//------------------------------//
// Chapter 30 The Beginning of Vengeance 
// Story: True Black 
// by Leonofsweden 
//------------------------------//


True Black
Chapter 30
The Beginning of Vengeance


5 of August

The two of them were breathing heavily. They had put their plan into action yesterday. Avarice made sure to always keep Black Star close to him as they pursued Lobo. The dire wolf had been spotted by a Pegasus Scout heading inland, back towards their original campsite. The fact that the little earth pony he had with him before wasn't with the wolf anymore made Avarice suspicious though. So he left Lightning Strike behind at the coast to continue searching for the little pony, since he was most likely hidden away there. Avarice still believed that if they could get their hooves on the little colt, Lobo would be as good as theirs again. 

Four days ago they had spotted the wolf, this time much closer to them. The second Black Star saw him she knew he had been waiting. Lobo had also seen them and took off through the trees. Avarice had ordered an all out pursuit, and it wasn't long before Black Star managed to get herself separated from him in her apparent eagerness to chase down Lobo. A very convenient tumble later she had also been separated from her squad members, who were all fully occupied with chasing the elusive quarry which was just somewhere tantalizingly close in front of them. However Black Star knew what would come of this chase. She felt guilty for leaving the rest of them to their fate; which she suspected would be a bloody end for the majority of them if Lobo were to let them catch up to him. Black Star was now completely sure that this little maneuver from Lobo was only meant to draw them away, and that the quarry they should be chasing was back with Lightning Strike at the coast.

But that was not the reason Black Star made her way back to the coast as fast as she was physically capable of travelling.

Even at her breakneck pace, It took her three days to get back and then another day to find the mobile camp that was now the central hub of the search for the little colt. Once there she had quickly made herself invisible, snuck into camp, and left a message for Lightning Strike detailing where she would be waiting for her at midnight.

It had then been a tense wait for Black Star a couple of miles down the coast. Finally at midnight, Lightning Strike had landed at their designated rendezvous point. There had been a session of frantic kissing and love proclamations between the two of them before Black Star settled herself onto Lightning Strike’s back. They were determined to use this first night and day to fly as far as they could before having to stop and rest. 

Avarice had already been in contact with Lightning Strike about the fact that Black Star was missing. They knew that the second someone realized Lightning Strike was gone as well, Avarice would start to hunt after them. They both knew what they had to do; get back to North Bay so that they could report on Avarice actions and hopefully relieve him of command within The Grand Army. If everything went as planned and Avarice was investigated and found guilty, the obvious choice for his replacement would be Lightning Strike. And this suited Black Star perfectly since she would with no doubt be able to go back to her research, this time without having to worry about any pony trying to interfere in the work, and at the same time be able to stay together with her lover.

So here the two of them were, making their way back towards North Bay along the ground. Since they had both seen numerous Pegasus Scouts fly by, they knew they could not risk continued flight. Lightning Strike might be an above-average flyer… Okay, a far above average flyer. But even for her it would be impossible to avoid being spotted while carrying Black Star on her back. And once they were seen the search would be concentrated around them and Avarice’s forces would close in on them like a net, making a confrontation unavoidable. A confrontation Lightning Strike and Black Star would most definitely lose, if for no other reason but the sheer numbers standing against them. For this reason they had no choice but to keep low and avoid being spotted, at least until they reached the point where they would be able to bolt for the safety of North Bay without being caught, even if they were spotted. 

Even though they were confined to the ground they had still been making good progress, only stopping to sleep or eat some of the light rations Lightning Strike had brought with her to keep the two of them going during their escape. They were both sitting down leaning happily against each other while they were nibbling on their dry but energy rich biscuits. Black Star suddenly gave a little sigh.

“If this is what you perceive as food, I think I will handle the cooking from now on… That only leaves you the washing, grocery shopping, gardening and cleaning the house of course… Oh! And you have to wear a cute little maid's outfit while you're doing that by the way!” Black Star said merrily while she grinned over at Lightning Strike.

“Ha! You wish! And if you don't like my well prepared meal then give it here!” Lightning countered and reached a hoof over towards Black Stars half eaten biscuit.

“NO!” Black Star yelped, snatching her biscuit away protectively which only made Lightning grin.

“Thought so…” She said and leaned in, kissing Black Star who was completely caught off guard but quickly started answering the kiss herself. As they separated, they both gave a sigh of satisfaction. They returned to eating their dry and tasteless biscuits. As they finished they both rose up to stretch their legs a bit.

“Well let's get going.” Lightning Strike said and started to trot forward, but soon realized Black Star wasn't following. She turned around to see what was keeping her beloved, only to see Black Star looking at the markings on a nearby tree.

“Come on! We got to move!” Lightning Strike called over. With a last hard look on the markings going down the length of the tree trunk, Black Star followed after Lightning.

“We have to be careful, those were the markings of a full-grown Manticore sharpening its claws, and they were freshly made.” Black Star said as she came up alongside Lightning, who cocked an eyebrow and look back at her marefriend.

“And how would you know that? I haven't paged you as the outdoors type.” Lightning Strike said teasingly.

“I'll have you know I've read all three books on the subject of tracking in The Grand Army archives, and the markings on that tree clearly indicate that they were left by a fully grown Manticore who was marking its territory. I am not as in the dark about the outside world as you might think Lightning.” Black Star said with a humph, hurriedly trotted out in front of Lightning Strike and quickly increasing the distance between them.

“Remember to watch both ways before you cross the street honey!” Lightning called after Black Star with a wicked grin across her face. Black Star twirled around to give her annoying marefriend a piece of her mind. But she stopped in her tracks when her hoof hit something on the ground. Whatever it was, it zipped off into the underbrush along the ground and then, strangely enough, up into the tree she was standing next to. The same moment she looked up, a log pointing straight down smashed into the left part of Black Star's hindquarters. With a shrill scream of agony that seem to cut through the very soul of Lightning, Black Star fell to the ground wailing and started to crawl forward in desperation, trying to get away from the pain. Before she had even made it two inches, the log that had just broken her pelvis, crashed down on top of her with a sickening thud, before slowly rolling off a now semi-conscious Black Star who only managed to take short ragged breasts.

“Black Star!!!” Lightning Strike screamed in terror as she rushed forward. She came to a screeching halt, looking down at her beloved in horrified disbelief. The second Lightning touched Black Star´s shattered body, she wheezed out in agony, a small trickle of blood running out of her mouth.

“Nonononono!!!” Lightning screamed at the unfair world around her, she looked at the traitorous log now lying still beside them. It was most likely a trap set to deal with the Manticore who was trying to lay claim to the area, which meant there was a pony population nearby. Some idiot had just left the log suspended up in the air until the trip wire was sprung. And now her beloved Black Star was lying on the ground, her pelvis fractured, and most likely several ribs broken. Had Black Star been facing the other way, her head would have been crushed. Lightning Strike’s mix of desperation and rage boiled over and she started slamming her hooves into the cursed log again and again.

“You stupid mother bucking piece of shit log! Why! Why!!!” Lightning screamed while she hit the unyielding surface over and over. Finally a pained wheeze brought her back to reality.

“Lightning……” Black Star said in a whimper. Lightning was immediately back at Black Star´s side, softly caressing her mane.

“I'm here honey… I'm here…” Lightning said soothingly while trying to keep herself from crying openly. Black Star smiled at her marefriend.

“You… You have to go… Leave me… Save yourself…” Black Star wheezed out before she fell unconscious. Lightning Strike just shook her head.

“You stupid mare… We escaped to be together… I will never leave you.” Lightning Strike said soothingly to the now unconscious Black Star. Slowly and ever so carefully, Lightning Strike managed to get Black Star up along her back, so that she supported as much of Black Star's mangled body as she could with her own. Lightning knew she might be making her injuries worse, but they had no choice; they had to find a place to hide so that Black Star could recover enough to resume travelling again. If they stayed where they were, they would both most likely be discovered and die at the hooves of Avarice. Slowly and carefully, Lightning Strike started to walk off in amongst the trees, looking for any place that could serve as a concealed camp.


****


Zig Zag turned his head back towards where they just came from and tilted it curiously, perking his ears upright while Raven ran on a couple of pieces more before realizing that Zig Zag had stopped.

“What is it ZZ?” Raven called back, looking a little peeved.

“Didn't you hear that?... It sounded like somepony screaming.” Zig Zag answered worriedly. They both stood still for a little while trying to hear something more.

