Thi’s POV
I galloped down the hall, Cloudchaser flying just above me. I’ll admit, I was a little worried that Cloudchaser might be hindered by her broken hoof. But the mare clearly made a point to several Triads that she needed only two hindhooves to do the job. The alarms blared loudly throughout the base. From the sounds of it, Fie managed to get the Ursa Major inside. Cloudchaser and I found ourselves taking an elevator downward.
I readied my arc pistol and positioned myself on one side with Cloudchaser on the other. When the door opened, we peeked out to see the coast was clear. We stepped out into natural temple grounds. Yet, something I couldn’t help but notice that threw me off upon seeing it. It was like we had just stepped outside. The sound of birds chirping and exotic animal sounds rang out. Cloudchaser rubbed the back of her head.
“Did we leave the temple?” She asked. She then soared upward, only to bang her head against something solid and float back down, rubbing her head. “Nope… still inside… ouch.” I looked around and withdrew the makeshift machete. I studied the scrap piece.
“Still can’t over the fact that it worked. Somewhat.” I marveled. Cloudchaser nodded and floated forward.
“Fie certainly is incredible.” She said. I glanced at her. Suddenly, the air got a little tense. I sighed quietly before hacking away at the foliage. Cloudchaser and I stuck close as we proceeded. It almost felt like we were being watched. The more we proceeded, the more I began to piece this together. We were crossing a bridge over water when I peered over at my reflection. “Huh. It’s a terrarium…” Cloudchaser looked at me quizzically.
“A what?” She asked.
“A terrarium. A natural developed ecosystem contained to thrive with what it is given.” I looked around. “I know the Zetecan temples are incredible. But this terrarium must be a century or more moons older.” I proceeded to walk with Cloudchaser, keeping to what I assumed was a pathing that the ancient zebra may have used. “The ancient ones must have wanted to turn this into a park or something.” Cloudchaser raised a brow.
“Like… an actual walk around the park?” She asked. I nodded.
“Temples aren’t just for religious worships or tombs. It can also be a civilization, like El DeBronco. Yet, instead of a city of gold, this must have been a preservation site. We are just in one part of what could possibly be a city.” I couldn’t help but smile a little. “I wonder what the ancients really did back then.” Cloudchaser looked blankly at me. I chuckled and waved a hoof. “R-right. Getting a little off track. Don’t want to bore you too much.” Cloudchaser seemed contemplative but then smiled.
“Nah. Just forgot that despite your background, you do enjoy a simple hobby.” She replied. We proceeded further through the self-thriving jungle, the animal sounds being everywhere yet nowhere. It struck me a little odd. The more we advanced, the more I began to question. Where are these sounds coming from? Most importantly, where is the end to this terrarium? Is there a connection to another room? How big is this place? My thoughts were interrupted when I bumped into Cloudchaser.
The pegasus was staring ahead, jaw agape in awe. I followed her look and followed suite. It was like we had just went back in time. The room expanded further out into a massive coliseum like space. At the opposite end is a massive golden statue dawned with plenty of gems resembling that of a bear. Serpent like pillars traced downward into what appeared to be a pool of water. Around the entire area were bridges and scaffoldings that must have been placed there ages ago from previous excavation teams.
Foliage grew in areas of the space below us and sunlight began to pour in from the ceiling. I found myself smiling dumbly.
“It is a civilization!” I laughed a little. “I’ve seen a few hidden cities, but this feels like it was just on the cusp of becoming one!” Cloudchaser smirked and rolled her eyes playfully.
“Scribble is missing out.” She said. I coolly waved at her.
“Egghead has plenty of areas to geek out on.” I replied, my eyes darting around the area. I then frowned and sighed when I spied an eye sore. “But as usual…” I pointed down the edge and Cloudchaser followed. Far across from us, Triad containers and crates were stacked and lined down towards what appeared to be Exiles coming in and out of a hole. Cloudchaser hummed.
“What are they digging for?” She asked. I cocked my arc pistol and shook my head.
“Nothing good. Zebra relics are just as dangerous as Equestrian relics. C’mon. We have to see if it can get us closer to our objective.” I stated before beginning my descent down a ladder to one of the scaffoldings. We began to make our way towards steady ground as traversing the scaffoldings proved to be quite rotted. One wrong step and the whole thing would collapse. Thankfully, there were no issues reaching the ground level of the space. Stepping onto solid ground, we looked around.
Walking a bit further, I noticed the structure we were passing had what appeared to be a destroyed carpet and old, musty furniture inside of a small window. I felt a small excitement send a shiver up my spine. Our path had us pass several of these houses, leading us to have to cut through one as our path appeared to have been blocked by structural damage from decay. I squeezed through the window with Cloudchaser following suite and I landed on the wooden floor. I coughed as the dust was a little too much.
