enough about this one?” That line sent a shiver down Starlight’s spine. “We received reports that they traveled far and wide for this one,” said Leandra. “They must care enough.” Clawdius smirked. “Excellent.” Starlight gulped, unable to help feel responsible for putting her friends in danger again. “So,” said Clawdius, “I think you should definitely get me what I deserve and you’ll be greatly rewarded for it.” Starlight couldn’t look away and knew he was just taunting her. “And after our first failed invasion, we’ll be able to finally take down the ponies who’d defeated my army And we will take the pony land and the Pride will endure for generations!” Clawdius laughed, soon followed by his subjects. Starlight only sulked, looking down, shaking, and sweating. What am I going to do? Starlight thought. The thought to use her magic was an option, but even with that in mind, she wavered in confidence. She began to grow angry at herself. Starlight! What the hay is wrong with you?! she thought, berating herself. She began to channel her magic, but when a lion bumped her, she immediately lost her concentration, growing scared and angry. “I can’t!” Starlight cried. “I think you can,” said Clawdius, his looking hardening. “I can’t!” “You will!” “Hey! Hey!” called a voice. Starlight immediately perked up and the lions quit cheering. “Am I in the right lion temple?” Confused, Starlight turned to see a wolf walking out of the shadows. Her eyes widened when she saw it was Gunnolf, the Pride on the bleachers and floor looked at him in confusion. What in the... Starlight thought. Gunnolf gasped loudly, his eyes locking behind Starlight. “Oh, my stars! Is that King Clawdius?” He laughed. “Oh, what an honor!” He bowed. “I must say I’ve heard of your legendary kingly status and I just needed to heed direction from you.” “Seize him,” said Clawdius. The Pride began to close in on him. “Oh! Yeah! Yeah!” said Gunnolf, smiling toothily. “Seize me by all means! But just wow,” he motioned to Clawdius. “Just look at all that... mane so wavy and shiny! It’s remarkable!” “Gunnolf? You idiot!” a feminine voice called. Starlight shook her head and rubbed her eyes as another wolf emerged. It was Accalia. “How dare you approach the temple without supervision and respect!” “Oh, come on! You were complaining for two hours without any direction back home!” Gunnolf turned to her, forming a glare. “Only because you act like an idiot while navigating!” “I got us here to the magnificent King Clawdius!” “By luck!” Gunnolf turned to Clawdius. “See this crazy wolf here? She’s just about the craziest thing imaginable!” “Throw them off the mountain,” Clawdius ordered. “But I came here because I want to be so much more,” said Gunnolf, ignoring the Pride closing in. “Look, being a wolf isn’t easy. I hunt, I patrol, I take a nap once in a while. But I was hoping that I’d get away and decide to learn the ways of the lions.” “Gunnolf, the Pride is surrounding us,” said Accalia. “Focus on what matters first, Accalia,” Gunnolf said. “Gunnolf!” “Oh, you’re such a drama!” Gunnolf turned to her. As Gunnolf and Accalia began arguing again, Starlight caught something moving close by. She looked over to the pillars. Behind them, she saw Twilight, eyes on the King. The alicorn looked at her and motioned with her head to come with her. Looking up, Starlight saw that Clawdius was distracted with the wolves. Carefully, she took a few steps away. None of the Pride noticed. A few more steps and she reached Twilight. “Let’s go,” Twilight whispered. As much as she wanted to hug her former mentor right there, Starlight obliged. The unicorn did her best to keep quiet with the chains around her hooves. She took a glance at the wolves, now they were wrestling while arguing while the members of the Pride had their eyes trained on them. Starlight winced at her chains rattling, hoping that their arguing would cover the sound. A lioness turned to look behind her. Starlight froze when her eyes landed on her. She immediately turned to the King. “The ponies are escaping!” she shouted. Starlight gasped. Twilight shot a beam of magic at her chains, and Starlight immediately bolted alongside Twilight. “Nocreature leaves!” Clawdius cried. “We can show ourselves out! Thanks! Bye!” cried Gunnolf. Starlight reached the exit and was immediately greeted with the bright sun. But she was able to recover and catch herself from falling down the stairs. Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, the entire Pride was charging out of the Temple’s doors. Lions and lionesses were running down and above on the bleachers. Starlight knew they were going to swarm them. Then, Sunset, Rainbow, Applejack, and Mystic appeared, ready to fight. “Starlight! Run! We’ll hold them off!” said Twilight, her horn alit. Before she could object, Starlight saw the wolf pack, and the pony soldiers were charging into battle. The unicorn decided to obey and run away. The unicorn re-entered the smaller section of the temple and— A loud, piercing roar shook the ground and air surrounding Starlight. Goosebumps formed under her coat as stopped in her tracks and she turned around with wide eyes. There, at the entrance to the main temple was a very angry Clawdius roaring his lungs out. The air around his muzzle seemed to be vibrating as the wolves, ponies, and Pride looked up at him. Frozen to the ground, Starlight watched as Clawdius quit roaring and looked her with an enraged expression. Then, the King climbed up the bleachers and ran on all fours on the rim above them. The unicorn shook her head, clearing her mind and began to run again, barely registering the Pride cheering for their King. Starlight was nearly there at the exit— When the large figure of Clawdius landed right outside of it, causing the unicorn to slide to a stop. “Where do you think you’re going, little unicorn?” Clawdius asked. Feeling a spark of anger come to her, Starlight formed a glare. “Stay away from me!” “Oh, come on,” Clawdius said in a mocking tone. “I can make things really good for you here. Who knows what kind of drama you’d face if you don’t?” Starlight immediately thought of Sunburst and the possibility of being reprimanded for her actions. A small part of her did want this to fade away. But she stood her ground. “I won’t ever be staying in your kingdom!” she cried. “I have friends that’ll treat me far better than you!” Clawdius lunged for her, Starlight screamed and ran up a flight of stairs. “Don’t run away!” she heard him cry. Starlight reached the second floor. Then, Clawdius popped out from underneath the floor. She barely dodged his claws. “From the ultimate ruler of Oogundaa! You hear me?!” Her horn alit with her magic, Mystic shot several knives into a couple of lioness’ necks, ran past them, did a somersault, and threw her macheted right into a lion’s face. The unicorn landed firmly on her hooves. In the midst of the battle, she turned back towards the smaller temple, concern running through her system for Starlight. But with the soldiers, wolves, and Pride fighting all across the open space, there wasn’t an opening. Her instincts flared, she turned to her left and ducked underneath a lion that sailed over her. She looked up at the stair-like structure and got an idea to go help her. The unicorn began galloping across the battlefield, swerving, ducking, and jumping over various members of the Pride as they fought their opponents. Suddenly, a lion pounced on her, knocking the wind out of her and pinning her to the floor. Before she could do anything, she heard a blast of magic and the weight lifted off her. “You all right, Mystic?” Sunset asked. “Just about,” replied Mystic, getting to her hooves. “We’ve got to hold strong!” said Sunset, shooting several bolts from her horn. “What about Starlight?” Mystic asked, punching a lioness in the face. “I’ll try to get to her!” replied Sunset, “Twilight and the others are having to clear the stronghold!” “Make sure she doesn’t get sliced open!” Sunset galloped off in the direction Starlight and the King had gone. Mystic turned her attention back to the battle. Several lions were approaching her. The unicorn’s eyes widened. Thinking quick, she formed a magical rope and managed to get it to wrap around a couple, causing them to fall over. Mystic turned and galloped off, looking over her shoulder, focused her machete on them, and sliced it across one of their faces. The last one looked ticked, so he ran faster, teeth at the ready. Mystic sharply turned back to face him, did a backward somersault onto the steps, when she landed, she did another. Still in the air, the unicorn shot a beam of magic at the lion’s paws, destroying the granite under them and sending him tumbling down. Huffing, Mystic saw Twilight and her friends at the opposite end of the battlefield. She let out an annoyed grunt, deciding to also go after Starlight. I won’t let our mission fail after coming so far! she thought. Mystic turned towards the smaller section of the temple and galloped off towards it. However, a few more members of the pride were making their way towards her. “All of you just don’t give up, do you?” she taunted. “But neither do I!” The unicorn jumped into the air, shooting a beam of magic right in front of them, causing a couple of them to fall and roll towards the ground. The other tried going after her but using her machete, Mystic jabbed it right into his throat, pulling it out as she continued on her way. The unicorn spotted a windowless window that she could leap into and find Starlight However, just below it, time seemed to slow down as Mystic saw a very familiar lioness. Leandra. The head lioness had her hateful gaze locked onto her. Mystic clutched her machete close and got ready as Leandra bared her teeth. “Leave the purple and orange unicorn for the King and I!” Leandra ordered. Mystic climbed further in hopes of having a better advantage point but the head lioness was already on her heels and swiping her powerful claws at her. “I’ll kill you!” Leandra roared. “I guess we’ll