“It's probably nothing ZZ, and if it was somepony getting hurt, it was most likely one of our pursuers. So we should thank our lucky star they messed up.” Raven said thoughtfully. Zig Zag nodded and walked up to Raven, giving her a little nozzle which she happily returned.

“You're right, but this means they are close to us again. Last time it was only a Pegasus Scout in the sky. If they got ground troops this close to us, we need to pick up the pace again.” Zig Zag said with a frown to which Raven nodded, and together they once again started running through the forest.

“How long until we get to the cave Lobo told us to meet him at?” Raven suddenly asked. Zig Zag scrounged up his face as he tried to calculate how far they had to go.

“I'm not entirely sure, but probably close to four or five days if we could just run straight there. But with us having to dodge and hide all the time… I don't know…” Zig Zag answered.

“Fair enough, there's no point in really thinking about it anyway. All we can do is keep moving… And hope Lobo is waiting for us when we get there.” Raven said with a hint of worry, which Zig Zag picked up on immediately.

“Don't worry! Dad will definitely be there, he promised not to take any unnecessary risks and no pony can ever catch him if he doesn't want them to!” Zig Zag proclaimed confidently. Raven only smiled at him and nodded, and with that they increased the pace a little bit more.


****

7 of August

Lobo was running through the woods at a blistering speed. He had been away from his two young wards much too long. And the worry he felt was not going to subside until he saw them safe again. He had led his pursuers in a merry chase in the woods around that cursed hill where he was summoned to this realm, picking off a few of the less careful soldiers as he went. He had been both surprised and annoyed that Black Star had not been amongst them. He had been very confident that she would be, and thereby give him a chance to claim revenge on her. Therefore when he had realized that she was not there, and furthermore was not going to make an appearance, Lobo had quickly made sure to lose his pursuers and start heading back towards Zig Zag and Raven. He was now close enough to start smelling the salt of the ocean in the wind. Suddenly he came to a grinding halt as a new smell assaulted his senses. Lobo put his nose in the air and breathes in deeply, making sure he is not mistaken. His eyes snap open, and a wide sinister smile spreads across his face.

“Black Star…” Lobo whispered with grim satisfaction. Much slower and more carefully he starts heading off in the direction the smell is coming from. After having followed the scent on the wind for quite a while he finally found its source. His nostrils are assaulted by the scent of blood. He eagerly sniffs around, picking up the scent of another pony as well.

Lightning Strike and Black Star both… But no others? Lobo thought curiously as he started to follow the trail clearly marked by their scent. He slowly followed the winding scent trail through the trees. 

After having carefully tracked it for little over an hour, Lobo finally came across what looked like a small makeshift camp. It was hidden in amongst a particularly tight circle of trees, preventing anyone from spotting it from the sky, and also hidden well in the thick underbrush of the forest. As he snuck closer, Lobo could hear the whispering voice of a pony. As he got closer, he could make out that it was Lightning Strike. Lobo stopped just at the edge of what looked like a small room made of vegetation. The walls were the thick underbrush of the forest and the roof was the branches overhead. At the far end Lightning Strike sat leaning over what Lobo assumed was Black Star. Teeth bared he carefully made his way forward towards his prey.

But before he had even taken two steps, he was found out, although it was just pure luck on the pony's side. Lightning Strike had reached back for something behind her, which made her eyes fall upon the black Dire Wolf now inside of their hideaway. Her eyes went wide in shock and she sprang to her hooves, drawing her short sword in a fluid motion and standing at the ready in a defensive posture, her wings spread wide. Lobo took two steps forward standing up to his full height.

“Move… it is not you I want… but the black hearted one behind you.” Lobo stated coldly.

“Never! You cannot have her! You hear me Wolf! You will have to go through me! And don't you dare think that will be easy!” Lightning Strike barked back, looking defiantly into Lobo’s yellow eye’s. A pitifully weak sounding voice suddenly emanated from behind Lightning.

“Don't… Lightning… please run… let them have me…” Black Star´s feverish voice croaked out.

“Shut up! I won't ever leave you! We're going to escape together! So just pipe down and stop asking me to leave!” Lightning Strike shouted back at Black Star with tears running down her eyes, which nonetheless never left Lobo. Lobo’s ears perked up when he heard the labored breathing coming from Black Star, and understood she must be quite hurt. In other words, it was a perfect opportunity to finally finish her off for good.

“You have denied me her blood once before pony, it will not happen a second time. Move! Or your life will be forfeit!” Lobo growled at Lightning, whose only answer was to defiantly dig her hooves in further, clearly stating her intention to fight. With a snarl Lobo launched forward, but Lightning Strike was something Lobo truly hadn't faced before, a being that was quite obviously faster than he was. In Zig Zag Lobo had an opponent that could turn, twist and dodge much better than he could. But he was still physically faster, but in Lightning he was quite outshone in that department by some magnitude.

Lightning became a whirlwind, flashing around him, and opening cut after cut across his body. For every three blows he managed to dodge or deflect with the steel bresers on his for legs, he would have a new cut open on his face, chest and sides. With a frustrated and angry roar Lobo finally did the only thing he could think of doing. Catching Lightning Strikes short sword between his jaws, resulting in a grinding sound when the metal was pulled against his teeth as he clenched down on the metal. Lightning Strikes eyes went wide when she realized what had just happened. Lobo and she were now literally standing cheek to cheek, with Lobo´s right yellow eye boring into Lightning Strike´s left blue one. With a vicious yank Lobo tore the sword out of Lightning’s grip. For even as Lightning Strike was faster than Lobo, he was much stronger than her, and when it came to the strength of their jaws there wasn't even a comparison. Lightning jumped back to give herself some space, while Lobo tossed her sword into the dense foliage behind him with a contemptful snort. He turned back towards Lightning Strike who now stood at the ready with her dagger instead.

“Give it up, I'll let you walk if you walk away now, otherwise I'm through playing with you!” Lobo growled threateningly, a threat that seemed somewhat off since he was bleeding from several new wounds across his body.

“And you'll find my dagger buried in your skull if you come any closer wolf!” Lightning Strike shot back defiantly.

“I did give you a chance!” Lobo snarled as he menacingly began walking forward. Lightning slowly backed up until she was once again standing just in front of Black Stars ragged form.

“Dam it Lobo! Stop! We're not with Avarice anymore! We're trying to escape just like you! So please stop!!!” Lightning Strike yelled pleadingly while Lobo continued his steady advance.

“Please Lobo I love her! You can´t take her from me! Please understand!” Lightning Strike once again pleaded, to which Lobo stopped, but the look he gave Lightning only made her shiver.

“Stop… Please… You love her… Funny how things come full circle sometimes.” Lobo said while his gaze hardened even further.

“Stop… Please… Don't leave us! We'll be good we promise! We love you!!!” Lobo screamed with a primal fury Lightning Strike had never seen the likes of before.

“That's what the pups called out to me while they were being taken away so they didn't have to see what was happening to me! Did that stop you from tearing me from my loved ones! From my family!!!” Lobo shouted straight into the face of a stunned looking Lightning Strike. She remembered those small little pups; especially the one Lobo had saved from his own fate. Had they really been screaming for him as they were being carried away? Lightning felt a lump of pain forming in her chest just at the thought about it; she thought that the pain of being turned into a physical being was what had hurt Lobo the most. But as she look behind her at Black Star, with the real threat of losing her hanging over their heads, she could perhaps for the first time understand just how much they had truly hurt Lobo when they ripped him from his world. Lightning Strike met Lobo’s still glaring eyes with a sorrowful look.

“And what you felt that time… Is why I can’t step aside now… No matter how righteous your anger towards Black Star may be, you still have to realize something; Black Star was ordered to do that, so she never had a choice.” Lightning answered in a subdued voice. 

Lobo immediately launched forward, the time for talking was over, and there was nothing more to say. As he aimed for Lightning's throat he already knew he would miss, but his plan extended much further than his first blow this time.

He knew he could not beat her with his usual means of fighting. This time he would have to power through his opponent, and rely on pure strength and endurance. As Lightning ducked away from Lobo´s jaws, she twirled around aiming her dagger blow just above the lining of Lobo´s Mythril war collar. But even as Lobo knew he couldn't dodge Lightning Strikes counter attack, he did have some control over where it struck. So in the last second he managed to shift his body so that the dagger plunged into his shoulder instead. 

