15: Rescue...
Twilight held tightly to the red dragons back as Grey ran in front of them. Her hooves were starting to ache from the grip she was keeping on his scales. She held on despite the bit of discomfort. She looked over his shoulder as the two dragons paused, their heads snaking over the ground. She could see that they were searching for the scent and she released her grip on the thick red scales.
“Are you okay?” She asked them.
Grey looked at her and nodded. “We are searching for the rest of the scent. It’s not as easy as we had hoped.”
“What wrong?” She asked.
“The wolf’s scent is not as strong as it was before,” Red explained.
“She was in a cage when we found her. Could that be making it difficult for you to find?” They both looked to her and nodded. “Blast. Can you scent if there is a pony that was close to her and has her scent mixed with theirs?”
The dragons looked to each other and resumed their sniffing for the newer scent. The mare was quiet and stayed back as they searched. Red suddenly looked at her and she scrambled onto his back and gripped his scales tightly as he lunged forward, leading Grey. His body covered the ground quickly as he led the charge. Twilight looked up as they crossed out of the cobbled city streets and into the agricultural lands.
She considered sending a blast of magic to signal Sorkeno of their location but stopped when she realized that it would call him to her and she didn’t want to call him until she had news for him. She paused for a moment and looked back as she realized that Green hadn’t come back yet. While she was surprised that the swiftest of them hadn’t caught up yet she was jolted from her thoughts as Red slid forward.
She yelped as he slid to the bottom of a ditch. He stood up and she could hear a sound coming from above them and she looked up to see Grey standing above them with a wide grin, his teeth showing, his mouth open as he growled a laugh. Red growled under his breath and Twilight jumped from his back to let the dragon get himself out of the awkward hole he had fallen into.
“Princess?” He looked at her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. A little startled but I’m not hurt.” She assured the drake.
Red looked back to his counterpart and growled. “You could have warned me.”
“Not really. Your large tail was in my face. How did you not see the trail end in front of your fat snout?” Grey growled back at him.
Twilight looked on as the two dragoons began to argue. She opened her mouth to speak but their arguing grew more heated and she looked back and forth between them. A minute ticked past her and they looked to be about to trade blows. She groaned and her horn flared as she teleported between them and her magic pushed them both back. Grey fell back to his flanks and Red slid back into the ditch.
“That’s enough.” She snarled at them. “You are not here to argue like foals. You are here to help find Hunter, not bicker in the streets. I expect both of you to act like the proud dragons you are and do him proud as well.” She looked between them and they lowered their heads under her angry gaze. “Now. Can we get back on track?”
Red got himself out of the ditch and nodded to her. “Sorry, Princess.” He said to her.
Grey also seemed to have come to his senses and nodded to her. “Apologies.”
“Good. Now shall we?” She said and motioned them forward with her hooves.
Red turned his back to her and she hopped to his back once more. She gripped his scales as he once more led the way forward, Grey now at his side. Twilight shook her head in anger for a moment before she realized that she had just scolded a pair of dragons. She closed her eyes for a moment as she contemplated the lecture she would get from the Overlord and from Sorkeno. She shook her head to avoid thinking about it and looked over the dragon's shoulder once more. She could see that they were into the heart of a large field and they were approaching a house on the outskirts. Red slowed down and Grey walked ahead and he pointed his snout to the house itself.
Red looked over his shoulder to her and she leaned out to see them both. “What is it?”
“There. The scent that is mixed with the wolves is in that home.” Grey said to her and Red nodded.
“Okay. I will see what we can find out. Can you two stay with me?” She asked, already anticipating an argument with the occupant.
“Of course Princess,” Red replied and Grey nodded to her.
“Thank you.” She said and hopped from the dragons back to the ground.
The dragons both sat back as she approached the front door. She raised a hoof and knocked on the front door. She flicked an ear to listen and she could hear hooves inside. The door opened slightly and the mare inside looked at her and then past her to the dragons on her lawn. She stared at them for a moment and then back to the Alicorn.
“What?” She snidely called out.
“I am looking for the pony that transported a Dire Wolf to this house and then sold her. I need to know how she…”
“Not here.” She said and slammed the door.
Twilight blinked and stared at the door for a moment. She shook her head and knocked on the door again. She heard an angry sound from inside as the door opened once more.
“Listen here you little nag I don’t need to talk to you about anything. There is no wolf here and you’re trespassing. So get lost.” She yelled and the door slammed once more.
Twilight’s eyes were wide as the door closed. She could feel anger bubbling in her and she raised a hoof to knock again when a growl came from behind her. She looked back as Red gently nosed her out of the way and pulled his head back and slammed his forehead into the door. The door came off its hinges and was thrown into the house. Grey was over his shoulder and the two dragons snarled as the mare inside yelled. Grey pushed past his bulkier counterpart and shoved his head inside. Twilight watched as his jaws opened and his neck snapped out as he reached for something inside. A loud scream came from inside as Grey dragged the mare outside and tossed her behind him.
“What is going on? Call off your monsters.” She screamed at the Alicorn.
