Everything went silent as Flowerbloom looked between the two groups of hooded ponies. For a few moments, she almost felt as if time had frozen while the ponies stared at each other. Then the armor-clad pony charged forward, and it was as if time restarted. The hooded ponies besides her stormed forward.
“It's the Rock Knight!” one of the hooded ponies that attacked her yelled. She looked between the two, still unsure of what was going on. However, she did know one thing. The ponies led by that mare were, if nothing else, slightly friendlier than the other ponies. At least they weren't trying to kill her. Yet.
Flowerbloom started to take a step forward, but collapsed in pain as her bloody leg gave out. She was far, far too hurt to bend like this, so instead she hunched down as low as she could and watched.
The two forces clashed and, while the mare's forces were outnumbered, it only took Flowerbloom a few moments to realize they were vastly better benders. At least, she thought. The fact they were almost all cloaked made it very, very difficult to see which side was winning. Instead she focused on the Rock Knight.
The mare dove and weaved away from attacks, rather than striking or launching walls, she focused purely on turning the attacks aimed at her to rubble, ripping them apart as she went. Her stone, however, was like an angry hornet of pain and destruction. It wove left and right, knocking ponies hooves out from under them, smacking into foreheads and sometimes... more painful regions. It was as if it had a mind of its own, and that mind was bent on breaking everypony that dared to threaten its master. Even bigger rocks crumbled around it, at one time one of the mare's opponents formed a boulder in its hooves, only for the tiny pebble to blast through it and ram into the pony's chest. The pony collapsed and didn't try that again, though Flowerbloom doubted the pony would try anything again for a while.
Before long six ponies were on the ground and the rest of the hooded ponies who attacked her ran, galloping as quickly as their hooves could take them. The other hooded ponies didn't let them go, however. Rock Knight pointed a hoof towards them, and her soldiers ran after the retreating force. Then she turned to Flowerbloom and started walking to her. “I know you.”
She gulped and slowly nodded. “A-and I know you. You're Rock Knight, one of the commanders of Twilight's Sunrise. What are you doing here? Why were you fighting against your own forces for?”
Rock Knight shook her head. “Not one of ours. You'll come with us,” she said before looking down to the bleeding let. “You're hurt.”
“I'm not going anywhere with you!” Flowerbloom yelled defiantly. “It's just you and me. I can take--” The last thing she saw was a small, blindingly fast pebble, which slammed between her eyes. She dropped like a rock.
------
Scootaloo hummed gently as she worked, chopping up vegetables before putting them into a heated pot. The soup had already turned a delightful shade of brown, so she knew it likely wasn't poisonous. Better than that time it turned purple, she still didn't know what she'd done. Thick pieces of carrots, potatoes and broccoli floating inside. She sighed and dropped the knife, leaning against the counter. None of the other trainees had come to help her, though it wasn't surprising. She'd had a little more time to think about it and, she guessed, the children probably wouldn't be so bad. They were inexperienced and didn't know they should look down on her. Could. Could look down on her. Then again, they were taught to look down on the hornless unicorns, so why wouldn't they on her? It's what she pretty much was. She snorted at that thought as she looked back at her wings. Wouldn't that be ironic, if she was in fact a fire bender born in the body of a pegasus?
Her ears suddenly twitched and her head shot up. There was the sound of ropes and wind outside, as well as flapping sails. She let out a soft groan and rested her head on her hooves. Not him. Not now. Unfortunately, a quick glance out a small peep hole she made in the cloud confirmed her fears.
Grimset's vessel had returned. She looked at the pot of soup. Well, she supposed she was a bit late, but she hadn't thought he'd have gone through all the trouble of coming to meet her. The knife returned to her hoof and she got back to cutting the vegetables up, beginning her humming again.
It wasn't long before Grimset charged in through the door. “Ah! Lady Scootaloo, I thought I would find you here.”
“Did one of the trainees say you would?”
“Why... yes. But I knew even before then. I could feel you, as if our hearts were--”
“What do you want, Grimset? If you've come to pick me up, there's no need. I've decided to camp out here tonight.” She chopped the vegetables slightly harder, gritting her teeth.
“I've come to take you home, please.” He came up behind her and put a hoof over hers. “I'll have dinner prepared and--”
“I'd rather eat here. I know how to cook my own meals.”
There was a twitch in his eyes, but he sighed. “Very well. At least, allow me to prepare your meal here? I can--”
“I can cook fine. There is no need.”
“But--”
“No!” she said firmly. “I used to help in the kitchens all the time back at the...”
“At the south pole?” Grimset offered.
“Yes...” she mumbled in annoyance. “What do you want?”
“I merely wanted to return you to the city. However, if you insist on staying here, at least allow me to help a little. I am no lost pony to the kitchens.”
