Celestia strapped her Solar armor onto her foreleg with her magic. It had been centuries since she last wore it, maybe even millenia. It was still very durable, like Luna's old armor. The smiths of before times put all their skill into crafting it for her. Cadence was sitting on her bed, watching with a bit of interest and curiosity.
Seeing her peaceful aunt donning the ancient armor made her look… strange. To her at least. And if she hadn't learned of the consequences, she would have ventured to say she looked old.
"So, Tia, what did you say its name was?" she asked. Celestia was struggling with one of the hind leg guards.
"He told us his name was Tony," she strained while fixing the piece. "Old… thing."
"Tony? Sounds weird. To-ny," she giggled. The smile faded as she thought about the task at hand. "How did he say we were going to find Luna?"
"He didn't say. But he seems confident in his ability to track them," she said. "There we are."
"What's with those marks around your neck?" Cadence inquired. Her aunt's coat was unusually ruffled and had imprints that belonged to a dragon.
"There were some… complications," she sighed, rubbing the fur back into place. "I'm fine, before you ask." She put the last piece of armor into place and looked in the mirror. "It's been thousands of years since I last wore this. It's tighter than I remember."
"Think the food had anything to do with it?" her niece giggled. The soul piercing glare made her silence herself. "Its just a thought."
Celestia rolled her eyes and lit her horn. From under her bed a small case levitated out and settled in front of her. It opened, and inside was a golden spear with a gemstone head. Carved into the gem was the symbol of Celestia's cutie mark.
"Shiny," Cadence joked.
"Come. We need to leave now." In a flash, they both vanished from the room.
With Luna's safety as their number one priority, it left the royal chambers unguarded. From the balcony, a cloaked figure dropped in. The figure made sure its presence was hidden and went to the princess' closet. It searched through until it found the princess' regalia. Collar and hoof slippers. It took a circular device from its pocket and attached it to the gem of the golden collar.
It was so small no one would see it. The figure pulled up its sleeve and looked at a device on its wrist. A blip represented the tracking device, and the other him. He chuckled, then slipped out onto the balcony and left. Back towards the Everfree.
Canterlot Gardens
While they waited for Celestia, Tony decided to practice his swordsmanship. He slashed the blue blade in front of him. After several swings he would get into a defensive stance, as if he was actually being attacked. He twirled the blade around and "stabbed" the imaginary foe behind him. Then he resumed his slashing and blocking. Out of his peripheral vision he could see Shining Armor and several guards watching him. Rainbow Dash too, but their gazes didn't fall on him. They were obviously looking at his Daedalak.
He wasn't one to brag, but his sword was beautifully crafted. It was the only source of the rarest and strongest metal on his home world. The legend of the Daedalak was said to have gone all the way back to when the first Makti was named. The best of the best blacksmiths crafted it in the holy temple of Limir.
"Uh, Tony." He stopped mid-swing to see Rainbow Dash standing next to him. He spun the sword gracefully in his hands and sheathed it.
"What, Skittles?"
Wow, I suck at nicknaming.
"It's Rainbow," she corrected, glaring slightly. "Do you think I could see that sword?"
"No."
She flipped her mane to the side and turned away. "Whatever, probably isn't that cool anyways," she huffed.
Tony rolled his eyes and glanced at the position of the sun. They had maybe two hours to save Luna.
"Shining Armor!" He called to the Captain. "Where's Celestia?!"
A burst of light flashed and faded to reveal the sun princess. Her golden armor almost made Tony laugh in his current state. It would barely protect her from a regular weapon, but would rip like paper against Arthanian weaponry. Beside her was another pink, winged-horned pony. She was about the size of the rest of them, maybe an couple inches taller.
"Who's she?" He questioned.
"I'm Cadence," she smiled. "You're Tony, right?"
"Yeah. So are we ready?" Shining Armor nodded and stood in his chariot.
"Stallions! When we touch down, rally at the Everfree!" he said for all to hear. "When we go in, form up in Phoenix formation. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!" The hundred strong battalion of guards replied.
Celestia levitated one of Luna's scarves to Tony. " You said you need an article of her clothing. I wanted to know why…"
Tony took in the smell of the scarf. Nightshade was the dominant smell among the fabrics. He pulled the scarf away and took a whiff of the air. Luna's scent still lingered, but it was faded. He could still follow it. South.