Twilight looked at the two dragons and then looked away from them. She had a moment of deciding whether to side with the horrible mare or not and she made her choice. She was tired of dealing with this mare and all those that were like her. Red spun around and the mare screamed as he towered over her.
“You will answer Princess’s questions and you will answer them now. Our nestmate will punish you later. For now, you are hers to question and you will answer.” He thundered at her.
Twilight walked up to the side of the dragon and the mare was whimpering on the ground as Red stepped back a step to let Twilight approach. She felt bad about scaring her for a moment until the thought of Hunter missing pushed that thought out of her mind.
“Who sold the wolf?” She asked.
“My husband.” She squeaked out.
“Where did he get her?”
“From the city. Said that she was stuck in a building and a guard asked him to get her out.”
“Why?”
“The building is a new build and they didn’t want her there. She was damaging the floor.”
“What was she doing to the floor?”
“She was scratching and biting at it.” She whimpered.
“What building?”
“The new one on Main Street.” She cried out.
Twilight’s mouth opened as she realized that she was talking about the building they had found first. “Oh by Celestia.” She whispered as she realized that they had been in the right place all along. “How did he get her out of there?”
“He put the cage by the entrance and then opened the door, she ran out and fell into the cage. He locked it and brought her here to sell her off.” She cried. “I swear that’s all I know!” She wailed.
“Where is your husband?”
“In the city. He was selling other things and said that the wolf was sold so he took her to her new owner this morning.” She replied.
“And that is where my friends and I found her this morning.” She said aloud. “Did he know who that wolf belonged to?”
“She had an owner?” She whimpered and looked to Red as he brought this head over the Alicorn’s shoulder. “We were told that she got loose from the Master’s group and was an extra and needed to be gone by this morning so he did a quick sale to get rid of her. Whose is she?”
“Overlord Hunter Flame is her owner.” Twilight replied and the mare paled and she put her hooves over her mouth and a shrill cry escaped her.
“We didn’t know. I swear to you we didn’t know.” She cried out and rolled to her belly before the Alicorn mare. “Please forgive me for my actions. I didn’t mean to offend you, Princess.”
Twilight felt pity edging into her mind as the mare sobbed at her hooves. The mare reached out and gripped her hoof boots and cried. Twilight pulled her hoof away and motioned for the two dragons to follow her as she left the mare sobbing in the grass. Red kept his head close to her as she walked and when she stopped she reached out and hugged his head. Grey looked to her and she reached out and wrapped her other foreleg around his head to hug them both as best she could.
“Thank you.” She whispered to them. “I really needed your help with that.”
“We will help you, Princess,” Grey assured her.
“Okay. We need to get back to Sorkeno and tell him what we know. He needs to know that we know where Hunter was and that’s where Dezhara was. She was trying to tear up the floor for a reason so there must be something there. You two okay to run back to the Lord Dragon?” She asked them she didn’t want to exhaust them.
Red looked to Grey and he nodded to her. “We’re fine, Princess. We will help you find him.”
“Good. Let’s get going.” She said to them and hopped to Red’s back. “Let’s go!” She yelped as the dragons took off once more, their legs churning as they raced over the ground.
Sorkeno looked out over the city, his eyes scanning for any sign of the young dragons. Beside him, Kaiana, Maranna, and Setan were also looking around them. A tremble occasionally went through the silver matriarch as she watched. Sorkeno knew that she was desperate to locate Hunter, her nerves frayed at the fact that he was missing and she had no way to find him.
The golden dragon sighed as he tried to reach out to the stallion and was met with silence. He was fighting back his own aggravation and he was beginning to consider simply leveling the city and letting Hunter sort it out after. He was waiting to see if Twilight sent another burst of magic into the air to draw his attention. He growled under his breath and Setan tilted his head slightly to listen. The growl died out and he looked back out over the other side of the city.
“Anything?” Kaiana asked him.
“Nothing.” He replied to her. “I am half tempted to burn the city to the ground.”
“I feel the same but we both know how upset he would be to have to rebuild it. As it is I think the ponies here need to be reminded of the kindness he has shown them. For their sakes he better be in good health or nothing will stop me from avenging his pain.” She snarled.
Sorkeno leaned his head to her and nuzzled the unhappy she-dragon. “I agree. This city has taken advantage of his kindness long enough.” He growled in reply.
“I agree,” Setan spoke up. “I do not know enough of this city to base much of an opinion. But if they are willing to endanger his life and others then they need to be reminded of their Master's benevolent attitude.”
Both dragons nodded as the green drake spoke, Maranna nodded in silent agreement. “You speak the truth, Setan,” Kaiana said to him. “I wish to lessen the burden he carries, if only for a short time.”
“As do I,” Sorkeno said to her. “This will not be allowed to go on. I will speak with him at length about allowing these ponies to stomp on him and that he has accomplished.”
He began to speak further, but a flash of red caught his attention as the two young dragons that were with Twilight returned, with the Princess on Red's back.
“Little Princess?” He said to her as he lowered his body closer to the ground to speak to her.
