Fallen Eagle

Chapter 54: Royal Reclamation Part 3

Wow guys. Firstly I'd like to apologize for this chapter taking an extra week to come out. Due to the length of the chapter and the fact that this chapter has four different scenes of nothing but action, I had no choice but to take the extra time in making this chapter as best as I could make it. Trust me, I had a LOT of fun writing this chapter, but I hope it was worth the extra week wait. I'd really like to thank you all for your patience; that made a huge difference in my attitude for this chapter.

SkullRabbit775: You got it! Here ya go! :P

Gracie Ghost: Quite honestly, thanks for that, and I'll fix that soon.

Nostalgia Cop: Gotta love the play by play. And I mean that seriously

Sassymouse: So, you may have some lukewarm feelings for this particular arc? And thanks; I tried to not only put in tension, but some action and drama as well. Drama that's NOT contrived I might add

Monkeyboy0118: Thanks bro, hope you enjoy this chapter

headreviewermk2: Mirror dimension? Nah, Ivan's already traveled to enough different dimensions :P

Dixie: Horntail is a brutally honest guy. Emphasis on 'brutally.' Even though yeah he's a dragon king, he can have set standards for his daughter, especially when she's an exceptionally trained guard.

ChiffonShock: Thanks man

DarkPonySoldier: I honestly don't even know man! Once I reached the Gala arc of this story, it just TOOK OFF. I have a strive to finish this story; I have a lot left to do with it as well.

Okay guys, I really want to get something clear. These dragons that our heroes face are NOT, I repeat, NOT trained to fight like Ember. They're just regular every day dragons while Ember is pretty much for all intents and purposes a dragon version of the Winter Soldier minus the robot arm and super serum. Just remember this as you read the chapter.

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(With the rescue team; 3rd Person POV)

No one could even breathe from what had just transpired in the last ten seconds. As the fat brown dragon collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, everyone except Glock and Bat Fang stared at the spot that their human friend occupied but a few seconds ago, horrified that he was just…gone. The aforementioned guards quickly flew over to their fallen princess, frantically assisting her to her hooves after what she had done. "Tia, what were you thinking?" Glock demanded, confused and concerned for his marefriend's actions.

"I-I didn't want either of you to get-AHH!" She attempted to explain before recoiling in pain as she barely touched a hoof to her horn. "Hurt," she managed to squeak out whilst fighting back tears.

"Are you all right, princess?" Bat Fang asked, taking a look at the alicorn's horn as she sat on her haunches, her breathing labored. The bat-pony grimaced and nearly had to cover his mouth. Despite being unable to perform magic, the state of Celestia's magic horn wasn't exactly easy on the eyes.

"I believe so; but my horn….." Celestia trailed off, trying to get as much of a look as she could by looking upward. The appendage itself didn't look like it belonged on Celestia at all. In fact, it looked like it would fit perfectly as Queen Chrysalis' horn if it were normal and not jagged. Neither Bat Fang nor Glock could even think of what to say to Celestia. The princess tried to touch it again but was stopped by her bodyguard.

"Tia, I think it's out for this round," Glock tried to word it as gently as he could, knowing full well what a horn meant to not just unicorns, but Celestia herself. While it may look like just a sharp or dull piece of bone, a unicorn or alicorn's horn was actually extremely sensitive and packed with nerve endings. Any bump or smack would be enough to catch a pony's attention, but having a dragon breathe fire upon it?

As her lower lip quivered, Celestia attempted to try a simple levitation spell on a rock sitting next to her flank. Needless to say, nothing happened to the rock. "AHHH!" She screamed yet again, seething from the white hot prickling pain vibrating through her horn. Glock quickly rubbed a hoof on her back in between her wings, doing whatever he could to calm her.

"Don't hurt yourself Tia, please," Glock begged in a whisper. "At least you're not out physically," he tapped the armor wrapped around her body. Though trying to suck up her tears of pain and sadness, Celestia managed a small smile to give to her coltfriend. Nearby with the other members of the group, the brown dragon stirred, groaning in pain from what felt like a cannonball punching him square in the stomach.

"Oh no you don't!" Rainbow Dash and Soarin slammed their forelegs into the back of the dragon's skull, trying to keep it from fully regaining consciousness. As the Wonderbolt couple kept a close watch on the evil reptile, Misty Fly, Spike, and Flash Sentry scouted around the area where Ivan had vanished, looking for any sign of the human. There was not even a smoking burn mark on the ground from where he last stood. "Princess?" Rainbow Dash called out to the alicorn. "What happened to Cougar?" Blinking the remaining tears from her eyes, Celestia managed to stand up with Glock and Bat Fang assisting her. "W-where is he?!" The element of loyalty frantically asked in a near screech as Celestia took cautious steps toward the group.

"Rainbow Dash, I haven't a clue," the princess responded tenderly, doing what she could to stay level-headed and taking careful steps around the body of the dragon. "He-he could be anywhere in Draconia as we speak," she confessed, lowering her head shamefully. Glock and Bat Fang's eyes widened as they craned their heads up at Celestia; everyone else looked like they had just been apple-bucked in the stomach. All that could be heard was the low rumble below the volcano and rocks and dust hitting the ground.

"Y-you didn't…..?" Misty Fly choked in with a cracking voice, fearing the worst for her acquaintance.

"No," Celestia shook her head in defiance, "at least I hope not," she squeaked under breath. "I truthfully don't know exactly what spell my horn cast at Cougar; I can only hope that it was a teleportation spell." Hating to see her upset, Glock lifted his wing up and intertwined it within Celestia's.

"Well, now we've got somepony else to find!" Soarin declared heroically, trying his damnedest to keep the mood from going permanently sour. No matter how hard he tried, Glock's attempts seemed all for naught as Celestia's wing dropped Glock's like a lead balloon, snapping back to her torso.

"It appears so," Celestia remarked in a lower voice and starting to slowly pace around. Everyone cleared a path for the princess, not wanting to disrupt her. She clenched her eyes and mouth shut, beginning to breathe through her nose. Bat Fang and Flash exchanged an unnerved glance toward Glock, uncomfortable with their princess's change in attitude. "So, now we have two that we must find," the alicorn remarked, unable to unclench her jaws as she spoke. Her frustrations were now appearing from her words as well as the annoyed look on her face.

Glock said not a word as his head slowly followed his marefriend's path around the area before the bridge, actually feeling scared at what Celestia might do. Of all the years he'd known and guarded her, the pegasus had seen her become miffed or just slightly annoyed from time to time, but things didn't sit well in the pit of his stomach with what he could feel radiating from Celestia.

"Uh princess?" Misty Fly squeaked.

"Yes?" Celestia ceased her pacing, opening an eye at the yellow pegasus. While normally cool under pressure, Misty Fly felt like a little filly lost in the woods at the glare shooting at her from Celestia's magenta eye. Shaking, Misty Fly retracted her question before she could even ask. Scoffing, Celestia took a look at the dragon lying underneath Rainbow Dash and Soarin before turning her head back to the network of tunnels lining the wall across the volcano.

"Your highness?" Glock mustered up the guts to interrupt the princess as she stressed ideas on what to do now. The guard didn't even wait long at all for the alicorn to look in his direction, taking a quick flight over to stand in front of Celestia. "Tia," he said gently, making the conversation more personal.

"Hmm?" Celestia responded with an irked hum, still not looking at Glock.

"Is there anything we or I can do? You seem troubled, and we want to help," he pointed out. Finally looking at him, Celestia gradually adjusted her attention back onto her coltfriend, but it wasn't exactly relieving for Glock. He could make out just the most minute twitch developing under the alicorn's eye.

"Troubled?" Glock gulped at the tone she spoke to him in. In twenty years, he was always ready at a seconds beckon to protect the highest ruler in Equestria; now she scared him even more than Luna's death glare ever could. The stallion could only nod, confirming to Celestia that she'd heard him correctly. "I'm not troubled, Glock," the princess lightly patted his cheek with her wing, giving him a faux smile.

"Look, princess," Spike attempted to step in before he was shot down.

"What's there to be troubled about?" The alicorn asked sarcastically. Rainbow Dash's jaw slowly sank down from her top jaw, shocked that the princess was speaking like this. She'd been used to Celestia teasing others before, but this wasn't a harmless sarcasm, oh no; this was a malice sarcasm. "I mean my baby sister, who we recently found out is carrying a foal, was only stolen from the sanctuary of her bedroom in our castle by a vile creature."

"Uh, your majesty?" Flash chimed in, taking one small step forward. The poor orange pegasus actually fell backward at the scowl he was met with.

"We had to visit the second most dangerous kingdom in the world just to find her," Celestia continued, rolling her eyes. "Now one of our newest and closest friends has vanished before our eyes because we were ambushed by that monster!" She rose her voice, pointing at the reptile's still unconscious body. "Which just so happens to coincide with my horn being burnt to a near crisp by the same dragon, leaving me without magic for who knows how long," Celestia paused, sending the same scowl to Glock.

"We just want to help you, Celestia," Glock retorted, making sure not to snap back from his marefriend's ridicule speech.

"But no, nothing is troubling me, Glock," the alicorn continued to speak, her voice turning into a near growl as her eyebrows furrowed until they could no more. "Just the stress that's gnawing at my conscience that if I fail I lose a good friend, a baby sister, and a niece or nephew!" She shouted at the pegasus, shooting her wings out in anger as a few tears pooled in her eyes before streaming down her white cheeks.

"Uhhh," Glock mumbled, taking a few steps back away from Celestia. Now that she was angry and fighting back tears, Glock was really up a creek. A blind pony had a much better chance of describing a suspect to a police sketch artist! Everyone else, even Rainbow and Soarin who were still holding the dragon down, took a step back as well, completely flabbergasted at this new attitude from Princess Celestia. With his eyes widened, the captain of the royal guards searched around the alicorn's wings at Spike and his fellow ponies, hoping to get some form of help from any of them.

"Celestia?" Bat Fang coughed, trying to help his fellow guard.

"What is it?!" The alicorn snapped, spinning around in the blink of an eye to the bat-pony.

"Look, I hate lecture you, especially when you're stressed out," the guard confessed, politely removing his helmet. "But Glock is just trying to help you alleviate you of your worries; I don't think yelling at him for offering assistance is going to help find Luna or Cougar any faster," he delineated, placing a front hoof on top of his silver helmet. "Don't you trust him? He has been your bodyguard for two decades," Bat Fang quickly added. Glock's jaw dropped at the expedited speech Bat Fang had just given. Still feeling anger within, Celestia rose an eyebrow at her sister's guard. She studied Bat Fang before switching her attention back and forth between he and Glock. Each time she focused on her personal bodyguard, a little bit of the anger melted away, only to be replaced with guilt.

"Glock," she said as gentle as a summer breeze, recalling some of the fondest moments with the pegasus guard once they had started to court one another. She was finally happy to have some time to be a normal mare with a coltfriend to spend time with. And yet here she was, treating him as if he was an idiot just for caring about her feelings. In defeat, her wings slumped to the ground with a pathetic thud. "I…I'm so sorry Glock," she apologized in a quivering voice.

"Holy crap!" Soarin exclaimed in shock, jolted that Celestia managed to snap out of her funk that quickly. Then again, Celestia was one of the most understanding ponies in Equestria, so maybe she could let go of some grievances with a few kind words. Unfortunately for the Wonderbolt captain, Rainbow knocked him on the side of his head for his exclamation to shut him up.