see about that!” replied Mystic, letting out a surge of magic, but it had bounced off her armor. Not deterred, Mystic was about to pull out a fire potion but— A gasp escaped her throat as Leandra lunged for her. The lioness’ impact knocked the wind out of her lungs as Mystic realized that they’d gone over the wall of the contained battlefield and towards the Pride’s houses. Starlight squealed, avoiding Clawdius’ great paw. She ran again for what felt like the umpteenth time. She barely registered that they’re in a room filled with pillars all lined up with one another. “Come on, little pony,” came Clawdius’ voice. “I’ll forget all about this if you just give up to me.” Starlight stopped behind one of the pillars, trying to keep herself hidden. She could hear him rummaging through what little room he had. Peeking slightly out of cover, Starlight saw the King was crouched down, breathing hard and his golden robe trailed behind him. He could hardly fit but Starlight still could make out the hateful look in his eyes. Suddenly, Starlight heard a blast of magic and it hit the King in the face. He let out a roar and charged towards who fired, breaking several of the pillars. Starlight looked to her right and saw Sunset running parallel to the charging werelion. Her heart nearly leaped for joy, but the King had cut her off. However, Sunset reappeared behind him in a flash of red. She let out another blast of magic, hitting the King in the back. The King let out another roar. Starlight saw that his robe had been torn but she could make out the bronze armor Leandra had. “That was my favorite robe!” Clawdius cried as he turned around. By then, Sunset was close to the nervous Starlight. The King began making his way towards them, destroying the pillars nearby. “Come on!” Sunset ordered. Starlight bolted towards her and managed to grab hold of her hoof. But Clawdius reached them, knocking them both away from one another. Starlight landed hard on her back, but she managed to sit up and find Sunset again. The King was upon her, the fiery maned unicorn shooting more magic at him, but they deflected because they hit his chest which had the armor covering it. Get up, Starlight! The unicorn thought, picking herself up. She tried charging up her magic but felt a sudden lack of confidence. Before she could think twice, Clawdius swiped his great paw, hitting Sunset. The hit was so strong it sent her flying out a window. “Sunset!” Starlight shrieked. The King turned to her, snarling and showing his sharp teeth. Starlight whimpered and galloped off. Mystic headbutted the head lioness and kicked her in the neck. “You’ll pay for that!” Leandra roared. Mystic only smirked, sending out another surge of magic, but her armor deflected it. “For all of it!” The head lioness charged at her again. But Mystic dodged her, sweeping her machete at her paws. Only for Leandra to turn into a blur. Mystic gasped. The blur came back at her and tackled her, carrying her through the streets of the residential area. Mystic tried hitting at the blur, but nothing came from it. She gasped again when she saw she was being taken towards the edge of a steep slope. The unicorn let out a shout and managed to pull herself free, landing firmly on her hooves and turning towards the blur. It came back at her. Mystic pulled out a fire potion and tossed it. A fire broke out on the street, causing Leandra to come out of the blur and swerve around where Mystic had thrown the potion. How am I going to stop her from doing that? Mystic thought, not sure if she’d be able to stop her if she turned into a blur again. Her mind began to race as Leandra recovered. The unicorn’s gaze landed on Leandra’s armor. Maybe it’s her armor, she thought. Mystic barely had time to think as Leandra began to turn into a blur again. The unicorn saw some stacked barrels nearby. She levitated them and threw them right at Leandra, knocking her onto her back. Mystic lunged for her, tacking the lioness and both rolled down the street. Mystic was able to pin the lioness and grab a hold of her armor. She yanked hard on it and planted her machete underneath the armor’s shoulder. “Get off me!” Leandra roared. Mystic punched her right in the muzzle, knocking one of her teeth out. Finally, she yanked on the armor a few more times and tore it straight off the lioness. Mystic tumbled off her opponent, Leandra crying out in anger and pain. Mystic sat back up, seeing Leandra picking herself back up. She looked at the unicorn with pure hatred. “You little cretin!” she roared. Mystic took notice of an amulet wrapped around her neck. Mystic smirked. “Oh, is that the best remark you’ve got?” Leandra roared. Mystic shot a beam of magic at the lioness just as her body began to blur again. Then, her magic struck the amulet, destroying it. Leandra gasped, looking down in at it in horror. But before Leandra could do anything, with a great bellow, Mystic grabbed a hold of her wrist and threw her towards the edge. The head lioness tried to catch herself