Expedition to the Cloudbreak Islands

by Starglider


Sacrifice

Grenelda had grown up in the cluttered alleys and crowded bazaars of Mareran, on the Saddle Arabian border. Built long after the fall of Babtalon, the few griffons still living in the ruins were absorbed into the burgeoning pony settlement, though not smoothly. Even by the time of Luna's return, the griffs were still something of an underclass, many trapped in crime and poverty.

Her chickhood meant she was less claustrophobic than the average giff, but that didn't mean she liked being trapped in a pitch-black crumbling mine tunnel infested with unnatural arachnids. The hen peered out of her mine cart, trying to make out their opponents in the flickering lantern light. A flash of motion triggered a reflexive duck for cover; the incoming arrow clanged harmlessly off the iron hopper.

"Shit!" To her left, Clashing Gale's expression showed he was in a similar frame of mind. The hen's head popped up again, quickly assessing the scene: a swarm of spiders crawling towards them, but the arrow had come from further down... woah! Cloud Cutter was suddenly right there, all up in the face of a shocked bow-wielding spider-taur and glowing bright purple. So bright it was hard to look at; Grenelda averted her gaze as that unholy aura rippled out and made a mockery of the attacking force.

The wave of purple energy simply negated the life processes of the spidrow archer and the smaller (albeit still dinner-plate-sized) spiders surrounding it. His green face was a mask of shock and horror before the many-limbed form crumpled and fell motionless. Two spiders were far enough ahead to escape the blast; they froze for a few seconds, then pressed forward again, crawling up the rusty flank of the ore truck in search of the griffon within.

"Whoo! Cloud Cutter came prepared," Grenelda crowed. One spider made it to the rim of the hopper, but the griffon had heard its claws scraping up the side. With one slash of her talons she casually sliced it apart, pulling back before its flaming guts could burn her. Easy prey... but this was probably only the first wave. She turned to Clashing Gale and winked: "Wanna get the other one?"

The batpony watched with a mix of awe, horror and appreciation as Cloud Cutter decided the spider-drow should cease to exist. Quite the light show - much moreso in the dark mine than practicing at the quarry. Seeing Grenelda swat a spider he sprang into action, flapping up and out of the cart then spotting the remaining arachnid lurking near the wheels. Not much life force in the little creature, but he wouldn't say no to an appetiser... The stallion dropped out of the air, landing with one hoof on the spider. Moments later it was a shrivelled husk, electrical defence bypassed as its vital energies were stolen away.

Sprocket leaned out of the driver's cab, trying to get a better look down the tunnel. She began charging her horn, intending to send a burst of flame ahead like a flare. Before she could do so there was a sharp crack as an obsidian-tipped arrow punched through the driver's window. The thick glass crazed over with cracks but still hung in the frame, the arrow embedded half-way through it. The unicorn drew back in shock at the suddenness of the assault, losing her spell as her concentration was disrupted.

Out in front of the train, Set Sail was stuck between the locomotive and the pile of boulders blocking its progress. She flinched down as the arrow whistled past... then something splashed into the pile of rocks and splattered all over the nearby tunnel. An ichor that sizzled and bubbled wherever it landed - her quick descent meant that the pegasus only caught a few drops of the substance, but that was enough to burn pinholes in her wings and send a searing pain through her flank.

“Sprocket! Cover m—agch what—nnh!”. The pegasus crouched low behind the rocky cover, shivering in horror as she realised that a direct hit would likely have burned her skin off. For her part Sprocket used her glowing magic to clear away the shards of glass, the evil-looking black arrow clattering to the floor.

At the opposite end of the train, the bright purple flash had drawn Azure Feather's attention. Fortunately years of combat drills, not to mention spellcasting experience, meant she was primed to spot danger in her peripheral vision. She saw the tell-tale glow of the spell just in time to take cover, ducking down into the hopper. A bright bolt of magic streaked out of a second side-tunnel, sizzled over her head and blew a chunk out of the rocky wall behind, spraying shrapnel and purple sparks everywhere.

Knowing the caster would take a little time to prepare the next spell, she popped up again, seeking her opponent in the gloom. Another of the spider-drow, like its fellow accompanied by a half-dozen pets - instead of carrying a bow, its fingers and abdomen glowed with arcane energy. Without wasting a second, Azure sprang into the air and released an opening salvo of wind blades. If necessary she would escalate to a cyclone, but she didn't want to spend energy unnecessarily; she'd need every drop of mana if the trip turned out to be a gruelling slog through arachnid hordes.

Azure Feather fired once, twice into the darkness, then ducked again as another return shot came in; it struck the rim of the cart, spraying energy right into her mane. In the confusion of noise and shifting shadows it was hard to get a bead on the enemy... she flapped up into the air and loosed a third, then a fourth shot into the gloom of the side tunnel. The last one struck flesh, resulting in a piercing shriek and a stream of unintelligible curses as the spidrow scuttled back, seeking cover deeper in the tunnel. Meanwhile the magic duel had provided cover for a half-dozen spiders to crawl up to Azure's cart...

Fortunately Blaze Trails was on the case - the cart she shared with Melonwater was right behind Azure's. "Do your best to stay out of combat," she told the undergrad geologist, "I'll be close - just gotta stop those beasties from chewing on Azure." Looking back over her shoulder, she called to the hippogriff: "Grenelda, Clashing and CeeCee have got the front - you wanna help us clear the back?" Without waiting for a response, she leapt out of the train, knife in her teeth as she prepared to deal with the spiders.