Glock attempted to reply to Celestia, but the alicorn princess had more to say. "I just…..I don't mean to expel my frustrations onto you, or anypony else," she explained, placing a wing atop Glock's head, stroking it. No one wanted to say anything for fear of interrupting the princess's moment of opening up. "Truly, I try my best to keep my emotions at a steady level for all those around me, especially in times of crisis so they may feel a sense of security."

"Tia, it's okay," the guard assured the princess. "The fact you've managed to keep it together this long deserves praise," he gifted her with a warm smile as he cautiously approached her with his hoof outstretched.

"Mhmm," everyone else replied and nodded in unison, lending a hoof to Glock to help with their leader's disposition. Taking a glance downward, Celestia studied the outstretched hoof of her loyal bodyguard before smiling herself. She gently placed her own hoof on his, rubbing them together. Although they both hooves were covered in armor, the meaning behind it was more than enough for the alicorn. Yes, she was still stressed out completely, but this was definitely a helpful remedy.

"I'm so sorry, Glock," she repeated, laying her chin on top of his helmet. "It's no excuse, I understand, but-"

"Celestia, you have no reason to be sorry," Glock assured her, moving his hoof up and rubbing it against her armored shoulder.

"I'm just pushed so far to the edge with everything that's taken place in the last few days. It's becoming increasingly difficult to keep my emotions in check," Celestia replied, closing her eyes as she struggled to keep her chin up.

"Do you want to vent a little before we continue looking for Princess Luna?" Glock suggested, removing his hoof from her shoulder. The alicorn's eyes fluttered open as she could no longer hear the pegasus' hoof rubbing against her armor.

"Going about it more logically than emotionally would benefit us," Misty Fly said sheepishly, silently praying that Celestia wouldn't bite her head off for interrupting the moment between she and Glock, and for possibly sending the wrong message to the princess. Staring into her coltfriend's eyes for a brief moment, something popped into Celestia's mind. The princess broke eye contact with the captain of the guard and looked right at Rainbow Dash and Soarin, or so the Wonderbolt duo thought. A somewhat evil look etched its way onto the usually peaceful alicorn.

"Tia?" Glock took a few steps away, trying to follow Celestia's line of sight.

"Rainbow Dash, Soarin Skies," the alicorn announced, walking around her coltfriend and approached the two on top of the dragon.

"Y-yes your highness?" Soarin replied with a gulp, feeling a bit of a chill waft by. Rainbow Dash held a more confident stance, yet was shaking on the inside.

"Please remove yourselves from this dragon," Celestia ordered, her voice drenched in severity. This drastic change in tone from her normal politeness was like a kick to the gut for both Rainbow Dash and Soarin. Despite her now limited magic potential, the look on Celestia's face coupled with her admittance of being pushed to the edge was more than enough for the Wonderbolt couple to jump away from the dragon as Celestia stopped mere inches from the body. "I may have a way that can allow us to find Luna faster so that we may start looking for Cougar as well," she quickly explained, bending her head close to reptile lying prostrate below her.

"Princess!" Spike blurted, reaching a claw out to Celestia. The alicorn shot him a look of strained patience, yet she did not forbid the friendly dragon to speak. Nonetheless, Spike gulped before getting to the point. "Just be careful; that guy hangs out with Garble," Spike advised nervously.

"I thought he looked familiar!" Rainbow blurted before snapping her hooves to cover her mouth.

"Are you certain?" Celestia raised an eyebrow, speaking in a voice that was devoid of any concern. The princess was now speaking in a near monotone-like voice, only further instilling uncertainty within her comrades. Daring not to say another word, Spike only nodded quickly before backing away to give Celestia room. Turning back to the brown dragon before her, Celestia narrowed her eyes before slipping a hoof underneath a blue horn on top of his head. "Rise," She ordered, trying to push the gluttonous reptile up to a sitting position. When nothing but a groan met her ears, the alicorn snorted and retracted her hoof, making the dragon's face flop to the stony ground.

"Ugh," he whined, lifting his head up under his own power.

"Get, up," Celestia ordered once again, this time with a growl under her voice. Whether or not if the dragon was stalling or simply groggy from what Cougar had done to it didn't matter to Celestia. She did not have the time nor the patience to deal with anyone who was uncooperative. With another growl, this one sounding like a pissed off wolverine, the princess braced both of her front hooves against the dragon's blue horns, shoving him as hard as she could to pin him to the wall. "Ahh!" The alicorn roared as the dragon's body finally cooperated with her wishes. There was a fairly loud crack as the dragon's skull collided with the stony wall, causing a few cracks to appear all around his head.

"Watch it!" Came a groggily protest from the brown reptile, his head flopping back down to his chest as he struggled to get out of his daze. Shaking his head a few times did the trick; the dragon's vision came back and he finally took a look around him. "PONIES!" He bellowed, trying to get up, but Celestia slammed a hoof into his chest, pushing him back against the wall. She may not have her magic abilities for some time, but she still had her physicality.

"Don't," was the only word the princess granted. The dragon inhaled deeply, attempting to burn Celestia; yet no fire emitted from his mouth. Soarin and Misty Fly winced at the large, black bruise right in the middle of the dragon's front where Cougar's gun blast had hit him.

"I-I think his fire sac might be damaged," Spike offered an explanation. Growling, the dragon attempted to claw at the alicorn holding him down, yet Glock and Bat Fang galloped over, pinning his claws to the wall with their hooves. They made sure to keep a bit of a distance from the dragon should he try to bite at them.

"Spike…." The dragon narrowed his eyes at the smaller dragon.

"You don't get to speak to him!" Flash yelled, attempting to walk closer. He was met with a large wing from Celestia, gently holding him back. She shook her head at her orange guard, requesting that he step back. Flash reluctantly did so, yet stood mere inches away from Spike.

"Now then," Celestia turned her attention back to their current enemy. "I'll cut this short: We have had a very long trip to find my pregnant sister, and now that you have attacked us, I am done with diplomacy," Celestia said, putting pressure on the dragon's wound. "You are going to give me the location where your leader has stored my sister-" Celestia started to order.

"Let me guess, pony," the dragon interrupted in a smart ass voice. Celestia glared at the dragon, unhappy. "You'll let me go I tell you?"

SLAM!

Howling in pain, the drake's nose started to drip blood from both nostrils as his head snapped backwards into the wall. Celestia growled, her eyes glowing with rage as her hoof shook in the air from where she had punched him. Needless to say, everyone else was wide eyed at what Celestia had just done. They knew she was teetering on the edge, but the fact she went over for just a brief second still shocked them. A few specks of blood clung to the golden plate covering her hoof. "TELL ME!" Celestia shrieked, lowering her hoof as she breathed deeply. Bat Fang and Glock, still holding down the dragon's claws, shifted their positions a little further away from the angered princess.

Lip quivering, the brown drake let out a little whimper, feeling afraid at the alicorn standing above him. He yelped as his nose felt like it was punched straight through his skull; he couldn't even smell anything anymore from the damage. "G-Garble's got her i-in a ca-cave," the dragon stuttered, finding it a little painful to speak. Snorting, Celestia raised her hoof once more, threatening to deliver another blow to the dragon's face.

"I am NOT in a gaming mood, dragon!" She exclaimed. "Stop stalling!" Wincing back from the quavering hoof, the brown dragon looked from it to Celestia's angered expression several times, swallowing roughly. He couldn't believe it; he, a dragon, was technically a prison to a bunch of ponies. And it was an even bigger sting that one of them was a princess; a princess that had one Tartarus of a punch. The dragon had no choice but to say something unless he wanted to be further injured. It was all because of that creature that hit him; if it wasn't for that disgusting thing, he could have easily taken out at least half of the ponies that had entered the volcano. "TALK!" Celestia roared again.

"O-okay," the dragon nodded, stumbling around his words. He looked back in the pissed off alicorn's face again and opened his mouth. Hoping they would buy whatever he said, the dragon was going to spit a wrong location to buy Garble more time. "Garble has her in-"

"CELESTIA!" Soarin and Misty Fly screamed at the top of their lungs. Everyone else snapped around to see what was happening; out from under the bridge flew another dragon at top speed with his claws extended. Soarin, Misty Fly, and Rainbow Dash leapt up at the dragon hurtling towards them, a skinny and dark purple one with a golden underbelly and hair. Despite their attempts, and even Misty Fly trying to hang onto the dragon's neck, the skinny drake plowed through the Wonderbolt trio like a bowling ball, reaching his claws out at Celestia.

Glock released his hold on the brown dragon, launching from the ground with a tremendous burst of speed to protect the mare he loved. "GAH!" He exclaimed as he wrapped all four legs around the head of the dragon which rammed into his stomach like a train. The velocity of the dragon didn't slow down enough; he reached out and grasped Celestia's burnt horn as tight as he could, shooting intense vibrations of pain into Celestia's skull.

"AHHHH!" The alicorn roared in pain as she was yanked down and drug along the stony ground.

"NO!" Bat Fang screamed as all of this unfolded. Seeing a chance, the fat brown dragon grabbed the bat pony by the neck and whirled him around, slamming his body into the rocky wall. Luna's guard flailed around, grasping at his neck for oxygen.

"HEY!" Spike shouted, sprinting toward Bat Fang's assailant. Still moving a bit slower from the injuries to his gut and face, the fat dragon didn't react in time as Spike leapt on top of him, clawing at his face. "LET HIM GO!" Spike screamed, trying to dig his claws as deep as he could through the brown scales. The fat dragon dropped Bat Fang immediately as one of Spike's claws scratched his eye, causing him to howl in pain again. He grasped his own claws around the torso of the struggling Spike, desperately trying to pry him off. Bat Fang collapsed to the ground, momentarily fazed from lack of oxygen and being slammed into a wall. As the dragon attempted to push Spike off of him, there was a loud screeching sound of Spike's claws grinding against his brown scales.

"GET….OFF!" The dragon screeched. Spike suddenly opened his mouth as wide as he could and clamped his jaws around the broken nose of his opponent. Screaming in pain again, the dragon grabbed Spike's tail, yanking him off as hard as he could.

"Spike!" Flash yelled, galloping over and proceeding to kick the dragon's face with his hind legs.

"We've gotta help them!" Soarin declared. "Misty, you help Spike and Flash; Rainbow, you come with me to help Glock and the prince-" Soarin was cut short as a large milky colored dragon landed right in front of the trio with his wings spread out and his claws at the ready. All three Wonderbolts came to a halt, not wanting to be caught by the third dragon.

"Give us a bucking break!" Misty swore as the white dragon licked his chops. Rainbow charged forward, taking the lead point of the smaller group.

"Come on asshole, three on one!" Rainbow announced, shooting her own wings from her torso. The dragon reared his head back, causing Rainbow's face to fall. Inhaling deeply, he exhaled sharply, spitting a massive stream of fire and smoke toward the three pegasus ponies. "Break right!" All three Wonderbolts dove to the right and over the edge of the path, taking flight. Without missing a beat, the white dragon furiously flapped his wings, pursuing after them.

