Sword Mare

by ReifuTD

Burning Cage Part 2: Broken Toys

"In the night a hooded figure digs into the soil…

He digs unit morning…"

Long bat wings reached out over a casket. They hook on the lid and with a great crack rip it off.

A well preserved pony body was laying inside the casket. Azrael looks down and smiles.

“Nutcracker we are going to make things interesting,” Azrael says to the body.

“Back to now… The sun shines down on Burning Cage… Tension in the air…”

“Privet Pansy?” Claymari smirked at the pink pony, “I knew your honor would get you in trouble some time. So the Commander really dropped you as his right hoof.”

“No, I’m still his right hoof, his right back hoof,” Pansy smirked.

Claymari starts laughing, “Yes, yes,”

“Claymari a little help,” Ferngully cries out with Dogboy’s blade at her neck.

“Oh, She can’t stay that way forever dear,” Claymari waves off with her hoof.

“That’s what I’m scared of,” Ferngully rolls her eyes.

“So what now?” Claymari asked.

Landlooker looks at Pot Shell.

“He’s not a fighter,” Claymari told him.

“Okay you surrender to us?” Landlooker demanded.

“To what?” Claymari looks around. “I assume this is some kind of stealth mission. It’s just you ain’t it.”

“We have your companion,” Landlooker points out.

“Yeah, that’s nice and all but at this point you’re not going to hurt her,” Claymari shrugs, “If you where that psychopathic wouldn’t be on a mission like this.”

“She has a point,” Pansy points out, “Plus there are four of them and you have to watch me. I may decide to escape.”

Claymari looks around, “The Biollante disappeared, I’m willing to bet if you have us tied up she’ll sneak up when you’re not looking and free us? Even if you have to gall to kill us. You’ll have to reach me first and my friends would be dead so I’ll be mighty pissed.”

Landlooker sighs, “Dogboy let the bat go.”

Ferngully kicks away from Dogboy and the two mares glared at each other.

“What are we going to do now?” Pot shell asked.

“The sensible thing to do is to team up to defeat the enemy but-,” Pansy starts to say.

“Your people aren’t sensible,” Ferngully rubs her neck.

“Pansy, this town is empty, Let’s check out the bar for some forgotten whisky,” Claymari smirked.

“Yettt!” Dogboy cries out as an arrow sticks her in the rump.

“Your under arrest!” Lupin shouted landing nearby with Ore behind her. The Luffon held a bow of orange orichalcum. Metal refined from griffon gold like iron turned into steel. As flexable as willow. As light as mythril and said to be unbreakable.

Landlooker pulls out his sword, the hilt was made of metal and leather but the blade was frozen lighting. He charged the two Griffons.

Dogboy grabs the shaft of the arrow with her muzzle and pulls it out. Red blood runs down her red leg. The mare quickly took position behind Landlooker but she was uneager to take the lead in the battle thanks to her injury.

Pot Shell ducked out of sight. Ferngully found herself between two opposing forces. She panics and bolts taking up to the air. She perches on the hey covered roof of Nutcracker’s home.

Claymari and Pansy turns around to watch the spectacle. They shrugged in unison and walked away.

Lupin’s bow blocked the sword attack from Landlooker. Luffon with her legs free makes a swiping kick at the black Pegasus. He jumps away from the attack. He wasn’t sure how strong bunny kicks were but he suspected they were as bad and pony bucks.

Ore went at Dogboy. The mare flinched and found a set of claws digging into flesh. Well they were connected, Dogboy stabs Ore in the side.

The Ore disconnected from Dogboy. He moves a couple of feet from the mare and clutches his bleeding side. Dogboy had more injuries and nice deep ones. But compared to her wounds his one wound was in a bad place.

Sensing weakness, Dogboy’s hair raises on her back like her name sake and she charges. This time Ore draws his sword. Dogboy veers away and puts the breaks to her hooves. She slides across the dirt stopping a good few feet away from Ore.

Lupin and Ore were now flank to flank facing outwards. Dogboy and Landlooker circled around them.

Dogboy lifts her gauntlet blade and aims it at Ore. A dart fires from a launcher under the blade. It misses Ore and hits Lupin in the shoulder. The Rabbit Griffon shrieked as a lighting shoots into her from a wire. The power left the wire and Dogboy ejects it from her gauntlet.

