//------------------------------// // Chapter 16 // Story: Tale of Two Dragons // by Kind of Brony //------------------------------// Phantom touched down just as Cujo pulled the dragon to its feet and started leading it away. He was a bit hesitant to follow just then as he no longer had the semi-protection of height to keep Amethyst from turning him into popcorn pegasus; something he was sure was on the dragon's mind after the impromptu shower he had given it. As satisfying as it was to drench the fire breather like that, it had not been Phantom's intention when he ordered Citrus to help him pull a big enough cloud together to put out the fires Amethyst had and would have started in her rage, but it had turned out to be an excellent distraction nonetheless. The scarred pegasus was slightly guilty however, as the dragon would probably be looking to get at his lime-green subordinate now. Dr. Zariba, along with Cujo and some of his pack, was now in the large tent and Phantom could hear talking within. Determined not to be outshone by a bunch of dogs, he steeled his nerves and trotted after them. He was the doc's right-hoof pony after all, so he wasn't going be absent while Cujo's subordinates were present. As he entered he was greeted to the sight of a surrounded dragoness as it held an ear-fin to the chest of its little ward. After a beat, it sighed in what could only be relief and gently picked the young dragon up. Cradling its kin in a half-defensive, half-nurturing matter, Amethyst looked back to Zariba. "Try anything like this again on my little brother, and I swear I will kill you, Arbez." Phantom recognized the words for what they were; someone powerless trying to change their situation and desperate to regain some perception of control. Zariba recognized the baseless threat as well as he smirked. "I won't make promises I don't know for certain I can keep," he said, causing the dragon's jaw to clench. "But I can assure you, I have no further plans to perform any more spells on the young one; the one I did cast should last quite some time, so there's no need." Amethyst growled before looking down to the little beast in her arms, bringing a shaky claw up to wipe at the drying tear streaks on its cheek. Under its breath, it muttered, "Just try it." "Oh, I intend to if the need arises. Like I said earlier, you wingless dragons are astounding creatures, so the possibility that I'll need to cast another spell on him is not far from the realm of possibility." Zariba's smirk disappeared and his tone became irritable. "You've seen he's alive, now stand. You two need to be tied up before any of us can get to sleep. I'd imagine you need the rest as much as Cujo and I, anyway." He stepped forward, but paused when Amethyst tensed, holding the smaller dragon closer. The boss heaved a frustrated sigh and muttered, "Always difficult," before speaking louder. "Fine, sit him against the pole yourself if it makes you feel better, just make it quick." The dragoness was clearly grinding its teeth, and Phantom could only guess what was going through that barbaric brain. ~8~ When Amy walked in to see her brother lying in a heap in the middle of a scorched patch of earth, her heart stuttered in her chest. She had made to run to his side, ignoring the pain of pulling on her injured arm and the tightening grip on her wrists. The dragoness was about to snap her teeth at the diamond dog behind her when Zariba had given the order to let her go. In the next instant, she was hovering over her little brother, hesitant to even touch him as he looked so frail in that moment. All thoughts other than ensuring his wellbeing were wiped from her mind as she leaned down and closed her eyes, ear pressed to his chest. Amy held her own breath for what felt like an eternity as she listened for his own, only releasing it when she heard the light intake of air and the heartbeat that joined it. The dragoness almost collapsed as her tired body was flooded with relief, but she managed to stay upright as she reached gently down to pick Spike up. Her movements were slow and uncertain as she worked to get her functioning arm underneath the young dragon before bringing him slowly to her chest, his head coming to rest under her chin. I'm so sorry this happened to you, Spike. I swear on my soul I won't fail you again. It frustrated her to no end that Zariba didn't take her seriously when she had promised to kill him if he tried to hurt her little brother again, but she resolved to get her point across in the future. For now, she played along with the irritated zebracorn and moved over to the pole holding the tent up, placing Spike down. She bit her lip as she did so, hating the fact that she was going to simply allow him to be tied up, but at the same time she knew that her other options were severely limited. As much as she would have loved for him to open his eyes so she could learn the full extent of the damage Zariba had done, Amy made sure to not wake Spike so he could continue to rest after his ordeal; judging by the amount of anguish carried in his screams, he would need every second of sleep they could afford. His head lolled slightly to the side as Amy stepped away and she could not help but stare at him in wonder of how peaceful he looked in that moment despite all that had happened. Magic surrounded her wrists and pulled them roughly behind her back, making her look away from her little brother as she winced. "Chop chop, Ms. Thistle, we don't have all night. Sit down and put your feet together." Amy wanted to berate the pushy zebra, but found herself too tired as he magicked a new, brown length of rope to bind her arms. The dragoness swallowed the last scraps of her wounded pride and did as she was told, flopping down gracelessly to lean on the pole. It seemed Zariba had caught his second wind as he sent multiple cords at once to wrap her up with no concern for her comfort. The dragoness soon found herself even more restricted than before. Though the infernal black ropes were now replaced with the regular variety, Amy could tell Zariba was making up for their lacking quality with quantity. Where before only her wrists, ankles, and muzzle were tied as she was bound around the chest to the pole, now she had an added band at the knees as well as having her neck tightly fastened to the wood by ropes circling from her collarbone right up to under her chin. In fact, Amy found it difficult to breath as Zariba had done it up tight enough to squeeze painfully on her windpipe. "Apologies for the throat, but you can only blame yourself. I can't afford you burning anything else up, so I've been forced to take extra precautions," the zebra said as he turned away and walked a few steps. "Really, what were you thinking, anyway? You could have destroyed this, and then we'd both be unable to reach our goals." Amy's eyes were drawn to what Zariba was talking about, and witnessed him levitate the black slab from the ground. "As tired as I am after today's excitement, I kind of want to know what you can tell me about this; the only other individual I could find that knew about dragon glyphs could hardly read what's on here. It was really quite fortunate he even recognized the mention of Bahamut and treasure or we probably wouldn't even be here right now," Zariba said somewhat wistfully, before changing his tune to that annoyingly mocking one. "You know, dragons really must stop being so aggressive towards other species; if they were to simply share the knowledge they've obtained over their long lives instead of being so secretive, everyone would be better off. As it is now, I had to abduct two of you just to be able to get this thing read to me." Begrudgingly, Amy couldn’t help but agree with that statement, although Zariba probably didn't realize how accurate his words were. She highly doubted that she was the zebra's first choice to get information from, he said as much himself just a moment ago, but she also doubted that she was his second or even third choice. Had he wanted to contact another dragon for the knowledge he desired, only the older dragons would sufficed, and finding one willing to talk and not burn him alive for daring to approach them would have been like finding a chunk of marble in the Crystal Empire. The writing on that tablet was a remnant from long ago, back when dragon society consisted of more than just the migration and a few small groups who stayed within their tight-knit circles. Since that distant age, many dragons had fallen back into the mindset that things like writing to keep track of knowledge was an art only the short-lived species of the world had need of, believing that their longevity trumped such a system with the oral history of their personal experiences. "So, are you willing to give it a look now or will you make us wait until morning?" Zariba asked, leaning in closer to the dragoness than some would consider safe. "Honestly, I myself am dying to learn what is written here; a large part of this plan relies solely on you being able to use what you've already learned in your years of searching in combination with this to finally pinpoint the location of Bahamut's hoard." He moved his head away and began to pace. "There are those who might say I've taken quite the gamble risking so much on the mere chance that this rock and you will be enough to find what has been lost for millennia, but I'm sure it will pay off handsomely." Stopping, he turned and shined a bright smile towards his captive, nearly causing her to gag. "A gut feeling, if you will." Augh, please stop saying things I can't help but agree with; I'm getting nauseous. As much as she would have loved to have laughed in the zebracorn's face for his insane actions, she knew hers would have been just as