With a well-placed swing and a smooth follow-through, the nearest was cleaved right through, collapsing into a pile of twitching, sparking legs. The others had warned her about these things' tendency to explode into Elemental energy, and she wasn't getting caught if she could help it. Looking up she saw Azure seemed to be winning the spell duel, except... there, a flicker of motion back the way they'd came. "Azure, spidrow, nine o'clock!" Blaze yelled.

Stuck in the middle of the train, Reef Skimmer took a moment to get his bearings, what with magical blasts going off all around, creatures shouting and screaming. That purple flash - no doubt Cloud Cutter was laying waste to the enemy again. He latched onto what sounded like a clear order and followed the earth pony, body expanding into a tentacled monster as he did so. The mutated griff scrambled and slithered over the next cart, ignoring the green earth stallion huddled in the bottom, and took stock of the situation.

There was Azure, firing into a side tunnel, there was Blaze, fighting spiders and shouting about... another enemy? Reef's eyes were made for searching the ground from thousands of metres above, not seeing in near-total darkness, yet... there was a many-legged silhouette, not to mention a feeling of life energy mixed with some unpleasant flavour of magic. He pointed his tentacles in the general direction of the hostile and let fly with the strongest blast of water he could summon.

The trailing spidrow had been creeping towards the rear of the train, hoping to get her spear into one of the invaders while they were pinned down by the spellfire. Now she found herself thrown back against the rock wall by a punishing torrent of water. Flesh bruised and carapace cracked, before the stunned creature was swept back into the side chamber she'd been lurking in.

Azure was startled by her companion's warning, not to mention the sudden jet of water passing centimetres from her head. She quickly she got her bearings and realised her squad were just doing their jobs. "Owe ya one, Blaze, Reef! We're pushing them back, but keep your eyes open for more!" With that she resumed fired into the side tunnel, ensuring no spidrow could advance that way without enduring painful lacerations.

With the first wave of spiders dealt with, Grenelda was peering into the side tunnel where Cloud Cutter stood. With the purple light gone she couldn't see anything, squawking: "Yo, get back, Cloud Cutter. Could be anything down there." Running off into that maze of utter blackness was suicide, their best bet was to hide in the train and wait for the rest to reveal themselves. Clashing Gale was thinking along the same lines, but he couldn't take cover while one of his squad was out there, fully exposed.

Gathering her courage, Set Sail peaked out from behind her rocky cover. “Okay, there’s two of them...” she murmured, "and a dozen smaller ones." Her heart beat at about a million times a minute. Sheathing her axe, she grabbed her lantern and advanced in reverse, skittering around the locomotive. “Keep the spiders back!” she shouted to Sprocket as she galloped past her, “We’re counting on you!”

There was the griffon hen, crouched in the second mine cart, and the batpony, standing to one side. Further back, all she could see was Reef's tail tentacles thrashing about, obscuring the action at the rear. “There’s a whole mess of them in front of the train!” Set Sail said with great urgency, “With some kind of acid spitting monster, so I can’t get close! No way Sprocket can hold them back herself. Grenelda! Go help her!”

A quick flap brought Grenelda up to the locomotive; she flattened herself across the top of the driver's cab, ready to take cover should any of this corrosive crap come her way.

The hen cocked a beaky grin as she looked down the sights of her flywheel-powered cannon. "Finally time to bust this thing out!" she cackled. Sure there were some spiders crawling around, but she was aiming for bigger prey... yeah, there was one of the spidrow, right at the back. Time to put Nutmeg's creation to work.

The flywheel spun up, the fire crystal flared, and with a whump it launched a superheated projectile. The griffon felt the kick through her whole body as she lurched back on the steel roof. Her snap shot went wide of its mark, streaking down the tunnel ahead of the train to blast a hole in one of the walls. The light and noise did effectively illuminate and stun the two spidrow lurking ahead of the rubble; one was nooking an arrow to fire back at the griffon gunner while the second was preparing another spell, electricity arcing between his raised spider forelegs.

Grenelda ducked away before the retaliation could arrive. "Sprocket!" she cawed, the thrill of combat getting to her as she slid down behind the metal cab. "Can you show 'em something nice and explodey! It's about two car lengths past the rubble!"

“Yeah! Got just the thing,” Sprocket replied eagerly. She levitated a wooden sphere out of her satchel; it hovered for a moment in the pretty glow of her orange magic, then sailed out through the broken porthole. The unicorn concentrated, brightening her magic around the ball; it promptly caught fire. With a final toss it sailed down the tunnel and dropped between the two spidrow, burning merrily.

“Now you can see!” Sprocket crowed - their foes were indeed quite visible in the flickering orange light. She wondered how long that one would burn before its other properties... heh, ignited.

"Nice!" Grenelda squawked out, waiting for the spidrow to take their shots before she replied with another of her own - and this time she would see what she was aiming at.

At the back of the train, Blaze had a thankful look on her face as Reef Skimmer took care of the second spidrow. "Good shot! Watch your right, the one that shot at Azure might be another still around." Another slash of her knife, another spider dispatched before it could leap onto anypony. Wary of more spells coming in, she tried to keep cover between her and the side tunnel.

