Spot chuckled softly as his head popped out from under the ground, overlooking the small compound that had once held their leader. The diamond dog watched the ponies stationed outside. There were almost two dozen of them, just milling about, playing games and barely paying attention.
“Ponies so stupid. Don't even know dog escaped,” he said with a shake of his head.
“They probably know, but the initial panic has likely been over for hours,” one of the ponies said behind him. He didn't know her name, probably Sparklebutt or Winklefrolick or other stupid pony name. He paid it no mind. There were six ponies and half that number in diamond dogs, far too many in his opinion. The compound was surrounded in a big cement wall and the ground was cement as well, but the bending would make it easy to get in. They'd be in and out before the ponies knew what was happening.
“Ponies follow me, burst out hard and fast. Dogs cover ponies, keep other, unmarked ponies back,” Spot said before disappearing under the ground, his paws digging through the soil with ease. He liked this soil, it was soft and malleable, easy for him to tear through. He moved quickly towards the compound, digging with ease but slowing slightly so the metal benders could come out ahead of him. They moved ahead, tearing open the concrete and creating a hole for them to move through. The dogs rushed ahead, spilling out of the hole into the... empty... main courtyard.
Spot looked around, but the main courtyard was empty, aside from the buildings that held the council members. He sniffed the air, he could barely even smell the ponies in here. He gave a soft snort. “Unmarked ponies so stupid. Think we come in through door,” he said with a gruff laugh as the others crawled in after him. The benders quickly sealed up the hole behind them. He looked around at all the buildings. He then focused on the largest one. “Dogs, ponies, come,” he said gruffly as he walked to the building.
He sniffed the door for a moment and frowned. He slowly backed away. “What is it?” one of the ponies asked.
“Something... burning,” the dog said softly, before slamming the door open, ready to dive away if need be.
A pony was on the other side, one of the unmarked. She let out a yipe as her wings opened up, sparkling slightly. His hand lanced out and grabbed her around the throat. “Pony put wings away. Pony not want get hurt, yes?”
The pony yelped and the wings quickly retracted. His other paw reached out and unlatched the metal wings, letting them fall to the ground. He then gave a toothy grin. “Pony know where council members are, yes? Pony show us? Or pony prefer getting hurt?” He held out his free claw, sticking his nails out so they caught the light. The pony gave a whimper.
“P-please don't hurt me,” the pony said weakly. “I-I'll s-show you where they are.”
“Where are the other ponies?” Spot asked before dropping the pony.
“Other ponies?”
“Yes. Why no guards?” Spot asked before nudging the pony along and letting her lead them.
“Most were moved into the city once we fully captured it,” the pony said nervously. “Most of the guards are keeping an eye outside, in case we get attacked.”
“Inside?”
“Not as many. We weren't supposed to let an attack get this far,” the pony said with a nervous squeak. “P-please don't kill and eat me.”
The dog made a face. “Why would Spot eat pony? Pony probably taste awful.”
“I think there are a few other reasons not to eat pony,” one of the metal benders mumbled.
“Yes, ponies whine too much,” Spot added with a knowing nod. He could practically hear the rolling of eyes behind him.
The unmarked nodded nervously as she walked, looking around. She gulped and stopped outside a doorway. “T-they're down this hall, the door has guards. Please don't kill me,” she said again.
Spot frowned and then gave a nod, before grabbing his weapon of choice from his belt. A big white club with a wider section on each end, perfect for bashing. The others had similar weapons. He gave a nod to the other dogs. “Ponies wait here. No earth to bend, just get in way.”
“Be careful,” one of the ponies said.
“Bah, ponies worry too much. Mark-less ponies not dangerous to dog.” He then charged forward, shoving the door open and barreling down it.
