//------------------------------// // 39 - Hungershy // Story: Re:Harmony // by starcross7 //------------------------------// Chapter 39 - Hungershy A sizable entourage of one hundred Clone Soldiers accompanied Professor Covalent Bond and two of his lab technicians on the southeast side of the Everfree Forest. They were not here to protect him from the dangers lurking behind the trees, although he swore that somepony was watching him. He brushed that notion aside as he continued on, knowing that this was the Everfree Forest, the last bastion of unconquered soil on this continent. The same entourage approached a rock formation with a massive metal gate whose face had been decorated in letters of a dead language. Bond's technicians set up a stepping stool for him to reach up to an electronic door panel. He then put on a special glove that afforded him mechanical digits, and began pressing onto the panel buttons like a griffon or a minotaur on a keyboard. The panel also spoke in a dead language. Its sensor scanned Bond's eye, and upon its prompt he replied in the same dead language that captured his vocal wave pattern on its screen. The gate whirred to life, slowly sliding open from the middle and shaking off dust and other debris that nestled between the joints and cracks. Several other doors were layered inside and they too opened in their usual cumbersome way. Bond and his entourage traversed down a long and massive hall lined with rusted metal and invasive vines. After a long walk, they reached another large gate. He ordered the positioning of two empty hover trucks on one side, and about the same time two hover trucks filled with rebellious sheep, cows, donkeys, mules, and condemned ponies, lined up the other side. Clone soldiers lined up high up against the wall on top of pony-constructed platforms and then prepped to take aim towards the gate with dark-colored harpoon-like weapons. Bond stood before the gate as his technicians stood on stepping stools by the control panel to activate its release. As a scientist for the Democratic Republic of Gaea, he certainly was not a fighter, but he had his pride and courage to face what was supposed to be coming from the other side. Yet he found himself impatiently waiting for the cavern's host, and he tapped his hoof until the green dragon slithered his head through the opening. The dragon looked back and forth between the Clone Soldiers, the empty hover trucks, his meal, and then at Professor Bond. "You're late," said Bond. "My apologies," said Emerald Verde. "I had to clean up my home." "Don't know why you need to, not that I care. I am here for four canisters of plutonium and the dark matter stored in chamber S3-E013. "Don't give me that look, dragon. You won't get an answer as to why I need those things. I have doubled the amount of living carrion that's on your left here, and rarely am I generous." "I harbored no notion of questioning your request, dear professor." "Good. Please see to it that I have these items as soon as possible." Verde pulled back, and just as he did, a lone Midnight Butterfly flittered into the depths of the caverns. Bond would have one of the Clone Soldiers shoot it, but that might upset the dragon, and they would have to forcefully restrain him once more or even finally kill him. It was just one butterfly. Whoever or whatever this Beastmaster was, nopony alone could stand up to a fully-grown dragon. Verde vanished in his retreat through the flame portal as did the flames. Then from underneath his cape, Spike drew out a rectangular remote device and drew a stroke across its smooth glass surface. Instead of rumbling, the entirety of the Cavern of Treasures began whirring. The floor he and the ponies stood on suddenly dipped below the surface, revealing above them that the glass container that held the mutated parasprites was a lot bigger. The floor was a platform, and that moving platform rode along a wide rail upon which the group beheld the underbelly of the Cavern of Treasures. Massive mechanical arms shifted and swung about. Giant gears clocked onward, and steam billowed from the joints of valves of thick pipes. The amount of technology appeared archaic, and yet it felt ancient. The symbols "T-03" was branded everywhere in addition to a string of numbers and ancient lettering that uniquely identified each part or section of the Cavern's monstrous machinations. The ride was neither long or abrupt, but it was still altogether foreboding. The moving platform halted before a wide metal door that automatically swung upon the ponies' presence. The chamber they beheld was dimly let, but they were persuaded in by the occasional jab of Spike's sheathed sword. Pinkie, still unconscious, and possibly dying, had to be carried on Sunny's back. Blood drops from her body trailed into the darkened chamber, and once everyone was inside, the giant doors shuttered. The floodlights flickered on, illuminated an a curious stone pedestal surrounded by four small columns equidistant to one another. On top of it was a carving of a butterfly that