//------------------------------// // Chapter 23: Preparation // Story: Avatar: The Last Alicorn. Book 3: Unicorn // by Jeweled Pen //------------------------------// “Pull ya lazy canaries! You think this is some kinda game?” Scootaloo yelled as she trotted across the cloud that made up the Shadowbolt's training outpost. Long ropes were attached to it, enabling the larger ponies to pull it. It was slow work, but they were making decent speed. That was one of the beautiful parts of using cloud based infrastructure. Even Cloudsdale, at its peak, could technically be moved with only a hoofful of pegasi. Not very fast, but it would move. Their much smaller outpost was almost easy by comparison. She, the foals and a couple of the others were moving about the cloud, ensuring nothing was lost in the move. Though she spent most of her time barking orders and encouragements. Her ponies weren't making objections, aside from the grumbling of those who had been forced to crawl out of bed. She hadn't allowed them any more sleep when she arrived, quickly getting them together and beginning the movement of the bunker. Finally, though, Boiling Rock was within view. Unfortunately, she felt it far before she saw it. The heat, even though it was night, chewed at her all the way to the core. Since they'd arrived, the ponies had been pulling faster. She was pretty certain they just wanted to get inside, where it was cooler. Clouds tended to have that effect. She eyed the crater, her brow creasing as her eyes moved from tower to tower. Each one seemed to be standing tall, with their pegasi soldiers keeping an eye out. She saw two of them take off, heading towards them. She counted how long it took them to arrive, just under thirty seconds. Perfect. “Okay, everypony! Enough!” She lifted a hoof up into the air. “This is close enough, you can retire! I want three ponies on watch at all times, do I make myself clear? If these earth benders attack, I want to know the moment they pop their heads out of the dirt.” “Y-yes ma'am,” one of the ponies, struggling to contain a yawn, stepped forward. “Are you retiring?” She couldn't help but note the hope in his voice. Hoping to avoid getting woken up again, she imagined. “I'll sleep when the job is done,” she said as she glanced to the two envoys that had flown up. They looked worried, though that wasn't surprising. They likely had no idea why she was here, they were heavily out numbered and likely afraid she might turn vicious. She'd use that to her advantage. “Has Hornclipper arrived yet?” “Hours ago. Ummm, Lady Scootaloo, correct? What is i--” “The Shadowbolt students will be joining in the defense of this outpost. I was under the impression you were short hoofed.” “W-we are. But we didn't expect--” “Then that just means the orders haven't reached you yet,” she interrupted the pony, before glancing down at the lake. “I'll need a lift down, first.” “But it's the middle of the night, and--” “Does this place close at night? Do you send all the fire benders home?” Scootaloo snapped, narrowing her eyes on the pony. The pegasus quickly shook his head. “Good. Then I'll be going down and making an examination. Anything else you'd like to add?” “No ma'am...” The trip was, unsurprisingly, slow and arduous. The ponies were not really prepared for another visitor, but they got her across in short time. Once she descended into the crater, she had to gasp softly. It was just how she remembered it, the air thick and moist, like trying to breath hot water. She could feel the moisture sticking to her body and mixing with her sweat. Worst of all, she'd be spending most of her time here, as would her students. It did not bode well. The coolers would get plenty of use. Actually, the coolers would probably be a great defensive position. She'd have to remember those, as well as get her own keys for them. “I'll signal you when I'm ready to leave.” With quick nods, the pegasi took to the sky and flew off. She took a deep breath and trotted inside, giving the first door a firm knock. It opened after a few seconds, revealing Hornclipper of all ponies. They both froze for a moment, before he stepped aside. “Thank you,” Scootaloo mumbled as she stepped inside. It was slightly easier to breath, though the heat was just as unbearable. “Where's the Warden?” “Sleeping with the foals. Since I arrived he has been keeping an extra close eye on them. Especially since he heard I won't be leaving for the moment.” “I see...” She couldn't blame him. She wouldn't want to leave any foals near Hornclipper either. They could end up dead, or worse. “Since you're the only pony who's up, tell me about this place.” “You've been here before.” “I mean, defensibly. What are the most defensible locations? Where can the ponies hide if there's an attack? Where can we dig in, if we need to endure a long siege?” He paused for