Monsters

By Sharpe Quill

Chapter 8: The Hunt

Late that night, after she had finally finished her reports and seen off all of her guards, Belle sat in her office. Twilight had gone to freshen up, the faint sound of running water proving that she had finally overcome her initial embarrassment of using an open, communal shower. Belle smiled faintly as she remembered the young unicorn’s mouth hanging open, her cheeks darkening so much that even Belle could tell. Of course, Lemon had made another lewd joke and Belle would bet Twilight would have fainted in embarrassment if she hadn’t burst out laughing despite herself.

Lemon was sitting next to her, pressed against her side. Belle relished the contact, pressing back constantly. They simply sat there for a while, content in each other. Too soon, however, Lemon pulled away gently. “Well,” he said, a slight tenseness to his voice, “you should probably get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow.” His voice cracked at the last word and he looked away from her.

Belle sighed, not in exasperation but in sympathy. “Lemon, I... I have to go. I have to do this. These things need to be stopped before they do anything worse. Besides, it’s my job.”

The large stallion kissed his wife’s cheek. “I know, Belle. I know,” he said with a sigh. “I just wish there was another way; that you didn’t have to do this yourself.”

Belle frowned, although not in anger. “I won’t send my ponies to do something dangerous while staying back myself, safe and sound. It’s not right.”

“I know,” Lemon said again. “I understand. Really I do. But that doesn’t make it easier for me, or for you.”

Belle nuzzled her husband fondly. “This needs to be done. I promise that I will be as cautious and careful as I possibly can be. This time we’re ready for these monsters, and for what they can do. Our unicorns’ shields can keep back the drake’s fire, and the close areas of the tunnel should help reduce the threat of the manticore’s sting and claws. Yes, it’s dangerous, but we’re not going in with our eyes closed here. We’ll be ready, I promise.”

She sighed and closed her eyes, again resting her head against her husband’s shoulder. “Please, Lemon. I know you worry, but I need you behind me on this. I… I couldn’t do this without your help.”

Lemon laughed gently. “Oh, Belle.”

He didn’t need to say anything else, he simply rested his head on top of hers, reassuring her of his presence, of his support, of his love. No more words were needed.

They sat like that for several minutes, both looking up when the door opened to reveal a still somewhat damp Twilight walking in, floating a sopping towel behind her. “I have to admit, I had my doubts, but your showers are actually quite…” she froze when she saw the couple sitting on the floor. The magical light enveloping the towel winked out and the wet cloth dropped to the floor. She ducked her head. “Oh, I… I’m so sorry,” she stammered. “I’ll just, um, I’ll just go… over there now…”

The unicorn dashed out the door of the office. The couple looked at each other. Belle couldn’t suppress a snicker, and Lemon laughed loudly at the poor young mare’s embarrassment.

After calming the panicked and apologetic unicorn, Belle decided that she really did need some sleep. Lemon had brought several of the cots into her office, including one for Twilight. Although, for the sake of the poor mare’s nerves, Belle had Lemon place it on the opposite side of the large room as the couple she and he would be using (the cots were much too narrow to share). It struck Belle as odd that Twilight, protégé of Princess Celestia, who’s special talent was magic itself, was more than able to stare down a raging inferno without missing a beat, but stammered and tripped all over herself at Lemon’s teasing. It was an odd combination of adorable and scary.

Finally, while she could still just hear the murmuring conversation of Lemon and Twilight, Belle fell asleep.

She had troubling dreams, full of fire and the cries of children, two young fillies that she had failed to save. More than once, she woke with a start, but felt the closeness of her husband, unable to hold her but still as close as he possibly could be. Eventually her dreams ceased and she was able to rest properly.

With still a half hour to spare before the official meeting time, Belle surveyed her guards, all present and ready. Oak looked his usual stoic self, his armor impeccable, and his weapons ready. He too wore a spear rig like Belle had the previous night (and was now wearing again), but he also had a short curved sword, not unlike Keen’s, strapped to his side. The pegasus was his normal calm and collected self. In truth he almost looked bored, but the occasional rustling of his wings gave away his tenseness. Constable Morning Dew had a grim and determined expression. The injury to Constable Shining seemed to have hit him especially hard, and he was channeling his anger properly; although Belle made a mental note to keep an eye on him. That kind of anger could be useful, or it could be self-destructive. Em looked nervous, but she was making a valiant effort to conceal it. She didn’t have a spear strapped to her barding; instead, like Morning, she had a quiver full of arrows at her side that rattled somewhat when she walked. She didn’t have Morning’s skill or speed with them, but she was more than capable.

Beside Belle stood Twilight, who looked surprisingly calm given the circumstances. Belle had offered her a spare set of barding, but she had politely declined, claiming that she would be unused to the bulk and weight, and now wore only her saddlebags, which seemed to be mostly full of books. In fact, she had a book levitating in front of her even now.

Belle decided that it was time. They were all here and ready, delaying would only increase the anxiety and tension. Better to act now. “Alright, ponies,” she said, slipping comfortably into her most authoritative voice, “it’s time. Remember your training, stay calm, stay focused. We all know what’s at stake. These monsters have killed three people in our town, a diamond dog and two fillies, and injured more. It ends today.”

