//------------------------------//
// Unexpected rescue 
// Story: The Mystic Fox 
// by Mysticfox 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 28: Unexpected rescue.

After saying goodbye to the girls and watching the train roll out of the station Merrin, Blake and I set off in my cart for the hot spring forest.

"I still don't get how that works." Blake said as he poked his head out of my jacket. 

"Yeah it so warm in the Empire but as soon as you get passed its borders it'd below freezing." Merrin said as she fixed her scarf.

"If y'all want y'all can stay in the cart. It will take a little bit longer before we reach that hot spring forest." I said as we traveled through the tundra. It's to cold to fly so we decided to use the cart.

"Hey I didn't know trees grew this far north." Merrin said as she pointed to a distant patch of bare snow covered pine tree forest.

"Its not uncommon to see pine and fur trees in colder climates." I said before I spotted a small light snow gray creature rush out of the trees followed by a dark brown griffin with a white and brown speckled feathery head.

"Something tells me that that griffin is up to no good." I said with a scowl as I stopped the cart and jumped onto the snow before pulling up my display so Twink can see the odd creature.

"Fox that's a snow yeti cub. They normally stay in the mountains close the Yakyakastan it's extremely rare to find them this far from their home." Twink said as she pulled up the last known home of the snow yeti.

"Wow that's miles away from here." Blake said as the yeti cub noticed us and ran as fast as it could towards us in hopes of losing its pursuer.

"The poor thing is terrified." Merrin said as she hopped off the cart.

"Yeah but that's about to change." I said as I closed the display and reached down and scooped up a large amount of snow.

"GET BACK HERE!" The griffin yelled as he jumped into the air before getting knocked back down by a large snowball to the face allowing the cub run passed us and hid under the cart as the griffin slid to a stop.

"Hello~." I said with a smile as the griffin slowly stood and shook off the snow.

"Grrr who they hay are you, this has nothing to do with you." The griffin said in a deep male voice.

"Hi my name is Fox and you are?" I asked with a smile as I slowly let my magic flow into the snow.

"None of your damn business so move so I can…relocate that cub to his new home." He said with a sinister smirk.

"We see by the looks of things this little guy doesn't want to go with you." I said as my magic slowly crept under him.

"Too bad now move or I'll make you." He said as he crouched down and sped his wings.

"No I don't think I will and aren't you cold out here like that." I said with a raised brow.

"What are you talking about." He said with a sneer.

"Well you are currently stuck in ice." I said with a smile as he looked down in shock to find only his head and wing tips sticking out of ice from my magic.

"Wha but how?" He said as he looked up at me with wide eyes.

"Magic my friend. Now how about you answer some questions." I said as I looked down with a shadowed smile.

"What makes you think I'll tell you anything." He said as he struggled in the ice.

"Hey Merrin you think Twilight could use some more quills?" I asked with a fake evil chuckle.

"That mare could always use more quills." Merrin said as she stood beside me while the griffin started to sweat.

(A few moments later~.)

"So he was a grunt for a band of griffin poachers?" Tia asked from my display with a now thawed out bald griffin in chains in the background. After our little talk I sent him through a portal directory to the throne room.

"Yup and right now they set up a base camp in a Grove of winter pines. They have multiple Yeti locked up waiting for their airship so they can then sell them in the black market. From what he told me the ship should arrive around sunset." I said as I looked over my Intel.

"Did he give you a name for his group?" She asked as a stack of papers popped up beside her.

"Yeah they call themselves The Crimson Talons." I said as she began to search through the papers.

"Ah here it is. This is a wanted poster of their leader 'IronClaw' Dada. Unfortunately we lack a good amount of information on him, not even a photo. He has eluded capture for many years but what we do know is he and his group are the top poachers in the underworld. We came close to capturing him many years ago after we got a tip off that he stole dragon eggs from Mount ember but they knew we were coming and was able to escape with all but one egg, Spike." She said with a heavy sigh.

"I contacted Dragon Lord Torch about having the egg returned to it parents but they were slain in the raid. Dragon eggs require magic to hatch which is supplied by the parents only or by strong magic from an alicorn or in Spikes case an out of control magic surge from a certain filly." She said with a cheerful giggle.

