“Can somepony explain to me what the buck just happened?!” Crys asked, feeling a slight headache and bruises all over her body, as she looked up.
High, high above them, there was a spot of light. A spot of light that, as Crystal realized with a gulp, was where they were just few seconds ago. She recalled the huge blast of magical energy, stronger than anything she experienced before, that was shot at them by the Emperor of Diamond Dogs.
“No wonder that his own warriors are afraid of him.” she mused, glancing around at others.
Save for some bruises, a few worse than others, they appeared to be all fine, despite that... whatever had happened to them, except for E, who lied unconscious next to Filly who tried to nudge him awake. Understanding that they’re all alive thanks to the young colt, Crys rose and staggered to the pair.
“E, come on, wake up!” Filly was begging, as she shook him, her voice broken with despair. “Please...”
As if to crown all the weird stuff they went through today, the pegasus mare started to cry, here and then, within gigantic crater under the city of Diamond Dogs.
“Please...”
Crys cast a quick spell, to check if E was alright, and sighed with relief once she found out that he just passed out of exhaustion.
“Filly,” she began, trying to get the other mare attention by placing a hoof on her shoulder, “E’s fine. He passed after he saved us... although what he did exactly, I do not know...”
“I think I can tell you that.” Trot said, coming closer to Crys, and, as she observed, limping, as one on his legs had a nasty cut near the hoof.
She nodded to him to continued, while using her magic she unpacked the first aid kit and began to treat his injury, signaling to those in better state - Cant among them - to do the same.
“When that bugger tried to... I dunno, crush as with a star or something, I stopped time before it hit us.” the light gray pony began. “I wanted to get all of you away from the blast, but E again hooked up to my ability, said that there wouldn’t be enough time. The chum didn’t even let me crack joke at that. Even if we had more, then the Dogs would just go after us, so we had to make it appear as if we were dead.”
“So what exactly did he do?” Crys asked, finishing cleaning his wound and now bandaging it.
“He grabbed all of our remaining explosives, placed them between us and that magical bolt - I know, that was my reaction, too.” Trot said as the other agents looked at him with confusion. “E then closed his eyes, and I think that he reached to you unicorns, because your horns all lightened, probably adding more power to his own, which he used to form a barrier around us. It also weakened the floor beneath us or something... I’m not really sure what happened next, when my ability time limit was expended...”
“I can pretty much guess.” Crys interrupted him, recalling the sensation of falling down among the pieces of floor and rocks. “Thanks to him throwing those explosives, the explosion itself happened slightly above us, which made it possible for his barrier to endure the blast, but it was still strong enough to push us through the weakened floor. Luckily for us, the dungeons system was spread a dozen or so meters beneath the courtyard, which made it much easier to burst so far down.”
“No wonder I have a headache.” she mused, and noticed that Balti and Hoof were also rubbing their heads. “E must have used a lot of our magic to do all of this... even though it seems that he took the worst of it...”
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of fighting, but, as she realized once her eyes tracked the source of them, it wasn’t fight between ponies and Dogs.
“It’s our fault, you idiotic, perverted asshole!” Filly screamed as she pounded Hoof’s head with her hooves.
Crys quickly shook off her surprise and lifted the angry mare away from the other agent with her levitations spell, which, despite Filly’s wiggling ferociously, held.
“Let go of me, you stupid bitch!” she screeched, her words filled with anger and pain, and only because of that Crys stayed her hoof from knocking her out.
“She became too dependent on E.” she realised. “With him in such state, she cannot control herself.”
Luckily - for everypony, as Crys wasn’t sure if Filly wouldn’t find some way to break free - a silent moan took the attention of them all, but most of all the pegasus mare. Relieved, Crys let her go tend to her lover, and in the meantime, she began planning what to do.
“Cant, scout the area. I want to know if there is any exit other than the one above us. Cloud, fly up and try to find out what are Dogs’ next plans. Don’t get spotted. Hoof,” she turned to the other unicorn, while the two she gave their orders saluted and went on with them, “why did Filly try to beat the living crap out of you?”
“Well...” he started uncomfortably.
Crys sighed few moments later when the two agents returned. Hoof stupidity aside, things weren’t looking that bad for them. True, there were about as far below the Diamond City as the Diamond city was below the surface of Equestria, but according to Cloud, the Dogs were convinced that they were all dead. Their emperor send out many of the warriors he had left (most of them being his elite guards) out to search for new tribes, which meant that the palace would be less guarded, and they had once again the element of surprise.
What’s more, they all recovered, although casting healing spells wasn’t easy for Crys, and E had still a migraine, despite taking the medicine Project Eclipse’s doctors made for him. Although, due to that, they were all awarded with an amusing and worrisome sight of Filly caring for him.
However, all of that was overshadowed by one major problem - there were no exits, besides the obvious one.
