//------------------------------// // Returning to Ponyville // Story: Fanged Feathers // by Fanged Rainbow //------------------------------// Chapter Seven: Returning to Ponyville As the group left Manehatten they began discussing their plans for when they reached Ponyville. "So, we're going to just trot in there and kick flank?" Vinyl asked happily, as Lyra and Bon Bon had their own discussion on how to tear the leader of the Knights of the Silver Sun apart. As the group wandered through Hallow Shades they noticed how quiet and peaceful it was, the wind blew gentley through the woodland canopies, and the wildlife chirped a chittered as they went about their lives. "No Vinyl, while we are going to kick their flanks in, we are going to try to end this without bloodshed first," Derpy replied to Vinyl's question, Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes to that and made her comment. "I doubt that will work at all" Rainbow Dash exclaimed angrily "I just want to tear them apart!" Derpy sighed hearing that. Vinyl chuckled and Soarin finally began to pay attention. When suddenly the Vamponies walked into the large clearing with a rocky crater siting right in the centre of it. Looking down everypony noticed the vast amount of gems, and the diamond dogs that guarded them, their was at least thirty of them. "Heh, no problem," Derpy chuckled as the group slid down the cliff side under the cover of moonlight, and engaged the Diamond dogs in combat. Swiftly and cunningly Vinyl swooped down and tore into the canines flesh, while Lyra and Bon Bon beat the dogs to near death, finishing them of with a bite to the neck, Soarin was grabbing the dogs and pulling them into the air, letting them fall to their bloody death, while Derpy and Rainbow Dash ripped their canine foe to pieces. "This... should make... a good... practice session," Vinyl said between breaths, Derpy nodded but was too busy to answer with words. Rainbow meanwhile was making quite a mess with the snack she had made out of one of the diamond dogs, but when the dogs knew they couldn't win, they ran. Derpy looked around to see that everypony was still present, and then noticed the bloody mess that Rainbow Dash had made on the cold stone floor of the crater. Vinyl and Bon Bon burst into laughter while Lyra went and began to lap up the crimson red puddle. Noticing the time Derpy pointed towards the Foal Mountains "Come on you lot, we need to reach the Foal Mountains before sunrise. So the group continued their journey towards the mountain range, but their journey was cut short by the sunrise creeping over the horizon and causing Lyra, Rainbow Dash and Soarin agonizing pain, while the others protected their eyes from the blinding sun, having built up an immunity over the course of time. "We're almost there!" Derpy called out, making sure the others could hear. When they arrived the group found a cave to shelter in, Derpy went to asses the burns on the younger vamponies, and Vinyl unpacked her supplies and began to light a fire. By the next night a new challenge faced the group, the mountain, Rainbow Dash's left wing was too burnt for flight, Soarin's right wing was also incapable of flight. Lyra was also too injured to travel, and had to be carried by Bon Bon. Vinyl and Derpy were having their own conversation so Rainbow Dash slipped to the back and talked to Amethyst, who was certainly shyer since the events from a couple of nights ago. "Hey Amethyst, may I ask what it was Derpy was yelling at you for?" But instead of getting the reply she wanted Amethyst just shook his head. The mountain was a steep and difficult climb, sheer cliffs and deep canyons, covered by snow littered the mountainside, Rainbow Dash nearly fell down one, but Vinyl managed to catch with her magic, just before Rainbow Dash fell into the dark cold abyss. There wasn't much else there, snow, ice, rock, and hidden dangers were all the group had to face. As the group reached the peak they could see Ponyville in the distance, along with Canterlot, and a hunting party... "Can somepony please remind me why we didn't take the train?" Amethyst asked nervously, not wanting to get in trouble. Vinyl shrugged, not having an answer, and looked to the hunting party attempting to identify it's members. "Nopony I know in there, Derpy," Vinyl commented "But i count eight of them." "Conceal you fangs, and your burns," Derpy commanded as she did so herself "Perhaps we can avoid detection..." "Derpy, i hate to break it to you, but we've been spotted!" Rainbow Dash stated in panic, seeing the hunters walking towards them with eyes gazing curiously to the group. "What do we do?" "We confront them ,Dashie" Derpy replied sternly "Derpy you know I don't like that name" "Come on, their nearly here." Vinyl said, butting in on the conversation, and she was right. As they approached Bon Bon took the blackened Lyra from her back and started treating the burns, using only the moonlight to aid her, and she was interrupted by a black and blue maned hunter with a ruby red coat who gazed at Lyra for one moment before turning his head away in disgust. Another hunter, who had a similar manestyle to Rainbow Dash began trying to chat her up. "So your the famous Rainbow Dash I presu-" "Shut it" Rainbow Dash snapped angrily causing the hunter to back to quickly, along with several others" "Calm down ,Rainbow we have a job to do and you know that" Derpy said with an annoyed tone while the hunter examining her blanked everypony entirely. Derpy meanwhile eyed up each hunter, but found that even with seven vamponies they could not win. "What do you want hunters?" Derpy asked cautiously, receiving a surprised look from her examiner. "So you know what we are? do you know that we know what you are vamponies?" the hunter replied darkly. Imediately Vinyl bucked a hunter in the face causing his skull to cave in, and began running towards Ponyville yelling "Run!" Which was exactly what the group did, unfortunatly for Lyra and Bon Bon however they were unable to escape and were left to whatever fate the hunters left them. "Let them go" the hunters leader exclaimed as he stood in the snowy hills, having Lyra and Bon Bont tied up.