Ore catches Lupin’s unconsous body. Seeing an opening Landlooker charges in with his lighting sword. Ore block with his own sword. He could feel the electric buzzing through the blade. This all puts pressure on his body causing his wound to scream in pain.

Lupin spins kicking with her leg. Her rabbit foot hitting Landlooker in the knee. The Pegasus’s leg torqued and suddenly his body weight was trying it’s best to bend his knee in the wrong direction.

Landlooker uses his wings to move his position back a few feet putting him next to Dogboy.

Ferngully watched from above. She thought best to stay out of this fight. She wasn’t going to let the two sides kill each other either. If one side goes to make a killing blow, she decided to interfere and heal the injured.

“Elsewhere in Burning Cage… Claymari and Pansy find the abandon liquor cabernet in the bar…”

“Let me pour you another glass,” Pansy smirked as he grabs the bottle with his muzzle and tips the amber liquid into Claymari’s cup.

As soon as the cup was filled Claymari whacks it with her hoof sending the thing flying across the room and crashing into the wall. “Screw the cup, Give me that bottle you bastard there are plenty to choose from.”

Pansy slides the whisky bottle over to Claymari. She grabs the thing with her wrists tips her head back and starts chugging from the bottle. She pulls the bottle from her lips and gives a loud exhale.

“So your replacement what’s her name?” Claymari asked Pansy.

“Loyal Gold,” Pansy answered. A Pegasus the color of flames said to be unkillable in battle. She shown up not long after you left last time you were at the Sky Empire. She was looking for you and wanted to challenge you to combat. Commander Hurricane like her so much he hired and promoted her right away. Of course this meant the Pegasus had to give up the hunt for you. Soon after that the Commander asked me to do something I couldn’t do.”

“What about your sword?” Claymari asked.

“It refused to work for anypony else,” Pansy smirked, “I was too useful the kill. They keep the sword now. They give it to me between missions to recharge the powers it gave me. I heard your sword tried to betray you for a Zebra.”

“You know about that?” Claymari said shocked.

“So it’s true” Pansy laughs. “You should hear them talk about you. ‘That Claymari has trouble keeping her sheath out of other pony’s swords!’ Wait, I think I said that wrong.”

“No, that’s about right,” Claymari shrugged.

Suddenly there was a creaking sound. Both the drunken ponies perk their ears up at the sound. The roof rips away and two giant bald bird heads peers down at them.

Well the ponies were stunned, the Gryphus flew into the building. Their mass almost took up the room. Their cat half of their bodies were lion colored but with added faded brown tiger stripes.

One of the creatures picks up Claymari. She was the size of a small foal in its claws.

The other Gryphus goes for Pansy. Pansy punches the wall next him with his hooves. He dashes out as the building falls in on its self.

The two Gryphus shakes the debris off like it was scraps of card board. The Gryphus chasing after Pansy found his target and continued his pursuit.

“Please don’t squeeze meep!-“ The Gryphus squeezes Clayamari to stop her from talking.

There was a pittle tattle as urine leaks from the orange pony.

“What the,” The Gryphus reacts.

“I said don’t squeeze me!” Claymari cried.

“How do you make it stop?” The Gryphus flips Claymari around.

“Stop!” Claymari shouts as her urine trickles down her belly.

“This wasn’t the only place the Gryphus attacked… The Griffon and Pegasus’s battle was soon interrupted…”

Ferngully was tossed like a rag doll from her position on top of Nutcracker’s roof. Her body flies over the heads of Lupin, Ore, Dogboy and Landlooker. She smashes into the building across the street.

The Bat Pony heard and felt something snap, possibily more than one thing. Ferngully twitched in the splinter. She wants to cry out, but it took all that was in her to quietly cast the healing magic over her own body. Took everything to stay conscious as her life faded from her eyes.

The Griffons and the Pegasus look up at a Gryphus. The creature jumps off the roof and lands on the ground. There was a loud crunch as his talons came down on Ore and Landlooker. The Gryphus holds their dead lifeless bodies up into the air.

“I’m out of here,” Dogboy turns and bolts. She tries to fly up into the air but trips over the ground due to her wing injury from the fight with Ferngully. The mare quickly recovers flaps through the pain and takes off for the sky.

Lupin being closer, the Gryphus moves toward her. The Rabbit Griffon panics. She draws arrows from her quivers and starts randomly firing at the monster.

Screaming, Lupin closes her eyes in anticipation of the death blow from the massive Gryphus. There was a thump at her feet and Lupin opened her eyes.