"Got it. Let's go." They just gave him disgusted and disturbed looks. At first he didn't understand, but then he remembered what he had just done. "My nose is twice as strong as a dog's. I'm gonna follow her scent."
Shining nodded to Celestia. She motioned for them to step into their chariots. Once all of them were in their assigned transports, only Tony remained.
"Ya comin' or what?" Applejack called.
He chuckled for a moment. "Hell no, I'm keeping my feet on the ground," he said.
"Don't be stupid," Rainbow said. "How are you gonna keep up with a flying chariot?"
Tony smirked slightly. "Just go," he told them.
Celestia and Cadence exchanged glances, and the younger one shrugged. Celestia sighed but still told the pegasai pulling her chariot to procede. Row by row they took to the skies, creating V-shaped patterns in the sky. Tony leaped after them and plunged down the side of the mountain they were on. The slits in his body opened to change him. Before hitting the ground he did a small flip to land on his feet.
He smashed into the ground below him, creating a sizable crater. He ran forward and picked up speed. Though his abilities didn't affect his speed much, the strength in his legs let him run faster than most of his kind, and faster than every human he'd met. Every few minutes he glanced up to see where the chariots were. He made sure not to get too far ahead of them or too far behind. Mainly staying beneath them, but his constant leaps from hills and running through streams and rivers threw off his measurements.
Up high, Cadence watched Tony speeding across the land. Shining Armor got curious as to what she was so interested in and took a look himself.
"Guess he can keep up, huh?" He laughed softly.
"Tell that to Rainbow," Cadence giggled as she pointed to the pegasus. Her lower jaw was hanging over the side of the chariot as she watched Tony.
Cadence leaned against Shining Armor and let out a long sigh. "What's he like? I wasn't there when he woke up," she said.
"Well," he stammered. "It doesn't matter. It's enough that he's helping us."
She rose a brow at him. "That bad huh?"
"You've no idea," Celestia said from her seat.
Ponyville came into view not long after. Tony decided to go around the entire town, lest he scare the population. The chariots landed in the plain seperating the town from the forest. Tony was already waiting by the trail leading into the eery forest.
"Everyone ready?" He shouted. The stallions lined themselves up in their Captain's desired formation. The princesses, Captain, and Elements moved to the front of the platoon.
"March," Shining shouted. The sound of spears being placed on their mounts behind the guards echoed loudly. Then hooves replaced the noise.
Tony took note of the forest. It was incredibly dim and heavily bushed. There were various animal calls he recognized, and others he didn't. The scents all tickled his sensitive sense of smell. But he focused his attention on the trail of nightshade and the smell of soldiers.
As he sniffed around he noticed Fluttershy jerking her head at every sound the forest made. Her wings were fidgeting behind her as they ventured further into the forest. At heart, he wanted to try and comfort her or help ease her. However, his mind wasn't in the right place, and after his little outburst he doubted they would let him near her.
"Your cutie mark looks weird," he heard Pinkie Pie giggle as she showed him his palm. "What's your special talent?"
He pulled his hand away and looked at what she was talking about. On his hand was his family insignia, etched onto him from birth.
"What's a cutie mark?" He scoffed.
"A cutie mark is something a pony has on their flanks," Twilight said from his opposite side. " It comes when we realize our special talent. Like mine in magic."
"And mine in throwing super-spectacular parties!" Pinkie hopped higher.
"I'm the best flyer," Rainbow boasted.
"Ah'm a mighty good apple bucker," Applejack said.
"I make the best dresses and attire," Rarity chirped with pride. "And Fluttershy here is an expert with animals, isn't that right?"
This caught some of his attention. It wasn't often he met someone, or somepony, that was skilled with animals. She hid behind her mane inevitably and squeaked, "I guess."
A distant howl caused Tony halt. It sounded pained and and forced, almost like a plea.
"Timberwolves?" Shining wondered aloud.
"Maybe," Twilight said. "But I don't think they'd attack an entire regiment of Solar Guards."
Tony listened for a another howl. It came, this time louder yet more shaky. He could tell it was injured, the soldier calling for its pack. Maybe it would lead them to the pack, or it could be a stray.
"That's not a… wait. Timberwolf?" Tony asked, furrowing a brow.
"It's a wolf made out of twigs and sticks and branches and stuff," Pinkie explained. "They're really mean and snarl-ey."
