//------------------------------// // Here Piggy, Piggy // Story: Breath of Dragons 2 // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// Spike, Pip, and Fluttershy made their way over land until they reached the base of the mountain. What few monsters they did encounter took one look at Fluttershy and immediately left them alone. Some left with a smile, others with a look of abject fear. Spike couldn't understand that part. Fluttershy wasn't that scary, was she? At the mountain, Spike looked up the steep face. There was a long, winding path that looked like it meandered up, over, and through the mountain, with plenty of easy ambush spots. After thinking for a bit, he turned to Fluttershy. "Do you think you could fly up there and have a look around? Scout us a safe path?" Fluttershy, however, was staring up the mountain with an expression of abject fear. "It's so...steep..." Spike blinked. "You're...afraid of heights?" Fluttershy nodded. "I don't mean any offense, but...how did that happen?" Fluttershy gulped. "Well...I used to live up in the clouds like most other pegasi - you've noticed you don't meet many pegasi down on the ground, right?" Spike nodded. "Well, one day, I fell off the clouds, and couldn't get my wings to work. I fell, and fell, and fell..." She shivered. "If I hadn't landed in a friendly pile of G. Slimes, I probably would have died. Ever since, I've been scared of heights...and scared of flying." She looked pleadingly at Spike. "Do you...think less of me for being scared?" Spike shook his head. "Not in the least." He patted her shoulder. "Fear's not something that you can control. Besides, you're confronting your fear enough to climb the mountain with us." He smiled reassuringly at her. She smiled in return, the crystal on his pendant glowing brighter in response. "Thank you, Spike. You're so kind." "If you two are done flirting," Pip grumbled, "do you think we could try to climb this mountain before sunset? I don't relish scaling in the dark." Spike and Fluttershy both jumped. "Right," they said together. The three began walking up the path. After a time, the path leads them into a cave. Inside the cave, a spring is being continuously filled from a fountain of water pouring from the mouth of a stone dragon head. Fluttershy gasped in joy. "A health spring!" she said happily. "Health spring?" Spike and Pip asked in confusion. They'd seen springs like this in their travels, but never understood their purpose. Fluttershy nodded. "These springs are blessed by the Dragon God to rejuvenate travelers. Do you mind if I..." She pointed towards the spring. Spike and Pip glanced at each other and shrugged. "Go ahead," Spike said. Squealing happily, Fluttershy ran forward and dove into the spring. As Pip and Spike glanced from each other to the spring in confusion, bubbles formed a trail revealing that Fluttershy was swimming around the bottom of the spring. After a time, she shot back to the surface. She threw her head back as she broached, her mane flying back over her head as her wings fanned out behind her. Her arms hung loosely at her sides as her back arched, an expression of pure bliss on her face. The weight of the water made her coat cling tightly to her body, and her white silk bikini was made almost completely transparent by submersion. The water drops flying off her mane and wings warped the light around her, creating a shimmering golden halo effect. Spike and Pip both stared, completely transfixed. ------------- Fluttershy is completely refreshed. Spike and Pipsqueak are fully energized. ------------ Fluttershy stepped out of the spring with a beatific smile on her face. "Ah!" she said happily. "I haven't felt this clean since Flim captured me." She hugged Spike close. "Thank you!" "Lucky bugger!" Pip shouted yet again. Giggling, Fluttershy released Spike. "Shall we go?" Spike blinked, swallowing convulsively. "B-but you're kinda..." He gestured towards her still see through clothes. She looked down at herself. "Oh, don't worry. I'll dry as we walk. And as a Pegasus, the cold really doesn't bother me. I'm built for high altitudes after all...even if they scare me..." Gulping, Spike led the way further up the path. Remarkably, Fluttershy did indeed dry quickly as she walked, her outfit also shedding the effects of the water rapidly, so that by the time they reached the end of the cave she was - relatively - decent. As they came out of the cave, however, they could hear giggles coming from nearby. They looked around, but could see nothing. "Is anyone else getting nervous from that?" Pipsqueak asked. Both his companions nodded in reply. As they continued to climb, the giggling - now more like sniggering - came again. "I think we're being watched," Spike