//------------------------------// // Ch9: Surprising Developments // Story: Lost Kingdom // by Riku006 //------------------------------// Vince closed the door to the apartment, sighing as he saw it just as he left it; empty. Despite the afternoon sunshine coming through the window, the apartment had a dark feeling to it. Shaking his head, he left his training bag on the couch and headed for his room. Before going in however, he couldn’t help but sneak a glimpse into Dustin’s room. It was left just the way it was when he’d been there last, now nearing a week. Despite turning away Vince couldn’t help but think this was all his fault as he fell onto his bed. After staring at nothing on the white-painted ceiling for a few minutes, Vince rolled over and grabbed a small photo frame from his bedside table. The photo inside showed Vince when he was ten, alongside his father and Uncle Joel. Troy Selwood had a confident smile, sharing Vince’s scruffy dark hair and brown eyes as the three posed for the photo. “Wish you were here Dad.” Vince murmured out loud. “Things are pretty messed up around here.” Silence answered him, as it always did, so Vince put the photo back in its place and closed his eyes, hoping things would work out. His solitude, however, was interrupted a few minutes later as a rapid knocking sounded throughout the apartment. At first Vince ignored it but by the third set of knocking he was up and heading to the door. “Alright, alright I’m coming.” He moaned, the annoyance easy to pick out in his voice as he opened the door. Surprise flowed through him as Claire was on the other side, wearing a large white shirt underneath a beige jacket and denim jeans. Her hair was done up in a ponytail once more and a hopeful look dominated her features. “Hey.” Vince said, not sure how else to respond. “Hey... Can I come in?” Claire asked, looking him in the eye. “There’re a few things we need to talk about.” Vince didn’t reply, instead just stepping back and letting her in. Claire walked over to the couch and sighed as she leaned against its arm. Something about the way she was holding herself was setting off warning sirens in Vince’s head. Taking a deep breath she turned back to face him, who stood waiting patiently with arms crossed. “It’s about Dusty, isn’t it?” He said before she could begin, to which she simply nodded. Vince moved closer and took hold of her shoulders with a soft yet firm grip, looking her dead in the eyes. “Claire, tell me the truth. Is Dustin okay?” For a few moments, Claire just returned his gaze, unnerved by the hard look in Vince’s eyes and unsure how to answer. Something’s wrong. Claire was usually pretty open around him. Sure, what had happened to Dustin was jarring, but he’d never seen her this unsure of anything. Before he could get a answer her phone began ringing, and Vince let go of her so she could answer. “Hello..? Oh, yeah I’m here. I’m just in one of the apartments. I’ll be out in a sec... Okay, see you.” “Who was it?” Vince asked as she hung up, arms crossed again as he started getting annoyed by his friends’ shiftiness. “...It was Skye. She’s...” Claire paused for a moment before continuing. “She’s here to take me to see Dusty.” Vince sighed, his temper starting to get the better of him as he walked near the front door before facing Claire again. “You were going to tell me this when?” “That’s why I came over. Besides, she only told me after you called me.” “Then why didn’t she call me?” Vince asked as his voice rose angrily, causing her to wince from the question. “Why not tell me where my best friend is, or if he’s even alive? I have a right to know!” “I know you do!” Claire countered, catching him by surprise somewhat. “That’s why... That’s why I came over. To see if the two of us could convince her to let you tag along.” Vince stared at her for a moment before sighing, letting his anger wash away. “Sorry Claire... I’m just worried, that’s all.” “I know.” she replied, a small smile starting to form as the argument was over. “Now come on, she’s probably waiting for us.” Nodding, the two friends headed to the front door and, after Vince locked the apartment, walked out into the afternoon sun towards the parking lot. It didn’t take long to find the special agent, leaning against her sports car. But with arms crossed and a stern gaze following Vince, she was once again uncertain how well this would go. Well, Claire thought. Only one way to find out. “Claire,” Skye began before turning to Vince. “Vince, how have you been?” “A bit tired lately.” Vince replied nonchalantly, despite giving Skye a firm look. “After all, can’t sleep when I haven’t seen my friend for an entire week after he nearly gets killed.” “Vince,” Claire replied, but Skye held up a hand to stop her. “Yes, I know it was wrong for me to not inform you sooner, and for that I am sorry.” “I want to see him.” Skye looked down in thought for a while, bringing