"I've always wondered what pony tasted like!" He chortled, following them through the gorge. Meanwhile, Spike and Flash were still going as hard as they could against the pudgier drake. Spike had released his jaws from the nose of the dragon, spitting out some blood that clung to his fangs. He then wrapped his claws around the blue horns of the dragon, proceeding to smash his head against the wall.

"STOP!" The fat dragon shouted, giving a nasty blow to Spike's cheek. The smaller dragon held on as hard as he could to one of the horns as his body twisted to the side, falling off the brown body. Flash, fearing for Spike's safety, ceased kicking for a brief moment before he felt like his tail was going to be ripped from his flank. Yanking as hard as possible, the brown dragon flung the orange pegasus toward the gorge. His armored body bounced along the ground before rolling over the edge.

"Flash!" Spike exclaimed, still holding onto the horn. Flash's forelegs hung onto the edge of the cliff, keeping him from falling. Taking advantage, the fatter dragon grabbed Spike's neck and squeezed like a vice. Spike could only release his grip on the dragon's horn as he felt his body being lifted into the air. He started to choke, gasping for air that couldn't pass through his constricted neck. Bringing Spike closer, the brown dragon forced him to look into his eyes, one of them now was useless and had a hole from Spike's claws.

"I can get by with one eye, but can you survive without wings?" The brown reptile sneered before holding Spike as high as he could. "Enjoy the trip, pony bucker." And with that, Spike was thrown over the edge, arms flailing around. Spike screamed as loud as he could, hoping one of his winged friends could save him.

"SPIKE!" Flash didn't even think twice about letting go of the cliff. The orange pegasus whirled around as he fell, correcting his body so he could spread his wings and glide toward the falling drake. It wasn't a very long drop; only about 150, maybe 200 feet to the spiked ground below. Even with Spike's protective scales…..Flash didn't even want to think about what could happen. The pegasus guard gave a powerful sweep of wings, giving him a huge burst of speed to his descending friend. Flash knew he wasn't exactly the fastest pegasus in the royal guard, but that didn't stop him from giving it all he had.

Zeroing in on his target, Flash dove lower, attempting to get underneath Spike to swoop in and gently catch him. There was no room for him to slow down the falling dragon, so this was his best opportunity. "I'm almost there, buddy!" Flash yelled, not knowing if Spike could hear him or not. With Spike getting closer to the ground, Flash held out his forelegs, forcing his wings to flap harder than he's ever flapped them before. With precision and haste, Flash reached Spike and slipped his forelegs underneath the drake's torso. "I gotcha!" Flash assured Spike who swiftly grasped around the back of Flash with his arms for support.

Grunting, Flash ceased flapping his wings and spread them out stiff as a board to slow his momentum. The ground grew closer and closer; Flash shut his eyes and tried to pull out of the dive as hard as he could. Spike said not a word, choosing only to hold his breath. Flash groaned in pain as the tip of a stalagmite nicked his orange stomach as he and Spike finally began to pull up and away from the ground. "Oh thank Celestia," Spike swallowed, catching his breath as he and Flash flew over the edge of the cliff and landed roughly.

"Gah!" The pegasus moaned as he just collapsed onto the floor, clutching his stomach. Luckily he wasn't too injured or exhausted, he just wasn't used to landing on his hind legs. "Y-you….o-okay S-Spike?" Flash wheezed, picking himself up. Spike scrambled to his feet, assisting his friend back to his hooves.

"Flash, are you okay?" Spike retorted, taking a look at the trickle of blood forming on Flash's belly. The pegasus nodded, shoving the dragon to the side.

"Y-yeah," he replied before looking back at Spike. The orange pegasus had not a clue how their journey in Draconia would end; he felt like this was the best opportunity to admit to the purple drake. "Sp-Spike, I-I'm sorry for what I did to your mom. I shouldn't have acted too brash; I love her," he quickly got out, wiping the blood that had reached the surface of his fur. Spike's face fell as his eyes narrowed.

"We'll talk later," he put a hand to Flash's shoulder.

"Why can't you ponies just DIE!?" The duo whipped their heads around to see the brown dragon standing a mere few feet away. There was a loud fwing as he extended his claws, pushing his arms out. With a roar, he charged at Spike and Flash Sentry as much as he could with his injured stomach. Without even thinking, Spike leapt onto Flash's back as the pegasus began to charge as well. If this dragon wanted a fight, they'd give it to him. As the three grew closer, Spike jumped from Flash's body, aiming for the dragon's head as Flash aimed for his stomach. A loud smack emitted from the collision between the three bodies; the fatter dragon fell backwards as Spike and Flash were merely slowed down, but they weren't ready to stop yet.

Spike landed on the dragon's chest, slashing at his face with his claws while Flash began to punch at the black bruise on the dragon's stomach. Even though dragons were fireproof, that didn't stop Spike from spitting a large ball of emerald fire into the dragon's face. Roaring from the intense heat on his injured eye, the brown dragon clamped his teeth down on Spike's right hand as hard as he could. "AHHHH!" Spike tried to jerk his hand away from the jaws, but the dragon wouldn't let go. Through twisting his hand to get it out of the dragon's jaws, Spike yelped as he twisted his wrist too far, spraining it.

BAM, BAM, BAM

The brown dragon landed another three punches to Spike's face as he held his hand down. Suddenly, the dragon let go of Spike's hand and punched him again, sending him flying toward Flash Sentry, knocking them both to the ground. With his anger and adrenaline taking over, the brown dragon leapt to his feet and advanced quickly toward the fallen two. Despite his hand and face throbbing with pain, Spike stood up with a strained grunt, not ready to give up as Flash stepped in front of him. Flash's wings shot out to the side, providing a temporary barrier for Spike. "Stay behind me, Spike!" Flash ordered, using his wings to scoop rocks off the ground before hurtling them at the advancing dragon. The quicker the dragon closed in, the faster Flash flung rocks at him, trying to keep him at bay.

A few rocks beaned the dragon, but his adrenaline masked the pain radiating through his body. Flash's wing reached down for another rock, but to his horror, he'd run out. Chortling, the brown dragon picked up his pace and was now in a full on charge, bending low with his jaw open. Seeing no other option, Flash pawed at the ground a few times with his hoof and burst away from Spike, heading directly toward the dragon whilst emitting a war cry. Spike yelled for Flash, but the pegasus wasn't going to listen.

"AAHHHH!" Flash screamed as he and the dragon collided, clawing and kicking at each other. Flash landed a few blows on the dragon's broken nose as the dragon tried to claw through Flash's helmet. The dragon's claw ripped the strapped underneath Flash's helmet before throwing it off and over the edge of the cliff. The pegasus responded by kicking the dragon in the gut as hard as he could as the dragon scratched down the side of his face. "OW!" The guard screeched in pain.

"I'm gonna kill you last, pony!" The dragon teased as his claw grazed Flash's cut on his stomach. Flash gasped from the pain and jumped, losing his footing on the rocks and falling back. "You're gonna watch me get back at Spike for what he's done to us!" He added, holding Flash down by the neck. Breathing heavily, Flash looked up at the dragon's face as blood inched its way down his cut cheek and gave the dragon a few more jabs to the face. Spike got up from his spot and tried to stumble his way over, but his left eye was starting to swell from being punched by the brown dragon, and his face felt like it was going to explode.

"HEY!" A voice from behind the brown dragon shouted. With his one good eye, Spike peered around both Flash and the brown dragon, only to see Bat Fang flying like a missile toward the dragon. Bat Fang smacked into the dragon's face, clinging on like a spider and sank his fangs into the dragon's damaged eye while landing a barrage of punches onto his cheek. The dragon released his grip on Flash and squealed in pain, flinging himself around to try and get Bat Fang off of him.

"RAHHH!" He roared as he tried to claw at Bat Fang's back, but the bat pony's armor held up. Even slamming the bat pony into the wall didn't work. All of a sudden, the dragon felt four hooves slam into his back and then an immense amount of pain on the back of his head as Flash began to pummel him.

"LEAVE SPIKE ALONE!" Flash yelled as he wrapped his foreleg around the dragon's blue horn for leverage and punched even harder against the back of his skull. Seeing a chance, Spike dove forward and bit down onto the larger dragon's tail like a T-Rex, not letting go as a loud bang echoed throughout the volcano.

---

"Break right!" Rainbow shouted as all three Wonderbolts dove to the right and over the edge of the path, taking flight. Without missing a beat, the white dragon furiously flapped his wings, pursuing after them.

"I've always wondered what pony tasted like!" He chortled, following them through the gorge. Being the fastest of the three, Rainbow Dash took the head point with Soarin to her left rear and Misty Fly to her right rear. All three could still feel the heat of the fireball that the dragon shot at them which only made them fly faster as the white dragon wasn't too far behind. Rainbow continued checking behind her, only to gulp with fear as the dragon continued his pursuit, seeming to never blink.

"SPIKE!" Soarin checked his flank when he heard what he thought to be Flash's voice, only to catch a glimpse of Spike being thrown over the edge of the cliff! The captain was about to say something when he saw an orange blur dive off the cliff after Spike.

"Girls! We can't break too far away!" He exclaimed to his marefriend and fellow Wonderbolt. "We could get lost and we need to help Celestia and the others!"

"Easy for you to say, Soarin!" Misty Fly replied. "We just have a monster chasing after us that wants us all dead!" She added, refusing to look back anymore.

"Come on, we're Wonderbolts for Celestia's sake!" Soarin said in reply, trying to think of something to shake the white dragon. Up front, Rainbow Dash's mind was running faster than the speed of a sonic rainboom, trying to calculate any possible idea of what to do. The mare knew that evading it wasn't the only option; they would more than likely have to fight it off if they were to continue their hunt for Princess Luna. The white dragon had a much better understanding of the network of caves within the volcano; they could fly, but they couldn't hide for very long. Luckily they'd just followed the gorge and hadn't made any evasive maneuvers into different caves.

Looking back, Rainbow gasped as she saw the white dragon rearing his head back for another shot. She didn't know how far he could reach with his fire, and she didn't want to find out if they were within range. With her mane and tail whipped back so far they were practically stiff, the mare turned her attention back ahead in case there were any obstructions in their path. "FIRE!" She shouted as the dragon spat out a massive fireball at the trio. All three spread out; Rainbow moved up as Soarin moved to the left, and Misty dodged to the right.

"YOWWW!" Soarin cried as the end of his tail was singed off. The momentary interruption sent Soarin off course where he grazed his left wing along the jagged wall of the gorge. "MY WING!" He howled in pain as his momentum nearly stopped on a dime. His flight pattern started to wobble while he desperately tried to keep up speed. His wing wasn't too badly damaged, but from how sensitive they were, he'd definitely feel the pain in the morning.

"SOARIN!" Rainbow Dash called as she saw the white dragon reach out with his claw, trying to grab at Soarin's tail. Grunting, the captain of the Bolts breathed through the pain, flapping his left wing harder than before to get a burst of acceleration. Dropping back momentarily, Rainbow Dash grabbed ahold of Soarin's foreleg and pulled him ahead.

"Dashie, I have an idea, but it's dangerous to do inside something!"

"He's trying to kill us, Soarin!" Rainbow Dash kept herself from rolling her eyes at her coltfriend. "I'm fine with trying anything right now!" She exclaimed, checking her six 'o clock once again.

"Whatever you guys come up with, I'll try!" Misty Fly agreed, shifting her position closer to the two.

