Sword Mare

by ReifuTD

Battle for the Iron Bird Part 1: Sword or Mare

An army of boar stood in the middle of a pair of rocky outcroppings. At their front a large massive boar squeaks and grunts a speech to his people. Next to him a light brown sow. She was smaller than him but still larger than any of the other boar.

A crow made a loud caw disrupting the large boar’s rant. All the swine turn to look at the black bird. It flies from the tree it was perched in and lands to the ground. He turns into a half pony half crow form.

“Let’s speak in the magic high tongue?” The crow asked.

The female boar takes the form of a pony but kept her boar markings. “My father refuse to speak the despised tongue,” She snaps, “But as born from his loins so I speak for him.”

“Those who speak the magic tongue are coming to this mountain,” The crow answered.

“They come now and again what’s your point?” The sow snaps.

“Those are giant meat eaters,” The crow tells them, “Like the small meat eaters with the bird heads.”

“We will fight them,” The sow boasts, “But why tell us this? Wish to cause war and feast on their flesh? We keep the flesh, we eat the bones and claw.”

“I do this as a favor to a mate of mine,” The crow answered.

The sow sniffs the air. “I see.”

“The magic speakers will be after the Iron Bird,” The crow adds.

“Are you done then?” The sow asks.

“Yes,” The crow turns to fly away when the sow tackles him to the ground.

“Do you know what my name is?” The sow asked.

“Let go of me!” The crow squawked.

“Feather Breaker,” The sow answered before biting off the crow’s head.

Feather Breaker wipes off the blood from her mouth and turns to the other boar. “Find his lover, and kill the Griffon whore. Leave her wings for me to consume!”

“Three days later…”

Goldie walks across the rocky terrain. The white rocks poked into her feet and the brown sandy soil slid under her steps. She eyes every tall hill for danger. She could see the Bat Pony circling up ahead in the sky.

Metalance puts her hoof on Goldie’s shoulder startling the Griffon.

“It’s okay,” She tells her.

“Sorry, I’m suppose my nervures are just shot with all the stuff that happened to me,” Goldie sighed, “I was freed from the Gryphus only to be drugged here then to be chased from here by boar.”

“Well, if we could have avoided taking you here we would have but after killing a couple Gryphus we thought it was a bad idea to stay at the farm,” Metalance points out, “Any of us.” She turns to look at Tits Up and Mousecakes feeding a small band of cows.

“My hooves hurt from all this walking,” The cow complains.

“Hush now,” Tits Up pats her cow friend on the neck.

“Once we are out of these mountains we can rest more.” Rat Tak-Tak remarks as she comes walking back to the rest of the group Ferngully landing behind her. The Bat Pony stretches her shoulders and pops her back.

“Okay?” Rat Tak-Tak asks.

“Yes, just good to fly again,” Ferngully answers.

“The road up ahead turns and doesn’t go in the direction we need to if we have hope of finding the Iron Bird. We should figure out how to divide our party.”

“We should have the none fighting members of our party move ahead to Cannon Town,” Vepicon points out.

“What’s the plan once they reach Cannon Town?” Whirly Pop asks.

“I’ll have to rent farm space from a another farmer until we can afforded and or farm opens for us to buy,” Tits Up explains, “Normally in these case we may have to trade milk or exchange a calf.”

A cow hugs it’s young one.

“That’s a little cruel,” Pot Shell points out.

Tits Up shrugged, “The cows are my friends but they are lesser beings and it’s more acceptable to make some harder choices with them.”

“The same had been said about me,” Goldie adds somberly.

“I don’t mean to say it’s right,” Tits Up replied, “Just saying it’s more socially acceptable for two ponies or Griffon some combo there of to sell a cow between each other then another pony or Griffon. There isn’t a law against it but it’s looked upon as taboo. What the Gryphus did to you was stealing since you didn’t owe them any debt.”

“Whatever,” Goldie turns away from her.

“I don’t think she likes you very much,” Mousecakes remarks to Tits Up.

“I think I remind her too much of her slave drivers,” Tits Up points out.”

“So, the groups?” Honey Mead brings back on topic, “The Cows, Tits Up, Mousecakes, Pot Shell and Goldie are all obviously the ones going to Cannon Town. What about Ferngully, Whirly Pop, Vepicon and Puck?”

