Monsters

by Sharpe Quill

Chapter 7: Confrontation

Monsters

By Sharpe Quill

Chapter 7: Confrontation

The two mares walked along the docks as darkness began to finally overpower the light of day. The street lamps around them were being lit by a team of unicorns.

“Tartarus?” asked Belle, confused. “You don’t mean the underworld, where all the ancient evil creatures were imprisoned?”

“Uh, yeah,” Twilight acknowledged. “That’s exactly what I mean.”

“But that’s just a story for foals,” argued the earth pony. “It’s not real. Is it?”

Twilight nodded seriously. “I’m afraid it is. It might just be a coincidence that a ship from Acheron arrives just before several fires break out and sightings of unusual creatures suddenly become common. But I’m not a big proponent of coincidences.”

“So you think that we’re dealing with monsters from Tartarus then?”

The unicorn shook her mane. “I’m not sure. Like I said, regular, ordinary monsters do tend to live around the town, so your theories about a manticore and drake are still possible. But still ...” She trailed off.

Belle’s mind reeled at the implications. Tartarus was a name out of myths and legends and Belle was the kind of pony who felt there were enough problems in the real world without adding mythical ones. Yet she found that she couldn’t dismiss what Twilight had said. Belle was pretty good at spotting liars, having witnessed plenty during her time as a guard, and Twilight struck her as a pony either too decent or too naive to lie. She was being completely serious about Tartarus.

Belle dredged through old memories, trying to recall the stories about the mythical prison. “Whatever the creatures here are, they can’t be from Tartarus,” she said at last. “Tartarus is guarded by that giant three-headed Rottweiler, Cerebus or whatever, specifically so that the monsters can’t escape.”

“Cerberus.” Twilight corrected in a low voice. “He’s actually closer to a bulldog.” Then she shifted slightly, as though not wanting to say more but knowing that she should. “And, um, that part of the story is true, but ... you see, he wandered away for a little while several months ago. He actually managed to get all the way to Ponyville before some of my friends stopped him.”

Belle stopped in her tracks, staring incredulously at the unicorn. “What?”

The unicorn paused too and turned to look at Belle. She had a smile on her face. Not a ‘ha ha, gotcha’ smile like Belle had hoped, but a smile of fond memory. “You see, my friend Fluttershy is really, really good with animals. She actually stopped him with belly-rubs if you can believe it. Turns out he’s actually a bit of a softy once you get to know him.”

Belle continued to stare, unsure if Twilight was pulling her leg. The unicorn went on, oblivious to the captain’s reaction. “Anyway, I used a large rubber ball to lead him back to Tartarus. Once I got him back to his post, I did a quick check of the roster to make sure none of the creatures had escaped, then I teleported back to Ponyville.”

Belle’s mouth dropped open. She had heard of some of the more talented unicorns teleporting before, but to cross such a distance.…

She shook her head, trying to focus on the pertinent issues. “So, then these creatures aren’t from Tartarus itself, since you checked the roster.”

Twilight hesitated, which wasn’t very encouraging to Belle. “Well, you see,” she said, sounding slightly flustered, scuffing a forehoof against the ground, “Tartarus is a rather large place and it’s not actually safe to go into it. So instead there’s a magical method of checking on how many creatures are inside, and the numbers corresponded with the roster. I double-checked with Princess Celestia later on and she agreed with the way I handled it, although she did say that she’d keep an eye out, just in case.”

And in the months since this happened there’s been no sign of an escaped creature?” asked Belle as she started moving again, Twilight falling back in step with her.

“None,” said Twilight.

“So where does that leave us?”

“Well, honestly,” said Twilight in a pensive voice, “I think we should focus on what we actually know. The possibility of one of the ancient monsters being here shouldn’t be completely ignored, but so far the evidence points pretty strongly to a drake and a manticore. Yes, or a lion, but lion’s aren’t exactly exotic creatures whereas manticores are. If the drake was meant to be part of an illegal shipment, then it would follow that the other creature would be something equally exotic.”

Belle nodded. The possibility of these being ancient evils, and not just your run-of-the-mill dangerous creatures had been more than a little daunting to her, and she had to admit that she had momentarily panicked at the thought.

“Alright then,” she said, “well I guess …”

She was cut off by the shrill sound of a whistle echoing among the buildings around them. That was a guard’s whistle! Some of her guards were in trouble!

Without a word of explanation, she began to gallop as fast as she could in the direction she gauged the sound to have come from. The spear attached to her barding, basically unnoticeable when she walked, suddenly became a major impediment as it wobbled with her motion, upsetting her balance. She didn’t slow down though.

Twilight was just a step behind her, obviously confused but understanding that something serious was going on.

The whistle blast came again, closer this time and off to their west. Somehow it sounded more urgent now. Belle adjusted her direction and poured on the speed, ignoring the unsettling start of a burning in her hip.

The sun had completely sunk below the horizon by this point. The street lamps had already been lit in this area of the town and the faint glows created pools of light in the sea of darkness around them. Belle glanced around, trying to figure out exactly where she was. They were about five blocks from the hospital, three from city hall she guessed.

They were mere yards away from a cross street when suddenly something large and fast dashed across their path from right to left, staying in the shadows. She had just enough time to notice a vaguely serpentine tail before the shape was gone. Belle skidded to a halt, Twilight almost bumping into her as she stopped as well. Belle stared after the shape which was just an indistinguishable mass of shadows as it somehow managed to always keep to the darkness, slipping around the pools of light. She had taken two steps to follow the creature when she hesitated, remembering the whistle that had brought them here. Her guards might be injured, dying somewhere. And yet, could she really just let the creature go?

She was saved the choice by the arrival of Sergeant Oak Root and Constable Shining Star, running in hot pursuit of the creature. They passed the two mares at a fast clip, their hooves thundering on the cobblestone street. Without hesitation Belle immediately took off after them, continuing the chase. Twice more Sergeant Oak blew his whistle as they ran.