"Okay Dashie, what if Misty and I hold onto you and you try to do a sonic rainboom?" Soarin suggested. "We could all slingshot around and use the momentum to create a sonic rainboom that knocks the motherbucker down to the ground?" Both Rainbow Dash and Misty Fly went wide eyed at the idea.

"B-but I've only ever done a sonic rainboom with other ponies one time!" Rainbow Dash debated, reminding Soarin of the incident at her first Young Fliers competition. "We might not build enough speed and then what? We collide in mid air with that dragon and give him an opportunity to hoof us our flanks on a silver platter?!" She shouted. Misty Fly only shrugged, not knowing how to respond to Soarin's idea or Rainbow's protest.

"Well, splitting up won't do us any good. He'll just follow one of us and then the other two won't be able to help!" Soarin retorted. While the couple started to argue about what to do, Misty Fly gathered up the courage to look back behind to make sure the dragon wasn't catching up. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head at the sight before her; a gasp even made her feel lightheaded.

"Guys!" She exclaimed, tapping Rainbow Dash on her foreleg. "He's gone!" The yellow pegasus didn't even wait for either Rainbow or Soarin to acknowledge her plea. The two blue pegasus ponies cut their argument short in shock at Misty's revelation, whipping their heads back. Just as Misty had announced, there was nothing behind the group with the exception of a few stony bridges, tunnel entrances, and the gorge below. Soarin started to shake, groaning as if he had a bad stomach ache.

"Damn it!" Rainbow cursed, immediately thrusting her wings forward to stop her momentum. The pegasus stopped in about a split second while her two companions continued forward. A low rumble and a burst of wind shot out from Rainbow's position, causing dirt and rocks to trickle down some of the walls. Hovering, Rainbow turned around, her eyes darting all around from her previous path.

"Rainbow!" Soarin shouted as he Misty Fly hit the brakes as well; the two quickly flew back to rejoin Rainbow Dash. "Hey come on, warn us next time you're gonna do that."

"Especially with a practically invisible enemy around here!" Misty chimed in. The Wonderbolts had been taught since their days at boot camp that the most dangerous opponent was one they couldn't see; splitting up in a situation like this was suicide.

"Well we can't just keep flying away!" Rainbow snapped, continuing to look all over for any signs of the white dragon. "He wants us to think he gave up," she added with a squint of her eyes. Was it a possibility that the dragon quit his pursuit and flew back to help the other two dragons? Of course there was, but then again, this could be a trap for them.

"Wait, you mean he might be waiting for us somewhere?" Soarin questioned, taking a good look around as well.

"That's what I'm thinking, Soar," Rainbow Dash bit her lip. She was at a pretty bad crossroad. Helping her other friends, especially Celestia and Spike, was a top priority for the loyal pegasus, yet blindly flying back could leave her, Soarin, and Misty Fly vulnerable to an attack.

"So, should we try to get back to the others so we can help?" Soarin replied. While he was the Captain of the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash could easily come up with solutions like a true leader; he wasn't one to shoot down other ideas.

"No," came Rainbow's flat response. Knowing that either Soarin or Misty Fly would probably have a little moment here, Rainbow didn't give them a chance to reply. "We could fly right into a trap or just lead him back to the group. We're gonna stay here and do what the Wonderbolts were created for," she stated firmly. Peering down, the cyan mare suddenly dropped out of the air, slamming down onto a bridge below and creating another burst of sound.

"Rainbow!" Misty Fly cried, trying to keep up with her adrenaline filled comrade.

"All right you scaly bastard!" Rainbow Dash shouted, her voice resonating off of the walls. "If you want us, then come on! We'll give you a challenge!" She contested, throwing her voice all around to get a better echo. "We're NOT gonna run from you!" Rainbow added, stomping her forelegs onto the bridge.

"Dashie, are you losing it!?" Soarin scolded. "I'm willing to fight this Celestia damned thing, but challenging it head on?!"

"Would you rather stand up to this thing and fight it, or would you rather run and have to defend yourself, Soarin?" Rainbow snapped. Her coltfriend bowed his head, unable to come up with a good rebuttal to the question. The stallion nodded slowly, accepting what Rainbow Dash had told him.

"You stupid ponies!" Came an evil chortle in response. The ears on all three Wonderbolts twitched like they were having a seizure as their bodies stood perfectly still. The dragon's gravelly voice was impossible to locate in the vast volcano.

"Form a triangle!" Misty suddenly blurted. "He won't be able to sneak up on us!" She quickly explained, turning around to face the group's six o' clock. Without even hesitating, Rainbow took the eleven o' clock position while Soarin took the one o' clock position. Then, the chortling ceased; near silence took over as all six ears continuously twitched, searching for any noise they could pick out.

"Show your face!" Rainbow demanded. "Maybe I won't beat your flank as hard if you do!" She threatened, growling under her breath. The mare silenced herself as a more throaty and gravelly growl drowned out her own. Keeping their triangle formation, Rainbow, Soarin, and Misty Fly looked up and all around them, still not seeing any sign of the dragon.

"Hearing the blue pony's screams of pain was fun," the dragon's deep voice cut through the silence. "Let's see what YOURS," a white clawed hand shot up and over the edge of the bridge, grasping Misty's leg, "sound like!" He shouted as Misty Fly screeched.

"GAHHH!" She tried to punch at the hand with her other hoof, but it only made her stumble forward and over the edge of the bridge.

"MISTY!" Soarin screamed, spinning around at about Mach 50 and diving after his longtime friend. The stallion clasped his front hooves together, barely grasping the end of Misty's tail. "Come on, Misty!" Soarin yelled, trying to pull her back up onto the bridge. Thinking quick on her hooves, Rainbow didn't gallop over to help Soarin pull Misty Fly back up. Instead, the cyan mare dove over the edge herself to see Misty struggling in the grip of the white dragon.

"OWHOWOW!" Misty cried in pain as Soarin was pulling on her tail.

"LET…GO!" Rainbow demanded, zipping over to the dragon and giving him a powerful kick to the side of his head. Rearing back from the quick attack, the dragon released Misty from his claws, shaking his dazed head as Misty flew back onto the bridge from Soarin's powerful pull. Not wasting the open opportunity, Rainbow screamed and unleashed a shower of punches to the dragon's face and torso. "Come on, tough guy!" Rainbow teased, punching the dragon hard enough to make him move back in the air.

"Dashie!" Soarin exclaimed after he and Misty scrambled to their hooves. The yellow mare's flight suit was ripped from where the dragon had grabbed her. The two pegasus ponies leapt over the opposite of the bridge, flapping their wings and appearing behind the white dragon and Rainbow Dash.

"GRRRR," the white dragon snarled, slashing his claws around in an attempt to strike Rainbow. The quick as lightning mare managed to dodge a few of the slashes, though she lost some bits of hair in the process. Rearing his hand back, the dragon prepared for another swipe at the Wonderbolt before he felt a powerful blow to his back, buckling his body forward.

"Heeyah!" Misty Fly cried out as she kicked the dragon's back, performing a mid-air backflip to go for another strike as Soarin landed his own punches to the dragon's back.

"Go for the wings, Soarin!" Rainbow ordered, continuing to keep the dragon focused on her. Listening to his marefriend's suggestion, Soarin aimed his hooves directly at the base of the dragon's wings, slamming into them as fast he could.

"YAH!" The dragon yelped as his wings seized flapping for a few seconds. The white reptilian immediately succumbed to gravity, falling from underneath the bridge to the ground below. Rather than watching him fall, Rainbow Dash furiously flapped her wings and took off after him.

"I'm not done kicking your flank yet!" She collided with the dragon, pushing him to the ground faster. The dragon attempted to squirm and regain control of his wings, but Rainbow firmly planted her hooves on the base of his wings, holding them down to prevent them from moving. The dragon roared as the ground grew nearer; he slashed his claws at the pony riding his back in an attempt to maul her. Soarin and Misty Fly took off from their positions soon after Rainbow did, following her closely should anything go wrong.

Snap

One of the dragon's claws ripped Rainbow's goggles from her head, causing the band to snap back into her face. The band struck her in the cheek; a burning stinging sensation radiated through the left side of her face. "OW!" Rainbow leapt off the back of the dragon just as they were about to hit the ground. Both Misty and Soarin hooked their their forelegs around Rainbow's in case her wings couldn't catch her in time. A rock cracking thud met the three Wonderbolt's ears as the dragon collided with the ground, shooting up dirt and a few rocks into the air before clattering to the ground. "Set us down!" Rainbow snapped.

"He's down, Dashie," Soarin protested, taking a long look at the stiff dragon below. "We've gotta get back to the others while we have a chance," he explained. Misty nodded in agreement, grimacing at the torn uniform around her right hoof. There were a few scratches on her hoof, but nothing too serious.

"No!" Rainbow refused, wriggling out of their grasp and used her wings to gently touch down on the ground. "I'm not going back until I know this monster will be out for hours," she growled, stepping toward the dragon. Soarin and Misty Fly landed right alongside her, trying to talk her out of it.

"Look Rainbow, he hit his head pretty hard from a good distance," Misty pointed to the bridge about two hundred feet in the air. "I think it's safe to say he'll be out cold for a good while," she tried to sway her friend's opinion.

"I'm just double checking guys!" Rainbow exclaimed. "He could be faking, or he might wake up literally five seconds after we leave; then he'd have an advantage on us. I'm not taking that chance!" She snapped, slapping her wings at both Soarin and Misty Fly to keep them away. The others bit their lips, feeling the tension rise as Rainbow Dash rounded the front of the dragon and stopped in front of him. The mare bent her head down almost eye level with the dragon, glaring.

"Okay, he's not trying to bite you," Soarin gulped, zipping over to his marefriend and placing a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "Is….is he breathing?" He questioned, not wanting to go against Rainbow's point of checking to see if the dragon was faking. Nervously, Misty Fly tip-hoofed around the opposite side of the dragon, gingerly lowering her head to the dragon's.

"I don't see any smoke coming out of his mouth or nostrils," she replied, biting her lip. The mare's eyes drifted downward to the dragon's salmon colored neck when a thought popped into her head. Although she was scared, Misty gulped and reached a shaky hoof out to the neck of the dragon, holding her breath in order to keep from shaking too hard. Ever so gingerly, and with Rainbow Dash and Soarin catching on to what she was doing, Misty Fly touched the base of the dragon's throat. The yellow pegasus gave a little whine from the tension she was feeling.

"Anything?" Soarin asked in a whisper, pursing his lips and squeezing Rainbow Dash tighter than before. The trio stayed silent for what seemed like an hour, but in reality was a mere ten seconds before Misty gave a response. She looked up to her fellow fliers and gave a slow nod.

"He's got a slight pulse," Misty replied quickly, yanking her hoof back away from the body. "I don't know how long he'll be unconscious, but I'd love to get back to Princess Celestia and the others!" She squeaked, walking around the dragon to regroup.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Soarin nodded in agreement. Both he and Misty Fly turned and flapped their wings, preparing to take flight before Rainbow's wings snapped out, blocking their paths.

"Hold on," she glared, looking at the ground below. "I'm gonna make sure he's gonna stay unconscious, at least until we can get some of Horntail's guards here to pick him up."

"Uhh, what are you gonna do, Dashie?"