“How did anypony manage to get through anything here?” Cloudchaser asked as she floated around the area. I waved my hoof in front of me before stepping over to a table. Ancient scrolls and decayed parchment littered the place. The shelves next to the table had a variety of things lining them, from linen to scrolls to books and even vases. I brushed my hoof softly over the open scroll. The hieroglyphs were faded beyond recognition. Cloudchaser tapped a jar that seemed to have a wilted flower inside of it.
We looked around a bit more, only to find nothing else of interest before continuing on. Getting closer to the center of the space where the pool was, I held up a hoof to Cloudchaser, my ears flicking as I heard voices. We moved into cover and peeked out, seeing a few Exiles shifting through crates. They were speaking zebric, making me wish I studied the actual language rather than reading about it. Cloudchaser leaned in towards me.
“What do we do?” She asked. I was about to tell her what we usually do, but my eyes fell onto her cast.
It was the only thing I can think of. The mare’s words resonated in my head. As confident as I was about taking on Exiles, Fie and Flitter would be utterly pissed at me for getting Cloudchaser hurt anymore than she is already. That and I have to find a way to apologize to Cloudchaser about earlier. Something tells me I’m going to be making a lot of apologies to my friends.
‘Alright, Thi. Focus. Going to have to remain covert enough to ensure we are okay.’ I studied the area, mapping out a path in my head. My eyes then fell onto the pool. The rickety bridges that crossed over looked sketchy. My eyes followed the pathing and I noticed that one of them led to a pulley elevator that reached where the Exiles were digging. Another thing I noticed. There were no Triads observing all of this. At least, not in this main area. There could be some further in the dig site.
I turned to Cloudchaser and whispered to her.
“Cloudchaser, I need you to sneak back and see if you can float yourself around the site. Keep yourself hidden. I’m going to have to cut through here.” I said. Cloudchaser arched a brow.
“Are you sure? I know you can handle yourself but do you really want to shoot up an ancient city?” She whispered back. I shook my head.
“I try to avoid it but opposition could care less. But for your safety and our friend’s sanity, you should sneak around away from here. I can’t get you caught in your condition.” Cloudchaser studied me. She seemed a bit disappointed, but she then nodded.
“Alright. Just becareful. I’m not the only one that’s going to affect somepony’s sanity.” She said before creeping back towards where we came from. When she was a good distance away, she began to float herself through the foliage and disappeared out of sight. I took a deep breath and readied myself. Waiting for my chance, I snuck out of cover and quietly began to move from cover to cover. The further I proceeded, the more I noticed that these Exiles seem to be on their own. No Triad involvement.
Did this group sneak away and are trying to dig the site for themselves? They must have commandeered the crates and containers as leverage I’m guessing. With the firepower they were holstering, I could assume I was right. Waiting for two Exiles to finish their conversation and focus on looking up at the statue in awe, I snuck past them and climbed down a ladder. Arriving at the bottom, I turned to see the pool was bigger than I thought. There were channels that spread out, making them into canals.
I looked around and spotted what appeared to be a half-submerged bridge leading to the foot of the statue and a scaffolding leading upwards. I stepped out onto the bridge and felt it bob at my weight, soaking my denim jacket. The water was surprisingly cold. I took a deep breath and with caution, made my way over the half-submerged bridge. The way the bridge was floating and swaying in the water nearly threw me off balance a few times. I looked over my shoulder to ensure an Exile wasn’t taking in the scenery as I was crossing.
I began to steady my pace and progress further, sighing in relief when I made it to the end. I climbed the ladder, stopping to peek over the ledge, only to duck back when Exile hooves passed by. They were chatting each other up, unaware of what they had passed. Pulling myself up, I crept quietly behind them. They came to a stop, still chatting. Unfortunately, they were blocking the way up to the next level of the scaffolding. I sighed and called Excalibat to me.
I approached the two and they had to do a double take to realize I wasn’t one of them, only to be greeted with a bat over their heads and knocking them unconscious. I stepped over them and proceeded up the scaffolding. Thankfully, I didn’t run into trouble scaling the scaffolding. When I touched natural temple ground again, I looked around the edges, hoping to spy Cloudchaser.
Unable to spot her, I continued by creeping along in the foliage eventually reaching a hill that led down towards the dig site. I peered out from the massive leaves of a big plant to observe the area. My ears flicked at the sound of pickaxes and a jack hammer. Once again, I noticed no Triad involvement, confirming my suspicion. At least this’ll be a cinch if I do end up getting caught. The Exiles outside were going through drinks while the other Exiles were wheeling out rocks and going back in.
