Chapter 15
Something kinda cool in bold at the end of the Author's Note. Be sure to check it out after the chapter.
Amy shut her eyes and pieced together a plan in her head. Before anything else could be done, she had to break free of her bindings, which, with how thickly wrapped they felt, would be easier said than done. Her first thought was to simply tear the ropes apart, but she was tempted to toss that idea aside as soon as it came to her. While she had been learning how to magically enhance her strength from Granny Haya, it was a skill that came far easier to the likes of nekos and earth ponies, and she found imitating the technique with her draconic magic difficult. She was getting better at it, but without room to build up some momentum, the dragoness could not yet generate that much extra power.
Even so, she found herself turning her awareness inward to feel out her magical pathways, sensing the warmth that pooled in her belly and flowed throughout her body. Amy was surprised by how much of the fiery magic she had used up; slightly more than a third of her reservoir now gone. She had felt the tiring effects of the smoke screen and fire breath upon using them, but hadn't thought it would have taken so much out of her. Some magic dragon you turned out to be; can barely breathe some smoke and fire without burning up a bunch of magic, pathetic.
The dragoness growled through her bound muzzle as she battled back the derogatory voice. Now wasn't the time for such thoughts, not when she had a little brother to save. Returning focus to her magic, she tried her best to take hold of the energy, finding the effort comparable to grasping at water, and direct more of the flow into the muscles of her arms. With all the strength she could muster, Amy pulled her arms apart, an ache quickly developing in the bones of her wrists. She kept the effort up for nearly half a minute, just starting to feel a few fibers in the rope snap before her magic sputtered. While she could feel that she had managed to create a small space between her wrists, it was too miniscule to be of any use and had only really tightened some of the knots binding her.
With a frustrated huff, the dragoness growled out a muffled "Damn it" before taking a few calming breaths. Well, it was worth a try. Her wrists throbbed and her arms protested when she attempted to shift into a better possession. ...Sort of. Unless I want to try and fight my way out of here with a couple of limp noodles, I should probably keep that as my last resort. While the little give she had gotten from the ropes was promising, the amount of strain she would have to put herself through to break free with brute strength alone wouldn't help her or Spike.
A disgruntled snort escaped her, unintentionally accompanied by a wisp of smoke, which as she smelled it caused her eyes to widen in dawning realisation. Wait, ropes and bags are flammable... I can just burn myself out! Though she felt a little stupid for not thinking of it earlier, Amy was far too happy to truly care. It wasn't the stealthiest of escapes, but if the fire spread to the wagon she and her brother were in, it could easily work as a large enough distraction to aid in their escape. She could only hope that, after their daring getaway, they would still be close enough to Ford Junction for her to figure out where to go.
She shook her head. That's a problem for later. For now, just focus on these damned ropes. "'Ike, I' guin' ta twy suphing and it's gunna get hut, but dun't panic, ukay?" Amy whispered. She felt the small mass against her jolt, most likely surprised by the sudden sound after she had told him to remain silent, but she could still feel his head nod against her, joined with a quiet "Mmhmm."
That was all the confirmation she needed as the dragoness began to build up a small flame within. Once ready, Amy braced herself for the uncomfortable sensation of forcing fire through her nostrils, and blew with all her might. She had to shut her eyes as her vision was burned by the sudden light of her own making, and she could feel her face heating up as she continued to fill her cloth prison with flames. She kept this up until there was no more oxygen left in the sack for the fire to feed on and she found herself coughing as everything was filled with smoke.
In between gasping breaths and wheezing coughs, a combination made worse by the rope around her muzzle, Amy could only think one thing, Well, that didn't work. The dragoness found herself almost falling unconscious again as her body waited for fresh air to slowly seep back into the bag. At the same time, the wagon she and her brother were on came to a halt, and Amy knew she had lost any element of surprise. Even so, she was too busy trying to figure out why the ropes, or even the sack, holding her failed to catch fire to care.
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Phantom was amazed at how well things had been going for them so far. Even the initial capture had gone far smoother than he had imagined, with the only injuries belonging to those two dogs Cujo favored the company of. Now, Dr. Zariba's archaeological team was well out of the city and on their way to their next big find; the biggest, if what the boss had said in the alley was any indication.
Lazily hovering over the small caravan as they traveled, Phantom looked down on their group and yawned. He would have preferred it if the trip didn't have to be entirely on hoof, but the cost of traveling by other means, such as taking trains to the city closest to their destination, would have been staggering with how many they'd have to take along. That wasn't even mentioning the added risk they ran of having their... less than ordinary cargo being discovered. It was times like this that Phantom wished adventure stories were actually accurate depictions of real life; that the "villains" did have seemingly limitless resources at their disposal. An airship would definitely be welcome at that moment, even with the old trope of "good guys always win" working against them. That last thought made the pegasus smirk; as far as most of Ford Junction's population was concerned, Dr. Zariba was as far from being a villain as a pony could get, and Phantom would agree with that for the most part. They were all just making a living, after all, and that included the good doctor, even if he resorted to some... unsavory dealings and methods to do so.
At the moment however, that was beside the point, and Phantom's face returned to its stern expression. For as much as writers romanticized their work, the bulk of adventuring consisted of unexciting travel, much of which was done in the same formation they were currently in. Along the outer edge of the group walked the excavation team, a pack of diamond dogs who still clung to the old, more feral ways of their people while trying to exist in a modern world. Dr. Zariba had offered these creatures the perfect opportunity to avoid society's stigma for their refusal to adhere to what was deemed civilized behavior while still allowing them to keep their traditions alive. By having them help him in his treasure hunting, the dogs got to both gather their precious gems and practice their pack customs away from prying eyes as they oftentimes traversed the uninhabited corners of the world with the boss.
Phantom shook his head, he would never understand why Cujo and his pack didn't just get with the times, but he had no room to complain; he benefited from their service just as much as his boss did, even if it was just by reducing his own workload. He pushed away the thoughts of the perplexing pooches, content with not trying to understand them, and turned his eyes to his own group. Flying around him were the few other pegasi in the service of Dr. Zariba who made up his scouting team. Phantom was more than okay with how few sets of wings they had as he didn't particular like sharing his airspace. He would deny the allegations if they were to ever arise, but the scarred pegasus felt claustrophobic if there were too many others flying around him.
A memory barreled to the forefront of his mind. A memory of wicked, slit pupils narrowing. Of huge fangs, smoke, and the red-orange glow building behind them. Of an easy escape hindered by the panicked pegasi around him as he was knocked out of the air and right to the path of the flames. Of the smell of fire and brimstone and burning flesh.
"Hey, you okay?" Phantom jolted, his eyes going wide as he whipped his head over to see a lime-green pegasus mare looking at him in concern. "You're sweating something awful there, Phantom. You running a fever?"
Wiping at the cold sweat on his forehead, the scarred pegasus grunted. "I'm fine, now get back into position, you're breaking the formation," he said gruffly, ignoring the chill the rapidly wind-dried sweat was causing him.
The mare's look of concern turned into one of annoyance as she pushed a strand of her tangerine mane out of her face. "Whatever, see if I bother worrying about you again," she replied and drifted away.
He didn't even glance at the retreating form as he tried to orient himself internally after his brief trip into the past. A small part of him felt a little bad for snapping at Citrus Spritz both because she was one of the few members of their company that he could stand and because she had just unknowingly helped him return to reality. Still, the mare had been flying too close for comfort, especially for where his mind was, and he didn't want her doing so again.
A large breath of air filled his lungs, an action that would become increasingly more pleasant as they moved away from the pollution of Ford Junction, and he released it slowly. It was easier to simply occupy his mind with other things when memories of that dreadful night came to him, so he returned his gaze to the ground below.