“Well now that you have the sword Inspiration your our group’s strongest member but the choice is up to you,” Rat Tak-Tak tells Whirly Pop.

“The Gryphus are strong, If I’m your hammer then I must be with the group that is most likely to fight them.” Whirly Pop answered.

“In that case I will go with the group going to Cannon Town,” Rat Tak-Tak told them.

“I’m with going with the rest of you to the mountains,” Ferngully tells them.

“Just don't be going and puting your self in any more harm,” Pot Shell warns.

“I’ll try not to,” Ferngully answers.

“You’re going to need another fighter,” Vepicon points out to Rat Tak-Tak.

“I’m not a good fighter but I’m fairly well with climbing mountains and cliffs,” Puck remarks, “I think I’ll go with the other group.” He then leans inn close to Vepicon. “Besides I don’t trust Whirly Pop alone with the girls.”

Vepicon puts a hoof on the pink pony’s shoulder and nods his head in solidarity.

“Okay, when we split Metalance will be in charge of the party,” Rat Tak-Tak tells them, “Next under her command is Honey Mead fallowed by Whirly Pop.”

“The next ben around the mountain they came upon a shocking sight…”

Bodies of mangled crows lay spooled out across the rocky valley. Among the dead were some boars as well.

“What happen here?” Vepicon wonders out loud.

Rat Tak-Tak stands up after examining the ground. “A battle between animal tribes.”

“Why would the crows and the boars fight like this?” Tits Up asked.

“I heard that they developed a taste for feathered creatures,” Puck answered.

There was three living crows picking at the carcass of a boar. One pulls out the dead pig’s eyeball as the group of ponies and Griffon approached. All three crows stop to look at the Griffon and flew over to her.

One lands turning into a winged pony shape.

“You are Goldie right?” The crow said more of a statement then a question.

The second crow lands, “You are ours.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about?” Goldie backs away to gain some protection from the ponies.

“We are one,” The third crow said as he landed and took shape. “We are murder.”

“What’s going on?” Honey Mead mutters to her group.

“I heard crow flocks sometimes have a hive mind.” Pot Shell answered.

One of the crow points at Goldie. “She is ours.”

Whirly Pop steps forward. “I cannot allow that?”

“I, we were promised,” The crows said in unison, “We were killed, we had vengeance.”

“They are looking for a fight,” Whirly Pop heard her own voice in her head. It sounded like it came from the sword. “Make one scream now and you may save your friends from injury later.”

Whirly Pop tremored.

“I think the sword is talking to her,” Puck whispers to Honey Mead.

“You sure?” Honey Mead replied.

“I have traveled with Nutcracker,” Puck told her.

A crow steps forward. Whirly Pop starts to draw her bow. Rat Tak-Tak reacted quicker but held back the first blow. She knew this was up to the marshmallow coated pony on what happens next.

“Woot! Woot!” A pony shaped creature leaped over the heads of the group. She put a spear through a crow’s chest. Feather Breaker pulls the spear out as two more boar in pony shapes land near her.

The two remaining crow backs off turning back into birds and perching on a nearby tree.

“You’re a boar bitch Feather Breaker,” A crow snaps.

“I was hoping to let you get fat before I crushed your skulls in my teeth,” Feather Breaker smiled, “But the ponies forced our hand.

A boar lunges a spear point at Vepicon. Vepi blocks the attack with his sword the spear bouncing off the metal.

The other boar charged switching from his equine to swine forms. Whirly Pop had to dodge the beast. Behind her Pot Shell and a cow jumps out of the way as well.

Metalance activates her spear incasing her body in armor. She takes the full impact of the boar. For a moment the two creatures were at a standstill. Then the boar gets a hold of Metalance with his tusk and attempts to up root the green pony.

“Move!” Puck shouts at some of the cows that obscured his view. The bovine scattered allowing him to take a shot at the boar with his cross bow.

The bolt hits the boar's neck not penetrating deeply into its thick hide. Metalance slams down on the projectile. The boar could feel pain as the bolt went deep into his neck and piercing the air cavity of his throat. This didn’t stop it from flipping Metalance on her back.