Lightning Strikes eyes went wide when she realized she had missed her target, and then she felt Lobo´s jaws close around her now exposed neck. With a mighty heave, he yanked her back, and proceeded to swing her in a wide arc, slamming her headfirst into the soil of the ground. Before Lightning even had a chance to really register the pain of the first blow, she was airborne again. Lobo spun around, swinging Lightning overhead, and slammed her down hard on her back and wings. The air exploded out of Lightning Strikes lungs; she fought desperately to regain her bearings. But Lobo, unwilling to give her a chance to do so, clasped down firmly on her throat, cutting off her airways. Lightning Strike started to struggle desperately, which only made her suffocation faster, and it didn't take many seconds before her oxygen starved body lost consciousness.

“Noooo… please… take my life… kill me… not… her… Lobo… please…” Black Star’s wheezing voice pleaded while she dragged her broken body towards Lobo, tears streaming down her face. He looked up at Black Star and gave a warning growl. He could still feel Lightning Strike’s heart beating faintly. She had never done anything cruel towards him and had even acted kindly towards Lobo, in the manner of speaking, even when she really didn't have to. He had never wanted to kill Lightning, she only happened to be in love with the wrong pony at the wrong time. Slowly he let go, and wheezing breath could be heard emanating from Lightning. Although she remained unconscious, and would most likely stay that way for quite a while, she was alive. With a grunt Lobo reached back, pulled the dagger out of his shoulder, and tossed it off into the underbrush as well.

“Thank you…” Black Star whispered with tear filled eyes and a sad smile across her face, since she knew she was looking at her death walking towards her. Black Star slowly closed her eyes one last time, and waited for her inevitable end. Suddenly she was kicked onto her back; pained gasps escaping from her while her eyes shot wide as pure agony laced through her body at the harsh treatment to her broken ribs. Once the initial flood of pain subsided a bit, she was able to focus her eyes on Lobo who was looking down at her thoughtfully. Thinking he wanted something from her, Black Star steeled herself and spoke.

“I'm so sorry… what I… did to you Lobo. I'm sorry…” She wheezed out. Lobo only growled down at her before moving back to her hindquarters. He roughly lifted one of her hind legs straight up, forcing the broken pieces of her pelvis to grind against each other. The unbridled scream of torturous agony that tore from Black Star´s throat was deafening. Lobo let the leg fall back to the ground with a snort. As her leg landed on the ground again, the new wave of pain made her lose what little content she had left in her stomach. When Black Star was finished dry heaving, Lobo grabbed her by the chin and forced her to look up at him through bloodshot eyes.

“I suspect killing you now would actually be downright merciful…” Lobo said with disgust in his yellow eyes as they pierced Black Star’s own.

“I unfortunately don't have the time to stay and make sure you die a slow and horrible death, so I hope you will linger like this, in pain for quite a while before death finally claims you dark one. But before I leave you in your suffering, I will add my own final gift.” Lobo said with a dark smile, and pressed his claws hard down on her exposed flank, dragging them painfully across her cutie mark, leaving bloody furrows in his wake. Black Star screamed out as he once again pressed down on her broken pelvis. Lobo then took a claw full of dirt from the ground and rubbed it into the wounds he had just made on Black Star’s now bleeding flank. She hissed in pain as the filth was rubbed into her open gashes.

“Hopefully that will fester nicely; I bid you a horrible death Black Star. But I will at least leave you with a chance to say goodbye to your beloved, a mercy you never extended to me.” Lobo stated coldly and turned around coming face-to-face with a once again conscious Lightning Strike. She was glaring right up at him and even though her body was shaking badly as she rose to her hooves, due the punishment she had taken during their fight, Lightning Strike seemed determined not to let him pass.

“Why? The two of us are trying to bring Avarice to justice, you should be helping us Lobo… Why would you do this when we are trying to flee from him as well?” Lightning wondered and looked at Lobo with a strange mixture of sorrow and anger. Sorrow at what had happened to him, and anger at what he had just done to Black Star, even if she could see his reasons why.

“And the two of you are of course fleeing from him because you realized what he was doing to me was a horrible crime?” Lobo asked. Lightning Strike cringed a bit, but there was no way to lie about this, and she suspected Lobo would see through it immediately if she tried.

“No… Avarice is crazy, killing our own whenever it pleased him to do so, and when Black Star realized that the reason you were brought to this world turned out to only be false hopes… We knew he would lose it and kill her and by extension me… because I would not stand idle while he tried killing Black Star.” Lightning said hotly. Lobo just snorted at the answer.

“As I suspected… Spend your last days together well. But know this Lightning… Should Black Star somehow survive her injuries, then the moment I find out she's living happily somewhere, I will come for her… I will come, and I will rip her throat out. Right now it's enough for me to know that she is suffering, there is after all things much worse than death.” Lobo stated and shoved Lightning aside as he walked past her and disappeared into the thick underbrush without a glance backwards.

“Lightning…” Called Black Star´s weak sounding voice. With a last look to make sure Lobo was really gone, Lightning Strike made her way over to her beloved. She sank down beside Black Star, and lovingly strokes her disheveled black and red mane.

“I have to move you back to your bed… this will hurt.” Lightning said gently.

“Yes… Do it…” Black Star answered while she gritted her teeth, and clasped her front hooves around Lightning Strike’s neck. As carefully as she possibly could, Lightning moved Black Star, although that did not stop Black Star from screaming out until she was laid to rest on the makeshift bed of branches, grass and moss. Lightning Strike looked over Black Star's cold sweat-covered form for further injuries, before taking a closer look at the new and filthy wounds Black Star now had on her flank. With a grimace she picked up her empty water container.

“I'll go get some water to clean your wounds out… I'll be right back.” Lightning said, but just as she was about to leave, Black Star's outstretched hoof held her back. Lightning turned back to see her beloved’s tear filled eyes.

“I… I won't ask you to leave again…” Black Star whispered apologetically.

“Good...” Lightning said with a nod and a sad smile.

“I love you so much…” Black Star uttered weekly trying her hardest to keep her eyes from closing.

“I love you too.” Lightning Strike answered and bent down to tenderly kiss Black Star’s dry lips. As they separated they could both see the adoration they held for each other shining through their eyes. Lightning Strike carefully wiped away the tears from Black Star’s cheeks. And with one final nod she set off to find some much-needed water, while Black Star slipped back into blissful unconsciousness.


****

12 of August

It had taken much longer than they would have liked, but finally Zig Zag and Raven had made it all the way back to the rocky outcrop that Lobo and Zig Zag had sheltered under as they fled from North Bay. It felt strange for the little pony to come full circle here. It had been several months, but truthfully it felt like an entirely different lifetime altogether. He was so weak and helpless back then compared to how he saw himself now. And now Zig Zag was finally back with realistic hopes of claiming justice and rightful vengeance. Furthermore, even if he still wasn't powerful enough to do it by himself, he also had Lobo and Raven backing him up. Carefully he and Raven headed into the shadows under the rocky outcrop. Suddenly Zig Zag froze in place, and Raven followed suit immediately afterwards when she noticed how her male had reacted. A satisfied grunt answered them.

“Good, you are much more attentive to your surroundings now my son.” Lobo’s voice told them approvingly. Zig Zag immediately shone up and bounced over towards his surrogate father who had been waiting nervously for the two of them to arrive during the last two days. Neither of them knew it, but at one point they had passed each other by only eight hundred meters and, if the wind had blown in the other direction, Lobo would have found them then and there.

“Dad! I knew you'd make it!” Zig Zag cried out joyfully as he slammed into a fierce hug at full speed, almost toppling Lobo over in his exuberance. The giant black wolf couldn't help but laugh as well.

“Come on guys… Don't you two get all mushy on me now!” Raven said teasingly as she walked up to the two of them, although she wouldn't mind getting a few of those hugs from Zig Zag herself. With a last squeeze Zig Zag let go of Lobo´s head which he had been clinging on to, and fell back down to the ground. Or at least what he had thought was the ground, because it didn't take long for him to realize he was sitting on fur, and that it was sticky with blood.

“Oh sorry… Didn't mean to step on your dinner dad.” Zig Zag said apologetically and hopped off the dead creature. He had long ago accepted that his dad was a predator and meet eater, and that the same thing went for Raven. On closer Inspection Zig Zag saw that it was a deer he had been standing on.