The dark shape turned a corner with remarkable agility considering its speed, and briefly vanished from their vision. Just a few moments later the group of guards, trailed by one plucky but tired unicorn, were making the same turn. Constable Morning Dew appeared out of a back street and joined the group. A quick glance overhead revealed to Belle the form of Constable Snowflake flying low over them. Good, all of the patrol guards were here. This was their chance. If they could corner one of the creatures here and now, then with this many guards present they had a good chance at taking it down.

They reached the square in front of the hospital. It was roughly twice the width of the normal street and was completely lined with street lamps. Except now almost half of them had been knocked over, leaving a good portion of the open space cloaked in darkness. The group drew up short, having momentarily lost track of the creature.

Why would the drake come here? All of the previous fires had been on the docks; the hospital was in the center of the town and had nothing to connect it to either of the other… two…

A horrible thought overcame Belle. No, there was no way it was that smart. It couldn’t be. Even if somepony was directing it, this was too precise, too direct. The creature hadn’t tried to evade the guards, other than keeping to the shadows; it hadn’t fought; it hadn’t even made a sound, and it had come straight here.

Her eyes, so useful in the gloom, carefully scanned the area. She didn’t see the drake anywhere, but she had a feeling she knew where it was headed. “Twilight!” she hissed urgently. “Can drakes climb?”

“Um, I don’t know, it wasn’t mentioned,” Twilight said, breathing heavily from the unexpected sprint, “I suppose it’s possible.”

Belle cursed under her breath before turning to Snowflake. “Corporal, fly up and see if you can spot this thing on the other side of the hospital. I don’t want us taken by surprise.”

The pegasus launched herself up into the darkness. The other guards kept a sharp lookout, eyes straining to see into the gloom. Snowflake returned moments later. “It’s on the other side of the hospital, lurking along the ground. I didn’t get a good look at it though; it’s still keeping to the shadows.”

“Alright, listen up everypony,” Belle ordered in a low voice, “I think it’s here for the diamond dog. Whoever’s behind this must be worried that he saw something and will tell us. Hopefully it doesn’t know where its room is, but we don’t have much time. Shining, I want you to head inside and have the nurses move the diamond dog someplace safe, as quickly and quietly as possible. Snowflake, head back up, and keep an eye on it, don’t engage unless you see an opening once we attack. If it moves away, let us know immediately. Oak, take Morning around the south side and take up position at the back corner. Wait for my signal. Don’t engage it early unless you have to. Twilight and I will go around the north side. If we get a chance to take it down fast, we take it. No unnecessary risks, but I want this thing put down tonight. Any questions?”

Nopony said a word. Belle took the opportunity to check on her guards. Oak had a look of grim determination, and confidence, not a cocky or brash look, but confidence in himself and in Belle. Snowflake looked somewhat edgy, but had enough experience to keep it contained. Morning Dew and Shining Star looked nervous, although in different ways: Morning had a nervous excitement, he had been waiting forever for ‘some action’ as he called it; Shining looked like she might vomit, but she also had a look of determination that somehow mirrored Oak’s. Twilight looked mostly confused and like she wanted to ask a few questions, but she kept quiet, perhaps realizing the weight of the moment.

Belle hadn’t just been blustering back at the Guard House, she really did have the utmost faith in her guards and wouldn’t have anypony else by her side in a situation like this. She trusted these ponies, and although she worried for their safety, she knew that they were well trained and capable guards.

“Alright,” Belle said, “everypony be careful. It probably knows we’re here, but it doesn’t know what we’re capable of. Watch each other’s backs. Remember, this thing breathes fire and is surprisingly fast.” She raised a forehoof and kicked her spear into the battle ready position. “Let’s do this.”

Without another word, the group of ponies split apart, each moving to their assignment. Shining slipped into the hospital silently as Snowflake vanished into the night sky. For the first time in her memory, Belle was thankful for the decline in the town’s population because it meant that nopony was out at this hour, at least not this far from the docks. With Twilight staying close behind her, Belle moved around the large building to the north.

She paused just before the last corner, suddenly aware of the unicorn’s shivering. She turned and saw the look of nervous tension in the young mare’s face. Belle whispered, “Twilight, just stay out of sight. You’re not a guard. Let us handle this.” She turned back without waiting for a response and peeked around the corner.

The back of the hospital was a straight wall with small, elevated garden beds jutting out into the walkway. On the opposite side of the path, separating it and the street, was a long strip of grass which also sported multiple trees, providing rare natural shade in the otherwise artificial city. The gardens extended several yards out from the wall and were almost head height for a pony. This was especially important because it partially blocked Belle’s view. About halfway along the wall, she caught her first actual look at one of the creatures that had been causing such chaos in her city… Well, half a look.

About thirty yards away, the creature was ducked into one of the alcoves created by the gardens, with only a single hind leg and its tail visible. From what she could see, it stood taller than she expected, easily taller than any stallion she had ever seen. Its leg and what little of its haunch that she could see were surprisingly lean, not thick and heavy, like she had been expecting from the descriptions of drakes she had heard; that explained how it was so much faster than she anticipated. The tail was long and slender, and seemed to have some kind of spiky protrusions near the tip, although it was hard to say for sure because it was constantly in motion. Its front half wasn’t visible, despite its height, so Belle guessed that its head was stooped close to the ground, possibly sniffing for a scent of the diamond dog.

The drake’s position meant that none of the guards had a direct line of attack. This was a concern for Belle because it meant they would have to get closer before they could get a good angle. In truth, she had hoped that Morning Dew would be able to take it down with his magically fired arrows. He had never needed to use them in actual combat before, but he had shown remarkable accuracy in the practice yard and Belle trusted that he would just as effective when it counted.

Cursing under her breath, Belle slipped around the corner and ducked behind the first of the protrusions, hoping they would provide as much cover for her as they were for the drake. She noticed that Twilight didn’t follow her this time.

Good. Belle couldn’t waste the energy or focus on Twilight. Despite Belle’s initial misgivings, she had been useful today, and Belle genuinely felt that she liked the young mare. But she wasn’t a guard and this wasn’t her place. Firmly pushing the unicorn from her mind, Belle focused on the matter at hoof and slipped silently to the next hiding spot.

