Chapter [18] The dragon and the zebra
It was easy. Too easy in Dasher’s opinion. Somehow, they had met little to no resistance in their campaign of rallying their forces. Sure, there were patches of the hooded creatures patrolling the cities they visited. Yet it was comically easy to avoid them with Ulla’s illusions. They had traversed most of the land, hitting the major cities. Currently, they were in a secret meeting at Tall Tale Town. The resistance had grown surprisingly strong in the town, and the trio were quite amazed by how organized everything was.
Dasher and her group met in an underground labyrinth, which had passageways connecting all around the city. The place originally had been an underground shelter that the citizens would flee too, should any natural disaster hit the town.
“And you are sure it is time to gather? Commander Shining has a plan to rally our forces and openly fight against Nightmare Moon?” asked the leader of their small group, a unicorn by the name of Astral Moon.
“Yes. He told me that now was the time to unite. I may not know the details or specifics, but I am sure he has it all figured it out. He has led us well so far,” said Dasher.
“Very well, I will gather our ponies. I believe I am just waiting on…” But before he could finish, a mare came running in, out of breath. The other occupants of the room turned to see whoever had rudely interrupted their meeting.
“It’s…” huffed the mare, trying to get air into her lungs. “It's Vanhoover!” she finally wheezed out. Concern filled Astral’s face as he went over to help the poor mare.
“What happened?” said Astral in a stern voice. The mare breathed in another wave of air.
“They took control of Vanhoover! They captured and imprisoned Arocez. Nightmare Moon has placed hundreds of those hooded creatures around the city to guard the zebra until Dawn Lighter comes!” she exclaimed. “I was just barely able to escape, please, please help us!”
“Arocez? Who is that?” wondered Astral, puzzled at the name. He looked around for an answer. Before the mare could respond, he turned back to her and quickly ran a spell over her, checking to make sure if she was injured. Dasher coughed and walked over to him.
“I know her, she is a zebra potion master. I personally trained under her, but why would the Lunar Empire take her prisoner? And why would they seize control of Vanhoover to secure her?” pondered Dasher. The mare was finally able to catch her breath.
“She contacted her sister, who had a message of great importance, but somehow the Empire found out. We need to rescue her and get the message to Commander Shining!” the mare cried. “Will you help us?”
“Of course,” said Astral, turning to Dasher. “I can’t ask for you to join us, but any assistance you could give would be greatly appreciated. None of us really have any idea what we are up against.”
“Well, I won’t lie to you and say we are well versed in attacking a city, but we each have had our fair share of dealing with trouble. I can promise you that we will do our best.” Dasher nodded in response.
“And I bet the three of us can figure out something, right Ulla?” Nettle added playfully, looking at the magician.
Ulla just grumbled, rolled her eyes, and pitched in as well, “Well, since I am stuck with you two, I may as well offer my help. I suggest we get moving quickly.”
“Then it is settled, I would offer my own assistance, but I am afraid I have other business to attend too. I know this is important, but I also have other ponies that are counting on me. Dasher, I will allow you to pick the best of my ponies, but I have another matter that is urgent and will require my attention for a few weeks, ” muttered Astral, giving his best pained smile.
“It is fine, Astral, I am pretty confident in our abilities, but any help you provide will definitely give us an advantage over the enemy. By the time you get back, Arocez will be safe and sound,” stated Dasher, smiling.
“Alright, so here is our plan of attack,” started Nettle. Word had gotten around, and nearly a hundred ponies had answered the call for help. Dasher had sifted through the numbers, choosing forty-seven that she deemed the strongest and healthiest. “Now, I know that most of you may have family and friends in Vanhoover, and I am sorry to hear that. However, I do not think we will be able to retake the city immediately.”
“Our main priority is to get Arocez out alive, whatever that may require. Our unicorns will cause a distraction while our pegasi provide air support as well as make sure nopony gets left behind. Earth ponies will lead our jailbreak run. This will be a clean operation, and if everything goes as planned, we should be able to succeed without the enemy being the wiser of our true intentions,” added Dasher.
“But what kind of distraction will we cause that will get the enemy so focused on us?” asked one of the unicorns.
“Why, we are going to have a dragon attack the city,” deadpanned Nettle matter-of-factly. . There was a wave of confusion among the group. A few blinked their eyes in surprise. Others muttered that the trio were crazy, and some cocked their heads, taken aback by the bluntness.
“But... where are we going to get a dragon to fight for us?” inquired the same pony tentatively.
“Well,” responded Ulla smugly, “we are going to make one.”