“We cannot go up, not with just three pegasi.” Crys murmured more to herself as they sit around, discussing their next move and having some quick snack. “Not to mention that they would see us... What about the dungeon’s system?” she turned to Cant and Mane. “We haven’t scouted them too deep. Do you think that maybe the go all the way down here?”
“Maybe.” Cant replied with a shrug. “It’s worth to check out, if you ask me. But we would have to go through the wall, provided it reaches down here. Not to mention that we would have to find where the dungeon starts.”
Everypony shifted their gazes to Mane.
“Crap.” he cursed, more annoyed than angry. “You do realize that if my ability would run out while I’m still in those stones I will be dead, right?”
“Of course we do, lad.” Trot replied with a nasty smile.
“Alright, time to get going. Is everypony good?” Crys asked rising from her spot, and after hearing few confirmations, she glanced at one that worried her. “How about you, E?”
“I’m fine.” he replied, running his head. “Although for some time I will have to spare myself.”
Crys nodded. After what E pulled, she was amazed that he could walk, let alone fight. If he would ask, she would let him sleep it off.
It didn’t take them long to find the part of the wall that seemed to be the closest one to the palace. Mane, although reluctantly, phased through the stone, and the other agents waited for him to return. It lasted a few moments, but the earth pony returned well before they could start worrying. However, they did so once they saw his face.
“Well, that’s definitely dungeon alright.” he gasped once he reached them, his eyes darting back to where he came from - or through.
“What happened?” Crys asked him, fearing she would not like the answer.
“There is some bizarre creature bounded there.” he replied, confirming her thoughts. “I have no idea what it is. Its body is long and sleek, like a snake’s, but it has four paws, and his head has two horns sprouting from the back. But... the weirdest part about it is its coat.”
“What do you mean?”
“It... It was like that of an Ursa. It seemed to look like map of the night’s sky: various constellations, shining with their own light. That’s how I was able to see it and its wounds. It is covered with them, the worst on its chest. I was shocked to see that it’s still breathing.”
Crys stared at him for few moments, and then turned to Cloud.
“Was he drinking just now?”
“Hey!”
“Aside from the fact that no other creature has a coat like Ursas, the description of the body you just gave matches only one creature, but it lives only in legends.” Crys explained slowly, as if talking to a foal.
“Then clearly we have a legend on the other side of this stone, because there is one of those things living in there.” retorted offended Mane. “And besides, in case you forgot, we - a group of ponies with freaky powers - are in - excuse me, below - an underground city full of dogs made out of diamond, not to mention that one of them tried to hit us with a bucking star. Don’t know about you, Crys, but I kinda stopped thinking that some things are impossible.”
“He does have a point, you know.” she whirled at the sound of Cant supporting the other agent. “It wouldn’t hurt if we prepared for this creature of legends, as we do need to go through here.”
Crys scowled, knowing that the two of them were right, but she was still reluctant to accept that such creature could actually exist.
“This creature that Mane described is called draconequus.” she began. “The stories about them were considered by ponykind to be mere legends even before the founding of Equestria, although there are few notes in history books that would indicate that Star Swirl the Bearded once researched the subject...” Crys shook her head to snap herself out of talking as if this was some lecture. “Anyway, they were supposedly creatures of great power, so great that they could even compete with alicorns in that term.”
After saying the last word, she had to pause. She hoped that everypony would think of it as stop for breath, but Crys knew that she could not fool Cant. She didn’t even have to glance at him to know that he saw that something was off with her. Making a mental note to talk to him about this later, she continued: “The legends don’t mention much other than that. If Mane isn’t delusional and there is really such creature on the other side, then it would be best if we not woke it up.”
“But what if it is intelligent?” Cloud asked. “If it is, then wouldn’t it agree to help us with our mission if we would free it?”
“Considering how fast that bastard finished - bow chicka bow wow - us, I think we could use some help.” Hoof supported the idea in his unique way, apparently not frightened by what the Director could do to him once Crys would give him her report.
The others nodded their agreements, with Los growling as well, and Crys could not help but to go with this plan.
“If this doesn’t work, it could still prove to be a good distraction.” she mentally decided.
“Fine, we will try to talk to it. But before that, twins, do your job.”
Hoof and Balti nodded, and the stallion moved to the wall while the other agents backed away. His energy sword emerged from his hoof, allowing him to cut a big door-like shape in the stone. Once it was made, Batli spit her acid into the crevices, causing the block to dissolve. Swiftly, the two siblings pulled what was left of it away with their magic, and repeated their process. After fourth time they did so, their eyes were welcomed by the sight of dark room, illuminated by a soft light.
Everypony entered after them, and, to her amazement, the source of light proved to be the creature Mane described.
“Impossible!” Crys, who until now didn’t believe this to be true, thought. “A real life draconequus.”
Although life was subjective here: its beautiful covered in stars coat had many cuts on it, exposing bleeding flesh. Two were on its back, and, judging by how they were in line with each other, Crys assumed that it used to have wings there, which was debatable by lore researches. The draconequus was chained to a pole in the middle of the round room, and it lied in a pool of blood.