She had forgotten in her panic that the bow was enchanted. Arrows hit him in the heart, lung, two in the neck and one in the eye hitting the brain.

The hacking of Ferngully caught the attention of the Luffon. There was a little spittle of blood around the Bat Pony’s mouth. She makes a moan and her body goes limp.

“Is she going to be okay?” Pot Shell asked nervously coming out of his hiding spot.

Lupin sticks her finger to the Bat Pony’s neck. “The gal has a pulse, that doesn’t mean much.” She looks at Ore and Landlooker’s mangled bodies. “They are very much dead.” Lupin then turns to Pot Shell. “Go find some blankets, her body is in shock we have to keep it warm.”

Pot Shell nods his head and trots off.

“Pansy finds himself in Burning Cage Quarry… His enemy still in pursuit…”

Red shinny stones littered the ground. The clouds covered the sun for now. Pansy stops his momentum and turns to face the Gryphus. His chains had made his wrists and ankles bleed.

“So you stopped running little pony,” The Gryphus smirked.

“I plead you not to do this,” Pansy demands.

“You’ll pay for dropping a building on my head,” The Gryphus snaps.

“I’d hate to break my vow,” Pansy told the creature.

A hole breaks in the cloud and a ray of sun like shines onto the quarry. It hits some small red rocks and lasers shoot up.

This distracted the Gryphus long enough for Pansy to make his move. A large boulder slides across the rocky ground. It hits the Gryphus knocking the monster back.

Pansy heaves another heavy boulder around and readies to pushes it with his forehooves. The Gryphus takes to the air.

“You can move that thing with your forehooves?” The Gryphus notes, “You’re no ordinary Pegasus.”

Pansy replied by flipping around and bucking the boulder into the air. It clips the Gryphus in the hind leg and the massive beast falters and lands. Pansy charges at him, but the Gryphus covers and takes to the air again.

“Your battle tactics does not suit your species,” The Gryphus remarks flying higher.

Pansy out stretched his hooves. Then takes to the sky. The Pegasus zooms upward and passes the Gryphus in height. The Pegasus loops his shackled forehooves around the Gryphus’s forehead. He flips in the air and sends the giant beast to crash to the ground.

The Gryphus stands up holding his sore back. The Pegasus lands in front of the Gryphus. The beast swings a punch out of frustration at Pansy.

The Pegasus blocks the punch with her hoof as if he was a mountain. He knocks the Gryphus’s claw aside causing the creature to stumble back. Pansy charged forward and headbutt the Griffon mutant in the gut.

The Gryphus grabs Pansy and slams the Pegasus into the ground. The sun emerges from behind the clouds. Beams shot up from the red stones that was scattered across the quarry grounds shooting red lasers up to the sky.

The Gryphus yelps in pain as his massive size was too large to avoid the burning beams. Pansy stood up and stumbles back. He cries out in pain as he stumbles into a beam.

The Gryphus found himself trapped in a burning cage. Pansy kicks one of the laser shooting stones at the Gryphus. The massive creature squished himself and singe his flank on a beam behind him.

Pansy kicks another stone. The thing stinged his hoof a little. It didn’t have nerves but it was hot enough to put a sting into his wick deep within the hoof.

The bean burns the Gryphus. He scratches out into pain. Above him a cloud moves over the sun. The Gryphus looks up to see the female Gryphus with Claymari in her talon had pushed a cloud to cover the sun.

“Polis we have the Dore princess we need to leave.” She shouts at the male.

“What about the survivor?” Polis points at Pansy.

“He doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things,” The female Gryphus shouts.

Polis grunts and flies up to the female Gryphus. The two creatures fly off.

Pansy watched the creature fly off into the distance.

“Pansy,” Dogboy came slinking up head low. “We are aborting the mission.”

“Where is Landlooker?” Pansy asks.

“Dead, Oh Celestia, one of those things stomped him out like a bug,” The mare had been crying and fresh tears streamed down her cheeks.

Pansy reach out and hugged the mare she cried in his shoulder.

“Huff… Huff… Huff…”

Ferngully had gained a loose definition of consciousness. The mare was red face and sweating. She panted and moaned in pain.

Pot Shell stood there in shock. He was speechless unsure how to react to the panting lethargic mare.

“Can you hear me?” Lupin asked loudly.