"And Lord Torch allowed this?" I asked with a raised brow.

"He might be a harsh ruler but when it comes to new dragon life he would rather give the egg a good chance of survival then to watch it die. Without the eggs parents to supply the magic the egg would surely perish." She said as she made the papers disappear.

"We he grew up to be a pretty good dragon and friend." I said with a smile as the yeti cub poke his head out from behind my back. He had stuck to my back like glue after his rescue.

"Where are you currently?" She asked as she waved cheerfully at the cub before he shyly duck back behind me making me chuckle.

"Sitting just outside the grove." I said with a smile as I closed my eye and focused on my hearing.

"I can hear a lot of commotion a bit farther in. I'm gonna say that's their base camp." I said as my eyes opened to see a serious Celestia on my display.

"Fox I'm sorry to ask this of you but we can't miss this opportunity. By the authority of the crown I hear by request your aid in capturing the poachers and freeing their catches by any means necessary." Tia said with a stern gaze.

"Ya ain't got request anything because I was already planning to. Just have some guards ready to send them to the dungeon." I said with a large toothy smile before closing the display.

"So what's the plan boss man?" Blake said as he jumped out of my jacket onto Merrins back.

"Hmm by the sounds of things there not very far into the grove and they must be in a good size clearing so they can land and load their airship. They will most likely have a few lookouts stationed in the trees. The bad thing is that I have no clue how many they have in their group so once we are close enough I can use my magic to get a good view of whats going on." I said as I shrunk my cart and put it away before turning back to the tree line and turn into my Fox form to help blend in with the snow.

"Well then let's get moving before it gets dark. I really hate the cold." Merrin said as she tightened her scarf.

(In a bush outside the enemy camp)

"Alright it looks like their airship just arrived." I said as I poked my head a little bit out of the bush.

"Doesn't look to be very many of them and it looks like they're all griffins too." Merrin said as we watched them load and unload the ship.

"Is it me or do they seem far too relaxed." Blake said as he pointed to a fire with a large boiling pot of soup and a large group of griffins laughing with bowls in their Talons.

"Yeah you would figure an operation like this, they would have more lookouts but I only see three." I said before hiding back into the bush.

"Ok here's the plan. I'm goin to go and cause a distraction while you two free the yeti and get them the trees then I'll take care of the rest." I said before I gently plucked the yeti cub off my furry back.

"Please wait here and hide while we save your family little one." I said as I softly pat it's head and let Alya slide down my forearm onto its head.

"Alya I'm leaving to protect this little one. Can you do that for me please?" I asked getting a proud jet of blue flame before she wrapped herself around its arm.

"Alright y'all apportion snow Fox is a go." I said with a smile just to get a blank stair from everyone even the cub.

"What are we Black ops now?" Blake said with a raised brow.

"Hmpf I thought it was a good name. Go team yay." I said with a bored tone before creeping out of the bush. I slowly made my way over to the fire were the larger group of griffins were enjoying their soup while laughing and talking. They didn't even notice when I got my own bowl and sat next to a dark brown white headed griffin.

"Hahaha you should have seen that ponies face when he bumped into me, he was terrified." The griffin said with a hardy laugh.

"Hey has anyone seen Glen he ran off to catch a cub that escaped." Said a rust red feathery griffin.

"Knowing that stupid hatchling he probably got lost or caught by a guard patrol." Said a tan griffin while I took a spoon full of soup.

"No, the bosses guy on the inside said that their won't be any patrols out her for a few more days." Said a black feathery griffin.

"Can you pass the salt?" I asked the griffin next to me.

"Here. Yeah without that pony we probably would have been caught a long time ago." The griffin said as he handed me the salt.

"Thanks." I said casually.

"No prob..lem…WHAT THE HAY!!" He yelled as he dropped his bowl and jumped to the side as the others grabbed their weapons.

"Well so much for dinner." I said with a sigh as I put my bowl down.

"Did…did that fox just talk?" A small griffin said.

"Weather it did or not, that white pelt will sell for a good price." The black feathered griffin said with a smile.