“Oh dear… Dad caught a deer!” Zig Zag said and playfully elbowed Raven in her side. A painful groan escape from both Raven and Lobo simultaneously.

“You did not just pull the oh deer joke, did you?” Raven asked while trapping Zig Zag in a headlock and giving him a friendly but forceful nuggy. Lobo sighed contently as he could finally breathe out now that Zig Zag and Raven were once again with him. And seemingly no worse for wear either.

“So did anything interesting happen while I was gone?” Lobo wondered.

“Naaa… They weren't even close to finding us, a few Pegasi flew overhead a couple of times and there was one ground patrol near us once, but they screwed up and hurt themselves somehow. All we heard was one of them screaming.” Zig Zag told Lobo proudly.

“Good, now then Raven are you hungry? There is more than enough for you here as well.” Lobo said cheerfully and indicated to Raven that she should dig in to the deer. After hesitating for only a second Raven began to eat. She had slowly but surely begun to get over her initial reaction to being offered meat by a male. In gryphon society, when a male offer a female meat, it meant he wanted her to visit him during the next night so that they could produce a new clutch of eggs, hopefully with many male warriors in it. For Zig Zag and Lobo it was only an expression of their love and care towards Raven. Zig Zag in the meantime happy climbed up on top of Lobo’s back where he proceeded to nestle down into his thick coat and promptly fell asleep to the sounds of bones cracking between teeth and beak. He hadn't slept so well in ages.


****

15 of August

The three of them stood stock still as they looked out from amongst the trees overlooking North Bay. Something major had clearly happened since they left. They could see a camp of soldiers outside every city gate, and they were not from a force any of them recognized. Zig Zag knew about The Grand Army and so did Lobo, but the soldiers occupying the city clearly did not belong to them. Scars of battle could be seen along the city walls and many of the city gates were in the midst of being repaired. Raven hadn't been too put off by the fact that there had been a battle between two city rivals, which was what she thought had happened. No, what Raven had been astonished by was just how vast the city of North Bay was compared to anything she knew. She thought Crown Peak had been a large city, but as she looked down on North Bay, she could see that Crown Peak was barely the size of a single one of this city’s districts. Lobo looked back towards Zig Zag and Raven. 

the“Stay here and keep out of sight, I will have a closer look. Then we'll decide what to do from here on out.” He said and made to move on.

“No! I want to come with you; I need to find them now!” Zig Zag said in a very hard no-nonsense tone. Raven cringed a bit at the change Zig Zag had undergone during the last three days. They had stayed at their shelter to rest up and recuperate, and every day Zig Zag had complained that they should be moving towards the city already. He seemed to have only one thought in his head, to find Iron Rod and Silver Pot. And Raven was becoming worried that he was blinding himself to all but his thirst for revenge. The closer they got to the city, the more it seemed to consume his every thought. And it left her worried that her male would do something… stupid.

“NO! You stay here pup! I will have a sniff around and then we will retreat for the night, so stay here.” Lobo growled warningly at his son. This made Zig Zag come around a bit. Lobo now only called Zig Zag a pup when he wanted to make a point, or if Zig Zag had on the rare occasion disappointed him somehow. As Zig Zag reluctantly sat down next to Raven, Lobo gave an affirmative nod, before moving off towards North Bay.

“Come on ZZ, let's move back into the trees a bit, we don't want to be spotted.” Raven said as she draped one of her wings over Zig Zag’s back. Surprisingly enough Zig Zag shrugged off her wing with a grunt of annoyance, before starting to head off along the tree-line.

“You stay here Raven, there is a place I need to go.” Zig Zag said with a hollow voice. Raven immediately shot forward, blocking his path.

“Hey! Hey! Lobo told us to stay here; I don't think running off right now is a good idea ZZ.” Raven said pleadingly, but the moment she met Zig Zag’s eyes she knew she wouldn't be able to dissuade him from the course of action he had decided on; he had a look in his eyes that would send a chill down the spine of even a gryphon warrior. Wherever it was he wanted to go, nothing would stop him from getting there. With reluctance Raven stepped aside, allowing Zig Zag to walk past. But instead of staying behind like Zig Zag wanted, Raven immediately started to follow him. She knew what that look meant, and if something happened she would have to be there to stop him from doing something he would regret later. With a few extra quick steps, Raven took her place beside her male.

They had carefully been moving off in the same direction for almost ten minutes now when Zig Zag suddenly froze in place. In the distance one could make out what looked like the crest of a hill. Zig Zag was staring at it intently, his face blank of any expression, which was very unusual for him. He was always smiling or laughing unless he was serious about something, in which case he got the look of absolute focus that was almost scary, even if it wasn't focused directly on you. But this blank slate Zig Zag showed as he gazed at the strange hill… It truly disturbed Raven. Without a word Zig Zag started trotting along again. Raven carefully made her way up beside him.

“What are we doing here ZZ?” Raven wondered.

“I'm going to see mom…” Zig Zag replied in a dead tone voice.

“Your mom? Isn't she… Oh….” Raven cut herself off when she understood that Zig Zag was most likely heading towards her grave. No wonder he had wanted her to remain behind. He wasn't really thinking straight right now; Raven had a suspicion that if there was a camp of soldiers between him and where he was going, Zig Zag would most likely just walk straight through it, not even noticing their presence. She would have to keep him safe, and for some reason it also felt right for her to go with him to visit his mother. If this was important to him, then it was important to her as well.

Zig Zag trotted on through the shadows of the forest, with Raven constantly keeping a look on their surroundings. He was feeling very melancholy, and didn't seem to be able to focus on anything but Mass Grave Hill in the distance.

“Hold on, Zig Zag… Something’s going on out there.” She warned with her sharp gaze locked on something just past the tree line out on a field up ahead. Without even having to think about it, Zig Zag crouched down and quickly began stalking forward, Raven following closely behind him. 

As they reached the edge of the forest, Zig Zag kept still as his eyes fell upon the two ponies they could see from their position. One of them at least was a unicorn, which was easy to see because whoever it was was currently using magic to dig into the ground. The pony in the company of the purple unicorn lay whimpering on the ground a few steps away. As the whimpering pony raised his head Zig Zag’s whole body tensed. He would never forget the features on that face, his white mane and grey coat. Zig Zag was about to rush forward but was immediately stopped when Raven's talons grasped him firmly, holding him back.

“That's Iron Rod!” Zig Zag said angrily. “Let me go! He's one of the ones that killed my mom!”

“No!” Raven hissed back. “We don't know who that is with him. They could be dangerous, and Lobo told us to stay hidden!” She continued, feeling that there was something off about the whole situation. Thankfully Zig Zag stopped struggling, but he was still fuming over the fact that Raven had stopped him. Still, he had to reluctantly agree that it might be a good idea to find out more about what was going on. So he perked his ears trying to listen in on what they were saying.

“Please, I’ve told you everything you wanted. Let me go.” Iron Rod begged. The purple unicorn, they could see she was purple even though she was wearing a cloak, didn't answer but simply continued digging into the ground with her magic.

“I promise. I’ll change! It was all because of Sharp Edge! I didn’t have any choice really! Just spare me! PLEASE!” The guard captain sobbed and pleaded.

“No…” Was the only answer the unicorn gave him.

Zig Zag couldn't help it, but he was beginning to like the situation; the total command the purple unicorn was showing over his former tormentor, her total disregard for his pathetic pleas for mercy. Zig Zag only wished it was he who was doing it, or at least that he was out there with her. The mare ceased digging, and instead picked up Iron Rod in her magic.

“Wait! What are you doing?!” He screamed in panic. The purple unicorn didn't answer, instead merely dropping Iron Rod into the hole. She then took a large circular piece of wood, more or less the same size as the pit she had just dug out, and lowered it down on top of Iron Rod who now began screaming in pure terror as he was buried alive. The small grin Zig Zag had unknowingly been sporting suddenly disappeared when he realized he was about to lose his own chance for revenge on Iron Rod. A sudden rage at not being able to hurt him made Zig Zag bolt forward. He left a cursing Raven behind him as he galloped towards the purple unicorn.

“What are you doing?!” he yelled as he came to a screeching halt in front of the young mare who looked back at him indifferently. Raven then appeared beside him, wings spread wide in a defensive posture, watching this stranger nervously.

“Taking out the trash.” The unicorn answered with the same coldness she had spoken to Iron Rod with, which sent a shiver down Raven's spine.