“Fine. Go set the tables.” She motioned towards the cabinets.
He let out a sigh and nodded. “Very well. You seem a tad... touchy. Has something happened? Are the trainees not treating you well?”
She sighed and lowered her eyes. “They have been... fine. It's me who's the problem...” She glanced back to her wings and let out a soft sigh.
“Because you can't fly?” Grimset offered.
She cringed, but slowly nodded. “Yes. Because of that,” she said bitterly. “I'll need some real Shadowbolts here soon at this rate.” She grit her teeth as she talked, struggling, and failing, to keep the bitterness out of her words. It wasn't her fault she had this problem. She'd fly if she could. She doubted there was a pegasus in the world who tried half as hard as she did.
“Well, that can't be surprising,” he said casually as he opened the cabinets and started pulling out bowls and spoons. “Who'd want to be trained by a wingless chicken?”
Her head whipped around and her eyes narrowed into slits. “What did you call me?” she asked, venomously.
He gave her a small smile. “I was merely jesting, m'lady. But I believe my point stands. You are skilled, even I can see that and I'm just a normal captain of the army. But to them? You're likely little more than an earth pony. Possibly as low as the de-horned. It's only natural they'd begin to lose faith in you. You should return, with me.”
She chopped up a cabbage so hard the knife dug into the board, cutting out chunks. “I... I see.” Having all her fears echoed back to her only made it worse. “But... I am still their superior. They will have to listen to me.”
“Just because they have to, doesn't mean they will,” Grimset shook his head. “The Shadowbolts operate outside of the normal operations of the nation, correct? That means the only ponies they answer to are Nightmare Moon and each other?”
She nodded slowly. “Yes...”
“So do you really believe they'll accept orders from a pegasus who is practically an earth pony? All of their training and positions go against that very thing.”
She stopped in mid swing. Slowly her head lowered. “I... I know.”
“Perhaps it is time you send back a message to her highness, request the sending of true Shadowbolts? Return with me, leave this place behind.”
She ground her teeth, but slowly nodded. “Per... perhaps.” She hated thinking it, but she knew he was right. She was losing control, they needed true Shadowbolts to teach them. The ones they had now definitely had the potential. With a true flier leading them, there were no limits to what they could achieve. For now, all she'd do is hold them back, and she knew that was the wrong thing to do. Losing a potential Shadowbolt because of her failures left a bitter taste in her mouth.
“Even if you're not a Shadowbolt, there is still plenty that you could do,” Grimset said with a smile as he moved up behind her and gently massaged her shoulders. “Come, return to the city with me. Come to where you belong.”
She sighed. “I... I'll think about it. We can discuss this after we eat.”
He nodded and pulled back. “As you wish. I pray you will make the right decision.”
Dinner was a slow, somber affair. A few of the youngest spoke with each other, but they were clear across the room. The soldiers were the ponies who sat closest to her, and they focused purely on their meal, not even giving her a glance. Already she could feel their shunning begin. They wouldn't talk to her, wouldn't look at her. Just ate in silence. She couldn't bring herself to speak either, instead just eating her meal and occasionally glancing towards Grimset. She could see it in his eyes, he was noticing as well. It was only a matter of time before their subtle act of defiance became a true act of defiance. Then all control would be lost.
She emptied her plate and quickly made her way towards the exit, leaving them to clean up. Grimset was right, she didn't belong here. She was a flightless... bird. No more than a de-horned to these ponies. Remaining here would do nothing but cause them to resist her. She trotted into the sleeping quarters and let out a sigh. All the beds were now neatly arrayed, some stacked three beds tall. All the blankets and pillows were set correctly as well. Beds made exactly as she'd want them, without one out of order. All neatly arrayed. If nothing else, at least when she turned them over, her superior wouldn't have much reason to find fault with them. Probably. She'd tried her hardest whenever she could be around them.
She gave one final nod, before heading out the door. She paused at the sheer number of ponies who stood before her. Nearly everyone of her soldiers stood on the clouds outside the doorway, blocking her exit. A few even flew out, over the clouds. “What are you all doing out here?”
One of them stood forward, bowing his head. “Ma'am, we heard you were leaving us. Your companion said you would be returning to the city?” He shuffled awkwardly from hoof to hoof. She'd have to get him to do better than that, a Shadowbolt could not appear so easily frightened. Her replacement would, not her.
“That's right...” she said softly, cocking an eye.
“We'd just like to ask, why? I mean...” He coughed nervously. “Permission to speak freely?”
“Granted...”
“Did we upset you? Is there something we failed in? Are we being eliminated from... becoming Shadowbolts?”
She paused for a few moments, before shaking her heads. “What? No! Of course not. Not yet, anyway. I'm merely going to find you a more... adequate teacher.”