Reef peered down the relevant tunnel - one of many, the creatures had certainly chosen a good spot for an ambush! There was indeed a glimmer of light somewhere in the depths. Unwilling to let the enemy take another pot shot at the ponies, he blasted more water towards the assumed target. Between the rushing roar and the spray blocking the sight lines, it was impossible to tell if he'd hit anything or if it was even an enemy mage vs a dropped lantern.

"Azure! Flanking maneuverer perhaps?" the hippogriff suggested. "One could keep up the suppressing fire, while you doubled back around that junction?"

Azure Feather considered for a second, then nodded. Stealth wasn't her forte, but flanking was basic combat doctrine... the spidrow could have more reserves back there, waiting to ambush her, but... surely Reef was drawing all the attention. She flew off into the gloom, working her way around to get behind the enemy caster.

Set Sail was starting to think this was going well; holding their own on all fronts; Grenelda and Sprocket holding out at the front, the others winning at the read, Cloud Cutter trotting back towards her... but there was something moving behind her, something rushing up the tunnel before steadying itself with weapon raised...

The spidrow miner had crept up close behind the first archer, ready to defend him should the Eonites charge into close combat. He'd fallen back stunned when the horrible purple flash and made his nestmate collapse lifeless to the ground. Thinking better of getting near that undead horror, he waited until she turned away and then hurled his heavy spear. Hopefully it would skewer the winged death sheep before it could annihilate any more of the brood.

Clashing Gale spotted the incoming attack just in time to save his squad mate. Already tensed and ready to spring, he leapt forward, wings spread. The batpony barrelled into Cloud Cutter, knocking the pegasus clear of the projectile at the cost of putting his own body directly in the path of the spear. The obsidian head of the weapon buried itself in stallion's guts. He crashed to the ground, hind legs spasming uselessly as he felt the wrenching pain within.

At Clashing’s cry of pain, Set Sail hurled herself down that pitch-black corridor without another thought. She dropped to a crouch next to the fallen stallion, looking with horror as her lantern illuminated the spear in his gut. “Oh Celestia you... h-h-hold on we’ll... oh stars I... d-don't move we'll... we'll get you some healing somehow!” she stammered. Then she straightened up, staring into the darkness where a thousand spidrow with spears could lurk. Sliding her axe under her wing, she ran straight in.

The miner rejoiced at landing a solid hit on... not the elemental that had killed his nest-mate... another flying death-sheep? And now there was a third one charging down the tunnel, somehow hefting an enormous axe... while he'd cast his spear, leaving only a utility knife. He wasn't one of the chosen, to raid the surface and fight the beasts of the depths. The spidrow whirled about and scuttled away, hoping to lose the death-sheep in the twists and turns of the tunnels beyond.

It was not to be. The spidrow’s life flashed before his eyes in the form of a lantern playing light across his body as Set Sail soared past him, landing lightly and blocking his way out. She delicately placed down the lantern as one of the spiders leapt at her unprotected flank, and then in a flash it got neatly sliced in half. Then it exploded. Set Sail pointed her axe his way and readied to charge.

"What are you?!" the spider-stallion screamed, scrabbling onto the tunnel wall as he futilely sought a way past the pegasus.

Climbing the wall only gave her more space in the air to build up her swing, as Set Sail smacked the spidrow miner right off of it with the flat of her axe, yelling, “Oh now you choose to speak to us!”

He landed, hopelessly brandishing his knife as she descended on him with her axe, but she only jammed the axe hilt-first into his thorax. Blanching in pain, he swung at her, cutting her across the cheek before she slammed her forehead into his, knocking him back, then kicking the knife out of his limp hand.

“Where were your words?!” the furious pegasus shouted, bucking the hapless spidrow to the edge of the lantern light, then advancing on him, saying “When you were throwing a spear into my friend’s gut?! Why did you attack us? Why do you always attack us?!” She jumped onto his fallen form, pinning two legs with her hooves and getting in his face, saying: “Those cat monsters on the surface gave us a fair warning before attacking and I hate them, so how do you think that makes me feel about you?!”

Meanwhile the two spidrow in front of the train were staring at the burning sphere that had landed between them. The sorcerer cancelled her spell, beginning to summon water instead, but by then Grenelda had taken the opportunity to draw a bead on them, her cannon spun up and ready to blast the creeps. “Not another move, or I shoot you in the head!” the griffon shouted.

“No no they really should move!” Sprocket declared urgently, “Like, right now!”

“What do you mean?!” Grenelda called down to Sprocket, “Do you want a face full of that acid?!”

“No! You should move, really!” Sprocket shouted at them, “Run for ya—” and then the wooden-cased bomb exploded in a titanic boom, sending both spidrow hurtling into the air to slam against the rock walls, then slide down to crumple on the floor. The tunnel was immediately filled by roiling clouds of dust, hiding them from the pony's sight.

“Well I warned them,” Sprocket muttered, "Twelve seconds on that one... maybe need more accelerant."

Grenelda cursed at the lack of a decent shot. She had to content herself with picking off the smaller spiders that had gotten close enough to the locomotive to still be seen.