The following month was spent in training. Dasher taught two different groups of pegasi. The first group would fly in formation, the spell letting them appear as a dragon. But to pass as one, they had to learn its mannerisms--how it flew, roared, and attacked. The second group Dasher designated as the relief team to help the first team if anything went wrong, or provide support to the ground team.
Ulla had a harder time coaching her team of unicorns. She divided them into three groups. One for maintaining the illusion, Ulla being the head to direct it. The second, to create the hide of the creature, which needed protection from any arrows or other projectiles the enemy could muster. The third oversaw creating fire and roars for the dragon. Powerful magic was needed to maintain a fire from a distance, and Ulla hoof picked the strongest elemental mage she could find among the group.
“No no no… you need to maintain the dragon’s roar. You cannot just cut it short like that!” huffed Ulla. She shook her head as the leader of the third group gave her a sheepish grin. “Again!”
Nettle just had the easiest job, with only a single group in charge of sieging the city. She mapped out the best path to the prison block, and worked on memorizing the layout of Vanhoover. She coordinated with Ulla’s team and marked the areas she wanted the dragon to attack and which to spare. She also had their group keep pressure on the city. Raiding their convoys and purposely scrambling messengers to keep the Empire oblivious of their doings. They made sure that nothing escaped the city and prayed no reinforcements were on their way.
Eventually, when all three of them were satisfied with what they saw and confident in each of their teams, they put their plan into motion.
They attacked at first light of the new moon. Nettle’s group snuck to the outer city’s east wall. Nettle and Dasher stood next to each other, ready to lead the group of twenty earth ponies into the city. Waiting patiently, the two eyed each other with stupid grins as they listened to the waking metropolis before them.
Thud. Thud. Dasher and Nettle shivered at the sound. Raaaaawr. The dragon made its way through the sky and into view. That’s the signal, thought Dasher as she beckoned their group over the wall. With another roar and the heavy beat of wings, both Nettle and Dasher looked up to see the beauty of the beast. They had decided to go with a silver dragon, not of gigantic size, but big enough to cause enough damage and to get most of the hooded creatures distracted.
Roaring again, the dragon swooped into the main city, letting loose a burst of fire among the buildings. Cries of anguish quickly awoke the population, as the thundering of the dragon set any sane creature’s blood curdling. Shouts and pleas arose as ponies ran for their life, hoping to be spared from the abomination tearing through their beloved homes.
Shaking themselves out of the stupor of watching,Nettle and Dasher helped the rest of their team into the city.. “This way!” shouted Nettle as she led the group through the safe zone. They zigzagged through alleyways and sidestreets. It was a pandemonium, ponies ran everywhere in hysteria as they attempted to flee. Yet Dasher and Nettle were so focused on their mission, that they paid no attention to the cries around them. They did not bother looking at the beauty of the city, nor did they marvel at its many technological advances.
Suddenly a stagecoach came into view, blocking their path. Stopping and attempting to find an alternative direction, the group finally noticed the chaos around them. “Fine, yes, go!” commanded Dasher, anticipating their questions. Their ponies began breaking up to help others, whittling down their number to twelve.
“Don’t worry about us, commanders, we all have the city layout memorized. We can call in aid if things get too out of hoof. You just focus on getting that zebra.” One of the ponies saluted. Nettle was flattered by the gesture , while Dasher simply nodded her head before the remaining group continued.
They maintained their course, dodging and weaving through more buildings as Dasher followed Nettle, who was in the lead with a mental map of the city. “Alright, the prison should be two blocks away, we should--halt!” the earth pony commanded as she saw a group of twenty hooded creatures marching in unison towards the direction of the dragon. Seconds ticked by as they waited for them to pass. “Alright, let’s move!”
Curiously, Dasher stopped and peaked around the corner as the hooded creature's parade came to a standstill. She let out a gasp, as she witnessed something few saw and lived to tell the tale. The group of mysterious minions of the night drew back a bit of their hoods, revealing leathery wings. She was amazed to see them stretch and curl. There were no feathers, just fleshy membranes, like on a bat’s wings. Dasher was a bit confused and even surprised when they individually jumped into the air. They can fly?
“Come on, Dasher!” called Nettle. Dasher briefly made a mental note of what she just saw, tucking it away to dwell on later. Catching up with the rest of the group, they surveyed the area which housed the prison building. Four shaking pony guards stood at the entrance. Nettle simply raised an eyebrow at their meagerness, before she sent an equal amount to knock them out. Dragging the unconscious bodies into another building, the group were surprised to find no other resistance around them. Entering the prison, they scoped out the layout of the building. Locating the guard room, they grabbed the keyring, and began freeing the prisoners. Jeers and congratulations were given, as the now freed ponies left. “Where is Arocez?” wondered Dasher as the two continued their search.