a hand to her chin as she thought the situation over while the tension rose. Vince did have a creditable argument, though she also knew what could lay in wait for him if Celestia disagreed with her. After a few minutes she looked back at him, bright blue eyes meeting the gaze of brown. “Very well, but understand there will be many things that must be explained.” Vince’s gaze lost none of its edge, but his body relaxed as he exhaled. “As long as I can see that Dustin’s okay, then all that can wait.” Claire released the breath she’d been holding throughout those few tense minutes and placed a hand on Vince’s shoulder before looking back at Skye. “Thanks Skye.” “Do not thank me just yet.” She replied, though a small smile was starting to form. “We still have yet to explain this to-”A ringtone began blaring classical music, interrupting the three. Skye fished out a touch screen phone from her pocket before answering. “Hello..? Oh, sister. I was just on my...” As Skye listened, her face began losing a fraction of its composure. “Sister, calm down. Please, what has..? What do you mean he is gone?!” That one sentence sent ice through Claire’s veins as she and Vince shared a concerned glance. Skye, meanwhile, focused more on what the caller was saying. Her face began to lose its colour the more she listened, as if she came to realise a terrifying fact. “...He heard us... Sister,” Skye said, almost whispering in dread. “I think I know where he is heading, but we do not have much time. Send two squads to the forest ruins. I will meet them there, and pray that I find him before something else does.” Skye hung up and forced her phone back into her pocket before looking back to the two teenagers before her. Claire was barely containing her nervousness, gripping Vince’s shoulder tightly, while he wore a look that conveyed both concern and annoyance. “I am sorry, but an emergency has come up,” Skye hurriedly replied, moving towards the car door. “Once it is under control, I will return and take you to see Dustin.” “Bullshit.” Vince swore as he moved to the opposite door. “I’m not letting you out of my sight until I see Dustin in one piece. You got that?” The two shared another stare, this time both exuded annoyed frustration. “Skye.” Claire spoke up, moving next to Vince. Skye turned to face her, staring at the girl for a while before sighing. “Both of you will do exactly as I say, understand?” Her question was met with twin nods. “Then get in, swiftly.” The two followed her orders, barely closing the doors before Skye hastily reversed out and headed for the exit. “Vince,” Skye said, her focus solely on getting to their destination. “Place the siren light on top of the roof, now.” Vince looked and quickly found it sitting behind the handbrake. He barely fitted it on to the roof outside before Skye switched it on and pulled out of the car park, slamming her foot down hard on the accelerator and zooming through a nearby red light. ~~~ The light from the spell fading, Dustin kept his eyes scrunched shut and remained still, afraid he had once again misfired the spell. But his senses were telling him otherwise. There was significantly less wind than there was up on the tower. The sounds of birds and rustling leaves in the breeze filled his swivelling ears and he could feel dirt beneath his hooves. Slowly Dustin opened his eyes, and looked around as a satisfied smile formed across his muzzle. He stood near the side of a wide dirt trail, weaving through a forest where the canopy of trees above him barely parted for enough sky to be seen over the path. The forest grew darker further in with shrubs, ferns and vines littering the soil around the tree roots. All around Dustin there were birds singing, some staring wearily at him as they analysed whether or not to fly away. “I did it.” Dustin murmured, as if saying it out loud confirmed what was in front of him. “I actually did it!” The unicorn jumped for joy before looking around him, realising something was wrong. “Wait... where is everyone?” Dustin’s enthusiasm started draining as he thought the question over. Indeed, the various ruins around the city Astraea were popular tourist destinations for many thousands of people year round. While the castle of Equia was the most popular attraction, there was another ruined castle here in the forest. To see the path completely empty, on a day with perfect weather, instead of filled with holiday-goers did seem strange. Dustin looked up through the sparse gaps in the canopy to try and get his bearings before finding the ruins of Luna’s home; hanging onto the mountainside far off in the distance to his left. To his right, he saw that after around fifty to one hundred metres there was a bridge wide enough for two cars to fit side by side. The bridge was suspended across a deep gorge, the bottom a long, long way down. Dustin moved closer but quickly stopped when he saw