Rainbow didn't answer Soarin's question; instead the daredevil scanned the ground before them, hovering a hoof over a few rocks. "Ooh," a noise slipped from her mouth as she tapped a good sized rock. It wasn't too large whatsoever, but it'd work for her. Rainbow slipped her hooves underneath the rock and scooped it into her forelegs, flapping her wings to help deal with the weight.

"Rainbow!" Soarin exclaimed, zipping in front of her. "You're not gonna…..are you?" The stallion's face turned green for a split second as he trailed off.

"What? No!" Rainbow shook her head with her mouth agape. "I'm just gonna hit him with it to make sure we'll be out of this Tartarus hole before he finds out what happened to him," she explained, trying fly around her coltfriend. "You know I wouldn't go that far Soarin," she added.

"What's wrong with just kicking him the head?" Soarin replied, putting his forelegs on Rainbow's chest to keep her away from the dragon. "I know he tried to attack us and would go back to attack Celestia, but he's already down; we should let Horntail's guards take care of him," he protested. "But if you want to just kick him in the head for a little insurance," he turned around to prove his point. While the two debated on what to do, something caught Misty Fly's attention.

"Hmm?" She turned away from her wingponies, hoping that the stress of the situation was playing tricks on her brain. Misty Fly gradually took steps toward the back of the dragon, more specifically to his tail. She could've sworn she saw it move. However, it could've been her imagination or an involuntary muscle spasm from hitting his head. Nevertheless, it didn't ease the situation for her. The mare removed her goggles from her eyes and sat them on her forehead to get a closer look at the dragon's white tail. She missed a breath and nearly squeaked when the tail just barely twitched. She snapped her head to the side, studying the dragon's wings, feet and hands for any other signs of spasms, twitching, or movement.

"Okay fine," Rainbow Dash dumped the rock back to the ground, "just a little kick," she agreed to Soarin's idea of keeping the dragon unconscious.

"Guys," Misty said in a stressed whisper, "the tail's twitching!" She pointed with both her foreleg and wing at the dragon's longest limb. The hairs on the necks of both blue ponies stood at attention as they whirled around to see if what Misty was saying was true.

"Do it now, Rainbow!" Soarin ordered. The mare galloped into position and raised her rear legs, ready to strike the dragon's head when it happened. The dragon's hand shot out and grabbed Rainbow's left rear leg while his tail quickly snaked its way around Misty's now exposed right front foreleg. Suddenly, the dragon's eyes snapped open as well as a vicious frown curled onto his face.

"AHHH!" Misty Fly shrieked as the tail's grip tightened around her leg and strung her up into the air. Rainbow then felt a great tug on her leg before her face met the ground and a clawed hand met her back.

"LET THEM GO!" Soarin launched from the ground like he were shot out of a cannon toward the dragon. Smirking, the dragon whipped his tail around and used Misty as a battering ram, hitting Soarin as hard as he could. Both ponies yelped in pain from the contact while Soarin was sent flying about fifty feet away headfirst into a pile of rocks.

"Soarin!" Rainbow cried as her coltfriend attempted to get up but collapsed with a pained groan. Quickly releasing his grip on Rainbow's rear leg, the dragon moved his hand around her neck and lifted her up in the air as well. He wasn't squeezing hard enough to cut off oxygen, but his claws were so sharp that Rainbow couldn't help but struggle at the burning sensation of them breaking the skin.

Growling, the dragon brought both Rainbow and Misty Fly near his face, a sinister grin slowly inching its way on as smoke poured from his nostrils. "Now comes the hardest part; which of you do I eat first?" He slipped his snake-like tongue out and lathered it on both Rainbow and Misty's faces.

"Ugh!" Rainbow moaned, unable to move her head back with the dragon's claws around her neck.

"Haha," the dragon cackled when Rainbow attempted to take a swing at him with one of her forelegs. "You're a scrappy little runt aren't you?"

"I'll show, ugh, you, ugh, scrappy!" Rainbow managed to choke out through the pain of the dragon's claws cutting her skin. Chuckling, the dragon dragged his tongue all along Rainbow's face yet again, getting as much of a taste as he could.

"Hmm, yes," the dragon licked his lips, "You'll be the most satisfying, especially for that shit you and Spike tried to pull a few years ago!" He roared into her face before lowering her and bringing Misty Fly closer to his own face. "And as for you-" he began before Misty thrusted forward with her wings and punched the dragon across the jaw. Rainbow managed to gasp as Misty's face faltered a bit yet stayed full of malice. "GRRRR," came a vicious growl from the dragon's throat. Suddenly, the dragon whipped his tail to the side, releasing its grip from her rear leg. Rainbow Dash could only watch in horror as the mare was flung upside down and backwards towards the rock wall of the volcano, impacting it with a horrifying thud.

The impact was hard enough to send Misty's goggles flying off her head and onto the ground below. The mare's body shook from the shock and force of the impact before sliding down the wall where it rested upon the ground. Pained gasps erupted from her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes. "YOU BASTARD!" Rainbow screeched, not caring about the dragon's claws anymore.

"Quit crying you little pussy," the dragon nonchalantly rolled his eyes. Roughly, the dragon threw Rainbow to the ground and knelt down with his other hand raised in the air. "Keep struggling if you want; it only makes this better," the dragon purred, purposefully making Rainbow even more uncomfortable. Beating her hooves against his arm, Rainbow ignored the dragon's infuriating remarks and continued to try to get away. Fighting this thing with both Soarin and Misty out of commission for the time being was going to be a scary moment, but she would never give up on anyone.

The mare gasped as she felt a claw run across her neck, forcing her body to go stiff for a brief moment. He didn't slice her throat open, but he managed to tear her Wonderbolt uniform even more until with one swift slice, he ripped it all the way down her belly. "Stupid coverings," the dragon muttered as he proceeded to rip the uniform from Rainbow's body. "Now you look like a meal," he grinned after ripping the entire uniform off her body, casting it aside. "I'd prefer it if you were cooked, but your screams should make up for that," he slowly inched his fangs close to Rainbow's chest, barely scraping them against her fur and flesh. The mare whined from the alien sensation running through her nerves as one fang pierced her skin, causing some blood to pool at the top of her cyan fur.

She had to think of something quick as the dragon continued to try and mentally torture her. With her forelegs free, Rainbow felt around for any rock that she could bash against the dragon's skull, but her heart rate only increased as she felt nothing but dirt and a few measly pebbles lying on the floor. "GAH!" She yelped as the dragon bit down a little harder.

"Scream!" The dragon ordered, moving his jaws over her stomach. Deciding that she'd have to work with what she had, the mare grasped dirt in both of her hooves and slowly slid them to the sides of her body to hide them. She could feel that there were some pebbles scattered about in the dirt clods, giving her slight ray of hope.

"You want a scream?" Rainbow asked, curling her legs. The white reptile looked up at her with his pink beady eyes, glaring at her. "Then YOU scream!" She shouted, thrusting the dirt clods into the dragon's face. The dragon immediately roared in pain, releasing both hands from her throat and rear legs to cover his eyes. It wasn't enough that the dirt irritated his eyes, but he could feel sharp rock fragments getting stuck under his eyelids.

"YOU MAGGOT!" The dragon yelped, rubbing his eyes profusely. Now that she was free and with the dragon temporarily blinded, Rainbow grit her teeth and launched from the ground with her foreleg extended. Hovering in the air, Rainbow landed blow after blow upon the dragon's face and jaw, throwing any ounce of mercy within her out the window.

"Come on!" Rainbow taunted, managing to force the dragon backwards from Rainbow's blows. "Fight back, tough guy!" She taunted, landing a kick to the dragon's gut. The dragon snarled as he squinted his eyes open, trying to slash the pony raining Tartarus down upon him, but with how hard he was being hit and the pain within his eyes made it too hard to focus in on the mare. Getting an idea, the dragon deeply inhaled, ready to burn Rainbow Dash to a crisp in order to stop her. "Nice try!" Rainbow gave a powerful kick in between his chest and stomach, causing the dragon to sputter and cough.

"Ahh!" The dragon yelped as he tripped over a rock and fell backwards. He stuck his right arm out to break the fall, but he didn't react quick enough. The dragon's right arm was now pinned in between his body and the wall behind him near where Misty Fly was still lying on the ground. The dragon started to call out a series of grunts and yelps, unable to do anything as Rainbow Dash bit her lip and began to punch at his head faster and harder than before. Her forelegs started to become nothing but a cyan blur as she grunted as well with every blow. Finally, Rainbow slammed the dragon's head sideways to the wall, leaving his left side perfectly exposed. She held his head against the wall with her left foreleg whilst continuing her onslaught with her right foreleg. With how fast and hard her punches were coming in, the dragon was unable to move forward to release his right arm.

"WHERE'S LUNA!?" Rainbow demanded, screaming right into his ear. The dragon's cheek was starting to turn purple and swell up from her assault. Slowly, the dragon raised his left arm and moved it in front of his face, blocking Rainbow's punch. She attempted to shake it away and continue punching him, but once the dragon got a grip, he only tightened it with a guttural growl. Rainbow had not choice but to continue hitting him with her left foreleg now, trying to keep his head against the wall so he could set her on fire.

"Grrr," the dragon peeked his now puffy red left eye open, barely able to make out Rainbow threw his blurry vision. Using his strength, he began to push against the mare's leg in an attempt to remove her from his body. Suddenly losing his grip, he grasped it again just below her knee and pushed out to the side. Rainbow grunted as she tried to use all the strength in her body and mind to resist the dragon's push, but to no avail. The harder he pushed, the more it strained on Rainbow. Her leg shook, unable to push back.

"HEY! OW!" Rainbow exclaimed as the dragon bent her leg as far back as her bones allowed. "ST-STOP!" She cried as the dragon didn't let up at all. "AHHHHHHHH!" Rainbow screamed in absolute horror as the dragon pushed even further until there was a sickening SNAP. Rainbow's right foreleg was now bent completely backwards at an impossible angle. She released her left foreleg from the dragon, allowing him to punch her in her face with his now free right arm, sending her flying back with a now noodle-like foreleg.

Rainbow quietly sobbed as the pain was the worst she'd felt in her entire life. She rolled over to keep any weight or pressure off her leg, but it didn't help at all. "Owhowhow," she wailed as she found that one of her wings was now crumpled from landing hard on a rock.

"Rainbow…." Misty Fly whispered from her upside down position. She'd watched the whole thing, feeling ashamed that she could still barely move from the impact on the wall. Luckily she could still move all her legs, but it hurt to try to get up. As the dragon stood up himself and cracked his back, he began to slowly stalk towards the fallen pegasus mare, his eyes still nearly unable to stay open. Feeling the anger overflowing, Misty Fly forced herself to roll back onto her stomach, breathing through the pain with her nose. With Rainbow defenseless and Soarin unconscious, she was their only chance of survival. Biting her lip so hard she could taste the metallic flavor of blood, she stood up onto her legs and flapped her wings, finding out they were still working and did't hurt as bad as her back.

The mare hovered a mere two feet off the ground, yet took advantage and hovered herself behind the dragon, picking up a rock with a pained squeal that she couldn't mask. Hearing this, the dragon spun around to try and see what was going on. "Hmm?" He questioned as Misty thrusted the rock up, lifting herself above the dragon's head. Seeing only one way to perform this, Misty snapped her wings back onto her torso, allowing gravity to take over. The nearly blind dragon was struck hard in the head with the medium sized rock. The force slowly made the reptile sink to his knees as an other worldly and sickly groan escaped his mouth. He collapsed with a thud as Misty bounced off his body and onto the ground beside him.