a moment, eying her closely. “If there is an attack, I am supposed to--” “If there is no other means, you are supposed to execute the children. I'm here to make sure there are other ways. Answer the question.” She scowled at the pony. Such a thirst for blood, even foal's blood. It made her a little sick. He slowly nodded. “The lower levels would be the most defensible. Everything farther down is metal, no stone or dirt. Nothing for them to bend. We have doors we could lock as well.” She nodded. “Good. Show me the way.” He gave her a nod, before leading her down the hall. They soon came to the all too familiar steps. As she went down, she let out a soft sigh of relief. The cool was glorious against her skin, a whole different world from the smothering heat outside. However, that could prove a problem if they were there too long. It wouldn't do to freeze in an extended siege. The way was just as he said. Thick metal walls, needed to keep the heat out. Spacious as well, with a large door they could lock and barricade. Even better, the cooler was inside, they could retreat into that and await rescue, if it came to it. It would be very, very cramped, but if they had no other choice, they could do it. She looked around as she went, eying the rooms. She'd need to reduce how much was stored here. There was food and drinks, but much of it would be useless in a siege environment. They'd have to have it replaced. Stuff they could toss out or eat from inside the coolers would take precedence. But it could work. It would work. She'd make it work. “Thank you,” she mumbled as she looked around. “Is anypony awake?” “Only a hoofful, but they usually only tend to the children, if they awaken.” She nodded. “I'll come back in the morning, then. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.” With a stifled yawn, she began trotting back up the stairs. “I'm going to go get some sleep, I'd suggest you do the same. Tomorrow we begin preparations.” He nodded and followed her, eying her up and down as they walked. ------ Flowerbloom groaned softly as the cart rumbled under her. The morning had come all too soon, leaving her misty eyed and feeling slightly drained. Their captors were being quite pleasant, all things considered. They hadn't retied her, in fact they allowed her to ride on the cart like an honored guest. Though, with all the earth benders there and her leg still in such a state, it wasn't as if there was much she could do. She considered trying to make a run for it, but she knew she'd be caught before she made it twenty feet. Rock Knight was always nearest the cart, keeping an eye out for any danger and, she suspected, anypony in the cart looking to make trouble. Flim and Flam were more than willing to be the cause. “You know, we could be quite useful to you!” the first said. “Indeed, brother. Why, we were top agents in the Water Nation forces!” Flam added. “We have information that could help your entire movement.” “Eeyup. No questions asked. In fact, we feel it's our civic duty.” “Of course, we only want to help the Earth Kingdom. Why, we never wanted to help those Water Nation armies at all. Dreadful lot.” “Truly viscious and untrustworthy.” “As soon gut yah as look at yah.” “Wouldn't trust them as far as you could throw them. Not a single one of them good for anything. Us though? We're as loyal as they come. Why, we were forced to help them to begin with. Isn't that true, brother?” “Indeed, brother. Why, we tried to fight them but they held our family hostage. Said if we didn't--” “Be silent or Boulder will hurt you,” Rock Knight said suddenly, her little pet rock bouncing up and down in the air besides her head. The two shared a look, but slowly lowered their eyes and went silent. Flowerbloom sighed and looked around. “Where are we all goin'?” “To Mare Do Well.” “Okay... who is this Mare Do Well?” She glanced towards the sun. They were heading towards it, so they must have been heading west. She couldn't imagine why. There wasn't a lot in this direction, aside from mountains and forests. Well, she supposed those would be the best places for a hiding criminal to hide. “Our leader.” “Not a pony of many words, are yah?” Flowerbloom watched the knight, but all she got was a shake of the head. “Fine then. What's your name?” “My name is unimportant. All of us have given them up, until we can free our Earth Kingdom.” “All of yah?” “All of the knights and Mare Do Well. For now, I am only Rock Knight.” Flowerbloom sighed and closed her eyes. It was hot and she was, well, bored. Wherever they were going, it would supposedly take days. Even worse, she still had no idea where her family could be. She paused for a moment. “Rock Knight, did yah by any chance live near Sweet Apple Acres?” The mare shook her head. “No.” She rested her head and sighed. “I don't suppose any of the ponies here had been?” “No.” “About