“Stick together sweethearts!” Tits Up shouted in a panic as her cow friends scattered.

Rat Tak-Tak and Honey Mead had started to herd the panicking cattle together by pushing them with their bodies. Mousecakes attempted the same but was knocked back by the stronger cow and almost fell over.

Two more boars jump out and ambush a panicked cow. One grabs her forehoof and another bit her neck. Unable to open their jaws until once closed all the way they bit bloodily through the cow’s flesh and bone.

“Mommy!” The cath screams as it watched it’s mother die. Tits Up had to grab the creature to stop it from running to the killer boar.

Rat Tak-Tak stabs one of the boar that killed the cow relieving it of it’s life blood. Another boar appeared to replace it.

“Fuck! We need to get out of the kill box!” Rat Tak-Tak shouted.

A cow near her gives the mare an indigent look.

“Pardon my french ma’lady,” Rat Tak-Tak smirked at the cow.

Inspiration starts to react to Whirly Pop’s mental commands. She could picture images of all the boars heads flying off in a bloody mess. Her loins felt hot from arousal. Then the pony stopped herself in horror as the images of her last massacre popped in her head. She was starting to feel sick.

Puck holds his hoof out to Whirly Pop. “You don’t have to use it.” He said.

“I’m scared,” Whirly Pop cries. Her memories goes back to how Smart Cookie had treated her. “I don’t have to be weak anymore. No more. She sent us here to die.”

Ferngully hooks one of the boar with her grapplers and starts riding. The thing bucks her off and she lands into Pot Shell and Goldie.

“Are you okay?” Pot Shell asked.

“I think I hurt my back,” Ferngully groaned.

“Not again please,” Pot Shell rolls his eyes.

Feather Breaker turns into her boar form. The crows she was stocking took to the air. She fires strands of hair as thick as arrows at the crows. They drop dead to the ground. She then moves her attention to Whirly Pop.

Vepicon dodges the boar’s slashing tusks. The red pony swings, The boar ducks and thrusted foreword with his snout. Vepicon jumps and stabs his sword in the boar’s eye.

Rat Tak-Tak activates her spear turning it into a flute contraption. She stabs a boar that was behind her with it. The thing had a hole exploded into it and it drops dead.

“Using up our power is better than being dead,” Honey Mead says to herself as she activates her spear. When the flames shot out from her back, a boar with its back toward her farts and an explosion of flame knocks the pony to the ground.

The boar grabs Metalance’s tail hairs in its teeth. It starts dragging the armored pony across the ground. Metalance gives the creature a quick swift kick with her hind leg in the face. The armored hoof cuts into the boar’s flesh. The mare feels her hairs rip apart freeing her from the boar. Once to her feet Metalance grabs her spear and plunges it into the boar’s chest.

Feather Breaker turns back into a pony form and walks toward Whirly Pop and Puck menacingly. Puck fires his crossbow. It hits the boar in the shoulder but bounces off her hide.

The group starts moving and Puck pulls Whirly Pop up off the ground. Rat Tak-Tak starts leading them up the hill as the ponies fought off more boar.

“These damn things just keep coming,” Rat Tak-Tak snaps to herself.

“I don’t think reaching the top of this hill is going to help us much sister,” Mousecakes remarks.

“We have to retreat to somewhere,” Rat Tak-Tak points out. Suddenly a boar rakes Rat Tak-Tak in the back puncturing her deeply.

“Rat Tak-Tak!” Mousecakes shouts using her body to support her injured sister.

Mousecakes glares at the boar. She then pulls out her orb and glares at a nearby dried up tree. She whispers some prayers into the orb and it begins to glow. Then the tree too begins to glow. Within moments leaves begin to blossom on the tree.

Feather Breaker thrusts her spear at Whirly Pop. Whirly Pop blocks with her bow. The bow changes into something that starts rapping around her foreleg. Images of the female boar being dehided danced in the pony’s head.

“No,” Whirly Pop mutters to herself.

Feather Breaker swings again and Whirly Pop blocks again.

“I know you have more than this and you,” The pig snorted, “Fight me like a real warrior.”