Peeking around, she saw that the creature was just over a dozen yards away now. She dared not go any further on her own. Slowly, she lowered her lips to the whistle attached to her barding to signal the attack.

Suddenly, there was an ear-splitting roar and light flooded the area, completely blinding Belle despite her tinted glasses. She blinked her eyes rapidly, trying desperately to clear her vision. Realizing her sudden danger, she ducked as far into the corner of her small outcropping as she could, trying to make herself inconspicuous. It took her a second to realize what had happened.

The drake had unleashed a massive torrent of flame into the window just above it, the flames washing over the outside wall. The glass shattered under the intense heat and the vegetation around the creature burst into flame.

Even in her corner, bright lights kept flashing across her vision. She tried clenching her eyes tightly but the light kept coming. She almost screamed aloud as the pain lanced through her head.

Finally she managed to shake the worst of it off, and risked a glance. The flowers in several of the gardens had been incinerated, and at least three of the trees along the street were aflame. That must have been one massive fireball to have ignited the trees behind the creature. All of the grass flanking the street was ablaze, creating an almost solid wall of fire. The flickering flames were horribly distorting her vision.

She thought she saw the shape of the drake, backed away from the wall and come into full view, but the shape was indistinct and somehow seemed… off.

Suddenly, time seemed to slow to a crawl for Belle. The distorted image of the drake appeared to turn its large head to look at her, its bizarre outline wavering in the flickering firelight around it. For a split second, she could swear that it was looking directly at her. She heard a sharp intake of breath, even over the roar of the flames, and suddenly knew what was coming. Belle closed her eyes.

She thought of Lemon, of her promise to him that she would stay safe. It looked now like she was going to break that promise.

Even through the combined protection of her tinted glasses and closed eyelids, Belle could see the brilliant burst of light as a column of flame came exploding from the creature, directly towards her. She waited for the searing heat. For the pain. For the end.

It didn’t come.

After a second, Belle opened her eyes in confusion. Through the intense and disturbingly shifting light, she could just make out Twilight standing next to her, her own eyes closed in intense concentration, and her horn giving off a glow almost brighter than the fireball had been. Then Belle noticed the slight shimmering around her that indicated a magical shield. She quickly had to close her eyes as the penetrating light again seared through her head. Belle felt her knees, already trembling from the pain and overwhelming light, finally give out as she collapsed to the ground.

********************

It felt like an eternity before her head cleared enough for her to open her eyes. When she did, she found the flames around her had dwindled to smaller individual fires, already starting to go out as they finished ravenously consuming their fuel. The air felt incredibly dry and hot, almost burning her lungs with each breath. Twilight still stood next to her protectively. Her horn was still glowing softly, but the magical barrier was no longer in place. Instead, one by one she was enclosing the pockets of fire around them, depriving them of oxygen.

Constable Morning Dew stood not far away, several arrows levitating around him, poised and ready for attack. His head was constantly moving around as he kept a sharp lookout.

Belle coughed, the pain in her throat and lungs becoming much more noticeable as she regained awareness of her surroundings. “Constable,” she rasped, “report.”

Twilight turned towards Belle immediately and started to ask something, but Belle gave a weary wave of a hoof, silencing her. Morning looked uncertain for a moment, but he quickly threw a salute. “Yes, ma’am,” he said. “The drake blasted the room up there with fire before your signal. Sergeant Oak and I moved in, but a second blast of fire took us off guard before we even got a good sight of it. It wasn’t targeted at us, but by the time our vision cleared it had taken off at a run. Sergeant Oak ordered Corporal Snowflake to shadow it, to find out where it went, and ordered me to stand guard over you until you came to. He went inside the hospital to check on the damage.”

Belle nodded to the Corporal and coughed again as she processed this as best she could. Her head was still throbbing from the luminous overload and her fur felt like it had been singed, despite Twilight’s protection. She considered Oak’s decisions carefully before agreeing with them. The drake had escaped, but by sending Snowflake to follow it from above, they could hopefully discover its lair, or at the very least an entrance into the tunnels.

The last of the flames outside of the hospital were extinguished, plunging the area into a cool and welcoming darkness. The only light came from the hospital windows, including the recently made hole in the wall where a window had once been, and the moon the above. Belle tried to struggle to her hooves and was immediately assisted by Twilight, who bent low to give her some support. She rocked unsteadily at first, but soon regained her stability. The air was cooling rapidly and she greedily breathed in the refreshing air, soothing her overheated lungs.

“Alright,” she said, her voice already sounding clearer, “let’s go inside.”

As they made their way around the corner towards the front of the hospital, Constable Morning leading the way, still with his arrows at the ready, Belle leaned in close to the unicorn partially supporting her. “Thank you, Twilight,” she said in a low voice. “You saved my life.”

Twilight smiled at her. “Any time, Belle.”

Inside the hospital they found a scene of chaos. The foyer itself was empty, even of the receptionist pony. Down one of the hallways, however, Belle could hear raised voices and the obvious sounds of activity. As the group moved down the hall, they saw ahead several nurses arguing animatedly with each other, and with Sergeant Oak. They stood outside the room that had obviously been the one attacked by the drake; the normally pristine walls blackened and with peeling paint. A heavy smoke still filled the air of the corridor, although it seemed to be dissipating steadily. The stoic stallion broke away from the group of nurses when he saw Belle and trotted up to them. The frown on his normally tranquil face spoke volumes to Belle. Something was wrong.

“Sergeant,” she said cautiously. “What’s going on here?”

“It’s bad, ma’am,” he said. “Constable Shining got the warning to the nurses, but the minute they began to move the diamond dog the window exploded and fire filled the room. In his condition the poor bastard never stood a chance.”

Belle’s heart sank. She had failed again; even having guessed the creature’s intentions, she hadn’t been able to stop it. Additionally, if the diamond dog was gone, then so was their best lead in this case, and any chance of stopping the pony behind it quickly. Some captain she was.

She mentally slapped herself. This wasn’t the time for self-pity or recriminations. She was a leader, she needed to lead. Then she noticed that Oak’s frown had evolved into a pained grimace. “What else?” she asked.