risky, albeit less illegal, had Bahamut's hoard been within her grasp. Though it pained her both physically because of her throat and mentally to give Zariba what he desired, she gave into his wishes. "'Bring it to me," she forced out with a cough. "Ah, excellent!" he said before frowning. "Now, I'd rather you not garble your words because of those ropes, so I'll free you up a bit, but don't take that as an opening to strike. You're still surrounded and at our mercy." Amy rolled her eyes at how obvious it was that she wouldn't be trying anything; she had missed her chance already, after all. Even so, she gave the best nod she could, which Zariba managed to catch as his smile returned. "Good!" With a quick application of magic, Amy was granted full function of her airways once again and she took the opportunity to breathe deeply. "Get to it." The dragoness ended up smacking her head on the pole as she recoiled, a result of the tablet being thrust in her face at high speed. Any anger she felt from the minor injury was washed away as her eyes began to scan over the claw-carved symbols across the ancient rocks surface. A part of her wondered at the age of the dragon that had written this and if it could be a reliable source of information even with that factor taken into consideration. The talons that made these markings were definitely not of a full-grown drake as she had seen from the few examples she had come across, these ones seemingly coming from a creature closer to her own size. Even so, what was written here was more than she could have hoped for. This... This practically confirms my theory about Erik's journal. I-I was right! It has to be in those mountains! I knew it! "That's certainly a good sign, care to share what you've read with the rest of the group, Ms. Thistle?" Zariba asked, his voice cutting through her mounting excitement. Unbeknownst to the dragoness, her eyes had gone wide and her face was slowly split with a wide grin as she read, telling everyone who saw that the tablet was what they hoped it would be. Schooling her features, Amy responded as vaguely as possible while revealing just enough of the truth to satisfy the zebracorn; Zariba was abnormally good at sensing lies and misdirection. "Sounds like it was written by some zealots or something who worshipped Bahamut," she answered with a dull tone to match her expression. "That's not what's really important, though. What is is that the writer speaks about living within Bahamut's keep and divine presence as a loyal servant." The smile began to force its way back onto her face. "That means that wherever this tablet came from, that place was Bahamut's lair, and that is where his treasure will probably be." Zariba, it seemed, didn't share her enthusiasm for this revelation as a frown pulled down the corners of his lips. "Is that all?" he questioned. "As... fascinating as that is, it's not particularly helpful in finding the aforementioned location." He lowered the tablet and once again brought his muzzle a mere few inches from Amy's. "You wouldn't be so ecstatic if that was all this was. So tell me Ms. Thistle, what else is written here." Amy narrowed her eyes. "That's all? Isn't it enough that this rock practically confirms the existence of something I've spent my whole life trying to prove was real?" She growled and bared her fangs a little, doing her best to sell the act. "I'm sorry if that doesn't seem like a big deal to you, but it is for me, so I'm pretty happy right now." They stayed like that, staring down each other for at least ten seconds before Zariba snorted and moved away. "No, I don't think that's it at all; you're hiding something from me." The dragoness cursed internally as he went on, levitated the tarp and stone over to rest on the table in the tent. "While I'm sure that discovering one's dream is not impossible can invoke some euphoric feelings, we both know you had your beliefs confirmed well before this." He gestured towards Phantom. "You already confirmed as much to him, after all." Instantly, Amy's mind flashed to the night before her departure to Equestria and her eyes squeezed shut. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why did I have to go and open my mouth around that idiot? Though many memories from that night were blurred, the one involving the scarred pegasus was vividly clear. Amy was dreading Zariba’s next question when he spoke again. "So, what was it, then and now, that has you so excited, hmm? I would very much like to know," the zebra inquired, the anticipation in his voice only half false. When his captive didn't say anything, Zariba changed tactics. "You won't tell me then? Huh, that's a shame; I was hoping to let the poor thing rest some more, but I guess it can't be helped." Momentarily confused, Amy opened her eyes to see her enemy walking slowly around the pole to the other side, and her heart clenched in fearful realization. "If you won't tell me what I want to know, maybe your brother will. I'm sure you've told him something, what with how much you seem to care for him." Whatever it was Zariba was going to do, Amy didn't want to find out as she yelled, "Wait! I'll tell you! Just leave Spike alone!" He stopped mid-step and pivoted to face Amethyst once again with a smile. "Excellent! I'm so glad you see things my way; I'd have hated to wake the little fella, especially with such limited options to do so. I'd probably have had to resort to using pain." Amy bit her tongue hard enough to taste copper, but did her best to keep her voice level. "My staff and bag, did you bring them along?" Zariba tilted his head slightly. "Why do you ask?" "Because if you were stupid enough to just leave them back in the alleyway, than we're not going to be finding anything on this trip," the dragoness bit out with a glare. "There's a journal with my stuff that will help lead us to where you want to go." The zebracorn's eyes widened slightly before an incredulous look overcame his features. "Really? You take valuable sources of information with you to restaurants? Don't you think that's a little odd?" "Why are you complaining? It's damned convenient for you right now, isn't it!?" Amy shouted. "And for your information, I keep that stuff on me so it can't be stolen by thieves like you!" Sitting back and putting his hooves up, Zariba tried to placate the livid dragoness. "I wasn't complaining, just questioning such odd behavior. I mean, don't you think that's a little paranoid of you?" "You abducted my brother and me pretty much for the information in that journal. Is it really paranoia?" deadpanned the dragoness. "... A fair point. Albert, go retrieve Ms. Thistle's belongings." The sudden command got the diminutive diamond dog to jump along with a few other of the tent's occupants as they had been so enthralled by the back and forth between the vicious dragoness and spooky zebra. "Ah-ah, right away sir!" Albert yelped as he turned and ran out of the tent. Zariba didn't even acknowledge the statement as he simply continued to stare at his captive. "So, with this journal, I'll have access to everything you know then, right?" he asked, getting an eye roll in response. "You wish. Like I'd just tell you everything so you could kill us? Do you really think I'm that stupid?" "Well..." "Shut it, bastard," Amy growled. "I didn't tell you everything that was written on that tablet, and what I left out is essential to getting Bahamut's hoard." This got a growl of his own from the zebracorn, and though it didn't sound as threatening coming from equine vocal cords, the menacing markings twisting when he bared his blunt teeth made up the difference. "What else does it say?" "Sorry Arbez, but you're plumb out of luck. If you want to know what else is on that rock you're gonna have to take Spike and I all the way to the end," the dragoness coolly responded, unaffected by the expression that had many of the zebra's own followers shirking away from him. For as trying as the emotional roller coaster the day had been, finally having something over her enemy helped calm her turbulent mind. Though it made her somewhat guilty to do so, the dragoness could not help but see this as the silver lining to a horrible experience. Not only had she gained herself more time to escape with Spike in tow, but if she failed to do so by the end of this journey, she would at least have the fulfillment of her life's dream to soften the blow. Zariba and his goons being there with me would only be a comparatively mild downer to the moment I'd spent so long waiting for. Still, i hope I can get rid of them and accomplish this on my own. While she had thought all of this, waiting for the frozen zebracorn to come to the answer she knew he would, Amy watched as a number of emotions played across his features, ending with angry resignation. "I suppose I should congratulate you, this is far better thought out than I would have expected." He glanced over her shoulder. "Though, I'm sure I can still get what I wanted from you through... certain means." "You touch him and I won't tell you anything," she stated before the words even finished leaving his lips. He quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? Are you so certain of that? Would you truly be able to stand idly by as your brother suffered? If so, you're far colder than I'd expect of a fire-breathing reptile." Amy only continued to glare, fear and anxiety hidden behind frigid fury. When she finally spoke, it was with controlled, measured, and confident words. "Try it, and I'll lead you on miles of false information before this is done. Do you really want to risk wasting so much time and effort just to spare yourself my company? Wouldn't you rather play it safe and simply take us along?" The dragoness hoped with all her soul that