The wyvern billowed forth a nouxious green cloud straight towards Luna who quickly dashed to the side avoiding the gasious mist. The cloud impacted the ground and dispersed, as the fumes disappeared it left a large melted crater where it had struck the earth.
"Luna!!!" Twilight yelled from the trees as she darted towards Luna projecting a light purple shield to block another plume of acid gas.
"Twilight be careful of it's breath, a wyvern can't breathe fire like a dragon but it's acid breath is known to melt even the strongest of metals like butter!" Luna turned to twilight who was still projecting the force field.
"HEY! Leave the princess and Twilight alone you oversized lizard!!!" Rainbow yelled at the beast as she charged towards it and swivelled around in mid air and bucked it in the snout.
The wyvern shook it's nose and snorted before glaring death at the pegasi that bravely, or stupidly, attacked it. The wyvern gave one flap of its mighty wings sending Rainbow Dash tumbling through the air until she impacted a tree. As she stuck the tree back first she slid down its trunk and came to a rest at its base. She shook her head to try and get rid of the stars. When her vision stopped spinning she saw AppleJack had already galloped towards twilight with a lasso at the ready. She gave the lasso a good throw and as it soared through the air it found its mark around the wyverns mouth. Applejack pulled the rope taught tightening the loop around the beasts mouth forcing it closed before it could let loose another breath of acid.
"Hoo there big guy!" Applejack grunted as she used all her strength to try and restrain it. Pinkie bounded over from behind a rock and grabbed the rope in her mouth and began to pull with Applejack. The combined strength of two earth ponies wasn't enough though as the wyvern began pulling back, AJ and Pinkie dug there hooves into the ground trying to gain some traction.
"Hold on girls!"Rarity said as she galloped forward and used her magic to pull as well.
Still not enough as the wyvern continued to struggle.
Rainbow finally shook away the groginess and flew over quick, grabbing Fluttershy along the way, who was hiding in a hollowed out stump, and grabbed the rope with their teeth. Now with two earth ponies, two (okay maybe one and a half) pegasi and a unicorn pulling with full strength the five were no longer moving with the creature. They were at a stand still.
"Twilight we must help...OW!" Luna tried to stand up but saw that her rear left hoof was badly burned from light contact with the acid.
"Luna! Your hoof!" Twilight looked down at the afflicted hoof, the coat singed revealing now slightly charred skin.
"I will be fine Twilight Sparkle, but now your friends need you! They can't hope to bring it down by themselves." Luna gave Twilight a stern look before looking back at the tug of war between the massive reptile and the five ponies.
"But....but....fine but I'll be right back!" Twilight exclaimed as she teleported to her friends.
The contest of strength seemed a tie as Twilight joined her friends enveloping the rope in a purple aura.
"NOW GIRLS!!!" Twilight yelled to her friends as they all pulled in unison.
The wyvern began to move again but this time towards the six ponies. It spread its wings in an attempt to take off but was instead lifted into the air by the snout as the six ponies used as much strength as they could muster to toss the reptile through the air and into the forest behind them. A loud gutteral howl of pain could be heard as the wyvern crashed through the trees and landed with a loud crunch breaking branches on its trip to the ground. Then silence. The group slowly approached the downed trees, save for one as Twilight quickly teleported to Lunas side and began using magic to start the healing. As the five ponies peered over the splintered stumps they saw why the wyvern had all of a sudden gone quiet. It had made contact with a large pointed boulder that jutted from the ground, piercing its neck silencing the great beast for good. Fluttershy almost fainted at the thought that she had aided in the death of an animal but was caught off guard as the wyverns body started to wither as if it was dehydrating at a rapid pace before turning into dust and fading away.
"Now what in tarnation happened to it?" Applejack asked taking off her hat and scratching at her head with her hoof.
"It was a construct." Luna limped over being helped by Twilight Sparkle.
"A what now?" Rainbow questioned as she hovered over to the rock they slayed the beast with.
"A construct, a creature manufactered through magic, it was a lost art." Luna looked back towards the wastes. "And only one pony in the world would be able to create such a large and powerful one." Luna eyed the desert as if she could already see Nior.
"If Noir can fabricate such a dreadful creature how are we supposed to beat him?" Rarity was a little more than shaken at the thought of having to fight more wyverns or even worse.
"Heh, whatever we showed that stupid "construct" thing who's boss and we'll do the same when we find that Noir guy." Rainbow somehow made air quotes at the word construct.
"Yea we did, but that was just one Rainbow, 'magine if we had ter fight two or more at once." Applejack stated flatly.
This made Rainbow shrink back a little, one of those things was bad enough but two, OR MORE?
"I...I want to go home." Fluttershy whimpered as she curled into a ball, Pinkie trotted over and nuzzeled her friend to comfort her.
"It's ok Fluttershy, auntie Pinkie Pie will protect you!" Pinkie beamed at Fluttershy who mumbled something about a year and older. Pinkie seemed to just ignore this.
"I'm sorry Fluttershy, but we have to keep going, if we don't find the idol and restore the elements to full power who knows what Noir might do." Twilight tried to re-assure her friend.
"O...okay...if it's the only way." Fluttershy stood up shakily but still had her head down.