Far back down the tracks, Azure was flying blind over the switchtrack. One wrong move and she'd slam into the walls, but she couldn't afford to tarry. She couldn't see the stone, but she could sense the air at least, creeping slowly through the mine. The noise and spray of Reef's water attack was right ahead... and there, her opponent. Azure could see the enemy mage only in silhouette, against the dim light from the lantern on the train. She crouched behind a bend in the tunnel, spider body pressed to the ground, sheltering from the jets of water hosing down the passage ahead.

No doubt waiting for a break in the torrent to fire back at the Doctor - Azure wouldn't give her that chance. She knew with all that water that the spider wouldn't see her coming... with that in mind, she just had to make best use of her momentum - by aiming a buck right at the drow's skull. Unicorn or not, every pony in the Lavendar Blades drilled in unarmed combat: the use of every pony's natural weapons.

Azure spun as she landed, pivoting around to bringing rear hooves into position for a swift blow to the cranium. The spidrow slumped to the ground unconscious, a massive bruise forming on the back of her head while her arachnid legs twitched aimlessly. Spider or not, this was good practice for facing the pirates, she thought. With her target knocked out and confirmed down,, she hurried back to rejoin her squad, homing in on the angry shouts from the next tunnel.

"You think you can take our m-magic? Y-you won't make it out with one drop!" the wounded spidrow hissed. "The c-chosen will put an end to you!" he declared, stabbing drunkenly at the brown pegasus with his forelegs.

“Take your magic?!” Set Sail pronounced, aghast, “The only thing we were taking was the train! You were attacking us to take our magic! We don’t need to take anypony’s magic! Why would you think anyone would do that, who didn’t need it to survive? Do I look like I’m half spider??”

Her rage dulling, Set Sail fluttered off of him, standing before him saying, “We heard all about your cocoons. I’ll kill every one of you before I let that happen. But I won’t attack first.”

"That can't... Lies!" the spider-creature hissed, his flat green face confused as much as angry. "What else is there to take? Gold? Gems? Many, many scavengers... picked the bones of Fellis clean! You- you don't know this?"

“Hate to tell you this, but I think every island is lacking in gold and gems,” Set Sail said with a wry grimace, “We’re like every other creature; what we’re after is food, and friendship, and ponies eat grass, not magic.” Brushing herself off, sheathing her axe and lifting her lantern, she took a few steps in Clashing’s direction, before looking over her shoulder and saying sadly to the spidrow, “I’m sorry, my friend is very hurt and... I wish we could’ve met under better circumstances.”

Then she hurried over to join the others gathered around the fallen batpony, leaving the spidrow miner to pick himself up and escape. Though she kept one ear trained his way... just in case he got any ideas. With their spidrow masters unconscious or fleeing the scene, the remaining spiders began to scatter and retreat back into the dark recesses of the mine.

The spear had plunged deep into the batpony's flank, striking just ahead of the hip, its wickedly sharp obsidian head completely buried inside. Blood was oozing out, staining his fur and pooling on the ground - strangely viscous and so dark as to appear black in the flickering light of the lantern. Clashing grimaced with the wrenching pain in his abdomen, along with the complete numbness of his hind legs. Panic tried to take control as he realised he could no longer move them.

Blaze Trails still gripped her knife in her jaws as she watched Azure Feather flutter past, looking around for further enemies - but they all seemed to be dead, or scuttling away as fast as their spindly legs could carry them. Honestly, she kinda felt redundant in these stand-up fights: no supernatural powers or attacks, no mobility options, just a knife and guts. It's not like she'd been doing nothing, but being on spider clean-up duty was definitely a support role.

Still things had quietened down - the Captain had stopped shouting, Reef had wound up his firehose routine and she could now hear... Clashing Gale's moans of pain. Damnit. Blaze dashed over to the fallen pony, arriving just after Azure. She winced at the nasty sight, then called back over her shoulder: "Reef! Clashing's hurt bad, come quickly."

Set Sail's mouth hung open - Blaze had beaten her to it. Instead she just sank to her belly beside Clashing, saying: “I know it looks bad, just... stay calm. Reef is on his way.”

Cloud Cutter was pointedly avoiding looking down the tunnel she'd treated to her own bland of oblivion. The least she could do was say goodbye, and that’s exactly what she'd done. And then Clashing Gale had taken a spear for her.

"Injuries?" Reef Skimmer had been watching out for that enemy caster to reappear, but his role as field medic took priority - he could hope Azure's return meant she had dealt with the creature. "On my way!" The mutated tenta-griff turned around and began clambering awkwardly back up the train, passing right over the cowering Melonwater. "By Novo... stay clear!"

Realising his saddle bags had come off when he transformed, Reef called back to Blaze Trails: "Can you find my pack? Must be back in the cart. And... as much light as we can... Azure? Can you get the second lantern?" he called out, no longer caring what arachnids might be listening in.

He turned back to his patient and caught sight of another form further up the side tunnel; the crumpled, withered corpse of the spidrow Cloud Cutter had blasted. The griff shook his head - the poor creature was clearly beyond help - and focused on the batpony. "Punctured peritoneum, torn kidney, lodged in the, hmm..." Reef fell silent as he began to feel around the wound, tentacles transforming back into eagle claws as he did so.

Azure Feather had been pacing around in the shadows, frustrated by her inability to help Clashing and avoiding eye contact. Even if she'd known healing spells, without a horn... she shook her heard. Now they was something she could do at least... she dashed off to retrieve the lantern from where she'd dropped it, near the last mine cart.