The idea of a wolf made out of wood sounded ridiculous. But he was talking to - and helping - talking ponies.
"Yeah, well its not that," he said. "Its one of the wolves that came here with me. It sounds hurt."
"Then it's best if we avoid it," Celestia said. "Lead on."
Tony glared at her for a moment, then continued his walk.
"You still didn't answer me," Pinkie sang.
"Do all humans have cutie marks on their claws?" Twilight asked.
"First, these aren't claws," he said, showing his appendages. "They're called hands. Second, this isn't a cutie mark. It's an insignia."
She took another look at it. Her eyes followed the line running up from the sides of his hands and up to his elbow. Another pained howl made him perk his head up; they were getting closer to it.
"Ah really hope your sure it ain't no timberwolf," Applejack murmured, worry clear in her voice.
"Trust me, you'll wish it was a timberwolf," Tony replied.
They kept following Tony as he tracked the scent. The soldiers howling only became more frantic as they pressed on. The sound of hoofsteps grew noticeably, somepony was trying to catch up. He glimpsed behind him and saw Rainbow turn away and plant her hoof on the ground. She was close to his left side, and a bit too close to his Daedalak. He shrugged it off as nothing, but her hoofsteps grew louder again, and he felt a slight nudge on the scabbard.
He spun around and came eye-to-eye with Rainbow. She nearly fell back by his sudden advancement. He glared at her mercilessly.
"No… means no, got it?" He snarled lowly. He got back up and kept going.
Rainbow frowned and muttered under her breath."He doesn't have to be such a flankhole about it," Rainbow scoffed.
"Well, he did say you couldn't see his sword," Twilight pointed out. The rainbow mare frowned at her momentarily.
"Still, he acts so vicious", Rarity said. "And his taste in dress is awful."
Both of them had to roll their eyes at her remark. Leave it to Rarity to talk about fashion during a rescue operation.
"Okay Rarity, why don't you make him some clothes when we get back? I'm sure he'll love it," Rainbow teased.
"I'm sure he would. Even my creations will get a smile out of him," she smiled with pride.
Another pained howl, this one uncomfortably close. Tony raised his hand for them to stop. He scanned the surrounding trees and bushes for movement. His nose warned of various animals, some giving off larger essences than others.
Next to Fluttershy a bush began to rustle. The pegasus was gone faster than Rainbow could fly. She clung to Tony, who was the biggest cover she could find.
"W-What is it?" She whispered. Tony grabbed her and placed her back on the ground.
Before somepony could say anything, a huge manticore jumped out. Tony was the first, and albeit only, one to react. He tackled the massive hybrid before it could swipe at Twilight. The two wrestled for a moment before Tony threw it. The manticore tumbled into a tree and roared from its prone position. Tony thought about killing it, but it's frantic breathing hinted towards fear. Terror, even.
He pushed the thought aside and plucked a piece of grass from the ground. Skillfully and gently, he twisted and folded the piece of green into a strange little instrument. The manticore was back up and charging straight for them while he continued to mess with the grass.
"Charge!" Shining ordered. The armored force did so, spears heading for the manticore's chest.
"Waaaaait!", Fluttershy screamed, stepping between the two forced. The guards halted, as did the manticore.
She walked slowly to the beast, making sure not to agitate it. It breathed hard as it watched her approach. She stopped rather close to it and nuzzled its paw softly, her eyes in the most caring position possible.
"Could you please let me and my friends pass Mr. Manticore, sir?" She asked kindly.
Tony stared at her, then to the manticore. He wasn't sure if he was dreaming, but she asked it to move. For a minute, it looked like it was actually thinking about it. But he saw the change in its body movements. Fluttershy shrunk back as it snarled and raised its paw in the air, ready to strike.
"Fluttershy!" The girls screamed.
The paw never connected with her. They all cracked their eyes open, and was unharmed. The manticore was frozen in place, its paw dropping back to its side slowly. Soon they heard music. It was unlike anything they had ever heard. It was more sophisticated than anything Octavia could have performed, but as heavenly as Lyra's hearth. They all turned to the source of the beautiful notes.
Walking slowly to the manticore with his eyes closed, Tony had a piece of grass against his lips, the music coming from the miniature whistle. He nudged for Fluttershy, frozen in fear, to back away. The manticore's eyes jumped to her as she backed away, but turned back to the one making the peaceful noises. Its eyes drooped and it purred as Tony scratched just under its ear. They both sat down, the manticore succumbing to the powerful pleas of sleep.
