“Jagold”
Xilfer made sure that the coast was clear outside before he and one of his friends went out to prepare the motorbikes. I was...still feeling rather uncomfortable that Xilfer thought that me and Claire were...uh...um...a-are we...?
I slightly turned, enough for me to take a side glance at Claire. She was assuring her sister that things will be okay. I hadn't realized that I was staring at her for a long time though. Then, our eyes met, and the last thing I saw was her blush before I looked away.
“Just ask her out already,” I heard my little bro's comment before he hastily walked away from me, “sheesh, you two act like little kids...” he shook his head as he walked pass the sisters, and walked down towards the basement.
It was useless to glare at him though. And then my gaze fell on Claire's smiling face. I tried to smile back but uh...I'm feeling nervous all of a sudden... Okay, okay... Calm down me, calm down an—
“Catch!”
“Eh?” I quickly turned back to the front door and, “oof!” a black thing hit my chest. I caught it before it fell on the floor though. It was a gas mask. I looked up and glared at Xilfer. “A little warning next time?”
“I did...”
“Then warn me earlier than what you did!”
“You caught it, so it doesn't matter.” He smirked at me before facing his other two friends.
“Damn you...” I whispered as I heard Claire and her sister walked down the stairs. I turned, but they were either further down or the darkness obscured them.
I smiled sadly, but at least they'll be safer there than up here. Right. I looked at the mask, and found the strap. I was about to try it on when I felt something nudging my foot. Looking down, I saw Rainbow Dash staring at me.
“Um... Dash? I think you should join Claire and Kronz down below...”
Rainbow furrowed her brow and glared at me.
“No way I'm babysitting that pegasus.” One of Xilfer's friends announced as he grabbed the shirt of the other guy who was shivering on the floor. With a low grunt, he easily lifted him off the floor and threw him on his shoulder - carrying him like a sack of rice. “Com'on, princess, stop squirming!”
“I would if you'd put me down!” He tried pulling himself off, but the muscular one was stronger than him, so his attempts failed pathetically. But he still kept on struggling, as they went towards the stairs.
“I don't trust him,” I said after turning the Xilfer.
He only shrugged. “He's a man of his word. He doesn't break promises, like someone else I know...”
At first, I thought he meant me. But after I followed his gaze, mine fell on the squirming dude, who was still being carried down the stairs.
“Anyway,” I turned back to Xilfer—
“Oof!”
“...if your pet wants to come along, then put on that mask on her as well...”
I glared at him after I grabbed the new mask that was thrown at me.
“Now hurry up.” He commanded before stepping outside the door.
“What the hell happened to you, bro...?” I whispered to myself as I sighed. “Where's the fun and nature-loving brother I used to know?” I sighed yet again before I knelt down in front of Rainbow. “Dash, are you really really sure you want to come along?” Her nod was all I needed. “Then I want you to put these on...” I handed her the other mask. She sat down and grabbed the mask with both her front hooves, and stared at it. I smiled sadly. “Y-yeah, I know it doesn't look cool, but uh, we need to use it to avoid being um...controlled, maybe, by Sombra's magic...”
She looked up at me and blinked.
“I guess I need to explain further... Th—”
“No time for that, bro...” Xilfer's voice called from the door as one of the bike's engine roared to life.
I nodded to him before facing Rainbow again. “Just trust me on this one, 'kay?” I grabbed her mask and helped her wear it on her face. Unfortunately, the mask is designed for human faces, and Rainbow's snout is longer than that of us humans... But at least the air filter fitted her nostrils. That's good enough, I suppose? Her frown doesn't approve, however. “Just bear it until we get through the mists...” I said before putting on my mask. My entire face is covered by the black mask though. I rubbed the eye lenses a bit to get rid of the cold residue that fogged the lenses. “Okay, let's get going!”
Another engine of the bike came to life as soon as Rainbow and I stepped outside. I closed the door behind us and walked towards Xilfer.
“You're gonna carry that thing?” Xilfer's friend asked, his voice muffled a bit by his mask.