At the center of everything were two covered wagons, with the one up front being meant for resting as those inside and out alternated turns. This one was being pulled by Cujo himself, a special harness wrapped around his shoulders, chest and waist. Sitting at the head of the wagon was Dr. Zariba, looking for all the world like a dapper scholar in his fine suit and top hat as he held a book open in one hoof. The doctor would periodically float a quill up and take notes on a scroll spread out next to him, the innocence of the simple act belying the cruel extremes the zebracorn was capable of in the pursuit of his goals. Why, there was a good example of just what the boss was willing to do in the second wagon being pulled by the only two earth ponies traveling with them.
Even though he himself had helped load them on, Phantom still found it hard to believe that two dragons were laying amongst the supplies and equipment of their caravan, bound with flame retardant ropes and stuffed in bags of the same nature. That last part didn't help make the truth any easier to swallow. It was astounding just how prepared Dr. Zariba always seemed to be. Seriously, Phantom could understand having one of the odd sacks on hoof, but two? What, did he buy in bulk or something?
The pegasus reminded himself not to bother even trying to understand the zebracorn; he wouldn't be able to do so on his own and would only get a chuckle from the stallion if he asked. For now, he was just glad that they had gotten out of the city limits and that Dr. Zariba had given both beasts a heavy dose of sleeping powder. The sun would set soon and neither of their captives had come to yet. It would have caused some real problems if the two had woken up and made a scene while still in the city. It really has been a while now actually. I wonder how much longer that stuff's going to last.
At that moment, an ear of one of the earth ponies twitched, and he stopped, calling out something. Though Phantom was a way away, he could make out the gist of it, and couldn't help but smirk when he imagined the implications. What I'd give to have seen the expressions on their faces when they woke up.
With Dr. Zariba bringing the caravan to a halt with a call to set up camp and climbing down from his seat to walk to the other wagon, Phantom glided down to land by his side. Maybe he would still get a chance to see something entertaining from the captured dragons. As long as he didn't have to get too close that is.
~8~
Upon hearing his sister apparently choke, Spike's heart rate jumped. He didn't know what it was the older dragon had tried to do, but he had an inkling it didn't work. He was about to ask if she was alright when his body lurched a little. We stopped? That can't be good.
Spike could soon make out voices from outside whatever it was they were in and he began to shiver, putting two and two together to come to the conclusion that he and his sister would soon be paid a visit. The sounds of hooves, feet, and shouts began to come from all directions as whoever was out there scrambled into action. Even with the cacophony all around him, the young dragon's fear-sharpened mind locked onto one noise that didn't fit with the rest. Whereas the movements of most everyone else were quick and frenzied, there was one set of hoof steps that was calm and collected. This was soon followed by the sound of a pegasus touching down to immediately transition into a trot, something he had become familiar with growing up around ponies, and Spike just knew who it was.
By this time, Amy's strained choking had been replaced with labored wheezes, and the young dragon tried to warn her. "Tha' zebra and 'egasus are-"
"Aw, how nice of you two to join us," interrupted the familiar, cultured voice from the alleyway. Spike doubted he would be forgetting that deep timbre anytime soon. "I'm sorry for the accommodations, but we can't exactly afford five star service whilst on the road." Anger and a sealed mouth made Amy's reply indecipherable, but there was no denying the absolute fury radiating off of her. Spike could actually feel this in the form off her rising temperature next to him, and he involuntarily wiggled away. "Oh, you're awake too, little one? Now that is a surprise, I'd have thought you'd be out for at least another few hours with how small you are." Zariba said. "You wingless dragons never cease to astound me. It makes me wonder what else you're capable of, little one."
"'Et him gu Arbez, he gut nuthing ta du 'ith any uf this!" Amy commanded. Spike had little doubt that, had she not been bound and bagged on the floor, her words would have been quite fear-inducing.
As it was, the younger dragon was pretty sure the response would be in the negative. "I'm afraid that isn't going to be possible, Ms. Thistle." Bingo. "After all, even if you were willing to cooperate, we couldn't very well have your... brother, I'd like to say, send a message to whomever it is on the other side of that transportation spell of his." Wait, what?
Before he could try and voice his own question, his sister beat him to it. "'Ow do you know abut that?" she said, surprise and even a bit of fear in her voice.
"That's an interesting story, actually," the horned zebra began, speaking as if he were chatting with a couple of friends. "See, I couldn't very well have you two waking up and making a scene before we made it out of town, so I gave you a little something to help you sleep until we got well away from any populated areas. Worked like a charm, by the way; it's a bit past eight o'clock now and we've been traveling for quite some time."
Okay, that explained the powder he'd blown on them, but Spike couldn't see how that could have led to this insane stallion discovering he could send stuff to Celestia. It was with a detached curiosity that he wondered this, still in a state of shock upon realizing he would most likely not be sending for help anytime soon. In truth, he hadn't even given it conscious thought up until now, what with being cornered, captured, and drugged, a fact that made him look at Amy's experience in Canterlot in a new light. Deep within his mind, he had always known that that connection existed, and it had served to comfort him at his darkest moments.
"Well, being the caring stallion that I am, I, of course, had to perform a diagnostic spell on the young drake, just in case he ended up having an adverse reaction to the sedative I gave him," Zariba went on. "So you can imagine my surprise when my spell discovered something abnormal intertwined with his magical ley lines; a spell matrix written right into his fire. It was quite beautiful actually; the work of a master to be sure."
You have no idea. Spike didn't know whether or not it was a good thing that the zebra didn't know that it was Princess Celestia herself that his fire was connected to, but he supposed that he should be grateful that the information was his to reveal. If he and his sister got some time alone together, maybe she could decide whether or not they should tell their captors about who it was they were messing with. I've never seen Celestia angry, but with how many ponies get nervous around her, I bet it would be enough to get this guy to let us go. A grimace spread across his features. Or it could make him do something crazy.
Memories of time spent helping Fluttershy rushed to the forefront of the young dragon's mind. He had found an injured weasel near the edge of the Everfree and tried to help it, only to end up being hissed at. The butter-yellow pegasus had come over and explained to him that animals often lashed out when they were afraid; sometimes even hurting the ones trying to help them. Spike really hoped the same thing didn't apply to zebras or he and Amy could be in even more trouble than they were already in.
"I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell me who it is, would you?" Zariba said, rousing Spike from his thoughts.
"'Ow about you gu tu tata'us!" Amy hissed in response.
Spike heard a sigh from the zebra and a chuckle from who he could only guess to be the scarred pegasus. "Really, Miss Thistle? More of this same song and dance? We both know I'm going to get what I want in the end; I hold all the cards as it were, so how about you make things easy, stop living up to your name, and skip all the hostility? Nobody likes a prickly personality, after all."
This got another growl from his sister and a long string of harsh words, only half of which were familiar to Spike. Zariba sighed again and Spike could imagine the stallion shaking his head in disappointment. "Hmm, the hard way it is then. Phantom, grab the smaller one, I'll get Ms. Thistle. We're setting up camp for the night and we need to get these two settled in," the zebra said, before his voice suddenly took on a darker and even slightly pleased tone. "I think I'm ready to handle the boy's unique talent."
The younger dragon shuddered and, when the hooves of the pegasus grabbed hold of his body, he struggled, speaking for the first time since the villains came to them. ""Et me gu, jerks!" He had no idea what the zebracorn meant by handling him, but there was little doubt that he wasn't going to like it. Driven by instincts, Spike began blowing fire from his nostrils.