Two ponies stood outside a big wooden door. They just stared, their eyes wide. The dogs were halfway to them before one of them snapped out of it and spread out her wings, electricity surging through them. “Set off the alarm, I'll hold them--”
The pony didn't get a chance to complete her order before Spot brought his bone-club down on the pony's head, making her wobble from side to side a few times before falling over with swirls for eyes. The second lunged forward, her electro-wings lancing out. He caught the blow with his club, before backing up into the other dogs. The pony was hit by the combined blows of two of his dog's clubs as they lunged forward to hit the pony. She dropped like a sack of rocks, her head sporting two big lumps.
Spot chuckled before glancing back. “Ponies come now.” He walked to the door and frowned. It was oak, strong and durable with a big metal lock. He backed up and motioned to it. One of the other dogs charged forward, ramming into it and knocking the door down. He let out a yipe and stumbled forward as he fell. He quickly got back to his feet.
The door led to a staircase going up. Spot laughed again. “Ponies not as dumb as I thought. Stored dog upstairs, away from ground. Still escaped, though.” He reached back and grabbed their prisoner, shoving her ahead. “Pony lead or pony get clubbed.”
“Yes sir, whatever you want sir,” the pony said softly as she started trotting up the stairs, gulping nervously. The others followed closely behind. It was two neat rows of stairs, side by side and their ends meeting in the middle with a single door at the top. He sniffed the air and grinned as he made it near the end.
“More smoking. Lots more smoking. Means more ponies. Lots more ponies,” he said with a chuckle. “Ponies ready?”
The ponies shook their heads. “Perhaps we should--”
“Bah, ponies worry too much!” Spot yelled before grabbing their prisoner and chucking her through the door and into the room. She rolled a few times before landing with a groan, her eyes swirling.
“I... I brought the... the... ambush... and the... sour cream... with the... hummus,” the mare said weakly.
The room was filled with the unmarked and four open cells, all of which were empty. One of the ponies stepped forward, a grin on her lips. “Ah, so you must be the rescuers we were expecting. Don't think for a moment that--” The pony paused and blinked. “Hey! HEY! Get back here!” she yelled as the dogs turned tail and started running, the metal benders ahead of them. “Set off the alarm! Go! Don't let them outside this building! Unleash the traps!”
Spot was hallway down the stairs when suddenly the lights flickered. The door they came through let out a loud hiss, before bolts of electricity seemed to flow through it. The tiles in the ground erupted in a smoldering, electrified pile, trapping the ponies and dogs on the stairs.
“Now, as I was saying,” the mare said as she advanced through the door, her wings spreading out as electricity arced between them. “You must be the rescue party. We've been waiting for you.”
Spot growled and turned towards them, raising his club. “Pony talk to much! Unmarked don't scare dog!”
“Ah, truly? Well, perhaps some... artificial bending shall.” She backed away and a few ponies with jugs of water on their backs surged forward. The little cannons on their backs shot forward, shooting water at the ponies.
Spot brought up his club to block the water, holding it back with ease as it flowed around him. “Hah! Stupid pony, think water scares dogs?! We can doggy paddle!”
More of the cannons lined up, dousing the ponies and dogs, but the water pressure was weak and did almost nothing.
Spot laughed as he took a step forward, letting the water flow around him. 'Stupid ponies. All they do is get the stairs wet and--' He froze, and let out a yipe. “CHARGE!” He yelled, before charging forward.
He was too slow. A scream tore through the air behind him as he heard the sound of electricity tearing through the water. He barely made it to the top and out of the water, a light tingling going through his paws. There was a thump and he looked back and saw one of his dogs and four of the ponies collapsed on the ground, twitching erratically. He then turned towards the unmarked, who stared at them confidently.
“It's over, dogs. You've met your match. Surrender!”
Spot growled, then tapped his club on the ground. “You know what dog think?”
“What?”
“Dog think you're in charge.”
“Yeah, so?” she asked.
“Dog think... that mean you know where leaders are now.” He gripped his club tightly.
She gave a chuckle. “Oh? So what if I do?” Her wings sparkled. “Are you going to try and take that information from me?”