Once the purring turned to heavy snoring, Tony finished off the Kital song with a steady high note. The last of his music died off into the forest. He removed the natural instrument from his mouth. Carefully he lifted the sleeping giant, placing it beside the trail to sleep. The mares behind him, even Celestia, had their mouths agape.
"Come on, we're getting close", he told them. They stared for another minute before closing their jaws and following.
A different pair of hooves came up to him. They were heavier, the only stallion that would dare speak to him.
"Hey, Tony."
O Shining Armor, what is it you could possibly need?
"What?" He replied without turning.
"Why didn't you just kill it? You killed those other wolves," Shining asked.
Tony knew he could have easily snapped its neck or crushed its skull. But even in his alternate state of mind, Eishla's teachings rewinded in his mind. One of which being to respect nature and her creatures.
"Yeah, I did," he chuckled. "But that doesn't mean I have to kill animals."
Fluttershy, waiting to ask him about the music, overheard his response. He wasn't some sadistic killer, and he respected animals just like her! Maybe she could talk to him about it.
"I killed those wolves because I had to. That… whatever it was-"
"Manticore," Shining corrected.
"Right. It was just scared, and I'm not gonna attack a frightened animal," he said.
Shining went back to the princesses, giving Fluttershy her chance. She picked up her pace and walked next to Tony. He didn't pay her any mind, since he was looking all around. She hesitated to talk, and every time she opened her mouth a light squeak was all she could manage.
"What is it?" He questioned in a demanding voice.
She let out another squeak before answering. "I… I wanted… I wanted to… ask you," she mumbled.
"Ask me what," he asked in an annoyed tone. "And speak up." Tony felt the need to slap himself for even getting slightly aggravated at such a shy, gentle girl. Or mare.
She cringed at his harshness and started having second thoughts. "I-I just wanted to say… that music was really nice," she managed.
"No it wasn't", he scoffed. " I fucked up the notes a bunch of times."
She fell back after he downplayed her compliment. Maybe he was just nice to animals. Rainbow was the first to see her hurt friend. She was fuming that somepony would make Fluttershy feel bad. Whether they knew her or not, he wasn't getting off so easy.
"Hey!" She shouted as she flew in front of him. He just walked on, completely disregarding her.
"Hey!" She shouted again. "What's your problem?! Don't talk nasty to Fluttershy just because your mad!"
"W-Well, he didn't… I wasn't…" She ended with a whimper.
"I saw him!" Rainbow yelled, pointing a hoof at him. "I'm talking to you! What's your problem?!"
Tony kept to himself as he pressed on.
"Stop being such a jerk when we're trying to be nice!" She jabbed a hoof at him. "I bet you don't even have any friends, do you?!"
Tony stopped. They could all see she clearly pushed a button, most likely the red one. She backed away, still steaming with anger. Instead of turning to her he thought about it. Any friends he could have made on Loki'ir, which was probably zero since any like him were all aiming to maybe kill him one day, were gone. Earth wasn't too different either, except that no one was trying to kill him.
He was the kid in the corner, the one kids picked on and pushed around. Sure he could have easily avoided the beatings with a couple of punches. But, his father had made him keep his abilities hidden. The last thing they needed was to draw attention.
He came back to reality and turned his head to look at them. Celestia's horn was faintly lit, as was Shining's and Twilight's, and Applejack was ready to spring into action. He turned back and sniffed. Luna's scent had faded out. The remnants of her scent led back through the forest, the way they came.
"The scent ends here," he informed them.
Celestia came to him. "Are you sure? Is this where she was taken?"
"Of course not," he said. "They must have gone through some kind of water source to break the trail."
The howl was uncomfortably close. Tony had an idea, rather his demented other half had the idea. He inhaled deeply, the smell of blood dominating the rest of the smells. Not far, perhaps a couple meters away.
"How do we find Luna?" She asked him.
"Just stay here," he instructed her. "I'll be right back." He pushed past a wall of branches and bramble.
Celestia turned to the ponies. "I'll be back. Wait for us here," she ordered. They nodded, and she followed after him.