“Ma’ams, over here!” called one of the earth ponies. The two walked over and were surprised to find a door leading downwards. “I believe it’s the dungeons.”
“I don’t remember that there were any dungeons in the building layout. Be on alert for anything that may be down here,” said Nettle as she peered down. Tentatively poking her muzzle into the lower depths, her nostrils were immediately invaded by the putrid stench of rotten flesh. Retracting and scrunching up her nose, Nettle took a gulp of fresh air, before braving the unknown. “It seems that there are only three cells occupied. Just Dasher and I should go down, the rest stand guard at the door,” she said after looking around.
Stepping down, Dasher’s nose was assaulted by the odor of rotting meat. She felt a burning sensation within her nostrils and began hating every second that she was here. “Alright… Nettle, you free those two. I will get Arocez,” mumbled Dasher, pinching her muzzle and trying not to hurl. She quickly unlocked the cell before tossing the keys over to Nettle, who began working on the other two.
Pushing the old and rusty metal gate open, Dasher dashed over to the bound zebra. Dasher ran her hooves over her friend, taking note of the blindfold, gag, and bruises along Arocez’s body. Double checking to make sure she wasn’t in critical condition, Dasher began untying Arocez. The zebra’s ears had perked up at the voices and screams from outside, and she was moving her head around to try to discern them. Dasher looked up when she heard a gasp from Nettle. Unable to see through the bars, she called,
“Everything alright?”.
“Yeah... I am fine,” muttered Nettle from the two cells over. All Dasher could see was her shuddering, before moving on to the next cell. Shrugging, Dasher turned back to untying Arocez.
Finishing undoing her bonds and helping her to her hooves, Dasher looked directly into the zebra’s eyes. “Hey, Arocez, we are here to rescue you. Are you good to move and run?”
“Thank you, Dasher, yes I am ready to go. I hear the roars of a dragon; tell me it is not so?” the zebra asked.
“Sadly yes, but trust me, we have it under control. Everything is going according to plan,” said Dasher confidently. She supported Arocez up the stairs, letting her rest and take a moment to breathe in fresh air. Dasher could hear her head pumping with blood, as the adrenaline was still running through her body as the two waited for Nettle. “Where is she,” muttered the pegasus as she began to pace. Arocez took a few spare glances outside through a window, watching ponies gallop around, screaming. Eventually Nettle emerged from the wretched dungeon, alone, and with a sad and shaken look.
“I will tell you later, but we must hurry. The dragon will destroy the building soon to cover out tracks,” mumbled Nettle, anticipating their questions and disregarding their looks. Both just nodded in response. Exiting the building, the trio met up with the rest of the group and followed back the route they came. Just as they reached a good distance away, Nettle sent up the signal, and the dragon answered. Swooping over them, it laid fire among the buildings, spreading a path of destruction behind them. It completely engulfed the entire block, burning down the prison building.
With another roar, the simulated dragon flew up and over to the watchtowers. It unceremoniously ripped them open, sending chunks of metal and wood across the city. Suddenly, the dragon let out a cry of annoyance, as the hooded creatures decided to brave themselves against the beast. Pitifully sending spears and arrows at the silver serpent, the group attempted to find some measure to bring it down. Billowing a challenge, the dragon dived at the company, scattering their numbers by snapping them up with its jaws and letting loose torrents of flames.
“Come on!” yelled Dasher. Their group had paused and were watching the silver dragon tear through the sky. The streets were now empty, save for occasional whimpers from ponies hiding in the protection of their homes. With Nettle leading the way back, their team met up with the other earth ponies that had stopped to help. With all of their ponies accounted for, Nettle and Dasher moved in tandem next to each other, their group following close behind.
With dragon fire everywhere, the small company had a harder time retracing their steps. “We have been here too long! Come on!” yelled Nettle, as they made a mad scramble towards the edge of the city. “Go go go!” Finally reaching their starting point, Dasher and Nettle helped their ponies up and over the wall. With all of them safe, Dasher sent up another signal. With everyone away from Vanhoover, the silver dragon flew off into the distance with the citizens none the wiser of its true intentions.