‘What are these zebras digging for?’ I asked myself. As if on cue, a voice in zebric echoed from inside and the Exiles outside nodded to each other before entering in. I did one last look to see if Cloudchaser had arrived. Still no sign. I took a deep breath. ‘Now or never.’ I thought to myself. I hurried out of my hiding and kept to the shadows as the Exiles proceeded further into the hole. One had taken a wall torch and lit it, casting elongated shadows that I used to help me navigate from out of the light.
I had to duck back when I rounded a corner, peeking out to observe the Exiles coming up to a set of steps leading upwards to another entryway. Two Exiles took the liberty of guarding the stairs while the rest continued. I hummed in thought. ‘How should I go about this?’ I asked myself. ‘I can always do the direct approach, which honestly I feel like doing. But I don’t want to risk a cave in because something here is fragile. I can try the femme fatale. Nah, that only works on Triads. Although…’ I shook my head. ‘Focus. Need to get past zebra guards.’
I racked my brain, trying to think of something that could work. Suddenly, the shouts of panic from the Exiles echoed from inside the entryway they went into. The two guards at the bottom of the steps spun around and aimed their arc rifles up towards the entry way. I watched quietly as two Exiles galloped out of the entryway as a dark smoke bellowed out from the entryway. One Exiles must have asked what was happening, but the one that replied said something so hurriedly that I couldn’t make out what they were saying.
‘Decahedron? A shape? Was there a trap they set off? It’d be no surprise as the ancient Zetecans valued their privacy and respect for riches.’ I thought to myself. However, I balked and ducked back as I saw a boulder get chucked out of the entryway and began to bounce and roll down the stairs. I heard the shouts of the Exiles as the boulder barreled down the steps and then crashing and rolling a bit to the side when it reached the bottom.
I stepped out of the shadows of the corner and towards the steps. It was hard to tell in the lighting, but I swear I could make out fresh stains on the steps. I began to make my way up the steps, having my bat and arc pistol at the ready. Reaching the top, I took point at the side and peeked in. The smell was awful. Brimstone from what I gathered. The room was surprisingly dark, but I could see the torch that one Exile had lying on the ground. I reached for the torch with my magic and levitated it over to me.
I took another deep breath, bracing myself for whatever is in here. Being mindful of my steps, I proceeded inside the room. It must have been a big room as a cold draft was able to blow through. The smell was beginning to be a bit suffocating that I ended up tripping over something that I couldn’t make out due to my blurry vision. I coughed and looked down, feeling soaked. My eyes widened when I saw a pile of fleshy mush that was coated in a strange substance. What kind of creature was this?
I looked down at myself, seeing that I had fallen into a small water pool. I frowned and wringed my denim jacket with my magic as I stepped out. I then heard a gasp and I quickly whipped around with the torch, seeing a cowering Exile curled up and shaking. She was muttering something I couldn’t understand. I was about to reach a hoof down when the zebra mare panicked and swung her hoof at me. She had knocked the torch out of my magic and the torch went sailing through the air.
The torch struck something and suddenly the room began to light up, the pillars igniting around us. With the room illuminated, I had to shield myself from the sparkling gold around me. When my eyes adjusted, I could see piles of gold and rotted furniture dotting the corners and edges of the room. The floor beneath me was split four ways by a pool of water that canaled through small openings at the walls. I looked to the mush pile and saw that it was a half-eaten carcass of some kind of creature.
The zebra mare was still cowering at my hooves. I frowned.
“Get ahold of yourself. What happened here?” I asked. The zebra mare didn’t respond. Despite how nice the room looked; the smell of brimstone was still strong. I coughed and covered my muzzle, taking another look around. This must have been a treasury. My eyes then fell onto what I assume was a hunting trophy above me. It was massive and made up most of the ceiling. I could feel the cold draft flowing through the snout.
‘The Zetecans were quite the architects.’ I marveled. Yet, despite the way the serpentine trophy livened up the room, it made me question. Why in the treasury? This would be something to display over the whole civilization. The zebra mare then grabbed ahold of my drenched sleeve and stared wide eyed and horrified at the ceiling.
“Str-St-Str…” She muttered. I arched a brow.
“Spill it out. I have questions on other matters and would like comprehensive words.” I stated. She pointed up at the ceiling. I looked up just in time to see something viscous drip from the mouth of the trophy in front of me. The eyes then opened. Slit, yellow eyes studied me. I was dumbfounded.
“Stratadon!!” The zebra mare shrieked. I stepped back as the zebra mare scurried away, galloping out of the room in a screaming panic.