“More efficient this way. It doesn't pile up. The worms will eat it.” The purple mare continued as if she was holding a school lecture she truly wasn't interested in giving. Raven was disturbed by this cold attitude. She’d seen more than her share of horrible individuals, but no one so callous as to speak of another as nothing more than garbage in a literal sense. This pony could be a real threat to her male, and she did not like that.

“Who are you?” Raven asked sharply, which earned her a look from the unicorn, as their eyes met Raven could see a cold fury in the mare´s own eyes.

“Twilight Sparkle.” The mare answered while giving Raven a quick look over.

“You're not with the Rapture soldiers.” Twilight stated. At the mention of the gryphon kingdom Raven's eyes widened.

“What? No!” She responded in surprise. Now Zig Zag took a step forward, trying to assert his presence to Twilight.

“Why did you bury him alive?” Zig Zag wondered, still feeling cheated out of his own revenge.

“I came back to this city to find him. To kill him.” He continued solemnly. This seemed to catch Twilight's attention; she turned her gaze on the little blue colt.

“I was in his office being analyzed for potential in the Officer’s Club. I think I have a right to self-defense.” Twilight stated firmly. To which Raven cringed.

Since when does self-defense mean burying someone alive? Raven thought as she glared suspiciously at the unicorn. The feeling that they shouldn’t be anywhere near her was growing worse. Like they were standing before a predator much higher up the food chain than themselves. Twilight was definitely dangerous, and a large potential threat to her beloved. Raven was surprised to see that Zig Zag seemed to relax somewhat after the lavender pony’s explanation; couldn't he see the potential threat Twilight posed to them? Raven's answer came almost immediately.

“I guess it's fine then…” Zig Zag reluctantly admitted with a sigh.

“But I still wanted him…” He whined. Not too surprisingly, Twilight evidently didn't care for his opinion and turned to walk away.

“Wait, where are you going?” Zig Zag asked and took a few tantalizing steps after her.

“To kill everyone at the Officer’s Club.” Twilight answered bluntly.

“I'm coming with you.” Zig Zag stated and made to follow Twilight.

“No. You are a foal of what? Thirteen? I won't be responsible for you.” Twilight rebuffed, and started to walk away from Zig Zag and Raven.

“We’re fourteen!” Zig Zag corrected her assumption, but was completely ignored by Twilight who continued on with not so much as a glance back. Growling in annoyance, Zig Zag began following despite Twilight's wishes. Behind him Raven reluctantly started to follow as well.

“Zig Zag, we shouldn't be involved in this. It's dangerous, and Lobo told us to wait.” Raven said, trying to steer Zig Zag away from the obviously disturbed unicorn.

“No.” Zig Zag answered with steel in his voice.

“These are the ponies responsible for what happened to my mother and I. I won't let them all be killed by someone else.” Zig Zag said with deep, burning hatred evident in his voice.

“If you insist on coming I won't watch your back.” Twilight suddenly said while they were heading back towards North Bay. Raven's feathers bristled at the condescending statement. Just because she was a unicorn and a magic wielder didn't mean she had the right to look down upon them, and especially not her male.

“Like he would need your help anyway.” Raven grumbled before gritting her beak because she sure didn't like the feeling of where this was heading.


****


Lobo was almost in all-out panic mode. He had tried to gain access to North Bay, but not even he could sneak in undetected. All he had been able to do was move between the different camps in front of the city gates and listen in on conversations between soldiers. What was strange however was that, in addition to ponies, there were also several gryphons moving about in the camps. 

They did not seem to get along very well; Lobo had seen more than one scuffle and argument break out between the two species. Almost every time it was over some slight towards a female pony or simply the mention of the name Twilight Sparkle in a conversation between the two factions in the camps. Lobo had been able to use the unease between the soldiers to easily sneak in close and listen in on their arguments.

Lobo now knew that the ponies had an uneasy, at best, alliance with the gryphons who were at the moment present throughout the city. This new Lunar Republic Army was apparently under the command of some Empress Nightmare Moon and her faithful slave or servant or apprentice… there had been many titles attached to this one pony named Twilight Sparkle, and no one seemed to be able to agree on which one was correct. There was also another leader frequently named called Magus and a third called Masque Raid. But almost all quarrels and fights throughout the camps seemed to circle around Twilight Sparkle. All the ponies seemed to idolize her, while the gryphons seemed to curse the very mention of her very name.

But none of this was what had Lobo so worked up, but rather the discovery that Zig Zag and Raven weren't where he left them. He sniffed the ground frantically until he picked up their scent trail and started to follow. 

As he raced through the darkness quite as a living shadow, a new scent caught his attention. It was… strange, not like any other scent he had smelt before. It was similar to a pony, but still definitely not. Lobo first intended to ignore it, but quickly realized that the scent was getting stronger the further he followed Zig Zag and Raven´s trail. And if whoever this was had anything to do with Zig Zag and Raven disappearing, Lobo would make short work of whoever it belonged to. 

With a low growl, Lobo set off towards the edge of the forest. As he came to the tree line he could finally see the pony, as it turned out. Lobo’s eyes suddenly widened when he realized just how big this particular pony was. Even Bender wouldn't hold a candle to her when it came to size. She was tall and even more regal looking than any gryphon Lobo had ever laid eyes on. As she briskly trotted through the night she appeared to be solidly black, except for her mane and tail that seemed to merge with the night sky that was visible through the clouds behind her. He sniffed the air again…

Female… And she's got a horn which means she's a unicorn. I will have to keep out of her magical range until I got a clear shot at her, then I might be able to get some answers about what's going on here. Lobo thought as he started to stalk after the pony. Suddenly she halted and Lobo immediately crouched down trying to melt into the shadows of the night. He watched her head slowly turn towards where he lay, until he could literally feel her eyes upon him.

She found me? This might be more diffic- Lobo thoughts were interrupted when he was harshly yanked up into the air by a powerful force. He tumbled through the air towards the strange unicorn out on the open field. In the last instance Lobo managed to turn himself around and land on all fours in front of the female pony. As he looked up at her from his crouched down position, the mare slightly raised an eyebrow as she took him in. Then her features hardened considerably. Lobo himself was also taken by surprise, since he now saw that this pony possessed both a horn and a set of wings as well as azure colored eyes which were slitted vertically. So, it wasn't just her size that was strange about this pony.

“And what are you doing here wolf? Come to see how we fare since you abandoned us? You will not find easy prey.” The intimidating mare said warningly as she narrowed her eyes at Lobo, who straightway could feel a very uneasy chill start to creep up his spine. The statement that he had abandoned the ponies in anyway made his lips curl up, exposing his canines.

“Abandoning implies I was on your side to begin with. I may have been an unwilling servant for a time, but I'm no longer a slave to you ponies. Nor shall I ever be again.” Lobo growled warningly back up at the now curious looking mare.

“Whatever your reasons for being here you will leave, or you shall contend with me.” She commanded just as condescendingly as Black Star used to do, which sent a wave of anger through his body that cancelled out the feeling of unease he had while standing in front of this… creature. Lobo growled threateningly while his whole body prepared for battle.

“No pony has beaten me yet.” Lobo told the dark mare as he launched for her. She, however, quickly dodged away quite gracefully and glared back at Lobo who started prowling around her, trying to find an opening so he could hopefully end this quickly. There was a sudden spark from her horn which made Lobo flinch, but nothing seemed to happen as he surveyed his surroundings.

A misfire? Lobo thought surprised. Whoever this pony was, she obviously wasn't very good at magic, but he wasn't about to give her another try. He launched for an opening on her left flank, but before Lobo really understood what had happened he was punched quite viciously in the side, the punch somehow making his whole body go numb. An energy field extended from the pony’s horn as she swung down. Lobo dodged back, but was still caught a bit by the energy field which opened a long but shallow cut down his side. Gritting his teeth, Lobo now watched as the mare started to walk around him instead with a mischievous little grin on her face. Lobo countered every move she made, so that he always presented his front and as little a target as he could, while growling continuously.

“I’ll admit, you’re impressive, but you are a fool. I admire the tenacity it takes to fight me, but the night is my domain. To challenge me now is death certain.” The dark mare stated which in turn made Lobo grit his teeth in anger.

“The night belongs to no one. All manner of creatures use it.” Lobo snarled back defiantly. The black mare scowled down at him.

“Who are you, pup?” the mare suddenly asked, somehow thinking her bigger size made her Lobo’s elder.