Breathing heavily, the yellow mare turned her head to the side to see a tear stained Rainbow Dash still crying, but looking at her friend in awe. "I never….leave…my wingponies," Misty managed to croak out as a loud explosion rang out through the volcano.

---

"AHHHH!" Celestia roared in pain as she was yanked down and drug along the stony ground by her burnt horn. She wanted to fight back, at least enough to make the skinny dragon release his death grip. Thankfully, she was wearing her armor so the rocks weren't cutting into her body, but that was the last thing on her mind. She couldn't even open her eyes due to the immense pain shooting down into her head. As she was drug further along, she could hear the Wonderbolts taking flight away from a third dragon while Spike, Bat Fang, and Flash Sentry dealt with the fat brown one.

"RELEASE HER!" Glock demanded, slipping around the Dragon's head and wrapping his forelegs around its neck. He repeated the command a second time, squeezing his forelegs even harder, causing the dragon to choke and gasp for air. Before he could, the dragon shifted directions and let go of Celestia's horn. The alicorn's body tumbled along the stony path towards the edge of a cliff leading to the ground two hundred feet below. "NO!" Glock screeched, letting go of the dragon's neck. The dragon gasped, inhaling as much air as he could and hovered in mid air to see the outcome of what he'd done.

Despite it being too painful to even open her eyes, Celestia tried to grab ahold of something, anything to stop tumbling over the rocks. Each time a rock scraped her horn, the alicorn felt as if her head would explode. Glock took off after her, landing in front of the tumbling princess. "I've got you!" He declared, pushing against her as hard as he could to slow down her momentum before she tumbled over the edge. The stallion flapped his wings as well, trying anything at all save his princess. Finally, Celestia's body stopped on her back; Glock's rear hooves stopped about half a foot away from the cliff's rim. Taking a quick look up, Glock gave the dragon a glare before galloping up to and kneeling beside Celestia's head, propping it up in his forelegs. Knowing he had perhaps only a few precious seconds, Glock scraped together some dirt and made a little mound out of the pile, gently setting Celestia's head upon it to keep her horn elevated.

"Glock?" Celestia called, trying to open her eyes.

"Try not to move too much Tia," he replied, nuzzling her cheek. "I'll do what I have to to keep him away," Glock said, gingerly tracing his hoof along the back of her neck.

"Wait!" The alicorn tried to protest before Glock stood up. The stallion took a step forward, sprouting his wings and pawing at the ground toward the dragon.

"You're not going to touch her again!" He snarled as the dragon landed in front of him, sprouting his claws and his own wings. The dragon didn't say anything or snarl in return. Rather, he looked down upon Glock and hissed, emitting smoke from in between his fangs. Glock cocked his head to the side, keeping his cold glare on the reptilian. The two stared each other down until the dragon took a few steps forward, prompting Glock to place a firm hoof forward, planting himself in place. Suddenly, the dragon swiped his claw down at the pegasus, making Glock block his claws with his armored shoulder.

Clink!

The claws made a high pitched clinging noise after making contact with Glock's golden armor. The guard smirked, urging the dragon to try again. The dragon raised his other claw, appearing to try the same move again. That is until Glock noticed the dragon inhaling through his nostrils; smoke began to billow out of the corners of his mouth. "SHIT!" Glock swore as a large stream of flame shot out of the dragon's mouth. The guard swatted the clawed hand away, spinning around to make sure his armor took the brunt of the assault and that none of it touched Celestia.

At first, the armor did its job, shielding both Glock and Celestia from the fire. Unfortunately, the armor could only do so much as the dragon marched forward, still exhaling his attack. Glock began yell in pain as the armor heated up and began to burn his fur and skin whenever the armor would rub against him. "AHHH!" The guard screamed as the heat became too much and even began to singe his wings. Jumping back toward the dragon, Glock kicked its jaw, making it stumble back and stop breathing fire. Glock was both hyperventilating and yelping simultaneously as he proceeded to rip the armor from his body.

"GLOCK!" Celestia exclaimed, trying to stand up to assist her coltfriend.

"Stay down!" Glock snapped, giving the princess an order for a change. His armor clanked and banged as it bounced off the ground, leaving the pegasus unrecognizable as a member of Celestia's guard with the exception of his helmet. Celestia covered her mouth as she saw the burn marks and sizzling patches of fur from the white hot armor. "GAH!" Glock grunted as the dragon tackled him, sending them both flying over the alicorn's body and tumbling down the way.

Glock attempted to stand up, only to have the dragon hold his body down with one of his hands. His claws dug right into his flesh between his wings, drawing blood to his white fur. The guard howled in pain, spreading his wings so the dragon's claws couldn't dig at them. Groaning, Glock soon found his helmeted head forced onto the ground and loud scraping sounds assaulting his ears. The dragon used his other hand, taking hard swings at Glock's head. The stallion struggled to get up, but he was well subdued and worried about permanent damage from the claws digging into his back. He didn't even dare to turn his head for fear of having an eye clawed out of his head.

And yet, the guard knew he had to try something lest the dragon finishes him off and and goes after Celestia. With his head pinned to the ground, Glock couldn't see what he was doing, but it was his only choice. Carefully, he moved his rear legs (which were not pinned down) around ever so carefully to not alert the dragon to his plan. Should he accidentally touch the dragon prematurely, he prayed that the dragon wouldn't feel it, or he would think his leg brushed up against a rock.

Softly, Glock raised his left rear leg and felt around as his ears continued to ring and his back continued to burn. He bit his lower lip to hide the grunts and groans from the dragon, nearly drawing blood. He was expecting a little twinge from the injury to his back, but as high as he raised his leg, no pain came shooting from his lower back muscles. Finally, his eyes popped when his leg made contact with something, making him freeze momentarily in case the dragon was aware of what was going on. When Glock didn't feel the dragon stop digging into his back or swiping at his helmet, Glock reared his leg up, building up as much power to his kick as possible and unleashed it.

CRACK

There was a sickening crack as Glock's left rear leg connected with the dragon's left knee, shattering the knee cap. Immediately, Glock felt the dragon stop swiping at his helmet, but he also roared in pain as he felt the dragon's claws drag along his back before ripping them out of him. "STUPID PONY!" The dragon yelled, clutching his knee as his wings kept him hovering in the air.

"Glock, get up!" Celestia called out, still trying to stand up through the pain. The alicorn managed to prop herself up, but she could still barely focus on what she was stepping around. The pain was starting to go away however, so she took it slow as she watched the scene unfold. The guard whipped himself around, propping himself on his forelegs to keep his back from touching the ground. Thrusting with his wings, he leapt up and landed on his hooves, ready to face the dragon once again.

"COME ON!" Glock growled, challenging the dragon. In response, the dragon growled back, opening up his claws and showing off his fangs to the guard. Suddenly, in a flash of purple and gold, the drake was taking swipes at Glock. The pegasus found himself taking a few hops backward to avoid getting his throat slashed. With each slash however, Glock threw up his still armor plated hooves, blocking the dragon's blows. He even took flight himself to try and push back the dragon's advancement.

When throwing a punch at him, Glock managed to catch the dragon's hand in his hoof. Taking a more offensive shot than a defensive shot, Glock held the dragon's arm down and kicked him in the jaw. The blow forced the drake to stumble backwards, nearly losing his balance on the rocks. Knowing that he could not let a chance go to waste, Glock unleashed all of his anger and fury upon his and Celestia's attacker. He didn't attack the same places in succession; the guard went for the head, the chest, the stomach and even the dragon's injured knee cap. Nothing was out of bounds in war, especially to something that dared to go after his fellow ponies and princess.

The dragon was being attacked so fast that he could barely react except with squeals of pain. Every time he tried to breathe fire on the pegasus, his head would get knocked to the side. He tried to swipe at Glock, but again, it was all happening too fast for him to do anything. Finally, with another blow to his injured knee, the dragon's leg gave out, snapping and forcing him onto his back. "AAAAAGGGHHH!" He roared in agony, trying to keep his leg from moving. But Glock wasn't done yet; he landed on the dragon's stomach, continuing his rampage. Meanwhile, Celestia was able to stand and rid herself of her hazy vision, but still had quite the migraine. She of course wanted to help her twenty year body guards and now coltfriend, but there was little she could do since Glock took hold of the situation.

"Hmm?" Celestia blinked furiously as she squinted her eyes. Whilst Glock was going to town on the dragon's head, the alicorn noticed that its tail was slowly seeping up towards Glock! "GLOCK!" She screamed, starting to gallop over to help him. The guard ceased pummeling the dragon and turned around, only to see the spaded edge of the dragon's tail in his face before it shot at him, wrapping around his neck.

"Grrr," the dragon growled happily as he squeezed his tail like an anaconda, turning the pony's face blue. Glock gasped for air, repeatedly hitting the tail to make it let go of his throat. His eyes widened as he felt the tail pushing him forward to the dragon's face. The dragon brought him as close as possible, peering into Glock's eyes to instill fear into the guard. Reaching up, the dragon flicked Glock's helmet off of his head before grinning at him.

"No…." Celestia muttered as she saw Glock's body becoming more limp. All of a sudden, the alicorn felt something just snap within her. Everything that had happened; the revelation of Luna's pregnancy, her kidnapping, being taunted about Luna by Garble, her friend Cougar disappearing because of her magic, her horn being burnt, and the attack on her friends, and her coltfriend all started to boil. Centuries of being the poster child for a calm and collected regal pony was about to go down the drain. Celestia's body began to shake with rage, and her eyes seemed to have fire shooting out of them.

Chortling, the dragon flapped his wings, picking himself off the ground while still holding Glock in his tail, unaware of the angered alicorn standing about fifteen feet away. Celestia then stomped her hoof on the ground, alerting the dragon to her presence. "Is this one special to you, pony?" The dragon taunted, waving Glock around like a rag doll. Celestia pawed at the ground again, kicking up dust. "Awe, are you angry?" The dragon taunted again.

"PUT….HIM….DOWN!" Celestia roared as loud as she could before taking off like a Wonderbolt. The dragon's face completely fell; changing to one of pure terror as the pissed off princess lumbered toward him as fast as she could run. And with her long legs, she could build up some speed. "RAAAAHHH!" Celestia screamed as she leapt off the ground at the dragon. The drake couldn't move; he was frozen in mid air at what was happening as the alicorn hit him as hard as a lava bomb. Letting out a pained grunt, the dragon's tail released Glock's neck, dropping him onto the ground.

Celestia firmly planted her hooves on the dragon's chest as her velocity knocked the dragon up and over the edge of the cliff toward the ground. The dragon flailed his arms and legs about, trying to get away from Celestia. "YOU CRAZY BITCH!" He screamed, trying to claw at her armor. Celestia only flapped her wings harder, increasing their speed.

BOOM

A loud explosion rang out as Celestia and the dragon for all intense and purposes slammed into the ground. Dirt and rocks flew up about fifty feet around the crater that Celestia and the dragon had created. Pain was the only thing the dragon could feel. His back was spasming and he could no longer feel either leg in his body. And yet, those weren't the only things that were hurting. Celestia didn't miss a beat and began to pulverize the dragon's face with her armored hoof, punching him over and over again as hard as she could.