“Well, two nurses received minor burns. But Constable Shining was next to the diamond dog’s bed when it happened.” Belle felt her heart sink. “It happened too fast for her to get her shield up in time. She was struck by much of the shattering glass, and she was badly burned.”

Belle heard a small gasp from the unicorn mare behind her. She forced her own voice to be steely, to hide the tremble. “How bad is it?”

Oak shook his mane. “I don’t know yet. The doctors rushed her to the emergency room immediately. So far, the best I can get is that she will live. Probably.”

“I see,” said Belle. Inside of her, a new wave of sickening guilt and self-recriminations washed through her. She savagely beat it back. This wasn’t the time or the place for a breakdown. “Is the fire contained inside?”

“Yes, ma’am. Completely extinguished.”

“And the other nurses have been seen to?” Belle hated any delay in checking on her constable, but she forced herself to remember her priorities.

“Yes, ma’am,” Oak said again. If he was surprised by Belle’s line of questioning he didn’t show it. “They are both expected to completely recover. They were near the back of the room at the time of the explosion.”

Belle swiftly sorted her priorities. The civilians were safe and in no more immediate danger; the drake was being followed by Corporal Snowflake, who would keep an eye on it and hopefully find its lair; the fires were all out, both inside and outside, and were no longer a threat. It was time to look after her own. She turned to face the ponies who had followed her inside. “Constable Morning,” she ordered, still carefully modulating her voice, “take statements from all the nurses. Then go outside and check the area outside this room. If that thing left anything behind, I want it found.”

Constable Morning Dew, who lacked Oak’s level of stoicism, was looking slightly stunned at what had happened, and was clearly concerned for his fellow constable’s well-being. He hesitated for a moment, his gaze flickering briefly past her, further down the hall, in the most likely direction of Shining Star. But, to his credit, the moment passed swiftly before he saluted. “Yes, ma’am.” His tone also had the sound of somepony who is carefully controlling their voice.

Belle’s expression softened slightly. “I’ll let you know the status of Constable Shining as soon as I know.”

He nodded, a bit of the stiffness leaving his posture before he nodded. “Thank you, ma’am.” Then he trotted past them to the group of nurses that Oak had left, a notepad and quill floating out of the saddlebags of his barding as he did so.

That settled, Belle trotted down the hallway towards the emergency room, Oak and Twilight falling in step behind her. Belle had only needed to visit this area of the hospital a few times in her life, but never because one of her guards was being treated there. The knowledge that she had sent Shining to this fate was eating at her. There was no way for her to know what would have happened, no way she could have foreseen this outcome. That meant nothing to Belle. Ignorance was no excuse; her orders, her fault. She silently accepted the pain of that responsibility.

Soon enough they reached the emergency room. There was a muffled sound of activity from just beyond the large swinging doors, but it didn’t sound frantic. Was that good, or bad?

A nurse sat behind a desk to the side of the hall, just out of reach of the door’s swinging radius. She rose from her seat as they approached, and Belle noticed that she favored her right foreleg because her left was covered in fresh bandages. Despite the injury, she seemed to be in fairly high spirits.

“Captain Belle,” she greeted in a cheerful voice, which seemed to clash with the seriousness of the situation. “The doctors are finishing up now, they should be out soon. I’m afraid I can’t let you in though, not while they’re working. You know how it is.” She gave them a sympathetic smile.

Belle nodded. While she had never needed to come to the emergency room for another pony, she did know the correct procedures. Her hind legs gave out and she plopped into a sitting position, her eyes closing almost automatically. She was bone-achingly weary. The adrenaline from before had long since worn off, and now that there was nothing to do but wait, the reality of what had happened just within the last half hour all came crashing into her.

She had nearly died tonight.

Death had always been a possibility in her line of work. Heck, it had said so right there in the contract when she had first signed up. Part of her job was to face down death and danger so that other ponies wouldn’t have to. But up until now, that had always been theoretical, something that could possibly happen, but honestly was so unlikely as to seem impossible. Up until now, Belle had never personally been involved in anything more dangerous than a bar-room brawl. Now she had faced death head on.

And it scared the crap out of her.

Sure, she had almost felt a resigned calm when she saw the fire rushing toward her, but in reality she simply hadn’t had time to feel the fear. Afterwards, there had been things to do immediately. She had risen from her blackout and immediately got to work. Perhaps she had been unconsciously rushing to focus on something else, to not give herself time to think about it. Now that she had the time, the memory came rushing back. The strange, wavering shape in the searing light, the sound of the intake of breath, the blinding burst of fire, the roar of the flames, all of it replaying vividly in her mind.

She suddenly realized that she was trembling where she sat, and was aware of dampness on her cheeks. She felt the firm, reassuring pressure of a pony pressed up against her. A quick glance to the side revealed Twilight sitting beside her, smiling sympathetically. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t need to, and Belle was thankful for it. A glance to the other side revealed Sergeant Oak, still standing tall, his head held high, pointedly not looking at Belle. Not, she knew, because he was disgusted with her weakness, but out of respect for her. Sergeants shouldn’t see their captains cry.

“Thanks,” Belle said to Twilight in a low voice. “Thanks, I’m alright.” She lifted a forehoof to raise her tinted glasses enough so she could scrub at her eyes and remove the evidence of her momentary weakness. She was suddenly very glad for her glasses, they would hide the telltale redness from others.

Twilight didn’t answer, but instead threw a foreleg around Belle’s withers in a quick hug. She released her immediately, and then she backed off just a little so that she wasn’t touching the earth pony anymore. Belle took a deep breath, steadying her nerves. She needed to be strong now, she couldn’t fall apart, not until the job was finished. But once it was, she had a feeling she’d finally take Brine up on that offer of a drink.

Once her nerves had calmed down and her delayed panic had subsided, the analytical part of her brain kicked in, almost unconsciously. This had been her first real look at one of the creatures, the final confirmation that all of her guess work had been correct. She shifted through her memories, replaying every moment slowly in her mind.

She had never gotten a good view of the creature; it seemed uncannily able to keep to the shadows. The only time she had seen it in good light, she had only seen part of its rear half. So she focused on that.