The agents exchanged uncomfortable glances. To see such beautiful creature in state like this was almost painful. They all wanted Diamond Dogs to pay for it as well as for what it did to them, but would this mean the draconequus would help them.
Gulping nervously, Crys stepped forward to the creature. She intended to wake it up gently, but when she was few paces away from it, the draconequus’ eyes snap open. Crys has never seen anything like those two eyes: both of them shone, although with somewhat dimmed light, the right one golden, the left white.
“Hello there.” Crys finally said, shrugging of the shock and wonder from her mind. “I’m Crystal. My friends and I are here to defeat the Diamond Dogs. If we free you, will you lend as us ho- I mean, paw?”
It stared long at her, so long that she began to think that it didn’t understand her, but soon the creatures’ jaw parted - and it spoke.
“For two thousand years I have waited in darkness, in silence, my dreams a waking nightmare.” it - probably a he, judging by the deepness of his tone - said in strange, radiating voice, laced with anger. “Then he and the others came, the descendants of those I called friends, until they treacherously imprisoned me within city. He reduced me to this. He took my power. You think I will trust you?” the last word were uttered by him in icy calm tone, as he rose up on his hind paws, towering over ponies by good few meters. “You shall soon know my agony. This twisted world is beyond redemption... beyond the reach of deluded heroes... The only answer to corruption... is destruction. And that begins now!”
It just now hit Crys for how long the chain is that this being was bind into, and she hastily moved away as he swiped his tail at her. Joining the other agents, she looked at this new enemy, and realized that if they wanted to get out of here, they would need to get past him, as the exit was on the other side.
“Wait!” she shouted, attempting once again to speak to it. “We are the enemies of Diamond Dogs! There is no reason for us to fight!”
The draconequus just growled, and pointed at them, while magic gathered around him.
A very familiar magic…
“Scatter!” Crys gave the others order, and she herself teleported away before the much weaker version of the magical projectile that the Dogs’ emperor tried to kill them with.
He took my power.
“So the powers the Emperor wields came from this being...” Crys concluded as she fired her own attack at him, while on the other side of the room she saw Los fly at the draconequus.
He responded by emitting energy around his body, sweeping everypony away and bouncing off her magical beam.
“Be burned by the fires of the sun!” the draconequus shouted as he began gathering magic for...
“Oh, crap!” Crys thought as she realised what he is about to do.
She swiftly teleported near other agents, caught those few that were further away, and she formed protective barrier around them. In a heartbeat later, she is aided by the other two unicorns, just in time before inferno of flames erupted from the draconequus.
“Remind me, whose brilliant idea was it to wake him up?” she asked a bit angrily, and heard Cloud mutter ‘sorry’, despise that the other agents also thought this to be good idea.
Crys returned her attention to the draconequus. While his powers were great, she was certain that they could defeat it... but not without taking some damage. And since they already had an unplanned detour, Crys would prefer to solve this quickly and painless.
An idea formed in her head, and she shared it with others.
As their opponent stopped his attack, they dropped the barrier, and took the offensive, spearheaded by Filly, who managed to hit in right in the wound on chest, making him screech with pain, before he blasted her away. The draconequus then jumped away from attacking Los, while Hoof...
…had cut off the chain that bound him to the pillar.
Confusion appeared on the draconequus’ face, but it swiftly returned to the previous angry state. Seeing this from her position near the hole they used to enter and understanding that there was no chance to convince him that they weren’t his enemies - not with E so weakened, otherwise he would just showed him mentally - Crys put her plan into motion. She took the shape that she knew would get draconequus’ attention.
“Pitiful serpent.” she spoke with the voice of Huang Li, the cruel subduer of the draconequus.
His starry head turned at once, and it twisted even further with anger, as the draconequus lounged at Crys in the Emperor’s body... only to discover a second before they collided that it was a pony, who teleported herself away, while he flew through the hole.
“Now!” Crys shouted to Balti and Hoof, and three of them shoot their magic beams at the wall above the hole, causing it to collapse, trapping the being at the previous room they were in.
“I guess that’s that.” Cant said, and few others sighed with relief.
“Don’t rest yet, we have a long way up from here.” Crys told them, but she herself crouched near the center of this chamber, where the draconequus used to sleep and were his blood still soiled floor. “The Director would like to examine it.” she said out loud to few curious gazes as she took few test-tubes out of her saddle back and filled them with blood.
“So...” E asked nopony in particular. “What do you think will happen to the draconequus? I mean, it would be impossible to for him to get out of there...”
“If he managed to live with such injuries, I’m sure sooner or later he will figure out how to climb up.” Crys responded, her task complete. “We came here to do stop Diamond Empire, not rescue lunatics.”
Even though it was true, she did felt pang of regret for the mysterious being. Trapped in this city for two thousand years, then wounded so badly and locked underground... but they had their orders.
“Let’s go. We have a long way up.” Crys said, and all ten agents marched onwards.