“FETCH!” he yelled, before charging forward. The other dog ran with him. The pony looked shocked and took a few quick steps back as her soldiers moved forward. Their clubs swung left and right, clobbering the ponies and sending them flying, the water packs exploding and sending water across the floor.
“Charge!” he heard the ponies behind him yell and then the metal benders raced forward, moving around the dogs and sending out their little whips of metal to attack and bind the ponies.
“Get them, get them, GET THEM!” the mare screamed, pointing forward.
The rest of the unmarked surged forward, their electrical wings sizzling as they crashed against the four. Electricity surged through the dog, but his hide was tough and the pony's was not. He smashed the bone into them, scattering them as he surged forward, racing at the now frightened mare. He lunged forward, ignoring her wings as she zapped at him. His claws wrapped around her throat and slammed her into the ground. He dropped his bone and his free hand moved down, tearing one of the metallic wings off and sending sparks into the air. The other fizzled and died.
“P-please don't hurt me I was just following orders I don't wanna die please don't eat me!”
Spot growled, before looking back. The only ones who were still standing were one of the metal benders and his last dog. However they both looked worse for the wear, spasming lightly and covered in burns. The other pony was on the ground, groaning and barely moving. The dog took a deep breath, then looked down at the pony in his grasp and grabbed his club. “Dog don't eat pony. Pony probably taste nasty. Dog just bash pony's head in.”
She shrieked. “P-please no! I'll tell you where they are! I'll tell you where they are!”
Spot grinned and then hefted her up. “Good pony.” He looked to the last dog. “Make an exit!” he yelled.
The dog nodded and then moved back to the stairs. He turned to the wall and brought both his hands together, before slamming them into it. The wall crumbled after three strikes and the dog poked his head through. “... Boss. Bad news.”
Spot growled and walked towards the stairs, dragging the whiny pony behind him. He then peered through the hole. It opened up into another room with windows. And through the windows he could see that more ponies were gathering outside, dozens of them. He took a slow, deep breath before looking back towards his remaining soldiers. Both of them. “We're going to have to fight our way out. Not easy.” He looked down at his prisoner. “Going after leaders. Pony can go home.”
“If you're not giving up, neither am I,” the metal bender said, stomping a hoof down. “Besides, you'll probably need my bending.” She then looked towards their fallen, hurt comrades. “We can't get them out of here if we have to fight,” she mumbled. “Let's make sure they don't fall in vain.”
The dog blinked, before grinning. “Perhaps ponies have a bit of dog in them after all.” He then tossed the unmarked pony to his last remaining dog. “Hold pony. We make path, then you dig.” He shoved through the hole, making it a bit bigger as he clasped the club in his hands. The pony walked up behind him and he could tell by the wobbling in her legs she wasn't holding up nearly as well as he was. But she was willing to fight and keep going, so he wouldn't send her away.
Besides, pony bending was a little useful. Maybe it would help somehow. He roared and then raced forward, slamming through the window and leaping out to the ground below, bone swinging as the unmarked swarmed at him, their wings sparking.
------
Diamond, Fido and Hornclipper burst from the ground like daisies, Hornclipper being dumped unceremoniously on the ground. The poor pegasus gasped for air, not moving as he struggled to breath.
“Pony struggle too much,” Fido said in annoyance.
“I don't think he could breath,” Diamond said with more of a smile than she knew she should have. As an earth bender, making the air pockets for herself was easy. For the pegasus, she doubted it was.
“Pony need get better at breathing,” the dog said with a shrug.
The unicorn shook her head and then looked around. They were behind the compound, with it between them and the city. The walls were just as large and imposing as ever but, to her delight, there were no signs of the guards that usually kept the place under watch. “I guess there's no need for guards in a place like this. Out of the town and all,” Diamond muttered.
“Not for now,” Hornclipper muttered before slowly getting to his hooves, having caught his breath. “Come on, let's go.”
Diamond nodded and trotted towards the building. “You sure it's going to be okay? I mean... are you sure you can find it?”