“H-hey! Wait!” I called out. I felt the viscous saliva drip onto my back. It was warm and smelled awful. I gave a disgusted groan and shook off the saliva before stepping back as the head of the Stratadon began to move. A low rumble shook the room, the creature shifting its’ head and beginning to break away the ceiling. The entire ground began to shake. I was unable to find my footing and trip back into the water. “Urgh. Going to have a nice long shower after this…” I stated to myself as the Stratadon finally pulled its’ head free from the ceiling. A rush of water flowed into the room, creating more and more flowing water that broke through the walls.
Finally getting my footing, I gasped and ducked the powerful snapping jaws of the Stratadon. It lashed out again, only this time breaking a wall that led out to the main area. The water swept me off my hooves and I went tumbling down a slide. It was a short ride as I then found myself being shot out and tumbling through the air. I yelled in panic as gravity took hold. I braced myself, unable to recover with my magic when I then felt my entire direction change. I opened my eyes and looked down to see Cloudchaser underneath me.
She grinned down at me before flying down to solid ground. I pulled away, wobbling a bit as the ground was still shaking. We then looked up as a loud roar rang throughout the area. The Stratadon broke through the wall, knocking down some scaffoldings in the process before beginning to scale the side of the wall.
“What in Celestia’s flank is that?!” Cloudchaser balked. I steadied myself before responding.
“A Stratadon!” I replied. Cloudchaser turned to me dumbfounded.
“I thought those were filly tales to scare foals into behaving!” She replied. I removed my denim jacket and shook it.
“Stories do have their references.” I said sadly, seeing that my jacket was now ruined beyond anything. I tossed it aside and looked over the edge. The Exiles down below began firing up at the creature. Unfortunately for them, it only angered the monster. Stratadons aren’t like normal dragons. Some would call them pseudo-dragons. They do not inherit dragon blood, but they are a long distant cousin of the dragons. Unlike dragons, these creatures are entirely aggressive and can even measure up to the size of the biggest dragon in the Dragon Lands.
However, those records were ages old. Many believe over the moons the Stratadons to be just a myth. And with no previous records, it remained that way. Their hide and scales are extremely durable, so it was clear why the Exiles weren’t doing anything to it. Cloudchaser clicked her tongue.
“What do we do? We were supposed to find info about the heir.” She said. I looked back over the edge, seeing the Stratadon scale the wall, the tail breaking open the wall and allowing more water to flow in. The pool in the center of the area was beginning to rise. The Stratadon continued to roar and scale the wall, every step it took breaking and allowing water in.
“I don’t think finding info on the heir here is going to matter if we end up drowning.” I commented. Cloudchaser and I began to make our way around the edge of the area. We ended up being blocked by a building that had been built there into the wall. I then flicked my head and sprang out over the edge and conjured a platform to land on. Cloudchaser flew after me and together we headed towards where we came from. I could see below the Exiles retreating and firing up at the creature.
The Stratadon hopped off the wall and landed on a towering pillar, screeching with its’ claws dug into the structure. The weight of the monster broke the pillar, causing the Stratadon to land hard onto the ground, the head landing in the rising water and creating a tall wave that washed several Exiles away. The Exiles scrambled up the steps that I hadn’t noticed when we entered. We booked it over to the entrance where we entered (I having touched the ground from my platform when we did) and continued our momentum, passing by a couple of Exiles that were shocked to see us.
My eyes widened as straight ahead I saw the same Exile from the treasury room rapidly pressing on the pad for the elevator. The Exiles behind us started shouting, causing the zebra mare to look over, her look of horror clear on her face as she then pressed the button faster. I looked over my shoulder and I gasped, seeing the Stratadon scale up to the entry way and roar, jamming its’ head in. It shimmied its’ head towards us, jaws snapping. The elevator dinged and we all piled in, Cloudchaser bashing the pad with her good hoof just in time for the door to close right when the Stratadon bore down on us.
The entire ground was still shaking as we began to ascend. The three Exiles, Cloudchaser and I took a long moment to catch our breaths. The zebra mare threw off her uniform and stomped on it, panic still on her face.
“Done! Done! Enough!” She spat at the uniform. Cloudchaser and I watched quietly as the mare vented her frustrations onto the uniform. The other two Exiles exchanged glances before taking off their uniforms and tossing them down. One of them looked at us, his eyes studying us cautiously. Cloudchaser smiled softly and made a zipping motion across her muzzle. The zebra sighed and slumped against the wall of the elevator. The zebra mare seemed to finally settle down, sitting on her haunches and hugging herself, tears starting to form.
Cloudchaser then floated over to the mare and sat down next to her, putting a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. The zebra mare looked at her, her expression softening. I narrowed my eyes at this, feeling a tad annoyed by Cloudchaser. Yet, I remained quiet as right now, the ground was still trembling. Did the Stratadon make it through? Is it currently still chasing us? I looked at the floor lights, seeing we were about to reach the end.