murmured, his claw finding its way to his sword. As they climbed higher, Fluttershy's wings shivered. "Get down!" she cried suddenly, diving for the path. Spike followed her lead. However, Pipsqueak wasn't quite fast enough, and as he dove for the path something swooped by overhead, seizing him and dragging him upwards, screaming. Spike and Fluttershy pursued immediately. As they caught sight of Pipsqueak's captors, she cried out in fear. "Harponies!" High up the Cliffside above them, in a nest at the bottom of a series of terraces coming down from the top of the cliff, Pipsqueak had been deposited between two figures. Both somewhat resembled the ponies of Hometown, except that - instead of legs ending in hooves and arms ending in hands - they had proportionately large wings and legs of a bird of prey, complete with talons. The mare to his left was bright pink with a swirl of lilac and white mane cascading down her back, with bright blue eyes. The one two the right had a silver body with a gray and white mane combed straight and tied in a pigtail, with silver eyes. Both also appeared to be about his age group generously curved if you ignored the bird portions...and stark naked. "Look at this one, Silver Claw," the one on the left said, smiling coyly. "Doesn't he look just yummy?" "Oh yes, Diamond Crown," the other - Silver Claw, presumably - replied. "Looks young and strong, probably quite virile. And can you smell?" She sniffed Pipsqueak closely. "Smells nice and eager. We're going to have fun with this one." Pipsqueak blinked, blushing. "Uhh..." Down below, Fluttershy moaned. "Oh no! He's fallen under their spell!" "Fluttershy, what are harponies?" Spike asked in confusion. He'd never encountered them before. "They're birds of prey with the heads and torsos of mares," she replied. "They're all female, so they capture males - preferably ponies - to mate with so they can lay fertile eggs." Hearing this, Pipsqueak started to settle down. Doesn't seem so bad, he thought to himself. "And then," Fluttershy continued, "after two weeks of continuous mating, or whenever the male runs out of stamina-" Hope I can last that long. "-they eat him to provide nourishment for the developing egg." "What?" Pipsqueak shouted. "I don't want to get eaten!" He starts to run out of the nest, but sees it's too high a fall to survive. "Spike! Fluttershy! Help!" "You're not going anywhere!" Diamond Crown said, stepping forward. "You can't escape from us!" "Just relax and enjoy it," Silver Claw added in a seductive almost purr...marred only by her baring a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. "You'll love it while it lasts." "I don't want to get eaten!" Pipsqueak yelled in terror. Spike rushed forward, trying to scramble up the cliff, but he couldn't get a claw hold. "Damn it!" he snarled. "I'm coming buddy!" He continued to try and climb. "Spike..." Fluttershy whispered out. She started to walk forward, but then she looked up at how high it was, and started to get dizzy. Then Pipsqueak let out another scream of fear. Steeling herself, she spread her wings. As Pipsqueak continued to dodge the pounces of the two harponies and struggled for his knives, he eventually found himself pinned beneath Diamond Crown. "Nice chase," she said, grinning widely to reveal a mouthful of needle sharp fangs. "Now for the main event." She started to reach for him. "Leave. Him. Alone!" Fluttershy snapped. "Huh?" Silver Claw asked as both harponies turned. Fluttershy hovered there at the edge of the nest, flapping her wings to stay afloat. "You have three chances to put my friend back on the ground and leave us be." Diamond Claw smirked. "What'cha going to do if we don't? Tattle?" The two harponies laughed. Fluttershy settled down to stand on the rocky edge of the nest. "That's one chance." Silver Claw laughed. "Looks like the fraidycat's trying to be intimidating!" The two harponies laughed together and started a chant. "Fluttershy, Fluttershy, Fluttershy can't hardly fly!" They laughed together as they chanted. Without warning, Fluttershy pulled out her whip and lashed them both across the cheek, drawing blood. "That's two," she said calmly. Diamond Crown lifted a feather to her cheek. "My face..." she whispered. When she saw the blood spot on her feather, she let out a shriek of rage. "You'll pay for that, you ground pounding slut!" she screamed, lunging towards Fluttershy, Silver Claw beside her. Fluttershy sighed as she put her whip away. "And that's three," she said. Putting her fingers into her mouth, she let loose a shrill whistle. "Angel!" she called out. There was a loud thump several terraces above. Diamond, Silver, and Pip all looked up. Staring down at them from an upper terrace was a somewhat lagomorphic