She jumped off Red’s back and stumbled in her haste to get to the Lord Dragon. Red came after her and checked to make sure that she was okay and she patted his nose in thanks. Twilight then looked to Sorkeno and went up to him, her wings spread as she flew to land on his snout.
“Green came back with a pony that knows where he is. But we are unable to gain access to the mine.” He explained to her.
“Mine?” She asked.
“Yes. Light Gaze was a close friend to Little One's father. He was freed by him and was able to stop Green who brought him to me. He explained that he and others were placed in mine and trapped inside it. Little One was with them but they couldn’t get out due to magic being negated within it. It explains why I cannot find him.”
“That explains a lot. We tracked Dezhara to the pony who sold her and talked to his wife. She spoke about it after a…bit of…convincing.” She replied and looked to the two young dragons behind her. “Anyway. He was called to take Dezhara from the building in the city since she was scratching and biting at the floor and damaging it. I think there is something under the floor that she was trying to get to. We need her to show us.”
“You are certain, Little Princess?” Sorkeno said to her.
“Yes. I am.” She assured him. “Please let me try.”
Sorkeno looked at her and his eyes closed for a moment. His eyes looked to her as he reached up and his claws went around her belly and he set her on to the back of the young red. “Find him. If you cannot then call me. I will find him.”
“I understand. Where did my friends go?” She suddenly asked.
“Soft Touch took them off to the side,” Kaiana said and her nose pointed them out. “You need the wolf?”
Twilight nodded and called out to the whimpering wolf. The wolf was hiding behind the others and she was about to reach out with her magic when something Hunter had said caught her attention. He had said that she would respond to the Dracoran word for help. The mare thought back and the word came to her.
“Dezhara! Selen!” She yelled out loud.
The wolf sat up and looked to the mare. She stood and raced toward the mare and came to stand by her, jumping to the mare who smiled and patted her. She looked up to find four enormous sets of eyes and two smaller sets staring at her.
“Hunter taught it to me. In case I needed help.” She explained. “It’s the only word I know.” She assured them.
Kaiana leaned down and the wolf whimpered behind the smaller dragons. “Use that word well. Our tongue is not easy and you are trusted with a small piece of it. Watch how it is used. Saying it wrong can alter its meaning, but you spoke it correctly so there is no issue. I am glad he believed in you enough to teach you a piece of it.” She said and gave Twilight a gentle nuzzle.
Twilight smiled and nodded. She looked to Red and patted his neck. “Let’s go Red! Come on Grey, Dezhara!” She shouted and the two young dragons roared to her as they turned to race into the city, the dire wolf on their heels.
Kaiana watched her race away with the two dragons and the wolf close behind. “Find him.” She whispered. “I am beginning to see why you have allowed her to remain close by him.”
“Are you?” Sorkeno replied to her.
“Yes. That one has a heart much like his.” She whispered aloud. “I will trust in her as well.”
Twilight gripped the thick scales as her mind raced about how to find him. She knew that the building was important but she wasn’t sure how important it was. She knew that it was going to play a large part in finding him safe and sound. Under her hooves Red leaped a market stall, breaking through the fence beyond it. The dragon was like a living juggernaut as he raced back to the main street. She was looking around when she saw a flash of emerald green.
“Wait!” She yelled out.
Red slid to a halt, his claws digging into the stone road. He looked at her and she motioned for him to back up. She reached the intersection with the next market stalls and she looked down to see faint green in the distance.
“What in the…?” She jumped off the dragons back and looked down the pathway.
She looked to the sides and she could see that the stone had been rubbed off and she had seen the dragon’s scales make marks that were similar.
“Red. Is Green down there?” She asked him and he put his nose down to the road and scented it.
“Yes, she is.” He said to her. “Do you need her?”
“I might. I need to ask her what’s going on.”
Red inhaled and a short roar called out and an answer came to them. “She is coming.” He replied to her.
“Thank you.”
She watched as the green she-dragon approached them, a pony looking over her shoulder. She slid to a stop and the pony on her back groaned at the sudden stop. “Princess?” She asked her, her head tilted slightly.
“What are you doing down there?” Twilight asked her.
“The entrance to the mine that our nestmate is in is down there. But none of us can get in. I accidentally scared away the guard that had the key.” She said to the mare, her head low.
“I keep telling her it’s okay and it was an accident.” The older pony said from her shoulder.
“Your Light Gaze?” Twilight asked him.
“Yes, Princess. It’s nice to meet you. But I am afraid I do not know your name.”
Red stood up and stuck his snout out to the strange pony. “That is her name.” He replied and Light Gaze wisely nodded.
Twilight looked at the dragons who all nodded in agreement. She looked to Light Gaze who looked back at her. “Why do you think?” She didn’t finish the sentence.
“What does the Lord Dragon call you?” Gaze asked her, gently.
“Little Princess. But why does that ma…oh.” She replied as it struck her.
“Yes. Hunter is Little One or nestmate and you are Little Princess.” Gaze replied to her.
“That explains a lot.” She admitted. “Anyway, so why are you still there?”
“We were still trying to get the door open when Red called,” Green replied.
“We were not having much luck and we're going to head back to Sorkeno when she heard a roar from the others.” He explained further. “What is going on now?”