"Oh no they want to skin me whatever shall I do." I said in a mocking tone before I kick my bowl of hot soup onto his face before I slowly ran in the other direction.

"You are so DEAD!" The griffin said as he wipe the soup from his eyes before him and his group took off after me. It did take long before the whole camp was chasing me.

(Play )

"Oh this is goin to be fun." I said as I ran through the camp.

"Get that Fox. And where's that damn music coming from." A tan griffin said as more griffins stopped working to give chase. I was laughing the whole time while dodging crossbow bolts. I began to run through their campsite tent and I even had some flying above me.

"Whoa nice try almost had me there haha." I said after a griffin dived at me but I jumped out of the way before more tried and failed. Soon enough I had every griffin in camp on my tail. While I was running I noticed Blake and Merrin has freed the yeti and made it to the treeline.

"Alright time to wrap this up." I said to myself as I looked to the large cage that held the yeti and quickly placed an illusion spell on it to make it disappeared before using my magic to knock down the griffins in the air with snowballs making the have to chase me from the ground.

"Come on you fried chickens. You really want a little fox to show you up." I said as I waved my tail in the air before they growled and picked up their pace. With all focus on me I ran for the hidden cage with the griffins right on my tail. I smirked as I ran into the cage and jumped through the back bars as the first of the griffins slammed into the bar followed by the rest of the group. The last of them tried to stop but slipped on the snow and slid right into the cage. I quickly ran to the cage door and slammed it closed and locked it with magic.

(Music stop)

"Hahaha that was fun." I said as I sat down in front of the cage.

"Let us out of here ya little rat." A griffin said as he grabbed the bars and shook them.

"Yeah I don't think so. You guys are on a one way ticket to the dou-." I started to say before a dual bladed axe slammed into the ground next to me making me jump and spin around to face a large griffin with golden brown feathers and snow white head. He had eye blue eye and the other a blind cloudy eye but what really grabbed my attention was his silvery metallic right talon.

"What a bunch of useless feather brains. Let this little fox best you and you call yourselves poachers, ridiculous." He said as he pulled his are from the ground and glared down at me.

"Dada!" The caged griffins said happily.

"SHUT UP YOU IDIOTS YOU KNOW I HATE THAT NAME!!" Dada shouted making the griffins jump to the back of the cage.

"You know I think I heard that name in a song before." I said to myself before the song started to play.

(Play alfons- )

"Ugh it's that blasted pony song magic. Not my style but fitting." He said with a smirk before swinging his axe down at me. I was barely able to dodge by jumping back but he was fast and wouldn't let me get a chance to counter.

"Your pretty good with that thing." I said before my back hit a tree and I had to duck in order to dodge a slice aimed at my neck. I quickly jumped to the side as the tree began to fall from a clean cut.

"And sharp too." I said as he shook off the snow that fell from the tree.

"Thank you I had it crafted from dragon scales and enchanted by the best Minotaur craftsmen." He said as runes lit up the blade with fire and charged again. All I could do was dodge as he relentlessly swiped at me, I couldn't even focus long enough to use my magic.

"Is all you can do is dodge?" He asked as he brought down his axe. I tried to step back but my paw slipped on a patch of ice with the axe slamming down beside my head. The heat of the fire instantly vaporized the snow and ice around me leaving us in a could of steam. I use the steam to get a few feet away before steadying myself. 

"I got to admit I underestimate you a little bit." I said as I caught my breath.

"The same could be said about you. Of all the creatures I have captured your by far the most interesting one." He said as I heard him slowly approaching my back.

"I'm far more than you realize.(poof)" I said before turning normal and pulling out my stafs.

"I doubt that." He whispered before jumping above me and brought his flaming axe down towards my head.

(KLANG!!)

The force of the impact of weapons cleared the cloud of steam with a small shockwave revealing a wide eye griffin before I sent him smashing into a tree with a strong kick to the gut.

"ha…haha…hahaha… ahhahaHAHAHAHAHAHA I KNEW IT HAHAHA!!!" He laughed hysterical as he slowly began to rise.

"After countless years searching I finally found one." He said as heat and steam began to rise from his body.