as useful as talking to a...” Flowerbloom trailed off, eying the mare. She shook her head and looked up. Then her eyes widened. “W-wait a moment. Ah... ah know where we're going. We're going to the Fire Tribe lands!” That made the mare pause for a moment. “Indeed.” “Why would you ponies want tah go there? The... the...” Her hoof covered her mouth as she tried to hold the words in, but she couldn't. “Twilight's Sunrise. Yah work... yah work with the fire benders, don't yah? The ones that escaped? Is that where they are?” The mare didn't say a word, but Flowerbloom struggled to keep her calm. Hiding out in the Fire Tribe lands? Her superiors would never believe it. The most likely location had been chosen to be the Air Nomad lands, especially with the Wonderbolts still in hiding. Hiding in the fire lands was just tempting fate, the Water Nation had already conquered them. If they were found, it would be easy to rise and crush them. The color drained from her face. If she was going to the location where the fire benders were hiding, she was doomed. Information like that had to be protected. At any cost. Even her life, the life of an enemy. She'd be lucky if they just imprisoned her. “That is where some of them are,” Rock Knight finally said with a shrug. “Considering the circumstances... well, there is nowhere else we could be.” “What do yah mean?” Flowerbloom asked with a nervous glance. “You'll find out soon enough.” The knight trotted off ahead, leaving her alone. She glanced down at her leg, sighing. Whatever she did, she had to do it soon. Once they got there, she'd be doomed. But she could barely walk without flinching, escape was out of the question. She had to heal up before she could even try. But what if it was too late by then? “Psst...” she heard from behind her. She groaned and looked back, glaring at the Flim Flam brothers. “What do you two want?” she asked in a hushed tone. They smiled and the first spoke up in a soft voice. “You want to escape, don't you? We can--” “No,” she said quickly. “But we--” Flam tried. “No.” Flim spoke up next. “We're your only hope. You can't hope to escape without us. If we work together, we--” “We'll get captured. Even if we do manage to escape, you'll try tah kill me the moment we're out. No.” Flam tried next. “Listen, we made a mistake. We're sorry, honest we are. Look at these faces, are these the faces of liars?” The two made pouty frowns that wouldn't trick a nearsighted mole. “We didn't want to attack you, we had no choice.” “Let me guess. Creme made you? Said if yah didn't, he'd execute yah?” Flim smiled, nodding. “Exactly. Now, what we did was wrong, we know that. We're awfully sorry. But if we work together, we can get out of here. Why, with our brains and your ability to not be tied up, there's no limit to what we could do. If you just slip us something to cut our ropes, we could be out of here by tonight. Then we could all be on our way back to the Water Nation, with this knight in tow.” “Exactly!” Flam said quickly, before looking around to make sure nopony could hear their hushed conversation. “We're with you. We're all on the same side, right?” Flowerbloom slowly nodded. It was true they were all on the same side... in a sick, frightening way. She glanced down to her leg and then over to knight. “There's one big problem.” Flim gulped. “What?” “Yah try to kill those on your side. We might both be working for the Water Nation, but don't ever for a second think ah'm on your side. Rock Knight!” She called out, her face stuck in a frown. “Flim an' Flam here have some things they wanna tell yah. Some a their lil plans.” The mare slowed down and began making her way to the cart, while the brothers gulped and nervously shuffled. ------ Sleep. Ohhhh, Scootaloo remembered sleep fondly. It was that wonderful thing she was certain she wouldn't be getting more than a few hours of from now on. Boil Point was, in a word, a mess. An awful, horrible mess. Apparently when they'd designed it, nopony considered the idea of having to actually defend it, well, while surviving. Everything was prepared perfectly to keep the ponies in, but keeping ponies out was another story. Her morning had been spent finding a half dozen different ways to execute every foal in the prison, but very few ways to hurt ponies attacking, aside from hoping they fell in the lake itself. The biggest problem with that, was it depended on them being willing to slaughter innocent foals. Something she was less than willing to do. She'd finally got so fed up that she sent a letter to Marble, with her best flier, that she was taking over command of the prison to keep it defended. She'd then spent most the morning disabling half the death traps in the building. She couldn't believe it. The bunkers the foals slept in were set to collapse and bury the poor ponies in boiling water and