My Little Dynamite: Book Two

by Fuzzyfurvert

Four Once More

Chapter 3

Cadance worked her back deeper into Twilight’s warm embrace, the light snowfall around them coming from an increasingly dark and cloudy sky. The snowflakes were getting larger by the minute and she could smell the incoming storm on the air. The feathers along the forward edge of her wings tingled. Her pegasus heritage letting her know beyond doubt that the weather was shifting abnormally. Twilight was right, if they didn’t find proper shelter soon, the weather would end them both.

She turned her ears to listen for the fading sound that Twilight told her was a quartet of pony-shaped ‘gemstone creatures’ dragging away an unconscious Chrysalis. The noise of the dragging was almost completely swallowed by the background at this point, so she knew it wouldn’t be long before they started moving. Cadance frowned, thinking back to what the changeling had said to her in the Everfree temple. If Chrysalis wasn’t outright lying, it left the rather troubling implication that Canterlot’s upper echelons had be infiltrated long long ago.

Do the Sisters know? If they do...why did they never tell me, or do anything about it? The way Chrysalis spoke about Aunt Celestia...it’s like they knew each other. Like they were...close. If Zecora’s story holds any truth, then I suppose that’s entirely possible. Aunt Tia never told me anything about Chrysalis or other changelings like her. Everything I’ve been able to piece together about them comes from my other contacts. Rumors and hearsay across a dozen countries. It doesn’t make sense that they wouldn’t tell me—if they knew anything—but the possibility of the both of them not knowing at all seems even more unlikely.

Cadance sighed, letting air out through her nose silently to mist in front of her face. She turned her head to look up and back at Twilight. The blood that had been dripping from Twilight’s muzzle was already starting to cake. It created dark red lines on Twilight’s purple coat. Twilight wasn’t looking at her though, instead focusing on her hearing and holding Cadance, to keep them both warm. The cold would take longer to really bother her, thanks to some minor passive enchantments in her vestments, but Twilight lacked that benefit and Cadance could feel her guardian shivering slightly. Hopefully, shelter wouldn’t prove too difficult to find.

“Twily?” Cadance kept her voice soft and low, barely more than a whisper. “What do you think Chrysalis meant when—” She clapped her mouth shut when she felt Twilight tense. A split second later, the sound of snow crunching under hoof suddenly came from behind the stone the two of them were backed up against.

Twilight’s horn started to glow, gathering her will and arcane power, while her hoof reached awkwardly toward her staff that was still partially covered in snow besides them. Cadance held her breath, readying herself to dodge out of the way and counter whatever it was coming their way with her own blades. She tensed, every tendon in her body going taut with the approaching steps.

Just when she was about to move, a blessedly familiar claw gripped the top of their hiding place and Spike’s face appeared a moment later. The tension spilled out of Cadance and she sagged against Twilight.

“Twi! Princess! I’m so glad you two are alive!” Spike bared row after row of fangs in his own relieved smile, reaching down to help the mares to their hooves. “I was afraid I’d lost you two when I woke up a few minutes ago.”

“We’ve only been awake for a few minutes ourselves, Spike.” Twilight sighed, taking a quick look in the direction the creatures had left in. They weren’t within sight, the now heavy snowfall obscuring all but a faint hint of shadows in the grey distance. “Did you see those...things?”

“Those crystal...pony...things? Yeah.” Spike nodded, following Twilight’s gaze. “I came to when they started dragging the monster off. I wonder what they wanted with her?”

“Who knows. It’s unimportant right now anyway.” Twilight coughed and shook her frame to clear the snow and dirt from her cloak and coat, the tiny burst of adrenaline already fading. “I have no idea where we are, but we won’t last long in this cold without shelter of some sort.” She looked back at Spike, her eyes going wide. “Spike, have you seen Zecora?”

“Yeah, she’s over there. Shaken and a little banged up, but she says she’s ok.” He pointed back at a pile of rubble nearly as tall as he was. “Whatever it was that hit us transported all of us, plus a lot of the material from the ruins here at the same time. That’s...that’s ridiculous levels of power, Twi.” Spike ran his claw back over his green frill, his own draconic eyes wide. “I don’t think even the Princesses could pull off something like that.”

Cadance placed her hoof on Spike’s shoulder, smirking at him. “I’m sure Twilight can run the numbers on it later, Spike. Depends on the distance traveled...I think. But for now, let’s focus on getting mobile and then getting someplace warm.”

“Good point.”

Twilight nodded and moved around the low wall, keeping her head down as she crossed the open ground to where Zecora was at. She found the older zebra sage awake and resting against the pile of rocks and jagged tiles that had provided her and Spike with cover.

Zecora smiled weakly up at Twilight and nodded along while the Battle Mage scanned her for internal injury. “We all alive, ‘hank de Goddess.”

