"GET DOWN!" Nyx yelled, roaring as she flung one of her magical daggers into the thick skin of the creature, The Doctor just barely ducking in time, the blade nearly cutting off his ear. Nyx panted a little, her blade vanishing, allowing the creature that was previously pinned to the wall to fall to the ground in a heap of twisted body parts and blood.
"Doctor...are you alright?" Nyx asked. The colt dusted himself off as he stood.
"Thanks to you and Ditzy, yes. I suppose you were right Ditzy, a fez really wouldn't be practical headwear." Nyx looked at the Doctor in confusion. What did a Fez have to do with him nearly losing his head?
"How are they doing?" Nyx asked. Ditzy nudged Chrome Mist who groaned quietly, his eyes opening slowly. The wounded commander pushed to his hooves with a grunt of pain and stumbled over toward Riku.
"Chrome Mist you shouldn't be moving. You're badly hurt, more-so than the rest of us." Nyx tried to say, though he simply ignored her.
"C'mon Soldier, we're not dead yet. What would yer pal think of ya if he saw ya lyin around like this? Now get up." He said to Riku, nudging the wounded Alicorn to his hooves.
"We've still got a job t' do." He said to him. Riku nodded, stumbling along with the commander. Nyx gave a soft sigh.
"Stallions, are all of them so hard-headed..." she mumbled under her breath.
His body ached, each hoof step sending another jolt of pain up his spine. Somehow he was going to make it, somehow he was going to find his friends. He had no reason to believe the strangers word, only a gut feeling.
"Besides, if he wanted me dead he coulda' done it when I was knocked out." Piper mumbled as he continued on. He winced as his hoof scraped against an unseen rock, cursing and kicking it away. The rock bounced off a stump which began to growl, two yellow orbs staring at Piper.
"Oh Buck!" Piper leapt out of the way as the Timberwolf tried to pounce on him, foaming at the mouth as it growled and barked. The pegasus had no qualms with running away and proceeded to do just that, turning tail and moving as fast as his hooves could carry him. His parents had once told him that Granny Smith, his great grandmother who had passed before his birth, had escaped the Timberwolves as a filly and scared them away with pots and pans.
"Oh yea, like i'm just gonna be carrying cookware ten thousand years in the bucking past!" he yelled out in frustration, the wolf getting closer and quickly joined by others. He skid to a stop as more leapt out in front of him, closing in from all sides. Piper panted heavily, worn out from running and cast his eyes around quickly. There had to be a way out, there was always a way out in the Daring Do books! A vine? A gap? A kitten instead of a Timberwolf? Nope, none of the above. He didn't have a choice, he would have to fight. A quick swipe at the air made him aware that his hoofblade wasn't with him.
"Well so much for that plan." Piper cast his eyes around once more, the wolves getting closer as to their prey
"C'mon Piper, think. How would Daring Do escape? what would Mom do? What would Grandma do?" he blinked and roared, charging toward the nearest Timberwolf, screaming at the top of his lungs. He only made it two hoofsteps before the Wolves pounced on him, a paw smashing across the back of his head and knocking him back into unconsciousness.
---
Pipers eyes opened slowly and he found himself in a big expanse of white nothing.
"Am I dreaming?" he thought aloud.
"No Piper, this is not a dream." a familiar voice rang out. He spun to find a massive Alicorn with a mane of flames.
"Harmony..."
"Yes. Piper, you are in terrible danger."
"Uh...yea...something about Wolves and Discord I think...Wait, i'm not dreaming?"
"No, and you cannot stay here. There is too much left undone. You must keep your promise Piper, protect my daughters." Her horn began to glow and Piper found himself under the Timberwolves once more, claws jammed into his side. Though he couldn't feel the pain. He could feel the claws but there was no pain.
He felt a hundred times better than when he awoke with the stranger. His eyes shifted from their naturally light brown to an icy blue, the air growing cold around him. The Wolves slowly began to back away, their ears tucked back as the pegasus stood, casting his cold hearted glare upon them. The wolves never had time to react as spikes of ice rose from the ground in an instant, silencing the pack.
The pegasus never turned a second glance to the wolves, turning back toward the direction he had been given. He blinked as the strange pony appeared before him once more, carrying a hoofblade. The pegasus rushed toward him, forcing Piper to leap into the air and have the air knocked out of him from a hoof to the stomach. He hit the ground hard and rolled, his eyes slowly fading to normal as the pony placed a hoof on his throat.
"Piper, you need to stay calm and keep calm. you can't lose yourself like that. Yes, it just saved your life, but if I wasn't your friend you'd be dead right now. Now get up and go help your friends."
"Just who the buck are you to be giving me orders!?"