“My name is Lobo, and I was never a pup.” He answered while he simultaneously swept a claw towards the mare’s front hoof hoping to catch her unaware. It almost worked since it seemed her reaction time was suddenly much slower than before. If it wasn't for the wings, Lobo would have gotten her. She had reared up, and as he launched for her now exposed belly she beat a single time with the great wings, making a gust of wind that forced Lobo back down. The mare then slammed her forehooves onto his shoulders pinning him to the ground. Then an impossibly large force slammed down through his body. Lobo could feel several bones throughout his body crack and break while his shoulder blades were shattered. The pain racing through his body was almost too much for it to register in his brain.

Through the pain induced haze, Lobo saw the dark mare´s horn light up again as she swung it down to end his life. But as she contacted with his mythril war collar, the blade was deflected leaving a long bloody gash along Lobo’s back. He howled in pain, and then tried to close his jaws around the now exposed throat that for a second hovered so tantalizingly close in front of him. In the last instance, the mare jumped back in order to put some distance between the two of them. On her face Lobo could see pure shock, at least until she understood what his war collar was actually made of. Still, her blow had been serious enough to actually tear off a small chunk of the more or less impervious metal.


Suddenly, the full moon burst through the cloud cover and bathed Lobo in its rejuvenative light. Immediately, the full effects of the lunar blessing began coursing through his body. This had actually been why he wanted to pull back from North Bay this particular night; it is after all very hard to sneak through camps and alleyways if you are constantly at the risk of lighting up like a bonfire every time the moon shines down on you. But it now once more turned out to be his saving grace, healing his wounds incredibly fast as his coat turned moonlight white. It wasn't long before he was standing again facing a very surprised looking pony.

“I told you.” Lobo said with a grin. “Many creatures use the night.” As soon as he finished his statement the mare’s whole demeanor changed. She seemed to have connected the dots as to what was happening, and she clearly didn't like it.

“And you are proven a fool again for revealing your gain. I told you, the night is my domain.” She responded darkly. Suddenly, Lobo felt as if he was standing in front of the Alpha of light himself. The mare’s eyes started glowing brightly azure, and immediately the stars in the sky began to disappear one after another. Lobo looked on in stunned fascination while the pony in front of him showed just how powerful she really was. As the moon's bright glow disappeared, everything was cast into pure darkness. The only thing one could see was this nightmare´s glowing azure eyes, and then they too were gone.

Lobo for the first time truly felt fear. This was not a foe he could do anything against, his only option was to flee, and hope he could get away. He had to find Zig Zag and Raven and take them away from this madness. Lobo took off in the direction he knew the woods were, hoping that since he could not see her, she could not see him. This hope proved fruitless though when suddenly something shot up from the ground and connected viciously with his lower jaw. A few teeth broke from the impact that flung him into the air so hard that he landed on his back. Before he had even had a chance to understand what happened, pain shot through his entire body and he writhed and howled in agony over the magical attack that was frying his nervous system. 

The spell ceased abruptly, and light returned to the world, although Lobo wasn't aware enough to register it, as he just lay panting on the ground. The moon was also once more blocked, so he was not receiving any help from it at all. Suddenly he became aware that something was standing above him. Before he knew anything else, his rib cage broke inward. Lobo howled in pain, at least what he thought was pain, because the next thing he knew it felt like something was inside of him, squeezing everything together. His eyes were wide, and he couldn't even scream this time as unbelievable pain rocked the entirety of his being.

“Empress, stop!” Something called out an impossible distance away. And suddenly the pain that was threatening to obliterate his mind ceased. Lobo took one wheezing breath before another source of pain made itself aware when the mare pressed down on his broken rib cage with her hoof.

“What are you doing here?” This nightmare pony above him asked cautiously of whoever had interrupted her.

“We were sent here by the Prefect to assist you, AND to see about possibly gaining Lobo’s allegiance for your cause.” Another female voice answered.

“You know this wolf?” Nightmare queried.

“Yes. Please, your majesty, allow us a chance to explain.” The praetorian answered. After a bit of hesitation, Lobo felt the hoof pinning him down lifting off of him, allowing Lobo somewhat less restrictive but still painful breathing.

“I am an empress no longer.” Nightmare corrected while she slowly peeled away the cloud cover so that the full moon could once again shine down on Lobo. He felt the welcomed change as his fur turned white once more. The blessing of the moon coursed through his body, and soon he was able to stand up again. He looked over towards whom he now realized was the Empress he had heard mention of earlier during the day. Nightmare Moon, undisputed ruler of the night, and he now knew that it was true. Lobo studied her while she stood looking off into the distance, apparently preoccupied with something else. When she finally turned back to look at him, she once again seemed surprised to find him standing up, even if he was still showing just how much the battle had taken out of him.

“Follow me.” She ordered and started heading back towards the city. Lobo reluctantly followed, he didn't have to be told what would happen if he did not. As he walked behind Nightmare Moon, six more fell in besides him, three on either side. As he looked them over for the first time, Lobo was surprised to see that there were two faces he recognized.

“Bender? Hammer Song?” He said in obvious surprise as the two of them grinned back at him.


****


Zig Zag and Raven fearfully glanced up at the sky, which had gone completely black for a few minutes. Had it not been for Twilight lighting her horn with magic the two of them would have been left in complete and utter darkness while they made their way through the streets of the Elite District. The fact that Twilight had not even dignified the sky with a glance had been oddly comforting for the two following her. If the pony leading them did not get spooked by this strange event, then perhaps it was not such a big deal after all. Zig Zag had drawn strength from the purple mare’s calm and collected reaction to whatever it was that had happened. And Raven had in turn stayed calm because Zig Zag had seemed to not care about the strange happenings, therefore neither would she. So the three of them proceeded ever onwards towards the Officer’s Club.

“ZZ… Are you sure about this? I mean… I don't think she's completely right in the head.” Raven suddenly whispered worriedly as they rounded another street corner.

“Look… I have to do this! And I think… I think that if we stick with her, we will have a much bigger chance of pulling this off… I simply can’t stand back and do nothing when the ponies that killed my mother just disappear one after another… I have to be involved, or I will never be able to let this go.” Zig Zag said heatedly while they continued up the street. Raven gave a sigh but nodded.

“All right… just… just remember to stick close to me ZZ… So we can help each other when we need to.” Raven said and finally dropped her attempts at persuading Zig Zag not to follow this somewhat terrifying unicorn. Both Zig Zag and Raven had been surprised when they came to the city gate leading into the Elite District. Even if the camp outside the gates had been asleep, the guards at the gates had first made to challenge them when they approached, but upon laying eyes on Twilight they had all immediately bowed their heads in respect and ushered them through without even asking who the three of them were, or why the three of them were seeking entrance to the city so late at night. Zig Zag had only been relieved that it was so easy getting into the city, but Raven had furrowed her eyebrows in deep contemplation while she looked at their escort. Whoever this Twilight was, she was most definitely someone of note.

Finally they had reached their goal, a three-story salmon colored building, Its window sills were painted gold, and red velvet curtains could be seen just inside as warm and welcoming light emanated out through the windows. Zig Zag had often ran past this building without giving it a second glance while running errands for his mother, now however, knowing what was inside of it… he wanted nothing more than to tear it down brick by brick until nothing remained.

Twilight proceeded to walk in through the mahogany door and left it open for the two of them to follow. As they walked through the door they stopped behind the purple unicorn. The door closed behind them with a little click, and all of a sudden Raven felt extremely trapped for some reason. Zig Zag on the other hand looked around himself with a frown. There were no customers in the restaurant, only five servants, one bartender and four guards could be seen inside the lavish dining hall. Zig Zag looked rather surprisingly at the guards… Last time he had seen a city guard they had seemed so large and terrifying… Now, after months of training against gryphon warriors in Crown Peak, they did not seem as terrifying as he remembered. A Pegasus waiter mare walked up to them with a smile on her face.

“Do you have an appointment, ma’am?” She asked politely, Twilight´s eyes focused on the waiter.

“No.” She answered coldly, but the waiter did not seem to react to it, or she was accustomed to being spoken to in that way.

“Well, that´s alright. I don’t think I've seen you around before. What's your name and connections?” The waiter wondered.

“Twilight Sparkle.” The young unicorn answered, while simultaneously pulling out her sword with telekinesis. Before anyone knew what happened, Twilight's sword was lodged halfway through the waiter's skull. She then calmly proceeded to extract the weapon, and transfer the handle to her mouth, freeing her horn for spell casting.