I looked at him and nodded. I then faced Rainbow Dash, and nodded to her before I turned my back on her and knelt down. “Climb on my back.”
...I think a full ten seconds flew by... I turned my head to see what was going on, and Rainbow was giving me a deadpan look. I sighed.
“Rainbow, I don't think you can keep up by running. These machines are faster than you...” her eyes glared at me. “Um... No offense, but please, we don't have time to argue!”
She rolled her eyes, and grabbed both my shoulders with both her front hooves, and then she climbed on my back. But just when I was about to stand up, she kicked her back hooves on my back, almost sending me flat on the concrete road.
“Ugh... W-what the heck!?” I stood back up and spun around, and saw Rainbow Dash was now seated behind Xilfer. “Uh... That works as well, I guess?”
A chopper flew above the buildings near us. Staring up, I saw just in time the chopper firing missiles towards a building far away. An explosion erupted from the roof of the targeted building, and from the bright fire jumped a dark grinning equine down towards the road.
“Uh oh...” I gulped as Sombra touched down a few buildings away from us. He didn't seem to notice us yet though, which was a great relie—
“You down there!” A voice amplified by a megaphone boomed from above as a bright white light surrounded us. “What the hell are you still doing there!?”
I squinted my eyes to see, but it was hopeless. The light was too darn bright for me to see the chopper. I looked back at where Sombra was, and his green evil eyes locked with mine. I think I actually felt my pupils shrunk as I stared at his evil gri— “Whoa!”
“Stop wasting time, you dumbass!” Muscular arms grabbed me and placed me on Xilfer's bike. I was now seated behind a grinning pegasus.
“About time you joined us!” Xilfer glared at me before suddenly sending the bike forward like a missile.
“Whoa!!!”
“What the hell!? You are heading the wrong way!” The voice from the chopper shouted.
As my ears were bombarded by the loud engine noise and my skin was pierced by the ice-cold air and raindrops, I turned my head to look behind us. Xilfer's friend was catching up, and the chopper far far away hovered up in time to dodge a black beam from an incoming blue dragon. And oh, Sombra seemed to be chasing us as well, with speed that matches the bikes...
Seconds later, I realized that my vision dimmed a bit. And then I noticed how dark and misty the area was now. I looked ahead and saw that we were already running through the black mist. The gas masks worked! That's a huge rel— “Bah! Whoa!!!”
I clutched my arms on the bike as Xilfer suddenly made a sharp turn to dodge a suddenly black spike that appeared on the road ahead of us.
“Gah!”
Another one tried to stop us. A small piece of concrete hit my shoe or something...
“This feels like—whoa!—like that third Pok—gah!—Pokémon movie with Charizard and Entei!!! Gah!”
“Stop talking and let me concentrate!” Xilfer yelled back as he made another sharp turn.
I think I heard faint flapping sounds up ahead. Squinting my eyes, I— “TURN! NOW!!!”
A huge beam of darkness erupted up ahead and hastily approached us. Luckily, Xilfer took my warning and turned, barely hitting a street lamp and almost slamming us on the building walls and stalls as we hit the sidewalks. I quickly looked back, and saw Xilfer's friend was on the other side of the road. Suddenly, a shiny blue dragon flew by from the opposite direction we were heading.
I was about to sigh in relief when Xilfer suddenly turned back to the road, dodging a few flipped cars.
I looked ahead, and saw Rainbow Dash was standing on her hind legs. One of her front hooves was on Xilfer's shoulder, and the other was stretched up. And I think she was cheering?
A huge spike erupted from the concrete road ahead of us. Xilfer made a sharp turn, and now, up ahead, a few blocks away, was the bridge...which was complete blocked by piles of spikes and flipped cars... And what is worse, “X-Xilfer...” my brother isn't slowing down, “Xilfer...!” and I think he's going even faster... “XILFER!!!”
He turned a bit, and was heading straight towards a flipped car that looked like it was turned into a makeshift ramp...
“You're not seriously going to—!”
“Just shut up and hold on tight!”
“Ahhh!!!” I shut my eyes and tightened my grip, as I tried to ignore Rainbow's howls...