The pony prodded at the ground. “W-why? I ummm... we all think you're doing a fine job. We're learning a lot and... you're teaching us and...” He seemed frightened. Upset. As if it was HIM who had failed. The ponies behind him looked just as worried.
She stared for a moment at the flustering soldier. Gears turned in her head, before finally she face hoofed. Of course. How did she not notice it? They weren't from the Water Nation. They grew up around the de-horned, possibly had family members who were de-horned. They didn't grow up hearing about the inferiority of earth ponies. Half of them had probably taken orders from earth ponies in the past. Heck, their top-commander of the army had BEEN an earth pony. She barely, just barely, managed to suppress a smile. “So then, none of you will give any objections to following my orders?”
“None, ma'am.”
She shook her head. “Then I see no reason to leave. Are all the dishes tended to?”
“Yes ma'am. It's Lighttip's and Spryhoof's turn to do them so they're--”
“Then I'd advise the rest of you to get some sleep or start practicing. Training will continue again tomorrow, and I won't have anypony knocking off in the middle of it!”
The ponies nodded, before heading inside, brushing past her. Once they passed, she couldn't contain the smile that sprouted from her lips. They were her students. And she didn't want to break any of their wings and toss them off the cliff. However, a little aways she caught sight of Grimset. The pegasus was frowning deeper than she'd ever seen him, in fact he seemed to be trembling with rage. Once she caught his eye, the rage seemed to completely evaporate and his smile returned. He trotted towards her and let out a soft chuckle. “So then, I guess I can take this to mean you won't be returning to Manehatten with me?”
“No, I won't.” She gave a shake of her head.
“A shame. But, I can't argue with your decisions. What shall I tell Marble?”
“Tell him I'm tending more closely to my duties. However, if there is any sign of these rebels, I wish to be informed immediately. I'll...” She paused as a new thought occurred to her. “You spent a lot of time with Hornclipper, didn't you?”
The stallion shook his head. “I was in charge of transporting him, but what he did I could not say.”
She nodded slowly. “Are you permitted to tell me where you took him?”
The stallion paused for a moment, before nodding. “I don't see the harm. Ruins, namely. We went to Boil Point first. I then took him north and we salvaged through a number of old ruins, from the Fire Tribe's past cities. We couldn't find the rebels, however.”
“He was searching for rebels?”
“I'd assume so. I can't imagine why else we'd go to such drab, dreary places.” He let out a soft sigh. “Don't trust him, Lady Scootaloo.”
“Huh?”
“He's... not the kind of pony you can trust. Something about him is just wrong. I've seen the way he hones his blades, as if his life depends on it. Not only that, there's something... off about them.”
Scootaloo nodded. She'd asked Marble about them, and they seemed almost mundane. The materials that went in them and the specifications were so simple, she couldn't imagine how they tore through a horn so easily. If they could, such blades would have been outlawed years ago. “How often did he use them, when you were around?”
“Not even once. He guards their edges with his life. He even carried a second weapon for the times when he had to cut something.”
She ground a hoof into the ground, chewing on her lower lip. “Grimset, how good are you at procuring things?”
“What do you mean?”
“I want you to find me a pair of the blades he used in the past. Wing blades, like the one he has now.”
“Why not ask Marble to--”
“Don't tell Marble. This is for me, and me alone.” Scootaloo paused. “There is more to this than meets the eye. Something I feel her highness must know of.” She just wished she knew what it was.
He nodded. “Very well, as you wish.” He bowed his head and smiled. “I'll tell you if I can find anything.” He turned and walked towards his ship. She watched him go for a few moments, before shaking her head and trotting inside. She stifled a yawn. Even if he could find her what she asked, it wouldn't be until tomorrow, at the earliest. It was time for her to get some sleep.
------
It was time for her to wake up. Flowerbloom groaned as her eyes opened, a pounding in her head to rival any earthquake. She tried to sit up, but the ropes wrapped tightly around her made it difficult. “W-what? Who is behind this? Let me go!” she shrieked. Then she squeaked as she realized where she was and what happened. Rock Knight.
“Keep it down!” somepony hissed from behind her.
She looked up and tried wiggling about. She was laying on an open topped cart, with a few torches to light the road as they went. Ropes were wrapped tightly around her and she could see other ponies in with her. Most seemed either asleep, or too hurt to make much fuss. The sky was wide and open above her, the stars twinkling down.
“So you're awake,” the same pony said from the back end of the cart. She turned back and gasped.
“Flim!” Pause. “Or is it Flam?” The stallion glowered at her, ruffling his mustache. It took her a second to notice he was tied up as well.
“It's Flam. A pleasure to--”
“Wait, why are you here? You work for the--” Her eyes widened slightly and her mouth fell open. He was wearing a cloak. “Those... those cloaked ponies that attacked me. That was you! I knew I recognized your voice.” She stared for a few more moments. “But... but why?”