figure. From a distance, one might simply call it a 'big bunny'. However, up close, several things could be seen that immediately changed that impression. First, it's right paw ended in a massive set of claws, looking not unlike a massive armored gauntlet. Second, its left arm had no paw, and ended in a massive bone blade that erupted from where the flesh of the arm abruptly ended. Third, it's mouth hung open, revealing several rows of razor sharp teeth that moved like an inverted rotating saw. Fourth, it had four glowing red eyes. Fifth, blood dripped from its claws, its bone blade, and mouth. Finally, and most noticeably...it was somewhat in excess of 15 feet tall. It sniffed the air and roared, lunging for Diamond and Silver. The two harponies screamed and tried to fly away, but before long they were caught, Silver through the stomach by the bone blade and Diamond with the claws through her chest. The bunny like creature then dragged them both to an upper terrace, where he could be heard messily devouring them while they still lived. Pipsqueak could only stare in fear. Fluttershy, however, smiled beatifically. "I did warn them," she said in satisfaction. After a time, the creature leaped down into the nest, landing heavily. Pipsqueak immediately scooted back, but Fluttershy raced forward. "Such a good boy, Angel," Fluttershy said happily, reaching up to scratch the figure between the ears and under the chin, which it bent over accommodatingly to allow. "Mama's so proud." Pipsqueak stared up at 'Angel', a bit surprised to see that - instead of the four glowing red eyes he saw before - he now had only two beady little black eyes. "So...how'd you tame this bonzer bloke?" Fluttershy smiled. "Oh, I raised him from a kit. He used to be a Greater Dire Killer Rabbit, but a demon tried to do bad things to me once, and Angel killed him. However, when he ate the demon's flesh, it warped him a little. So now...he's a Greater Dire Accursed Killer Rabbit...I think." Pipsqueak gulped. "So...he's friendly?" "Only to me," Fluttershy replied, "although I don't know why." She blinked, seeing Angel glancing down out of the nest and hearing Spike yelp. "Spike?" she called, staring out over the edge... ...and promptly curling up in a ball at the back of the nest. "Top high, too high, too high, too high..." Angel seemed to sigh in resignation and roll his eyes. He then grabbed Pipsqueak in his claw, extended his cotton ball tail to full prehensile length, wrapping it around Fluttershy, and then leaping to the ground next to Spike with a crash. He then set them both gently down before leaping away again. Fluttershy managed to calm herself down, and stood up with a smile. "He's such a sweetheart," she said happily. "Shall we move on?" Pip gulped and nodded. Spike got to his feet. "Sure...let's go." Smiling happily, Fluttershy continued down the path, the others rushing to catch up to her. Before long they were down the mountain. "So," Spike began, having gotten over his scare with Angel somewhat, "any idea where we should look for Hamlet?" "Well," Fluttershy began, "it's getting on towards night, so he probably went looking for someplace warm. He's a pet, so probably a house." "Right," Pip said, quickly scaling a tree. "Look for a house." He pulled out his spyglass, sweeping around once her reached the top of the tree. He then shimmied down rapidly. "Spotted a house, but looks like there's trouble. There's a big hole in the wall." Nodding, Spike drew his sword and rapidly followed Pipsqueak, Fluttershy panting as she tried to keep up. Reaching the house, Spike leaped in through the hole in the wall...and immediately backed away. The porcine creature was massive. It was easily twice Spike's size, had beady red eyes that seemed filled with rage, massive upward pointing tusks coming to a razor sharp point, and bristling brown fur that covered its entire body. From behind the great beast, an ancient figure of indeterminate species raised his head. "Oh please...have you come to rescue me?" The beast turned away from the old man to face Spike, who instinctively backed up. Pipsqueak soon jumped through the hole. "Cor Blimey!" he shouted out, drawing two of his knives. "That's one bonzer porker! How'd it get that big?" "Good eating, probably," Spike said nervously. "What do you think it eats?" Pip asked nervously. The massive boar stepped forward with one massive hoof, snarling at them. Fluttershy caught up. "I'm...here..." she gasped out. "Stay back Fluttershy!" Spike cried out, stepping protectively between her and the beast. Fluttershy looked up...and smiled. "Hi Hamlet!" she said, waving at the boar. Spike and Pipsqueak's lower jaws hit the floor as the boar let out a happy "Bwee!" in response to her greeting.