Zariba agreed, because, under scrutiny, her argument wasn't as infallible as she pretended. What her foe was really gambling was whether or not he'd be able to spot her deceptions if he did choose that path, and though Amy was confident she could pull it off as long as she seeded half-truths in her explanations, she also knew how confidant Zariba was in his abilities to read others, so he may not have perceived there to be any risk at all. A stifling silence had settled between the two powerful souls, and many of the tent's occupants had begun to see spots from holding their breath. When the silence was broken, it was with a sigh from Zariba. "It's not worth the trouble," he began as he turned around and slowly started walking. "I had intended to bring the two of you along in the first place, so it's not a setback to continue with that plan... though it would have been nice to save some supplies and headaches." Having a look around at his subordinates, he made a circular motion in the air with a hoof. "Show's over boys, you can return to your posts. You come with me Cujo so we can get that arm treated." Looking back, the zebra saw that Amy hadn't changed her expression and continued to stare after him. "I'll let you have things your way for now, Ms. Thistle, so I hope you're ready to repay the kindness with cooperation from here on out." He stopped at the proper entrance, being the only one not to use the large hole, and ignited his horn. The dragoness resisted the urge to flinch when ropes once again wrapped themselves around her throat and muzzle, and didn't even blink when Zariba gave her a parting goodnight. Before stepping out, one last wave of magic was sent to extinguish the lanterns above her head, bathing the interior of the tent in darkness, but she didn't care. Amy continued to stare for nearly a minute, waiting for the sound of hoofsteps to fade away. The distant voice of Albert reached her ears and she could make out him telling his boss he had found that which he was sent to retrieve. Simply ordering him to follow along, Zariba eventually traveled out of earshot, and Amy let the tension loose from her muscles. I can't believe I pulled it off, she thought as she tried to shift into a more comfortable position. Not that I did much to improve our situation; just kept it from getting worse. Racking her brain furiously, Amy she tried to figure out how to get Spike and her away from Zariba and to Bahamut's hoard, but froze to review her thoughts, which led to a fresh dose of guilt hitting her. What in the world am I thinking? Bahamut's hoard? My little brother's life is in my claws and I'm thinking about some stupid treasure! Well... maybe not a stupid treasure, I mean, Spike would understand if I- No! Had she been able to, Amy would have smacked herself at that moment for thinking such abhorrently selfish thoughts, but instead had to settle for the pain of her throat caused by straining against the ropes as an adequate punishment. While the effort only caused the heavy post to sway a near unnoticeable amount, it hurt enough to slightly abate her guilty conscience. I have to focus on Spike right now; he's the only thing that matters. A forlorn look started to seep into her eyes. No matter how important finding the hoard is or how sickening the thought of Zariba getting his grubby hooves on it first is to me. Another quick yank and flash of pain set her mind straight. She was becoming more and more aware of how weary she was as he tried to work her tired mind. Maybe... maybe some sleep will help me think of something. Her eyelids began to slide shut as her breathing deepened and slowed. Yeah, just a few hours and I'm sure I'll be able to get us out of this... After pushing her body to its limits, Amy finally granted it reprieve, allowing both her muscles and magic to recuperate. For the second time that day, Spike's eyes fluttered open to reveal nothing but darkness, and he at first thought he had been placed in a bag again. It only took a moment for the rest of his body to report in so the little dragon could realize that that wasn't the case. Even so, being tied at the wrists and ankles with his claws behind his back and his muzzle still bound wasn't much of an improvement, especially with the new addition of ropes across his torso holding him to a piece of wood. Spike thought the tight pain in his chest he had awoken to was a result of these new ropes, but it felt too deeply seeded for that to be the cause. Picking up all the open books Twilight left out over the years had exposed the dragon to a wide variety of subjects that he had examined to varying degrees, among which were medical texts. From what he had skimmed, and actually remembered of them, he supposed he could have some sort of rib bruising, or even bruising to the lungs or heart, but that didn't seem right. Sure, he doubted his captors were particularly gentle, and they may have done some damage by tying him too tightly or something, but the young dragon wasn't really having trouble breathing. That didn't mean the action was as pleasant as it should have been, however. Every time he breathed out, it was as if something was missing; a heat on his breath that he had never realized was there until it was absent. As cool air continued to pass between his lips, a sudden burst of memories surged through his minds, and his body went colder than his breath. Ignoring his bound muzzle, Spike reached within himself to stoke his fire, only to have his effort be blocked by a wall of magic. His eyes squeezed so tightly shut that spots began to form in his vision, but he didn't care as he frantically came at the barrier from all angles. Instinct drove his attempts as he tried with all his willpower to achieve what he had never before given the slightest thought. I... I can't feel it; my fire, it's gone. Spike felt tears of fear and panic prick at the corner of his eyes as he found himself performing deep breathing techniques Twilight had passed on to him from Cadence. Come on, I can't freak out now; I have to think this through. The last thing we need right now is a repeat of the Owlicious incident; jumping to conclusions will only make things worse. The breathing exercises did their job well enough, preventing him from completely falling apart, but that didn't stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks as the overwhelming sense of loss tried to consume him. Spike was a dragon without a fire, and it was tearing him up inside. No, it's not like that, it can't be. He must have sealed it; that's what I'm feeling. The flow from his eyes lessened at the somewhat comforting belief and he built on it. Yeah, he-he just blocked it off with his magic. Twilight or Celestia can fix it up in a second I bet. With one last deep inhalation and slow release through his nostrils, the young dragon struck the final blow against his inner turmoil. Everything is going to be fine; Amy and I just have to get back to Equestria. His eyes shot open. Amy! Where is she!? Last time Spike had awoken to a situation like this, Amy had been quick to show him he wasn't alone. Now, after at least five minutes of him nearly having a panic attack, which he was sure he had been quite noisy during, his big sister had yet to come to him. Was she being held somewhere else? Or was she too injured to move? Following on the tail of this was an even more terrifying possibility, and Spike forced it from his mind as quickly as possible. "A-Amy? Amy are you here?" he mumbled into the darkness, voice a little hoarse from screaming earlier. Ignoring that, he tried a little louder. "Amy... Please answer me!" He at first tensed, but then relaxed when a tired, and near indecipherable grumble of "Five more minutes" reached his ears. "Amy, wake up, are you alright?" His sister moaned, and the fear that she may have been injured returned. "S-Spike, is that you?" she asked, before giving a strained cough. "Yeah. Are you hurt?" "Erm... mustly my pride, but I'll live... Are... Is everything alright with you?" Sighing in relief, Spike answered, "I'm... good." He winced a little at his own hesitation, but he honestly didn't know how to classify his condition. He'd been awake for a while now without any change; his chest still hurt, but the pain hadn't intensified and he didn't feel on the verge of death. Even though the younger dragon hadn't spent a lot of time with her, he would like to think he was starting to understand his new sister fairly well, so he was pretty sure that the last thing she needed on her mind was that her little brother had lost access to his fire, instead needing a clear head to get them out of there with. Sure enough, Amy must have noticed his pause as she pushed the matter. "Spike... What aren't you telling me?" she questioned. "It's abut the spell, isn't it? What did it do?" This time, the sigh was one of resignation as Spike answered truthfully. "There's sumething wrung with my fire; I can't reach it, or efen feel it... I'm actually starting to get kind of chilly." That last bit was yet another worry upon the growing pile. Despite their ability to survive and function in cold weather, dragons were still cold-blooded creatures by nature; managing to overcome the weakness of their reptilian cousins through the warmth of their internal furnaces. Without it, and lacking the temperature-regulating functions of warm-blooded animals, there was a real chance that Spike could become seriously ill from his new affliction. Amy knew this as well and her voice became angry. "What!? That bastard!" she began, before her words took on a panicked edge. "Uh, dun't worry, Spike! Just try and keep warm!... Shiver! Move as much as pussible!" "Calm down!" Spike cut in, this was exactly what he was worried about. "Twilight and