had been weathered by time and the elements. Still, it was a thing of wistful beauty of a bygone age, yet it was terribly marred by the fact that encircling the carved megalith were ghastly bones piled several hands high. These were bones of not just ponies. They included, but were not limited to sheep, bovine, and buffalo. Most had their flesh cleanly picked from the smooth calcium, but there were still several with leathery skin lingering long after death, and rats scurried back and forth to devour what little rotted meat that remained. Fluttershy screeched in horror, and she turned around to bury her face in Twilight's chest. If the ponies couldn't think of something right now, they would likely end up as another addition to the pile of bones. But first things first: Twilight settled Fluttershy aside to allow her to quiver underneath her own wings. She then trotted over to Pinkie Pie who had all her armor removed for Sunny to assess the the wounds. It didn't look good. Verde's claws had punctured through the metal plates. The cuts he created appeared ghastly, but it was the damage of having crushed bones and severe internal bleeding that made up the majority Pinkie's injuries. She was alive, but she couldn't move. "Twilight," coughed Pinkie. "I'm still alive. Don't worry about me. I'm the Element of Pleasure. I've been through much worse in Rock Prison." If she didn't have the Element of Pleasure, would Pinkie had died back then? Regardless how extraordinary the Elements' abilities were, they appear to be finite or tied to the will and well-being of its bearer. If Pinkie died here and now, would that invalidate the Element's power? Would the party have to find another Bearer? She didn't want to think of such things. As best as she could, Twilight dressed Pinkie Pie's wounds, and was forced to use several bones as splints. She even crafted a makeshift gurney out of the same bones, and as morbid as it sounded, Twilight admired the hoofwork she performed in this desperate situation. Then the wait began. Even with Spike falling asleep during his watch, there was nothing to do but pace about the Chamber of Bones. Twilight and the ponies heard the booming steps of Verde as he moved back and forth on the floor above them. Voices were heard, and while the language was recognizable, their words were incomprehensible. Fluttershy eventually got over the initial shock of the Chamber of Bones. Timidly she trotted over to one of the skulls and brushed her hoof on its flat surface. The pity on her face was unmistakable. She paced a short arc as if trying to find somepony that she would recognized before rejoining her friends in caring for Pinkie Pie. Then she sat on her haunches and stared at the monument. "Butterfly," said Fluttershy. "The same as your Destiny Glyph," said Twilight. "Or your Heaven's Insignia. Do you now how you got yours?" "It was a terrible day." "Sorry, I asked. I know you were thrown from the clouds when you were born, so do you have any memories of your parents?" "I wasn't thrown off clouds." "What?" "I wasn't thrown off clouds. Animals found me at bottom of gorge." "Surely you were thrown off a Cloudship passed over the Everfree Forest." "Gran-Gran says I came from Gaea." Twilight couldn't decide if this was a shocking revelation or not. If Granny Smith was truly Applejack's grandmother, she would not lie to poor Fluttershy. Yet, it was not unheard of for pegasii to be born from earth pony mothers, either through rape or secret love affairs. More often than not, these illicit unions resulted in tragedy for all parties. Both the parents and child would be sentenced to life imprisonment or death, whether in Gaea or Pegasopolis, and Twilight had read tales that the punishments in Pegasopolis were much more brutal. It would be unforgivable for an earth pony mother to abandon their pegasus foal, yet by the same token anypony would understand her actions. Perhaps this mother had other earth pony children to take care of, but could not bear the punishment let alone the shame of birthing a pegasus. All this Twilight had theorized, but in the end, Fluttershy had been abandoned. Whoever was painted in the cottage mural was somepony Fluttershy culled from the depths of her early memories, and yet Twilight could not shake the tiny niggling feeling that she had seen her before. After minutes of silence, Verde "returned" to the location above the ponies, and shortly thereafter they heard muffled voices. The sound of a large and wheeled transport or two reverberated until the large gates of a door shuttered. The united gasps of ponies and many hoofed creatures became clear and audible. It was the cries of one hoofed creature begging to Verde to spare them that made everypony's heart sink in fear. Even if they couldn't see it, but the ponies could visualize in its full gory detail. Bones cracked, flesh ripped, and blood spilled amidst the ongoing screams, and in no time it became deathly silent. Finally, the ceiling opened up to fully illuminate the Chamber of Bones. Spilling over the edge from