rock. It wasn't even the worst death trap in the place, either. They were foals. Just foals. The thought of the ponies who designed this prison made her sick and she hoped the monsters fell into the lake at some point, it would be the least they deserved. It wasn't even the fact these death measures existed, she could understand that. The foals, even if they were just foals, were a danger. A threat. Eliminating them could very well be a needed duty, one she hoped she never had to perform. But it was the way they were prepared. Every single one seemed design to kill the ponies as cheaply as possible. Either crushing or burning them. As if every foal was just measured in bits that needed to be conserved as closely as possible. By comparison to some of the ways that were prepared, Hornclipper's blades seemed almost gentle and loving. Surprisingly, disabling them was easy. The Warden was extremely enthusiastic and quite helpful in offering suggestions on how to disable or even break each one. Even Hornclipper was willing to do as he was told, following orders precisely to ensure none of the death traps could survive. By the time she felt certain the structure wouldn't kill them, it was almost noon. From there she summoned her trainees. Some of them had problems flying through the thin, humid heat, but eventually they all made it inside. Their coats were drenched with sweat by the end, and two had to rest in the coolers, but they all made it. She even had the children come, though she had a different task in mind for them. When they were all gathered she was also beginning to feel the effects of the lack of sleep. She hadn't, unfortunately, been able to get to bed after the previous night. As much as she'd wanted to, her mind had been running through too many ideas and plans that she couldn't stop tossing and turning. She'd finally had to give up and crawl out of bed and begin plotting in earnest. She had no choice but to push through now. She'd sent the elder trainees to begin scouring the building. Tracking down every weapon within, as well as anything they felt they could use. Any plans for defenses they had, she told them to tell her immediately, even if they were doubtful it would work. Many of her ponies were soldiers, even if they hadn't seen much action, and she'd be a fool to dismiss whatever they had to say. The youngest trainees, though, she sent to keep watch over the fire benders. In the event they were attacked, the foals would be the most easily frightened, especially if they knew they would be executed if the outpost fell. Having her youngest fliers with them could be a comforting presence to help keep them calm and following her directions. The largest cooler was cleared of all foods that couldn't be eaten without cooking, which were moved into the others. All other objects were removed as well, until the cooler had as much space as it possibly could. Spears, rope and other things they could use to lay traps and defenses were stored outside the cooler, at the bottom of the stairs leading to it. She prayed they'd never have to use them. To her soldier's credit, there were very few complaints. The heat was horrible, but they managed to push through and endure. Unfortunately, her soldiers had very little to offer in terms of extra defenses and the plans they offered were similar to the ones she'd already chosen or abandoned. The first part would be simple, should they be attacked. They'd do nothing but move the fire benders all down below, within the largest cooler. A few ponies would keep a watch out, but they'd work from there. Then they just had to wait. If the earth benders broke through the tower defenses, their job would begin. Cannon balls and bows were positioned on the roofs. Those who knew how to use the latter would be able to try shooting the ponies as they came across, while the others would grab the balls and drop them on the earth ponies heads. After all, there was only one way to the little island in the middle of the boiling lake, unless you could fly. They'd have to make land bridges from the top of the crater, all the way down. If they could break those bridges, it would send the ponies into the drink. A well placed arrow could be just as effective. Once the ponies got on the island, that was where the hard part would begin. They'd have to engage the ponies in hoof to hoof combat. Her plans were to begin training them after lunch. They'd be doing their practice down on the island, amongst the heat and humidity. The ponies had to prepare for such environments, and she knew of no better way than immersing them in it. That extra training could very well be the edge they'd need. Fighting benders was possible, but it was also difficult. They had the power to throw the elements themselves at a pony and, sometimes, weapons weren't enough to equal the odds. These ponies