Princess Celestia can fix this easily; we just have to get to them!" It was somewhat rare for the young dragon to be the voice of reason in stressful situations, let alone be taken seriously when he tried, so he was mildly shocked when he heard his sister take a few slow, deep breathes through her nostrils before admitting, "You're right. surry fur losing it." "Uh, it's ukay," he responded in shock. Shaking his head, Spike rolled with it. "Su, do you have a plan to get out of this? I... kind of want to gu home now." Things were silent at first, then, "I'll think of sumething." Eyes sliding shut, the younger dragon didn't respond. He was afraid she'd say something along those lines, but he didn't have any right to criticize her for it, he couldn't think of anything either. Their captors were annoyingly thorough in their plans to contain the two of them. Spike would go so far as to say they were downright paranoid; tying his muzzle again even after taking his ability to escape by fire just seemed unnecessary. What? Did they think he was a contortionist or something? It wasn't like he was flexible enough to chew through the ropes. No words were spoken between the siblings as they both attempted to create a plan of escape. It was a small blessing for Spike when his attention was pulled from his increasingly frustrating lack of progress by the sound of ruffling feathers and hooves lightly touching down. The joy was short lived, however when he imagined who would be stalking into their tent in the dead of night. Amy shared the sentiment, quietly growling, "Phantum, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be rubbing yur master's hooves or sumething?" There was a strangely feminine 'eep!' from the figure as its wings flared out in surprise, causing something to fall to the ground with a small 'tink'. The moon and stars provided just enough light behind their visitor for Spike to make out their silhouette, and their size definitely didn't match up with the scarred pegasus. "Who are you?" Spike found himself inquiring. The visitor cleared her throat and returned her wings to her sides. "Ah, hey, I'm... I'm Citrus Spritz... The pony who kind of, um... emptied a rain cloud on you earlier," she answered, her words deteriorating into a mumble as she finished. Even though he didn't know what the mare was talking about, he was glad not to be dealing with the dragon-hating Phantom. Amy, however, was a different story as she growled once again and snapped, "You're the green one who was with that burnt tail-hole!" Citrus gulped audibly and stepped back. "Yes, that's the one," she mumbled before seemingly steeling herself. "Listen, I came here because I wanted to say I'm sorry about that." Both dragons were stunned by the admission as the older one could only utter a "what" in response. "I didn't know you were there... in more than one way, really. Besides the cloud thing, which was a complete accident by the way, Dr. Zariba doesn't tell us what's going on most of the time, so I didn't know he foalnapped the two of you until you set the tent on fire." As she explained herself, Spike felt an excitement buzz alive within himself and couldn't resist blurting, "Are you here tu let us gu!?" His hope dropped further than the mare's shoulders when she stammered, "N-no... I'm not... I'm sorry." "Then just leave!" Amy spat. "We dun't need your apulugies!" "Well it's a good thing I didn't just come to say I'm sorry then!" Citrus shot back, attitude doing a 180. "I swear, try to do something nice for ponies and they bite your head off. I'm surrounded by ingrates," the mare grumbled as she reached down. "I figured after the pyrotechnics from earlier Dr. Zariba wouldn't to be too keen on treating you guys to dinner or anything, so I brought you something to drink... It's not much, but it's better than nothing and it'll help tide you over until I'm allowed to feed you proper in the morning." Retrieving what she had dropped earlier, the mare took to the air and flew over to them with it in hoof. "It's my homemade, all-natural lemonade; extra pulpy so you at least get a little something solid in your bellies," she proclaimed proudly. Now closer, the dark only served to hide the finer details of the mare's appearance from Spike, and he could see that she was holding what looked like a small cask similar to the ones the Apple family used during cider season, and he suddenly realized how thirsty he was. The last time he had eaten or drunk anything was back at Kamaboko Ramen, and his body was in dire need of more than just a couple cups of green tea from several hours ago to survive. Some gems would have been nice too, but he'd be happy with the juice. Spike wasn't sure what was supposed to happen next, and the same apparently went for the two females as no one made a move, but the forced wait did give the young dragon some time to think beyond the need to quench his thirst. "Why are you doing this?" he inquired with suspicion. "You work fur Zariba, su why help us at all?" Amy followed suit. "Yeah, what are you really doing here? Is that a truth pution? Is Zariba trying to find out about the treasure su he doesn't need us anymore?" "Wha-? No! I'll do a lot of things for my employer, but tainting my own dishes, especially my lemonade, is not one them!" Citrus ranted. "Listen, it's just, it goes against my morals as a chef to let you two suffer through the night, hungry and thirsty when I'm capable of doing something about it." She took a deep breath. "Honestly, if it wasn't for the rope keeping you from being able to chew, I'd have brought you a proper meal... Well, that and the fact that you may try to fry me if I untie your muzzles." Spike couldn't hear any dishonesty in the mare's voice, but waited for his sister to make the judgment call on this; she was the world-wise adventurer, after all. When nothing came from the older dragoness, Citrus heaved a frustrated sigh. "Fine, what if I drink some first, will that help?" Without waiting for an answer, she brought the cask up and started sipping from a straw sticking out of the top. There was a pang of jealousy in Spike when the mare lowered the beverage with a breath of satisfaction and a smacking of her lips. "See? Perfectly fine... and quite delicious if I do say so myself." "That didn't prove anything, you could have just faked drinking it." "Argh! Are you fooling with me!?" Citrus fumed. "Okay, I'll turn the lights on and do it again!" With annoyance-fueled determination, she flew over their heads and began fiddling with the lanterns. "How am I gonna light this stupid thing?" Dropping down, the mare searched the ground, head low, before raising it with a triumphant, "A-ha!" and going up to Amy. "Can you manage a spark with that rope around your neck? I need to light this twig for the lantern." Spike was about to question that statement, but was interrupted by a somewhat pained grunt from his sister and an awkward, "Thanks," from Citrus. It wasn't long after that the tent was filled by a dim, flickering light, which became even dimmer after he heard the pegasus mumble about it being too bright and letting others know she was with them. Though still mostly masked in shadows, Spike was finally able to see their late night visitor in some detail, taking note of her green coat and tangerine mane. Moving away to presumably give both of them a clear view of her actions, Citrus dropped to her bottom and pulled the straw out of the cask. "Now watch carefully; I don't want you saying I faked this again," she said as she tilted her head back and held the container slightly above her waiting mouth. Slowly, the mare let a small stream of liquid fall past her parted lips. Lowering the cask, she swallowed and looked pointedly at Amy. "There, happy now?" It brought the younger dragon great relief when his sister answered, "Fine, but I'm trying it first to make sure it's safe," as it meant he wouldn't be denied quenching his thirst. With that, Spike watched the mare pass out of sight and listened carefully to what happened behind his back. About a minute’s worth of effort later, the straw had been placed between Amy's lips and the sounds of sipping reached Spike's ears as he waited for the final verdict. When the sound stopped, there was a pause before his sister said, "It's... good. Ukay, you can give Spike sume nuw." "Are you sure you don't want more? You barely drank any." Citrus questioned. "Yes, he needs it more than I do." As much as he would have liked to have argued against her making sacrifices his behalf, Spike found it quite difficult to focus on anything other than the cask and the sweet smell emanating from it as the mare came into view once again. "I'd say open up, but, well, that'd be kinda pointless, so bear with me, okay?" Citrus said as she brought the straw up to his mouth. Spike didn't reply with words, instead eagerly leaning his head forward as far as it could go, bumping the bendy straw off his nose. "Wow, calm down there, little fella, you'll get some, just hold on," the mare giggled. "You don't want to get lemonade up the nostrils do ya?" Realizing his desperate actions, Spike leaned back with a blush. "Sorry, I'm just really thirsty." "It's... It's okay, I understand," she whispered, shame clear in her voice. "Here, I'll get it." Carefully maneuvering it up with her hooves, Citrus got the straw between his lips and worked to shimmy it in well enough so no juice would spill out. Spike had to resist the urge to suck down the beverage until the mare gave him the go ahead, and when she did, he didn't hesitate to start gulping it down. There had been many glasses of lemonade throughout Spike's life, ranging from the less than stellar cup he had procured from the CMC lemonade stand all the way up to the amazingly