Blaze Trails nodded in turn, "On it." She sheathed her knife and darting back to look for the pack, quickly retrieving it and placing it at Reef's side. In the process she got a closer look at the stallion's wound - and the doctor's clear uncertainty at the prospect of a recovery. She frowned before asking tentatively: "What's your verdict? Think she's going to make it? I mean, he is a batpony, right? Does that change the rules at all?" Could they really heal themselves by feeding on other creatures, or was that just an old mare's tale?

Reef Skimmer just frowned as he fished a pair of forceps out of his pack. "Any normal griff - or pony - would've already dropped dead from a stroke, with blood this thick." His face hovered over the downed stallion's head, saying: "Clashing? Can you hear me? One must get this out so the artery can be clamped. If your kidney's lacerated, well... morphine had no effect on Miss Cutter."

Clashing Gale thought that being a batpony... or at least a vampire, an undead... meant that he couldn't feel pain. Cuts and bruises perhaps, but when it came to having a spear rammed through your guts, he couldn't have been more wrong. He gritted his teeth, unsure if he could even form coherent words, instead pointing his right front hoof weakly at his rear legs and shaking his head. He couldn't move them a centimetre, but still... better for him to have taken that shot than Cloud Cutter.

Azure took only a few seconds longer. "Apologies for the delay, Doctor..." Blaze had already asked the question on her mind, but... she'd seen her share of combat injuries, and this looked pretty bad. She took to trotting back and forth again, as if she was hopeful that the walk would stir her thoughts and memories enough to find a solution to Clashing's predicament.

"Thank you Azure." A nod to the guardspony. Even with the extra light it was hard to be sure, but Reef Skimmer was fairly confident the point of the spear had lodged in the pony's spine; the patient's gesture only deepened his concern. Blaze Trails had apparently been promoted to field nurse, as he whispered back: "Get him something to bite down on, and hold his wings down."

Blaze fished out a wood-handled implement from her own pack, nudging it into Clashing Gale's mouth. "Bite down," she said, as she placed hooves on Clashing's wings and gently pressed down. She could only hope the doctor would pull out a miracle, but she couldn't rightly imagine what form that might take.

Clashing was hurt badly, and Cloud Cutter wanted to help, but she also wanted to ask what about the next time, when her strange abilities left her a sitting duck again. She wasn’t sure how to deal with that, but really it was no surprise. Deal death and death comes for you. For Cloud Cutter, it wasn’t a matter of if, but when the next round would be fatal. She honestly wondered if she would even try to avoid it, when her only alternative was to be... this.

Set Sail couldn't bear looking on helplessly, so she trotted up to the locomotive to check on the others. “It’s quiet up front,” she said, thankful for the train’s light since her lantern was being used for a very important operation. “How are you two doing?” she asked, “Doesn’t sound like either of you are injured.”

Sprocket was still crouched in the driver's cab, peering into the gloom. "Captain! Yeah I'm ok. Hope those creeps that got bombed are alright. They sure ain’t comin at us no more. Though... the light from this train don't go so far with the dust. Can't hear anything at least.”

Grenelda was still up in her sniping position, staring down the sights of her makeshift rifle, trying to peer through the dust and smoke created by Sprocket's bomb. "Sounds like Clashing got hit something bad. Maybe he can use his new vampire powers to deal with it? Sounds like the rest of us are fine, at least." She just roller her eyes at Sprocket's moral musings: as far as she was concerned, if you ambushed her flock, then you got what you deserve.

As the dust begun to settle she picked out one eight-legged form crumpled awkwardly against the rocky wall. "Set Sail - I see somethin'. Looks like an injured spidrow - it's not movin'." She brings her rifle into position and aims carefully. "Want me to shoot it now? Not sure if it's still up for a fight."

"No!" Set Sail said emphatically. "We don't kill injured creatures. Not unless they abandon reason and- and keep attacking."

“Yeah, these are creatures, not beasts,” Sprocket said, “They know better than to push their luck. They’ll maybe come at us later when our guard is down, but whoever you see out there... isn’t a problem for now.”

Grenelda nodded agreeably down to Set Sail, though she kept her sights on the spidrow. "Alright. I'll shoot if it tries anything, but otherwise... ok." As the griffon watched, the spidrow did seem to be moving... feebly. It was bleeding from numerous cuts and cracks in its carapace. A quiver of arrows was strapped to its abdomen, but it seemed to have lost its bow.

“Once I get a lamp, I can go check on them,” Set Sail said, looking to the quiet darkness ahead, “And... do whatever needs to be done. We gotta be careful though... these aren’t just creatures. They’re magic eaters. Just like Tirek...”

Grenelda flicked her tail. "Alright - I'll cover you." For once she was thankful that she didn't have any magic - the spider creatures wouldn't find her as appetising as the ponies.

“I can go check it out," Sprocket said carefully, "but I don’t wanna get my magic eaten or nothing.” She paused at the edge of the light in indecision.

“Don’t go into the darkness, Sprocket,” Set Sail said warningly, “Wait until we have a lantern available.”

Sprocket looked back in amusement saying, “What do ya think I am, stupid?” She concentrated, lighting up her horn until it burst into a cheery orange illumination casting shadows on the cave walls around her. “There we go,” she said, looking forward again.