“We know where he was and that the wolf with him was trying to chew apart the floor. So if we can find the spot she was after then we can hopefully find another clue.” Twilight explained.
“Can we help?” Green asked her.
“Follow us,” Twilight replied as Red laid down to allow her to jump to his back. She gripped the scales as the dragon once more galloped ahead.
Twilight glanced back over her shoulder as Green stayed close behind them, Light Gaze holding tight to her scales. Her purple eyes fell back to the front and she watched as Red slowed as they reached the main road and he slid around the corner and broke into a run once more. She watched ahead of them for the telltale sign of the building they needed. She patted Red as she caught sight of the broken door jam. The dragon slowed as they neared it and she jumped from his back and trotted inside to find a couple of ponies inside of it already.
“Hello?” One said to her.
Twilight looked to both of them. The one who had spoken was clothed in a suit and his coat was a sandy color with brown eyes. The mare with him wore a short dress that came to just past her tail. Her coat was a dusty rose with pale green eyes. She looked past them and tried to see if there was an area that had been chewed on by wolf teeth.
“Excuse me?” The stallion called out and Twilight looked to him once more. “Can we help you?”
“Yes. I need this building for a little bit.” She replied and walked a few more steps in.
“I don’t think so.” The mare sneered. “This building is still being built so we can’t have anypony disturbing it.”
“What is it going to be?” She asked, her voice innocent.
“A council chamber. Where the Empire Council will decide how it is run.” The stallion supplied.
Twilight stared at him for a moment before recovering. “Is that approved by the Overlord?”
“Of course not. He is in no way making the choices for us any longer.” The mare snarled at the mention of him.
“How so?” She replied and hoped the dragons were back far enough to avoid being seen. She had learned many things from Hunter and one of them was to let those that were lying talk.
“He’s not around here is he?” The stallion snapped.
“No. But his dragons are.” She replied.
“They will fall to us as well. No dragon will follow a pony without any power.” They replied.
Twilight allowed herself to snort a laugh as they spoke. “You think any dragon is going to follow you?”
“Of course. We hold the power in the Empire now.” The mare replied.
“Really?” Twilight backed up and motioned for the dragons with her to poke their heads through the doorway.
Red, Green, and Grey all came forward and they looked into the room. The ponies went pale at the sight of the three small dragons and the snarling dire wolf that came into the room as well. The Princess of Friendship was not able to stop the giggle that escaped her at the pony’s stunned expressions. Red shook free of the other two and came further into the room. He stood over the Alicorn’s shoulder and she reached out to pet his jaw. She looked up as Light Gaze came into the room as well. The ponies stared at him as he stood at the purple mare’s side.
“It’s been a while since last I saw you two.” He said to them.
“You are supposed to be…” The stallion stumbled as he spoke.
“I was. The Master helped me to escape and now I will find a way to free him from that mine. You can help if you wish to live through this.” He replied to them.
“We are in no danger from you, Light Gaze. The little mare with you has no power here...” They began.
“Actually she does.” He cut them off. “The three dragons with her take orders from her. She is permitted to ride them, same as the Master. She is a Princess, which gives her authority similar to the Master. She cannot command his legion. But I think her having three dragons is more than enough to deal with the two of you. So you can choose to get out of the way or get run over.” He sneered at them.
They looked to the Alicorn who spread her wings and raised her head above them. “And I am able to call the Overlord by his given name alone. Just putting that out there.” She replied as they paled further.
She missed the smug look from Light Gaze at her side. The three dragons now stood by her, their heads at her level and she made sure to pat each of them in turn. At her side, Dezhara snarled and lunged at them. They yelped and backed away from the aggressive dire wolf. They watched as the dragons head followed them as they ran for it. They raced through the door and vanished. Twilight pushed out a panicky breath and looked tp the now chuckling elder pony.
“Why did you do that?” She asked him.
He chuckled and looked to her, his expression apologetic. “I am sorry Princess. But here power is everything. Without it, they will sneer down their snout at you. That was a good thing to say at the end though.” He replied to her.
She sighed and patted Dezhara as the wolf began to sniff the ground and then began to dig at a section of the floor. She walked over and she could see claw marks on the floor from the wolf’s claws. She backed up and tried to see what the wolf was digging at. The floor didn’t have any sign of being part of something and she looked uncertainly at the wolf.
“Are you sure there is something here Dezhara?” She asked the wolf who ignored her and kept digging.
Gaze joined her and he looked around the hall while she checked the floor. “I don’t see anything.” He said to her. “You?”
“Nothing. She’s intent on something but I have no idea what.” She responded.
She looked to the walls and found nothing out of the ordinary. Her violet eyes scrutinized the walls and still, nothing jumped out as odd to her. She was about to call it off when she looked to Red, the dragon that was the farthest into the room. She looked down to the great claws on his paws and she reached out to grip the wolf’s fur and pulled her back.
“Red?” She called out and the dragon looked to her. “Can you dig at where she has been scratching at? Your claws are bigger than hers and you might have better luck.”
“Of course.”