Whirly Pop looks up at Feather Breaker, a silver metallic glint was in her eyes. “That’s just it I am not a warrior.” Hooks start to come out of the bow.

Before Whirly Pop could do anything, Puck jams a bolt into Feather Breaker’s side. The boar stumbles back as the wound seeps blood.

Just then the leaves on the tree stiffen and fly off its branches. They become helicopter blades attacking the boar. This also caused Feather Breaker to retreat back a few steps as she slapped the painful leaves away.

“What dark saucery is this?” Feather Breaker snaps. Then one of the leaves slices across her eyebrow. “Ugh, retreat!” She shouts.

Quickly all the boar left the area. Causing all the ponies in Griffin to give a nervous sigh of relief. Mousecakes tends to Rat Tak-Tak's wounds with some healing bandages.

“I managed to slow the bleeding down,” Mousecakes remarks, “But concerns me is that these bandages are supposed to be more effective than that.”

Goldie and Ferngully lands nearby.

“All along the roads the boar have ambush positions,” Goldie tells them.

“Yeah, they have us pretty much well trapped,” Ferngully adds.

“What about the cows?” Tits Up asks.

“We can’t split the group under these conditions,” Vepicon tells her.

“He’s right,” Rat Tak-Tak agrees.

“We can’t drag them across the mountainsides!” Tits Up shouted.

“We can,” Puck points out, “The biggest issue is that it will slow us down.”

“We also need to protect our livelihoods,” Vepicon adds.

“True,” Puck shrugs.

“What if we find a cave somewhere and drop you guys off?” Rat Tak-Tak asks.

“I’m sure that would be okay, at least for a while,” Tits Up nods her head, “But we only have enough food to last the cattle a few days.”

Rat Tak-Tak turns to Ferngully. “Think you too can start scouting for good spots for a cave?”

“Sure, as if we can pull a cave out of our asses,” Ferngully remarks.

“We can also keep an eye out for a cave on the ground,” Pot Shell adds.

“Yes, but our search area on the ground is limited due to the possibility of boar patrols,” Rat Tak-Tak replied, “Shit, we haven’t ran into any Gryphus yet.”

“Sister you need to calm down,” Mousecakes pulls back the bandage to check the wound. It was starting to look infected. “Why isn't this thing working?” She mutters.

“What?” Ferngully asks over hearing.

“There’s something wrong with the wound,” Mousecakes said quietly to the Bat Pony.

“Well she was gnarled by a tooth,” Ferngully points out, “A mouth isn’t the cleanest thing and these boar are touched on the magical side of things. Maybe their spit has special powers like one of those large lizard things on that island? Bat Pony bites are said to be hard to stop bleeding. I have bitten my lip quite a few times and I suppose that to be true but then again I haven’t compared it to a none Bat Pony since it wasn’t something I dwelled too much on until now.”

Whirly Pop sat on the mountain side. She was trying to swallow her emotions. She found herself thinking about memories of when she was a foal.

“The Wax and Taxidermy Museum…”

Whirly Pop wonders around the building full of grotesque dead creatures on display. Farther back there was a display of ponies. Each one of the dead ponies were incased in wax with each display show casing a different aspect of pony anatomy.

The first display had a mare petrified in wax. The next had another mare her body shaved bald. The next mayor had her skin removed showing the layer of fat underneath. The next show cased the muscles. Half showed the muscles as they were assembled in the body while the other half showed the muscles dissected into their individual parts. After that was a display only showing the bones and internal organs. The last showed the veins of the circulatory system.

“Most of these bodies were donated to Lord Adipocere,” A gray mare with a rust and ebony mane told the filly. She had a black explanation point for a cutie mark. She also had black eyeliner on around her face. “As to where the bodies came from before they were donated I cannot attest to.”

Whirly Pop gave a nervous smile in reply.

“Explanation,” The mare introduced herself, “My grandfather owns this place and I work here helping him.”

“Whirly Pop,” Whirly Pop answered, “My father runs East Apple Country, I’m in the capital to be educated.”

“Do you feel educated?” Explanation asks.

Whirly Pop looks up at the wax display. “I’m intrigued, they are kind of beautiful if you get past the death aspect.”