"Blasted monster's hot as a furnace!" Phantom yelled as he dropped his fiery luggage to the ground. Upon impact, the air was forced from the dragon in the form of one final fireball. This would have only slightly winded him, but still confined as he was within his bag it left him in the same oxygen starved state his sister had been in not long ago. A distant part of his mind decided to be ever so helpful by supplying the memory of when near the exact same scenario played out in the alleyway with that Toby character. Maybe he should start choosing his words more carefully when being dangled in the air by plot-heads?
"Lotta good those bags do. I hope for the sake of your bank account that you didn't waste to many bits on them, boss," he heard the scarred pegasus say.
"Oh come now, he's just a child, I doubt he's that hot. Stop complaining and pick him up properly. I don't want you injuring either of our guests," Zariba responded, having to raise his voice to be heard over Amy's increased yelling and Spike's coughing.
As the pegasus lifted him once again, the young dragon was tempted to fight against him, but the ache he felt as he tried to breathe soot filled air with recovering lungs put a damper on the idea. As it was, he went limp and hoped he wouldn't be dropped again as he felt his carrier walk a few steps before hopping down from whatever they were in. The sounds that had been muted before were now much louder and Spike was made more nervous as it became harder to hear his sister's voice over everything else.
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Phantom was sweating as he carried the dragon whelp in the crook of his right foreleg, though only some of it was from the heat of the creature. It had tried to burn him, and when it did, it didn't matter that the flames were stopped by the special fabric, because all he could think about was the sensation of searing flesh and dragon's fire.
Some days were better than others for the pegasus, but being forced to interact with, and even carry one of the things he hated most was definitely putting this day very low on his list. Getting rid of his unwanted cargo and being free to soothe his burning scars by soaring through the cool clouds was something he could barely wait for.
He looked over to his boss and couldn't help but be slightly jealous of how blasé he was with a dragon floating only a few hoof lengths away from him. A far more active beast than his now motionless one at that. Phantom mentally comforted himself with the fact that Dr. Zariba didn't have to physically hold his dragon. It helped marginally.
Returning to reality, the scarred pegasus saw that the rest of their company had made significant progress in setting up camp for the night; he could even see Citrus Spritz with cooking supplies at the ready as she prepared a fire. As they walked past a multitude of simple tents the two equines neared Toby and Cooper who, along with some other diamond dogs, had just finished erecting what looked like a circus's big top in miniature. It oftentimes served as a central base of sorts for their expeditions where Dr. Zariba and his small circle of egg heads went over whatever clues they had come across. Of course, its use was going to be somewhat modified this time around.
"Aw, Toby, Cooper, you're done, excellent," said the boss with a smile, getting them both to turn around. "Would you two go and retrieve Albert for me? Tell him to bring the tablets. I was also putting the finishing touches on a little project before we stopped; have Albert bring my spell supplies as well... Oh, and tell your brother to come; I don't think I'll be having much trouble with Ms. Thistle, but she's still a bit upset and it is always better to err on the side of caution when dealing with that one."
"Sure thing boss," The lanky dog said, looking over to the older one next to him. "Come on, Cooper, let's go get dumb pup."
Cooper rolled his eyes. "Ya just heard the zebra call 'im Albert; when are ya gonna bother actually usin' other names besides mine an' Cujo's?"
Toby shined an oblivious grin and answered, "Why Toby need to know names other than brothers'? It too hard and no one else needs talking to."
Staring a moment, Cooper shook his head in resignation and started walking away, mumbling something about stupid pups licking veins of lead. Phantom felt some pity for the older dog; having to look out for one younger brother who was dumber than a shovel, and having another that was always a hair's breadth away from mutilating someone. Watching Cooper grab hold of Toby as the tall dog was distracted by the scurrying of some small creature made the pegasus glad he was an only child.
"Come on, Phantom, don't just stand there," the boss told him. "I'm sure these two are getting tired of being carried; let's get them inside." With that, Dr. Zariba levitated the still struggling dragoness ahead of him and disappeared through the tent flap. Had the zebra waited a moment, he may have heard his subordinate grumble about how he was tired of carrying the dragon all over camp.
Adjusting the weight of his luggage and getting a growl from within the confines of the bag, Phantom followed after his employer into the dimly lit tent. The interior was lacking its usual furnishings, instead being bare save for two things, one small table and the center pole of wood half as thick as his barrel holding the structure up. Attached near the top were three low burning lanterns to light the area.
Wanting to finally get away from his scaly burden, Phantom made to set it at the pole where he knew the dragons would be spending the night, but, as if reading his thoughts, he was interrupted by the boss before taking a single step. "Keep a hold of him; I have something that needs to be done before he's tied up for the night," Dr. Zariba said, his voice losing the jovial hint that had been present until now.
A small shiver ran up the scarred pony's back, his feathers ruffling involuntarily as he watched his boss none too gently drop the bagged Amethyst onto the ground by the pole. Phantom didn't know if he should have felt honored or uncomfortable that he, along with Cujo and his brothers, were some of the only people Dr. Zariba would be his true self around. On one hoof, it showed that he had some sort of trust in him, but on the other, the cold, detached being hidden underneath the kind facade was not somepony Phantom felt particularly comfortable with.
None of this showed on his face of course as the pegasus grunted grumpily and dropped to his haunches. "Fine, but can you make it quick boss? I don't want to hold this thing all night."
A small smile pulled at Zariba's lips as he took his hat off and began extracting a long length of rope from its dark depths. "And here I thought some exposure therapy would help you begin overcoming your fear of dragons; it really is a bothersome phobia to have in our line of work."
Phantom growled. "I don't have a phobia; I just have the common sense to avoid monsters bent on frying us all to a crisp." He gestured towards the now still Amethyst. "You keep messing with their kind, and you'll end up a piece of brisket... Well-done."
Toby's whining and footsteps could be heard approaching as Zariba opened his mouth. "A risk I'm willing to take to make the most lucrative discovery of the millennium," countered the zebra, voice reverting to its false state as the entrance flaps parted to reveal Toby and Cooper, as well as a third dog. This one was far from what most ponies pictured as far as looks were concerned. He was small, having a light, blonde coat instead of the usual darker, earthen colors, and was wearing a lab coat that trailed slightly on the ground behind him.
Albert was the smartest diamond dog Phantom had ever met, when it came to books that is, and he could probably even give that dragon-loving pegasus, Lore Finder, a run for her money in a contest of historical knowledge. It was for this reason that the scarred pegasus was perplexed by Albert's inclusion in Cujo's pack; the monstrous diamond dog may not have been a fool like his younger brother, but he definitely wasn't one to put a whole lot of value on higher education, and that went for his pack as well. Phantom had even heard a few of its members openly badmouthing the frailest amongst them.
Even so, Albert stayed, and Phantom could only wonder why. He had actually come up with some theories on what exactly the dog's motive was; figuring it was either for the protection the pack provided, or so he could be at the forefront of uncovering history as he followed Dr. Zariba to lands others did not dare to tread. Maybe it was both.
Albert was hugging a large, wrapped something to his chest which he had to peek over, which led to the inevitable; he tripped. His loosely fitted, bottle lens glasses bounced askew upon his muzzle as he hopped a few steps and began to tumble forward. The small diamond dog was in mid-scream when a red aura encompassed what he was carrying and he ended up leaning against it, stopped halfway on his descent with wide eyes.
"Really Albert, you must be more careful while handling ancient stone tablets. We'd have been up all night putting rubble back together had I not caught you," Dr Zariba said, and though it was meant to sound concerned and a tad chiding, Phantom had known the zebra long enough to hear the underlying acid in those words. It seemed he and Cooper were the only ones to notice, however, as, besides the older dog's subtle cringe, Toby didn't have any reaction to what had been said, and Albert only gave a small, embarrassed smile. "I-I'm sorry Doctor, my foot must have caught on a rock or something. I'll be more aware of my surroundings from now on," he responded, scrambling backwards off the tablet and subsequently bumping into Cooper.