"UNH, UNH, UNH!" She grunted with each contact her hoof made to the dragon's face. With each blow, the dragon's muzzle continued to get shorter and his jaws became unhinged. Teeth and fangs were starting to fly from his mouth from the sheer ferocity of the alicorn. The dragon managed to reach an arm up and scratch at Celestia's armor, but the alicorn had none of it. "YAHH!" She growled, slamming her hoof so hard onto the dragon's arm that it snapped like a spaghetti noodle. Soon, the alicorn's attack slowed until sweat was dripping off her face. She breathed heavily and glared down at the bruised and bloody mess of the purple drake. He was completely unrecognizable with two broken jaws, a broken nose, swelled cheeks, and multiple face contusions.

Celestia stood up and stepped away, satisfied that she had given the dragon what he deserved yet did not kill him. She did her job as a ruler and protector of her subjects; these dragons had not yet killed anypony, so she felt beating them was satisfactory. "Where's my sister?" She demanded, kneeling down next to his head.

---

(Ivan's POV)

I'd sat in silence by my lonesome for a few minutes. Mainly it was to catch my breath after being sucker punched by Celestia's magic in between my chest and stomach, and after hitting a wall with my back wasn't too pleasant of a feeling. I had also accepted the fact that I was alone, and probably nowhere close to where my friends were. I wasn't going to BS to myself and pretend I'd find them right away, but I was scared for them because of the dragon that had tried to sneak up on us. It didn't take me long to make the decision to continue the search for Luna rather than try and find my way back to the group. I had the opportunity of having no dragons to deal with at the moment, and finding Luna was the sole reason to even come to Draconia. It'd be a waste of time to not try and find her; at least I could cover more ground for everyone should we meet back up sooner than expected.

After a few minutes of catching my breath and firmly making my decision, I set off in search of the Princess of the Night. Since I was alone, I removed my helmet from my head in order to hear quieter sounds in case I happened upon Luna's cave or Garble tried to sneak up on me. I looped the helmet strap around the strap for my jetpack, buckling it in so it wouldn't fall off. And with that, I started walking. Just like before, there were a number of different tunnels and bridges to choose from in this labyrinth, but I soon found out that there were not as many as before, and the ground was much closer. "Must be near the heart," I muttered, craning my neck around.

All of a sudden, my heart stopped beating, and my veins turned to ice. With my helmet off, I could certainly hear better, but I could just barely make out a voice echoing off the walls of the volcano. It wasn't feminine, so I ruled out Celestia, Misty Fly, and Rainbow Dash; it was gruff and not high pitched, so I ruled out Soarin. I couldn't discern any words that the voice was saying, but if I had to guess, it was either Bat Fang or Glock. "Best shot," I exclaimed, taking a careful look around to interpret where the voice was coming from.

Looking from side to side didn't really help me; the voice seemed to be drowned out. I gasped when I couldn't hear the voice anymore. Fearing that I'd lost my only chance, I dropped to my knees and leaned my head over the edge of the cliff, holding my breath in case the voice came from a tunnel below me. Seconds ticked by; my heart beat faster and faster as I bit my lip to keep from breathing. All of a sudden, the voice started talking again, only this time I could barely make out one word in the muffled speaking. "Ponies."

A scowl appeared on my face as I realized whose voice was speaking. I could feel the anger welling up within me, especially since the voice sounded more distant and muffled than before. I quickly stood up, grunting as I inhaled a few breaths before I'd get too lightheaded. The stifled voice continued to talk, but I still couldn't place the location. "Come on," I mumbled to myself, taking a look up. My heart jumped as Garble's gruff voice came in just a little bit clearer, but still hard to distinguish. I pressed my back against the wall and, like James Bond, gently taking steps to the closest bridge that lead to where I believed the voice to be coming from.

"Please," I heard a second voice begging. I ceased walking against the wall, straining my ears as I heard Luna's pleading voice. She sounded terrified; her voice carried a hint of shakiness. I looked up, seeing that I was a mere few feet from the bridge and made a decision. I whirled around and leapt up at the wall, clinging to the rocks that jutted out. I'd never scaled a wall like this before, but I wasn't about to think too hard about it. Using my jetpack would've alerted Garble that I was nearby; I had to keep the element of surprise alive.

Grunting as quietly as a mouse I climbed up the thirty foot wall as fast as possible without losing my grip or scraping my helmet against the rocks. It wasn't easy having hunch outward as I climbed, but couldn't nitpick anything at the moment. Soon enough, I crested the top of the wall, speedily unbuckling my helmet from my jetpack strap with one hand. I gently set it on the ground so I could pull myself up without it making any noise against the rocks. Taking a second to catch my breath through my nose, I clung to the ground with my arms hooked over the wall, resting my feet on rocks.

SLAP

The noise made my head snap up, looking into side of the cave. I could only see shadows on the wall of the cave in the distance, but I could clearly hear what was going on in there. Through the shadows of stalactites and stalagmites, I made out a dragon's shadow with his hand raised at a lump on the ground. "P-please," I heard amidst Luna's soft crying, "I'm c-carrying a f-foal." My body began to shake so hard that I wouldn't be surprised if a crack formed in the rocky wall. "I promise th-that I won't s-send after you if y-you r-release me!" She cried.

"But it's too fun seeing you ponies in the pain you deserve," Garble bent down chortling. "And two for the price of one just makes it BETTER!" He exclaimed at the end, bringing his hand down again.

SLAP

His hand made contact with Luna's body once again. The alicorn emitted a yelp of pain; her sobbing grew slightly louder. I bit my lip so hard that I could feel a little trickle of blood racing down my chin. I had to bite my lip so I wouldn't be tempted to run in there like an idiot and give away my position, but I had to do something quick. Looking around for something to cause a distraction, my eyes rested on my purple and gold helmet. The helmet that served me for nearly a decade. A twinge of sadness pelted my chest, but a rock wouldn't be good enough. With a sad sigh, I picked it up with my hand and chucked it against the wall next to the cave entrance. The safety device ricocheted off the rocks before bouncing off the ground and over the edge of the cliff on the other side of the bridge.

Garble's shadow whipped around, alerted to my distraction. I quickly pushed myself away from the wall, dropping below the edge of the cliff and climbing under the bridge to hide. Firmly pressing my body against the wall, I silently prayed that the shadows of the bridge would disguise me well enough. The next thing I heard was the flapping of Garble's wings growing closer. I gulped as he landed with a hard thud directly above me on the bridge. He snorted several times, presumably looking around.

"Hmm," he grumbled, sniffing loudly a few times. A few specs of dirt landed and ran over my head as he stomped around a few times. Suddenly, I heard his body whooshing through air before I spotted his shadow on the ground below flying in the opposite direction. A brief smile curled onto my lips before vanishing. I slipped out from my hiding spot and yanked myself up from the face of the cliff. Without wasting any time, I darted into the cave just in case Garble turned around.

"What the?" I came across a crooked bridge that spanned about fifty feet across and above a sixty foot gorge. At the far end of the cave stood some sort of giant pillar that met the end of the bridge. It was set up almost like Raiders of the Lost Ark. I gulped as a dark thought crossed my mind about it being a sacrificial shrine. "Luna!" I exclaimed as I saw her dark blue body lying as limp as a towel on the pillar. Although running would be quieter, time was of the essence. I took flight and landed before Luna's body in no time, deactivating my pack as quickly as I could. I jogged over to her body and knelt down before gasping at her condition. A large red claw print stained her left cheek; her main, tail, and coat were disheveled and covered in dirt; and her sides and legs were tattooed in bruises.

Reaching out, I tenderly placed my hand on her neck and rubbed it. "N-No! Please!" Luna begged, cringing at just my slightest touch. She kept her eyes shut as tears matted the fur on her face. Despite the anger I was feeling, my heart was breaking at what Luna looked and acted like before me. Slowly, I bent my head down and whispered as kindly as I could.

"Luna, the night sky hasn't been the same without you," I said the first thing that crossed my mind. I wanted to mention something about Celestia or Checkered, but I didn't want to put further stress on her. The alicorn gasped and shakily opened her eyes, looking up at me. I managed a tiny smile, continuing to stroke her neck.

"C-Cougar?" She questioned, blinking a few times as I moved my hand to her cheek, gingerly brushing at the claw print.

"We're getting both of you," I motioned to her stomach with my eyes, "out of here," I said in a promising voice. I suddenly groaned as the alicorn pushed herself up and threw her forelegs around my torso, nuzzling her cheek against my chest as she sobbed.

"Th-thank you!" She sobbed into my chest. Being unable to help myself, I wrapped my arms around the princess' body and hugged her as softly as I could without squeezing her bruises. Luna then removed her head from my chest and looked into my eyes with her wet ones. "H-how did you get here?"

"Long story short: Celestia accidentally sent me here after a dragon breathed fire on her horn," I quickly explained.

"What?!" Luna croaked out in her strained voice.

"Don't talk too much," I advised, lightly rubbing in between her wings. "We've gotta get out of here before more of Garble's cronies show up. Are you able to fly?" I asked. Warily, the princess removed herself from my torso and stood up like a newborn fawn. She spread her wings, but they didn't look too aerodynamic considering the circumstances.

"Possibly?" She guessed, trying to flap them.

"Forget it, I'll just guide you," I exclaimed. The princess didn't have any qualms against the idea. She kept her wings sprouted to glide through the air while I would keep one arm wrapped around her chest. I asked her if anything in her chest hurt too much to have my arm wrapped around it. She told me Garble had not yet harmed her there, so it shouldn't be an issue. I'd never flown like that before, but we didn't have much of a choice. Yet as we prepared to leave this hellhole and find our friends, my blood turned to ice.

"You're just as predicable as your pathetic pony friends, human." The two of us spun around to see Garble blocking the entrance to the cave. I began to breathe heavily; my mouth curled into a frown as my eyes widened and my eyebrows furrowed. Neither I or Luna said anything in response to the dragon. "Did you really think I couldn't smell your pussy pony friends' scent off of you?" He asked.

"Shit," I muttered.

"You don't have your stupid friends or King Horntail to protect you this time!" Garble growled, opening up his clawed fingers and wings. With a powerful thrust, Garble took flight and launched toward us.

"Luna, stay behind me!" I ordered, curling my fingers around the handle of my gun. Knowing that she wouldn't be too helpful in her state, Luna did as I said, not moving an inch while behind me. Garble was going to try and have fun with us; he wasn't advancing as quickly as he could. I knew he didn't just want to make myself and Luna suffer; he wanted to enjoy making us suffer. Like Clint Eastwood, I ripped my gun from its holster and aimed at the dragon heading toward us.

There was no way in Hell he could've known what this was or what it was for; Garble was in for a painful surprise.

BOOM

I squeezed off a round of silver magic. I heard Luna yelp behind me from the volume of the blast, though I could understand why. The dragon was in fact caught off guard by what I shot at him, but it whizzed right past him as he dodged it. The magic bolt collided with a stalactite, breaking half of it into dust. "Fair enough," I closed my left eye, squeezing off several more rounds in succession.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM

My right arm dropped lazily to my leg after I fired four more shots at Garble. I glared, hoping one of the four shots would hit that mother fucker square between the eyes. All four shots spread out a bit, making it easier to hit their target. Garble's eyes widened at the projectiles heading in his direction, unsure of what they would do to him should he be hit. The dragon quickly snapped his wings, arms, and legs onto his body, performing a barrel roll while shaped like a bullet. "Fuck," I muttered as all four silver bolts whizzed past the dragon, missing him by mere centimeters. "GET DOWN!" I shouted out of the corner of my mouth at Luna as Garble spread his arms and wings out again, baring his fangs at me.

