Sword Mare

by ReifuTD

Hollow Earth Part 2: The Three Mustangeteers

“At an Earth Capital Tavern…Ferngully related the events of last night…”

The Bat Pony drinks a mug of Fruity Punch. “Last night I saw a shadow beast.”

“Ferngully remembers the events of last night…”

The shadow beasty stared at Ferngully. The thing lunges at her. The Bat Pony dodges the attack. Ferngully countered with a magic arrow. The Shadow Coyote yelps and moves for Ferngully again.

Suddenly the door swings open,

“Ferngully! I sensed attack magic!” Philia shouts.

The shadow creature was gone leaving Ferngully with a dazed and confused look on her face.

“Ferngully?” Phillia replied.

The bat pony passes out,

“The next morning Ferngully wakes in her bed…”

“What happened?” Philia greets the filly with a smile.

“I…” Ferngully stutters holding her hoof to her head.

“You don’t have to say right away,” Philia tells Ferngully seeing the pony’s distress.

“Why don’t we go out dri- I mean eating, it will help you relax,” Claymari suggested changing in mid sentence noticing Philia’s glare.

“Back to now…”

“That sounds horrible,” Philia remarks to Ferngully.

“I thought I saw that thing with Puddinghead,” Ferngully answers.

Winkz thought for a moment on how much she should say. How much a slave pony would know on the matter. She had her suspicions but the beast was already revealed so it would be a matter of time before what happens happens. Better to save face in her persona.

“Madness Coyote” Winkz answered, “I seen Chrystal Summoners bring fourth such creatures. Like Windigos and Black Cats.”

“Summoners?” Ferngully answers.

“Spirit beasts that affect and feed off emotion,” Winkz explains, “Chrystal Pony magic users can control such things.”

“Does that mean someone is behind this?” Philia asks.

“Could mean nothing,” Winkz answers, “These things can act on their own.”

“Well we should keep an eye out,” Philia remarks.

Claymari swiftly drinks down a mug of pineapple juice. When the wooden beer stein was empty, she flips it upside down and slams it on the table.

“May I have another!” The mare shouts. The bar tending pony takes the chalice and as he fills it up Claymari look smirkingly at the black buck next to her. “How good are you at a game of drink?”

Philia shakes her head with discuss and turns back to her drink a fizzling strawberry. Winkz sitting next to her shrugs. Ferngully on the other hand marches right up next to Claymari with a smirk on her face.

“I’ll challenge you to a game a drink.” The Bat Pony said proudly.

“You know that offer was just to the males right?” Claymari replied.

“Oh, you go ahead,” The black buck told the mares.

“I would warn you Dirt Pony, All Bat Ponies can handle their juices.

“You know it’s weird,” Winkz says as she eyes the room in a nervous fashion. “It’s strange not seeing Knives or Honey Mead with us after such a long journey with them.”

“Well it always been that way when Claymari and me travel,” Philia remarks, “Ponies join our group, ponies leave our group. In the end it’s always down to Claymari and me. For a while there just Claymari.”

“I see,” Winkz looks depressed at her drink.

“What the matter dear?” Philia asks.

“I don’t want to leave your group,” Winkz told her, “I’m scared, I never been a free pony. Fallowing you guys around makes me feel like I have a purpose.”

“I should give you a meaningful warning about finding your own path,” Philia remarks sorrowfully, “But I shouldn’t be talking.” She makes a glance at Claymari.

“Just then a blue pony walks into the tavern…”

“Claymari!” He shouts trotting up to the mare.

Claymari spins around in her stooper showing that she was red faced and swaying.

“You’re a young one,” She slurred.

“I’m Puddinghead’s nephew,” Pot Shell replied.

“What do you want kid?” Claymari replied.

“I was hoping to hear stories of your new adventures since the last time you were here,” Pot Shell told the mare.

“Yes, I too would like to hear these tales,” Ferngully adds cheerfully.

“A story you want a story you’ll get,” Claymari gets out of her seat. Just let me squeeze the clam first.” She walks out side to the toilet trough.