sweet but satisfying pitchers Pinkie Pie often brought to picnics, but nothing compared to what he was drinking now. Maybe it was just the thirst that made it seem so, but this was the best lemonade he had ever had. It wasn't too sweet or too sour, and the pulp, which he usually didn't like, seemed much finer than he was used to as if he were drinking a partially melted smoothie instead of juice. The sound of slurping at droplets came far too quickly for Spike, and he was left wanting more as the cask was pulled away while Citrus commented, "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you were thirsty; you have quite the impressive set of lungs there." She gave the container a little shake. "You emptied it in less than ten seconds." The young dragon was about to thank Citrus when Amy's sneered, "Whatever, you gut to clear your guilty conscience su why dun't you get out uf here already." Seeming just as taken aback as Spike was, the mare stammered some before getting out a confused, "What?" "I said leave. We dun't need filth like you stinking up the place." The cold, spiteful tone his sister used almost made him shiver as much as the lack of inner fire had, and the young dragon was caught between the desire to demand what she was thinking and remaining quiet out of fear. Citrus did not have the same problem as she clearly fought the urge to holler, settling instead for a harsh whisper. "What is wrong with you!? I'm trying to help you and your brother! The least you could do is show a little gratitude!" "Yeah, you helped by bringing sume juice; I'm suuu grateful." Amy said, sarcasm heavy in her voice before becoming waspish once again. "Maybe if you weren't such an amural cuward and helped us escape, I'd be truly thankful." This got a wince from Spike and indignant sputter from Citrus. "Bu-I-You-The juice- Fine then!" She stomped a hoof. "See if I try and do anything nice for you again! You know I could get seriously punished because of this, but whatever, right? I'm just an amoral coward, after all," the mare hissed before turning tail and stomping away. "See if I use any seasonings in your breakfast, jerk." She paused and turned her head, making eye-contact with Spike before her expression softened a little. "It was nice to meet you, little dragon." "Uh, yeah, you too... Thanks fur the lemonade; it was delicious," Spike dumbly returned, still reeling from what just happened. "You're welcome. It's good to see you don't share your sister's rudeness." While the last part wasn't directed at him, he still felt ashamed and didn't say anything else until the mare had left the tent. When she was out of earshot, Spike exclaimed, "What is wrong with you!? She was just trying to be nice! You didn't have to be like that to her!" "... I knuw," Amy acknowledged, and Spike was sure he had misheard her. "You knuw?... Then why-?" "Because I have a plan." Though she had been angry with the mare's presence at first, it didn't take long for Amy to realize Citrus was not an enemy, at least not a dangerous one, and she felt a pang of guilt for treating the mare so spitefully, but it was imperative that she left upset so she wouldn't be thinking clearly. "What's abuve us, Spike?" the dragoness asked, deciding to make use of the time needed to prepare her body to teach her brother the finer points of using ones environment. "Um... lanterns?" Amy grunted in the affirmative. "I ripped the fire-proof ropes that I was tied up with before, and they only had normal ones left to use un me," she divulged as she once again grabbed hold of her magic and worked to circulate it through her muscles. She avoided her arms and focused it all in her core and legs, digging her feet into the dirt hard. "Su what's the big difference between what I was tied with before and now?" "They're not fire-proof?... But I can't feel my fire and I doubt Zariba made it so you could still use yours, so what does it matter?" "The first question," Amy grunted as she pushed her back into the tent's central pole with all of her might; remembering the feeling from earlier when she sent Cujo flying off his feet and doing her best to recreate that power. As soon as she sensed the micro-movement she had caused and the resistance as the hunk of wood began to return to its original position, the dragoness began pulling forward, abs ablaze from the strenuous activity. It was somewhat discouraging that her brother had yet to feel what she was attempting, but she remained focused on the plan. "The lantern?... How will... that... help?... A lit oil lamp." Spike said, and Amy couldn't help the swell of pride at the dawning understanding in the younger dragon's voice. His next words were spoken with excitement. "You're going to use the lamp to burn the ropes! That's why you were mean to Citrus! So she'd leave without putting it out!... But huw are you going to use it all the way up there?" "I'm... gonna... shake it... grr, loose." Amy continued to work her body back and forth, slowly building a momentum in the pole, causing it to rock a little more with each tiring pump. To her relief, she had at last made enough progress for Spike to notice. "Wait, are you... are you shaking this thing? It must weigh a ton!" "Yeah... it does," she grit out. Though it felt like her muscles were on the bad kind of fire, she was driven by the sound of glass 'tink'ing off wood as well as her little brother grunting alongside her. Despite herself, Amy smiled. "Joining... the fun... Spike?" "Hey... I should... do my... fair share... right?" Her smile would have grown had her muzzle not been bound as the words of her little brother drove her to push and pull through the pain. He seriously believes my plan's going to work. I can't disappoint him. Throwing caution to the wind, Amy took the final step and forced as much magic as she could into her muscles, and even though it was more controlled than her anger-inspired attempt, it still caused the fibrous tissue beneath her hide to swell and tear. Their progress made the pain worth it however, although the entire tent was now moving under her might, which Amy really hoped didn't attract too much attention. It would really suck if someone came in right now. In that moment, a beautiful symphony of shattering glass reached the ears of the dragoness and she was bathed in burning oil shortly after. Never before had Amy experienced such satisfaction from being covered in flammable liquid as the ropes imprisoning her were set ablaze. Some of the bliss of having succeeded in facilitating their escape started to wear off as she had to wait for the fire to do its job, but the ropes eventually became weak enough for her to break free. Quickly liberating her mouth and neck, Amy breathed a sigh of relief. She only allowed herself a moment to enjoy this however, as she cut away the last of what held her and made to stand, only to wobble and fall back on her tail. "Is it working? Are we going to get out uf here?" her brother asked eagerly. "I can smell smuke, did the ropes burn?" Not answering immediately, Amy glanced upwards to see that the lamp directly above her head was the one that had broken, explaining why her brother wasn't doused in the same oil as she was. It was a pointless thought, but she supposed it was lucky that Citrus had lit that one and not the one off to the side; it would have taken more work had that been the case. "... It worked," marveled the dragoness before shaking her head and mentally setting her priorities. Looking down at herself and the ground around her, Amy quickly decided to put the fire out before it spread and drew unneeded attention to their fledgling escape. "I'll be with you in just a second, Spike. I just need to get rid of these lights." Amy stood once again, this time using a little magic to strengthen her wobbly legs and began patting herself down with her good arm to extinguish the fire. Proving to be a fruitless effort, the dragoness scanned the area for something to help stop the small, but growing field of flames she stood in the middle of, and froze. Her eyes rested on the stone tablet sitting across the tent, and she could hear her own heartbeat drumming in her ears. Be it sheer laziness or confidence that they were securely contained, Zariba had left the artifact with her, and Amy felt a grin split her face. "Amy? What's going on?" The grin fell and she rapidly blinked. Shaking her head, Amy hastily answered, "Nothing!" Running to the table, she worked the tarp out from beneath the stone and used it to smother the fires still curling across her body. Once finished, the dragoness quickly made her way back to the pole and began to beat the fire on the ground, a task that was made more difficult with only one fully-functioning arm. It took a little longer than she was comfortable with, and she was surprised that no one had shown up to investigate the light that must have been shining through the hole in the tent for the entire world to see. Ha, something good finally happens, and it makes me nervous. My life is really messed up. Despite herself, a smirk pulled at Amy's lips as she moved to her brother's side and began cutting through his ropes with her talons. "Sorry for making you wait, but I really didn't want Zariba or his cronies seeing a giant fire in the middle of their camp. Would have made it a real pain to sneak away, you know?" As soon as the last rope fell from Spike's body, he did something that caught Amy completely off guard; he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her neck in a fierce hug. "I knew you'd get us out of this," he whispered, arms tightening. Wide-eyed, Amy sat there for a moment before her expression softened and she used her own arm to return the gesture, giving the small dragon a squeeze as she whispered in