but Mystic fired a beam of magic at her face, causing her to tumble over the edge down a steep slope. Mystic could hear her pained roars getting further away until she couldn’t hear them anymore. Almost immediately, Mystic turned back towards where the battle was taking place and galloped off in that direction, hoping that Starlight was okay. Sweat poured down her face. The sounds of heaving breathing heaved through the confined space Starlight still found herself in. Her hooves trembled as she hid behind another pillar, swearing the King was getting closer with every move. One of her hooves made its way up to her trembling lips as she tried to quiet her breathing. “Come now,” said Clawdius, his voice cracking through the air. “Think about it. We can rule Oogundaa and Equestria with great prosperity.” She heard him continue to move in her direction. “Listen to reason.” Starlight couldn’t think. All she could do was hope and pray to Celestia that she wouldn’t be found. The great werelion continued to move in her direction. But stopped. She heard him beginning to go the other way. The unicorn listened until she heard his pawprints had faded. Letting out a slight sigh of relief, Starlight turned to her right to get out of here. “Found ya!” Starlight screamed. She bolted as a paw nearly grabbed her. As the unicorn galloped for her life, she heard the King thrashing and breaking past more pillars. Starlight ran faster, her heart pounding in her ears. More crashing and they were getting closer. A glance behind her and Clawdius was closing in fast. Starlight focused ahead of her and saw a window with a tree close by. Picking up the pace, Starlight just kept running, focusing on her destination it seemed Clawdius was right behind her. When she reached the window, Starlight let out a scream, lunged out the window, and felt the tips of Clawdius’ claws running through her tail. She landed hard in the tree, grabbing the limb just before she slipped. The unicorn looked back to see Clawdius trying to burst through the wall. Suddenly, Starlight heard a deep rumble. As Clawdius looked up, Starlight followed his gaze to see that the temple had started to crumble. Now back on the battlefield, Mystic kicked another lioness aside. She paused when she heard something collapsing. The unicorn sharply looked up to see that the smaller section of the palace crumbling. In her shock, she barely noticed members of the Pride and the army running away. “Starlight!” she heard Twilight cry. Mystic’s heart raced as the structure completely collapsed, now nothing but rubble. It was dead quiet on the battlefield. The Pride ran over to the wreckage to presumably help their king. Mystic saw Twilight and her friends galloping over as well, so she joined their side. On top of the rubble, Mystic immediately began tossing chunks of rubble aside to find Starlight. “Come on, come on,” Mystic muttered. “If she’s trapped under there...” Twilight began to sob. “She’s up there!” cried Jia. Mystic looked up and saw Starlight clinging to a nearby tree for dear life. A sigh of relief escaped her throat. Twilight flew up to her, grabbed her with her magic, and flew back down onto the ground. “No!” Mystic heard. She turned to see higher up on the rubble, some of the lions were looking at something in complete horror. All of the felines looked at ponies, dumbfounded and scared of them. Some shrank even shrank back. At this sight, Mystic’s spirits began to brighten. Did their king die? Mystic saw the wolves and soldiers readying their weapons at the Pride. But the felines turned and ran off. Mystic could hear voices clamoring. The unicorn turned and saw the members of the Pride in the battlefield scattering and running off. Some ran back into the temple and others out of the area completely. “Their king is dead!” Jia announced. Mystic couldn’t help but smile. They had done it? Is Oogundaa free from Clawdius? “I can confirm!” Gunnolf announced, standing by the lieutenant. Mystic suppressed a laugh. She watched the soldiers and wolves cheer for their victory. She saw Sunset climbing onto the rubble and reuniting with her friends. Starlight hugged Sunset tight. As everycreature celebrated, Mystic thought back to Cierra, Meng, and the Liberators. She slightly frowned. If only they could see this now... she thought. Mystic saw the ponies she’d traveled with had looks of sadness. The unicorn could understand why, because she knew that they wished they didn’t have to have a villain die. “Let’s clear out,” Jia announced. “And get back to regroup!” Meanwhile, a young dragoness’ orange wings beat fast as she flies to where her friends were. The Changeling Kingdom is close, but not close enough. Scanning the ground and the plants for her friends, her heart raced and sweat poured down her face. I’ve got to find them! Smolder thought. That bear-like creature is right on my tail! Looking over her shoulder, she saw the dark skrees scouring the area she’d just escaped from. Her icy blue eyes widened as she flew faster.