“Honey Mead hums… She looks at herself in the mirror…”

The mare combs and ties her mane in brades she was wearing a white nightgown. Metalance stirs from the bed behind her. She walks up to the mare and nibbles her on the neck.

“What are you doing?” Honey Mead giggled.

“Your neck looked so good I had to bite it,” Metalance remarks nibbling some more.

“I don’t want us be the ones to give the children any ideas,” Honey Mead points at the two small sleeping figures on the bed.

“We are going out for briefest,” Catfish pops her head in the room.

“Don’t you think her mane looks nice like that?” Metalance remarks pointing at Honey Mead. “Perhaps we should put her in makeup? You wouldn’t mind that Honey?

“Umm Okay,” Honey Mead blushes, “Could you help me with my makeup then?”

Catfish worked on Honey Mead’s face well Metalance took out a different kit and started penciling in Honey’s cutie mark. A drink mug, with light brown lines.

“Before you get too far can you add color to the mug to make it look like glass?” Honey Mead asked.

“Okay,” Metalance takes out a thicker brush.

Blaster had changed into a light blue dress. She walks into the room with a few other dresses on her back.

“Honey? Guys? You want to choose one?” Blaster asks.

Honey Mead picks a yellow dress. Metalance picks a red one. Catfish picks another blue dress. Butterfree a dark blue dress. The foals didn’t want to wear dresses and didn’t pick anything.

“Outside the tavern… Outside the public toilet…"

“Hey, you bumped me,” A green stallion wearing a feathered hat in a blue uniform snaps. He was a Mustangeteer with a silver bird V inblazened on his regalia.

Claymari didn’t give the buck any attention as she walked into the public toilet building.

“You!” The stallion marched after the mare.

Claymari turned around pointing her rear at the urine stained wall with a wood trough below it. This time her drunken mind sees the stallion glaring at her.

“What’s your problem,” Claymari snaps at the buck.

“Apologize to me, don’t you see who I am,” The stallion complains to the mare.

“Don’t care,” Claymari replied with a shrug. “Now use the humper and leave me be or I’ll call the guard on you for being a pervert.” She points at the special trough that males had to grab like they were mating with a female in order to catch their urine.

“You dare insult me more with such claims?” The stallion shouts red faced as the mare relieves herself on the wall. He noticed her sword.“You’re a fighter? Fine ma’lady I’ll challenge you for my honor-“

Before he finished Claymari had walked away.

“Knives and his family walks down the city board walk…”

The mare was a yellow thing with cobalt hair. A vespa wasp was her cutie mark.

“Superbeele...”

Next to them a pair of young colts. One was a cream colored thing and the other bright brown.

“Puggy and Pierrot...”

“Honey? Isn’t that your boss?” Catfish points out.

“Honey?” Knives turns around to see the small herd of mares walking down the street.

They stop in front of the family of ponies. Honey Mead looks at Knives’s wife and foals and she blushes.

“I see you couldn’t stay still was well,” She remarks.

“Yeah,” Knives shrugs.

“Nice family,” Honey Mead says well looking nervously at Superbeele out of the corner of her eye.

“Your family is nice to,” Superbeele points out looking at the mares behind her.

“You know about that?” Honey answers.

“I seen some of them in support groups,” Superbeele answers.

“We get better get going,” Knives spoke up breaking the tension.

“Okay then,” Honey Mead said with a smile.

The family of ponies move down the street.

“Stop him!” A stallion shouts at a cloaked figure running down the street.

Honey Mead and Metalance grab some nearby wood polls. One trips the cloaked figure and the other points at the end of his face. The cloak's hood falls back to reveal La Dawn.

The stallion catches up. “Thank you.”

“You know who this is?” Metalance asked the stallion.

“He slept with my wife,” The stallion snaps.

“Sir that’s unethical but not illegal,” Honey Mead said coldly.

“Depends on the breeding contract,” Blaster shrugged.

“Just arrest him,” The stallion shouts.

*Thrack!*

The stallion’s ribs crack as the pole was rammed into his side.