The bigger dog growled and pushed Albert away. "A rock nothen'. Ya fell because ya tried ta carry somethen' too big for ya; should 'ave let me carry it like I told'cha." He held out a medium-sized bag. "This was more yer speed."
Sending a glower in Cooper's direction, Albert said, "And let a rockhead like you or your brother carry a priceless artifact? You must have gone senile if you'd think for even a second I'd let such a thing transpire! History must be protected, not used for a chew toy!"
Phantom thought that he was about to see a good old-fashioned beat down as Cooper showed his yellowed fangs and stepped towards the much smaller diamond dog, and judging by how Albert's glare turned into a wide-eyed look of terror, so did he. But alas, it wasn't meant to be as a deep voice cut through the building hostility. "Enough, both of you!" commanded Dr. Zariba. When all eyes turned to the scowling zebra, they saw that he had unwrapped the package, spreading the tarp it had been concealed in out on the ground, before laying the stone down on top of it. "I take it that bag you have there is for me, Cooper?" he asked, voice already calm again as he gestured to the old diamond dog's paw.
"Uh, yeah, here ya go," Cooper answered after blinking a few times. He tossed the bag underpaw to the zebra, who caught it with his magic before it even covered half the distance between them. "Cujo said he'd be by soon, just makin' sure the pack was settled first."
"Excellent," Dr. Zariba said. "It was difficult to formulate a proper spell on such short notice, but I think this will do nicely." He opened the top of the bag looked inside, no longer facing the others as he spoke. "Take the sack off of the smaller dragon, Phantom, I can't cast the spell with it in the way." Zariba pulled out a few items from the bag and looked up to see the pegasus had yet to move. "Really Phantom? He's a tied up child; he's not going to set you on fire as soon as he's free."
"Then why don't you do it?" Phantom retorted without thinking. After the words left his lips, he clamped his mouth shut, but his fears were unfounded as the boss only rolled his eyes and grabbed the dragon from his foreleg and levitated it away. The little beast had begun to struggle as the talk of casting a spell on it was once again brought up, and grew more frantic when the magic aura engulfed it.
Taking an involuntary step back, the pegasus watched as his boss pulled free the monster by its thrashing tail. As its head came into view, Phantom took another step as small wisps of emerald flame curled from its nostrils. At the sight, Phantom was caught between wondering about the odd color and the voice in the back of his head telling him to fly away.
"Hmph, I can smell the fear on you, pony," said a voice as deep and rumbling as a cave-in.
Phantom jumped a little, wings unfurling halfway as his head whipped around. "For buck's sake, don't sneak up on ponies like that!" he yelled without thinking, now facing a wall of dark fur. Eyes trailing upwards, they landed on the face of Cujo as he bared his fangs.
"I don't sneak," he growled.
The pegasus gulped, mentally punching himself for letting his mouth open without his permission again. Phantom was a skilled fighter, and an even more skilled flyer, but even if he was able to hone the wind sharp enough to cut through the tent's canvas above, he would still have to fly up there to do so, and Cujo's reach was vast. The diamond dog had to hunch more than usual just to fit inside.
Phantom was contemplating an escape between the dog's legs when Dr. Zariba spoke, much to his relief. "Cujo, I'm glad you're here, now we can start moving things along," the zebra said as he put the fuming dragon down. "I don't suspect you'll need to do much, I just need you here to serve as a deterrent for any... drastic actions Ms. Thistle may try while I'm working with her companion, though I don't plan on giving her the opportunity to do such things."
Cujo grunted, no longer looking at Phantom as they all focused on their employer. In short order, the boss had lifted Thistle's sack, opened it and shifted his magical grasp to the dragoness inside. Phantom smirked as Zariba actually levitated it a distance away from himself and started shaking it to get the bag to fall off. It was quite comical, and the amusement of watching a dragon be humiliated like that overrode any fear witnessing the glare and smoking nostrils generated.
"Come now, Amethyst, there's no need for that look," Zariba said, causing the glare he was receiving to intensify and the smoke to change to fire. "...Okay, maybe there is; being tossed in a sack wasn't the smoothest way to start this temporary partnership, but really, I'm sure you'll look back on this day with fondness after Bahamut's hoard is found." At this, there was a sharp intake of breath from the dragoness, and Zariba grinned. "I knew that would give you pause; finding that treasure is quite important to you if I recall."
Phantom snorted and mumbled under his breath, "Yeah, real shocker there; a dragon out for treasure." When Amethyst directed her glare towards him, he was tempted to look away, but being free of his draconic burden for a bit and having what just happened to the dragoness playing in his head allowed him to meet her eyes with his own glare. "What? Don't like ponies telling the truth? Try and pretend as much as you want, monster, you'll never change what you are."
"Quiet!" the boss reprimanded sharply, eyes cutting to him. "Control yourself or leave! If you can't do the former," his irises flashed, "then I strongly recommend the latter. There are more important things to tend to now than your petty emotional baggage."
The scarred pegasus swallowed thickly. "Sorry, boss," he mumbled.
He was glad Zariba didn't expect more from him as he simply snorted and turned back to their captive. "Apologies, but you know how he is." The dragoness growled. "Oh! I'm sorry," he said suddenly, spinning Amethyst so she was right side up. "We can't have blood pooling in that brain of yours, we need it so you can read this for us."
The boss gestured down to the tablet; two large slabs that fitted perfectly together down a large crack. Phantom had been wondering for a while now why Zariba had suddenly become so intrigued when he mentioned what he had overheard what the dragoness slur all those nights ago. Really, he meant to start up a session of his favorite pastime; badmouthing the monster that thought it was civilized, and instead started his boss scheming.
Whatever was on the hunk of black rock, it seemed to get their captive's attention as it looked down, stared for a few seconds, and then widened its eyes.
"Ah, recognition, I was hoping to see that; would have made this whole abduction thing quite awkward had you not known what this was." Zariba stated with a smile, returning Amethyst's angry attention to him. "Now, as anxious as I'm sure we both are to uncover the secrets of this tablet, I have another matter to attend to first."
Still pointlessly wiggling, the small dragon had been watching silently and as Zariba's gaze shifted to the monster bobbing in the air began growling unintelligible threats. In response, the boss clicked his tongue and moved her over to the center pole of the tent, sending the rope he had extracted from his hat earlier after it. In an instant, Amethyst was sat against the pole and tied to it.
Phantom found himself wondering if he was finding too much satisfaction at seeing dragons so powerless, but dismissed the thought. It was a rare enough sight that one simply had to enjoy it when they were lucky enough to witness it. Really, seeing the hopelessness hidden in the wrathful eyes of the dragoness was priceless, and the smidgeon of shame in those acid green orbs made the pegasus wish he had a camera. Maybe I can borrow the one used to take photos on our expeditions.
~8~
Amy was not a happy dragon as she was carried through the air, a sensation made all the more disgusting by the knowledge of who that magic belonged to. It was believed by many that magic far surpassed eyes as windows to the soul, and so being in a cloud of Zariba's magic was like being wrapped in the stallion's essence. Just like its wielder, the zebra's magic was cold to the touch and deceptively calm, but when Amy struggled against his grasp, it was as if she was breaking the surface of a rip current, suddenly feeling the twisted energy tear against her body and try to pull her under.