return, "Thanks for believing in me, Spike." Her eyes slid shut and she took a deep, slow breath before reopening them with a look of determination. "But we're not out of this yet, we still need to ditch these idiots and get you back to Equestria." Pulling away, she rose, placing her arm on Spike's shoulder to steady him as his legs got used to standing once again. "Okay, by some miracle, no-one's come snooping yet, but we probably shouldn't tempt fate any more by sticking around. You ready, Spike?" The young dragon looked up and smiled. "As I'll ever be." Choosing not to reply with words, Amy smiled back and nodded before becoming serious and stalking towards the hole. Being sure to stay out of the faint beam of light shining through it, the dragoness made her way to the hole's edge and peered out, spotting a multitude of tents as her sharp hearing picked up the sounds of snoring. Where are the guards? There's no way Zariba was confident enough to think I wouldn't even attempt to escape tonight... What am I saying? That zebra and arrogance are like two peas in a pod. Lucky me. Suppressing a smile, Amy glanced over her shoulder to see Spike hiding in the shadows, wringing his claws nervously as he waited for her instructions. Starting towards him so that she could whisper him instructions, something in the corner of her eye caught stopped the dragoness, and she turned to see the stone tablet. She had yet to fully decipher what was carved there, and she loathed the idea of leaving Zariba even a scrap of information that he could use to reach her treasure. Surely it wouldn't be that difficult to take the tablet along... "What is it? Is something wrong?" Amy whipped around, taking a step back and bumping into the table she hadn't even realized she had moved up to. "Wha-?" she began before realizing who had spoken and why. How long was I just standing there for? I must have freaked the kid out. "Sorry, it's nothing, I was just thinking is all," she explained, getting the younger dragon to tilt his head. "About what? That rock? Is it something important?" "Yes- I mean, no, it's not, just some old writing." "On what?" Amy was surprised by her brother's sudden curiosity, having expected him to be far too anxious to return home to worry about anything else. Because of this surprise, Amy didn't think to stop herself from blurting, "Bahamut's hoard." Spike's expression changed from confusion to interest. "Really? What's something like that doing here?" he whispered as he approached his sister. As much as her mind was telling her that they didn't have time for this, her heart was more than glad to linger next to its desire. "It's why Zariba went through all the trouble of kidnapping us; he wanted me to help him find the hoard by reading what was on here... Well that, and because I'm kind of the leading expect on the matter." It was mostly true, at least, and the dragoness would rather her brother believe their current situation was a product of her knowledge rather than a drunken slip of the tongue. The future arrangement for their relationship was already tentative enough without giving Twilight any more reasons to hate her. As it was, Amy wouldn't be surprised if the unicorn never let Spike near her again. "Seems like a lot of trouble to go through just to get something read. Why couldn't he get someone else to do it?" Again, the question snapped Amy from her thoughts and she had to scramble to get a proper answer together. "W-well, that's because it's written in ancient draconian, which pretty much only a few dragons can still read. Dragons, might I add, who are generally big, old, ornery, and none too willing to help out the likes of a Zariba." A contemplative look fell over her visage. "Really, it was actually pretty smart; I mean, I could both read the tablet and already had knowledge of the treasure... Though, I wish he would have at least tried asking first before jumping straight to abduction. I would have said no of course, but at least I would have seen him coming when he pulled that stunt in the alleyway." The dragons stared at each other for a moment as Amy internally told herself that getting away was the most important thing and for her to say it out loud. She continued to do this until Spike finally spoke, "Should we... take it with us?" Her heart sped up. "You mean the stone?" He nodded affirmatively and Amy had to stop herself from squeeing. "I-I suppose we could; it wouldn't be all that difficult." She spun around and brought the tarp in front of her. "And look, I even got something to carry it in." Though it was cumbersome to do in her current state as she was forced to use her injured arm, Amy managed to wrap the tablet back in the tarp and tie it around her shoulders so the artifact hung high on her back. It was somewhat uncomfortable as the weight of the stone was supported mostly by her collarbone and neck, but she covered it up with a grin. "See, easy as pie." Spike huffed a quiet laugh and nodded. "So, how are we going to do this? Run out like a couple of Pinkie Pies, acting so crazy that no one thinks to stop us, or do we sneak away and leave everyone trying to figure out how we pulled it off?" The dragoness rolled her eyes. "I think its best we go with the tried and true second method; I'm not sure how well that first one would work... Besides, I only met the mare once, but I wouldn't wish her on even the likes of Zariba." Amy smirked and held a claw out to her brother, who grabbed hold of it tightly. Sneaking back to the hole, Amy once again scanned the surrounding area, confirming that it had yet to change. The dragoness glanced over her shoulder and held a claw up to her lips to give a quiet shush, which Spike gave a single nod. Satisfied that he understood to be as silent as possible, Amy slowly led him out into the cold night air. Having hunched down, she circled the outer edge of the tent, using the quick patrol to get a grasp of their location relative to the rest of the camp, the results of which led her to swear internally. Honestly, I'm not surprised. Even with the baffling lack of guards or established watch, Zariba wouldn't be dumb enough to keep his prisoners anywhere but the center of his camp... I guess I shouldn't complain though, things could definitely be worse. Without knowing which way Ford Junction was, using the stars to determine direction was a pointless endeavor until the dragoness could find a familiar landmark to orient herself with. With that in mind, Amy decided to simply choose a direction and make her way out of enemy territory. As much as she wanted to make a beeline straight out of there, she instead settled for the smart move of slinking through the darkness, dragging her brother as she jumped from shadow to shadow and avoided the moonlight. It was during this little trek that Amy started to get a clue on just why there seemed to be so few precautions in place to prevent their escape that night. While moving from the pitch-black shade of one tent to another, the dragons nearly ran straight into a swaying diamond dog; his back turned to them and the sounds of liquid pattering on the ground being accompanied by a satisfied sigh. While Amy had managed to keep her composure, Spike had failed to stifle his startled gasp, causing the diamond dog to swing around drunkenly. All three simply stared, two with wide-eyed expressions while the other squinted. "Heeey, aren't you shuppose to be tied up or shomething? What are ya doing out here?" the diamond dog slurred with the smell of alcohol thick on his breath, not even bothering to stop his previous activity. Amy looked from the diamond dog's confused expression, down to the yellow stream striking the dirt between her feet, and then back up to the dog, whose eyes were beginning to show signs of dawning realization, before deciding on what to do. Oh shi-!" Thwack! The dog crumpled to the ground in a heap, his flow finally stopped as the dragoness stood over him with an outstretched fist. Shaking out her claw, Amy offered it once again to her younger brother, who took a moment to notice as he was busy staring at the unconscious foe. Once he did grab hold of her, she wasted no time in getting out of there. Hopefully, if anyone finds him, they'll just think he passed out. The dragoness had to swerve to miss stepping in a puddle. ... Face down in his piss... That's not too unbelievable, right? I've seen it plenty of times in the alleys back home. Besides, I'm guessing not too many in this camp are going to be sober enough to care in the morning. She was tempted to turn back and hide the body, but decided that it being found wouldn't raise enough suspicion to warrant the extra time spent. If they traveled fast and far enough, it wouldn't matter if Zariba's company became aware of their escape or not, because they wouldn't find them anyway in the vast wilderness. Once one left the outskirts of Ford Junction, there was surprising little more than empty plains and rocky outcroppings for miles; the monotony broken only by a few mines and struggling farms. There were a few more close calls as the two dragons steadily approached the camp's outer limits, and Amy was forced to knock unconscious another dog and a couple of earth ponies who were apparently responsible enough to stand watch while everyone else slept. Or they could have been looking for some romantic alone time; pretty sure watch duty is more effective when you're spread out and actually looking forwards instead of into each other's eyes. It didn't matter either way to the dragoness and she was just glad that the couple of stallions were so focused on each other that she was easily able to sneak up on them and slam their heads together. She may have been able to tip-toe around them, or simply go a different