Red came forward and he looked around to where the wolf had been pawing and he lifted one paw and slammed his paw to the floor. The grounds shook and Twilight gripped Dezhara’s fur tighter. Gaze joined her as the dragon dug his claws in and began to pull up thin strips of the flooring. He reared back with both paws and slammed them to the ground, shaking the building around them. The other two dragons soon joined him and the three of them began to paw furiously at the floor, digging strips of it up as they dug at it.
“Are you sure about this?” Gaze asked her.
“Not anymore.” She admitted as the building shook. “I really hope they built this sturdy.”
“As do I.” Gaze said to her and he edged closer to her.
The three dragons began to growl at each other and she watched as they moved and soon were tearing up planks of the flooring. She was amazed at the ferocity that they attacked the flooring. She came forward a bit and Reds tail pushed her gently away from them as boards were ripped up. She took to the air and looked down. She was beginning to see evidence of a trap door and she gasped as they all stopped and looked up to her.
“Sorry.” She said to them and went back to the floor.
They were still looking to her as Red finally spoke. “His scent is getting stronger. Shall we keep digging?”
“Yes!” Twilight yelled. “Please keep going.”
Red nodded and they attacked the boards once more. She watched as Red came up with a plank of wood in his mouth and tossed it over his shoulder, it collided with the wall and she saw pieces of plaster fall from it at the impact. She looked to Gaze who saw the damage and then looked o her.
“Oops?” She said with an innocent shrug.
“Ha-ha!” Gaze laughed in reply.
Green tossed another board out of their way and Twilight said nothing about them damaging the plaster. Grey spit out a few nails and wood and went back to his work. She was quiet as they stopped to look at what they were doing. Red glanced to her and she walked up to him and set a hoof on his broad shoulder. She looked down and whistled at the sight before her.
“It was a trap door.” She said as Gaze joined her.
“That explains how the Overlord got there. The rest of us were locked in from the entrance. But he just appeared and I ran into him in the tunnels.” Gaze related to her.
“That would explain that.” She agreed. “But where does this end?”
“I think it ends above the waste site. We toss the useless stone there and any extra wood etc.” He explained. “That also explains why his armor was dented and busted up in places.”
“It was broken?” Twilight asked him.
“In a few places. It was still doing the job it was made for. But it was on its last legs when I saw it. I heard it creak a few times but it was still in place when I left. Makes sense now. The slide I am thinking of is pretty high off the ground.” Gaze said to her. “It would have done damage if he had hit that without the armor.”
Twilight cringed and her horn lit up as she jumped to land above the hole in the floor and her horn fizzled out as she leaned in to see if she could see anything. “What the?”
“Magic is useless in there.” Gaze said to her. “Even his magic was unusable. Aside from different magic he used to get me out. But it seemed to hurt him to use.”
“Was he okay?”
“Last I saw yes. I heard him cry out but the guard opened the door and I told him to drop the illusion on me and I ran for it.”
“Illusion is normal magic so he must have a different way to use it.” She replied and jumped out of the hole in the floor. “Okay, so we need to find a way to get to him.”
“Can we make it down there?” Red asked her.
“No. You’re too big for it. Hunter would have felt a bit cramped in it.” She replied. “The average size pony would be okay but anypony bigger than that would be even more uncomfortable.”
“What do we do now Princess?” Green asked her.
“I…I don’t know.” She admitted and the dragons looked back to the hole as they waited for her to come up with an idea. She backed up and looked around the room. “There has to be something here.” She said aloud and began to walk around the room.
Dezhara was biting a piece of wood off to the side. Twilight looked at her and she could feel a bit of despair biting at her. “I really don’t want to call on Sorkeno.” She admitted aloud.
“We might not have a choice.” Gaze said to her.
“I know. But…”
Gaze set a hoof on her shoulder and she sat down with him.
“We have to get him out of there.” Gaze said to her. “He is not safe in there.”
“Why not?”
“There is a construct of some kind that guards the front door. Only a few ponies can get near it. I was able to since I was under the illusion that looked like one of the ponies allowed to approach the doors. But when Green and I went to the door the construct was gone.”
“What will it do?”
“It attacks any who get to close. Now that it has vanished I am afraid of what it is doing now. Sorkeno said that he is alive and seems okay but I’m not sure how long that will last.” He said to her as she looked to him, her eyes widening. “It fires a laser of some kind that can leave a hole on the ground. I am afraid to think what it could do to armor or flesh.”
“Oh no.” She said aloud and went back to the hole. “Okay, maybe asking the biggest dragon around to rip the ground open is a better sounding idea than I thought at first.”
Red looked to her as she leaned over the hole and jumped down to looked into it once more. She leaned in and nearly fell. “Gaze?”
“Yes, Princess?”
“Can you hold onto my tail to make sure I don’t fall in?” She yelled back as he looked over the lip of the hole to her.
“Yes, of course.” He said and reached out to grip the end of her tail with both hooves. “Be careful.”
She leaned in as far as she could and inhaled to use the Royal Canterlot Voice once more. “HUNTER!” Her voice echoed and she listened intently.