“Probably,” the pegasus said with a shrug. He slowly spread out his wings, cringing a bit. The unicorn couldn't help but notice the blades seemed to be tightened on far too tightly, digging into the flesh.
“Don't those hurt?”
“Lots of ponies hurt more,” he muttered.
“Well, aren't you just the most chipper of ponies? Do you have a book of dark poetry, too?” she asked flatly before trotting up to the wall. “Come on.” She thrust her hoof forward.
“Wait!” Hornclipper called, but it was too late. The ground under them lifted up, tossing the three up and over the wall. They flung over into the compound and she quickly bent the ground as they landed, dampening the blow.
The alarms went off the moment they touched the dirt. A high pitched siren filling the air, letting everypony know they were there. Diamond squeaked and looked around, expecting dozens of ponies to race at them from the buildings.
Instead, nothing happened. Hornclipper shoved her forward. “Come on, let's move!” he ordered before racing into the compound.
Diamond nodded and followed after him. The place had already been trashed, the main gate ripped down. Most of the buildings had their doors busted down as well, the warehouses almost empty with only a few crates remaining.
The alarms finally cut off, though if somepony disabled them or it was on their own, she couldn't say. She prayed they thought it was a false alarm.
“All the weapons are gone,” Hornclipper muttered.
“What?” she asked.
“The weapons. All of them are gone. Dr. Alicity had created all sorts of... things for defending the city. They're all gone.”
Diamond nodded. So now these ponies were armed. Well, better armed. 'Just what I needed.'
To her surprise, they went right past the warehouses and straight to the main mansion. The main house had been left almost untouched. Then again, she supposed he probably wouldn't store weapons in his home. He'd have to be nuts. '… Maybe they just didn't know him very well.'
Hornclipper tried the door, before turning and giving it a swift buck. The door flew open and a brand new alarm filled the air.
“Well, good job!” Diamond snapped.
“The alarm already went off once. If they're on their way, they're on their way,” Hornclipper snapped back before racing inside. She sighed and followed after him. She couldn't help but notice the ground shook slightly with each step Fido took. She was so thankful he was on her side.
He led them through the house towards one of the back rooms, bucking down the door. There it was. A great, massive radio system, with headphones and speakers. Diamond's mouth fell open.
'I can't believe this. This is so easy! Nothing is ever this easy,' she thought to herself. Fido lumbered forward, gripping the side.
“WAIT!” Hornclipper yelled. The dog looked up quizzically.
“What does pony want now?”
“I need to unhook it,” the stallion said with a sigh. He walked forward and after a few moments, he had everything unplugged and coiled around the main box. “There. Let's go.”
Diamond nodded and turned, trotting towards the exit. She couldn't believe it. Everything was going perfectly. They were actually going to get out of here. Her heart fluttered slightly as they stepped out of the main door and into the compound proper.
'Wow, that is a LOT of ponies,' she thought to herself as she stared at the dozens of pegasi(and non-pegasi in alicorn armor) flying through the air, the dozens on the ground and, worse of all, Meadowbrook.
“Why can't things go smoothly for once?” Diamond lamented. “It was all going so well.”
“Ah, Avatar. I'm sorry I wasn't here. When the alarms went off... well, it wasn't until my scouts arrived to tell me some ponies were sneaking in that I mustered my forces. Sadly, I could only gather a fraction so quickly, but I do hope you don't mind the small audience.”
Diamond gulped and looked at the crowd ahead of her. It was a stark reminder of just how overwhelmed they were by the unmarked. She slowly stepped forward, mumbling back towards the other two. “Fido, Hornclipper, I'll try to hold them off. Get out of here.”
“But pony--” the dog tried to object.
“Just do it,” she said, before turning back.
“Could it be?” Meadowbrook asked, drawing Diamond's eyes towards the mare.
Something seemed off. Normally the terrorist was so calm and collected. Smooth. But now her staff was practically shaking and she seemed extremely tense.