"You know what I am?" I asked as a feeling of unease crept down my spine.

"Oh yes my boy, I know your kind very well. I will never forget what that red haired bastard that took my talon in the everfree forest. I can still feel the pain even after twenty years and I now after all these years I can finally take my revenge HAHAHAHAHA." He said as he held up his growing hot talon and clenched his axe making it glow red hot.

"Well I don't know if it's good luck or bad for you because I'm the last of my kind." I said as I readied for a battle.

"Oh this is a great day. I can finally get my revenge and end your race for good." He said before swinging his axe sending a wave of heat that sliced through the air. I could feel the heat as I deflected the air slice only to block his axe and was pushed back.

"Hurry son of Nova and give me magic or I will break again." Said a whispering in my head and I somehow knew exactly what to do. I slammed the ends of my staffs together and let my magic flow into it. The staff began to glow before a long curved black blade exstended out from the top side and a Spike on the other side. I was distracted by the scythe I didn't  notice the griffin took to the air and was about to strike from above but with a simple swing from my new weapon I knocked the axe to the side causing him to slam into the ground.

"Unfortunately you will not get your revenge today. I will only say this once, surrender now or this will not end well for you." I said as I activated my armor with my scythe over my shoulder.

"Never." He said as flames erupted from his axe once more.

"So be it." I said before he shot at me with his axe ready to take my head. In a flash the battle was over.

"AAAHHHHH!!" He screamed as he held up his now bloody stubbs before he passed out next to his axe that lay cold in the snow with his Talons still gripping the handle.

"(Sigh) I really wish you would have surrendered." I said as I used my magic to stop the bleeding before recalling my armor and pulled some rope from my bag to tie him up.

"Dude, that was awesome and that badass scythe." Blake said as he walked up in a brown thick jacket with white fluff around the collar.

"Yeah don't know what's up with this scythe." I said as I inspected my new weapon while Merrin shook off the Talons from the axe.

"This is mine now." She said as she gave us a look that dared us to deny her which we just put up our hand.

"Now help me get his metal claw thing off." She said as she tried to pull it off the handle.

"Touch the blade to it." The same whispering as before came to my ears and I complied. I lifted the scythe from my shoulder and touched the talon with the tip of the blade. The talon glowed red hot before breaking apart and the pieces were absorbed by the blade forming a dark red scale pattern along the top part of the blade.

"Ok this is weird but I think it's talking to me." I said as I gently ran my hand along the blade.

"Thats cool and all but what are we goin to do about all the griffins and…that." Blake said as he pointed up to the sleek black and blue airship. It was a small ship that didn't have balloon instead it had two light blue fins, one on both sides of the ship with two small sails and one main sail and dual propellers on the back.

"Thats a good question, I'm not even goin to attempt to fly that thing." I said as my scythe turned back into staffs and slipped them into my bag leaving those questions for later.

"Um, do you think you could shrink it?" Merrin said before I facepalm for not thinking to do that sooner. I wrapped my magic around the ship and began to shrink it down before pulling a bottle and cork out of my bag and slipped the ship in.

"I always wanted a ship in a bottle." I said as I put the cork in the bottle before slipping it into my bag as heavy footsteps were heard behind us. I turned around and was met with the yeti we rescued before Alya flew from the yeti cub that was now clinging to a much bigger yeti arm. Before I could say anything a small yeti older yeti with long gray and white sideburns walked to the front of the group leaning on a long walking stick with multiple different dried plants tied to the top.

"Gr ugh hu grunt herg." It said with a series of grunt and growls making me tilt my head trying to figure out what it said before an idea popped into my mind.

"Um one second please." I said as I looked to the sun set.

"They should be back in ponyville by now. I'll be right back guys." I said as I opened a portal back to ponyville, more specifically a cottage on the outskirts and I stepped through and stood before her door.

"Fluttershy are you home?" I said as I knocked on the door before it was opened by her pet bunny angle.

"Hey there bud is Fluttershy home yet." I asked only to receive a head shake.