“Ah! You bitch!” The stallion shouts eyes watering.

“Metalance!” Honey Mead shouted shocked at her friends actions.

“He’s protected sir move along,” Metalance snaps at the stallion.

“I get the point,” The stallion turns and walks away.

“Thank you, Thank you, Thank you,” La Dawn jumps up and shakes a hoof of each of the mares with every “Thank you,”.

“Don’t, we know of your trouble making ways La Dawn,” Blaster snaps.

“All mares know of me,” La Dawn said flirtatiously, “Both the good and the bad.”

Metalance leans in and kisses La Dawn on the lips.

“You know him?” Honey Mead said in shock.

“I guard the castle, we hooked up a few times,” Metalance replied, “Caramel is probably his.”

“If you want you too can take my flare,” La Dawn smirks.

“I’ll think I’ll decline that offer,” Honey Mead waves off with her hoof.

“I don’t know, it’s La Dawn,” Catfish smiles, “As much trouble that he is, I heard he’s worth it.”

“True,” Blaster nods her head.

“Yes, yes listen to the girl,” La Dawn said excitingly.

“La Dawn you bastard!” A voice in the crowd shouts.

“That’s my queue to leave,” La Dawn puts the hood back over his head and runs into the crowd.

“Back at the tavern…”

“Hey you!” An Orange Mustangeteer came marching into the tavern pointing at Claymari.

Claymari turns to look at the stallion yelling at her. She had switch from pineapple juice to cider and sobered up. She didn’t recognize the green stallion behind him.

“What do you want?” Claymari asks still slurring a little.

“I challenge you to a dual,” The orange stallion shouts at Claymari.

“This seems familiar,” Claymari remarks.

“Deja Vu,” The stallion answered.

“Yes, I think it is,” Claymari replied.

“No, Deja Vu is my name,” The stallion snaps.

“You insulted me and my friends,” Deja Vu told the mare.

“Friends?” Claymari questions.

“Presque Vu,” Deja Vu points back at the green stallion behind him without looking back. “And Jamais Vu,” Deja Vu looks around the room confused. “He was with us a minute ago?”

“So you want a dual?” Claymari egged on the Mustangeteer.

“Yes,” Deja Vu nodes his head, “Since you already challenged Jamais Vu for noon.”

“When? I don’t remember meeting this stallion?,” Claymari turns to Ferngully and Pot Shell. Ferngully gives a shrug.

“Philia and Winkz walks the Streets of the city…”

The two Unicorns walked down the street. As they passed by some of the Earth Ponies around them gave them dirty looks. Every once in a while one would look at them for a little too long. Philia would then flash her diplomatic bracelet and the ponies turned and walked on their way.

“Sure we should have left them there?” Winkz asked.

“I didn’t want to sit there and get drunk-“

“I see you are mares of elegant tastes,” Philia was interrupted by a street merchant as they walked by. A pale aqua mare with a crisscrossed rainbow mane. Her cutie mark was a spool of rainbow thread. She was selling clothing and fabric.

Philia raised an eye at the mare. Generous Thread had gotten strange looks before but this was because of her rainbow mane which makes her stand out in any crowd. But this look was different. It was the look of those who knew magic.

Philia herself caught the look the mare was giving her back and gives her a smile. “Look, I don’t care.”

“Oh yes,” Generous Thread nods her head, “As I was saying you look like mares of elegant tastes. Specially the Crystal Pony a thing that beautiful shouldn't walk down the street naked.”

“I’m nothing special,” Winkz blushed.

“Oh ma’lady don’t put yourself down like that,” Generous Thread ushers the maroon mare into her shop. “I got a nice mediterranean style dress that would look fabulous on you.” Generous Thread looks back at Philia, “And surely you’re a Unicorn of worth to be allowed to walk down an Earth city street. From a wealthy family?”

“Yes and no,” Philia shrugged, “Can we come back later to pick up our dresses?”

“Sure, I seen you,” Generous Thread waves the two ponies off, “I have a good idea what your measurements are.”