“It... is,” the unicorn said, taking a step forward. “Hornclipper. I never imagined I would see you here. I take it you're here to take vengeance for what happened to your son?”
Diamond could practically feel the pegasus tense up, but he didn't say anything.
“A shame. I really hoped it had been you,” the mare said, the venom evident in her voice. The ponies behind her were starting to look uneasy and confused.
“You two know each other?” Diamond asked nervously.
“Oh, he wouldn't know me,” Meadowbrook said with a chuckle. “But oh, I know him. I imagine almost every unicorn knows who you are, Hornclipper. The great de-horner. The lap dog of the Water Nation. The demon of the blades.”
Diamond turned back to see the pegasus. He was completely frozen, his eyes wide with horror. “You're... you're a fire bender,” he said, his mouth falling open.
“Oh, I was, once,” she said with a chuckle before raising her staff. “I heard all the stories about you. About your tyranny. The way you gathered up little colts and fillies, held them in wooden stocks before slashing off their horns. Did it make you feel strong to beat on those weaker than yourself?”
There was no doubt about it now, the ponies behind Meadowbrook were slowly backing away.
“You were one of the greatest monsters the Fire Tribes ever had. Torturing and maiming those too weak to fight back. A symbol of the great disparity between those with power and those without.” She aimed the staff at him. “One of the great opponents of true equality.”
“Go,” Hornclipper whispered.
“Wait, what?” Diamond asked.
“You two, just run!” he yelled, before charging forward. His right wing lanced out, the blade trying to slice into the mare.
Meadowbrook brought the staff down, catching the blade with the side before she moved to the left, twirling the staff down and smacking it against the back of his head, driving him to the ground. “Get the Avatar! This one is mine!” she yelled.
Diamond eeped as the crowd of unmarked turned towards her. “Back in the house, back in the house!” she yelled, shoving Fido in ahead of her before running in and slamming the door shut. There was a thump behind it as she ran.
Hornclipper rolled forward, barely avoiding a second strike from the staff. He rolled back to his hooves and turned around, bending his head low and spreading his wings out.
“Just me and you, Hornclipper,” Meadowbrook said softly, slowly circling around the stallion.
The pegasus' eyes slowly looked up, watching the unmarked break in through the windows and bang down the doors to the house. He hoped delaying Meadowbrook would be enough. “Who are you? You still have your horn so--” He jumped back, avoiding another swipe of the staff.
“Who am I? One of the ponies you left broken in your wake!” the mare snapped, stepping forward and stabbing out with the sharp end of the staff. “I heard stories about you from my mother. About the great terror, Hornclipper.”
The pegasus dodged to the left and right, deftly avoiding the strikes. She was furious, striking out in anger and hate. The moves were sloppy. All he had to do was wait for the right movement. “That was long ago. I--”
“Twilight should have destroyed you! Killed you like you killed so many others!” Meadowbrook roared, stabbing with the pronged ends of the staff, then twisting it around to strike with the back end. He brought up his wings to knock it aside.
“I never killed those ponies, I just--”
“You took their horns! Do you have any idea what kind of life awaited the de-horned?” Meadowbrook asked, stepping in faster as her strikes came harder and harder. “They were reminders of what the Water Nation had done. Ponies didn't want anything to do with them once the Avatar was finished! And you, you got off scott free. You weren't imprisoned, weren't tortured, weren't executed! You didn't even have your wings removed!” Flames formed around the staff, making the pegasus yelp and take to the air, barely avoiding a burst of fire.
“There is no forgiveness for what I did,” he said as he hovered a few feet up. “But there is nothing I can do about it but--” He was forced to dive as fire erupted above his head.
“You have no idea how long I've waited for this,” Meadowbrook said as she ran towards him. “How long I've wanted to make you suffer!”
Hornclipper flew back up, trying to get out of range.