Even so, the dragoness had continued to struggle against the vile force, determined to cause Zariba as much difficulty as she could even if it didn't directly aid in her escape. Unfortunately, besides a few strained grunts, her captor didn't seem all that bothered by her efforts.
As she was she dropped, talked over as if she weren't even there, shaken out of a bag, and eventually stuck to a hunk of wood, Amy grew more and more frustrated with the situation. Even with the flashes of fear she garnered from Phantom with just a glare, the dragoness couldn't quell the shame blooming in her heart as she was treated as nothing more than a piece of equipment to aid in her captor's goals.
The situation wouldn't be so bad had there been one major difference in it; had her brother not been captured as well, this would have been a prime opportunity to make more headway towards her dream. Even without being able to closely inspect the tablet Zariba had stumbled upon, Amy could easily recognize the ancient draconic glyphs carved into its dark surface. She held on to the memories of her parents far too tightly to ever forget, and being taught the old language by her father was amongst them.
She could wait for the opportune moment, steal the tablet, and escape with whatever secrets it held; it would have been great to pull one over on the zebracorn and get another step closer to Bahamut's hoard. Yes, things could have been so much better had she only been captured alone. And now you're tied to a pole while a sick freak casts his creepy magic on your little brother.
As she watched her thoroughly frightened sibling fruitlessly try to crawl away from Zariba, only to be dragged into the air by that despicable magic, Amy's jaw clenched and she ground her fangs. The instinct to slaughter her enemy, to tear him apart with teeth and claw, then burn the remains to cinder pushed itself to the forefront of her mind, and for once, she wasn't disgusted in herself for allowing it to be there. Lore Finder be damned, if this bastard hurt her kin, she'd kill him.
"Come now, if you keep moving, I won't be able to do this properly and will have to sedate you again," Zariba explained to Spike. "This is a new spell, after all; I'd rather keep as many unknown factors out of the equation as I can, which includes you being out of your mind whilst the spell does its work." Zariba then looked into the young drake's eyes, forcing him to meet his gaze with a magic yank of the head when he tried to turn away. "You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you, would you? Just imagine what poor Amethyst would go through if you ended up hurt or worse simply because you couldn't hold still."
As he spoke, the young dragon's movements slowed to a stop, and Amy could see the new apprehension enter his eyes. Zariba noticed it too before he asked expectantly, "Are you done? No more struggling?" The force holding Spike's head in place dissipated, but he maintained eye-contact for a moment longer before the tension ran out of him and he went slack. Amy was shocked when she saw her brother nod weakly, actually submitting to this freak's will.
If Zariba was as surprised as she, he didn't show it as he broke into a wide grin. "Excellent! I'm glad to see you don't share your sister's irrational stubbornness; it will make this whole trip leagues easier without you fighting every step of the way." He turned a condescending eye to Amethyst. "Now if only you could get her to behave as well, this could be the best expedition we've ever had."
She couldn't stop the puff of flames from her nostrils as she showed her distaste for the idea, which only made Zariba shrug and shake his head. "Oh well, a zebra can dream," he said. A beat of silence later, and his expression rose once again. "Well, it doesn't matter now; let's get the magic started!" Placing Spike down in a seated position, the zebracorn turned his magic to the bag that had been brought to him and levitated out a small blade, getting looks of horror from both dragons, as well as intrigued ones from everyone else but Albert and Toby, who were sporting uncomfortable and oblivious expressions respectively.
As much as he hated it, Spike knew it was better to allow Zariba to cast his magic unhindered; he had been Twilight's default test subject enough times to know that the smallest distractions or complications during a big spell could have a myriad of unpleasant side effects, and he was not going to deal with having an extra head again, no matter how good looking he was. It took hours for that one to wear off and the bag of apology sapphires from Twilight barely made up for him having to debate with himself who was the number one assistant.
Yes, Spike was willing to remain motionless while the zebracorn did his thing... up until he pulled a knife on him, then he changed his mind pretty fast. "Mmph! Get that away frum me!" Spike screamed as he fell backwards.
While he has busy trying to wriggle away, he heard Amy strained voice speak a distant thought of his. "Ah thought this was just ah spell! Ah wun't let you kill ma bruther!"
Zariba quirked an eyebrow, momentarily confused by their reactions before looking between them and the knife. In the next instant, he burst into laughter, skull-marked face making the innocent act far more disturbing than it should have been, and said, "Y-you thought I was going to- to kill you!? Oh, I really shouldn't be laughing, but -ha- that's -haha- that's just too rich!" He started to settle down, using the tip of a hoof to wipe a tear away from the corner of his eye, and continued. "I know you don't think at all highly of me, but really? You two jump straight to murder? Knife or not, you really should think things through a bit more before jumping to conclusions like that; if I was going to kill this boy, I'd have done it while he was still unconscious."
The creepy display of joy had stopped Spike long enough to hear the zebracorn's explanation, and now that he had, he still didn't feel good about this. What kind of spell involved a knife? Zariba answered the unasked question. "I simply need a few drops of blood for the ritual part of the spell, his blood to be exact... sorry if this stings a bit, just try and imagine you're getting a shot or something, I'm sure you've gotten at least some of those before," he said as he retrieved a small, half-empty jar of ink.
This was only marginally helpful to the young dragon in taming his fear of what was about to happen, for, though he wasn't about to meet an untimely demise, he still knew that any magic that needed blood to work was magic he didn't want around him. He remembered Twilight's brief foray into the field of study when they still lived in Canterlot, and he also remembered Princess Celestia putting a quick stop to it. "Blood magics are dangerously close to the dark arts, and only the most experienced mages should ever even contemplate its use, my student," Celestia had said, with a rare, stern expression. I will not bar your studies in that subject permanently, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait until you're more mature, and even then, this is one aspect of your studies you will perform under my direct supervision only.
Granted, that was a few years before the pair had moved to Ponyville, but Twilight was still a fairly accomplished mage even then, and that was the only time Spike had ever heard Celestia outright deny her student the opportunity to study a new avenue of magic. The princess even let her learn that blasted want-it need-it spell by herself even further back than that for crying out loud!
Now Spike had a horned zebra that his draconic big sister obviously hated and who was completely okay with abducting children preparing to perform a form of magic that Celestia deemed more dangerous than a mass mind control spell on him. If he got out of this alive, there was no way he was going to tell Twilight about any of this; she would never let him leave the library again.
While he was thinking this, Zariba had a thoughtful look on his face, which he ended with a shrug. "I suppose a finger will do for a bit of blood, better than the face, anyway. Let's just turn you around," he said, using a hoof to sit the young dragon back up on his rump and spin him in place. Spike yelped as parts of the tent's dirt floor were pushed into places he most certainly didn't want it, but was prevented from adequately voicing his objection by the cord wrapped around his muzzle.
Instead, he could only grit his teeth as one of the claws bound behind his back was grasped in a cold, magical aura and squeezed, forcing his stubby digits straight. "Just a little prick..." he heard Zariba mumble as he felt a sudden bite between the small, flexible scales of his pointer finger, causing him to wince." And done. That wasn't so bad, was it?" the zebracorn rhetorically asked before raising his voice some. "See Ms. Thistle, he's still alive, so you can stop pulling at your restraints; you're going to end up injuring yourself and we really don't need those sorts of complications on this excursion."
Spike was about to look to his sister, both to reassure the dragoness that he was okay and bring himself some comfort, but was stopped by the pain in his claw flaring. His captor was apparently unsatisfied with the speed at which he bled, because he started using his magic to force the precious liquid out of him faster, working the digit like a tube of toothpaste. There was a 'tink' as the zebracorn bumped the glass jar up against his claw, the blood running down the sharp talon to drip into the ink below.