were trained in their art, so that meant they had to fight them with everything they had. She just hoped if they were attacked, she'd have been able to teach them enough to keep them alive. Scootaloo let out another yawn as she pulled out a few books she'd had the Warden grab her. While they weren't as good as she'd wanted, they were medical books and would allow her to demonstrate what she needed to. A few pages were marked for her students to go through later, as well as a few extra notes. She prayed her students would be able to understand all she needed to teach them. There was a knock on her door, making her sigh. “Who is it?” “Err, Lady Scootaloo, it's me. The Warden. I come bearing a message. Grimset has arrived and he desires to speak with you. He's also brought a number of his own guards to accompany him.” She frowned, but slowly got to her hooves. “I'll be out immediately.” Exactly as she had been told, Grimset was outside, waiting for her. He had four other pegasi with him, all wearing armor. “To what do I owe this honor?” The captain gave her, what she assumed he believed was, a disarming smile. “Ah! Lady Scootaloo, I've merely come to offer my services. Marble was amazed to discover you taking such an... interest in the defense of this locale. He thought you'd only be bolstering its defenses, not taking over.” “This place is a mess,” Scootaloo muttered. “Their only real defense is the hope that ponies won't want them to kill the fire benders.” “What's the problem with that?” Grimset asked with a cocked eye. “The only reason this facility exists is because of them. It offers no strategic benefits. If anypony tried to take it, they'd obviously be doing it just to get the fire benders. If they're dead, then--” “They're still ponies. Many of them still work for the Water Nation, after losing their horn,” Scootaloo interrupted, narrowing her eyes. “I will not sit idly by and just have them be executed so we can save ourselves the hassle.” She glanced up towards the towers overlooking the lake. “Besides, this place is an excellent defensive position.” The captain ground his hoof into the ground, but slowly forced a smile. “As... you wish. If you'd prefer for us to keep these ponies... safe, then I see no reason to object. Would you allow me to offer my assistance?” She slowly nodded. “As you wish. I'm preparing for tonight's lesson. My students are working on preparing a suitable location for us to work. If you'd care to help them, please do.” Grimset nodded slowly. “As you wish. Also, if you'd be so kind, could you tell me where I could find Hornclipper? I have new orders from Marble.” “I don't know where he is, you're welcome to search for him as you see fit.” She trotted away. Once she was back inside, she let out a sigh of relief. New orders from Marble had to mean Hornclipper was being moved somewhere else. Which meant, joy of joys, he wouldn't be here to cause any more anxiety. She couldn't wait to see him leave, perhaps she'd even throw him a going away party. Okay, no she wouldn't. But at least it would leave one more stress off her mind. She trotted back to the room she'd chosen as hers, one inside the building. It was best that way, this way she wouldn't have to make the other pegasi carry her back and forth from the bunker and here. Besides, if she was going to make her trainees work so hard in such conditions, the least she could do is put on a firm face as she lived in it. However, next came the hard part. Explaining and training everypony in how to fight earth benders. She hoped they were ready. ------ “Okay soldiers, listen up!” Scootaloo yelled as she trotted back and forth across their training grounds. “You're all great fliers.” She glanced to the youngest amongst them. “For your ages. Nimble and athletic, too. That's great. But here's where things get rough. Earth benders may eventually launch an attack on this place, in an attempt to take back the foals living here. We can't allow that, the Water Nation won't allow that. We're the last line of defense against this assault, which means I've got to speed up your training. How many of you have ever fought a bender before?” Unsurprisingly, not a single one of them raised a hoof. “That's about what I figured. Now, some ponies will say fighting a bender one on one is impossible, that's just a large amount of hooey.” She stomped a hoof down. “I, for example, have taken down five in a row in some battles, before moving onto the next batch. They're easy, IF you know how to get to them. The weakness of a bender is close combat. Up close they have to be more precise or they'll hurt themselves, and most are used to fighting from a distance. So once you get in close, it's just like fighting any other pony, unless they're very skilled. But that brings me to my next point. The most important ability to fight a bender, is speed.” She