Ferngully replied by a wince so hard she squeezes tears from her eyes. Then she weakly speeks. “Y-yes,” She then whimpers. The Bat Pony squeaks in pain and her consciousness left her eyes but the mare continued her panting.

“She’s going to kill herself at this rate,” Lupin said darkly. The Luffon turns to Pot Shell. “You are going to have to give her water. If she can’t drink it on her own. Force it down with a kiss.”

“Yes ma’am,” Pot Shell nods his head.

“I’ll look for help,” Lupin told the pony.

“The ones they were traveling with, We were going to be back with them at Stallion City. They should still be on the road.” Pot Shell adds.

The buck spots the Pegasus approaching. He instantly grabs Landlooker’s lighting blade laying on the ground. At this point the blade was starting to flicker. A sign it was running out of power.

“The Gryphus has Claymari,” Private Pansy said as he came walking up. “You should know that.” He looked at the freshly dead bodies. “I think they were here for her.” The pony picks up Landlooker’s body and puts it on his back. “We are just here to pick up what’s ours and we’ll be out of your territory.”

Lupin nods her head. She turns and flies away. Dogboy and Private Pansy flew the opposite way.

This left Pot Shell alone with the injured panting mare.

“Fallowing the path… Lupin found the travelers…”

Whirly Pop’s party was on a long winding road in the middle of the grassland. A few other travelers dotted the same road they walked on.

“Does that Griffon look weird to you?” Mousecakes whispers to Whirly Pop.

Whirly Pop looks to the sky. There been a few Griffons flying over head using the road to navigate back and forth. But this Griffon looked funny and was making maneuvers like it was going to land.

“Rat Tak-Tak,” Whirly Pop commands the mares to attention.

“I see it,” Rat Tak-Tak inched closer to the wagon and her spear. Honey Mead and Metalance did the same.

“That’s a check point guard uniform,” Fearion points out.

“Oh yes it looks like the bunny girl,” Whirly Pop notes.

Lupin lands near the party.

“Thank the mother you are here,” Lupin panted.

“Is something wrong?” Whirly Pop asks.

“Your friends were attacked by Gryphus,” Lupin replied catching her breath.

“My lord are they okay?” Whirly Pop gasped.

Lupin shook her head sideways.

“What happen?” Rat Tak-Tak demands.

“The bat she is injured, stable but she’s in intense pain,” Lupin told them. She can’t move herself.”

“We got to save her,” Honey Mead demands.

“It gets worst,” Lupin told them, “The beasts kidnapped Claymari.”

“Why would these things kidnap Claymari?” Metalance points out.

“Don’t know, but trust me if she wasn’t any use to them then they would have killed her.”

“Okay, Petty Kitty gave us a Health Potion from Zero’s world,” Whirly Pop told them. “It is said they can heal most injuries.”

“Yes boys and girls… Ministry of Peace Health Potions… Make sure your mommies and daddies buy a heathy stock of them…

“Health Potions are perduced by Three Hearts Co… PMG… LLP…”

“Do not consume Health Potions orally… if consumed orally consult the Ministry of Peace poison control center…”

A hooded pony bumps into Lupin then stops there. The Lupin Griffon turns to the traveler.

“Sir? If there something the matter? Unless someone is in imminent danger of being harmed it will have to wait.” Lupin told the standing pony.

The standing pony puts his long bloody fingers on the Luffon’s shoulder. Not fingers, it was the lower half of his forehoof. Normally fused into one rod of flesh the bones making up the end of his arm somehow mutated into a workable hand with spidery fingers.

The moment Lupin saw something was wrong. The hand gripped and twisted. The Rabbit Griffon’s arm rips off. Lupin shrieks and stumbles back. Metalance catches the mangled Griffon.

Honey Mead activates her spear, It's light moves over her body, changing its shape and shooting energy wings out her back.

Meanwhile, Metalance puts Lupin on the wagon. Whirly Pop pops the top off the Health Potion and dumps it on the bleeding empty socket. The flesh heals as Lupin passes out.

“Honey, You fight that thing with power for now, If you are in trouble I’ll activate too,” Rat Tak-Tak told the mare. “I want to limit the use of the spears in case a Gryphus attacks us.”

Honey Mead charges the attacking pony. He ducks and Honey Mead’s spear catches on the pony’s cloak. She rips it off to revealed a pink hairless body. In his chest an exposed beating heart.

“A Zebra Warlord,” Whirly Pop said in shock.