I withdrew my arc pistol and checked it. I frowned, realizing that my arc pistol was waterlogged. At least I have Excalibat. I motioned to Cloudchaser and she pat the zebra’s back before walking over to me.
“Good luck.” Cloudchaser said to the mare and nodding to the other zebras. The elevator opened and Cloudchaser and I hurried out of the elevator, retracing our steps to the main lobby. We were halfway when I realized that the three zebra were following us. I turned to them.
“What are you doing?? Go, shoo!” I hissed in a whisper, waving my hoof at them. One of the stallions shook their head.
“No go.” He said with a thick accent. I tilted my head quizzically.
“Huh?” I asked. The other stallion pat his chest and motioned to the other two.
“We… go… to you.” He said. I slumped.
“I am not following.” I sighed. Cloudchaser chuckled.
“They want to follow us. I’m guessing until we get out of here.” She said. I shook my head.
“No way. They are Exile. They could give us away for all we know.” I replied coldly. Cloudchaser put a hoof on her hip and frowned.
“I think their gesture of stamping on their uniforms and the ‘done enough’ exclamation means that they are done being Exiles. And I don’t blame them. These zebra may have been forced to join against their will. You never know.” She floated over to the zebra mare and pat her back. “She could be an elementary teacher herself. Or probably just trying to get by. Or maybe a mare napped victim. Yeah, we won’t know, but the language barrier of reaching a hoof out in need to somepony is universal.” I sighed and rubbed my muzzle.
“Whatever. They can follow, but once we are out of here, they are on their own. And if they give us away, I’m not going to apologize for my actions.” I stated. Cloudchaser snorted in response before looking at the mare and smiling with a wink. The look on the mare’s face lit up. I rolled my eyes and motioned. “C’mon, we are stalling too much.” We proceeded back towards where we came from again, having to stop halfway back once more as the temple began to shake violently.
The zebra mare began to panic but Cloudchaser put a reassuring hoof on her and nodded. The two stallion zebras tumbled over themselves. Rocks began to fall around us.
“Dammit, what happened?!” I exclaimed in frustration. I steadied myself and looked to Cloudchaser. “Double time!” I wanted to gallop or at least canter, but the ground shaking made it nearly impossible. The ground stopped shaking when I was lifted off the ground. I held onto Cloudchaser in confusion. She had one of the stallion zebras slouched over her back, the other stallion holding on from underneath her and the mare being picked up like a kitten to a mother. The strength of this mare impressed me as she flew down the hall at a reasonable speed, dodging rocks and ensuring we weren’t careening into the wall on turns.
Cloudchaser was beginning to sweat and pant through her teeth, her expression determined to get us out of here. Her eyes widened as we saw the rocks beginning to narrow the path to the exit. She put on a burst of speed, growling to herself. We all braced ourselves as Cloudchaser dove through the exit and we all went rolling along the ground. When we came to a stop, I shook away my daze and pushed one of the stallions off of me, standing up and dusting myself off. The temple was still shaking, but less violently than before. The alarms were blaring as a PA echoed out.
”Warning. Warning. Temple foundation compromised. All personale please evacuate. Warning. Warning.” The robotic voice spoke. I waved to the others.
“Let’s go!” I shouted. Cloudchaser panted and stood up, wincing in pain. I was about to go help her when the zebra mare decided to pick up Cloudchaser onto her back and smiled to her, nodding. Cloudchaser weakly smiled back and the zebras nodded to each other. They began to gallop past me. I slumped but followed after them without hesitation. We proceeded past the hurrying Triads and Exiles in an everypony for themselves. When we galloped out into the main entrance, I spied Flitter and Scribble with several Exiles around them.
‘Shit!’ I grit my teeth and called Excalibat, ready to engage when the zebra mare carrying Cloudchaser called out to them. Flitter beamed and hurried over to her, Cloudchaser giving Flitter a pained wave.
“Sis! Oh, thank Celestia you are alright!” Flitter said, hugging her. Cloudchaser winced and pat her sister’s back.
“Thanks to our new friends here. Seems like you guys got new friends too.” She replied. Scribble trotted over to us as Flitter smiled.
“They were planning on leaving the Exiles after the incident outside. Fie was right. There is a small group of Exiles wanting to leave their barbaric ways behind and start fresh. They just needed the push to escape Triad watch.” She explained.
“Seems we got more coming.” Scribble said, pointing past me. I turned around and my eyes widened.
‘Wait, I know those ponies…’ I thought to myself. Indeed, they looked like hell, but they galloped over to us.