Judging from the length of its hind leg, and the height of its haunch, the drake was easily taller than a full grown stallion. That surprised Belle somewhat; up to this point, she had been envisioning a drake as low to the ground. Large yes, but with short and sturdy legs, like the alligators she had seen in the Canterlot Zoo when she was just a young filly. Instead, the drake had lean, powerful legs. The legs of a sprinter. Its speed had caught Belle off-guard and she needed to keep it in consideration for the future. Something else was bothering her about its size though, nagging at the back of her mind but unable to fully manifest as an idea. She decided to let it simmer and moved on.

The drake’s tail had been long and slender, but not tapered like a normal lizard’s. Its tip had flared somewhat and had had at least two spikes on it, although the constant motion hadn’t afforded her a good look in the short amount of time she had had. Interestingly, and she could be wrong about this, but the constant motion seemed to indicate that the tail was not used for balance, except perhaps while it was running. Perhaps it could be used as a weapon? She couldn’t be sure but it was worth considering. Better to be over-prepared than under.

Then there was the fire. Belle had, of course, known about the creature’s incendiary breath, but she had vastly underestimated its potency. The fireball the creature had unleashed had engulfed the hospital room, the entire alcove the creature had been ducked into, and even the trees behind the creature. The fire had been so hot that, for a moment, Belle had had the impression that the cobble stones themselves were burning. And yet the drake itself was completely unscathed. Clearly it was fire-proof. That made sense, since it breathed the stuff, but at the same time it seemed completely unfair.

Belle had only seen the front half of the creature briefly, and she had been mostly blinded by the intense light of the fire at the time. She tried to remember specific features, but found that she couldn’t. All that appeared in her mind’s eye was the vague, hazy outline of the creature, distorted by the heat and intense light. Even the memory of that light was painful; Belle winced and flinched slightly, even as she kept her eyes closed.

Twilight must have noticed. “Everything alright, Belle?” she asked in a low voice.

Belle shook her mane slightly in frustration. “I can’t remember what the drake looked like, it was too bright. It’s all just blinding light and pain, the best I can say is that it was there. Did you get a good look at it?”

“Not really,” Twilight answered. “I stayed behind the corner like you said. I only looked out after the explosion. When I saw you there, you looked sort of dazed so I figured the light must have been a bit much for... for you.” She looked around surreptitiously, remembering that they were not alone, and that Belle’s condition was not common knowledge. “Anyway, I just sort of reacted, threw up a shield around us.” Belle reached over and gently nuzzled the young mare who had saved her life, showing her gratitude. Twilight gave her a chagrined smile, but it quickly faded as she continued. “I’m afraid I really didn’t get a good look at it, what with the flame and my shield, just a vague shape. I can say that it was definitely bigger than I expected. Did you see it properly?”

Belle shook her head. Twilight’s knowing expression confirmed that she understood why. “What about you, Sergeant Oak?” Belle asked, raising her voice above their original whispers. “Did you get a good look at the beast?”

The sergeant turned to look at her, his stance rigidly at attention, as was his norm when speaking to her. To an outside observer, he would have seemed the very model of calm and collected; but Belle had known the stallion for many years, and she could see the signs of a troubled soul. The slight furrow of his brow, the miniscule twitch of his ears, the hint of a downturn to his mouth, all added up to an upset sergeant. She couldn’t tell what exactly he was upset about though. Perhaps he was angry at her incompetence, or at the fact that the creature had escaped uncontested, or just that a fellow guard lay less than two dozen strides away, badly injured, and there was nothing he could do to help. Maybe a healthy combination of them all.

He cleared his throat. “No, ma’am,” he said in a polite, but somewhat curt tone. “It happened too fast, our eyes couldn’t adjust quickly enough with the fire. Best I could see was a big shape with a long tail.”

Belle hadn’t really expected anything more than that. “Thank you, Sergeant.”

Oak nodded before turning to face Twilight. “We were never officially introduced,” he said. “I am Sergeant Oak Root.”

“Um, I’m Twilight Sparkle,” the unicorn answered, somewhat taken aback by the sudden and unexpected return to decorum. “I’ve been sent by Princess Celestia to assist in your investigations.”

Oak didn’t react to that, but merely said, “Thank you, ma’am. Happy to have the help.” With that, he went back to his original position, watching the entrance to the emergency room.

Some ponies tended to think that Oak was a bit slow, that his stern mannerisms and straight-forward approach to things meant he was little more than a grunt, a soldier who only knew how to follow orders. Belle knew this to be wrong. One did not reach the rank of sergeant by being stupid. He was a smart pony, and any deficiencies he had around other ponies were purely social. She could tell that Oak was internally asking the same questions she herself had asked when the young mare had first shown up.

Twilight didn’t quite seem to know what to say, so she stayed silent, although she did cast Belle an inquisitive glance. Belle merely shrugged in response.

After a short pause, Oak turned back to face Belle again. “Captain,” he said in a low voice, “may I have a word?”

Surprised, and perhaps slightly apprehensive, Belle nodded and walked a little ways down the hall away from Twilight and the nurse. When they were far enough away, Belle stopped and looked expectantly at her sergeant.

“Permission to speak freely, ma’am?”

Uh oh, this wasn’t a good start. Belle forced herself not to swallow nervously. Instead she nodded. “Go on.”

“Belle,” he said, his voice unusually low and slightly concerned, “what happened to Constable Shining wasn’t your fault. I can tell you’ve been blaming yourself for it, but you could not have known what would happen. It was the right call to make. This time it didn’t work out, but you shouldn’t blame yourself for that. Shining is a guard, she knew the risks when she signed up. No matter what else happens today, we can’t have you shaken here. We need you to lead us. Focus on the future, not the past. It won’t do you any good.”

Belle stared at the imposing guard in front of her in surprise. It occurred to her then that perhaps Oak had misinterpreted her earlier collapse and shivers as guilt for her decisions, not as the physical reaction to her brush with death. It was true that she felt responsible for Shining’s current condition, but she had accepted that reality already. It might haunt her for a long time, especially if Shining was permanently injured or, Celestia forbid, died, but she knew that now wasn’t the time for it.