“She’s not a normal Earth Pony,” Winkz remarks to Philia as they walked away. “That mare made my horn tingle like she was made of magic.”

“She’s a Holic I think,” Philia answers.

A moment later, Philia stops at a building that said Ancient Venus Spa.

“What is it ma’am?” Winkz asks.

“We are going to have a wonderful time,” Philia answers.

The two mares walked inside the building. It was large with a very fancy interior made with red and blue marble.

“Philia? Winkz?” Honey Mead was standing in line with a group of other mares. Philia and Winkz trot over to them.

“What do you know small city,” Philia smirks.

“Catfish works here. So we get a discount,” Honey Mead remarks. “She has cat paws that do wonders.”

“That’s nice,” Philia replied.

“We have some rooms open now,” A spa mare told the group with a smile.

“I’ll take the foals to the arcade well you girls relax,” Butterfree told them as she walked out with the children.

“Have fun,” Blaster waves to the mare and foals as they left then sighs. “I hope they won’t be too much for the thing.”

The mares entered into the room. Thick vines hung off the back wall. The mares lay down on misusage tables. Next to each table a spa mare with a glowing orb around their neck.

Some kind of magic allowed the orbs to control the movements of the vine by moving hooves across them. With a few waves of their hooves the vine stretched out and started pressing against the flesh of the patron mares backs.

“Ho I forgot how good this feels,” Metalance moans as the vines misusages her back and thighs.

“Yeah, we need to do this more often,” Blaster remarks getting the same treat meant.

“Honey,” Philia groaned as her back cracked.

“Yes,” Honey Mead answered as her vine worked her stiff shoulders.

“Don’t invite Claymari here she’ll demand for a happy ending,” Philia told her.

“We don’t do that here,” Catfish adds.

“It must be nice to work here,” Philia says to Catfish perking her head over Honey Mead to talk to the green Cat Pony.

“Yeah, I at least treat myself like this once a week,” Catfish replied, “Luckily they hired me because of my paws,” The Cat Pony smiles well wiggling her toes, “Some ponies don’t like the tentacle treatment.”

“I don’t get what’s so special about this,” Winkz remarks the tentacles having no effect on her crystal flesh. In fact her coat was rubbing the vines raw causing them to leak sap.

“Mousecakes, take out the buffer and the wax,” Catfish tells a meek pink cream pony with a soap waffer cutie mark.

The small pony takes out a small buffing machine and a bottle of liquid wax. She pours the contents of the bottle onto Winkz’s back then hit the pony with the spinning buffer.

“Oh! That’s the spot!” Winkz moans.

“EEEP! Who are you!” A mare’s voice shouts from a back room.

“Sorry, Ma’am kind of in hiding and just playing a part,” La Dawn answers back.

“Help! Help! A lecher!” The mare screams.

“And I got to go,” La Dawn said fallowed by sound of hoof trots.

They smirk and laugh at this.

“Claymari now approaches her destination for battle…”

This was the church, glass forged stone bricks made the steps of a hill top. The battle ground was in the bottom most step, A ditch for the overflow in the rainy season. Green plants grew between the gaps of the bricks. This spot had a bridge over it.

“This looks like a vulnerable location,” Ferngully notes, being a winged pony this was making her feel boxed in.

“The point,” Claymari answered, “Both parties had time to prepare anything extra if they wished.”

“But you can handle anything they throw at you,” Pot Shell boasts.

“Maybe, these aren’t weak Zebra bandits. There are Earth Pony powerful and strong. Now stay on top of the hill and stay out of my way.”

“Yes, Lady Claymari,” Pot Shell bows.

“And don’t call me a lady,” Claymari smirks.

Deja Vu and Presque Vu was waiting for her in the ditch.

“Isn’t there another?” Claymari remarks.

“He couldn’t make it,” Deja Vu told her.

“If you say so,” Claymari eyes the grounds cautiously. Over the years many trees have grown over the glass stone bricks.

“Witch one of us you want to take first,” Deja Vu asks.

“How about both of you?” Claymari smiles. Then she mutters, “Since my luck with twos have been so great lately.