pointed a hoof towards a large make-shift pony they'd made. It was cobbled together with odds and ends and then wrapped tightly in a sheet, but it would do. “All benders have a weakness, the source of their bending. For fire benders it's the tip of their horn, waters benders it's--” “Hold it!” Grimset snapped as he galloped forward. She let out a sigh and glanced to him. “Yes?” He stopped in front of her and whispered in hushed tones. “You can't actually mean to teach them about fighting water benders, can you? They're still members of the Fire Tribes, even if--” “They're my students and future Shadowbolts. This information can save lives. I don't care who they were, or where they were from. They're members of Nightmare Moon's elite fighting force now. Understand?” “But they--” “No buts. I'm their teacher, I'll teach them as I see fit.” He sighed and lowered his face. “As always, you are correct Lady Scootaloo. I apologize, please continue.” She coughed and glanced up to her soldiers as the stallion trotted away. “Now, as I was saying. Fire benders gather their bending from the tip of their horn, water benders from the base of their horn, earth benders from their hooves and air benders from their wings. Some of the stronger benders can harness their power from a distance, but if you manage to disable those then you will still disable their bending. Any questions?” One of the pegasi raised a hoof, and she motioned to him. “Is that why only part of the horn is removed from the fire benders?” She let out a soft sigh, and nodded. “Yes and no. The horn is a delicate instrument on a unicorn. If you sliced off half of it, even on a water bender, their bending would be gone. The magic is still there, just without the full horn they can't harness it. It's... a lot like losing a wing, actually. Sure, you still have your other wing, and your magic can still touch it, but you won't be able to fly without both. That's also why removing a horn is so dangerous, it helps to regulate their magic energies.” She could see Grimset glaring at her, but she ignored it. “The resulting explosion is usually fatal both to the pony in question, and nearby ponies. Unless the magic is drained first, the pony is too young to have much power, or is very lucky.” A new pony raised a hoof and she gave her a quick nod. “Does the Water Nation intend to remove the hooves and wings of the other benders?” She paused and slowly shook her head. “I do not believe so. Removing the hooves of the earth benders would make them useless, in that case they'd just be executed. The pegasi, on the other hoof, I couldn't say. It is... feasible that they could suffer such a fate, but there has been no move that I am aware of to do it. For now I believe those that are troublesome are imprisoned.” Those that were rebelling would likely be executed, but she didn't mention that. “Any more questions?” There were no more raised hooves, so she continued. “Now, fighting a bender is always dangerous around their element. For example, air benders are the bane and number one threat to a Shadowbolt, but even they can be stopped. Fortunately, all you'll have to deal with, if anything, is earth benders. Our position is quite... quite...” She paused for a moment as she struggled to keep her yawn from showing. She really had to get some sleep. “Quite favorable. Can anypony tell me what's under us?” She tapped the ground. “Rock?” one hopeful said nervously. “And?” “Dirt?” another said. “Close. What's under us is boiling water. The earth ponies can't sneak under us to launch a secret attack. Even when they are here, they won't be able to dig out and pop up like overgrown moles. They'll have to fight us, above ground.” She tapped the ground a few more times. “Or risk accidentally boiling themselves. Unless they are master benders, that would be unlikely.” She then motioned towards the rim of the crater. “They also will have to come out in the open to fight us, and while they're coming down they'll be defenseless. That's when we'll strike. If any of them can make it down, we'll engage them here. Understand?” Her soldiers slowly nodded. “Good, now comes actually fighting them. The Shadowbolts depend on a type of anti-bending style that uses key points on a ponies body to disable their bending. It works by altering and befuddling the magical points throughout the ponies body. It's only temporary, a few minutes usually, though sometimes it can last hours if done right. But it's long enough to take a pony down. Without their bending, most are helpless.” She paused for a moment. “Unfortunately, such arts require years of practice to master. I won't be able to teach you how to disable an earth bender fully, instead I'll be teaching you how to weaken and best fight them. You'll need to work on your own style to defeat them.” She pointed towards the dummy again. “An