him. There, standing near the centre of the bridge end was a man dressed in dark clothes and a bullet-proof vest. Cradled in the man’s arms was an assault rifle, the barrel fitted with a silencer. Dustin recognised the outfit as the same one worn by the men who attacked the university, and quickly hid a little further into the brush of the jungle before he could be spotted. Shit! Dustin quickly hid in the bushes at the side of the path. Looking up and down the gorge, his hopes of finding another way across seemed like they were plummeting down into the drop. The Ghost’s Gorge was a few kilometres long and varied when it came to depth. Where Dustin was now the gorge surely plummeted for at least a kilometre with the bottom shrouded in a dark mist, meaning that the bridge was the only path to walk across. Peering across the far end of the bridge, he saw another soldier guarding the other end. Dustin thought carefully about his next move, searching his mind for any strategies that could work. The obvious option was to just teleport to the bushes on the far side of the gorge, but he didn’t want to take the risk that the soldiers would see the flash of the spell. That left crossing the bridge, meaning he’d have to distract both of them at the same time. The second insane idea for the day started forming and, after a few reassuring breaths, he stood up with a determined look across his face. “Hey, asshole!” He shouted as he shot off a beam of magic and hitting the guard in the left shoulder, knocking him down. The soldier scrambled to his feet, looking into the woods and immediately spotting Dustin’s silhouette before promptly opening fire. The soldier on the far side of the bridge heard the shots ring out as the unicorn teleported to the other side of the dirt path before vanishing again as more bullets flew his way, now reappearing a third of the way across the bridge. The second soldier stopped and raised his rifle while the other soldier turned to line the unicorn up in his sights. Dustin took a deep breath and teleported again… …Straight over the expanse of air above the bridge. Dustin opened his eyes after the flash and yelled as he flailed his limbs wildly, plummeting like a stone into the gorge. The two soldiers ran to the edge of the bridge, watching Dustin’s fall. They both took aim but waited, expecting the strange animal to teleport again. But as they watched, they saw him just continue to fall deeper and deeper until he entered the mist far below, his fearful yelling fading away. The two soldiers lowered their weapons before their radios blared, and one brought a finger to the comm-piece in his ear. “Jones, status report.” The voice barked in an annoyed tone. “We encountered a hostile Sir, a creature most likely belonging to the witches.” Jones replied while the other soldier pulled out a flare gun and fired it into the gorge, a trail of red smoke following it down. “We engaged it and it teleported around before falling into the gorge.” “And?” The voice asked. “Is it taken care of?” Jones looked down into the gorge as his counterpart raised his rifle once more, the barrel following the path of the flare. The light finally entered the mist, illuminating the swirling shroud around it. But as it slowly faded, neither soldier saw a silhouette resembling the pony. “Yes Sir. The fall killed it.” Jones replied. “That thing was most likely a scout.” The voice crackled over the radio. “The witches are no doubt on their way. Jones, secure the western end of the bridge. Ballentyne, double back to the roadblock and secure it. Let nothing through.” “Yes Sir.” They both replied before Ballentyne began jogging back down the path while Jones took his position at the western end of the bridge. Unbeknownst to them, a pair of steel-blue eyes watched them before sneaking towards the ruins “Suckers,” Dustin whispered as he took in his new surroundings. Parked near the eastern bridge entrance were two black military helicopters, each one sporting a mini-gun and missile pods. From the woods he was hidden in, Dustin’s gaze then turned to the ruins before him. The Shadow Forest ruins were even more rundown than Equia, which he had been told by Luna was originally named Canterlot. There were still enough grey walls jutting from the ground to see a large castle once stood here. As Dustin entered what could have been the entrance hall, his archaeological instincts made it hard to focus on his task. He noticed that most of the roof was missing and that all of the windows were void of glass, but a sculpture in the centre of the room captured his interest; a stone pedestal with five cylindrical arms extending out to saucer-shaped indents, like as if they each once contained a rounded object. Dustin’s ears swivelled, which still felt strange to him, when he heard footsteps echoing from the adjoining hallways on the other side of the hall. Frantically he looked around for