“Very well miss,” Deja Vu does a salute with his rapier blade. Presque Vu does the same.

Claymari draws Crimson Bond. She focuses on Deja Vu. She keeps Presque Vu in sight out of the corner of her eye.

Presque Vu makes the first strike. A thrusting attack. Claymari dodges, and a second strike from Deja Vu almost hit her.

Claymari circles around the two ponies trying to get a better sight on both of them. Presque Vu was fast and no matter how fast she turned Presque Vu stayed in the corner of her eye.

She could see Deja Vu moving in for an attack. Well she was distracted for that split second Presque attacks. Claymari had to Flash Step away. When she reappeared the mare dodged a strike from Deja Vu.

“Deja Vu,” Claymari remarks noting the odd attack pattern of strike followed by another strike.

Claymari reaches a defendable position cornering herself. Deja Vu moves in to attack. Claymari rushes forward and butts Deja Vu with a hilt. Presque Vu attacks. Claymari swings blocking his attack. She forces the buck in the corner.

Deja Vu recovers and moves in for another attack. Claymari bonks Presque Vu with the flat side of her blade knocking the buck out. She spins around and bucks Deja Vu. He was knocked back but managed to cut the mare across her thigh. Claymari moves in for a final stomp.

“I yield!” Deja Vu cries.

Claymari stamps down on his hoof. Deja Vu screams out in pain. Claymari circles around him.

“What if I tell you I’m in the mood for inflicting pain,” The mare told the Mustangeteer.

“You stupid half breed!” Deja Vu snaps.

“You see, that was a mistake,” Claymari puts her forehoof on the stallion’s sheath slowly putting her weight on it. “That’s what I liked about the Wildlands, Half Breeds, Ghouls. It doesn’t matter.”

An arrow lands at Claymari’s feet.

“He said yield,” A stallion’s voice calls out from the trees.

“Jamais Vu?” Claymari asks.

“Yes,” Jamais Vu answers.

Within moments armed Mustangeteers rushed in. Some of the Mustangeteers had captured Ferngully and Pot Shell.

Claymari backs away from Deja Vu’s groin.

“Sir this one is Puddinghead’s nephew,” One of the Mustangeteers holds up the blue colt.

“Ancient Venus Spa…”

The mares sat in a sauna. Most of them at least.

Winkz stood outside the sauna room looking at her shinny crystal body.

“Sorry miss,” Mousecakes told the mare, “We aren’t use to treating Crystal Ponies didn’t realized the sauna would mess up your finish.”

“It’s okay,” Winkz answers, “I don’t like sweating. How about some frozen yogurt.”

Mousecakes’s orb began vibrating.

“Hello?” The pony answers putting the ball to her ear. “I see,”

The brown filly walked back to the sauna. “Blaster Shot?” The filly called out.

“Yes?” Blaster replied.

“Your being called to the church bring your gun,” Mousecakes replied.

“What that about?” Philia asks.

“I’m a Mustangateer for the Church of the Sky,” Blaster answers, “Sometimes if unstable ponies visit they train snipers on these visitors.

“All praise Celestia,” Philia smirked.

Blaster left the room.

“Petty Kitty waited in the hallway of the castle…”

The Cat Pony had fallowed the disappearing tick again. So now she stood at a dead in hallway staring at a statue of a well endowed stallion reared up on his hind legs.

As she looked at the statue, Petty Kitty’s cat mind was coming up with strange ideas. One of secret passageways.

First she pushed on the statue to no effect. Then she pulled on the statue and heard a click. A moment later the statue fall back.

A blast of hot air hits Petty Kitty as a passage open up. The Cat Pony sticks her head into the doorway. It lead to a stair case carved from mountain stone leading to a deep pit that emits a red fiery glow.

The Cat Pony takes a few steps back out into the hall. A second later a mechanism clicks allowing that statue to slide back into place.

“Petty!”

The Cat Pony spins around in a startle state to see Zero had sneaked up on her.

“What’s the matter dear?” Zero reacts confused with Petty Kitty’s actions.