“Thank you, Oak,” she answered. It felt odd using his name without his rank, but it seemed appropriate. “You’re right, of course. I’ll fall apart when this is all over. I know I’ve been asking a lot from you and the others, but we have to stop these monsters, and whoever is behind them. To do that, I’m going to need you fresh, so once your shift ends I’m ordering you to get some rest. With any luck, Corporal Snowflake was able to find its hiding place, and I’m going to have her watch it until the morning, make sure nothing leaves again tonight. In the morning, we’re going in, take the fight to these creatures. And this time we’ll be ready for that damn drake.” Her voice had taken on a hard edge as she spoke, and the last sentence came out as almost a growl.

Oak studied her for a moment, although Belle couldn’t tell what he was looking for. Then he saluted crisply. “Yes, ma’am.” His voice was once again full of confidence and determination. Good.

They moved back to rejoin Twilight in front of the emergency room entrance. The unicorn gave her another inquisitive look, but didn’t pry. Belle used the time to formulate a plan. Her words to Oak had been more or less spur of the moment, but the more she thought about it, the better it sounded. Snowflake was an excellent flier, although not quite as agile as Keen, and she had sharp eyes, if not the best hearing. With any luck, she had been able to find where the creature had run off to; Belle was guessing an unsealed entrance to the tunnels beneath the town. As long as the creature didn’t venture out again this evening, then they should have enough time to be well rested. She had no intention of going in after it at night, especially after what had just happened, but in the morning, she would take her guards into the tunnels and hunt the monsters down.

She had not forgotten the manticore, but in her mind the drake was the real threat. Its fire-breath was impressive and devastating, and would be much more dangerous in the enclosed tunnels than a manticore’s claws and tail. She remembered the loud intake of breath that had preceded the inferno that had almost cooked her. If they were careful, then their unicorns could have their shields ready in plenty of time. She knew it was risky, but she also knew that it was necessary.

As happened so often, Belle lost track if time, so it might have been ten minutes, or an hour later that the large swinging doors were finally pushed open revealing a frazzled looking stallion unicorn with a caduceus cutie mark. He had a grave expression on his face, but he smiled faintly when he saw Belle and her companions. “Ah, Captain Belle,” he said, “good, you’re here.”

He waited until all of them were gathered around him before he spoke again. “Miss Star has suffered burns along much of her body, some of them quite serious. Luckily, her barding protected most of her from the actual fire, but the heat was momentarily intense enough to blister the skin beneath it. It’s a good thing she wasn’t wearing metal barding. I must say, if somepony had to be burned, the best place would have to be in a hospital. We were able to treat her quickly and, barring any unforeseen complications, she should recover from her burns just fine. With any luck she’ll only have a few minor scars to show for it when all is said and done. More serious, surprisingly, were the glass shards from the window. Again, the barding stopped the worst of it, but she received several minor lacerations to her neck and face, and one large piece actually stabbed her in the neck. It missed anything vital, but it was still deep, and when we removed it a small piece broke off inside of her. It’s taken a while, but we finally got all of it out and were able to patch her up.”

Belle sighed in relief. She knew that Shining must be in terrible pain, but at least she was alive.

The doctor continued, “She’s going to need to stay here for a few days. Healing magic is an amazing thing, but it’s not flawless so I want to ensure there are no further complications. Besides, this has certainly taken its toll on her, she needs to rest. No amount of magic can take away fatigue. It will be a couple of days at least.”

“May we see her?” asked Oak.

The unicorn stallion shook his head. “Not yet. She’s asleep right now. We’re keeping her in the emergency room for the time being, but barring anything unexpected happening, we should be able to transfer her to her own room around about ten tomorrow morning. The spell we cast will keep her unconscious until at least that time.” The doctor glanced around at each of them in turn. “I hesitate to say this, but she was in a bad way when we put her under with an anesthetic spell. When she wakes up, it would help if there were a familiar face around. Does she have any family?”

Belle shook her head. “From what she’s told me, she moved here a few years ago from Baltimare, soon after her mother died. She’s never talked about her father, I always got the impression it was a touchy subject.” Oak nodded in agreement.

The doctor took this in stride. “Well, she should at least have a friend here when the time comes.”

“She will,” Belle said emphatically.

The doctor nodded and trotted off, back through the emergency room doors. Belle turned to Sergeant Oak “Sergeant, I want you to go and find Corporal Keen, he’s to find and relay the orders to Corporal Snowflake. Stakeout the location and make sure nothing comes out. If it does, she’s to alert us at once.”

Belle paused for a moment as she considered her next move. How she wished she had a full staff of guards. The roster wasn’t even half what it used to be. Up until now it had never been a problem, but now they were all overworked. She needed her guards fresh for what was going to come tomorrow, but she couldn’t send them all home. There was too much to be done, and there was supposed to be a guard presence at all times. Having Snowflake stay out was bad enough, but strategically speaking, she would be the least useful in the confined space of the tunnels. She hated thinking like that, but this wasn’t the time for sentimentality, it was a time for pragmatism. “Then you, Keen, and Morning are to go and get some rest. We’re going to meet at the Guard House at 7 AM sharp. We’re going in after these monsters.”

********************

Less than an hour later, after relaying the orders, and an update on the condition of Shining, to Constable Morning, and expertly deflecting the questions of one Miss Curiosity of the Dock Daily News, Belle and Twilight trotted towards the front door of the Guard House.

It was late, very late. It felt like forever since Belle had said good-bye to her husband that morning, and she could feel it throughout her body; it ached like it never had before. Her legs still trembled slightly as she walked, the residual effects of her brush with death. And, less extreme but more urgent, were the complaints from her stomach; outside of two small tacos hours ago, she had only had a moderate breakfast to eat all day. There simply hadn’t been enough time.

When she opened the door, she was slapped in the face by the amazing aroma of a well-cooked meal. Em was sitting at a side table with a large plate of food in front of her. Sitting across from her, an equally large plate of food in front of him, sat none other than Lemon Sherbet. He jumped up when she entered and, with a mock expression of horror and a teasing twinkle in his eye, he exclaimed, “Belle! What are you doing here? This ain’t what it looks like!”