"So no then. Oh here it's a thank you gift for goin back with Rosy and I want say anything." I said with a smile as I pulled two large bright orange carrot from my bag and gave it to him while I took the other.

"Fox what are you doing here I thought you stayed in the crystal empire?" Said the soft voice of Fluttershy behind me.

"Hey Fluttershy. I'm sorry I know you just got back home but I could really use your help." I said before taking a bite off my carrot while Angle ran inside to eat his.

"Oh goodness I'll be glad to help. Let me put my saddle bag down first." She said as she trotted past me into her home.

"You might want to grab a scarf it's pretty cold where we're goin." I said as I opened a return portal and finished my snack.

"Um where are we goin exactly." She said as she closed her door and wrapped a pale pink scarf with her cutie mark on the end around her neck.

"To the mountains by the Empire. I have some new friends that need help." I said as we walked through the portal.

"New friends?" She asked as she looked at me with interest.

"Yep Mountain Yeti." I said as I pointed to the yeti in front of us.

"EEP!" She squeaked and hid behind me.

"It's ok Fluttershy, they're kind creatures that were just in a really bad situation. I rescued them from a band of poachers and they wanted to talk to me but I couldn't understand them." I said as she slowly looked around and noticed the cage of griffins while the same little old yeti from before stepped forward and started to grunt and growls again.

"Oh my you really did save them." She said with a large smile.

"So you can understand them." I said happily before the talks continued.

"Hhmm she said as the elder of her family she wishes to thank you." She said while nodding.

"Oh dear, that's horrible. She said that they traveled to their birthing land to find it but and destroyed and its guardian nowhere to be found so they were forced to seek shelter somewhere else when the bad bird caught them. Oh you poor things." She said with tears in her eyes as a thought just hit me like a brick.

"Can you tell me about your birthing land?" I asked getting a nod from the elder.

"It's a forest under ice with pools of warm water to bathe and plenty of food for their cubs." She said before I started to think.

"I think I know what to do. Elder I ask you to trust me and I will try to heal your lands." I said with a bow only to be hit on the head by the elders' staff. I looked up to see her smiling up at me before turning to Fluttershy.

"She said you already have their trust." She said while the other yeti smiled too.

"Then let's go." I said as I opened a large portal to the hot spring forest. Once we were all through I closed the portal and found the falling willow tree.

"I hope this works." I said as I pulled the large seed from my bag and placed it in front of the burnt stump. All eye were on my as I slowly put some magic into the seed before it glowed bright green and sunk into the dirt. We watched for a few moments but nothing happened.

"Aw I really that wo- (BOOM)" I said before the ground erupted with a quickly growing willow tree.

"OHWOWIFEELGREAT.Somuchenergy.IfeellikeIjustdrankfivepotsofcoffeeandIdon'tevenlikecoffee.Wowhereallydidanumbertothisplace.NeedtofixthatandthatOhdefinitelythosetree.OhtheyetiarehereOhandFoxytoo.HIFOXY!!" Said a very hyper little grass green filly the dark green vine mane with pink flower all through it. All we could do was watch with wide eyes and gapping jaws as the filly bounced from branch to branch.

"Mel?" I asked with a raised brow.

"Yepthanksfortakingmetomysistersforestshehelpmerecoverandyoubroughtmebackandthankstothatextramagicifeellikeicanpatchupmyforestinaninstantwatch!" She said before she hugged the tree before she glowed green and sent her magic pulsing through the forest. We watched in awe as the once blackened forest started to grow new life. Trees sprang back to life and sprouted flowers and fruit, grass, bushes, and wildflowers. In moments the once dead forest was brimming with life again.

"Oh what a rush. Is this what a sugar crash feels like?" Mel said as she slumped on a branch before the yeti broke out in cheer and tears of joy for their land's return. I on the other hand plucked Mel from her branch and wrapped my arms around her.

"I'm so glad your ok. I thought I lost a member of my family." I said as tears fell from my cheek as she hugged me back.

"Sniffle. I'm fortunate to have a wonderful nephew like you. Your mother would be proud." She said as she tightened the hug while everyone sweetly smiled.

"I have no idea of what's goin on." Blake said as my friends just smiled and nodded