“Zero! I found something!” Petty Kitty shouts.

“What?” Zero answers.

Petty Kitty pulls on the statue. It slides out of place. The two ponies walked into the chamber. Petty Kitty takes out her Star Blaster ready to aim it at whatever jumps out at them.

The ponies walked down the stone steps. They heard the mumble of voices and peers over the approaching corner they could see a pair of rather large Earth Ponies.

“Dore,” Petty Kitty said to Zero.

“Dore?” Zero answered.

“They might or might not be Earth Ponies,” Petty Kitty told him. “They are ponies who spend their lives in mines and caves cutting into the rocks and forging weapons. They are larger and stronger then normal Earth Ponies.”

“Sounds like Claymari,” Zero remarks.

“Well,” Petty Kitty replied not sure how to answer to that.

“Who’s there?” One of the Dore shouts.

“What do we do?” Zero whispers, “What are they doing here.”

“This is a mountain,” Petty Kitty shrugs.

“We hear you,” The guard snaps.

“Hold your Blaster with your tail and walk out in the open,” Zero told Petty Kitty, “If things go well I can slip it back into your saddle bag before they see it. If things go south you can grab it quickly in your paws.”

“Okay,” Petty Kitty nods her head.

“Don’t attack us,” Zero said as he and Petty Kitty walked out into the open.

“Are you from the castle?” The Dore asked.

“Yes,” Zero answered.

“Come with us,” The Dore ordered. “Claymari, Ferngully and Pot Shell stare up at the stain glass of the Crystal Church…”

The building was based of prewar crystal empire architecture. Allowing sunlight and its distorted rainbow forms to spread across the floor.

They could see in the larger chamber a set of ponies training to be earth clarics, Practicing with their magical crystal orbs. Some moved the earth, Some moved the water, others control life like plants and animals.

“Causing trouble as always Claymari?” A large satin black stallion in a blue dress walks up.

“All hail High Bluejay Blackstone.

“I never thought I’ll see a Dore become a Bluejay much less a High Bluejay of the sky worshipers,” Claymari remarks.

“I admit not having the mountain over head and under my feet was weird at first,” Blackstone replied, “But this place is in its own sense a mountain.”

“Glad somepony had to say it,” Claymari laughed.

“Umm? Are we in trouble?” Ferngully asked. “Because I didn’t fight anyone?” Then she mutters under her breath. “This time.”

Blackstone laughs, “Claymari and I are Dore. I know how Dore are. We can give some leeway with our actions.”

“What’s a Dore?” Frengully gives a confused look.

“Depending on who you talk to they are part of the Earth Pony race,” Pot Shell answers. “Some say they went under the mountain when the Mist Bombs fell. But there are stories of Dore before that. Regardless the Dore are ponies who lived underground for so long their bodies are structured different then a normal Earth Pony.”

“Yes, the Dore Kings agreed to cohabitate under surface pony rule,” Blackstone continued. “In exchange they help us found new colonies of Dore by helping them move to new mountains.”

“How did you become the head of the church?” Claymari asks.

“Faith in the sun and the moon,” Blackstone answers, “Also the will to lead. The Church of the Holy Sky after all he who leads the Church leads the nation.”

“Puddinghead might disagree,” Pot Shell snaps.

“Really?” Blackstone asks, “Who’s army is bigger? Who would our followers in your uncles armies ally with?”

“That sounds like treason?” Pot Shell snaps.

“I could say the same about you,” Blackstone replied.

“Yes, yes, we see the point you're equal powers in the same kingdom,” Ferngully breaks up the argument.

“Claymari?” Blackstone took the hint and changed the conversation. “I last heard you haven’t talked to your father.

Claymari’s heart skips a beat, “He’s here?”

“Deep within the mountain… Smart Cookie stands next to the Dore King looking down at Petty Kitty and Captain Zero Endless…”

“You were sneaking around the castle I see,” Smart Cookie snaps.

“I have no regrets,” Petty Kitty announced.

“I want to know why there is an invading army hiding under the castle?” Zero remarks.