a giant blood-stained trough was the horror of a carnivore's latest meal. Though sickened to her stomach, Twilight managed to face the horrors and shield Fluttershy from the gruesome sight of blood-red bones. Many of them had eyes remaining, and they stared back at the ponies as if they still continued to cry out for mercy. "Have you had enough?" said Twilight, turning towards Spike. "Do you want see us like this? Do you?" The baby dragon, now awake, had his body turned towards the side. Whether he saw the horror or not, it still took place in his presence. Yet he did not respond or face Twilight. Rather, he gripped his sword, but his trembling body caused it to rattle in its scabbard. "Pitiful, isn't it?" said Verde as he craned his head into the Chamber of Bones. "Even if there were to be one pony race remaining, they still would not hesitate to murder thousands of its own kind. " "Verde you are a monster," said Twilight. "Most these ponies were probably innocent, but they all begged for you to spare them. Don't you have any sympathy?" "I have no sympathy for cowards, unicorn, especially for those who broke the law of their land. We dragons are a proud and honorable race who serve those who are most worthy to our sacred name." "Do you call this honorable? You're just killing defenseless creatures!" "Enough! It isn't the first time an upstart pony tried to sway my heart, and it would not be the last. Now that I have filled my belly, I have decided to prolong eating your four until I digested the trash the Government has served me. In the meantime, I decided that two of you will help me put on some after-dinner entertainment since you've rudely ended the Bloodsport." After wiping his bloodied claws with a tapestry-sized towel, Verde tugged on the overhead chains to reel in one of the suspended cages over the sunken Chamber of Bones, and then placed Sunny and Pinkie Pie inside before locking it. "The rules for this new game are simple," said Verde. "The unicorn and the pegasus will fight each other in a battle to the death in a span of thirty minutes. They can use whatever means necessary to kill each other. "If one combatant does not kill the other within thirty minutes, your friends in the cage will die. If you attempt to escape, your friends will die. If one of you are killed by the other, I will spare the remaining three ponies for a span of twenty-four hours. That as generous I can get instead leaving two ponies alive, is it not?" "You're sick, Verde," said Twilight. "Compared to you ponies, I am not. So, do I have your consent for the battle?" Another thirty minutes. This won't be an easy situation to avoid, let alone take advantage of it because Verde would be watching with his own two eyes. Twilight looked up to see any sense of Sunny's reassurance. All the Earth-Alicorn could offer to Twilight was a sharp wink. "I consent," said Twilight. "What of the pegasus?" Verde asked. "Did you not guarantee me that she will put up a good fight?" "Hang on." Twilight shuffled over to Fluttershy who had remained cowering at the sight of the corpses but also from the fearful heat emanating from Verde's breathing. "Fluttershy, come on," said Twilight. "You have to agree to fight." "No I won't," the pegasus whimpered. "He'll kill us all if we don't fight each other. At the very least, try." "I can't do it!" "Fluttershy…" "I can't because I like you!" This didn't feel like a confession, and Fluttershy could be expressing her emotions unclearly due to her limited vocabulary. It did melt the unicorn's heart a bit, and Twilight did feel a little flattered. So far, she was the third pony that the Beastmaster had chosen to interact in her entire life. Twilight was her teacher. Twilight was her friend. Yet being friends meant risking their lives for the sake of saving one another, even if they had to kill one another. Twilight then picked up the dragoon lance and slid it on the holster wrapped around Fluttershy's armor. "If you like me, then you'll have to fight me," said Twilight. "If you like me, than you'll have to muster up the courage to kill me. I don't want to you to die because of the mess I caused for you and animal friends. Besides, I'm pretty much half-dead already." "Has the pegasus made her decision?" Verde asked. "You don't give us a lot of choice," said Twilight. "Either answer leads to death, but I speak for Fluttershy that she will consent to the fight." "I need to hear it from her. Does the pegasus known as Fluttershy consent to the battle?" The ponies' fates hinged on Fluttershy's answer, and with the stern yellow eyes beaming down upon the pegasus, Twilight dared not make any temptations or influence her winged friend. Fluttershy eventually rose up to her hoofs after an arduous wait of several tense seconds. She looked at the dried bones, and then at the fresh corpses. She looked up to the cage where Sunny and Pinkie Pie were held in. She looked at Spike, and then at Verde. Finally, she looked at Twilight, and after a few seconds she turned back at Verde again. "I consent to the battle."