Soon enough, Zariba had what he wanted and finally freed the young dragon from his painful ministrations. "There we go, that's the good stuff. You know, I may collect some more blood from the two of you later; I'm sure I can find all sorts of uses for it in my potions. Plus, you're wingless dragons, so I probably won't have another opportunity anytime soon," Zariba said, getting a nervous gulp from Spike. Was his blood really valuable? The last thing he needed was for a bunch of crazies looking to drain him dry... Well, actually, the last thing he needed was a crazy zebra performing freaky magic on him, but the other thing was definitely up there.
Try as he might, the young dragon could not make light of the dark situation he was in, especially with Zariba roughly spinning him once again. "Okay, this next part is going to be a bit tedious and you'll have to sit as still as you can for it," his captor said. "Now I know I'm not your favorite zebra at the moment, but I suggest you listen to me on this; if I make a mistake, I'll have to start over, and if I run out of ink, I'll have to make more, which means more blood." Any trace of kindness or understanding left his suddenly hard eyes. "And if you think you can simply get out of this by making me waste all of my supplies, let me assure you, you'll fall unconscious before we've even made it through half of the ink I've got."
Spike had been thinking more along the lines of dragging things out until he got irritated enough to call it quits for the night, but after a speech like that, the young dragon doubted Zariba was the type to simple fall to frustration. All the insane kidnappers in the world and he got snatched up by the one adamant on not resting until they accomplished their goals. Just great. He's like an evil Twilight; never quitting until the spell is done right. At least he wouldn't have to break his back dragging this one to bed when he fell asleep over a book. Thank the gods for small favors he supposed.
"I don't know how much you can feel through those scales, but this may tickle," the zebracorn said, forcing Spike from his thoughts. The young dragon felt wet bristles come down on his forehead, not having noticed the small brush until that moment.
Zariba worked fast, the brush gliding over his hide to draw intricate patterns and unfamiliar runes along his face and down to his chest. During this time, Spike was only moved once as bristles tickled his neck, causing him pull away. This was ended in short order by the quick application of magic to hold him still and tilt his head back.
When the zebra was done, he stepped back from his unwilling canvas and admired his work. Spike couldn't help but feel dirty; skin crawling with the realization that he was now covered in his own blood. "You know, if it weren't for the family resemblance, I'd have never guessed you were related to Ms. Thistle. There's no way she would have let me work unhindered the first time around." Zariba looked behind him at the scarred pegasus. "See, Phantom? Dragons are perfectly capable of civility. Perhaps this young drake can help you get over some of that fear of yours." The pony just scowled and grumbled something about being sane and not afraid.
Rolling his eyes, Zariba looked down to Spike and smiled. "Just about done, little one, but this last part is the most crucial and difficult bit of the whole spell, so behaving now is more important than ever. We wouldn't want you exploding or some such thing, after all. Your sister would never forgive me."
If he had intended to comfort the young dragon, he failed miserably. I he had wanted to ensure he held still, well, Spike was currently frozen in fear, so mission accomplished. Spike hardly paid attention as the zebracorn picked up his bag and began pouring out a circle like he had done in the alley, the design of this one sharing many similarities to the markings on the young dragon's body.
In no time at all, Zariba had finished the array, two pony lengths in diameter with Spike directly in the center. The zebra looked over the markings with a critical eye. "Hmm... yes, everything is just right. Not a line out of place," he said to himself, before grinning widely. "Finally, we get to the best part of performing a newly crafted spell; the casting!" His horn began to glow, dimly at first as he turned to his employees. "I suggest you all step back; I'm working directly with dragon fire here, so things may be a little volatile." The horn's glow began to brighten as the others backed away and Zariba turned back to the dragon, a translucent sphere suddenly surrounding him.
"I'm sorry to say, but this will probably not feel at all good... Actually, you should try and remember what you experience and tell me later; it will help my studies to know the symptoms, after all," he said. Spike began to feel a tingling sensation along the markings on his body and when he broke eye contact with Zariba to look down, he saw that they, as well as those on the ground, had started to shine a deep crimson.
Soon, the tingling was replaced with an itch, then a burn as if something was digging through the scales of his chest and neck. His eyes watered as magic seemed to force its way into his nostrils and slid like sludge down his throat. The young dragon quickly grew to miss these slight pains as they only intensified until it suddenly felt like something punched through his chest.
Spike tried to scream as a vicious cold grabbed hold of his inner flame, but his lungs were already filled with the zebra's magic, and they soon burned with the need for oxygen. This pain, as well as everything else he was feeling was pushed to the back of his thoughts as the frigid claw twisted his core. Invading it. Perverting it. The dragon had never known such agony as his fire, something that had always been undeniably, irrefutably his, was bent to the whim of another.
A distant part of mind wondered if an infant him had suffered as much as he was now when Princess Celestia altered his flames all those years ago.
Before he could dwell on it, this thought was engulfed in the same darkness as the rest of his consciousness, and Spike was soon granted reprieve from his torture in the form of a dreamless sleep.
Amy watched in horror as excruciating agony played across her younger brother's face. Soon after Zariba started casting his spell, the sickened sensation in her stomach intensified. She was helpless as the markings the zebra had painted onto her little brother and poured onto the ground started to glow, and she saw the little dragon look down with curiosity before his eyes widened. It wasn't long before they clamped shut and a pained scream could be heard clearly even through his tied muzzle.
As the markings along her brother's hide seemed to seep into his body and his screams became harsh and hoarse. Amethyst felt the primal instincts of her species beat against her inner restraints as a wave of hatred stronger than any she could remember, and suddenly her own health and her budding escape plans didn't mattered anymore.
When the magic surged into her muscles, it was not in the steady, safe flow Granny Haya had taught, it was a torrent of fire. The muscles of her arms swelled noticeably, strong fibers below the surface tearing in a burst of hate-fueled power as the dragoness strained against her bindings. Tough ropes that could not be burned, tore in the presence of the dragon's might as she freed her wrists. The other restraints were soon to follow, falling to either claw or strength as the beast that was once Amethyst Thistle quickly stood on all fours.
Slit pupils locked onto Zariba, who was too absorbed in his spell to notice. Had the dragoness been in control of herself, she probably would have felt insulted by her enemy not even seeing fit to look in her direction when she planned on killing him, but as it was, she simply released her fangs with a swipe of her talons and growled. Shooting towards the oblivious zebra, Amy's intention to rip his throat out was stopped by a wall of dark fur. Two meaty paws swung in an upwards hammerfist that connected with the dragoness at the clavicle, sending her flying bodily backwards through the air.
Landing with all the grace of a lethal predator, Amy immediately flew forward again, leaping into a punch that connected with the forearm of Cujo. Surprise flashed across the dog's features as he was forced back a few inches, clawed feet leaving shallow trenches in the dirt, before his face hardened and he whipped his defending arm to the side to throw her. The dragoness fell through the motion, turning the move into a spinning kick that connected with Cujo's jaw.
Amy didn't waste the opening as her opponent stumbled under the devastating blow, inhaling deeply to produce the biggest mote of fire she could. Cujo had just shaken off the daze from her kick when he saw the dragoness preparing her next move, and in the instant before she breathed out, the diamond dog's eyes narrowed in determination. As the white-hot cone reached to engulf Cujo, he crossed his arms in front of him and Amy caught a glimpse of his coat starting to stand on end.
Subconsciously, the dragoness had positioned herself to be facing away from Zariba; as much as she would have liked to fry him, she wouldn't risk causing harm to her brother. Every other of the tent's occupants had already fled with Phantom leading the escape, and Amy was greeted by the sight of them, as well as many more members of the caravan, stumbling and falling to their bottoms, visible through the large hole she had burned in the thick fabric of the tent.