somewhere to hide before teleporting onto what was left of the roof. Once he was sure he wouldn’t slide off, Dustin slowly looked over the edge to see four more soldiers cautiously heading out of the ruins, their gaze and iron sights scanning for any possible movement. A fifth soldier walked out carrying a metal briefcase, though he seemed different to the others. Unlike his comrades, this soldier chose not to wear a helmet; a comm-piece and dark shades the only things adorning his crew cut head. While the others stepped out of the ruins this man stopped and closely observed his surroundings, almost as he knew he was being watched. Dustin flattened himself against the roof, holding his breath while his heart beat so hard he was amazed the soldiers couldn’t hear it. After what seemed like an eternity the man finally walked away. Dustin waited until he was conversing with his subordinates by the helicopters before teleporting into the hallway and running down it, hoping they didn’t see the flash of the spell. After one window near the entrance, the corridor darkened and Dustin was having trouble trying to find whatever it was they were looking for. If only I had a light, he thought to himself before a flicker briefly lit up his horn, stopping Dustin in his tracks. “The hell was that?” Dustin murmured before a theory revealed itself in his mind. Widening his stance, he concentrated on his horn, channelling energy to its tip. A dim glow appeared beyond his closed eyelids and looked up to see a small green orb of light at the tip of his horn. “Yes.” He celebrated before the light went out, sending confusion for just a moment. Dustin tried it again and once more the hall was bathed in green light. With his light source secured the young pony continued onwards through the winding corridors, soon reaching a crossroads. The path to the left ascended with a staircase, while the path to the right continued with more halls to another wing of the ruins. The third option was a hole in the wall, one that wasn’t there the last time Dustin had been there on excursion, which lead to what looked like an overgrown garden. Deactivating the light and stepping through the hole, he proceeded to a cliff-face in the back. Something in the rock wall beneath a carpet of green caught his eye. There, standing out against the plants and weeds around them, were four deep claw marks in the rock. Dustin immediately knew this didn’t belong to any animal alive today due to their size and stepped closer, placing a hoof on it while looking into the crevice the slash created. As Dustin looked, a green light began shining from the gashes, and he leapt back as the claw marks and surrounding rock were engulfed in emerald flames. He stared in amazement as the blaze simmered out almost as quickly as it had sparked up, leaving a gaping hole that descended into darkness in place of the claw marks. Shaking away his astonishment for a moment Dustin looking into the hole, hoping to see something that would help him out. When nothing obvious leapt out at him he lit up his horn once more and descended down the path before him, looking behind him to make sure the soldiers hadn’t followed him back into the ruins. The path winded down an incredibly large stalagmite, a path he walked down large enough for him to fit across four times over. Dustin stopped halfway down and he looked out at where he now found himself. He was now inside a large cave lined sporadically with crystals, looking very similar to the caves beneath Canterlot. The sound of water could be heard echoing from deeper within the cave, leading Dustin to wonder if this cave was linked to the one the Princesses resided in. But one sight on a wall close to the stalagmite caught the unicorn’s eye as he reached the floor. Merged with the cave walls stood an incredibly large stone creature that looked like a giant lizard. In its right claw it appeared to be clutching something, roaring at the ceiling in anger over a fact or event long since passed. “Whoa,” Dustin breathed, craning his neck to look at the sculpture. “Impressive, isn’t it?” Asked a cold voice, followed by metallic clicks. “Almost as ferocious as your masters.” ~~~ “So, are you going to tell me what’s happened since I last saw Dusty or what?” Vince’s question broke the strained silence that had hung like a cloud of smog in the car for most of the trip. Claire was dithering over whether or not to tell him, but Skye’s stern expression was clearly a sign now was not the time to speak up. A sign Vince had chosen to ignore. “We were going to tell you once the situation had died down.” Skye stated unemotionally, her steely gaze not leaving the highway they now turned off, heading towards a bush path. “But recent events have-“ “Don’t feed me that bullshit!” Vince said, now outright glaring at Skye as the trees of the outer Shadow Forest whizzed by the window. “You’re telling me the truth