“Talon” whispered Apollo under his breath, and then he gave in to embrace his blood-soaked companion. “Thank Celestia I found you, come on I need your help, but first we have to get out of this hellish maze.”
Talon nodded in agreement at this notion. He wanted out of this place. They began walking towards the entrance to the next wing of the maze, when they heard a feeble caw come from the bush beside them. Glancing cautiously at Talon, who was already in attack position, he used his magic to spread apart the bushes. Lying there, singed and breathing lightly, was Syracuse. He was burned badly, but alive. Relief flooded through Apollo’s heart at the sight of his friend, and he quickly levitated the shivering bird onto his back and applied healing magic to his injuries. The burns that scattered his body began darken as they healed, but it was only now that Apollo realized the dawnix's face was badly burned. The bird was blinking rapidly, but Apollo had already seen the problem; His pupils had shifted from their beautiful black to a chrome-like appearance. The birds pupils were incinerated, and he was now blind. Apollo bit back a cry of horror, beckoning Talon to come to his side. Upon seeing the Dawnixs' eyes, Talon gasped. To a bird, eyes were everything, their entire life. They hunted and fought and did nearly everything else with the use of their sight in some way; A bird without eyes was like a pony without legs. Carefully, Apollo used his magic to wrap Syracuse' face with a damp cloth. Syracuse shivered when the cloth was applied, but calmed down after a moment; Eyes becoming foggy with tears that were trying to push out. Apollo placed the bird on his back, hoping that there was some bit of magic mom knows that could fix his eyes. He shuddered as Talon placed a comforting wing on his shoulder, and for a moment Apollo was calmed. The moment of empathy was interrupted by an ear splitting shriek which rang out through the maze. It was screaming for help. It was defiantly a woman’s voice, and it sounded distantly familiar. Talon heard it as well, turning his head to better identify the sound. Apollo rose shakily to his feet and turned to face the maze. Slowly, he began walking to one of the eight pathways that were now facing him, the clicking of claws informing him that Talon was following close behind. Apollo turned to face him.
“Did you know her? The other griffon I mean.” He asked solemnly.
“Yes, she was my sister” Talon said, eyes glazing over.
“I am so sorry. What happened” he asked.
Breathing In shakily, the griffon turned. “We were just sitting in my house in Gryphus, playing a card game. We heard sirens and alarms going off everywhere, and our parents ran in and told us both to get to the basement and to stay there. There was this huge explosion from what felt like nowhere. The windows shattered, and I threw myself in front of her to protect her from the glass.” He pointed to the scar on his beak. “This was what I got for my heroism, and I haven't been able to fly since either. I think my wing is broken. Anyway, after the glass rain had stopped, our door burst open. My father went over and tried to fight off our assailants, and they killed him. Armageddon, my older brother, also tried to help, but it was no use. He was also killed and we were overrun. They took my mother away somewhere and dragged me and my sister to the palace. She was always too proud for her own good though…” he trailed off, silent tears now glistening across his face.
“I’m so sorry my friend. When we make it out of this nightmare, we can avenge her together” said Apollo.
“There’s no use in crying about it now, we need to get out of here” responded Talon, almost snapping at Apollo. They continued to walk toward the source of the cry in silence, neither of them wanting to break it. They rounded the corner, but what they saw would have made even the most battle hardened soldiers' stomach churn. Ahead of them was a small clearing which looked as though it had once been a courtyard. The grass was stained crimson with blood, and body parts littered the area. As Apollo looked around, he noticed something; He could hear somepony breathing. He looked over at Talon, whose ears were up like radar dishes, scanning intently; he had heard it as well. They looked around, careful not to step in any…mess. Then, they found the source. It was an alabaster mare with a charcoal mane. She was also wearing what remained of a pink bowtie. She was lying on her stomach, blood seeping out from under her. They slowly shifted her body, and gasped at what they saw underneath. Her entire stomach was shredded apart and blood, now unrestricted, was flowing freely from the cavity in her abdomen. She groaned as they lay her back down.
“What did this to you” Apollo asked in a whispering voice near the mares ear.
Slowly, she opened her eyes, seeming to gather her strength. Apollo could see her muscles straining to strain, but she pushed on. She slowly raised her hoof to point down a darker passageway. As she did this, they heard a growl, and though they stared intently down the passage, they could see nothing. They heard the growl again, though this time it was louder and more malevolent. Apollo gasped as he saw what was happening; Alpha timber wolves were melting out of the mazes' hedge walls and beginning to surround the three creatures. The wolves circled them, snarling and foaming sap from their mouths. Apollo felt a small tap on his hoof and looked down; the mare had used her dying moments to push a scrap of bloodstained paper towards him. Wordlessly he took it from her and slipped it into his pocket, imagining that the success of her final efforts would have made the mare smile. The timber wolves snarled savagely, pulling Apollo back into reality. Quickly he took a head count of the pack as it circled the group. There were twenty-six.
“We can’t fight them,” hissed Talon through his beak. “there are too many”
“You think I don’t know that?” Apollo hissed back at him. “But what else can we do?’
Apollo could almost feel the cogs working in Talon's mind as he tried to think of a way out of their predicament.
“I got it.” he said suddenly. “See that smaller wolf over there?” he nodded to what appeared to be the runt of the pack. “The next time he makes a pass, jump over him, and then… Run for your life.” Apollo nearly laughed, but Talon's serious expression clearly stated he wasn't joking. Apollo nodded in understanding and prepared to jump.
“Three…two…one!” shouted Talon, leaping as hard as he could, Apollo following immediately behind him. They hit the ground with a thud, and heard the howling of the wolves behind them, realizing there prey had gotten away. Apollo ran with such determination that he couldn't even see Talon. He knew that if he stopped he was as good as dead. He could hear the wolves running after him, and he knew he would not be able to run much longer. He turned his head, drawing his bow in one smooth motion, and began firing arrows as fast as he could draw them. He heard the crashing of sticks and knew he had met his mark. Then, Apollo had an idea. It was crazy, but it just might work. He pulled an arrow from his quiver, and dragged its steel head against the ground. He went over a small patch of stone, then another. Then, suddenly the arrow head ignited, engulfing the arrow shaft in flame. He made a silent prayer to Luna, then drew and fired. The arrow struck true to its mark, hitting the leader of the peck full in the chest and knocking him off his feet. The pack leader was consumed in flame, howling in pain as he blindly lashed out. The wild blows from the alpha began igniting his comrades. rewarding Apollo with the sound of wood crackling and the scent of burning pine needles and tree sap. He glanced back at the corridor he had just run through to see a bonfire of timber wolves lying in a smoking heap. He skidded to a halt, turned, and looked at his handiwork. He looked to find his now panting companion, who gave a silent nod of approval. They turned once again, and began walking down the corridor for what felt like hours, until it finally split. They looked down the passage on the left, seeing more darkness and overgrown shrubbery. They leaned in and looked down the right hall, only to be met by what appeared to be a candle flickering at the end of the passage. They went right, and as they neared the small bit of light, it expanded until it filled the entire corridor. As they walked closer, Apollo could feel the wind against his fur, and smell the sweet scent of fresh air. Talon ruffled his feathers and looked over to Apollo, smiling. They had made it out of the maze.