“My lord it’s Nutcracker,” Rat Tak-Tak points out, “They stole his body and turned him into that thing.”

Other than being bald, Nutcracker’s face looked normal. His hands curled over meaning he was standing on his knuckles. His arms and body had grew and adjusted to this.

Rat Tak-Tak approached with her spear at the ready. Honey Mead looks at her spear and that the monster. Not for long because the thing lunged at her. Her wings allowed her the speed to avoid the hooked claws.

“Sir, I’m not exactly the best type to fight this thing,” Honey Mead points out. “My powers are useless against him. If I could get some speed I could deal some notable damage.”

Rat Tak-Tak moves in with her spear. The blade bounced off the Warlock’s hide.

“Meta! Need some help!” Rat Tak-Tak orders.

Metalance grabs her lance and charges the Warlock monster. Her spear head too bounced off the thing as well.

“This isn’t going well,” Metalance starts to put her power gem into the slot of the spear.

“No, this is too well planned,” Rat Tak-Tak snaps stopping the mare. “If both you and Honey power down at the same time our group will be at its weakest for another attack. Just keep him still to give Honey some time.”

Of witch the mare had gain some distance, about few yards or more. She concentrated the ethanol plasma flame from her back and buzz forward like a rocket.

Honey Mead held her spear forward. With a twist of the shaft a hypodermic point pops out of the tip. She pierces the Warlock’s flesh. With another twist an outer shaft slides up away from an inter shaft doubling the length.

Honey Mead pushes down putting the spear back to its original length. The Warlock screams as a loud crackly freezing sound came from the creature. Frost starts covering the body and the beast stopped moving.

Honey Mead sighs as she gets off the Warlock and pulls her spear from the body.

“You froze it?” Mousecakes cautiously walks up to the solid Warlock.

“My spear can produce liquid alcohol in it. I have the ability to heat and lower the temperature of that alcohol at will. It has a very low freezing point and I can fire it from my spear burning the target with cold.” Honey Mead explains.

“Oh, that's how you fly too?” Mousecakes points out.

“Okay what are we going to do about this thing?” Whirly Pop asks.

Honey Mead powers down, “He’s a zombie so as soon as he unfreezes he’ll come back to life.”

“How long will it last?” Rat Tak-Tak asks.

“At this temp a few days he’s about as cold as dry ice,” Honey Mead points out.

“I see,” Rat Tak-Tak nods her head.

“I’m a little confused on what to do now,” Whirly Pop speaks up. “The next city is half the day away. We have two injured we need to take care of. The Rabbit Griffon who’s with us now and Ferngully who’s a few hours away. We used our Health Potion. I’m pretty sure we need to split, then there’s that monster.”

“Yes,” Rat Tak-Tak nods her head, “Some of us should take the Griffon to the city as the others recover Ferngully. It’s risky but we have to leave the monster along here by the side of the road. Hopefully we can recover it later.”

“Wouldn’t that endanger travelers?” Whirly Pop points out.

“Like I said it will take a while for him to thaw,” Honey Mead reminded.

“I could write a note and pin it on the creature,” Mousecakes adds, “Something like ‘Danger, zombie monster, Frozen on Monday, should still be frozen on Tuesday, Better not stick around on Wensday.’.”

Metalace laughs at this idea.

“Better than nothing,” Whirly Pop sighs. She turns to Rat Tak-Tak. “Our grouping?”

“Well, Honey Mead wouldn’t be able to use her powers for a while,” Rat Tak-Tak thought out loud. “You, Fearoin, and Mousecakes. Metalance you will be their guard. You should head to the city with the Griffon, you’ll have to carry her on your backs. From the sounds of it, Ferngully's spine is injured. We will need the wagon to retrieve her.”

Whirly Pop frowned at this. Ponies didn’t heal from broken bones well to began with without some magic assistance. A back was one of the worst.

“Okay, Honey Mead you help me retrieve our companions at Burning Cage.” Rat Tak-Tak orders.

“Back at Burning Cage…”

Ferngully was giving a low painful moan. Her hooves laid over her red face. The Bat Pony’s body quaked with pain.

Pot Shell put and open flask of water by the sweating pony’s muzzle hoping she take a drink. She was in too much pain to notice. In addition she had spent too much time on her side and her body weight was putting pressure on her possibly injured ribs.

“You need to drink water,” Pot Shell frowns.