and you’re going to tell me now.” “Guys?!” Claire spoke up, the concern in her voice making the other two take notice as she pointed in-front of them. Claire felt the familiar feeling in her head from the science block attack when the three of them entered a Silence Field. Skye slowed the car down as they came upon a roadblock, with two men dressed in high-visibility work gear waving for the car to stop before one of them came up to the window Skye was lowering. Though he didn’t show it, Vince felt a chill run down his spine as he recognised the men. “What is the meaning of this?” Skye asked, her tone clearly indicating she was in no mood to play games. “Sorry ma’am.” the man replied, “There’s been a structural problem identified with the bridge to the ruins. We’ve had to close it off while we take a look at it.” “What?” Claire moaned, partly because she knew they needed to get to the ruins and partly because the archaeologist in her didn’t want the ruins to remain inaccessible. “And what is your estimated time for fixing this problem?” Skye’s retort was quick and to the point. “We’re not sure at this point. Could be hours, maybe even a few days before we can get the proper equipment to start repairs.” “Then I shall go have a look myself.” Skye stated as she stepped out of the car. “There’s really no need miss.” The man stated while the second slowly started moving to the right side of the car, his hand moving towards the back of his belt. “Besides, you’re not allowed up there without government clearance.” Skye swiftly fished her wallet from her pocket, flashing the D.S.I shield at the man’s face with a stern glare on her own. “I am with the Department of Special Investigations and I need to head to the ruins to investigate a threat to national security. Denying me access from now on will be tantamount to obstructing a police investigation, which you will face charges for.” Before Skye could unleash more threats, the man swatted her arm away and pulled out a pistol, firing at the same instant as his colleague. Skye avoided death by dematerialising into sparkling smoke and zooming across the ground, tripping the man by the car as she advanced on the second. The further man tried shooting the smoke, but it flashed past him and Skye took her human form again. Before the man could aim his gun, he found his forearm no longer working as it was severed in an instant by Skye’s blades, along with a lethal gash being cut into his chest. Skye levitated his gun towards her left hand, but it was shot out of the aura, letting off a random shot as the man by the car rushed her. He drew the gun up again, but she slashed it out of his hand with her blades. The man didn’t hesitate though, using his now free left hand to land a solid punch to agents abdomen and a right hook to her face. Skye staggered back and the man took a boxing stance as he waited for her reply. Skye, however, did not. She slowly stood back up, the beginnings of a bruise forming on her cheek as her eyes opened to reveal a shining light. Her hair began turning ethereal as she mentally summoned another Silence Field, this one eliminating the old one while extending a hand high up towards the sky. “I’m not scared of you witch!” The man shouted as he charged, swinging for another right hook. But Skye caught it like it was nothing, instantly halting the man’s momentum. Skye then retracted her blades and snapped her fingers, summoning a magic circle at the man’s feet. From it, light blue chains quickly rose up before wrapping around him, leaving only his right arm free, though it too was trapped within Skye’s grasp. As their surroundings darkened a little, the man looked up to see dark clouds beginning to form from out of nowhere. Larger and larger they grew until they threatened to expand beyond the borders of the Silence Field. Thunder rumbled above them as a sinister smile formed on Skye’s face. “That is foalish of you.” She spoke, her voice booming like the thunder above them. The man looked back at her, terror finally finding a way into his gaze. “For all should fear the Mare in the Moon.” Lightning suddenly shot down from the clouds, landing in Skye outstretched right hand. The voltage transferred from one arm to the other instantaneously, passing into the right arm of the man and electrifying him from within. When the horrifying sight was over a few moments later, the chains disappeared and Skye let go. Her eyes and hair returned to normal as the burnt husk fell lifelessly to the ground. Skye sighed, disappointed in herself that she had let the brute land not one but two blows against her. However, she had no time to relax as a bullet grazed her left arm. Her right arm shot to the wound to put pressure on the wound, wincing from the pain. “What are you doing?!” Skye heard Claire yell, and looking up she saw why. Vince had picked up one of the pistols, and now had it aimed squarely at her.