“We have more in back if you want to see?” Explanation points out.

“I suppose,” Whirly Pop said indifferently.

There are various individual organs and display in the background. Whirly Pop walks from one to another examining each small case. The last one she comes across was a display of stallion penises each one frozen in a different state of arousal. This caused the young filly to blush.

“So wha do you think?” Explanation asks.

“It’s umm, fascinating,” Whirly Pop answers.

“Explanation my dear girl, who is this you have with you?” Leo asks as he walked up.

“Grandfather, this is Whirly Pop a noble from the eastern part of the country,” Explanation tells the stallion.

Leo examines the filly. “Yes, there’s a spark in you.”

“I saw it too,” Explanation nods her head.

“So what?” Whirly Pop asks nervously.

“A thirst for knowledge, inquisitive thinking, and a spark of inspiration,” Leo answers.

“Whirly Pop? Puck arouses Whirly Pop out of her thoughts by putting her hoof on her shoulder.

Whirly Pop turns to look at Puck. He could see the silver glint in her eye. This made him nervous a little.

“Are you okay?” Puck asks.

“Peachy,” Whirly Pop answered coldly.

“Yes, if you say so,” Puck turns is flank to the mare and walks over to Metalance and Honey Mead. “She’s getting worse.” He told the mares.

“Well I admit she’s not a killer, so violence has more effect on her than us,” Honey Mead remarks, “that doesn’t mean the sword has control her mind. I spent time with Claymari and she didn’t seem to be controlled by her sword.”

“How can you be sure? Have you met this mare before she got the sword? Puck points out.

“He does have a point,” Metalance agrees.

“You always takes his side,” Honey Mead snaps.

“Hey, look at it this way Honey, after this little adventure you will most likely will not have to deal with me again,” Puck smirks.

This remark just made Honey Mead depressed. She grunts and turns her back to the others.

“Up in the sky…”

Ferngully and Goldie flew across the mountain range.

“I see no caves, I see no Iron Bird,” Goldie said disinjectly.

“Move!” Ferngully shouted pushing Goldie out of the way of some arrow like spikes of hair that was flying at them.

Goldie turns to see some boar duck into the mountain shadows.

“They all can do that?” Goldie said in shock.

“Apparently so,” Ferngully shrugged. She points up at a high cloud. “Perhaps we should take some cover outside of their range?”

Goldie nods her head.

They flew to the cloud and perched on it. The Pegasus and Griffin took a moment to relax and get a breath. Goldie turns her head to see Ferngully stretch her back again as she looks out over the landscape. Then the yellow pony’s eyes widened.

“That cloud above us? You see it?” Ferngully asks pointing out a massive cloud overhead.

“What about it?” Goldie answered with a question.

“It’s shaped like an egg,” Ferngully points out.

Goldie stares at the cloud. She could see the shape that Ferngully was talking about. Before she could say anything, the Bat Pony had already taken off for it.

There was a large black object sitting on top of the cloud. It was an estimated half a mile long. The outside of the object was smooth and metallic. Strange white lines and ruins covered the thing.

Ferngully runs her forehoof across the metal egg. The white lines smeared at her touch. She looks at her hoof to see it was covered in white dust. “Chock?”

“What do you think this thing is?” Goldie asks the Bat Pony.

“A giant metal egg,” Ferngully said mockingly.

“How big is this Iron Bird supposed to be?” Goldie asks nervously.

“I can guarantee you that this thing did not come from its pussy if that’s what you’re asking me,” Ferngully remarks.

“What do you think those markings mean?” Goldie asked.

“Spell ruins used by none unicorns,” Ferngully answered as she walked around the object. “They couldn’t have been put here more than a few days ago, otherwise the weather would have blown the dust away.” She comes upon a bloodstained section of the metal egg. “And that’s not good.”

From up above they heard a loud screech. The pony and Griffon looks up to see a metallic roc come down on them.

“Iron Bird,” Ferngully said in a deadpan tone.

“My God, it’s as big as a Gryphus!” Goldie shouted.

“Time to dodge,” Ferngully shouts.