"Just call me your guide from Harmony. Now get moving." the pegasus vanished once more, Piper painfully pushing to his hooves. Now that he had come out of his trance he could feel everything. The hoofblows, the pressure on his throat, the blood clinging to his coat.
He put a hoof to his throat to find that he was in fact bleeding, moreso than he had originally thought. Carefully running his hoof over his throat he found several holes.
"Bite marks..." in a flash he remembered, just before he had passed out, one of the wolves sinking their teeth into his throat and ending his life.
"n..No..t..then how am I...what..." he shook as he stared at his blood covered hoof.
"What the buck is going on..."
"This is..." Emerald began.
"The old Castle Ruins...before they were Ruins." Nova finished with a gulp.
"What are we waiting for? An invitation?" Amethyst asked, stepping forward.
"No, we are waiting for that." Dinky pointed her hoof to the sky, a teary eyed pegasus landing near them.
"Sunburst!" Honeycrisp hugged her.
"Ah'm so glad yer okay! wheres Piper?" she asked, looking around.
"H...He didn't make it..." she said softly.
"h..huh?"
"He's dead! okay!? Ah was slow and he saved mah life from one o' those clouds by lettin it hit him instead...he landed somewhere in th' forest after that and...ah couldn't do anythin!" The pegasus fell to the ground, shaking and sobbing, her cousin laying beside her and wrapping a wing around her. Amethyst was the first to speak up, clearing his throat and putting on a brave face.
"We don't have anytime to mourn. We've got to save the Princess'"
"Amethyst how are we going to do anything without Piper? We have no Element of Loyalty now." Emerald said to him.
"I wouldn't say that." a voice called out. Out of the thick of the forest came a blood soaked pegasus, walking with a limp and a grin.
"PIPER! YER OK!" Sunburst practically tackled him, quickly pulling away as she heard his gasp of pain.
"Sorry! oh Piper, this is all mah fault, ah'm so sorry..."
"Its not your fault, heck all the cloud did was clip my wing. Stupid cotton candy wouldn't let go."
"t..then why are ya bleedin?"
"Just some Timberwolves and some weirdo who took my sword, we savin the Princess' or what?" he asked, limping towards the Castle.
"Piper, hold still a moment." Dinky said, using her magic to pull something out from under her hat. It looked like a metal stick with a green light at the tip. Almost like a flashlight if it were bigger. It made a high pitched whirring sound as Dinky held it in the air around Piper, quickly looking at it, her eyes widening for a moment before she cleared her throat.
"Oh well that's...interesting..." she said softly.
"Whats interesting?"
"Nothing, nothing. Just impressed you defeated a pack of Timberwolves in your condition. And its not as simple as walking in the front door. This is Discords Fortress we are talking about."
"Then it should be as simple as walking in the front door." Piper reasoned, leaving the others confused.
"He's Discord, lord of chaos and the unexpected. What better way to catch him off guard then to just wander in through the front instead of trying to find another way in like everyone would expect us to do?" he asked.
"That's...genius." Amethyst said after a moment.
"Heh, and you made fun of me for reading those Daring Do books." Piper joked before limping towards the entrance once more.
"Piper wait! shouldn't you at least rest some?" Emerald asked.
"No time, I gotta keep my promise." he said softly, never stopping. The others exchanged worried glances before following after, Strawberry stepping in front of Piper.
"Piper...you can't push yourself like this...We almost lost you and now your hurt all bad and heading right into danger. You need to stop for a minute and rest."
"I can rest when the Princess' are safe. I made a promise Berry."
"Then make me a Promise Piper. As soon as we save the Princess' you'll rest and let us take care of things for a while. Okay?" she asked, hugging him gently.
"Berry...your gonna get blood on your coat..." he mumbled.
"I don't care, now promise." she mumbled back.
"I promise Berry."
"Pinkie Promise?"
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." he said with a smile, not really able to go through the motions being held in her grip. The Zebra nodded, satisfied with his answer as she let go.
"Come on then." She stayed by his side, letting him lean against her to make it easier for him to walk as they made their way into the castle.
Rainbow Dash cracked her neck and grinned towards the DJ.
"Alright Vinyl, kick it!" she called, the Dj needed only that to let loose, slamming her hoof onto the big red button and letting her machine go to work. Two splits formed in the center, stretching outward horizontally and vertically, leaving four pieces to shift away diagonally, a massive bass pulsing underneath the moved panels with a blue light.
"Ya might wanna cover yer ears everypony." The unicorn said with a smile, adjusting her headset. In a flash and a boom the cannon let loose, a massive blue beam slamming into the barrier around the castle and crashing through it into the side, leaving a massive hole and the smell of burnt toast in the air.
"RELEASE THE PARASPRITES!" Shining armor called, several unicorns opening up the cages they carried, a swarm of Twilight Sparkle Enchanted Parasprites entering the castle and chewing their way through any and everything.