“Oh, thank Celestia! You guys are here!” Sunburst exclaimed in relief. I noticed Starlight Glimmer on the back of Sunburst unconscious while Trixie was dazed out on the back of a grey colored earth pony with a purple mane and stoic look. I looked around.
“Where’s Fie?” I asked. Sunburst looked over his shoulder nervously.
“I-I wish I could say behind me. But she was fending off some Triad for us to escape. Said she’d catch up with us. I thought for sure she’d be with us by now.” He replied. I scanned the area, only spying Triad and Exiles scurrying about or towards us to the entrance. I flourished my bat.
“I’m going after her!” I shouted as I began to gallop forward.
“Thi, wait!” I heard Flitter call out. I ignored her and got halfway down the main area when the ground rose up beneath me. I lost my balance and rolled off the debris, landing onto my back with an “oof”. A slender, long serpentine neck slithered out of the ground and screeched loudly. I grit my teeth.
“Not the Stratadon…!” I groaned in frustration. I scurried away as debris began to fall around me. Sunburst stared in horrified awe.
“A Stratadon?! Here?!” He exclaimed.
“Everypony out!” Scribble shouted, motioning at the zebra. They galloped in panic towards the entrance with Scribble, Flitter, Cloudchaser and myself in tow. The Stratadon’s claws burst out of the ground as it was pulling itself up from the floor. Said floor was currently crumbling in on itself. I made one last glance, hoping to spot a fiery comet to swoop in and save the day. Scribble pulled me back and I followed.
The sun shone high overhead as we galloped out of the temple. The temple itself was caving in on itself in several places. Most of the auto wagons were gone and steadily driving off the lot with others. The Ex-Exiles managed to acquire three auto wagons and called out to everypony, including us. I stopped and shook my head.
“I’m not leaving Fie!” I shouted, spinning back around and heading back to the temple. I felt somepony stop me and I looked to see the zebra mare. She shook her head in a pleading expression. I growled and shrugged her off. “Do what you want. But I’m not leaving my best friend behind!”
“Wait, Fie!” I heard Cloudchaser call out. I turned to glare at her, but I saw Flitter and Scribble trotting over to me. “We’ll go too. She’s our friend as well!” I shook my head.
“Get the others out of here. I don’t feel comfortable leaving Sunburst and the others with Exiles.” I said. Cloudchaser glared at me as I spun around and began to gallop off towards the temple. She zipped over me and stood in front of my path.
“They aren’t Exiles anymore, Thi! Why are you being like this?” She asked coldly. I pushed past her.
“Now is not the time to be hotheaded, CC. Just do your job and ensure the safety of the others!” I retorted. Cloudchaser growled.
“And let you get yourself killed?? Want me to do my job, then let us come with you to get Fie!” She exclaimed. I spun around and glared.
“Don’t be an idiot! If she dies then we are all dead! You have a broken hoof! Sit this one out and help Flitter and Scribble protect the others! Simple as that!” I snapped. Cloudchaser scraped a hind hoof on the ground.
“You matter to Fie just as much, Thi! Somepony needs to keep you levelheaded!” She stated.
“I didn’t ask to be watched over! Fie had a plan and I followed! Things change and things go fubar! You’re a damned Wonderbolt! Follow the damn orders!” I shouted. The temple burst open at the middle and a serpentine head emerged, screeching loudly. The Stratadon broke through and began to climb out. With space to do so now, it unfurled its’ dragon like wings and flapped them in a stretching manner. I shielded myself as stray rubble from the temple crashed around us. I groaned.
“What do we do about that?!” I heard Flitter say as she hovered over to us with Scribble galloping with her. Scribble looked up at the Stratadon and his look turned grim.
“That Stratadon is going to terrorize Zebrica! We can’t let that thing roam free!” He stated. I flourished my bat and flicked my head down, springing myself upwards.
“Damned stubborn mare!” I heard Cloudchaser growl. I made my way high up into the sky to face the Stratadon. It licked its’ muzzle before its’ eyes fell onto me. I then waved my bat over my head, the eye flaring brightly with green flames before I swung and unleashed a torrent of green firebolts.
The bolts struck the Stratadon, a few striking the snout and one hitting the eye. It roared in pain, batting at its’ muzzle. It growled and let out an angry screech before taking to the skies. It hovered over me and lashed out, causing me to flick my head quickly and sail away from the monster to avoid its’ powerful jaws. Smoke seeped from the corner of its’ muzzle and gaps of its’ teeth and snout. It took a deep breath before bellowing out thick smoke.