“Do you have any idea what you have done?” said Astral angrily, staring at the two of them. “You terrorized the city, lit it on fire, harmed most of the inhabitants, and destroyed almost all of its defenses! I get back from Los Pegasus, trying to convince them that the rebellion is good and only wants to bring peace. Yet here you are, nearly obliterating Vanhoover! Do you know how hard it will be to rebuild their trust, when they find out we are responsible for all of this? Do you have anything to say for yourselves? “We got Arocez out at least. We also destroyed about a half of the hooded creatures that were stationed there,” mumbled Nettle with her ears laid back in shame.
“Do not give me this silver-lining crap. There were probably a few different ways of rescuing the zebra, but you chose fire and destruction!” yelled Astral, starting to rub his temples. “I can’t believe I was gone for a month, and this is what I return too! Now, I need to rebuild relationships with the city and tell them what we did.”
“I would not do that just yet. The less they know, the better. The longer we can keep Arocez dead, the longer the Empire will be off our tails,” said Dasher.
“Fine! But right now my priority is helping the ponies of Vanhoover in their time of need,” stated Astral, walking over to Dasher. “Just know this, when we have finished helping our neighbors and do support the resistance, our allegiance will be to Commander Shining, not you. .” Astral pushed his hoof against Dasher's chest. “You have a day to leave the city. Get out of my sight before I change my mind.”
“Come on, Nettle, let’s grab Ulla and Arocez and go,” huffed Dasher disdainfully. Swishing her tail in annoyance, she left the room with Nettle following shyly.
Nettle watched closely as her pegasus friend circled a few times around the city, before stopping at one of the parks. Dasher, not being able to contain her anger any longer, slammed her hoof into a nearby tree. “I cannot believe the nerve of that pony! He asked us to help him, and then chewed us out when we did it our way.”
“Well, he was right. We probably could have done it in a better and safer way,” added Nettle lightly, still thinking about the previous day. The things she had seen in that dungeon. She shuddered at the memory, knowing it will haunt her for the rest of her life.
Dasher, oblivious to her friend's distress, continued, “Whatever, he obviously can’t see the bigger picture. We need to make these sorts of sacrifices if we are to win against Nightmare Moon. I think we have spent enough time here. Why don’t you get Arocez, I will fetch Ulla. Meet up back here once you have found her.”
“Sure,” agreed Nettle, shaking her head to pull herself out the past.
Dasher flew off into the sky. Tall Tale Town was a beautiful city in the night air. Relatively close to the coast, the city had a large export of exotic delicacies. Since it resided in a little corner of the world, it had stayed mostly untouched by Nightmare Moon. Looking around, Dasher located the blue unicorn. Landing a few meters away, Dasher drew closer, noticing a mysterious hooded figure in an alleyway conversing with Ulla. Just as she was about to reach hearing distance, Ulla finished talking with the other pony, turned around and came face to face with Dasher.
“Oh!” exclaimed the unicorn, blushing and averting her gaze.
“Who was that?” asked Dasher suspiciously.
“N-nopony!” said Ulla slowly. Dasher gave her friend a sideways glance, clearly not buying the lie.
“Really.” Ulla just rolled her eyes.“Fine, if you really must know, it was a messenger,” she added.
“A messenger... for what, exactly?” said Dasher, raising her eyebrows.
“I do not want to talk about it…” continued Ulla, clearly uncomfortable and trying not to look guilty.
“Come on, what were you doing?” prodded Dasher. Ulla just sighed.
“Okay, but please do not tell anypony else?” pleaded Ulla, looking around.
“I promise,” responded Dasher, putting a hoof over her chest.
“Well… it is my relatives. I have a... pony keeping an eye out for them. They just give me updates about them, how they are doing, and stuff. With Queen Nightmare Moon in charge, it has me a bit jumpy for their safety. Maybe I am just a little on edge over all this resistance stuff.” Ulla laughed weakly, scuffling one of her hooves against the ground.
“Well that is nothing to be ashamed about, Ulla! I know that me and Nettle do not have as much family as you do. But that should not get in the way of trusting each other,”
“I know, I just feel embarrassed to share my burdens with other ponies. It won’t come up again,” finished Ulla. “So what’s up?”
“Oh I was just coming to tell you that we are leaving. Nettle is getting Arocez, and then we will continue our mission. We still have a few more cities to check up on, then our mission will be complete,” stated Dasher proudly, directing Ulla back to the park. “Next stop, Fillydelphia.”
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Great chapter!
Is the pony threatening Trixie’s parents unless she betrays the rebellion?
10255782 I won't spoil any of my plans of the future, but Trixie's confidence will be tested in the future. That's all I can really say without giving away too much. Glad you liked the chapter!