earth bender fights through blocking. Being immovable. You won't be able to take them down no matter how hard you hit. Don't even try, I've seen one push back against a tank, and win.” She motioned to the hooves. “These are the weaknesses. They lock their knees and become like rock, using their magic to reinforce their bodies. You'll have to attack from all different angles, back, side, top, anywhere you can hit them and they can't hit you. Knock them off balance, and you can beat them. Trip them, surprise them, do whatever it takes.” She then prodded the fake pony's side. “They are also unable to move through the air. They'll try throwing rocks at you, or making you crash into stone walls. Don't let them. Move fast, but always maintain enough control that you can turn on a bit. You have control of the sky, use it to your advantage. Hit hard and fast, then get out while you can, unless you have the advantage. Don't let them rest for a moment. Without their stability, they can't bend as hard or fast. They're defenseless. If you focus your attacks on the legs, they'll soon crumble.” The ponies nodded. “Good. I've marked a number of key points to strike. Solid blows in these areas can temporarily throw an earth bender off balance. The joints tend to be the weakest area. A solid blow there can even break the leg, possibly disabling the pony for the whole battle. Study it, learn it.” She then motioned towards a pile of slightly damp books. “I've also marked certain pages and locations in those books for study. Once you feel you know the locations to best disable them, find a partner. Speed training. Try to hit the other pony, while they try to hit you in the areas shown.” She paused. “No holding back, as fast as you can without losing control. If you feel you need to wear armor, then wear it. Play times over, ponies. If this fight happens, chances are it will be the last fight many of you have. If I could, I'd have you fight something far easier, or at least give you a few more years of training. But we don't have a few years, and these are our enemies. I'm sorry.” She bowed her head as the ponies saluted. Once again, she prayed that if the earth benders came, what she taught would be enough. With another soft smile, she turned and trotted back into the building. Her bed was calling its sweet, sweet siren call. ------ Flowerbloom let out a hiss of pain as the bandage was slowly unwrapped from her leg. Her tender tried being as gentle as possible, but the bandage still stuck to the leg. Once it was removed, the pony rubbed a strange liquid over it. “It's healing nicely,” the stallion mumbled. “A few more days and you should be able to walk without pain.” “Thanks...” she mumbled. A few more days might be too late. She had told Rock Knight about the Flim Flam brother's offers, and the two were now sporting new gags. However, she had to make a move soon if she wanted any chance of escape. Her leg had, fortunately, stopped bleeding heavily. The bandage still had to be replaced and potions applied, but it was healing. As far as she knew, the group didn't have a healer, or at least wasn't willing to use one to help her. Once the bandage was tightly put on, she slowly put it on the ground and let out a soft hiss of pain. It still stung fiercely, but not as bad as it had before. It was quite possible she could run now. Tomorrow she might even be able to run without the wound opening. “You're pretty lucky,” the pony who tended her leg said softly. “Huh?” “Surviving that collapsing building, I mean. We arrived just in time to see it. All you got was a big cut. Most ponies would have died from that fall.” “Oh... yeah. Lucky...” She glanced down at her hoof. She had been lucky. Lucky to survive. Lucky these ponies had arrived when she'd been about to die. Lucky she'd decided to help them rather than leave them to die, and end up being captured again. Luck, luck, luck. She just hoped her luck held out when she made her next escape attempt. Around her the ponies were setting up camp. As opposed to the night before, they covered their tracks when they went off the road, making sure they couldn't be followed. No more traps this time. She was even offered a sleeping bag to rest in. She nestled up by the fire, mentally keeping track of how they prepared each night. Three ponies separated from the others, though Rock Knight wasn't with them. The walked off into the distance, taking over the first watch. That wasn't so bad, she'd just have to sneak past three ponies then. Once the others fell asleep. She nestled into her bed and closed her eyes, watching the dimming fire. Tomorrow night. She'd make her escape tomorrow night. ------ “Lady Scootaloo?” a voice asked as her door was pushed open. The mare groaned and slowly sat up, one of her eyes twitching. One of her trainees stood in the door. “What is it?” She wondered