The Forgetful One part 2
I only made it a few steps before the claws came for me.
A muted growl from beneath the ground was the only warning I received, and my confused turn towards the sound was the only reason my head kept its place on my shoulders. A nail slashed along my cheek, tipping me off-balance. I toppled to the dirt.
The creature's arc brought it down to the ground again, and it disappeared in a hail of sand and loose stones. Derpy knelt by my side and cried, “Verdant, are you okay?”
“What in Celestia's name was that?” My face burned where the thing's claw had found its mark. I could feel a liquid warmth.
“What's going on?” Princess Twilight demanded as both she and the Doctor rejoined us. “What was that noise?”
“There- There's something underground! Oh, it hurts.”
“Hold on, I've got something for that.” The Doctor produced an adhesive patch and applied it.
A furry hand grabbed hold of the princess' forehooves and started to drag her back the way it had come, but a quick beam shot freed the alicorn enough for her to lift off. Circling back around, she said, “We have to get higher so whatever it is can't get us! Come on, Derpy!”
Twilight wrapped her hooves around the Doctor and picked him up, while Derpy did the same for me. We went airborne just in time to dodge another leaping attack from the beast. Finally, I could see it clearly.
The thing was a hulking lump of matted black fur and muscles. Seemingly bipedal, it sported nothing but a ragged vest. Its open muzzle revealed a set of overly-sharp teeth.
“Is... Is that a Diamond Dog?”
Derpy shot a quick look back at the monster, who was standing above ground, tracking our flight. “It can't be. Diamond Dogs may not be the cutest creatures in Equestria, but I don't think they've ever been that mean-looking.”
“Don't dismiss it so fast,” the Doctor told her as the winged ponies slowed to a stop. We were high enough that we could safely plan our next step, but more of the Dogs popped up beside the first one. “The Diamond Dogs we're familiar with would've spent the last couple centuries bathed in the fallout of those god-killing bombs. Some mutation is to be expected.”
“They're blocking our way to that Maripony place. How are we supposed to get there now?” I asked.
“Probably the same way we got away from them in the first place,” Twilight quipped.
“Oh. Oh, yeah.” I grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, Your Highness.”
“Can you... Can you stop that? It's getting a little weird.”
Even more of the Dogs arrived before I could apologize again. A loud ker-chak told us exactly what they'd brought with them. Derpy blanched. “They have guns?!”
“Shields, shields, shield!” the Doctor yelped.
A purple glow flared to life and intercepted the storm of lead, though the extra effort was wearing on Princess Twilight. Little beads of sweat trickled down from her brow, and she sank lower. I opened my mouth to ask if she needed some help.
Then a ball of flame smashed against the shield.
Concussive force shattered the princess' magic and threw the four of us down to the rocks. We landed hard. Slowly, painfully, I rose. I was the only one who did so, the others stayed sprawled out.
“Derpy! Derpy, are you alright?” I wheezed, desperately checking for any signs of injury.
There were none, thankfully. She was breathing evenly and more or less intact, as were the Doctor and Princess Twilight. “Thank Celestia,” I said under my breath. My friends were okay. We were okay.
“Poooonnnyy!”
I spun around at the screech and saw one of the dogs bounding towards us. In seconds, it closed what little distance there had been. The beast leapt, claws aimed at my throat. I quickly lit up my horn and sent an unfocused mass of magic its way. The beam caught the Dog full in the chest.
The Dog recovered almost immediately, rolling to its paws and scrabbling after me again. But this time I was ready for it. A shield of my own blazed into being. It was rougher than the princess', not as pretty or perfect, but it did its job. The Dog pounded futilely on the pink hemisphere.
I'm not sure how long I held the shield against the monster. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes or so, but adrenaline has a way of turning seconds into ages. Regardless there was enough time for more Dogs to show up before my friends began to stir.
At the same moment, some of the Dogs stopped banging on the shield and let out a fearful whine. The lot of them bolted as Derpy raised her head. “What..? Verdant, did you make this shield? Why are they running?”
I gulped and pointed the reason out to her, having just caught sight of it myself. It was a sight both familiar, and yet strange in execution. There were four of them, each a different color, and they all sported wings and horns.
“Alicorns?” Twilight gasped.