I quickly bounded up and away from the smoke, avoiding it just barely before returning with a volley of bolts. As I bounded around the creature, retaliating when I could, I kept a lookout to see if I could spy Fie. I must have looked a little too long as I found myself tumbling through the air to avoid being swipe at by the claws. I quickly weaved a net with my magic and caught myself. I pushed myself away, only to gasp as the Stratadon screeched and opened wide for me. I canceled my net and let myself fall.
However, Excalibat was an unfortunate victim to the jaws. With a loud crash of the jaws, Excalibat snapped in two, the green fire dispersing and the eye blackening as the pieces tumbled out of the air. My eyes widened in shock as I heard a distant scream inside my head. I flipped in the air and sprang myself towards the pieces, catching them in my magic. The Stratadon brought its’ tail around and swiped me, causing me to crash into the side of the temple.
I was alive, but damn did it hurt. I groaned in a daze, looking through my blurred vision and seeing the Stratadon growl at me. It opened its’ mouth with a screech and lashed out. I braced myself, waiting for the eventuality of death. When it didn’t come, I opened my eyes and gasped. Thank Celestia for watching over us! The Ursa Major had the Stratadon in a head lock, wrestling with the scalene creature.
It roared loudly before slamming the head into the side of the temple. My vision still a bit blurry, but I held the pieces of Excalibat close to me and pushed myself off ground. The temple was still shaking. I wanted to spring away, but a sharp pain in my head caused me to wince. Of all the times for burnout to happen. I looked up and saw Cloudchaser and Flitter fly down towards me.
“Are you okay??” Flitter asked worriedly. I didn’t respond but looked sadly down at Excalibat in my hold. Cloudchaser zipped under me and scooped me up onto her back. The sisters took off just in time as the Ursa Major and the Stratadon wrestled with each other where I was seconds earlier. Both creatures snapping their jaws at each other, claws lashing out. The Ursa Major had a face full of point-blank smoke breath, but the bear back pawed it before clamping its’ jaw over the muzzle of the Stratadon.
The smoke came out in bursts, blood spilling and flinging out of the Stratadon. The Ursa Major held on, shaking its’ head violently in an effort to rip the head off. The Stratadon stabbed a claw through the Ursa Major, the claws having an effect and making the Ursa let go in a pained roar. The Stratadon followed up with a tail swipe clean across the Ursa’s face, sending it crashing into the jungle on its’ side.
The Ursa pushed itself off the ground, struggling a bit. The Stratadon made one flap of its’ wings and jumped over to the Ursa, pinning it with its’ hind claws. It began to claw and lash at the Ursa, drawing what I assumed was what Ursa would have if being bled out. I grit my teeth and pulled out my arc pistol. I aimed and pulled the trigger, only for nothing to happen. Remembering what happened to it, I then chucked it and it hit the back of the Stratadon’s head. That caught its’ attention.
Cloudchaser and Flitter balked as the Stratadon turned to us and screeched, charging us on all fours. The sisters avoided the snapping jaws of the monster, flying circles and confusing it. I then had an idea. I looked down at Excalibat.
‘One last mission, old friend. Make me proud.’ I thought to myself. With the Stratadon confused, I timed myself, rolling off of Cloudchaser’s back and falling towards the creature. I let out a cry of rage, priming both pieces of Excalibat at the splintered ends facing the monster. I dug both the splintered ends into the eye of the monster. I held on with my hooves as the Stratadon roared in pain and began to shake its' head. I couldn't hold on for long as I ended up getting flicked high into the air, the pieces of Excalibat slipping out of the eye and tumbling with me. Flitter and Cloudchaser zipped up and caught me. I watched as Excalibat fell into the jungle, never to be seen for the rest of my life. With the Stratadon flailing about, the Ursa took its' chance. It roared and tackled the Stratadon, the claws slashing down on the creature. The Stratadon flailed under the Ursa, unable to toss it off to retaliate. The creature screeched loudly until the Ursa bit down on the neck and shook it violently.
The Stratadon's tail swished and flicked, kicking up a lot of dust that covered the Ursa and itself. The wrestling and flailing lasted for a good minute before things settled. We squinted our eyes as the dust began to clear. We saw the silhouette of the Ursa rise and step out of the dust, dragging a limp Stratadon in its' teeth. The wounded Ursa dropped the Stratadon on the ground and stood on two, roaring loudly in triumph. Flitter looked to Cloudchaser and the sisters seemed to make a silent agreement before floating away from the sight. They carried me down towards Scribble and the Exiles, the latter cheering at the sight of the Ursa Major. I stumbled a bit when the sisters put me gently on the ground. Scribble walked over to us.
"That was an amazing show if you were trying out for the Dare Devil Derby." He said stoically to me. My mood was entirely shot, only replying to him with a "Mmm". Scribble arched a brow and looked to the sisters. They only shrugged in response. I then perked up, realizing something. I turned around to face the temple.
