It was the middle of the second day.
A storm had been rolling in the last few hours, and all hell had broken loose. It'd started out as a light drizzle, which had continued for some time ever since arriving in the Pridelands, but it was rapidly turning into a thunder-booming torrential downpour.
Saxon ran up the slanted slope, breathing heavily. He entered the cavern where Twilight was pacing back and forth. Despite relentless searches for Fluttershy, she had not turned up.
"The hyenas have broken the boundary. We are at war. This is your last chance to turn back." He obviously didn't know her very well.
Fluttershy shook her head. "If you think I'm leaving without my friend, then you're insane. Nightmare Moon didn't stop me, Trixie didn't stop me, and Sunset Shimmer didn't stop me. No. It's time to finish this." She ran down the slope into the rain, leaving Saxon scratching his head and wondering what kind of name Sunset Shimmer was.
Twilight had barely taken a few steps into the grass when nipping hyenas appeared from behind several rocks and snapped at her. She tried to press forward, but they proved too strong and too many for her, and she was forced back up Pride Rock.
Hyenas were swarming below, barely being contained by the remaining lionesses. Fluttershy was not the only one who had gone missing. Much to Saxon's annoyance, several of the hunters had as well. Saxon was standing guard near one of the royal entrances up on the rock, and Twilight approached him. "You must stay here, Twilight." He warned. "Several of the others have already been rounded up."
"But you can't go down there by yourself, if anything happens to you, your Pride is lost!"
"Friends are worth a bit of danger, and I can handle myself. I've been doing this longer than you. I will see if I can find her. But please stay here." He left his post, running out into the rain. There was nobody inside, at least. Twilight and several dozen hunters were all that remained.
A little while after he had left, two hyenas made their way up onto the Rock, grinning wildly. "Well well… look what we have here."
Twilight snorted. "Two against one. Bit of an unfair advantage, eh?"
The hyenas were unamused. "So here's how this is gonna work, you're gonna come with us, or…"
"Yeah, you know that thing I said about the numbers? Meant it was unfair for you. Be thankful I don't have my magic, or I wouldn't be as nice."
One of the hyenas nipped the back of her paw, and recieved a kick to the face before he went sliding down the muddy rock, snarling in annoyance.
"That wasn't very nice… you better be careful or we'll have lion pelts over our cave. So if you don't want your friends to get the birdie boiler, I suggest you… what was that?"
"RAAAAGH!" A loud bellow came from outside the cave, and a charging warthog knocked the second hyena clean off the side of the ramp. Twilight stared for a moment. She'd seen a lot of strange things in Equestria, but this was just odd. She composed herself and used the distraction to take care of the first hyena, who just glared at her before retreating completely. A female meerkat popped from behind the pigs ears. "Hey kid! Need some help?"
"Yeah… guess who's still alive?"
"Oooooh, a riddle. I like riddles," the meerkat said.
Her companion rolled his eyes. "I don't think it's a riddle, Enna."
Twilight gestured to the two of them. "Dare I ask?"
The meerkat grinned. "What, the mount thing? It's a defensive mechanism, started up by a couple of outcasts several years ago. Quite genius, really."
Twilight smiled a bit. She was lucky she had friends to rely on as well, and was rather frustrated that they weren't here. "Saxon told me to tell the colony that Scar is alive, does that have significance to you?"
The warthog snorted. "That lunkhead is still kicking? I'll give him a knock upside the head to worry about. Don't you worry about a thing, miss! We'll take care of it!" He gave another bellow, and charged into the rain, presumably to spread the word.
Across the Savannah, it was lioness versus hyena, an all out mess of a brawl. But not the good kind of brawl, such as jousting match in the Crystal Empire. The hyenas seemed unnaturally strong, and had been matching the lionesses in strength for hours. The lionesses would soon tire, and after that... Twilight didn't want to think about it.
Twilight ran across the Savannah, boiling with rage, intent on confronting Scar and his aid once and for all. Hyenas who were not otherwise occupied with battle took up chase with her, but once they saw her running straight into the Graveyard, they merely laughed at her stupidity and their attention left her. The questionably insane leader was inside, pacing back and forth, a wide grin on his muzzle. He was getting away with his plan, and he knew it. Behind him, several lionesses were imprisoned behind bone cages, her terrified yellow friend among them.
Twilight stood on a rock, sniffed and winced. "Smells like moldy barbecue in here." She muttered. As of the moment, she was unseen by those below.
Scar scolded an unseen hyena. "I may not be young, but I'm far from stupid. Do as I tell you!"
"Is that part of the plan, sir?"
"NEVER YOU MIND! GO!"
Twilight snuck around the cages, the looks of the trapped lionesses quietly pleading with her to free them. She hissed quietly "Have you seen who's helping him? He can't be doing this by himself."
"Someone is, but we don't know who. They're trying to kill Saxon. Saxon is the last male lion in this pride. If he falls, the pride will fall."
Twilight facehooved. "Then he's just sent the hyenas to carry out the final part of his rotten scheming-.."
An amused voice came from behind her. "Well, well, well. Come to save you friends from the birdie boiler, have we?"
"Crap." Twilight knew she wouldn't have gotten away unnoticed forever, she'd just hoped it was going to be longer than that.
"Don't worry, sweetie. I'm far too old to be able to fight like I used to. I'm merely calling the shots. Now…. What can I help you with?" Scar circled her, keeping his eyes focused on his catch, containing her near the others.
Twilight fumed. "You can let my friends out and tell me what you're up to. How are your hyenas fighting so well? The lions should easily overpower them, and from what I understand, your land here doesn't have magic."
"Oh you noticed that, did you? That's my secret. And I do hate telling secrets."
She spat at him. "Nice thinking on your part, letting a few generations pass so they'd forget how you betrayed them the first time. But they didn't forget as easily as you thought they would, did they?"
"Twilight, Twilight. You misunderstand me. Come, have a drink. We'll talk about it." He waved a paw towards a nearby pool of clear water.
"How do you know my-"
Fluttershy squealed. "Don't! It's poison!"
Scar roared and smacked the yellow lioness against the wall, silencing her. Temporarily. "I have just about HAD IT with you sniveling little weasels!"
Twilight glared at him. "You should not have done that, NOBODY hurts my friends! How do you know about poisons?!"
Fluttershy snarled. "I'm guessing the same way he knows about dark magic." Her eyes widened. "Unless..."
Twilight backed up against the cage. "Spill it."
"No… no… I'm probably wrong, Twilight… that is, if that's alright... you're not mad are you? I'm sorry!"
Scar strode forward and knocked her aside. "That's quite enough out of you! My plan is going quiet nicely, WITHOUT your help, thank you. Just you wait. I'll be King before you know it."
Fluttershy remarked casually. "I don't think they let meanies like you be King." Infuriated, Scar turned around. "What did you say?!"
Fluttershy leaned forward and bit down on Scars tail. He roared savagely, swiping at her. She ducked, and his paw shattered the old bone prison.
"Gotta watch that temper, Scarface!" Twilight teased, before bolting for the exit with Fluttershy, leaving Scar fuming.
"Get them!"
On the way across the savannah, while being closely pursued by hyenas, Twilight glared at Fluttershy.
"Now you want to tell me what you figured out back there?" Fluttershy sighed, and whispered something into Twilight's ear. A theory that made a disturbing amount of sense. Her eyes went wide, and she stopped in her tracks.
"What?!"
With that, she turned and shot like a bullet towards a large tree in the distance.