She would have felt a sense of vicious satisfaction at seeing the fear in the eyes of her enemies, but she only grew angrier when the last of the smoke cleared to reveal Cujo still standing, vest and collar turned to ash, and fur black. This was not encouraging to the dragoness as the rational part of her mind reminded her of this diamond dog's mastery of his kind's magic. Before her eyes, the coat, not blackened by fire, began to lighten to its original, dark grey color as Cujo's magic left his hide.
As he lowered his arms just enough to peer over, Amy saw how little damage she had managed to inflict against his magic armor; his hair was singed in some places, the most prevalent being on his forearms, and the tips of his ears were charred. On the surface, it appeared that all the dragoness had only accomplished was to fill the air with the sickening odor of burnt hair accompanied by a hint of seared skin, but she was a predator, and her eyes saw the weakness that her prey was trying to hide. For as much as it had taken out of her to perform that attack, it took a fair amount of Cujo's stamina to defend against it. After all, that fire was hot enough to make iron malleable, so it took a lot of magic to protect himself from the heat.
The flaring nostrils of the diamond dog betrayed the heavy breathing he was attempting to control, and Amy knew it was time to go in for the kill. Launching herself once again, the dragoness drew her right fist back as she closed half the distance, the damaged muscles of her arms bulging with the last of their power, and punched at Cujo with everything she had. Either by arrogance or exhaustion, the diamond dog made no move to dodge the wild and clearly broadcasted strike, instead bringing his arms back into position to guard his sternum and bracing himself for impact.
To the surprise of both Cujo and everyone else who witnessed it, Amy had not only succeeded in moving the gargantuan diamond dog, but actually lifted his great mass off of the ground and sent him hurtling backwards with a loud crack of bone. As amazing as the feat was however, the dragoness hadn't taken into account the momentum of her own body and ended up following him some ways in an uncoordinated tumble out of the tent.
She landed just outside of the shelter at the same time that Cujo bounced off of the ground twice before ending his short flight a good distance away on his back. Making to return to all fours, the arm Amy had just attacked with buckled when she tried to put weight on it, having already been pushed beyond its limits and resulting in the girl's jaw smacking into the dirt to produce a small dust cloud. With a growl, the dragoness made her second attempt, succeeding with her damaged limb shaking and held close to her chest.
Exhaustion served to lessen the effects of adrenaline and rage, and Amy was able to feel glad to see that Cujo had yet to stand. Even so, his brothers were at his side, trying to lift him up, and though he seemed as tired as her, the large diamond dog still had plenty of fight in his eyes and would no doubt capture his second wind soon. With that worry in mind, Amethyst's thoughts went back to her little brother and she turned around to go get him.
Burned into the tough fabric of the tent, the hole she had made was still smouldering at its edges when the area was drenched in a torrent of cold rain. The sudden shock to her systems served to return more of Amy's senses as her head shot up to the sky to see a decent-sized cloud with two pegasi peering over its edge. That damned right-hoof pony of Zariba had a self-satisfied smile on his lips while the other, a green mare, was wearing a look of shock-laden fear. The dragoness was tempted to send up a blast of heat to vaporize their perch and send them plummeting to her waiting maw, but the recovering, logical part of her mind knew it would only serve to help quell her anger and nothing else.
Just as she decided to leave the pegasi be, she was surrounded by a familiar red aura. "Those ropes you so carelessly destroyed were not cheap, you know, nor was my tent," said the deep voice of Zariba as he stepped out into the dwindling light cast by the setting sun, a scowl making his skeletal markings all the more intimidating. He glanced over Amy's shoulder at the diamond dog who had just gotten to his feet, his left arm hanging loosely at his side. "And you even injured one of my employees; you really have to get that destructive temper of yours under control."
Coming to a stop, zebra and dragon glared at each other with loathing. Zariba was the first to change expressions, shifting to a poisonous smirk. "Though, that offense is as impressive as it is angering; it's quite rare to see Cujo injured like that. I can honestly say you are the most skilled annoyance I've ever had the misfortune to need the assistance of."
Amy was hardly listening to her foe as he spoke, using the opportunity to take a measure of her diminished reserve of magic and trying to determine what her next move would be. If she pushed much further, she would no doubt collapse, but judging by the dwindling light of the zebracorn's horn, the spell he had cast on her little brother took a lot out of him. And wasn't that an infuriating thought?
If that hadn't made up her mind then and there, the subtle test against the magical field holding her did. Though it was definitely putting up a resistance to her, Zariba's magic failed to restrain her movement, and coupled with the fact that he could no longer lift her off the ground meant there was nothing stopping her from putting an end to all of this right now. Whether or not Spike was okay after what the zebra had done to him, he would still be endangered as long as Zariba wanted her.
Using the last of her magic, Amy charged her enemy on two legs, pushing through both pain and magic to reach him and finish this. Seeing this, Zariba’s eyes momentarily widened before narrowing into a steely gaze. His hooves spread and his horn tilted slightly downward as he prepared himself just in time to dodge to the side as the dragoness tried to strike him. Not giving up, and emboldened by Zariba losing focus on his magic, she shot another, faster jab down at her opponent, and he was forced to release her completely to create a small shield to block it.
Not giving him a chance to retaliate, she quickly aimed a low kick at the zebra's knee, which he surprisingly avoided by lifting all four of his limbs up. The unorthodox move served its purpose, however, as Amy's attack passed harmlessly underneath him before he fell onto his chest and stomach with a grunt. Ignoring the amazement at seeing Dr. Zariba actually dirty his suit, the dragoness quickly switched into an ax kick, not allowing the leg she had attacked with to touch the ground as she lifted it up and brought her heel down hard.
Zariba was forced to roll out of the way, covering himself with even more dust but avoiding the blow that had just cratered the damp earth where he had been. Luckily for him, and unluckily for Amethyst, the sound of heavy footfalls signalled the approach of Cujo, reaching their ears just in time for the dragoness to dive to the side, barely managing to avoid a shoulder tackle that would have easily broken a few ribs.
Missing his target, Cujo plunged his good paw palm deep into the earth with monstrous strength and magic-sharpened claws to stop his charge near instantly. A low rumbling growl that seemed to shake the very ground came from the diamond dog as he slowly looked up at Amy, and she realized that the tables had been turned on her.
The wrath that had been driving her was now replaced with a bone-deep weariness, and the dragoness was finding it difficult to even stand. Cujo, however, was in the opposite position, the newfound anger dancing in his yellow eyes giving him a second wind that had driven the exhaustion from his body.
"Give up Amethyst, unless you wished to get yourself grievously injured, whatever you hoped to accomplish with this reckless gambit is out of reach," Zariba said, causing both Amy's and Cujo's eyes to snap to him. "Even if they are not as powerful as our alpha dog here, you are surrounded, and I'm sure we have the numbers to subdue you." With this he gestured around to the mix of various creatures staring at the scene. At the mention of confronting the crazy dragon, some of them looked fearful or hesitant, but there were more than enough brave faces and glints of determination to give credence to the zebra's words.
Seeing how outnumbered she was, Amy could feel a pit forming in her stomach and she clenched her fist in helpless frustration. She had let her emotions get the better of her and was now paying for it with damaged muscles and a tapped out reservoir of magic. However, the physical pain was nothing compared to the pangs of guilt she now felt. In the end, she not only failed to save her brother with her attack, but also made it harder on herself to do so in the future. She was reminded as to why she didn't risk breaking free earlier, as she was now suffering those very consequences with one arm all but useless and a dull ache running through her entire body.