“Because once a traitor, always a traitor.” A voice said before the cart shook a little. At the front end of it, the knight now stood.
“You... what are you doing? Why did you capture me? Who are you?”
The mare just stared down at her, her face devoid of emotion. “Mare Do Well will want to meet you. The others will be going someplace else.”
Flowerbloom gulped. “Why are you here?”
“You awoke. I wanted to ensure you were okay.”
“No, I mean here. Why were you at the town?”
“To protect it.”
Flowerbloom tried wiggling free of her binds, but they refused to give. Some gears clicked and she looked up to Flam. “You. You and your friends were the ones wiping out those towns, weren't you?”
The stallion snorted. “Yes. Don't act so high and mighty, as if you didn't know.”
She stared at him for a few more moments, before looking back to the knight. “Do you know what he's talking about?”
The mare just stared down at her, flatly.
“Don't waste your breath on her,” Flam said with a snort. “They call her Rock Knight because that's all that she has in her head.”
“Rocks grow in fields. Not heads,” Rock Knight said.
“My point,” the stallion muttered.
“Still didn't answer my question,” Flowerbloom muttered. “Why were you attacking the town? Those are Water Nation towns now. You are supposed to answer to-- stop laughing!”
Flam couldn't suppress it though, he just stared at her with mirth. “You really have no idea, do you? Or are you just playing dumb in the hopes that our little friend here will go easy on you? She won't. Rocks tend to be very hard on ponies. Especially big, stupid ones.”
She narrowed her eyes on him, before turning to scowl at the knight. “Listen, you have to release me. I have a lot of...” She trailed off and rolled her eyes. “Oh, never mind. Waste of time.” They were rebels, they wouldn't just release her because she ordered. “Tell me this. Where are you taking me? Who is this Mare Do Well?”
“She's our leader. She'll want to speak with you.”
“Why? So she can execute me? I'm not going to just wait around to be killed!” she growled.
“You don't have to wait, if you like.”
“Just... just leave me alone, will you?” She glanced to Flam. “And get rid of him?”
Rock Knight shook her head, before sliding down from the cart and trotting on ahead. Flowerbloom let out a growl before rolling to the side. A twinge of pain shot through her hoof, reminding of her wound. However, to her delight, it was bound up tightly, the entire limb bandaged. At least they didn't plan to have her arrive soaked in blood. A grin spread across her lips as she realized something else she still had. The blades were still held in her hair. She could feel them.
All she had to do was keep her mind sharp so she could act when the time came. That meant she needed to find something to focus on. The first thing that came to mind was easy. Why did they attack that town? Why would they attack her? If they knew... “Wait a minute.” She slammed her head into the boards. “You were told, weren't you? To attack that town? To attack me?”
“Quick on the uptake, aren't you?” Flam said with a snort.
“But why? I'm a member of the Water Nation, why would--” Her eyes went wider and her mouth fell open. “Creme! That... that stupid... annoying... I'll gut him like a fish!”
“You're more likely to be gutted like a fish. Keep in mind who has us prisoner. Probably end up crushed between two rocks, though. I hear that's what the knight likes to do.”
Flowerbloom snorted, but there was wisdom in his words. She couldn't deny that. She nestled as deep into the corner as she could, her mind racing. Rolling about so she faced the front of the cart, she looked out towards the ponies pulling it. Good, they were following a road. When she escaped, that would make it all the easier. If she could escape.
------
Scootaloo awoke to somepony sneaking up towards her bed. Her eyes popped open, but she didn't move, letting the darkness hide her alertness. Whoever it was, was a fool. They had a candle and, even with the fact there were dozens of other ponies in the room, they weren't-- Wait, dozens of other ponies in the room?
It took her a few seconds to remember where she was, and a second later to mentally face hoof. She closed her eyes slightly and waited. The pony came up to her and gently shook her bed. “Teacher?” Okay, definitely one of her students. She was thankful she caught herself before she did something silly, like try to attack them. That would have ended badly. Nothing like tackling and breaking a few legs of one of your students to make them never want to wake you up again.
“What is it?” She asked, before rolling over to see the pony. It was one of the elder ponies, which was good. Breaking one of the younger pony's legs would have been more embarrassing.
“Some of Marble's ponies came. There was another attack by the rebels. There's a carriage outside waiting for you.” The pony whispered softly. Not that it did much good, she could practically feel the nearest ponies pretending to sleep as they listened in. By the time the sun rose, they'd all know she left, and why.
She nodded and slowly sat up. “What time is it?” She wanted to crawl back under the covers, but work always came first. A shame, because she was pretty sure she could have happily slept a great many more hours.