Hunter watched the construct as it moved sluggishly around, searching for them. He leaned back a bit and looked to the ponies trapped with him. The ponies had remained silent under his command and he was impressed with how they were holding up under the circumstances. He was certain that the construct had been activated when Gaze escaped. He cursed his stupidity and went back to looking out the small hole. His ears flicked as a sound caught his attention. He looked up as pieces of wood fell from the slide above them. The pieces were small compared to others and he stared up.
“HUNTER!”
A voice screamed out his name and he startled. The ponies with him looked up as the voice echoed around the room. “Twilight?” He whispered as the ponies looked to him.
“Master?” One of them whispered, his eyes wide and frightened.
Hunter looked to find the Construct still scanning the room for them. “It can’t hear.” He said aloud. “It hunts by sight not sound.”
“My Lord?”
“That was Princess Twilight Sparkle from Equestria. She joined me on the trip here with her friends. If she is able to scream down to me from up there then she found the trap door I fell through. So she found it! Clever little mare.”
“She can’t get down here though.” A mare whispered to him.
“No, she can’t. But Sorkeno can.” He said aloud and stood up as tall as he dared. He inhaled and held his breath for a moment to call back to her. “TWILIGHT!” He screamed back, hoping she could hear him.
Twilight was about to call out again, but she paused as her name came back to her. Her eyes widened and a wide smile went over her mouth. She looked back to Gaze and the dragons.
“He heard me. He’s close. I heard him yell back. Okay, we need to get to him.” She said to the older pony, who nodded. She looked to the slide and inhaled once more. “HANG ON!” She screamed back at him. She didn’t hear anything back and she turned to jump out of the hole and charged out of the building. She stopped outside and looked around to find the street had been deserted at the sight of the dragons running through town and she smiled as it made the choice to call the dragons in easier. Her horn charged and she sent a flare of magic up into the air.
A roar shook the air and she stayed in place, watching the sky. The golden dragon filled the sky above her and she put a foreleg up as the dust was kicked up as the dragon dropped slowly to the ground. She cringed as wood splintered and the ground trembled as the dragon came to the ground before her. Businesses crumbled under his weight and he lowered his head to her.
“Did you find him, Little Princess?” He asked as his head lowered to her.
“Yes! I heard him too. I yelled out his name and he yelled back to me. The building behind me has a trap door he slid down it and is in the ground under it. I was going to fly down to get him but magic is useless and I don’t know if I can carry him.” She admitted. “Gaze said there is a machine in the mine that keeps ponies from leaving and last he saw it was gone from the front door. So it might be after the ponies inside.” She rushed out to him.
Sorkeno nodded to her and looked at the building behind her. “Get the others out of the way, Little Princess. I will remove it once you and they are out of the way.”
“Right.” Twilight ran back into the building and found the dragons and Gaze waiting for her with Dezhara at his side. “Get out of the building. Sorkeno is going to knock it down.”
Gaze nodded and he fled the room with the wolf in tow and the three dragons came out behind the pony. She ushered them to the other side of the adult dragon and once they were safe she nodded to the dragon who raised his body up from the ground.
Sorkeno reached out to the building and his claws dig into the sided of the building, gripping the roof. He pulled up and the roof gave way, he dropped the pieces to the road and reached for the next sections. He was careful but did not allow that caution to get in the way of his task. The roof was gone and he looked down to see the hole that twilight mentioned. He pushed out the wall to the street and let it fall roughly to the ground. He looked back to make sure that Twilight and the others were safely out of the way before he dove both paws against the ground and began to dig. His claws tore through the flooring and he could see the slide that they had mentioned and he dug through it and down. He was growing more intent on tearing it apart as time went by.
Hunter looked up as the sound of scraping caught his ears. He looked up as pieces of wood and roofing came through the slide and flew to the bottom of the waste pit they were in. The ground began to shudder and the walls shook around them. He looked to the ponies and they were hunkering down as the dust and pieces of dirt fell on them from above. His eyes searched above them and he realized what was going on. He had heard Twilight scream for him to hang on.
“Sorkeno. Oh by the Dark, she called Sorkeno to rip up the house.” He muttered aloud.
“What?” A pony said to him.
“My dragons.” He chuckled. “Twilight asked the biggest of them to tear apart the building above us. In time we will be looking up at the sky.” He replied.
“But will they be dropping things on us?”
“Shouldn’t. We are off to the side so we should be okay. I won’t guarantee it but we should be okay. If it gets to that I will distract the construct again and the rest of you hide in the tunnel. Not too far in due to the chance of a collapse.” He replied.
“Understood.”
Hunter watched above them and he backed up to allow another pony to watch the construct. He was silent as they waited, watching the ceiling. Dirt and small stones came down and he could feel some of them bounce off of his armor and he chanced a look to the dented and warped pieces of metal. He was still impressed that it was holding up but he didn’t look over it too long to avoid being shocked if something crashed down upon them. His heartbeat faster at the sound of scraping as the building above gave way to dirt and foundation.
“Sire!”