He led her off the trail and into a small clearing. On the other side of the clearing, against a tree, was one of the soldiers. It had a spear that protruded from its shoulder and pinned it against the bark. The wolf began to snarl and bark at Tony as he approached.
It tried to get up but fell back down in pain. Tony pulled his sword and held it to the wolf's throat.
"Heret ujal jro miko rem bemip? (Where have you taken the female?)" he questioned. The wolf gurgled before spitting a glop of saliva and black blood at him.
"Trez det rem hulamsh ul Nedafan, beopal (Die in the fire's of Hell, scum)" it growled. Tony moved the blade over its wound and put the first inch into the open flesh.
Celestia grimaced as Tony put the tip inside the wound. " Tony! Stop this at once!" She ordered.
The soldier thrashed around and let out small whimpers. "G-Gart, gart! (S-Stop, stop!)" it managed through pained grunts.
Tony put the next two inches in slowly. "Jro ekru herot jra yote (You know what I want)" Tony growled. "Heret ujal jro miko rem bemip? ( Where have you taken the female?)"
"Tony! Enough of this!" Celestia shouted. Tony pulled the blade out but left the first inch in.
"Kio-kioli jule, kiopel i hork, i hork! (They're north, there's a lake, a lake!)" it whimpered. "Kreb, tu'uk ven jre (Please, don't kill me)"
Tony sheathed his blade, relieving the soldier. He took a step back and stopped. "Jro crolok dep crotol ferang dot gingrich (You should have thought about it sooner)" he said.
He spun around and rammed his foot into its face. The sound of bone giving way under his foot reached his ears. The soldier slumped, its lifeless body being held still by the spear in its chest.
He pulled his foot out and turned back to Celestia. She was disgusted, horrified, and angry all at once.
"I told you to leave it be!" She yelled. "It was already hurt!"
"I know, but it wasn't gonna stay that way for long," he smiled. "It was calling for help, in case you hadn't noticed."
Just as he brushed past her she made a magic wall in front of him. "Until we rescue my sister and get her to safety you are to subdue them, not kill them," she said sternly. "Do I make myself clear?"
The wall vanished. " Fine," he grumbled. "But you'll pray I did." They regrouped with the rest of the unit.
"It said they took her north, by some lake or something," he said to Celestia.
"Manticore Lake," she sighed. "Of all places, it had to be there."
"Let me guess, tons of manticores?" Tony asked. She nodded. "I'll put take care of them if there's a lot."
"It's not far from here," Shining Armor said. "Twily knows the way."
Celestia raised a brow in question at her student. The purple unicorn smiled sheepishly and rubbed a forehoof.
"I was… doing some research on manticore habits," she explained. "But Shining's right. It's not far, come on."
Twilight took the lead and turned north. The smell of blood was heavy in the air, for Tony at least. A few minutes later he saw why: around a lake that stretched as far as a football field, was bodies of dead manticores. The soldiers were the obvious cause of the massacre. It explained why the manticore from before was terrified. He heard a guard retch to the side, followed by several others groaning, "Celestia help us."
Tony walked among the dead bodies. Many had their insides spilling out, but some were missing them. There were remains of limbs like paws and forelegs. They were warning signs, meant to scare off animals and followers.
On the other side of the lake he saw pieces of branches and twigs moving. He could make out the shapes of regular, Earth wolves, except they were made out of wood. They picked their heads up, and once they saw him they sprinted into the forest.
"So those are timberwolves," he said to himself. "Look like scouts."
The others were working their way around the mangled bodies. They joined him at the waters edge.
"Where do we start?" Shining asked.
"Look around, see if you find a cave or entrance," he suggested.
"Alright everypony," Shining called to the guards. "Fan out and look for any hidden entrances."
The guards dispersed into the surrounding trees. Tony was about to leave until he heard soft sobbing. He looked over to Fluttershy and saw her sitting on her flank beside a dead manticore. Though he still wasn't in full control, he came over to her and put a hand on her back. She was surprised from the unfamiliar touch, and she jumped a little and turned to him.
"They didn't have to die," she whimpered. "Why did they kill them all for no reason at all?"
Tony sighed and rubbed her back sympathetically. "Because they don't care. They were born to kill, and I'm sick of it," Tony growled slightly. "You're supposed to be good with animals, or so your friends say, so I know how you feel. Just try and ignore it, okay? You don't have to stick around here."