“Just after midnight. Do you want me to--”
“No. Best I go now, while the trail is still fresh,” she muttered, before sitting up and crawling from her bed. “Hopefully I'll be back before dawn. If I'm not, tell the ponies there will be a relaxation day today, so spend it well. The moment the sun goes down, we'll have night practice. All night.”
“As you wish,” the pony bowed his head obediently.
Scootaloo started quietly walking towards the exit, a grin on her lips. She could really start getting used to this whole... respect thing. She definitely didn't get much of it back home. It felt almost intoxicating. Not having to beat a pony into the ground over and over was a nice touch.
Outside the quarters was the carriage, as expected. Two pegasi were sitting, strapped to it. It was open topped, with a small back brace to make it harder to fall from and, unsurprisingly, she noted the quick releases on the pegasi straps. She wondered how many ponies had fallen out of such contraptions before the makers decided allowing the pullers to release quickly to catch the pony was a good idea.
She slid inside and the ponies jumped to their hooves before taking off. “What was the attack on?” she called out.
“A few of our hangers!” one of them called back.
Her eyes narrowed. Of course. Cripple their ability to make ships, then eliminate the remaining ships. Without any more, they'd be completely dependent on pegasi. Not necessarily a bad situation, under normal circumstances, but their greatest numbers were in earth ponies. Without the ships, they had no way to move them around. It would make them vulnerable. Not to mention make transportation of materials far more difficult.
A shiver went down her spine. What if Grimset's ship was destroyed? He'd have nothing better to do than wait around for a replacement, flirting with her the entire time. The notion made her want to bend over the side of the carriage and lose her lunch. She fortunately managed to contain it, but the notion still bobbled inside her stomach. However, she soon found new things to worry about as they flew into the city and she realized exactly just where the attacks happened.
“They're even going under the walls now, wonderful,” Scootaloo said with a groan. “Marble must be ecstatic.”
“No ma'am, he's furious!”
She face hoofed. “I see. This shouldn't even be possible...” After a few moments they came within view of the structure. Where the previous attack had been rather subtle, almost impossible to see from a distance, this one was obvious. The building was completely wrecked, with pieces of lumber, glass and metal flung into the street. The roof, which opened down the middle to allow the ships to sink into their positions, had collapsed inward, its hinges shattered. The hanger wasn't a big one, but it was barely a stones throw from the building she had been living in. Practically in the heart of the city. None of the other buildings had been touched, however. “Those cocky bastards...”
The pegasi pulled the carriage down to the front of the building, where pegasi and earth ponies were running about. She let out an audible groan when she saw Grimset. But, to her delight, he didn't notice her. He was too busy yelling at the guards stationed there.
“How could you let this happen? My ship! My beautiful ship! It's ruined! Wrecked! Destroyed! Do you have any idea how long I worked to get in a position to be the captain of that? It was my wings!” He grabbed the worried guard by his collar and shook. “What good is a pegasus without his wings? How could you let this happen?” He looked ready to kill the pony, but Scootaloo decided to step in.
“Enough of that, Grimset.” He froze in place. “I want information, now. What happened here? How did nopony notice this happening?”
“We did notice this happening!” the pony gripped by Grimset said quickly. “We'd have to have been blind, not to. It was over in a few seconds. The ground just opened up and slammed each of the ships into the walls of the building, crashing them through. The entire attack was over in seconds.” He stared down at the other pegasus fearfully.
“Let him go, Grimset,” Scootaloo said as she trotted over. “Were the attackers seen?”
“No, but it was earth benders,” Grimset said with a snarl. “Those cowards! They can't get away with this, we have to track them down!”
“What we have to do is get our remaining air ships into the sky,” Scootaloo muttered. “How many of our hangers were hit?”
“All three in the city, ma'am.” The soldier lowered his gaze. “Unfortunately, that means a lot of our ships. Space here is limited, so that meant when we stored ships, we stored them... compact. A lot of our ships had been brought in from outside the walls, as well. After the previous attack, it--”
“Say no more, I've got a grasp of the situation...” Scootaloo muttered before rubbing her chin. “I need to speak with Marble. Where is he?”
“He's called an emergency meeting,” Grimset snapped.
“Wonderful. Why aren't you there?”
“I wasn't invited.”
She paused for a moment, but then nodded her head. “I see... would you escort me then? I'm sure I can get you an invite.”
His eye twitched, and for a moment she expected him to lash out. Instead he let out a sigh and nodded. “As you wish. Shall we take your carriage?” He motioned towards it. His soft smile returned, calmly grinning at her.
As much as she was loathe to get into such a small, confined spot with him, she loathed the idea of wasting any more time just as much. She had to move, and fast.
------
Flowerbloom kept her breathing as soft and steady as she could, her ears twitching occasionally as she listened. All she heard were the soft snores of her fellow prisoners, echoing across the cart.