"Be careful, alright, Sprocket?" Grenelda called down to the unicorn, her gun still trained on the spidrow. "I hope they're not stubborn enough to pull this twice, but it might still be a trap."

As Sprocket crept cautiously forward around the pile of rocks blocking the track, her spiral horn aglow, there was a bright flash in the depths of the tunnel. A streak of blue light struck a ceiling support somewhere between herself and the injured spidrow, creating a shower of blue sparks that rained down in front of her. "Get back, beasts!" came a scream from the darkness "Stay away from him!" The strange mare's voice promised imminent harm, but also sounded desperate and confused.

Grenelda squawked in surprise. She peered through her rifle's sights, but the new attacker was much further down the tunnel and she couldn't make her out. "Sprocket, get back!" the griffon yelled, concerned that her unicorn ally was about to eat a spell bolt.

Sprocket immediately backed up, taking her glow with her, saying loudly: “Hey I don’t want any trouble!”

Set Sail flashed back to their last encounter with the drow: that prisoner who'd tried to set the whole ship on fire, the things she'd said in interrogation... about how her mate had died on the copter. That fallen male definitely didn't look so well. The pegasus was at a loss as to what to do, fretting and grinding her teeth. She looked back towards Reef and the others, desperately hoping that he'd somehow a solution to Clashing’s injury.

Sure enough, when Reef Skimmer pulled the weapon from the wound the batpony's jaw and wings jerked against Blaze's restraint... yet his hindlegs remained still. Grimly the hippogriff went to work clamping the blood vessels and gently enlarging the wound... the kidney might be beyond saving, it could be removed but even if he could control the bleeding, the patient would likely never walk again... As for the strange blood... the doctor looked to the most likely donor. "He may need a transfusion. Do you think you might be... compatible?" he asked Cloud Cutter.

Azure, all the while, had returned to her walk, muttering distractedly to herself... she had to find something to help with this... maybe something she'd learned in her guard training? Maybe in the battles themselves? She paused for a moment, staring into space, as something seemed to be coming back to her...

Instead of entertaining some foolish endeavour to turn a dank cave into a modern hospital setting, the empty-eyed purple pegasus noticed Azure pacing about, and headed over to her. It was certainly preferable to cutting her wrists to see if she still could bleed. “Penny for your thoughts?” Cloud Cutter asked, standing before the pacing pegasus.

Azure's focus was broken by Cloud Cutter's voice. "Oh..." She started, her expression still startled as she told Cloud Cutter: "I've seen Clashing take blood from other creatures and look much better afterwards. That drow I fought... she's still alive, just unconscious. I know the Captain wouldn't approve, sacrificing a living creature, but... we know these stupid drow can control their little pets. If we can persuade them to summon spiders... like... like that mother spider, in the Air Spirit's trials... then... perhaps that would save him."

Cloud Cutter raised an eyebrow at Azure, saying, “Not the ‘stupid drow’ themselves, but their spiders? That’s a very smart solution, if we could pull it off. I’m sure one would rather lose their pets than their life. But do you really think Clashing is such a stereotypical vampony that he can gain strength from drinking blood?”

A beat, and her ears went down, as Cloud Cutter glanced away and muttered, “...don’t answer that.”

Azure looked away, taking in the pain and anguish on Clashing's face... oh, dear sweet Celestia... he certainly wasn't in a position to confirm their theory. She could only shrug helplessly. "I can't say for sure," Azure began, "but you were there in the quarry - don't you think it's weird that one minute, he looked like he was ready to flop asleep, he gallops off, and ten minutes later, he looks like he could have run the Canterlot Marathon? As a bat-pony?"

Meanwhile Reef Skimmer had made up his mind: the kidney had to go, but it would be madness to operate in this dirty gloom. Assuming the strange pony didn't expire from blood loss before they got back to the ship... and if he was still vulnerable to infection and necrosis at all, it would be even odds of survival even then. His gut was torn as well, and... the griff suddenly realised that some of this blood might not be from the patient.

"Raze, can you inform the Captain that the patient needs immediate evacuation?" His voice dropped to a whisper, though one still quite audible to the two pegasi standing nearby. "In all honesty, a normal griff, erm, that is to say pony would have slim odds for survival. As it is... left kidney is a total loss and the L2-L3 vertebrae are separated... I fear even if he makes it, he won't walk again."

Blaze bit her lip: a grim prognosis indeed. "I... Do the best you can. I'm sorry." She bowed her head low and quickly trotted over to the locomotive, finding Set Sail shivering alongside. "Reef says that Clashing needs to be evacuated. Is that something that we can reasonably do right now? Looks like the attack's over, so..." She caught sight of the injured spidrow further up the tunnel. "Hmm... y'know, wonder if I shouldn't attend to that Drider's injuries while we're getting ready to go. Seems only polite if the fighting's over."

Snorting, Set Sail said, “I was thinking the same thing, but his mate is defending him, further down the tunnel. I don’t want to have her try something drastic.” Set Sail gazed backwards at the tunnel they came through, saying wistfully, “If we leave now, there’s no way we’ll be able to come back. We’ll have to declare the pyramid a lost cause; try to stay hidden until the sphinxes are willing to meet us again, try to find other allies, or ways to repair the Harmony. I wonder if Clashing...” her voice trailed off.