Belle smirked, she could always count on her husband to lift her spirits. “Oh?” she said, playing along. “You mean my husband isn’t having a quiet, secluded meal with my best friend behind my back and without my knowledge?”

Lemon paused for a moment, glancing back at the table, and at the large, embarrassed unicorn mare sitting at it. He turned back with a sly grin. “Oh, well in that case I guess it’s exactly what it looks like.”

Belle laughed; her voice still held the tints of strain and fatigue, but it was a genuine laugh and she felt much better for it. Her husband grinned and trotted up to her. He took note of her stance and expression in a heartbeat. He had always been able to read her so well, and now he knew something was wrong. He didn’t know the specifics yet, and he didn’t ask. He didn’t need to know to understand that she was hurting inside. He kissed her softly, and then enveloped her in a hug (carefully avoiding the spear still attached to her barding), holding her gently but securely; he was her rock, her anchor. She let herself go, just a little, sagging into his embrace, just relishing the feeling. She returned the hug, burying her face in his neck. For a moment it was just the two of them in the world and nothing else mattered.

The moment passed quickly, however, as they both knew it had to, and she broke the hug. For the second time that evening, she was thankful for her tinted glasses, and for the same reason. She cleared her throat and half turned, gesturing towards the unicorn mare behind her. “Um, Lemon, this is Twilight Sparkle, sent by Princess Celestia herself to help us catch the monsters. Twilight, this is my husband, Lemon Sherbet.”

Twilight gave a small bow. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” she said in a polite but pleasant tone. She then seemed somewhat surprised to have a forehoof being shaken firmly by the large stallion.

“Heh, I’m just a simple pony,” he chuckled. “I ain’t no ‘sir.’ So you’ve been helping my sweet Belle, have ya?”

Twilight blinked at the question, as though something he had said confused her. Then she humbly said, “I’ve been trying to.”

“She’s been very useful,” assured Belle. “She saved my life today.”

That caught Lemon’s attention. The usual genial expression on his face sobered dramatically. “Come and eat,” he said softly. “I brought enough for the whole Guard House. Tell me all about it.”

Belle felt her stomach rumble its approval to at least half of that plan. She moved to the table, eyeing the assortment of food: glazed carrots, mushrooms sautéed in butter, a fruit salad, crispy home-made hay fries, and even grilled pineapple sprinkled with cinnamon. Where had he even found a pineapple at this time of year? The analytical part of her brain wondered when he had found the time to make all of this while at work, and how much it had cost. The more practical side told the first side to shut up and enjoy the food.

So they ate while Belle caught Lemon (and Em, although she was so quiet and unassuming that it was easy to forget that she was there, despite her imposing stature) up on what had happened that day. Twilight would occasionally add something, particularly when talking about the drake, but mostly contented herself with eating, apparently enjoying it immensely. When Belle reached the most recent events, including her fiery brush with death and the injuries to Constable Shining, Em gasped and Lemon looked momentarily panicked. It was an odd look for his normally jovial face, and she hated causing him to worry, but she knew that he needed to know. That he deserved to know.

When she finally finished, the four ponies sat in relative silence for a short while, they only sound coming from the munching of Belle and Twilight as they vigorously finished their dinner. Finally, Lemon got up and trotted over to where Twilight was sitting, and he gingerly gave her a hug, a whispered, “Thank you,” just audible to Belle. Twilight looked equal parts stunned, confused, and embarrassed. Belle rolled her eyes. Lemon was a bit of a goof, but deep down he was quite the ‘touchy feely’ sort. Lemon released the hug quickly and backed away, grinning slightly, although the obvious fear and anxiety from having so nearly lost his wife made the smile seem rather brittle. Twilight, who had just taken a rather large bite of pineapple, finally swallowed and grinned sheepishly. “It was noth...” she began to say but stopped, realizing that it was definitely not ‘nothing.’ “I was happy to help.”

After that, they settled into a more comfortable silence as they finished the meal. After returning from thanking Twilight, Lemon had sat down next to Belle, pressing against her side, as though trying to reassure himself that she was still there. While he had returned to his usual goofy and happy self, every now and then, she felt a slight shiver run through him, followed by him pushing just a little harder against her. She always pushed back just as hard.

When they had cleaned their respective plates, Lemon produced a large white cake which, when it was cut into, turned out to be completely made of several types of ice cream. Twilight stared in amazement as Lemon cut her a piece. After she had tasted it, she said, “Lemon, this is amazing. How did you come up with it? And how does it keep cold for so long? We’ve been eating for a while, but it’s barely soft.”

Lemon beamed proudly. “The idea just came to me one day. As for keeping it cold for so long, it’s a spell I use in the creation process. Can’t tell you about it though, trade secret.” He winked at her.

Twilight eagerly took another bite. “I know a pony who would probably blow a gasket if she saw this. I might have to introduce you two when all this is over. She’s a great baker and party planner; I bet she would love to serve these ice cream cakes.”

Lemon chuckled. “Thanks.”

Once they had finished their dessert (Belle noted that there was still a good bit of food left over, true to Lemon’s word), Em finally spoke up. “So what’s the plan now, Belle?”

Belle sighed, the weariness she had been able to ignore, thanks to good food and good company, came rushing back. “Now,” she said, “we go on the offensive. With any luck, Corporal Snowflake will have found the entrance to this thing’s lair. Unless it comes out again tonight, we hunt it down in the morning, after everypony has had a chance to rest. Yes, Em, that includes you.”

Em looked surprised. “Me? But I haven’t done anything yet. Honestly, I feel rather useless just sitting here. I’ve only had to do three things today other than paperwork. I don’t need any more rest.” She drew herself up, which in her case was rather impressive. She seemed determined now. “In fact, I am going with you tomorrow. I’ve been resting on my flank for too long. It’s torture, sitting here while you and the others are out there, risking your lives. I can’t... no, I won’t do nothing anymore. You can use my help.”