A pony shouted to him as they backed away from the hole and he took over. His eyes widened as the construct was staring at the makeshift walls. “Oh no.” He whispered as the runes along its body brightened and the beam charged. He looked back and grabbed the ponies closest to him and pushed them to the ground and stayed over them, his body protecting them as the wall gave way. He looked over his shoulder as the others cried out and he shook off the wood and stone and stood up, his body in front of the construct, protecting the ponies behind him. His hooves carried him forward as he looked back to them.
A slight smile went over his muzzle as he looked over his shoulder to them. “Go.” He said to them and looked back to the front.
He could hear their hooves thundering as they took off for the nearby tunnel to hide in at his prior instruction. The construct seemed to follow them for a moment but he began to walk toward it, regaining its focus. He broke into a lope and dipped his shoulder to collide with the metal exterior. He could hear his armor creak and a piece of it began to give way. He bounced off of the construct and resumed a hard run, gaining distance. He could hear the whine of its engine as it came after him. He looked back and zigged as the beam hit the ground where he had been and he realized that it was now acting differently.
“Shit.” He cursed under his breath.
His hooves thundered over the dirt as he also climbed the waste pile to see how it handled the change in terrain. It whirled around and circled the pile. He ducked as beam went over his head and he watched as it started to try to come after him and he jumped off the pile off the other side. It came around the other side and resumed its pursuit of him. He galloped hard to gain distance and he watched as it also sped up.
“Oh come on!” He shouted to it and dug in. “Was it just screwing with me earlier?”
His hooves kicked up dust as he galloped ahead, his body jerking in other direction to avoid being shot. His legs burned as he pushed them onward. His lungs burned as he gulped in air and he could feel that he was tiring and he knew that he could not keep this pace long. He would have to outthink the thing. He looked to his bow and for a moment tried to justify stopping to shoot. He could use the other magic in his arsenal but it took time and time was something that he did not have. He pushed the idea back and tried to light his horn. He was met with stillness and he gigged to the side and took off in the other direction. He galloped past the tunnel and he could see the ponies crouched back, trying to stay as far back as possible without being in more danger. He dug in and made sure the construct was still after him and not endangering them. His red eyes looked to the ceiling as a groan went out above him, he watched as a piece of the roof came down and he rolled out of the way and got to his hooves once more. He could see a flash of gold as he broke into a gallop once more.
His lungs burned as he ran. Hunter stayed silent as he panted and kept moving. The sun beat through the ceiling and he slowed as the sight of golden scales earned a smile across his face. He ran for the pile but slid to a stop as the construct cut him off and he rolled away from it once more. He ran on and hoped that the golden dragon would break through the ceiling soon. Another large piece fell to the ground and he leaped it to gain him some time as the machine had to go around it. It earned him a few yards but not much. More dirt and wood fell to the ground and he jumped another piece and looked up as the dragon's eyes connected with his and he heard a low roar as the digging intensified. He ran for the pile and the construct was on his heels. He reached the top and looked to the ceiling as the sun poured over him and he reared.
“Sorkeno!” He screamed as the construct struck him in the side.
He groaned as his body rolled off the waste pile and he started to get to his hooves to run again as the construct came toward him before he could get to his hooves. He closed his eyes and turned his head away to allow it to ram his neck and shoulder. A loud crunch went through the air and the ground trembled violently under his body. He panted as a feeling of pressure around his body lifted him and he looked up to see Sorkeno’s claws wrapped around his barrel gently holding him aloft as the other paw came up from the ground and he stared at the remains of the construct, smashed to ruin on the ground. He waited as he was pulled from the pit and into the sun. He cringed at the bright sun and blinked several times. He could hear ponies cheering and he looked up as Sorkeno set him on his paw and held the paw close to his own face.
“Little one?” He said aloud.
Hunter allowed a worn-out sigh and he jumped to Sorkeno’s snout and collapsed against the warm scales. “Thank the Dark.” He whispered and the dragon held his paw over the stallions back and held him gently. “I have never been so glad to see you in my life.”
“As am I,” Sorkeno replied to him and the dragon held him tightly. “Are you well, Little One?”
“I’m okay. I’m not hurt I don’t think. But the ones down there need to be rescued.”
“Little Princess found the entrance and we will free them now that we have you safe again,” Sorkeno said to him.
“Fair enough,” Hunter admitted as he stayed collapsed across the dragon’s broad snout. “By the Netherworld, I will skin the ones that did this.” He vowed.
“In time,” Sorkeno said to him.
The dragon’s claws gripped his body once more as he set the Unicorn onto the street to greet the others. Gaze came up to him as the Overlord sat down in place.
“Hey, Gaze.”
“Sire!” He whispered and hugged the stallion tightly. “It’s good to see you back above ground.”
“You have no idea,” Hunter admitted. “I will be avoiding mines for a while I think.”
The older pony backed up and Hunter looked alarmed as three young dragons knocked him back and he was stuck underneath them as they rubbed their heads over his neck and head, his dented and worn armor creaked under their weight but held firm. They allowed him to sit back up after a minute of greetings to him and he rubbed his hooves over their scales.
“What are the three of you doing here? And how did you get here?” He asked them.