Ferngully her eyes squinting, puffy and watering. Pulled her muzzle forward about an inch in flopped her head down exhausted

Pot Shell sighs and puts some water in his mouth, Took the agonizing filly’s head into his forewrist lifting it up to him. He puts his lips to hers, pushing the water into her mouth. The natural body responses take her over and the mare swallows the liquid. Tears stream down the Bat Pony’s cheeks.

When Pot Shell was done he releases Ferngully from his kiss. He lets her go and the mare starts coughing choking on some of the water. This caused her body to shake and she howled in pain.

Violet Eyes had reappeared. She had some large fruit in her muzzle. It looked like a cross between a peach and an apple.

“Eat,” Violet Eyes looks at Pot Shell then turn to look at Ferngully.

Pot Shell understood what the little pony meant. He takes a few bites of the fruit. The stallion chewed these bites thoroughly then takes a few more swigs of water.

The process was repeated with Ferngully. She swallows and they let go lips. Ferngully panted, this was taking a toll on her. She puts her head back down.

A moment later the mare yips and whimpers, then shutters. A trickle came from her rear. The warm puddle rubs against his forehoof.

Pot Shell turned red,

“S-sorry,” Ferngully said with all her will to cut through the pain.

“It’s okay,” Pot Shell grabs a rag and dabs under the mare's tail and the ground around it.

When he was done Pot Shell strokes Ferngully’s mane to comfort her. She just winced there trembling.

“It was another two hours before Rat Tak-Tak and Honey Mead came…”

Ferngully was asleep or at least passed out. Pot Shell broke down crying at the sight of them. He buried his head into Rat Tak-Tak’s chest.

“Poor dear this must have been hard on you,” Rat Tak-Tak puts her hoof through the stallion’s mane.

As Rat Tak-Tak comforted Pot Shell. Honey Mead made a stretcher for Ferngully.

“Rat,” Honey Mead called out, “A little help.

Rat Tak-Tak pulled the wagon closer to Ferngully’s shivering body. She then stands up on the opposite side of Honey Mead and the two mares gently slid the Bat Pony on the stretcher. This woke her up and she started screaming in pain.

“It’s okay dear,” Rat Tak-Tak comfort Ferngully like she did with Pot Shell.

Ferngully cooed and moaned as they put her on the wagon. She started breathing heavily has her pain taxed her body.

“That one on the ground,” Honey Mead points at the dead Gryphus on the ground. “Is that the bastard that did this to her?”

“The Griffon Lupin did that to him,” Pot Shell told her.

Honey Mead smiled then looked sad. “Good girl,” She said with a nervous giggle in her voice.

“Did something happen to her?” Pot Shell caught to tone in Honey Mead’s voice.

The mare went pale.

“Celestia that bad,” Pot Shell gasped.

“We need to get going,” Rat Tak-Tak called back.

“I need a minute,” Pot Shell answers. “Violet Eyes!” He calls out.

The Biollante appeared.

“Come with us,” Pot Shell asked the creature.

Violet Eyes shakes her head, “No this is my home. I will stay.”

“I understand,” Pot Shell sighs.

“Lupin awakes…”

The Rabbit Griffon jolts up, If she could sweat it would be cold. Without looking, she didn't want to look she tried putting her talon to her forehead. It did not come. Now she had to look.

Lupin shrieked and cried and she put her other talon over her stump. Hugging herself and rocking back and forth.

The Griffon care giver heard the screaming and crying. She now waited outside the patient’s room, waiting for her to calm down. The Griffon had seen many war injured and knew when to come and stay away.

Once Lupin exhausted herself emotionally. The Griffon came into the room. Lupin was slumped over, her wing near the missing arm lay limply. Maybe from the lack of skeleton and muscle structure or nerve and tended damage. Most likely both.

“How long was I out,” Lupin asked flatly.

“Two days,” The Griffon care giver answer.

Lupin looked shocked, “But my flesh is fully healed.”

“The travelers that saved you had a Health Potion,” The care giver answered.

“I remember,” Lupin looked down shamefully, “That was meant to help their friend.

“She’s here too, the pony that was injured,” The care giver told her.

“Let me see her,” Lupin climbed out of bed. The Griffon care giver help balanced her.

Ferngully was in the next room. She was supported in a standing position by ropes, body wrapped in splints. The Bat Pony had a mellow look on her face as she was doped up on morphine*.

“*Also known as Med-X…”

“You look like you have seen better days,” Ferngully said to Lupin in a raspy voice and with a smile.