direction entirely, but having to use her sore arm was a small price to pay for the time saved and the assurance that the ponies could not possibly spot them with their lights out. The action having served to release some pent up aggression may have played a small part in the decision too, but it was still the safest course of action. As the two dragons stared out into the night, Amy felt a pulling sensation at her heart, and she unconsciously turned her head to look back. At first, she didn't understand why she felt so hesitant to leave, but soon realized what it was she had left without. My staff! The journal! Even my sugar diamond! They're all still back there with that egotistical zebra! A hissing sound reached her ears and she looked to its source to see her brother wincing and trying to pry her claw off of his. Quickly releasing him, Amy apologized and asked if he was okay. "Yeah," he mumbled before looking up in confusion. "What was that? Is somebody coming?" She was about to say she was fine, but as she looked into Spike's eyes, she found the idea of lying to him difficult. "It's just... I mean," she started, before sighing. "Zariba still has my things, including the journal, and... and the idea of him having it, of him having even a single clue to lead him to my discovery just burns me up!" She whispered harshly, resisting the urge to shout. "Oh, that's... bad, I guess," the younger dragon began uncertainly. "So, what about it? I mean, it's not like you can get it back now." "Go back and get it..." mumbled Amy, eyes going wide with the dawning of a plan while Spike's did the same in panic. Whatever he had intended with those words, this was obviously not it as he shook his head rapidly and grabbed hold of his sister's claw with both of his. "No, Amy!" he began, trying to pull her out of camp. "I'm not gonna let you get captured or worse now that we're finally free! Let's get out of here!" The dragoness almost gave in to her brother's request until her imagination provided a picture of Zariba laying upon a massive pile of gold and laughing. Suppressing a growl, Amy leaned down and slowly worked her other claw up to cover his. "Spike, I know it's hard to understand... How dangerous this seems, but... Bahamut's hoard means too much to me to let someone like Zariba have it... I wish I could explain it better, but this is something I have to do." "But why?" he pleaded. "Why can't you just... let it go?" She sighed sadly. "I'm sorry, but I can't." Looking to the sky, both so she wouldn't have to look into those sad eyes and to read the stars, Amy moved her gaze to the land over Spike's shoulder, where she could barely make out large rocks against the horizon. "Listen, I want you to go out that way," she said, pointing behind him. "It's a way away, but those rocks will make a decent hiding spot. Go there, hunker down, wait for me, and don't show yourself to anyone else, got it? I'll come for you." Spike stared at her, looking very much like he wanted to protest before eventually sagging in defeat. "You're really going to do this? No matter how crazy it is?" he questioned rhetorically. "What if you... don't come back? Then what? I don't know where I am; I'd be lost." This gave Amy pause as she racked her brain. "There's a small mountain range to the west and south-west of the city, and I wouldn't be surprised if those boulders out there are a sign that we're close to it. When the sun comes up, look for the mountains on the horizon and then go the opposite way. Chances are it will get you headed in the right direction." The little dragon looked skeptical, and she had to force a smile. "I know it's not the best plan, but it doesn't need to be perfect." She leaned in close so Spike could see the determination in her eyes. "Because I'm definitely going to come back for you, there's no way I wouldn't." "...Okay... I'll do it... it's insane, but I'll do it. Just promise me you won't get yourself caught again." She smirked. "Of course, the only reason it happened in the first place was because these mooks got the drop on me. This time, I'm the one on the prowl." Her smile became somewhat predatory at the end, and Spike took a step back. Seeing this, she quickly reached around and grabbed hold of her impromptu backpack. "Hey, if you want to help, you can lighten the load a bit; I can't very well go full stealth carrying a couple of rocks can I? Do you think you can take one?" As she pulled out the tablet separated the two pieces, Spike eyed the one she offered before looking up and grinning. "Are you kidding? I have to shelve the books Twilight uses all the time, this is nothing compared to carrying five tomes at once!" Though she could still see the disapproval in his eyes, Amy pretended not to notice it just like she pretended she wasn't feeling disgusted in herself for putting her little brother into this situation. "I can tell; you got some strong looking muscles there." Returning the smile and placing the rock in Spike's waiting arms, Amy rose and re-tied her half of the tablet over her shoulders. "Now, we've risked enough time standing here, you better get going," she told her little brother. "And... be careful, Spike." The younger dragon huffed. "Shouldn't I be saying that? I'll be fine, Amy, you just focus on getting your stuff and catching up... I don't like being in the dark on my own, especially without my... you know, to light the way." A flash of anger blinded the judgment of the dragoness for a moment as that little event was brought up, and she wanted all the more to stay behind to seek out justice for it. "Yeah... right. I'll be quick... see you soon, little brother." With a wave of her claw, Amy turned away from the smaller dragon and re-entered the camp site, moving much faster now that she had dropped a few pounds and wasn't dragging another dragon behind her. There were few wanderers here and there, but she did well in avoiding them as she weaved between tents, looking for the fanciest one, knowing that that would be where the zebracorn slept. It was frustrating to her when she did find it; a tent slightly larger than the rest and made of a darker, no doubt sturdier material than the others. What bugged the dragoness was that it was only a short distance away from where she and Spike had been held. Guess I was a little too focused on getting Spike out of the camp to notice, but still, I can't believe I missed that when I first looked around. Giving her head a minute shake, Amy dropped down to all fours, ignoring the discomfort the action caused, and began to slowly crawl towards the entrance. As she approached, she slithered through the flaps, careful not to make a sound and suppressing her body's instinct to jolt at every one that reached her ears until she was fully inside, and then, she waited. As the light from outside was blocked behind her, the interior of the tent was engulfed in near perfect darkness, and even her predatory eyes needed time to adjust. All Amy could here was the heartbeat she was sure played in her ears alone and light breathing that permeated the space around her; a peaceful sound that her mind had trouble linking with the zebra she had grown to hate so much more over the past day. Forcing herself still as the interior slowly began to come become visible, if only in muted colors, the dragoness could soon make out a shape in the darkness. There, perhaps two or three arm lengths away was the sleeping form of Zariba, and slightly off to his side, Amy's staff and bag. Fixing her attention first to the staff, the dragoness stretched her body and grabbed hold of the end before slowly pulling it towards her. The near inaudible sound of the wood scraping against the ground made Amy wince and an ear of Zariba's twitch, but in the end, she managed to bring the length of sturdy wood to her chest, glad to have the familiar, comforting feel of its weight in her claw. Unfortunately, her sugar diamond and pouch of coins still sat in the middle of the cloth that served as her bag. She debated in her head whether or not to use her staff to retrieve the items from where she was, or risk moving to them. Biting her lip, Amy chose the second option and snuck to them. Even though it couldn't have been more than a few steps, the short journey seemed an eternity to her hyper-tense mind and when she did reach the pile, she wasted no time in tying everything tightly back to the end of her staff. The dragoness noticed one belonging in particular was still unaccounted for, and her eyes darted about to find it. Shortly after, her gaze fell upon the journal lying between a set of striped hooves, and she couldn't stop herself from trailing upwards to see who those hooves belonged to. From where she now sat, Amy was directly in front of Zariba, his head tucked down and his eyes closed, completely oblivious to the danger that had invaded his domain. She could hardly believe how close she was to her enemy as he lay there, prone, with her stolen journal below him. Almost without conscious thought, Amy's claw slowly began to drift towards the pair, and she couldn't tell which one she was reaching for. It would be so easy, just a flick of a talon and all this would be over; a proper punishment for one who would dare encroach upon a dragon's treasure. No one would even discover what had happened until morning, and Amy would be long gone with both the journal and her brother by then. Suddenly, the tip of her claw was struck by a miniscule bolt of magic, a bolt that rose up from below and originating from a ring of that accursed dust encircling Zariba. By the time her eyes had moved back up, she was being greeted by two wide, red ones before she was slammed with a wall of crimson energy and sent careening back into the tent's wall. This didn't slow