They were no longer moving. The ponies who captured them had finally moved off the road and into the countryside to camp for the night. The camp was inside a deep, high walled crater, hiding it from view from the outside world. The fires had long since gone out, and the ponies themselves were asleep. It was now, or never.
She closed her eyes and focused on her obsidian blades, trying to get them to move. She wasn't like that knight, she couldn't make them move on their own like that. Sure, directing them with bending was one thing, but making them go up and down as if they were alive? That took more precision and control than she'd ever had. Unfortunately, that meant the mare was already two up on her, as benders go, and she had no desire to test the Knight's power to see how they matched in that field.
It took a few moments, but the blade slowly loosened from her hair and began its descent down. From there it was easy, she used her bending to direct it and give it just a hint of power. The blade hit the cart with a thunk, embedding itself. She didn't move, listening in case anypony heard it.
After a few seconds, she let out a sigh of relief and moved back against the blade. She put her ropes to it, and began rubbing. The edge was razor sharp and sliced through the ropes with ease and, once again, her front hooves were free. She let out an internal squeal of delight, before gripping the knife in her hooves and going at the rest of the ropes. Once she was completely free, she slowly began to slide from the cart.
The moon was bright enough for her to make out the sleeping ponies, huddled around a dead campfire. Her eyes widened softly when she counted and realized they were all their, wrapped in their sleeping bags. They were a lot less disciplined than she'd thought, she figured at least one of them would have set up guards.
She landed on the ground, soft as the wind. Her legs tingled once they had to support her weight, making her almost collapse. She bit back any complaints as she tried to take steps, each one making it feel as if needles were pricking her leg. Her wounded one was the worst, both tingly numb from falling asleep along with the sharp pain of all that torn flesh. Fortunately, the dirt was soft and loamy, easy for her to move silently across. Holding her breath, she made her way up the hill, resisting the urge to cry out in pain with each step.
Feeling returned to her legs by the time she made it to the top of the little hill and she smiled. She was out, she was...
She collapsed onto her stomach at the first signs of sound, hiding behind some bushes. She could make out the road they'd taken, the moon even barely illuminating the tracks from the cart that led straight to the crater they rested in. She laid as flat as she could and listened, trying to find the source of the noises.
Hoof steps. Not moving very fast, but still fast enough. A few of them. She frowned and looked around. She couldn't find the source. Whatever it was had to be--
She nearly shrieked when she realized why she couldn't see it. Not that far away were more of the hooded ponies. Their cloaks made them nearly invisible. She could just barely make out the occasional outline as they walked.
“Here,” she heard one of them say in a hushed tone, giving her a jolt. She squinted and could just barely make out the outline of one of them, standing by the road nearby.
“You sure?” another voice asked. She shuddered as she recognized the voice. Flim. They'd found the camp. The ponies gathered together, their black cloaks making them seem like a dark blob of nothingness.
“Right here, the tracks go off. They've been following the road all this time, they can't have gone far...”
“Heh. What kind of earth bender doesn't cover their tracks? Come on.”
Flowerbloom gulped and watched the ponies. She came up a little past the tracks, so they wouldn't see her. All she had to do was wait for them to past, then she could sneak by in the confusion.
Except the camp had no sentries. Knight's group may have them outnumbered now, but caught unawares like this, it would be a slaughter. After that, the ponies would probably return to Sweet Apple Acres and destroy the town like they had originally planned, now that they would have numbers again.
It would be easy for her. Once they slipped past, she could head down the road. She could easily cover her tracks and keep anypony from finding her. Once she made it to the next outpost or came across a Water Nation patrol, she could return. She could tell her father. It would be so easy.
Yet these ponies had tended to her. The attacking force wasn't big, only four ponies. She could take them with the element of surprise, even wounded as she was. Or, at least, buy the sleeping ponies a chance to wake up. But if she did, it would alert them to her escape. She might never get another opportunity. She was too wounded to escape if they were aware.
The ponies were almost past her. She held her breath and watched, waiting. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. She had to escape while she could.
She slammed a hoof down and thrust it forward. The ground gave out under the cloaked ponies, burying them in a hole as more dirt poured in to catch them. “Wake up! Attack!” she screamed, before stomping a hoof again.
“We know,” a voice said from behind her. Light suddenly filled her vision as two torches were lit. Knight stood behind her and, opposite the hole she'd just made, two more of her captors were standing.
Flowerbloom's mouth fell open, before she looked down at the camp. “But, but--” All the sleeping bags were there and filled. How? “Decoys!” The hole she made exploded as the four ponies jumped out from their pit, ready and raring to go!
They lasted all of twenty seconds before rolling down the hill into pained, awkward heaps. Flowerbloom glared accusingly at the knight. “You tricked me. You were just pretending to be asleep so I'd try to escape!”