“We were brought to aid in the search. Kaiana, Maranna, and Setan carried us here.” Red explained to him.
“Setan? He never leaves the Netherworld.” Hunter replied.
“He does when Kaiana tells him to,” Sorkeno replied above him.
“Good point,” Hunter replied. “Is she okay?”
“Yes. She came to find you. I will take you to her in a moment.” Sorkeno said to him.
“Good.” He got wearily to his hooves as the three dragons backed up and Red nudged Twilight forward. “I heard you.” He said to her with a quiet laugh.
“Royal Canterlot Voice. Courtesy of Princess Luna.” She replied to him and walked up to him. She threw her forelegs around his neck and shoulders. “Thank Celestia you’re okay.”
“I am now. We need to get the others out of there.” He said as he held her.
Twilight let go of him and her eyes roved over the dented and damaged armor he wore. “Well. It looks like it is still doing its job. Though it’s seen better days.”
Hunter chuckled in response. “Pretty much. It got tossed a bit and that construct that Sorkeno crushed hit it a few times.” He admitted to her. “But it held up. But I think I’ll scrap this set and change into a different one.”
“You brought others?” She asked him.
“Just one.” He replied. “Learned my lesson about using only one.”
The mare shook her head with a light chuckle as he looked past her. “Dezhara.” He called out.
The wolf yelped and leaped for him and he ran his hooves through her fur. “She was the one that led us to you in the end,” Twilight said to him.
“I bet. That’s a story I will have to hear but for now, I need to rescue my ponies. Sorkeno said you know where the entrance is.”
“Yes. Come with me.” She said began to trot away from him. She looked back and he was walking behind her. “Are you okay?”
“If I’m being honest I’m spent. So you’re stuck walking.” He replied and caught up to her.
“Oh. Okay, no problem.” She said to him and came to walk next to him.
Red and Grey came up to them and both kneeled down and allow them to jump onto their backs. Hunter looked at them and then to the mare as she jumped to sit on Greys back, leaving the heavier Red for him. “This is new.” He said aloud, as he got onto the young dragons broad back.
“Red has been carrying me around to get around faster all day. Green was carrying Light Gaze for a while. And Grey has been helping me and Red track Dezhara.” Twilight explained as she gripped the grey scales.
Hunter gripped the scales as Green jumped to land ahead of them. “I will take you there nestmate.” She crowed and took off ahead of them.
Hunter groaned as the red drake took off at a hard gallop after the green female. He looked back and Grey was behind them with a smiling Twilight on his back. They slowed to turn and Hunter watched as they ran through a narrowed pathway but Red powered through to make the path wider for Grey behind him, wooden stalls shattering in his wake. Hunter looked ahead as Green slid to a stop and began to paw at a door. Hunter jumped off Reds back when he stopped and Twilight joined him.
“This door?” He asked.
Green nodded and backed up as his horn lit. His red aura gripped the door and he gave a violent magical yank and it immediately folded and gave way. He waited as the dust cleared and walked into the newly opened doorway. He heard twilight behind him as his hooves once more thudded across the dirt. He turned the corner and found that his ponies were in the middle of the room huddled together.
“I came back.” He said aloud to them and they all turned to look at him.
They stood up and Twilight wisely stayed back as they swarmed him, cheering. He turned and led them out into the sun and they cheered louder. The dragons all backed up and he led the ponies forward, past them. Hunter walked easily among them and Twilight stayed at his hip. They reached the end of the pathway and he stopped with them.
“Go home.” He said to them. He looked to a specific mare. “Your foal is waiting. If you need help getting her back please let me know.”
She smiled as tears spilled from her eyes. “Thank you, Sire. Thank you for all that you have done and will do.” She cried as she took to her heels and ran from him.
Twilight stood next to him as the ponies fled from his side to find their own families. The dragon’s lowered their heads and he ran his hoof over their scales. Red laid down beside him once more and the Overlord jumped to the dragons back and held onto the red scales. Hunter focused on Sorkeno and the dragon responded to him with a low roar and the sound of the dragon moving as he took to the air once more.
“Take me to Kaiana.” He said aloud and Red roared in reply.
Hunter looked ahead as the city fell past him as he waited for them to reach the end. Red slid to a halt after several minutes of riding forward and the Overlord jumped from his back and looked up as Kaiana’s snout came to land in front of him and he jumped to her nose and waited. She laid down on the ground and he jumped from her snout to the ground and hugged her nose tightly. She spoke quietly to him and he nuzzled her nose. Her breath was warm against his fur and he relaxed in her presence.
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Right then. Time to clean house.
Woo hoo!
9515613
Pretty much!
I wonder what happened to the other Element Bearers...
Other than that, excellent chapter - I cannot wait to see some pony rugs to compete with Chalmer's rug Somb-rug.
9515629
More please
I’m sorry, but this name means Satan in Indonesian and I jusr can’t keep thinking this as the devil
9796413
OMG! I made it up and it never occurred to me to look for it in other languages. That's hysterical!
Aftermath incoming! I can't wait for the motherbuckers to get there well overdo public skinning!