Fluttershy sniffled and wiped her eyes with a foreleg. "No. I can still help," she said. "But please, don't let them hurt my friends."
Tony nodded, and Fluttershy went over to help with the search. The pegasi guards, accompanied by Rainbow, searched from the skies. Meanwhile, Twilight and the unicorn guards used spells to look for any hidden structures. To their dismay, there was nothing. Even Tony couldn't find any signs of tunnels or entrances. The search dragged on, and Tony began to notice several things.
One being that the scents of Netu'ung and the soldiers with him lingered. They definitely came through that area but the scent stopped there. Either they wiped their scents clean and moved on or there was some entrance around. It had to be the latter; Arthanians weren't exactly the best liars.
The next thing that stood out was the enviornment. The trees were dark and had a malicious feel, but they still made nice homes. And there was so much vegetation: flowers, grass, plants. Yet there weren't any animals. It made no sense. A nice home, plenty of food, all supported by a body of water. When he was by the water it looked clean.
Then it hit him. There weren't any fish in that lake. They couldn't have all died… something killed them. The water… it had to be in the water! But they did something to it, with Netu'ung they would have done something to keep him from following.
He ran back to the clearing and saw a guard leaning down for a drink.
"Stay away from the water!" Tony shouted to him. The guard stopped an inch from the surface and moved away.
"What's wrong?!" He panicked. " Is it poisoned?!"
"Don't be ridiculous," Tony scowled.
"You found them?!" Twilight shouted as she galloped over.
"I might have," he shrugged. He reached into his pocket and grabbed the only quarter he had left.
"What's that?" Pinkie asked as she looked closer.
Tony tossed it into the water. Electrical ripples flashed as the coin sank to the bottom. Tony let out a chuckle. They made the defense system just for him, and in a short amount of time. It was flattering, or at least to his dominant mind at the time.
"Great!" Rainbow groaned loudly, throwing her hooves in the air. "How do we get down there?"
Tony took off his shirt and pants and tossed them aside, leaving him in nothing but his briefs.
"What are you doing?" Cadence asked.
"Well," he grunted as he rolled his shoulders and elicited a snap from his bones. "Since none of you can take thousands of volts of electicity, I'm gonna go for a little swim."
"You can't be serious!" Twilight shouted. "No pony can survive that much! Not even you!"
He chuckled at what sounded like an insult, even though he knew it wasn't. "Then you're in for a shock."
He dived into the water before any of them could protest. His body's metals only served as a conductor, and soon he could feel the buildup of watts. Without a doubt it hurt, a lot, but he swam deeper and deeper. The lake was illuminated by the currents attempting to blow up his heart. He fought through the pain as he searched for some sort of entrance.
As he sweeped over the bottom of the lake he found the bodies of fried fishes and a few manticores. The poor things had no idea what happened when they were shocked to death. He continued his search around the bottom, his lungs starting to run out of oxygen. Near the middle of the lake he noticed a faint glimmer of blue. He swam closer to the source of light and found that it was actually a steel plate. Not just a plate; there was a wheel on top. A hatch.
A powerful pulse of electricity made him try and gasp. The rest of the air in his lungs escaped and floated back up. He had to work fast. He planted his feet on the submerged dirt and grabbed the wheel. His burning lungs weakened as he pulled on the hatch. It refused to budge an inch.
His lungs begged him for air, unable to carry on at this rate. The panic in his head cranked up as he felt the signs of oxygen deprivation. This only worked to double his efforts and as he pulled with all his might, it creaked. The wheel loosened and turned in the water.
Once it cracked open the water poured into the new space. He heard several slamming noises before he surfaced. The water pulled at him, but his powerful arms and legs pushed him up. As darkness began to fill his vision he exploded out of the water, gasping greedily for the wonderful air.
"Stay on the bank!" He called to them. "Wait for it to drain out!"
The water drained into the open hatch and several other tubes at the bottom of the lake. Tony knew they served as emergency drains, in case something like this happened. But the fact that there were drains bothered him. Something like that would have taken months. The electricity lines would have also needed weeks before it was operational. This wasn't made in one day. It could have been well over a year before something like it was made.
"Its all gone! Come on!" Pinkie laughed as she tumbled down the dirt slope. Twilight teleported herself and the girls to join the muddy mess that was Pinkie.