“No, I was not,” the mare said, motioning down the hill towards the groaning ponies. Her two comrades nodded and galloped down. “We were being followed. I laid a trap.”
“O-oh. Well... I'll... just be going then...” Flowerbloom said awkwardly, before turning and starting to run. She ducked just as the small stone zipped past her head, narrowly missing her. The pain in her wounded leg was intense, but she couldn't stop. She had to escape.
The stone whipped around in the air and struck again, this time going low and smacking across her wounded leg. Her eyes went wide and she let out a scream to pierce the heavens, before falling forward and rolling on the ground a few times. “Ow, ow, owie, ow.” Tears flooded her eyes as she tried to suppress the pain.
“Escape cannot be allowed,” Rock Knight said as she trotted forward, the rock floating by her head.
“You... here!” Flowerbloom reached into her mane and tossed two of her blades, straight at the other mare's legs.
The mare lifted up one leg and both blades just froze in the air, unmoving. “Obsidian blades.” She paused for a moment. “Obsidian. You are an igneous rock. Smooth. Like few rocks. Made between fire and water. Like earth kingdom. Which is full of rocks.”
Flowerbloom just stared, her mouth agape. “You... you...”
“It's a poem. It's about rocks. All my poetry is,” she said flatly. “I've written thousands.”
“I... I see.” She stared at the mare for a few moments. “You... aren't going to let me go, are you?”
“No. Come.” She motioned back to the camp.
“What? You aren't going to drag me?” She'd almost prefer if she was. Her leg throbbed worst than it ever had before.
“I could. It would be easy,” Rock Knight said as she watched her. “Do you wish to fight?”
Flowerbloom gulped, and slowly lowered her head. “I... no...”
“Good. You're hurt, come.”
Flowerbloom slowly got back to her hooves and limped forward, cringing. “Hurt because you jammed your little pebble into my leg...”
“Boulder.”
“That's not a boulder, that's a pebble.”
“... His name is Boulder. He's my pet rock.”
“I... see.” Flowerbloom looked up at the mare. “You're being awfully nice. Ish. Why?”
“You escaped and thought we were defenseless. You could have tried to kill us or left us to the ambush. You didn't.”
She blinked a few times, but nodded. “Oh...”
“If you try to escape, you'll return to the cart.”
“I... see,” Flowerbloom nodded and slowly made her way down towards the center of the crater. Ponies were once again drifting off to sleep, and she noted the cart now had more prisoners. She also learned something else.
“Rough. You are rough. Dirty. You live in dirt. Smoothed. Only through constant pressure and friction usually caused by being inside a river bed or some other location for years. But usually rough and dirty. As a rock. You are rock.” Rock Knight finished with a bow, the other ponies applauded her poem. Apparently they told each other poetry while on watch. And the mare had been telling the truth. She had THOUSANDS.
Flowerbloom hoped that if she did manage to escape, she could do it soon. Because if she couldn't, she was certain she'd go mad.
------
“How vulnerable are we?” Scootaloo asked the moment she stepped into the room. Marble and the other ponies, a few earth ponies and pegasi, looked up from a large round table hosting a map of the kingdom, covered in little pony figures.
“Excuse me?” the commander asked.
“How vulnerable are we?” she repeated. The trip up here had been relatively pleasant. Grimset was so focused on the task at hoof, and the loss of his ship, he barely said two words to her. The guards had merely waved her in and allowed him to pass with her.
“I'm afraid I don't--”
“Defenses. Earth benders. Do we have any?” the mare asked again as she moved over to the table.
“We uhhh... no.”
That gave her pause. “Wait, what? But what about your cities? How do you...” She stared for a few moments, her mouth falling open. “Oh. Oh no. Please tell me you...” She face hoofed. “You don't have them, do you? No. No, you wouldn't. They would have gone with the fire benders.”
“I'm afraid I don't know what you mean,” Marble said with a huff. “If you'd mind explaining?” He was actually glaring at her now.
“Right.” She pointed down at the map. “Well, as you are no doubt aware, earth benders have control over, you guessed it, the dirt and rocks that make up our land. Apparently decades ago they tried to use this power in orders to take over. Imagine swarms of earth benders, wiping out entire cities from underground, without any way to fight back.”
“Like the position we're in now,” Marble muttered.
“Exactly. Each nation responded in different ways. The air benders were the safest, since they had their massive floating cities. Even if the Earth Kingdom attacked, they couldn't hit the most important areas. Then they'd be open to the air benders sweeping in from the sky, wiping out all their above ground cities, changing the weather and well, pretty much everything else that was horrible you could imagine.”
“And?”
“Well, that left the Water Nation and the Fire Tribes. The Water Nation devised the living water, a precursor to the poison water we use today. It could be funneled underground and from there it would attack any benders that tried to use it. The far more deadly poison water is used at all of our outposts nearest the Earth Kingdom. However, I hear the Fire Tribes did even worse.”