"Fie?" I asked out loud. My eyes scanned the sky, trying to look for any sign of fire or a sign of movement from any part of the partially collapsing temple. Nothing. I proceeded to trot towards the temple, ignoring my friend's calling out to me. I began to gallop towards the entrance, my eyes scanning the area before coming to a halt. The main entrance was blocked off by rubble. The temple was rumbling from further within on the other side. Perhaps the other entrance? I began to gallop through the battle torn field, rounding the corner only to see that the carnage left by the Ursa Major had created a blocked entrance. Maybe the other side?
I galloped back towards the main entrance and realized that the other side was facing a cliffside moat. The other half of the jungle across from it with no way to get across. The temple began to groan and rumble before the top of it caved it. I had to gallop away as rocks were crashing down around me. I had instinctively went over to my friends as we galloped away from the collapsing temple. An Exile inside an auto wagon called to us to hop on. I hesitated, taking one last look for any sign.
I hopped onto the side and the auto wagon and it began to speed off. The zebra did not slow down until we were quite a bit away from it, meeting up with the other Exiles. We all watched as the temple collapsed layer by layer. The Ursa Major could be seen hunched over the Stratadon, possibly enjoying a meal. Yet while everypony else was marveling at the sight of their “Great Protector” being triumphant, my eyes continued to scan, not faltering in my hope to see any sign of Fie.
It wasn’t until the temple fully collapsed on itself did Cloudchaser put a hoof on my back.
“Thi. We could really use your help.” She said. I didn’t say anything, sensing that Flitter and Scribble were standing behind me. Cloudchaser looked over her shoulder to them.
“Thi, Fie is fine.” Scribble said. “She wouldn’t let herself be caved in. If anything physical happened, Din wouldn’t let themselves be killed so early. She is still hell bent on achieving ascension after all.” I shook my head.
“You don’t understand, guys. Any assortment of things could happen. Something could be seriously wrong. We have to find her.” I said before getting up and heading towards the auto wagon, pushing aside two Exiles who were chatting. Cloudchaser floated over to me as I climbed in.
“Thi. We are just as worried as you are. We are coming with you.” She said. I shot a cold glare at her before starting up the auto wagon.
“Do your damn job.” I retorted before pressing the pedal down and sped off, leaving my friends behind and nearly running over an Exile. I retraced back onto the road and made my way towards the temple, my thoughts racing with worst case scenarios about Fie. On top of this all I was angry with my friends. Who the hell do they think they are? They don’t know Fie as well as they think they do. I know Fie. We’ve been through thick and thin since CSGU.
I still haven’t properly apologized to her either. I don’t care how long it takes. I’m going to shift through the entire ruins to find her. I balked and pressed on the brake pedal, coming to a halt as a massive paw stamped down in front of me. I leaned out the side of the auto wagon and stared up at the Ursa Major looking down at me. The yellow and red eyes observing me with suspicion. After a bit, the Ursa turned and walked away, the trees bending aside for it. I let out a small sigh of relief before continuing on.
I came to a stop and stepped out when I reached the foot of the temple. The whole place was nothing but rubble. Any ounce of the once ancient civilization, at least this one, is now buried until somepony comes along and uncovers it. And that pony would be me. I looked around the area. It looked entirely like a war zone. All was quiet. I walked over to the entrance and started to shift aside rocks with my hooves. I was still feeling a bit burnt out with magic. As I proceeded, my mind went back to a good time.
A time where Fie and I were taking on the whole world together, despite her studious nature back then. Always pushing herself to pass exams despite knowing she would fail. Never giving up even after failing. I envied that about her. I paused in my shifting and sighed. I guess I still envy her to this day. She had been dealt a terrible twist of fate, yet she has always done her best to make the most of the situation. I worried that all the stress of it would cause her to be apathetic, but I was glad it only distracted her.
And after seeing her after whatever the zebra did, she seemed entirely chipper. As if she had accepted herself on a spiritual level. I felt my mood shoot down as I began to kick at a rock. She’s getting further and further ahead of me. I’m the one that’s supposed to protect her, yet there she was acting like the grand hero. I growled and bucked at a decently tall rock in frustration. Why her of all ponies? Why is she the one that has to deal with all this crap?
Why was her picture on that damned mural?! What do the damned stars have an interest to her?! Why didn’t they pick somepony else?!? Why! Does! It! Have! To! Be! Her!! I tumbled forward as the last buck sent me face first into the dirt. I panted exhaustively, pushing myself off the ground. Unable to do so, I let myself fall onto the ground flat on my stomach. My body screamed at me, causing me to no longer move. I sighed. I’m so damned pathetic.