Twilight smiled reassuringly, her spell reporting no major injuries in the elder pony. “For now, at least. Can you walk?”

“I mus’, or I freeze here.” Zecora grit her teeth, accepting a helping hoof from Twilight, and grunted her way upright. “Where are we?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing, actually.” Twilight looked around again, scanning the area. Outside of the immediate area of fresh strewn rubble, the plain they were on was next to featureless. The snow certainly not helping with things.

Moments later, the battered and bruised, but otherwise healthy bunch gathered back in the small lee Twilight and Cadance had woken up in. Once they were seated, Zecora pulled two large metallic tubes from her vest.

“‘Hese be energy po’ions. Drink, will warm ya and give power. Like coffee, bu’ be’er.” The zebra grinned tiredly. “Glad I bring ‘em.”

“Me too.” Twilight popped the cork from one and sipped from the vial, grimacing at the too sweet flavor. The effect was much like coffee on a cold morning, but far more pronounced. She could feel a warming sensation in her belly and the weariness of the fight and the black magic fading into a much more manageable dull ache. She smacked her lips, passing the potion to Cadance. “Wow...that’s got a punch to it. What’s in it?”

Zecora cracked a sly smile and booped Twilight on the nose. “‘Rus’ me, you don’ wanna know.”

Cadance gagged when she swallowed, launching into a coughing fit. Twilight patted her on the back gently and after a moment, the pink alicorn managed to catch her breath and blink away the tears. “Wow...that is surprisingly better tasting than the stuff they sell as ‘coffee’ in the Diamond Dog Crowning!”

Spike snorted, rolling his eyes as he downed the potion with ease. “Pansies.” He handed his unused portion back to Zecora and hunkered down near Twilight. “Ok...so what’s the plan?”

Twilight took a slow breath, leaning on her staff. “First thing, we need shelter. Something defensible, if we can find it. But it has to get us out of the elements. Once we have that, I can make us a fire to warm ourselves and we can take stock and...figure out where the hell we are.”

She pulled her cloak tighter around herself. “You’ve got the best eyes, Spike. Think you can fly in these conditions?” Twilight cast a glance over her shoulder at the downpour of snow that was starting to really pile up. Energy potions or not, the biting cold was starting to make it hard for her to not shiver constantly.

“I’ll have too, won’t I?” Spike shook his head. “Let’s just hope that whatever those things were that dragged the changeling off don’t head back this way anytime too soon.”

“Let’s hope.” Cadance echoed, leaning against Twilight. “I wonder why they only took her? Why not the rest of us while we were all out cold?”

“I don’t know. But I’m not going to look providence in the mouth though.” Twilight gently patted Cadance’s shoulder. “We’re safe and I intend to do my best to make sure we stay that way. We can ask questions later.”

“Then I need to get airborne before the storm gets bad.” Spike grunted and stood up, walking away from the group. He winked at them and a moment later, his body started to glow and expand, loose powder blowing away from him as his body shifted from pony-sized biped to a winged quadruped that was easily twice the size of Princess Celestia. Spike stretched his wings and bound out over the snowy plain, flapping until he started to gain altitude.

Soon enough, Spike was completely obscured by the snow, leaving the three mares alone. Cadance hoped he was going to be alright, and that he found them someplace to get warm and dry. She was still staring up into the clouds when she felt Twilight wrap her cloak around them both. She smiled and nuzzled into Twily’s side.

“Cady?”

“Yeah?”

“When we get the chance...will you tell me where you learned to fight like that? And where you got those weapons?” Twilight’s voice was whisper quiet.

Cadance swallowed, nodding slowly. That was going to be a long conversation.

Comments

[livinthelife]

Still happily enjoying the story. The only complaint I have is that the way you write Zecora's accent makes no damn sense. You have her swallowing her 't's which is fine, but then we get phrases like

‘Hese be energy po’ions.

Those 't's have already been assibilated. They don't sound like 't's anymore. I have no idea how to even pronounce that.
*pants*
Sorry. I'm a linguistics nerd. I just... I'll be okay. Carry on.

[Fuzzyfurvert]

7173411
I need to pay better attention to that. I always forget what her accent IS with every new chapter and then have to go back and fix it. I was probably being over zealous in removing the t's, which gives us that particular gem.

Maybe I should have spelled it phonetically as 'poshun'? Or made the dip/pause where the t would be at more pronounced? Though, since the t sound in 'potion' - and other words ending in the 'tion' construct - are already assibilated, I could just leave those alone.

I'll try harder next time.

[livinthelife]

7173862
You had better, sir. By gods, I demand only the highest quality in my free horse stories!
*snerk*
Yeah, but no, that's pretty much what I figured happened. And sorry, I was pre-coffee. Reading back, I sounded the slightest bit completely cunty.