"Luna how's your hoof?" Twilight looked over to Luna who had been using her own magic to further the healing.
"I will be fine Twilight Sparkle." Luna looked back at the everfree forest. "But if that's what Noir sent us, I can only hope that Tia is safe."
Meanwhile in Canterlot.
"Quickly get the civilians to the shelters!" Shining Armor commanded as he held off a creature twice the size of a manticore with his magic, lion head and body, with a goat head jutting from its back, and a snake for it's tail. A chimera had Shining Armor pinned against a wall pounding away with it's claws at his barrier protecting a young filly who was cowering beneath his hooves.
"Aye sir!" The pegasus guard standing next to Shining Armor took the filly in his hooves and bolting away form behind the barrier past the chimera as fast as his wings could take him. The chimera turned it's heads towards the pegasus almost grabbing onto his hind leg with the snake head, but before the jaws could make contact it fell to the ground having been cut from the chimeras tail by a sword being held with a aura of light purple magic.
"Hey ugly!" Shining Armor said to the wailing beast. "It's not nice to go and play with others when our game's not over yet."
Shining armor then levitated a spear to his side. The chimera crouched down exposing the goat head which shot out a gout of fire that Shining Armor was just barely able to dodge before thrusting his spear forward into the goat heads eye. The chimera reared back as it howled in pain. This was Shining Armors chance though, he readied his sword and slashed out across the chimeras chest and for good measure pierced it's lower jaw with his spear going straight through its skull. As the beast fell to the ground and began to disappear Shining Armor took up his spear and sword again in his magical grasp.
"Heh well he wasn't so tough." Shining Armor then galloped through the streets searching out any more civilians that may be in trouble, he stopped in the middle of the street though as he was now standing infront of three large as a steam engine monsters made of rock.
"Well this isn't going to be easy." Shining Armor mused to himself as the three golems lumbered over to him towering over the captain of the guard.
"Captain!" Came a cry from the sky as a pegasus and unicorn guard came to Shining Armors side, spears at the ready.
"Well looks like you guys didn't miss the party." Shining Armor smirked at the guards.
"Wouldn't Dream of it sir." The larger of the two new ponies said, a stallion with a light blue coat and a flaming orange mane that stuck out like a sore...hoof with out his helmet on, a zigzag trail of fire adorning his flank for his cutie mark.
"Blaze is right captain, besides I can't let these things off you, you still owe me thirty bits from that bet of ours from the wonderbolt race last month." The pegasus gave a cocky wink at her captain. This pegasus was smaller then the two stallions, obviously a mare, with a light grey coat and mane of crimson red with highlights of light pink running through it, a pair of dice were her cutie mark.
"Well Blaze, Nira?" Shining Armor exchanged looks with his guard. "Let's give these guys a heart warming welcome to Canterlot." Shining Armor smirked.
"This is gonna be fun." Said Blaze as he charged up his horn setting his spear on fire.
"Twenty bits says I take down mine first." Nira stated as she flared her wings spear at the ready in her hooves.
"You're on." The two stallions said in stereo as the three charged towards the moving walls.
Meanwhile in Canterlot Castle.
Celestia was preparing a wide effect spell that would displell or at least weaken the constructs that had invaded Canerlot. A small battalion of guards guarding her in the throne room as she concentrated the magic.
"I do hope Luna and the others are fairing better than we are." Celestia thought to herself.
Back at the wasteland.
Luna was now mostly healed and took to flying so as not to stress her afflicted hoof. The seven ponies now galloped or flew at a steady but hurried pace in the direction Luna indicated on the map. They ran for what seemed like hours before fatigue set in prompting the party to take a break.
"Let's set up camp here." Luna suggested as they approached an outcropping of large rocks they could use for shelter.
The ponies then erected their tents, and readied the fireplace. It was already getting cold as the sun began to set. They were all more than a little tired considering they had just fought and beaten a wyvern and ran for a good few hours straight. Applejack pulled out several canteens from her saddle bag and passed them around knowing that everypony'd be thirsty right about now. Twilight sparked the fire using what few dried up and dead plants they could find for fire wood and one pinata, that a certain party pony reluctantly gave up after spouting off something about pinata emergencies. The seven ponies then sat around in silence as Luna raised the moon again.
"Luna?" Twilight finally broke the silence. "How far until we reach the ruins?"
"Not far now Twilight, come morning we should be able to make it there by late afternoon." Luna gave a quick look at the map just to be sure before nodding to herself.
"Well then I reckon we best be hitting the hay." Applejack said before letting out a yawn.
"I agree, we'll need our rest for tomorrow." Rarity made her way to one of the tents.
"That sounds like a good idea, goodnight everypony." Twilight said as they all entered the four tents they had with them, two ponies per and one for the princess since she couldn't fit with another in the same tent. Twilight then used her magic to put out the fire as they all went to bed.
A few hours later all seven ponies sound asleep, none of them noticed as a large black alicorn made his way to the fire pit they made and sifted around the ashes smiling to himself.
"This would be too easy", he gave a smirk as he stood over the four tents neatly lined up together.
"No I wont end it that soon little sister, I want you to know the truth before I decide your fate." Noir then chuckled lightly to himself before disapperaing in the wind.