“So have you,” Lupin replied, “Where are your friends?”

“A farm out on the edge of the city.” Fergully answered, “They are staying there.

“Two hooded figures walked up to a house over the cover of darkness…”

A creamy brown hoof stretches out from under one of the cloaks and knocks on the door.

A light pink stallion with a lavender mane opens the door. His cutie mark was of a green shadow of a fairy pony.

“Puck…”

“Come in quickly,” Puck told the hooded ponies.

“So, what did you find out?” Whirly Pop asks.

A lavender mare with cow udders cutie marks was pouring Whirly Pop a drink. Another stallion stood next to the lavender pony. A flame red stallion.

“Tits Up and Vepicon…”

“Lupin is awake,” Mousecakes cheered removing her hood.

“Good anything else?” Whirly Pop asked as Pot Shell, Honey Mead and Metalance walked in from the back room.

“Everpony says the Gryphus are holding a Griffon village near the Griffon Kingdom border,” Rat Tak-Tak pulled back her hood. “Lately they been raiding some ore shipments from a near by mining town.”

“What does any of this have to do with Claymari?” Whirly Pop thought out loud.

“They are stealing ore, Maybe they need black smiths,” Pot Shell suggests.

Everyone was looking at the colt now.

“Claymari used to be a black smith,” He points out heck they say all Dore can forge metal and stone.”

“Due to the treaty there are no Dore settlements in this area,” Whirly Pop adds.

“So this is about making weapons?” Metalance snaps, “The Gryphus numbers are too few plus there are plenty of normal Earth Ponies and Griffon that can do the job.”

“Yeah but Dore can make powerful magical artifacts,” Pot Shell adds.

“True,” Honey Mead replied with the other spear mares nodding in agreement.

“They could have her make anything,” Whirly Pop sighs.

“Like a weapon,” Rat Tak-Tak adds, “There has to be word on the street on what these Gryphus are up too. We should take more time to investigate before charging in there.”

“Agreed, it’s going to be a few more days before we know if Ferngully will be able to walk around on her own. You have tell then.”

“Two days ago… The Gryphus strong hold…”

The two giant Gryphus fly in through a cave entrance. It wasn’t a natural cave, It was carved from one of the many gold mines Griffon were known to dig.

“Kira let me see,” Polis demands the female.

Kira shows off Claymari by holding her out by her hind leg. This left the mare upside down and exposed.

“Let me go you cocky pussy!” Claymari snaps as she swung from her leg.

Polis glares at the large pony. “Is she diseased? Her tits are swollen?” He pokes one of Claymari’s udders with his knuckle.

“Maybe she’s pregnant,” Kira then smirked, “Not for long with the way we are going to treat her.”

“They are big because she’s a Dore,” Azrael came walking into the room pulling a wagon behind him. Nutcracker was in the back.

“What happen to your pet?” Kira smirked.

“They have ice powers, don’t worry I have a brew that will stop that from happening again,” Azreal told them.

“What were you saying about the Dore?” Polis asked.

“Yes, they are a subterranean pony species,” Azrael told him. “They feed mostly off of mushrooms and insects that live there and they grow some of them as food. Because of this they adapted to produce more milk and for longer than most pony kinds. So they don’t have to work as hard to find food for their young.”

“So she’s a milk pony,” Polis smirks.

“She’s a stink pony,” Kira snarled. “Even before she pissed on herself.”

“You tip-!” Claymari was cut off when Kira tossed her into the fracking pool nearby. The pony splashed around at first then got her footing. She stood up in the milky water and shook like a dog.

“What is this shit it itches!” Claymari shouts.

“It's called clean Claymari,” Azrael said coldly.

“Umm that water has acids for dissolving some stones,” Polis whispers to Azrael.

“I bathe,” Claymari snaps, “I stood out in the rain last month.”

“Surely you been rutted between now and then,” Azrael smirked.

Claymari then gasps, “I-is that Nutcracker!”

“Yes, I felt like playing some mind games with you,” Azrael answered.

“What you bastards want with me!” Claymari was about to leap at Azrael but with the Gryphus around she thought better of it.

Azrael tosses a piece of black metal down at the edge of the pool. “You are going to make another Chimera Cauldron for us.”

Author's Note:

Thanks to TundraStanza for the name Three Hearts

Gryphus are inspired by this artwork by Assasinmonkey.