Both Zig Zag and Raven first stood dumbstruck while Twilight disappeared in a flash of light. On the other side of the dining hall the remaining waiters were all screaming and started heading for the kitchen exit, while the guards were now all staring at the two remaining at the entrance. A second flash announced Twilight's arrival in front of the kitchen exit, where she immediately stabbed the barkeeper through her throat, and broke the neck of the nearest waiter with telekinesis. The four guards who had all been moving towards Zig Zag and Raven halted their advance when they once again became aware of where Twilight was. The closest guard immediately started running towards her.

“What's going on?!” A voice cried out from the kitchen. Twilight swirled around towards the kitchen door and impaled her rapier through the exiting cooks head. Unfortunately, the blade wedged firmly into the open door behind the cook. She had to abandon the sword where it was to dodge out of the way of the earth pony guard, who stomped his front hooves down where Twilight had stood just a second before. In a swift motion, the much stronger earth pony yanked Twilight sword out, and stormed into the kitchen after her. Zig Zag and Raven were brought out of their shocked stupor just in time to register that three guards were still heading towards them.

“Let's finish these two off first, and then we can help Landslide fuck that psycho mare up all night long. It has after all been a long time since Sharp Edge allowed us to use and torture a mare to death, but I think she'll make an exception for this one!” The only Pegasus guard said with a sadistic grin, while the three of them approached what they thought would be a quick warm-up fight. His two earth pony companions also grinned just as much as they spread out to tackle the two youths from different directions. None of them took the time to look carefully at their opponents. Had they done so they might have noticed just how well armored and equipped their supposed easy prey were. Zig Zag and Raven gave their opponents there first surprise, when instead of turning tail and running, the two youngsters sprinted in towards them.

“What!!!” The Pegasus exclaimed as both the youngsters came at him snarling; the little blue colt wielding a knife in his mouth while the blackish gryphoness launched up into the air. 

The Pegasus who had instinctively jumped up to avoid the surprisingly fast little colt was caught in midair by the furious gryphoness who immediately crashed back down to the floor, using him as a shield to soften her impact. With a kick the Pegasus launched Raven over himself. She, however, twisted around in the air and landed on all fours again, coming to a screeching halt as she dug her talons into the red carpet covering the floorboards. 

As the Pegasus guard stood up glaring back at Raven, he suddenly got a very questioning expression on his face when he felt something sticky and hot trickle down his chest. Slowly he glanced down to see the hilt of a dagger protruding from just above his armors neck lining. He looked back up at Raven with a shocked expression, since he hadn't even felt any pain… yet. Once he became aware of the dagger, the pain asserted itself with a vengeance. His whole face contorted, and a pathetic whimpering sound escaped from him while he staggered off a few steps to the side. He tried to reach up and extract the dagger, but was abruptly stopped by Raven who had simply walked up to the shocked Pegasus and unceremoniously stabbed another dagger into the side of his neck. The Pegasus fell limp immediately, and crashed to the floor. Raven retrieved her two daggers and started to make her way over to help Zig Zag.

Zig Zag had, after missing his first blow towards the Pegasus, spun around to face the two remaining earth ponies. The first one tried to simply crush Zig Zag with his hooves, but Zig Zag easily avoided the clumsy strikes. After all the training he had undergone, especially with his father, these two ponies almost seemed to be moving in slow motion compared to what he was used to.

With a bubbling laugh, Zig Zag bounced around the two guards who had now both drawn their swords and were feebly trying to hack at him while cursing loudly. Zig Zag dodged easily under a table. The earth pony closest to him carelessly grabbed the edge of the table and flipped it over in his anger, inadvertently leaving himself wide open for Zig Zag who immediately seized the opportunity. Like a loaded spring, he shot up and cut the stallion’s throat in one swift motion. With a gurgled scream the guard stumbled backwards, trying to stop the blood flow, before collapsing to the ground in a heap. Bloody bubbles now started to form in the wound on his slit throat as he struggled to take his lasts breaths. The only remaining guard pony screamed in absolute rage and bore down furiously on Zig Zag, only to have a dagger bury itself into the side of his head. He didn't even have time to register that something had happened before he collapsed and came to a screeching halt in front of Zig Zags hooves.

Zig Zag looked over towards Raven who stood halfway between him and the dead Pegasus guard; she was twirling a second dagger between her talons while she looked skeptically at the guards around them. Zig Zag in the meanwhile noticed how Twilight had emerged from the kitchens and was heading towards the stairs in the back of the restaurant, so he re-sheathed his dagger and proceeded to recover Raven's as well.

“Are you okay ZZ, not that those guys were much of a problem. That idiot Pegasus guard didn't even draw his sword. He was so sure he was going to beat us into submission easily.” she said when Zig Zag came up to her and handed the last of her daggers back to her. She slid it into place at the front of her chest armor after having wiped the blade off on a tablecloth next to her.

“No, these guards were really slow… I mean, I could see what they were going to do from a mile away… By the way, did you see what happened to the last waiters?” Zig Zag wondered while they moved to catch up to Twilight at the stairs.

“They got out during our fight, together with some ponies from the kitchen…” Raven answered and looked worriedly over towards Twilight.

“Good, I don't think any of them were at fault for what's happening here… They seem so terrified… and meek.” Zig Zag muttered. Raven only nodded in agreement since they were almost within hearing range of Twilight now and she definitely did not trust that unicorn. As soon as they came up to her, Twilight spoke up without even looking towards them.

“Did you let the chefs or waiters get out?” She asked while shifting her gaze between the stairs leading up and the once leading down, obviously trying to decide which way to go.

“Yes.” Raven answered quite agitatedly.

“You shouldn't have. Chances are they knew exactly what was going on up here.” Twilight reprimanded.

“That doesn't make killing them right.” Zig Zag said trying to defend his special some gryphon.

“Right and fair are two different things.” Twilight respondent before making up her mind about where she wanted to go next.

“You two head upstairs. I'm going to see what's below.” She said and descended without another word. Zig Zag and Raven looked at each other, and then they both shrugged and took the stairway leading to the second floor.

As they got up, they heard a loud crash of wood splintering from below. Twilight it would seem had just powered through whatever it was blocking the path down below. Zig Zag and Raven stood in front of the door. They tried to open it but it was locked, furthermore there did not appear to be a keyhole to open said lock.

“There has to be some way of opening it?” Zig Zag uttered frustratingly and tried hitting the door for good measure, but to no avail.

“I'll go check on that Pegasus guard; he was after all standing by the stairs when we entered.” Raven said and launched herself off the top of the stairs, gliding back down towards the dead Pegasus lying on the floor in the middle of the dining hall. Just as she landed several ponies started pouring up from the basement, looking positively terrified, their provocative and exquisite clothes making perfectly clear what they were. As the first of the tail lifters saw her standing over the body of the dead guard they froze, all the while more and more came up behind them. There was soon a small crowd looking fearfully at her and all around the room. Obviously waiting for somebody to come and stop them, and punish them for leaving their rightful place. With a heavy sigh Raven called over to them.

“You girls better get moving! As you might have noticed that crazy mare down there isn't really thinking straight, I wouldn't be here when she gets back up!” Raven called over to the quivering mass of mares and a few stallions still standing fearfully in front of the landing to the stairs for some reason. This seemed to have the effect of snapping a few of them out of their stupor, and several of them bolted towards the exit. Raven continued searching through the Pegasus guard until she found a key ring with several keys and also a velvet bag containing some sort of round sphere, and to her delight a small coin purse containing several shining coins. She grabbed all of the items and returned up to Zig Zag. As soon as she landed and looked back at the door, she realized she could have left the key ring since there was still no keyhole. That left the velvet bag; she examined it and held it up towards the door… nothing happened. She tried opening but it was still locked.

“Oh come on! This has to be it!” Raven growled in annoyance.

“Here let me see…” Zig Zag said and grabbed the bag from Raven, but since he grabbed the bag in the bottom corner, the little rock tumbled out of the bag as soon as he had pulled it out of Raven's grip. The round rock bounced up against the door, tapping it lightly. A small click could then be heard from the door itself which then opened a little bit. Zig Zag and Raven looked at each other and gave another little shrug at their quite random discovery. Raven quickly retrieved the little enchanted rock and put it and the key ring in one of her armor pockets.