Blaze Trails gritted her teeth at that: the idea of abandoning all this hard-won progress certainly didn't appeal. Sure, they'd live... somehow, but was it even possible to save Clashing at that point? She tilted her head, imploring: "You wonder if Clashing...?"

Without answering Blaze, Set Sail trotted back to the grim sight of Clashing Gale. She’d heard of gut wounds. He could linger a long time, but getting better was a very remote possibility. But with his bat wings, and sharp predatory fangs, and his... disarmingly good looks. Surely that couldn’t possibly...

Melonwater had finally worked up the courage to creep up to the others; certainly it hadn't been a rising fear of being left alone to face monsters creeping up behind them! He froze mid-trot at the sight of the batpony in a pool of blood, the giant griff reaching into his body with his talons, to say nothing of the husk of the spider-creature barely visible in the flickering shadows beyond. "That's... uh... oh my Celestia... oh my... what in Equestria..." he whimpered quietly.

“Clashing,” Set Sail said seriously, getting up close to the stallion, “I need you to stay with me. Just, hear me out. Do you think you could heal yourself by... sucking someone’s blood?

Reef Skimmer was crouched over the batpony, tying a compression bandage with bloody talons; at the macabre suggestion he could only stare in shock. "Captain? Surely you can't be serious?!"

Clashing Gale stared right into Set Sail's eyes after the question, and... by Luna's stars, he really didn't want to admit to such a thing, especially not to his Captain, but it was either now, or he may not live to see Celestia's sun again. And as such, the bat-pony did the only thing he could do - admit that not only he could - but that he'd done it twice before. A weak nod - so weak Set Sail had to look for it, but... yes.

Blaze was right behind, leaving Grenelda and Sprocket to monitor the standoff. "... But who's blood would Clashing be taking?" she whispered. "If it was one of us, err, then we'd be trading one pony's life for another, right?" Would anyone here really take that sacrifice? Especially when it's still a gamble that it'd even be enough.

Sighing, Set Sail extended her foreleg, saying, “I don’t know what it’ll do to me, but it probably won’t kill me, if those penny dreadfuls are any indication of our current reality. So just try not to—”

"Absolutely not, Captain!" Reef snorted angrily. "I cannot allow-"

“Captain,” Cloud Cutter interrupted, for once. Set Sail looked up at her in surprise, even.

“Azure had a much better idea,” Cloud Cutter said, “We should do that instead.”

Set Sail looked to the pegasus guard hopefully.

Azure Feather was quick to step up: "Captain, I hate to be blunt with this... but to offer yourself as a target is..." She stopped herself from voicing her true feelings, shaking her head before finally saying it more tactfully: "Unwise is a very kind way of putting it. No; we wake up the drow, persuade them to summon spiders. There you go. Blood for Clashing Gale... and bonus meat for Grenelda. Every creature's happy, and most importantly we're all alive."

Melonwater couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't even want to know if those rumours were true; the teenage stallion lurched back into motion, making his way up the train to where the cute unicorn engine-pony was casting a comforting glow from her horn. "Are- gulp Are they still out there?" he asked.

“They’re picking up their wounded and getting out, if they know what’s good for ‘em,” Sprocket said to Melonwater, the cream furred unicorn mare gazing coolly down the dark tunnel, “And if they can’t, then... we’ll have to do something about that.” She looked his way saying, “But I hope it won’t be too bad. How are you holdin' out? You must be new at all this... fightin' and violence too, huh?”

"Uh yeah, I... uh, I heard the stories, about what happened on, uh, Researcher Summer's trips but..." Melonwater looked down in embarrassment "...most trouble I ever got in was when I ended up in the wrong stand at the college hoofball game." He shook his head.

"Say... uh... those rocks on the track? Not a ceiling collapse, looks like limestone... uh-huh, stress cracks, must be spoil from blasting, somepony must've carried it over and dumped there." He stared for a moment, struggling to make out anything in the gloom. "S-should I... do you want me to clear it away? So-so you can drive the train some more?" the stallion explained, blushing under his fur.

“How about you get in here, so the spidrow can’t take pot shots at you from down the tunnel while we chat,” Sprocket said with an amused smile, extending a foreleg to help him up into the cab, “We’re not moving the train in a while anyway.”

"Pot shots? Uh, sure," Melonwater said, hurrying up into the cab and squeezing in next to Sprocket. "Real cozy in here! Uh, your horn I mean, that's real nice... that light thing you're doing there. Like a nice warm fireplace," he smiled nervously. "So... uh, still out there then. We're just going to wait for them to leave?"

A few metres down the tunnel, the ponies were considering Azure's idea. "You mean to suggest that we ask a spider-drow to summon spiders for Clashing to feast on? That's..." Blaze Trails paused a moment, astonished. "It sounds brilliant... if we can convince one." Perhaps there's hope after all?

“I was gonna say,” Set Sail said, looking wide-eyed in agreement at Blaze, “But it is a very good idea. Creatures around here are big on the idea of give and take, especially the drow.” Giving Azure a worried look, she said, “There’s an injured one in front of the train, or... there was a second ago. I don’t know if there are any others we could... convince.”

"I might have a better option," Azure began, "I knocked out the mage that was taking pot-shots at us. The rear squad, that is. She's probably still right over there..." She pointed a hoof in the direction she'd come from. "Assuming her comrades haven't rescued her yet."