"We'll wait until they've had their fill and gather them with a knockout spell before marching onward. Vinyl Scratch, make sure that hole stays open. Octavia, watch her back."
"Yes Sir!" they said together, Vinyl chuckling a little. After a moment Shining Armor nodded, several guards rushing in and rounding up the parasprites.
"Alright lets move"
"Right!" Fluttershy and Rainbow stuck close to the Unicorns side, Zecora close behind and a few guards following after, the rest staying behind to help Octavia and Vinyl. Shining closed his eyes for a moment, his horn glowing dimly and a ball of light zipping down a hallway.
"This way!" Just hold on Twily, i'm coming to save you!
They sat in a circle, Riku resting against Nyx and Ditzy fast asleep next to the Doctor.
"How ya holdin up Nyx?" Riku asked softly. She shook her head a little.
"I've got most of my Magic back..." she mumbled
"But I should be asking you that Riku." she looked at him and he gave her a small smile.
"Your hoof...and your wings..."
"I'll be fine Nyx. I can still fly without my wings, I've still got magic."
"But your hoof..."
"So I'll walk funny for a while until it grows into a stump. Better than the alternative." no one needed to mention what the alternative was. They all knew.
"What are we going to do now though?" Chrome Mist asked, having gone through a short healing session with Nyx's returned magic and pacing around the area.
"We have to get into the Throne Room. We might be against Discord, but he's still a Tyrant and a Ruler and he'll be drawn to the room and want it as his own." Nyx said, putting a hoof to her head. Riku looked at her worriedly, what was left of his wing stub twitching before he remembered he couldn't place his wing over her anymore. It was his one regret about giving them up. Instead he wrapped his foreleg around her, pulling her close to him.
"Its the memories again..." she said softly.
"Why don't you get some rest Nyx. you've been through a lot." Riku said. She opened her mouth to argue and he stopped her with a kiss.
"Get some rest, k?" he said as he pulled away. She nodded with a sigh and leaned against him as she dozed off.
"Doctor, you once told me you removed the memories of a friend in order to spare her life and the torment they would bring her. Would you be able to do the same for Nyx?"
"Piper you've gotta stop." Strawberry said, placing her hooves on his shoulders. He looked into her eyes, seeing himself in them. Blood caked into his coat and scabs forming over the holes in his neck, the feathers in his wings sticking out every which way and scars across his body from the claws and tree-limbs. He sighed and gave a reluctant nod.
"Alright Berry...I'll rest up a bit, but then we've gotta get moving again."
"Finally!" the twins said together and collapsing in exhaustion. Piper sat down, surprised at just how exhausted he was as he lay his head down over his hooves and closed his eyes. Strawberry bit her lip and sat beside him, letting her worry get the best of her as she started picking at the loose feathers in his wings. One by one she gently pulled out the broken and twisted feathers.
Sunburst watched with a small smile as Pipers pained expression faded into a relaxed one. She knew if he weren't exhausted he probably wouldn't let Strawberry preen him, though in his current state it was probably exactly what he needed. The zebra continued to work while the others rested and kept watch for any signs of danger. She gave a sigh and looked over the wounds on his back. She leaned forward and gave it a careful lick, the pegasus wincing as her tongue slid across the cuts, though after a while the burning sensation stopped as did Strawberry.
"EWWWWWWW, What are you doing?!" Penny said, watching them from beside her sister.
"Its an old form of therapy, probably taught to her by her mother. Pinkie Pie did work on a 'rock farm' after all. Cuts and scrapes were normal there. Saliva, especially from a zebra like Strawberry, has slight healing properties. It'll keep Piper from getting an infection and getting sick." Dinky explained as she looked over a nearby wall, the strange metal stick she had whirring quietly.
"Wait, why is Zebra spit so special?" Hayseed asked.
"Zebra's come from a land very distant from our own where disease is a very common thing. They have developed many ways to combat this and have adapted to survive their habitat. Their saliva being the most readily available salve it is used in most of their medical techniques." The unicorn explained absentmindedly, knocking her hoof against another wall and pressing her ear to it.
"Ooookaaay...that's not weird or anything." Hayseed mumbled. Strawberry wasn't really listening, having cuddled up to Piper, letting him sleep against her.
"Sleep tight Piper..." she mumbled, nuzzling his cheek.
"Yuck!" the twins said together. Honeycrisp rolled her eyes and sat beside them.
"You two will understand love someday." she said to them with a smile, turning her gaze toward the sleeping forms of Nova and Emerald.
"Someday..."
So this chapter is kinda short, but I wanted to leave it like this and have updates come sooner than 3 d*mn monthes. So for the next couple of chapters we'll have short sweet chapters with timely updates. Well thats all for now, next chapter is in progress! Hope you're all enjoying my stories!