“We are behind the castle not under it,” The Dore King told him. “We rule two sides of the same lands.

Zero looks at the Dore King then Smart Cookie. “Two sides of the same land.”

“I was told you know my daughter,” The Dore King remark.

“Claymari?” Zero answered.

“Yes, We have issues, But I like to hear of her the good or the disappointing,” The Dore King replied.

“From up in the rafters… Blaster aims her laser rifle at the figures below..."

Finding the relic was what got the mare her cutie mark. She spent most of her time and money finding parts and maintaining the thing but at times like this it’s worth it.

“Everyone of our Mustangeteers are also trained in the cleric arts,” Blackstone tells Claymari. He points at a brown stallion with a black and gray mane. “This is Mareseir my adviser.”

Mareseir was holding the orb out in front of him. He was standing in front of a bird bath glaring at the water as he rubbed his orb. With each rub of the orb the water danced.

“You’re the one who started the cascade,” Mareseir remarks to Claymari without looking up.

“What?” Claymari reacts.

“You have brought the horror of eternal day upon us,” Mareseir replied.

“My adviser sees visions of the future,” Blackstone told Claymari

“I told him that he will be king,” Mareseir adds with a mumble.

“More powers,” Claymari smiles, “By this rate everypony will have powers.”

“Yes,” Blackstone nods his head, “Puddinghead has his Paladin but I have my Clerics.”

“At the same time… The Dore King shows his guest around…”

Big muscular ponies with iron hammer horse shoes pound on red hot metal. Fold it with their protected hooves and pounds the metal again.

“Watch our people forge metal,” The Dore King boasts to Zero and Petty Kitty. Smart Cookie too but she seen his theatrics before.

“We are strong we are skilled we are the ponies under the mountain,” The Dore King continued. Walking over to a different set of forges. This set of forges had stones being put into some. Others had ponies pouring out molten glass. The ponies roll this glass into balls and putting them somewhere to cool. Once cooled, other ponies take the glass away for polishing.

“We even mold the stone to our will. We do strong work and good work,” The Dore King told them. “We make weapons, spears for Puddinghead and marbles for Blackstone our kin.”

“Seems a little slow,” Petty Kitty whispers, “I can see how this is Claymari’s father.”

“Not dumb, strong minded,” Smart Cookie told them.

“So you make weapons for both sides,” Zero remarks to the Dore King.

“We all the same side as far as Earth Pony goes and as for us the Dore is concerned,” The Dore King answers. “That stays as long as the Dore get what they want.”

“I see,” Zero shakes his head then turns to Smart Cookie. “Some country you have here.”

“Philia and Winkz return to the castle grounds…”

“That was a wonderful time,” Philia purred.

“It’s something,” Winkz looked at her shinny exterior. “I guess I feel good.”

As they walked up the garden’s main road, Claymari, Ferngully and Pot Shell came walking up. Pot Shell was wearing a T’shirt with the Silver Church of the Sky symbol on it.

“Where you two been?” Philia remarks, “The last I saw you, you left to fight some pony.”

“After that we were took to the Crystal Church,” Claymari told them.

“They have a gift shop,” Pot Shell adds.

Ferngully shrugs.

The two groups when inside to see Zero and Petty Kitty waiting for them.

“You won’t believe this there is a civilization of underground ponies living in the mountain behind the castle.

The rest of the ponies looked at each other.

“You already knew,” Zero dead panned.

“They have a gift shop,” Petty Kitty held out her paw that had a gold bracelet around it.

“Above… La Dawn flies over the castle…”

The green Pegasus glides over to his tower landing in the upper most window. The room he enters had the bare minimum. A dresser and a bed of hay. The dresser did have a potted plant. A straggly little pink flower.

The back of the room had a door. La Dawn opens the door showing a stair case heading down. The Pegasus grabs a lantern and lights it before walking down.

At the bottom there was another door. This door open to a prison chamber. To the back wall of the chamber a light green colored pony wearing an iron mask was strapped.

“Greetings Pony in the Iron Mask,” La Dawn announced to the room.