“Okay let's go do this, don't let your guard down Raven… Actually stay back in the shadows and watch my rear.” Zig Zag said and opened the door.

“Is this really the time and place for that?” Raven said with a little evil smirk. Zig Zag looked back at her with a deadpan expression, at least until he understood how what he said could be interpreted, which made his cheeks blush before he pushed Raven backwards.

“Euuuu! You know what I mean Raven!” He hissed back at her, which only made Raven grin all the wider.

“Don't worry; I got your back ZZ.” Raven finally said. With a quick nod between them, Zig Zag carefully made his way in through the door, while Raven stayed back in the darkness with a knife ready in her talon. As soon as he came through the door, he entered a lavishly furnished room covered in red velvet, in the room were many displaces of tools of a garnish and sexual nature, even on the walls and in other types of showcases. 

Some of them he understood quite well how they were supposed to work; others he simply had no idea what they were, or how they were supposed to be used. More disturbingly though, quite a few of the items looked like they were meant only to inflict pain and discomfort. Especially several of the very wicked looking whips, some of which even had barbs and several ornamental but sharp looking knives. Zig Zag felt a shiver go down his spine.

Why would anypony want to use something like that? He thought while he carefully walking out into the open area in the middle of the room. Suddenly, on the furthest side of the room several very attractively looking mares raised their heads up from what looked like a large bed covered in impossibly soft looking pillows, which they had more or less drowned beneath. When they first saw him they all had a look of confusion on their faces. But then one of them giggled a bit and whispered something to the others which made them all smile seductively over at him before standing up. 

There were five of them, all of them dressed to instill sexual lust in whoever looked upon them. Zig Zag almost felt sick to the stomach when his eyes fell upon the youngest looking of them. She couldn't be more than one maybe two years his senior, and still she was trapped in this hell, forced to pleasure who knew how much older noble stallions and mares. As one they all walked up towards him swaying their flanks quite a bit trying to look eager at the prospect of being with him, all the while letting out cute little giggles. 

Zig Zag stood firm trying not to think of just how beautiful they were. The youngest one approached him carefully while smiling sweetly at him. She was an orange colored Pegasus with a pink mane and tail, and two gorgeous purple eyes. She was squeezed into a very tight black corset, and her real legs were covered by black legs net stockings. All of it made her look absolutely ravishing.

“Hi there, are you here to make us feel good?” She asked while tilting her head to the side, trying and succeeding to look enticing. Zig Zag couldn't help but feel something stir inside of him while he blushed furiously, something the mares around him seemed to notice.

“Ohhh look at the little fella, he is just so adorable. I bet it's going to be his first time!” One of the older mares said and swished her tail provocatively in his direction.

“What! No! I mean… I haven't … That's not why… I'm… I'm…” Zig Zag stammered out while he fell back onto his rump and his brain slowly but surely started to shut down. He wasn't ready to face something like this, he just couldn't handle it. Give him some angry gryphons or pony guards trying to kill him and he would react immediately and decisively. But in this situation, faced with five beautiful mares thinking he was another customer, he was left completely speechless and powerless while they started to close in on him, seductive smiles on each of their faces.

Suddenly too powerful talons grabbed him from behind and pulled him back in to be covered by large black wings, which shielded him from the advancing mares. All five of them jumped back giving little shrieks of alarm and surprise as they were suddenly blocked by a vicious looking gryphoness staring back at them.

“Hoofs off my stallion!” Raven hissed out warningly at the mares. The five of them were all just gawking back at Raven, who was protectively holding Zig Zag close to her, while continuing to shield him with her wings.

“Any of you try anything I'll rip your throats out!” Raven yelled at them, making the five mares take a few more steps back. Hooves sounded from the stairs behind Raven as two guard stallions came thundering down at the sudden commotion from below. All the mares suddenly laid down flat on their stomachs cowering in fear.

“What's going on down here?! I thought we had an agreement; we take one of you for ourselves during the night, while the rest of you mares service whoever comes up here without any fuss, and we would leave you alone down here to do what you please while you're free!” The guard bellowed angrily, at least until he saw the gryphoness standing protectively over something between himself and the five tail lifters. A smirk suddenly formed on the guards lips and he turned to his partner who now stood beside him.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” The first guard said with a smirk.

“I don't know… Definitely doesn't look like a patron, so most likely she is the newest plaything in our stables.” The second guard said with an equally vicious smirk.

“Why don’t you come with us little birdie, and we’ll give you a good first night to kick start your time with us on a positive note.” The first guard continued while he walked forward eyeing Raven curiously.

“I've never fucked a gryphoness before, this will be interesting. I've heard you birds are quite wild in the sack.” The stallion closing in on her grunted in approval. The sentence had hardly left his lips when something shot out from beneath Raven swings. The blue blur passed underneath him, only for a pain the likes of which he had never experienced before beginning to race through his body. There was a loud thud underneath him, and as he looked down he could see his own entrails lying on the floor. He stared uncomprehendingly at the mess below him, before his eyes rolled up into his skull and he fell down on the floor, dead. The five mares were now shrieking in horror as they backpedalled towards the bed they had risen from just moments earlier. Zig Zag stood behind the now deceased stallion with a knife in his mouth, breathing heavily as he glared at the now stunned looking guard in front of him.

“Anypony lays a hoof on my Raven and I will cut them to shreds!” Zig Zag bellowed furiously, this only managed to snap the remaining guard back to reality.

“You darn insect! I will crush you like a bug!” The guard screamed, but only managed to take two steps before collapsing to the ground with a dagger sticking out of his forehead. Raven snorted while she re-sheathed the dagger she didn't have to use since the first one hit its mark. Together the two of them turned back towards the five mares that were now lying huddled together on the bed, whimpering in fear. Zig Zag motion for Raven to stay behind while he carefully walked up to the bed.

“I'm sorry that we scared you, but I think you need to leave now. The way outside is open for you, you can leave this place and never have to come back again.” He said with a reassuring smile while he stood on his hind legs peeking over the edge of the annoyingly high bed. If it wasn't for the fact that they had just seen him disembowel another pony, the five mares would have sworn he was the cutest little thing that they had ever seen. Now they looked at him with fear, while their eyes travelled between him and his gryphon friend who had, despite his wishes, walked up behind him while keeping an eye on their surroundings.

“Look girls, we are not here to hurt you, we are here to save your sorry asses. Get it through your thick skulls already.” Raven said, a bit of annoyance evident, from behind Zig Zag. Finally, the little orange Pegasus mare seemed to comprehend what was happening and carefully took a few steps towards Zig Zag, while looking carefully at him.

“Why… Why would you do that? No one else has ever cared what happens to us?” The little Pegasus asked timidly. Zig Zag’s gaze fell down and he sighed heavily.

“My mum… The ones who run this place killed her when she didn't do what they wanted her to do. So I'm here to pay them back. Twilight already buried Iron Rod alive, so now I only need to find Silver Pot and make him pay in full as well.” Zig Zag said through gritted teeth as he looked up at the five mares with a fire burning in his eyes. They all looked at each other at the news that Iron Rod was apparently dead. And then back at the little colt standing before them.

“Are you serious? He's dead… And you and your friends are going to kill everypony responsible for this place?” One of the older girls said with a twinkle in her eyes. Zig Zag looked back at her and nodded.

“Yes, we have already taking care of all the guards downstairs, the way out is clear for now, so you should really get going.” Zig Zag said and motioned with his hoof towards the open door at the other side of the room. As if a spell had been broken, the five mares frantically scrambled out of the bed heading towards their possible freedom. But before the young orange mare set off she leaned in and kissed Zig Zag hard on the mouth, to which Raven gave an angry screech. As she pulled back she looked him in the eyes, tears streaming down from her own.

“Thank you! Thank you so very much!” She said voice almost cracking with joy, “if you are looking for Silver Pot, he's here tonight, up the stairs in the VIP apartment at the end of the hall, he's… he's not a nice stallion, and he is with Soft Hooves right now… Please save her, he was in a very bad mood today. There's no telling what he'll do to her, so please save her if you can!” The young mare said before giving Zig Zag another quick kiss on the lips before bolting off after her older friends. Zig Zag just stared out into space before a manic smile spread across his lips.

“He's here? HAHAHAHA! HE'S HERE!” Zig Zag screamed in absolute joy and bolted towards the stairs leading up to the third floor.


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Thanks to Pen Perfect for the Pre-read/Edit