Belle looked at her friend intently. Emerald Grass didn’t like to fight, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t know how to. Like all the guards, she put in her time training. She was strong, devastatingly so, if neither particularly fast nor agile. Her magic was quite potent, although it tended to focus primarily on defensive spells. Her shield was one of the strongest Belle had ever seen. Although tonight had proven that Twilight’s was at least as powerful. Em would definitely be useful in the enclosed tunnels. And yet she was so rarely in the field that Belle couldn’t help but worry for her friend.

She made her decision. “Very well, Em. You’re right, we could certainly use you. But I’ll need you fresh then, so go and get some rest. That’s an order. I’ll watch the House, at least until Sergeant Oak gets back.”

Em, who looked like she had been expecting an argument, took a second to collect herself. “What about you? You’ve been through a lot today, Belle, you need to sleep.”

Belle waved a forehoof dismissively. “I’ll rest, don’t you worry about it.”

“I’ll make sure of it,” Lemon added seriously.

Em nodded slowly, but still looked slightly apprehensive. She collected her things and, saying her good-byes, left the Guard House.

The three remaining ponies sat around the table in silence for a little while. Belle got the distinct impression that Twilight felt uncomfortable and out of place in the presence of the married couple. She fidgeted slightly and wouldn’t look at either of them directly. Finally, she got to her hooves again. “Well, I should get some sleep as well.”

“Where are you staying?” asked Lemon casually.

Twilight froze, staring at him. She grinned sheepishly. “Um, actually, now that you mention it. I have no idea.”

Belle brutally beat back the urge to facehoof. Lemon simply chuckled. “Well,” he said, “you’re welcome to stay with us tonight. Really the only other place is The Hole, and ‘tween you and me, that place ain’t exactly the nicest, or the safest if ya get my meaning.” He nodded sagely.

“I wouldn’t want to impose…” Twilight said hesitantly.

Lemon glanced at Belle, as though double checking his next words. She gave him an almost imperceptible nod. Twilight had proven herself to be a good friend and a good pony. Despite her initial misgivings, the young unicorn had really grown on her.

“Stay, Twilight,” Belle said sincerely, “you’re more than welcome. I intend to wait here until Sergeant Oak returns, and then I’m going to obey my own order and get some rest before tomorrow.” She stopped, looking at her forehooves as she suddenly realized the flaw in her plan. She couldn’t leave the Guard House unattended, and she had just sent home the only pony who could realistically stay to watch the House. And for that matter, who would watch it in the morning? The only viable option was Corporal Snowflake. She would have to tough it out for a little while, but at least she wouldn’t have to do anything too intensive after a long night. For the time being, however, there was only one recourse. She sighed, “Actually, I’m going to have to sleep in my office. I don’t anticipate anything to happen, but somepony needs to be in the Guard House at all times, and I don’t have any other guards who can do it.”

Lemon looked at her, understanding what had happened. “I’ll be staying too then,” he said at once.

Belle glanced at Twilight. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking before. All I have to offer you here are some simple cots. There’s a bathroom and a shower, though. If you would still like to stay, you’d be welcome. It’s up to you.”

Twilight smiled. “Of course I’ll stay with you both. Thank you very much for your hospitality.”

Belle returned the smile. At least the young mare wouldn’t be alone. Not that she didn’t think that Twilight could more than take care of herself, but Dock was a port town, and not all the ponies who passed through were of the highest caliber. Best to not take chances.

The moment was spoiled, however, when Lemon suddenly spoke up in the most ridiculous faux-seductive tone Belle had ever heard. “So ladies… Just the three of us, eh? All alone…” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as he smiled.

Twilight blushed but giggled, recognizing the joke for what it was. Belle laughed at her husband’s antics.

But she still slapped him.

Author's Note:

Once again, a big thanks to Expository Brony for proofreading, and for the encouragement. This man is awesome, and I can't say that enough.

As always, MLP and its characters are © Hasbro and Lauren Faust respectively.

All OCs, however, are purely mine, or their respective owners.

Any and all feedback/comments are greatly appreciated.

Comments

[General Derpy]

Did you just say ... wolpertinger?

"begins to sing"

My Brewfest Pony, My Brewfest Pony, AAAAAHAAAAAHAAH *hic* My Brewfest Pony, I used to wonder what getting drunk could be ...

[Csquared08]

There's definitely something sinister going on. My guess is that we're dealing with the progenitor of the drakes.

[Kitcat36]

A couple weirdly worded spots in this chapter:

Good. Belle couldn’t waste the energy or focus Twilight.

I think some words got lost there, somewhere.

The last of the flames outside of the hospital were extinguished, plunging the area into a cool and welcoming darkness. The only light coming from the hospital windows, including the recently made hole in the wall where a window had once been, and the moon the above.

It should really read "The only light came" unless you combine the two sentences into one.

She had risen from her black-out and immediately got to work. Perhaps she had been unconsciously rushing to focus on something else, to not give herself time to think about it.

I'm pretty sure "blackout" is one word, not two hyphenated. Should also probably be "gotten to work."

She was suddenly very glad for her glasses, they would hide the tell-tale redness from others.

I believe "telltale" is also one word.

Belle sighed in relief. She knew that Shining must be terrible pain, but at least she was alive.

The word "in" is missing. It should read "She knew that Shining must be in terrible pain..."

Belle laughed, her voice still held the tints of strain and fatigue, but it was a genuine laugh and she felt much better for it.

The punctuation is off; I recommend replacing the comma after "Belle laughed" with a semicolon.

He had always been able to read her so well; and now he knew something was wrong.

This semicolon should be a comma.

Lemon released the hug quickly and backed away, grinning slightly; although the obvious fear and anxiety from having so nearly lost his wife made the smile seem rather brittle.

This semicolon should also be a comma.
There might also have been a place or two near the end where a period would be better replaced with a comma, but they weren't too big a deal.

I hate to be rude, and hope this helps. If you don't mind me asking, did your editor take a vacation this chapter, or was something else going on? There are a lot more minor errors than in any of the previous chapters, at least as far as I noticed.

[Seraphem]

... Okay, this story just keeps getting better, that fight scene was... so damn good. Just, everything keeps getting better and better.