The bat pony went up and the Griffon dodged right. The Iron Bird decided to go after Goldie. This caused Ferngully to make an 180 in the air and dives for the Iron Bird. Just as the thing’s talons was about to reach Goldie, Ferngully swoops in and bucks the monster in the back of the head as she passed by. This stunned the Iron Bird.

Suddenly a bloody Gryphus bursts from a cloud and grabs the Iron Bird by the neck. The roc claws its talons into the thing’s groin and attempts to dig at its eye. The two beings tumble to the ground.

Ferngully and Goldie rushes back to the camp to tell everyone what they discovered. When they got there Rat Tak-Tak was in really bad shape. She was shivering and sweating.

“You’re getting cold, we have to build the fire,” Mousecakes notes putting a hoof on Rat Tak-Tak’s forehead.

“No fire,” Rat Tak-Tak snaps, “We can’t risk it being seen.”

“We have a sheet of thick canvas, if we find a good overhang, we can obscure a good portion of the flames from prying eyes,” Vepicon points out.

“Perhaps, we can have the flyers switch priorities in their search?” Puck adds.

“It’s still too risky,” Rat Tak-Tak moaned.

Mousecakes pats her sister on the head and sighs.

“We found something,” Ferngully spoke up, “A few things actually.”

“What is it?” Puck asks.

“While we found the Iron Bird, we ran into a Gryphus, and found a strange onyx egg, a very big egg,” Ferngully answered.

“I think they crashed into the ground,” Goldie added.

“This Iron Bird is as big as a Gryphus,” Ferngully points out, “I still think we would have been better off trying to free Claymari directly.”

“I was thinking she wanted us to capture the bird to stop the Gryphus from using it,” Puck remarks, “But we can’t do anything with a bird this big.”

“Normally they are not that big,” Pot Shell said as he walks up with Metalance behind him. “But some say that every animal, every creature, every monster has at least one member of their species who have a god status. These members tend to be larger than the others of their kind.” He finished.

“Like the addition of the Alicorn goddesses each species of pony is said to have a god that protects them,” Puck points out.

Pot Shell nods his head. "The Earth Pony has Terrato who slumbers under the ground, the deformed Medusa who is said to mothered the Pegasus and is sealed in her temple, and the majestic Rhino the first Unicorn who’s encased in ice.”

“If we are lucky, both creatures died in that crash,” Vepicon remarks.

“How so?” Metalance asked.

“Perhaps, we can destroy the Iron Bird’s body before the Gryphus can take it,” Vepicom answered.

“You have a point,” Metalance nods her head, “But we have to deal with Rat first.”

“That evening...”

The party found a ledge to camp under. They all settled as the sky darkened and the stars came out. Tits Up pats us sobbing calf on the head.

“I want my mommy,” the calf sobbed.

“It’s okay dear,” Tits Up says to the young creature.

Mousecakes stood up and Tits Up turns to look at her. “Checking on your sister again?”

“Yeah,” Mousecakes sighs.

The purple mare walks up to the body laying on the ground. The body’s silhouette was illuminated by the moonlight. Mousecakes could feel the body’s coldness in the air and it unnerved her.

“Rat?” Mousecakes spoke up.

The body didn't respond, Mousecakes’s heart sinks in her chest. She lets loose a wail that wakes everybody up. They turned just in time to watch the pony dash away.

Mousecakes stopped running when she tripped on a rock. Once she got her footing, the pony realized that she was lost. Her equine eyes could see clear enough in the dark. But the night had mooted all the colors and she was hopelessly lost.

A silver flicker of light captures Mousecakes’s eye. She turns to look at it to see it was some type of object moving in the night. As it moved closer to Mousecakes’s face it turns into a butterfly. She begins to reach for it with her hoof.

Ferngully suddenly crashes into Mousecakes. She swiftly pins the Earth Pony down to the ground.

“Get off of me!” Mousecakes shouts.

“What do you think you are doing you idiot!” Ferngully snaps.

“My sister,” Mousecakes turns away teared eyed.

“She’s still alive,” Ferngully told her.

Mousecakes’s heart skipped a beat.

“You two out there!” Vepicon called out.

“Over here,” Ferngully answered back.

Vepicon finds his way to the two mares. As he approached Ferngully lets Mousecakes up.