Set Sail thought it over quickly. “You and Grenelda go... and take one of the lanterns. Bring her over here, if she hasn’t been taken by her fellows. Then maybe we can impress on her just how serious Clashing’s condition is.”

“He also sacrificed himself for me, for what that’s worth,” Cloud Cutter remarked, “They might think highly enough of him to aid him then. I’m the one who killed their kind, so they should have nothing against him.”

"Lemme come! Gotta make sure she ain't going nowhere," Blaze Trails offered, hurrying after the griffon and pegasus. The three quickly made their way back along the train to the side tunnel, where they found the spidrow spellcaster moaning and twitching, on the verge of regaining consciousness. Blaze fished out her rope and with the help of Grenelda's quick claws, soon had the many-legged menace thoroughly trussed up and immobilised.

They heaved the creature onto Grenelda's back - not that Blaze minded the liftin', it was just the griffon's wings helped keep the beast from slippin' off - and made their way back to the others. All the while Azure kept a close watch for any regrouping drow: she didn't see anything lurking in the dark, though her sensitive ears did catch voices whispering to each other down the second rail tunnel, the one they'd turned away from.

"Possible hostiles in our vicinity," Azure grumbled, "Exercise caution." She turned around and began patrolling the perimeter. She had to stay vigilant: this was still hostile territory, and they couldn't afford another injury.

“I found the smelling salts,” Set Sail said, hurrying up from where she’d rifled through their packs - thankfully Reef hadn't skimped on the medical supplies, considering what danger they were in. “Hopefully these can wake her up?”

"One would hope so - she doesn't look draconic," Reef said dubiously, eyeing the captured spider-taur. He took a capsule from the pouch and cracked it his claw, waiting for a moment before holding the ammonia-soaked cloth under the nose of the creature. Sure enough she regained consciousness, coughing and spluttering then struggling in vain to free her hands or legs. The captive creature stared around wildly, eyes darting from one quadruped to the next as she tried to understand her situation.

Blaze Trails nodded to the reviving Spidrow, keeping her focus stern. "We've got a task for you to do. Soon as it's done, you're free to go." Nodding to the Captain, she explained: "All you need ta do is summon a few spiders for us."

"Task? You dare to command the blessed! I am... I-" The creature clearly wasn't entire with it, yet had enough awareness to react to Reef moving to examine her skull. "Beast! Keep your claws off me! Mutant spawn of Eon! You are mistakes, pale imitations of, uh-"

The hippogriff ignored her diatribe, pulling her hair back to examine the bleeding bruise where Azure's hoof had struck. He felt with a claw, while the spidrow screamed her head off. "Oh do be quiet. Simple fracture, bleeding, no depression - you were lucky. Now hold still." He went back to his pack to find another bandage.

Unfazed by the spidrow’s protests, with a wild anxiety in her green eyes, Set Sail stared down her foe, saying evenly, “Your companion said we were here to eat your magic, because it was the only thing worth taking around here. But me, I only eat grass, flowers, hay, and my magic is just part of me. I’m a tasty meal to you, and you’re not tasty to me. But I’m not the only one here. Your companion also threw a spear through my friend’s gut, and he’s currently dying thanks to you."

"Before you feel proud of yourself, I want you to know that my friend does not eat grass and flowers. He consumes blood. So you have two choices. You can save my friend’s life by summoning some of your normal spiders to help him heal, or you can fight us, and then you’ll be the one giving him your own blood.”

The spider-drow's laugh was a shrill cackle. "Grass and flowers! Do your worst!" She struggled again, futilely trying to free her hands. "You think you can use me to kill a few more kin, before you end my life? As if I would betray the people, to give succour to the likes of you!"

“I’m so tired of killing things,” Cloud Cutter said, with that unnerving empty eyed stare. Her words may have belied the purple glow limning her body, “I just look into your eyes and say goodbye, and then you’re gone forever. But I don’t want to. None of us do. We just want to save our friend’s life. And we are sorely lacking in life for him to feed on. If your spiders are too precious, then there must be something else we can sacrifice. Some... hapless beast who’d do more good in Clashing’s belly than menacing you all.”

“This is ridiculous; she’s not gonna help us,” Set Sail said impatiently, scraping the ground at the spidrow, “I’ll just—one of us can feed Clashing for now. I bet I could give him my blood, and still kick your asses to Canterlot.”

Azure flapped down into the circle of lamplight: "Captain... goodness, if someone should help him, I should be the one, the squad needs you to lead them... Clashing Gale can at least... defend you all once he's back in good health. I'll be fine... at least, I'm pretty sure I will be..." She sounded doubtful, as if unsure exactly whether the Air Spirits would approve of their champion making such a sacrifice.

"Yes, yes! Consume yourselves!" the tied-up spider-creature cackled. "You masters make you from shoddy magics, then send you to die before your bodies fail on their own! You will never know the blessings of the lady... uh.." Her rant died as she shook her head, lucidity beginning to return. "Or! Perhaps an exchange? You seek prey... sink your fangs into a sphinx! Oh yes, she still has magic. So much magic! The chosen will bring her, trade her for me. Tell them you hold Niqu of the Dark Flame prisoner and they are sure to strike a deal." Her face twitched into an insincere smile.