the soaring dragoness at all however, and the tent was pulled, stakes and all, with her as she flew through the air. Just as she had begun her aerial journey, she had felt her foot strike something hard, resulting in a pained grunt that was not hers, but she had little time to ponder what it was as she prepared her inner fire. Just as she landed on what was presumably another tent, which she deduced by the sound of air being driven from the lungs of whomever had cushioned her fall, she released a breath of flame to begin the process of freeing her from the tangled mess of canvas. Already, the area around the dragoness was filling with shouted questions and exclamations of surprise as a fire erupted in the midst of the camp. It took a moment to reorient herself, after all, she was a wingless dragon, and flight didn't exactly work well for her kind, but she didn't let herself succumb to the same confusion as Zariba's lackeys as she worked her talons in tandem with the flames to practically disintegrate the collapsed tents she had been wrapped in. Ignoring the sudden pained screams below her, Amy was competently unbound and standing on all fours, remaining low to use the fire and smoke as cover while she worked out a course of action. With the extra light that had had granted her, the dragoness was able to make out her position quickly and pinpoint in which direction she had sent Spike in. With this in mind, she looked around at the mixed groups of groggy and alert diamond dogs and ponies, and began mapping out the path she would go. Taking stock of her things and patting out the small wisps of flame that had attached themselves to them, Amy sent a surge of mana to her legs and dug her feet into the dirt. In the next instant, she was off, darting and weaving between tents and bodies, eliciting more than a few surprised yelps as she grazed some and sent them spinning. A couple of Zariba's underlings had the presence of mind to not only deduce what was going on, but also what and who she was and try to stop her. It was these individuals that Amy was forced to jump over and dodge, but in the end, they were all left with their muzzles in the dirt as the dragoness made her way unimpeded to the edge of camp in record time. The smirk that had slowly spread across her face as she left a trail of groaning bodies behind her vanished when she heard a furious voice yell, "You can't escape me, dragon! There's nowhere you can run that I can't find you! I have eyes and ears everywhere!" Zariba's screams of hatred sent chills down Amy's spine as she continued to sprint, eating up more of her dwindling supply of magic, remaining low by leaning forward as much as she could manage without toppling over in the hopes that it would aid the darkness in concealing her from the eyes of pegasi. Even with the camp and the ruckus from it faded into the distance, the zebra's words rattled around in her head, and the dragoness put even more speed on. He may be a bastard, but he's a well-liked bastard; there's no telling how many contacts he has back in the city, or any place for that matter. Going to Ford Junction may be the fastest way of getting Spike back to Equestria, but it may also be the most dangerous. Soon enough, Amy's thoughts devolved into a heated debate with herself on where to go. The dragoness nearly ran straight into a boulder when she finally reached the location she had told her little brother to hide. Attempting to shake the many conflicting thoughts loose from her head, Amy gave her staff a squeeze and moved around the obstacle, keeping her eyes peeled for any signs of purple and green. After a few minutes of searching and a few dozen half-shouts of his name, the dragoness was starting to become worried something had gone wrong with the plan and Spike had gotten lost or worse. The desperation was becoming so great that she began contemplating attempting to channel magic into her eyes to help find the smaller dragon, regardless of the technique’s risks of blindness if done incorrectly. It didn't come to that, however, as one of her calls were finally answered with, "Amy?" Spinning around and scanning the rocks, Amy's eyes soon locked onto a shot of green amongst the grey. "Spike!" exclaimed the older dragon as she ran towards the emerging figure, head spine rising to reveal a purple face and green eyes. "I was beginning to worry you got lost!" Dropping her staff as she reached him, she dropped and hugged her brother. "I bet you're great at hide and seek!" Her joke didn't get the reaction she had hoped for as Spike pushed away from her, a scowl on his face. "You think this is funny? I've been watching in the direction of the camp from here, Amy, I saw the lights. I thought you had been found and were using fire to try to fight your way out!"" His voice began to rise and, despite his diminutive stature, the larger dragon shied away. "I knew this was a stupid plan from the start! Why couldn't you just listen to me and leave your stuff behind!? Why'd you have to get yourself in so much trouble just for a stupid book!?" When Amy dared to look at Spike's face, she saw tears beading at the corners of his eyes and his ear fins folded down. "Why does everyone I care about always run off and risk their lives while I'm left waiting and worrying?" Though he was clearly fighting to keep the anger in his expression, the anguish easily overpowered it as the tears finally fell. "Why can't I do more than just sit around and do nothing to help?" Without thinking, Amy wrapped her little brother in another, tighter hug and began rubbing his back. "Shh, don't think like that, Spike, you're nowhere near in the wrong in any of this," she told him. "You have every right to be mad at me; I'm a selfish idiot, but don't you dare be mad at yourself. Not over this." Pulling away, she gave the little dragon a smirk. "Believe me, it won't get you anywhere. If Lorey went and beat herself up every time she failed to stop me from doing something stupid, she'd be a mustard stain." Despite himself, Spike chuckled a little at that and Amy’s smile widened a moment before her expression became more serious. "Now, about the 'not helping' thing you're on; you're a baby dragon, Spike, and though that doesn't mean you're helpless, what it does mean is that you're helpful in different ways. I don't expect you to fight the likes of Cujo or anything like that, but you did help in our escape." He gave her an incredulous look. "How?" "Well, what about that mare, Citrus? Do you really think she would have come around and lit that lantern if it weren't for my irresistibly adorable little brother being tied up with me? She finished the question by poking him in the stomach; receiving an involuntary laugh. "Stop it!" he said as he pushed her claw away. "You don't have to lie to make me feel better. I am not a baby." "But it's true," she argued, pointing to her own face. "Do you really think that pony would have come by to see a grouchy face like this? Weaponized cuteness is a real thing, Spike, I'm not lying. When I was your age, I used my looks all the time to get out of tough situations; people always underestimate cute things until they get a bite taken out of them." "... Yeah, I guess," he responded, still sounding unsure. Silence fell between the two, as they sat there under the night sky. It was Amy who broke the silence with, "So, how 'bout we find somewhere to sleep for the rest of the night, because I, for one, am exhausted." That was a major understatement as the dragoness felt like she could go into her first hibernation right then. "Definitely," Spike answered, yawning. "I left the piece of stone you gave me behind that rock over there," he gestured behind him vaguely, "so we should pick that up first." Amy reached up quickly to feel at the fabric around her neck, finally taking note of its weight on her back. Reaching around to feel it, her claws ran over many fairly large holes that had been burned into it during her escape. She sighed in relief, but was put on edge when her brother asked, "Hey, where's the journal?" Turning, she saw him next to her staff and looking through the makeshift bag. Wincing, she hesitantly answered, "I didn't get it." He whipped around. "You mean, all that worrying, and you didn't get what you set out to get in the first place?" "Ah, yeah... But at least I got the staff, bits, and diamond, right? Those are important too!" "... Sure, they're important too... So, sleep?" Standing at her full height, Amy puffed her chest out. "Yes, we should at least find some good cover first to better conceal ourselves in case Zariba comes looking. Have you seen any place like that since you've been here?" "Uh, I think so... but before we do that... I got to go pee first." "..." "What!? I was too worried earlier to go and I drank a bunch of lemonade before we left! I'm about to pop!" "Just... Just go behind the bolder over there." With that, the little dragon was off like a shot and a tinkling sound filling the night air as Spike sighed in relief. Looking around awkwardly, Amy's stomach suddenly cramped and rumbled. Oh, neko food is delicious, but does it ever go through me fast. I can't believe I've held it this long. Searching for somewhere to go, the dragoness quickly settled for a boulder the opposite direction of Spike before untying the cloth around her neck and looking it over. Putting the rock down next to her things, Amy began tearing off a few strips. With all these holes, it wasn't going to hold a single piece of the tablet much longer, let alone two. At least this way I can get some good use out of it. "Spike! I'll be right back! I'm just going to handle some... stuff real quick! I'll be right behind this boulder, so call if anything happens!... And don't come over here!"