The mare chuckled. “Don't think it'll be that easy.” The flames on the staff died out and a green glow enveloped the staff. A moment later the winds swirled around the pegasus, grabbing him before throwing him back to the ground.
The stallion slammed down, hard, rolling a few times as the metal across his wings bent, jabbing into one of them. “H-how are you... what is that?”
Meadowbrook chuckled as she stepped forward. “The great balancer,” she said with a crazed laugh. “The Staff of Sameness. It takes what makes you special and brings you down to the same level as everypony else. Then harnesses that power. But you aren't like everypony else, are you?” She swung the staff again and the winds caught him, slamming him into the side of one of the warehouses. “You're a terror. A monster. Your image haunted my mother for years, until the day she took her own life.” The staff glowed brown.
Hornclipper tried to get to his hooves and fly off again, but the dirt rose up and grabbed his hooves, yanking him back to the ground despite the furious flapping of his wings.
“Nopony would go near her. My own father wanted nothing to do with us.” She waved the staff and then a pillar of stone rose up, slamming into his stomach and knocking the air out of him. “I wonder if you remember her. If you can still see her.” Meadowbrook asked as she walked forward. “She was the last. The very last pony who's horn you tore off. Just a little bit before the rest of the children had been saved. If you had just waited.” She did it again and again, the pillar rising up against his chest while the earth kept his hooves in place. She was soon rewarded with the sound of snapping bones and the pained moan of the stallion, not that he had the air to say anything. “Then Twilight just let you go. That traitorous Avatar acted as if what you did wasn't important. Let you live in her city. Let you marry some stupid Water Nation whore.” She thrust out the staff again and pillars of dirt rose up, wrapping around his wings and pulling them taut, fully out. More dirt rose up, covering his mouth. “We heard. We all heard.” She paused and stared at him. Slowly the staff was lowered to the ground, the twin prongs digging in. When she rose it up again, rock covered the end to form an axe head.
“They said you always cut through the horn in a single slice. I wonder if I can do the same with your wings?”
Hornclipper's eyes widened as he stared at the mare, trying to tug free of his bindings, but there was nothing he could do but watch helplessly as she advanced.
------
Diamond swore if she ever saw Dr. Alicity again, she was going to jump smack him so hard. Maybe hit him with a house. That sounded fun. She couldn't imagine why he had to build his house in the MIDDLE of the compound. She and Fido had raced through the house, finally jumping through one of the back windows. She thought they could have used the door, but Fido said 'Dog must make great exit in chase scene'. The unmarked weren't very fast, so escaping and outrunning them would have been easy.
Unfortunately, while the diamond dog had great strength, he was still very, very slow with his little legs and hauling the radio equipment. As such, the unmarked were steadily gaining. Diamond looked up at the dog, cringing slightly as she watched his tag wave dramatically in the wind. “Are you going to be okay? Can you make it?”
“Dog carry much heavier weights outside! Carry just fine,” he said, panting with exertion.
Diamond nodded. “Can you get out of here on your own and then get under ground and out, without me?”
“Of course, dog no need pony to--”
“Good, then go!” she yelled, before turning and spinning around. She stomped on the ground and sent out a ripple of dirt, causing the ponies leading the charge to fall flat on their faces with shrieks.
“What pony doing?!” Fido yelled back.
“Being a distraction, go!” Diamond yelled. “I'll be fine!” Fire blazed from the tip of her horn and she sent it flying into the air around her. “Okay, who wants some? Come and get it!”
To her amazement, the ponies just stopped. Some of them hovered in the air, while others slowly picked themselves up. The whole wall of them just stared at her, not moving.
She gulped and coughed into a hoof. “Well? Are you coming?”
Her mouth fell open as they started talking amongst themselves.
“I don't know. I mean, she is still the Avatar. Can we really take her?”
“I don't wanna get burned!”
“We're supposed to, Meadowbrook will get really, really mad if we don't. That's why she brought us.”
“What if we just get her a little bit?”
“I wanna go home and have some cookies...”