how long she'd been asleep, she doubted it was long. The extreme heat made it difficult and she already felt as if she'd sweated out enough to fill the lake a second time. “Grimset has prepared a meal for you and invited you to discuss some matters with him.” “Tell him I'll see him in the morning.” “He also said he needed to speak with you in private. He says it's about new orders from the Water Nation.” She let out a sigh, before groggily sliding out of the bed. “Very well... what time is it?” “A few hours after dusk.” “Wonderful. You're dismissed...” She slowly went through the paces of waking up. Taking a long shower to try to clean off some of the sweat. At least the water was hot. Not that it did much good, she had barely managed to dry off before the sweat started pouring again. She took a long drink of water, which unfortunately was nearly boiling at room temperature. She hated this place. Finding his temporary quarters was easy. He'd chosen a work room just down the hall from one of the coolers and set up a table, with a metal domed lid in the center. Oddly, he hadn't set up his bed yet. Scootaloo cringed when she noted there was an unexpected guest as well. Hornclipper. “What's he doing here?” “The things we have to discuss affect him, as well,” Grimset said as he sat across the table. “There wasn't much, but I believe I managed to make a delicious meal.” He lifted up the lid and revealed a large bowl of thick soup, as well as two bowls and some spoons. He quickly put the bowls out and began filling them, humming happily. “Sit, eat. We have much to speak about.” She sighed and sat down, glancing to Hornclipper. “So, what is it about him?” “Marble has some new orders for him, though he's asked me to use my discretion. I really must ask your opinion. If there is a conflict here, do you believe you can hold them off?” Scootaloo nodded, gently stirring the soup before taking a bite. She didn't even taste it as she watched him. “Yes. It should be doable. I don't expect more than a dozen and my soldiers aren't the best trained yes, but they have enough numbers.” “So you think some of them might die? Might fall?” She felt a clump of fear in her stomach. “It... is possible. Unlikely, but possible.” “And if there were more earth benders than that? These trainees are important, don't you think? Is it really wise to risk their lives on these foals? To risk your life?” She sighed and took a few more bites. Of course, he was trying to protect her. “It'll be fine. My trainees can protect these ponies. And I--” “You think these ponies are worth risking the lives of the trainees? They're just fire benders. If it was up to me, I'd have the lot executed and pull out from this area. There aren't many, only a few dozen. The fire benders can always make more.” She froze then, before slamming her spoon down. “Well it's not up to... to you... it's... it's...” She wobbled slightly as she began feeling light headed. Suddenly the ground was rushing up to meet her. She spread her legs out, trying to catch herself, but they refused to move. She tried moving, but her body wasn't listening. “Oh, but it is up to me,” Grimset said slowly as he got up, glancing down at her. “I'd of preferred to take my time, but you keep declining my invitations to dinner. Makes slow poisoning a lot more difficult.” He wiped his mouth off with a napkin and got to his hooves. “W-what? W-why?” she croaked, staring up at him with wide eyed amazement. She tried to ask it louder, but she could only barely make it as loud as a whisper. She tried to move her hooves, to get up, but her body refused to obey. “The same reason we do anything.” He narrowed his eyes on her as a wide, happy grin spread across his lips. “Did you really believe anypony could fall for something like you?' He flicked her nose. “A wingless bird? A flightless chicken?” He chuckled and shook his head. “Did you really believe that Nightmare Moon would allow such a useless creature to remain the friend to her heir?” She tried reaching out to him. If she could just get a hoof on him, she could take him down. She knew it. She frantically looked for anything she could grip to use on him. “Your parents should have drowned you the moment they found out you couldn't fly.” He trotted a few steps away. “A shame though. If you hadn't tried ruining these students, I could have let you live a little longer. Taken my time, perhaps let you have a little accident. Or had you die in an... explosive rebel attack.” He chuckled softly. “Hornclipper, kill her.” The stallion nodded and stepped away from the wall, walking towards her. She stared up at him, wiggling about. She had to move. She had to. If she didn't, she'd die here. She tried calling for help, spreading out her wings, kicking the side of the table. Anything. But her body refused to listen as Hornclipper came closer and closer.