“She looks like she calmed down,” Vepicon noted.

“Sorry about this,” Mousecakes answered blushing.

“Ack!” Ferngully squealed bumping into Mousecakes and causing her to bump into Vepicon.

“Ferngully what the heck man?” Vepicon snaps.

“Is that a butterfly?” Ferngully points at the silver object flying around them.

“Oh yeah, I saw that thing befo-“ Mousecakes gets cut off when the butterfly lands on her nose. Suddenly her, Ferngully and Vepicon disappears.

“-r you guys jump me,” Mousecakes finished as her and the other ponies reappeared.

They found themselves in some kind of chamber. The butterfly illuminated enough of it to show iron walls and floors and ceilings. But within moments the creature had flew around a corner putting the ponies in pitch black.

Mousecakes and Vepicon felt their hooves blindly along the metal surface. Ferngully just stood there listening. Even in the pitch blackness she had her eyes closed. Then one of the ponies bumped her.

“Watch it,” Ferngully snaps.

“Sorry,” Mousecakes answers, “Wait a minute, I think I have a source of light.” She takes out her orb from her saddlebag which had just enough glow to it to illuminate a foot area.

Ferngully winces at the light. “You know you interrupted me?”

“How so?” Mousecakes asks.

“I was trying to do my echolocation,” Ferngully answered, “I can only use it when all of my visual information is cut off.”

Vepicon looks around. The walls were made of large square panels that made everything visually look the same. This caused him almost to miss seeing the opening in the wall that the butterfly turned down. “I don’t think being able to see is going to help us much here.”

“In that case could you please put that thing away?” Ferngully asks.

Mousecakes gives the Bat Pony a nervous look, she didn’t like the idea being blinded again. Vepicon puts his hoof on her shoulder.

“It will be okay,” he told her, “The Bat Pony can see a lot better in the dark than we can.”

Ferngully pulls out scraps of fabric from her saddlebag. “Tie one of these over one eye,” she orders.

“Why?” Mousecakes asks taking the fabric.

“Eye patch,” Ferngully explains, “It’s supposed to stop your eyes adjusting to light too quickly. That way if you adjust to the dark and you turn on your light and turn it off it won’t take you as long to see in the dark again.”

“Thanks,” Vepicon said as he put on his patch.

Ferngully and Mousecakes each covered one eye too and Mousecakes puts her orb away. Everything went dark and Ferngully concentrates again. She slowly taps her forehoof on the floor. The sound reverberates through the structure and comes back to the Bat Pony’s ears. Her visual nerves bubbled underneath her eyelids and Ferngully could soon see a good amount of the maze ahead.

“How far can you see you like this?” Vepicon whispered.

“It depends,” Ferngully whispered back, “In quiet twenty meters, farther if the noise isn’t coming from my location. Multiple noise sources interferes and depending on how loud they are makes things hard to read.”

“I see,” Vepicon nods his head deciding to keep quiet from now on.

After a few minutes of walking around the pony’s eyes did adjust to the darkness. With their equine eyes they could pick up a slight glow coming from one of the passageways and cautiously follow it.

“I’m sensing a door up ahead,” Ferngully told them, “It’s full of objects I believe may be furniture and something living walking around.

Vepicon draws his sword as a precaution. They turned the corner and spotted a glowing butterfly that hovered above a doorknob.

Mousecakes and Vepicon were silent in this made Ferngully a little nervous. “Is something the matter?” She asks.

“We are looking at the butterfly,” Mousecakes answers.

Ferngully open her eye and she sees the silver butterfly. “It deflects no sound, a magic construct of some sorts perhaps?”

“What ever it is I think it wants us to open the door,” Vepicon notes.

This caused both mares to look at the stallion. Vepicon sighs and turns the doorknob with his hoof. The door cracks open and light blinds the ponies. The first thing that hits their nostrils was the smell of delicious roasted meat.

The pony’s eyes adjusted to a brightly lit gold like room. In the middle the room was a thirty foot long dining table covered in a white sheet turned yellow by the light source. On top of the table were roasted meats sitting on polished steel tupperware. Placed between the meats were candelabras.

At the end of the table stood a large gray metallic Alicorn. “I believe you are looking for me?”