“Oh? What did we do?”
“Lava. Underground lakes of lava. Dragons would dig them out, fire benders would fill them and keep them going. Supposedly the dragons would even go under and use them as resorts of sorts. Frankly the entire thing is... quite fascinating. But, with no more dragons or fire benders...”
“We have no way to get those lakes back.”
“Your nation has been only receiving the barest contact from the motherland and only a hoofful of benders, so it makes sense this hasn't been exploited until now,” Scootaloo muttered as she looked over the map. “I should have thought of the poisoned water to begin with. I'm certain some of the lakes of lava still remain, there are places that are still extremely hot. But there are probably locations that have cooled. If they've found a way to navigate through the pieces that remain...”
“They can attack my city, like they just did,” Marble said bitterly. “The question becomes, what do we do about it?”
Scootaloo glanced up. “Well, I have a few ideas, but if you'd be so kind as to tell me your suggestions?”
“Well, obviously every remaining airship we have is being moved into the sky. I have ponies working around the clock to set up sky docks, but that will take days. In the mean time, I'm moving the majority of my forces to keep a watch out and protect the structure. I doubt they have means to attack it, but I can't be sure.”
She nodded. “A fine move.”
He nodded. “Also, they've seemed lax in taking lives. At least, civilian lives. They destroyed the hangers, but they likely could have destroyed half the buildings in the city by now. They're just hitting our weapons for now.”
“Do you know why?” Scootaloo asked as she eyed the map.
“They're trying to cripple our contact with the Water Nation. With so many ships destroyed, we don't have any to transfer materials or ponies between our two countries. We can't afford to send any of the few we have, and the Water Nation has already sent the ships they'd be willing to send us. Considering how many of them we've lost, I doubt we'll receive any more. They might be planning to try a rebellion.”
She nodded, before something caught her eyes. “What is that supposed to signify?” A red pony figure, the only red one on the map, was on top of Boil Rock.
“Hornclipper. I've sent him to monitor the fire bender foals,” Marble said with a growl. “I can't risk this being a trick to lure us away from them, but I also can't risk sending more forces than needed. I need every pony here, in case there is a full assault.”
“You expect a full assault?”
“Indeed. They could be attempting to take the city. If they do... unless they wish to kill every civilian in the city, they'll need to come out of hiding. They can topple buildings under ground, but attacking the ponies and making sure they're fighters will require more precision. That's when we'll get them.”
She nodded slowly. “And if they attack Boil Rock, what then?”
“The rock is surrounded on all sides by boiling water. Under that, lava flows freely. They'll have to defeat the forces on guard there, many of which are pegasi.” He paused. “If it looks as if they'll fall, Hornclipper's orders are clear.”
Scootaloo felt a light twinge in her heart. “What... are those orders?”
“Kill every last potential fire bender before the enemy can get their hooves on them.”
The night was far cooler than the day, but it wasn't responsible for the icy chill that went down her back. She thought back to the last time she saw Hornclipper. The way he sharpened his blades. She imagined him stalking those halls, soaked in the blood of foals. It made her pale. “I... I see.”
“Lady Scootaloo?” Marble asked softly. “Are you well? You look--”
“I'm fine,” she said quickly, turning away. Her head slowly raised. “Marble, my forces still operate outside of your command, correct?”
“Of course. I'm aware of how important your mission is.” He paused for a moment. “In fact, I imagine at this point the fact it is still going is probably the only good news I have for the motherland. Do you wish to return to the nation?”
She shook her head, before smiling. “Very well then. It seems it's time for my soldiers to go into active duty.”
“Excuse me?”
She took a deep breath and tried to choose her words carefully. “Those fire benders are some of the most precious objects held in the kingdom. To any attacking force they would be more valuable than gold. Allowing them to escape would tarnish the great Water Nation and bring great dishonor on the ponies in command here.” She could see the nervous twitch of Marble's eye. “And, as a representative of the Shadowbolts, it would shame our great flying force if they were to be captured. I'll have my trainees moved immediately.”
“Wait, what?” Marble asked. “What are you saying?”
“Horn clipper won't be the only thing these ponies have to deal with,” Scootaloo said with a smirk. “If these earth benders want to get to these foals, they'll have to face the might of the Shadowbolts.” She let her smirk shift, slowly. Judging by the way the others tensed, she knew she was doing it right. Cold, calculating. Merciless. As a Shadowbolt would be. “Something no bender can hope to face and survive.” She turned away, leaving them in stunned silence as she walked out of the room. So much for getting a full nights sleep. Oh well, her soldiers could rest AFTER their base was moved. A full day and night of work would be good for them, it would build character.