Celestia made her way down, giving him his clothes to put back on. Before they went any further, Tony told her, "Keep half the guards on the surface. We don't need any of these things getting loose."
Shining gave the command and fifty of the stallions stayed behind. The other half slid down and formed up.
"So Luna's down there?" Cadence asked Tony.
He took another deep inhale. "Yeah, I can smell her. When we get down there you stay behind me, got it?"
"Lead the way," Shining smiled as he lifted his hoof in a false gentlecoltly fashion.
Tony dropped himself feet first into the hatch. It was a small drop to the floor. He knocked out the two soldiers stationed on either side of the tunnel and looked around. The cavern proved his suspicions. Steel beams supported the ceiling above while torches lit the way. There were also power conduits leading into the walls and along the ceiling. A year was a mistake, it had to be a decade before this could have been built.
Celestia was the first to join him, followed shortly by Cadence and Shining Armor. Then Twilight, a still muddy Pinkie Pie who landed on the first, Rainbow carrying Applejack, and Fluttershy carrying Rarity.
"Golly," Applejack gasped. "How big is this place?"
"This must've taken a while to make," Rainbow commented.
This wasn't unlike many densTony had been in. In fact, they were all made the same. Meaning, he could navigate his way through with the group, get to the prisoner blocks, free Luna, and get out. As long as they kept hidden. That is, if their presence wasn't already known.
"Tony." He shook from his thoughts and turned to Celestia. "Lead the way."
He began the navigation through the tunnels. As they crept through, he could smell something apart from the ponies and soldiers. The scent was familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Luna!" The moon goddess was startled awake. She sat on her haunches to look at the human.
"What is it Daniel?" She groaned.
She noticed a panicked shake in his "hands", as he called them. "Listen, I have a plan," he whispered anxiously.
Now he really had her attention. She came closer to the bars that seperated them. " You mean you've discovered a way out?" She asked, a little excited.
"No, but there will be," he assured her. "Okay look, I didn't want to tell you this but its the only way we're gonna get out."
"What is it?"
He turned away for a moment, then to the ground below him and sighed. "These Arthanians, they aren't too nice with their prisoners. Males, like me, they'll just torture and kill. But with females…" He paused for a minute, thinking of a way to say it without actually saying it.
"With females they do what?" She questioned.
"With females they rape them," he bluntly stated. "It's been almost a day and four hours since you've been in here and from what someone I knew told me, that's as long as they wait. Any minute now that door's gonna open and one of 'em are gonna try and-"
"They wouldn't dare!" Luna shouted loudly. Dan could see the horrified and disgusted look. "I'll have them in chains if they do much as touch me!"
"Shh!" he shushed her. "They are, okay? Royalty or not they're gonna try to. We can use this Luna! When he comes in, let him get in. When he does, get to the back of the cell and as close to the bars as you can. I'll take care of the rest and we'll have you in Canterlot, in no time!"
She wasn't too sure. If Daniel's plan failed he could end up dying and her becoming a used mare. Or they would both be tortured then she would be raped. Still, if it did work she could escape and return to Canterlot.
Dan could see the uncertainty in her face. He reached through the bars and put his hands on her shoulder. At least, he thought it was a shoulder.
"Trust me Luna," he almost pleaded. "I've been in a situation like this before. I promise I won't let them hurt you."
She raised a brow at him. "How can you be so sure this plan of yours will actually succeed?" He smiled, since he wasn't entirely sure the plan would work.
"A good friend of mine once told me, 'Never make a promise you can't keep' " She looked back to him. "So there. Do you trust me?"
He held out his hand, waiting for a reply. She weighed the consequences in her mind, but ultimately came to a conclusion. Reluctantly, she placed her hoof in his hand.
"I trust you," she sighed.
"Good. Now when he comes in, do exactly like I told you," he instructed. "Wait for him to come in, get to the back, then next to the—"
The door swung open, a large Arthanian standing in the doorway. It leaned back to the other two guarding and whispered something. They chuckled before the two soldiers walked away. The soldier remaining shut the door and locked it. Then, it removed the thick leather serving as chest armor. It unhooked the strap that held its club at its waist, then it made its way around the cells. The animals that were caged either cowered at the back of their cells or roared at it.
It made a leisure pace past Dan's cell, its occupant pretending to be asleep. It stopped right in front of Luna's cell. She gulped as it faced her direction, its eyes examining every inch of her body. If the plan was going to work, she had to lure it in somehow.