I wanted to try and shoot him again, but he was closing even faster now and pissed off even more. I tried to jam my gun back into its holster so I could be ready for his strike, but I ended up hitting the edge of the holster and losing grip on the handle. The gun clattered to the ground as I cursed yet again, looking back up. With no time to get any other shots off, I pumped my arms back and leapt up into the air. The pack roared to life, helping me fight against gravity as Garble hit me square in the torso like a missile.

We both grunted as we made contact, punching at each other as we rotated through the air before tumbling onto the ground and rolling near the edge of the pillar. I scarcely make out Luna's frightened gasps as Garble and I fought one another. He wasn't as skilled or agile as Ember, but he was putting up one hell of a fight. We'd both landed on our sides, splitting up from the impact on the ground. Garble was the first to scramble upwards, grabbing my arm and yanking me toward him. I wound up my fist and slugged him in the jaw before he could take a swipe at me with his claws. Spit flew out of his mouth from the force of the punch; he roared in response.

"Gah!" I cried as he brought down his claws as hard as he could. I swung my forearm up just in time, stopping his swipe about half a foot above my face. My arm trembled, working overtime as Garble pushed against me. The scarlet reptile then released my other arm and tried to take a swipe at me with his free hand. I shot my right hand up, snatching his left wrist before he could cut at me. Now with both of his arms blocked, there was only one thing left he could do. My eyes widened as Garble, still trying to push against my arms, reared his head back, inhaling deeply. Before he could even exhale a single spark, I quickly pulled my right leg up to my chest and kicked him in the stomach as hard as I could.

"OOOH!" The dragon groaned as a huge fireball leapt from his mouth, flying above my head. The force of my kick momentarily released his arms from mine; I used the opportunity to uppercut him in the jaw, slamming his mouth shout. I then pulled both legs up to my chest and kicked him again, sending him stumbling backwards as he tripped over a rock. I rushed up and tackled him back to the ground. Rocks and dirt scattered as we slammed to the ground with me on top of the dragon. His head was lying over the edge of the cliff.

Taking my thumbs, I jammed them at his eyes, trying to blind him. He howled as I pressed hard into his yellow eyeballs. "AHHH!" I yelped when he scratched at my arm, leaving a pretty good cut on my bicep. I gasped when I felt something coiling around my ankle before I was ripped from Garble's face and slammed back down to the ground on my front. My arms instantly shot out to break my fall, causing some dirt to enter the cut and me to seethe. I also felt a little bit of pressure on my ribs, but they didn't hurt too bad. I coughed a little, but I was still ready to keep it up.

"HA!" Garble cheered as he landed with his legs straddled around my body. He then began to swipe his claws at my jetpack, forcing me to stay on the ground. However, a smirk formed on my mouth as he couldn't reach my back. My jetpack was coated with Russian titanium. Even dragon claws wouldn't be able to cut through it; all that Garble was doing was creating sparks. Suddenly, the scratching ceased.

"S-stay back!" I heard Luna demand. Horrified, I whirled around to see her with her wings spread and a glare on her face as Garble stalked towards her. But I saw right through her facade; she was terrified.

"NO!" I screamed, jumping to my feet and sprinting toward the dragon. Garble didn't have time to pay me any attention before I hopped up and wrapped my legs around his torso and my arms around his neck. The dragon began to choke as I squeezed my arms like a boa constrictor to keep him away from an already hurt Luna. Garble began to jerk his head around in an attempt to fling me off of his neck. He couldn't speak, but a loud gurgling sound came from his mouth. He opened and closed his mouth several times, snapping his jaws. He nearly threw me off at one point, but I still clung around his neck, hoping he'd at least pass out.

Suddenly, he shot both hands up to my arms. My blood ran cold as I feared what he was about to do. I tried to let go of his neck and jump off of him, but I wasn't fast enough. A scream of agony erupted from my mouth as his claws scratched at my forearms. Feeling like they were on fire, I loosened my grip a bit to try and get away from the dragon, but his fingers curled around my arms. Before I knew it, Garble had flung me off of his body and about ten feet away where my body bounced off the rocky ground. "COUGAR!" I heard Luna screech.

Groaning, I managed to lift my head as my ribs were starting to hurt even more, my arms were burning from the cuts, and I had landed face down on the ground near my eye. I could actually feel it beginning to swell as I looked back behind me at Garble. "I'll deal with you in a minute," Garble sneered at Luna as he shoved her to the ground before setting his sights back on me.

"Hmm?" I questioned to myself, feeling something lumpy that was digging into my ribs. I rolled over slightly to find that I had landed right on my revolver. Feeling a twinge of hope, I quickly snatched the weapon and held it within my hand as Garble grew closer, hoping he hadn't seen it yet. The beast stomped over to me, coughing from my choke attack and growling in anger. Looking behind me again, I saw Luna getting back up onto her hooves. Her eyes were welling up in tears at the pain I was putting myself through to protect her.

Garble's figure suddenly blocked my view of the alicorn as he towered over me. "No, more, games," he snarled, grabbing my left arm and flipping me onto my back. With my gun now exposed, I squeezed off another round as fast as I could before the dragon could either snatch it from me or smack it away and over the edge of the bridge.

BOOM

The sound of the shot ricocheted off the walls of the cave in a sickening way. Accompanying the explosion of the magic was the sound of cracking bones and ripping flesh. Luna gasped sharply as my jaw dropped and my eyes squinted in disbelief. "What the?" Garble didn't realize it right away. The dragon turned his head and looked at his right hand before his face contorted into that of shock. I cringed as small geysers of blood erupted from where Garble's right pinkie and ring fingers used to be. "W-WHAT DID YOU DO YOU FREAK!?" Garble shrieked, now holding his right hand in pain. Even though my chest hurt like Hell to bend, I got up and off the ground, ready to shoot at the dragon again. "RAHHH!" Garble roared, snatching the gun right from my hand and tossing it behind him. The weapon clattered along the ground before landing right at Luna's hooves.

"Ah!" I exclaimed as the dragon reared back. I leapt to the side just in time as he spat out some fire. It missed me, but he was more or less cauterizing his wounds before he bled out. With my gun too far away, my knife made a fwing noise as I unsheathed it from its holster, tightly gripping its handle in my right hand. I made several swipes at the dragon; he dodged every one. He in turn tried to swipe at me with his claws again, but I blocked them with my forearms, ignoring the painful burns of the cuts.

"I'm gonna eat you alive!" Garble shouted as we began to encircle each other, still taking swings with our weapons literally every second. I dared not to say a single word to this fucker; he didn't deserve it. Finally, I leapt forward, giving the dragon another kick to the chest. He stumbled back; I took my shot. With as powerful as a swing I could summon, I sliced at his neck with my knife.

CLINK

I stared in horror as my knife completely broke in half after it hit Garble's scales which were much tougher than I had thought. The blade clanged to the ground, pathetically resting in front of Garble's feet. I looked up at the dragon, only to see his fist invading my face. Grunting in pain as he punched me square in the jaw, I was sent flying back and over the edge of the bridge! My arms reached out, barely grabbing ahold of the bridge in time before I fell, not thinking I'd be able to activate my pack in time to save me. I yelped as Garble flew up and landed with his feet on my hands, trapping me where I was. No matter how hard I tugged, I couldn't escape his feet's grip.

"NO!" I could hear Luna galloping as fast as she could over to us. Garble ignored her, however. The reptilian smirked at me and blew a fair sized ball of fire onto the remaining claws on his right hand. I shook my head, trying to pull it back as far as I could.

"Hehehe," Garble chortled, moving his now white hot claws toward my face.

"AHHHHHHH!" I screamed bloody murder. Garble slowly sank his white hot index claw into my forehead, dragging his claw down the left side of my face. It literally felt like my skin was melting off my skull. I could even hear my skin singeing from the heat of his claw. His claw reached the bottom of my chin before he stopped. I suddenly felt his feet hop off my hands before he grabbed me around my neck and lifted me in the air with his left claws. He squeezed his hand as hard as I'd squeezed my arms around his own neck; all I could do was sputter and kick my feet.

SLAM

The dragon slammed me onto the ground on my back. Luckily my jetpack broke my fall, but that was the least of my worries. The dragon picked his leg up and stomped directly on the right side of my rib cage. I felt the pressure intensify as I could also hear my ribs straining to stay intact. Coughing, my arm clutched my chest when he released his foot. "Ohh," I groaned, continuing to cough as my arms, face, and now chest were in excruciating pain. "Ah!" I yelped as Garble flipped me over onto my front and grabbed my left arm. "NnnnnAAAAHHH!" Came a gurgled yell. Garble had put my arm against my back and pushed it up, dislocating my shoulder from its socket. He released my arm, only to grab my left foot and twist it, spraining my ankle.

The timberwolf attack now felt like playing with a puppy considering what Garble was putting me through. I suddenly felt him grab the back of my hair before slamming my face down onto the ground, only making my eye swell up even more. I wanted this pain to be over; I wanted this to be nothing but a nightmare. As Garble continued to put me through Hell, one thing came across my mind. I would've traded anything just to be in AJ's loving embrace again. I shut my eyes as tight as possible, just thinking about lying in bed with her; my arms around her body and her forelegs around mine as we snuggled. "Applejack," I croaked, sputtering. "I-I'm sorry."

Then, just as quick as Garble's true onslaught had started, something happened. Like a laser blast from an X-Wing, I heard a huge blast of magic shoot in our direction. The weight of Garble left my body almost immediately after. Groaning, I lifted my head up to see Luna standing only a few feet away with a smoking horn and a glare on her face. "Cougar!" She exclaimed, trotting toward me before dropping to her knees. "P-Please sp-speak to me!" She begged, placing a hoof on my left cheek. I cried out in pain, forcing her to retract her hoof. "S-sorry!" She apologized.

"Wh-where-" I tried to ask before I coughed once more. Luna gingerly helped me sit up, her wing was laced softly on my back for support. Breathing heavily, I turned around to see an unconscious Garble lying a few feet away with his head amidst a small pile of stalagmites that decorated the bridge. Somehow, I had enough energy left to reach up with a trembling hand and touch Luna's cheek in return.

"I think it's this one!" A gruff female voice echoed from outside the cave. Both Luna and I looked over to see Princess Ember, clad in her battle armor, jog into the cave with Spike, Celestia, and Glock right behind her.

"I-It's over," Luna said gently into my ear as she cradled my injured body.

End Chapter 54

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What, did you expect the heroes to defeat the dragons without a scratch?

Next time: Our heroes return to Equestria to their loved ones with Princess Luna and her unborn foal rescued! We have three very important scenes next chapter; I very much look forward to them!

And just in case anyone is wondering, next chapter Luna WILL explain how Garble was able to kidnap her, but she won't be giving birth to her foal for a few more chapters. As for Garble and his cronies, their fate will be revealed in a few chapters as well.