“All you ever want to do is eat cookies!”
“Well, I miss eating cookies. I used to make amazing cookies but now I have to keep running around and it sucks.”
“Oh, be thankful, I used to run like, three or four times faster than this. Now I'm just as slow as everypony else.”
Diamond face hoofed. She couldn't believe this. How were they afraid of these ponies? They were idiots. Complete and utter idiots. “Yeah, okay, I'm just going to go and...” She yelped as the fliers flew past her and landed on the opposite side. “Ah, right... numbers. Lots and lots of numbers. Well, this sucks.” She stomped the ground and walls of dirt rose around her. “Well, come on, let's do this then!”
A few of them charged her and she kicked out, raising the ground under them quickly and sending the ponies flying into the air. She then readied herself for the next strike.
“Move it! We have these electrical wings for a reason, go go!” one of the ponies yelled. Suddenly it was as if a switch had been flipped and the ponies surged forward, from all sides. She yelped and stomped her hooves, sending more ripples. However, the ponies started rising into the air and coming at her from above. She sent a small burst of flame out, trying to drive them back but it lasted only a few moments before she had to do the same with the earth bending. She couldn't keep this up forever. In fact, she couldn't keep it up much longer. She stomped her hooves again and then walls of dirt rose up, encasing her in a stone cocoon. She didn't know how long it would last, but she knew she was doomed.
She considered trying to go underground, but that was suicide. She could feel the anti bending enchantments under the ground, just waiting to trap her if she went down. They'd probably just catch her, but Dr. Alicity was weird. They might kill her.
The alarms went off again and she let out a sigh of relief. That would be Fido making his way out, at least. So it wasn't a complete failure. The stone protecting her shook and rattled as the ponies pounded on it with their metal wings. She yelped as a jagged piece of the wing blade pierced through and she barely closed it with more dirt. It was inevitable. There was nothing she could do, even now she could feel through the earth more ponies were joining them, some landing from above and a few running up behind. She'd lost. But she'd be bucked if she wasn't going to go out fighting.
Then the ground shifted under her and she let out a yelp. An explosion tore through the air, nearly shattering her stone egg and sending the ponies scattering. Chunks of the ground started raising up, fighting against the ponies and driving them back. Slowly, she let the stone fall away.
She was wrong. It wasn't just pieces of the ground. Water and fire spun through the air as well. Acrylic, Button and Sunburst stood on the other side of the crowd, driving them back with their bending. A few still surrounded Diamond, but even then were trying to flee, rather than launching another attack.
“Come on!” Acrylic yelled. “This won't work for long!”
Diamond looked up and gulped. Already the ponies were regathering themselves and preparing for another attack. She raced ahead, shoving those who blocked her way with earth bending. She jumped and landed besides her friends. “How? I thought you three were captured! Where have you been?”
“Busy! Hiding!” Acrylic yelled, before pushing out with another burst of water to knock the ponies away. He formed a blade of ice and clipped one of the fliers wings. “Let's get out of here!”
“But I have questions!”
“They have an army!” the stallion said, before turning and running.
She opened her mouth to object, before looking back at the ponies in their alicorn armor. “Right!” she yelled before racing after them.
“It is very good to see you again, Avatar,” Sunburst said before giving her a smile.
“Good to see you too. I thought all of you had been captured, or worse.”
“Nahhhhh. We've just been hanging low,” Button yelled.
Diamond saw the fence and almost tripped, her mouth falling open. It had been actually ripped open and a large, diamond dog sized hole could be seen in it. “You... guys didn't do that, did you?”
“Nope,” Acrylic called back.
“Dang it Fido. That's... actually kind of cool,” she muttered to herself. “Button, grab Acrylic! We're going down!” Diamond yelled as they went through the fence. She moved to Sunburst's side and put one hoof over his side. She then lifted another hoof into the air, making the ground lift up to swallow them.
The four dived into the earth, leaving the unmarked swarming angrily around where they'd disappeared.