As uncouth as it was, and downright dirty, she stood up slowly. She whipped her flowing mane to the side and positioned her body sideways, giving the soldier a view of her slender figure. Just as she expected, it recognized her as a female. It unlocked her cell and stepped in. Step 1: check. Step 2: get it further inside.
Now that she had its attention, she backed into the wall. She glanced down at Daniel, who was "asleep". Her attention refocused on the soldier, who had came closer. It began to fondle itself, disgusting her immediately. Luna had to follow through with the plan, as revolting as the sight was. She stepped aside and backed into the corner. It followed her until its pride was only a few feet from her.
It advanced, a little more eager than it should have been. Before it could come within touching distance of her, two arms shot out of the cell beside hers. Dan's cuffed hands put the chain over the Arthanian's neck and pulled it against the bars. Luna bucked it in the stomach, allowing her human companion to put it on its rear as he pulled. Dan struggled to keep the Arthanian in its choke hold, as it kept clawing at his forearms and nearly bit him mulitple times.
The struggling soldier soon began to lower its arms and stopped flailing. When its whole body went limp, and a good two minutes for safe measure, Dan pulled the chain away. He panted from the exertion and smiled wearily.
"Okay," he panted. "Okay. Phew. Good job, Luna. Now get me its keys."
She went around the body and stood above the keys. She tried to lift it with her magic, but found it wouldn't come alive with her indigo aura. If the situation weren't so dire she would have definitely face-hoofed. She took them in her mouth and galloped to the bars.
"Ake da kees!" She tried to say. He didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed the keys and unlocked his cell, then used the key to free himself.
"Awesome! Now, let's see what he had." Dan searched through the soldier's armor and took its sword. He found a small dagger in the inside sheath. "Shit. Not much to work with. Luna, put this on."
He threw the reinforced cloth to her hooves. Trying to put it on without magic was a hassle, since the straps slipped away from her hooves.
"I… require assistance," she groaned as she failed to get a hold of the strap.
"Oh yeah," he laughed sheepishly. "C'mere."
He fixed the fasteners tightly around her belly. The armor fit a bit loose, but it would keep a spear or an arrow from hitting her.
"Tell me, have you figured out our escape route?" She questioned. He tightened the strap around the base of her neck before sighing and shaking his head with a chuckle.
"Not really," he said a little amusedly.
She eyed him questioningly, and a bit amused herself. "Haven't you been here before?" She repeated.
"I said I've been in this situation, your highness." Though she couldn't see him, she could just imagine him smiling. "Still, shouldn't be too hard, since I can read the signs."
With the last of the strappings fastened, Dan rolled up his right pant leg. Luna saw a black L-shaped piece of metal taped to his thigh. Below it were three rectangular containers. He ripped them off and inserted one of the containers into a slot in the piece of metal.
"What is that?" Luna questioned, she tilting her head to the side.
"M9," he smirked. "Holds 12 9mm rounds, and I got three clips."
Her blank expression showed her loss. "Y'know, a gun?"
"What is this ‘gun’ you speak of?", she asked. He groaned, a little annoyed at her confusion and at himself for assuming she would know.
"Just pray I don't have to show you," he said. "Can you handle a weapon?" He offered the club to her, keeping the blade and dagger.
She bit the handle of the blunt object and took a few preliminary swings. To Dan it was confusing, how she could swing the weapon with her mouth and not have it slip. Then again, she must have learned to do it, seeing how she was a pony.
"Ready?" She nodded. "Alright, the halls are pretty dim, so just avoid any light." He paused to glance at her wings. "You can fly?"
Another nod. "Sorry, but don't fly. The halls really aren't that high, and you'll probably get caught in the light. Stay close, and watch my back."
They entered the dark halls. The guards still hadn't returned, giving Dan enough time to look around for the signs. He read them in his head.
Block D, Block C, Resting Chambers, Scout Cages…
He gulped at the thought of having a pack of scouts running around in these close quarters.
As they reached the first intersection a couple of conversing soldiers made their presence known. He stopped and gestured for Luna to get against the wall. Thankfully the wolves were too distracted to notice them slip past, down the hall they had come from. So far, everything was going smoothly.
Then…
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Alarms began to sound off throughout the tunnels.
"Shit."