It seemed she had waited too long to answer as Zariba barked impatiently, "Do you submit or not!?"
Amy's jaw clenched and she narrowed her eyes. There were two options for the dragoness at this point, and there was only one piece of information she needed to choose between them. "My little brother, how is he?" she asked, deathly calm. If Spike was okay, Amy would surrender herself now to be there for him. If he was seriously injured, she'd still give in so she could care for him. But, and she didn't want to imagine it, he was dead, she would give her life with no regret to ensure that the ones that took his suffered the same fate.
The zebracorn was slipping his mask back on, anger retreating to his crimson orbs as he straightened his posture from his battle-ready stance. When he spoke, it was with a smooth expression and an equally calm tone. "He is unconscious, but alive. A diagnostic spell revealed both my magic and his health are in good condition."
She sighed in relief as her eyes slid shut. With her desire to fight temporarily put to rest, Amy's entire body suddenly felt like jelly and her legs almost gave out beneath her before she managed to catch herself. "Fine," she growled, her one good arm falling. "You win... for now. Just take me to my brother, and don't dare touch him again."
It seemed that Zariba found her attempt to establish control over the situation even while surrendering comical as he chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it; your brother will be well taken care of for the duration of our expedition... as long as you don't go feral on us again, that is," he said, voice going stern at the end. "Now, to your knees then," he went on, the light tone returning before he frowned. "That was a very bad thing you did destroying those ropes," he said as if scolding a child. "They were quite expensive and I don't have any extra... I guess normal ropes will have to do, though I'll definitely have to be using quite a lot of it."
Amy did her best not to let the condescending bastard get to her as she fell to her knees and did her best not to show how much relief the simple act brought her aching muscles. As much as she would like to sleep or pummel Zariba just then, she couldn't afford to do either, the most important thing to her at that moment was to see Spike and confirm with her own eyes that he was okay. At least, as okay as he could be after whatever Zariba's spell did to him that is.
She was still debating whether or not she should kill the doctor for what he did. I'm sure Lore would forgive me if it was only him; she hates him as much as I do, after all. Thoughts of her friend brought her slight comfort as she felt the paws of a diamond dog grab onto her wrists and roughly pull them behind her back.
Amy looked forward to being able to sit around the dinner table once again with Spike and her sister. Maybe Twilight Sparkle could be there too? If she forgave the dragoness for getting their shared sibling into so much trouble that is; Amy knew she would have had trouble with that if their roles were reversed. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, I suppose. I still have to get the two of us out of this and home before anything else can happen. She resolved to ask for the unicorn's forgiveness next time they met as she was led into the dark tent through the hole she created.
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..Zaiba is going to be in jail for a very long time..Along with ALL of his (still living) accomplices..Forcibly casting blood (And most likely dark) magic upon an adopted CHILD of ROYALTY. Whom is very close to the six heroes that have more royal favor than the entirety of Canterlot. In addition, he is a CHILD.
This level of crime is the kind of shit that brings back death penalties. At this point, Celestia would probably make him immortal and throw him into a goddamned volcano. I can't imagine exactly HOW much pain he would go through before he outright BROKE. Forever.
Darn it Beemo, you should really leave the adventuring to Finn and Jake. At least the hiv- I mean, my crack team of editors and proofreaders under me are always on time! ... well, mostly anyway.
(I kid, I kid. xp)
Almost don't wanna read this anymore. Seriously fucked up to me.
4960748 Tsk, God is a triplicate entity bound by a complicated form of quasi-dimensional entanglement. Hence, each aspect is capable of existing both independently and unified simultaneously until directly observed.
Schrodinger's God.
5011997 Yeah, sad to say but I'm having second thoughts about this one. Zariba doing whatever he wants and having dragons helpless has gotten tired fast.
5012751
!
5011997
Sorry about that, things just progress slowly in my stories. I promise, by the end of the next chapter, things will be looking up for our dragons... You'll just have to read through at least 5000 words more before then as that's how far into the next chapter I am at the moment and I still haven't gotten to the "Yeah!" moment, but it's coming, I swear!
Zariba will rue the day he messed with Amy and Spike! Rue it
5013637 Hate doing it, but ended up skipping half this chapter cause I couldn't stand what he was doing to Spike. So long as retribution comes, idc. Had a feeling it would be in the next chapter. Lol
5013637 Well that's good to hear at least. Fingers crossed that the execution will be good.
5013665
I hope you mean performance execution and not "Off with her head!" execution; Zariba's death would kind of make things run pretty smoothly for Amy and Spike, after all. Others may not share the same enthusiasm for seeing the good guys suffer before winning as me, but I doubt anyone wants to see them waltz through the story either.
5013711 Heh, I meant execution in the writing.
5027323
Blast! I've been made!
Fine, I'll admit it, I like Danny Phantom; besides the fact that no one ever explained what ghosts were suppose to be in that series (seriously doubt they're suppose to be spirits of the dearly departed or everyone talking about ripping them apart molecule by molecule is insane) or that most of the cast was stupid enough to fall for a Superman-esque secret identity, it was still entertaining.
That being said, liking Danny Phantom must be better than liking MLP as an adult, right? And, just as I am 'Kind of Brony' I am also only kind of a Phan. Even so, I still respect both series greatly.
Wow, it was legitimately upsetting reading what happened to Spike. Here's hoping that Celestia noticed her connection to him being severed and that it clues the residents of Canterlot in on the trouble the little guy is in. Extra points if they can trace back to where it happened, that'd give us an excuse to have a rescue party on the way but with a few days delay.
Hmm.... I want to rip that Zebracorn's throat out!
Twi: Say 'beast' again. Say 'beast' again, I dare you, I double dare you motherbucker, say beast one more Sundamn time!
Also they are so screwed when Mumlestia gets her hooves on that half breed's neck
5247068
Wow, you unintentionally discovered an error I made in spelling Zariba's name and it took me more than 2 weeks to notice... huh... Well, thanks! Even if you didn't mean to, you helped. I just came back to skim the old chapters in preparation for writing the next after an unplanned hiatus.
Honestly... I do feel that a rescue at least by the solar diarch, would be acceptable in the story... While Celestia could let twilight know she had stepped away to handle something real quick, it would give celestia the opportunity to punish that zebra while letting Amethyst inform the diarch that she would still like to be the one to bring spike back...
I just... This villain is so well-written that I love to FUCKING HATE HIM!
so yeah, awesome job on the villain
Not gonna lie, I'm curious how Zariba thinks he's going to get away with this. Granted, he doesn't know that Celestia is on the other end of Spike's magic, but even so, just resorting to kidnapping because you think no one will miss a dragon or two? I can only assume that's the reason he hasn't already tried this stunt with Lore. But regardless it's just stupid. Kidnapping never works, especially when the powers that be know you're the local crime lord, and I can guarantee that the right people do, in fact, know. You don't keep that many thugs and mercenaries on your payroll without people noticing.
Either way, he's got a week, tops, before he's got Luna and Twilight breathing down his neck. Less than that if Lore manages to get a message to them before they notice Spike is missing on their own.
I'm not surprised that one of the dogs reminds me of Star Platinum. I can also see Zariba being Twilight's evil counterpart.
I'm really not sure if I like the direction in which this has gone. It was kind of to be expected, given the whole adventure tag it has, but I enjoyed it more before it detoured into that forced Dr. pseudo-Belloq digression from the family theme.
Your story is well written, and I've enjoyed it up to this point, but this is where I'm going to have to hop off. I can appreciate wanting to have adventure and such, and putting Spike and Amy in a situation where they work together to get him home, but the long and drawn out period of captivity has just killed it for me. Best of luck going forward!