She considered saying more but ultimately decided against it. They knew what was at stake, and they were ready. They all looked at her, confident and resolute. There was nothing more to say. She nodded. “Corporal Keen, lead the way.”

The group trotted out with Keen leading them, taking to the air once he was outside. Belle hesitated a moment before following. Lemon was still in the main room, off to the side, unobtrusively watching. Now that the other guards were gone, he hurried over to her. Without a word he kissed her, gently at first, but with increasing ferocity so that by the time he broke away just a few seconds later (although she would have sworn it was longer), her face was flushed and she found herself wanting to go back for more. Instead she nuzzled him gently. “Be careful,” he whispered. “I love you.”

She smiled. “I love you too. I’ll be careful. And I will be back.” She momentarily succumbed, and gave him a brief kiss of her own. “You can count on it.”

Then, with a wink which he probably didn’t catch from behind her glasses, she turned and trotted out the door herself, hoping that her blushes had faded enough to be indistinguishable. Either they were, or the others were simply being polite, since nopony commented. She took her place at the front of the group, just behind Keen, with Twilight and Em flanking her, and the two remaining stallions just behind them.

They didn’t speak as they walked, the clatter of arrows in quivers and the creak of armored barding testifying to the nature of their mission. In the back of her mind, Belle couldn’t help but imagine their little procession from an outsider’s perspective: the imposing weapons, the grim expressions, the purposeful strides. It must have been an impressive sight, and it reminded her of the adventure stories she used to read as a filly. All they needed now was some dramatic, slow music to accompany them. Alas, there was none to be had.

The practical side of her brain shoved the day-dreaming side away. She needed to focus now.

Keen led them through the town. The first rays of the sun streaming between the buildings of the town, casting the streets in alternating swathes of light and shadow. Nopony was about at this hour, although Belle knew that wouldn’t last long. To her surprise, Keen led them north, away from the river, and away from the warehouses that she had assumed would be the most likely entrance to the creature’s lair. He led them to the very edge of town. In fact, when he finally slowed, Belle could make out Eris’ house just a block away.

They finally halted in front of an old, abandoned house. It wasn’t overly large but had the look of a building that had once been a happy home. Now, the laughing flowers painted on the mailbox had transformed into dreary blobs, the fence’s paint was flaking away, and in the back yard a rusted slide was just visible. Another victim of Dock’s decline. It didn’t at all look like the entrance to a monster’s den.

Keen gave a low whistle, and a few moments later Corporal Snowflake flew gracefully out of a second floor window and landed in front of them. She saluted crisply, but Belle could see the slight sag to her shoulders and the droopiness in her eyes that betrayed her weariness. “Ma’am,” she said, addressing Belle, “nothing new to report. Last night the drake went straight to that building across the street. I just caught sight of its tail disappearing through those doors. There hasn’t been any activity since.”

Belle nodded. “Good work Corporal. Head back to the Guard House and stay at the desk. With any luck, we’ll be back to relieve you in no time.” Snowflake saluted again. As Belle turned to study the building the guard had indicated, the weary pegasus walked past them, making inquiries of Oak about the status of Constable Shining.

The building in question was not a home, or at least not only a home, but had rather once been a blacksmith’s forge and shop. The forge itself was located off to the side of the main building. Belle could just remember that on most days the large, double-doors that now concealed the work area would have been wide open for better ventilation, but this particular forge had been cold for months. As so often happened these days, Belle felt a pang of nostalgia pass through her at seeing a part of her town so far fallen from its heyday, but she quickly refocused. Upon closer inspection, even from across the street, Belle could see that the large doors were closed but not latched or locked. Interesting.

“What do you think?” Twilight said quietly from beside her as she also surveyed the long dead forge.

“I think there’s no reason to wait,” Belle responded, not bothering to keep her voice low. She turned to face the group, just catching sight of the departing Snowflake as she turned a corner. “Morning, Em, lead the way. Be ready with your shields at all times. Oak, just behind them, in case there are any nasty surprises behind the doors.”

The ponies moved off at once. Em and Morning crept up to the doors of the forge, moving as carefully and quietly as they could in their equipment. They took up position on both sides of the doors while Oak moved up to stand directly in front of them, just beyond their opening radius. He dropped into an aggressive stance, the lance at his side lowered and ready. Once the two unicorns were in position, Oak began to simulate stomping his hoof, although he never made contact with the ground. On the third stomp, his hoof struck the cobble stones with a loud crack. Immediately, magic flared through the two unicorn guards’ horns as they grasped the door latches and pulled.

The doors flew open, revealing the shadowy interior. The room had been stripped bare when the inhabitants had moved away, the only indication that the room had once been a forge was the large fire pit against the back wall and the permanent blackness that had been rubbed into the floor and walls from many years of use. There, beside the long-cold fire pit, where the coal to fuel the flames would have been piled, was a large, open trapdoor, much like Belle had seen in the burned cottage. There was no sign of the drake or the manticore.

Cautiously, the three guards entered the large area, the unicorns projecting light before them as they ensured there were no surprises waiting for them. A few moments later Oak stepped outside. “Clear!” he called out.

Belle, Twilight, and Keen moved in, Belle raising her tinted glasses as she passed into the gloomy interior. They all congregated close to the entrance of the tunnel. It was surprisingly large, larger than the one she had seen before, and yet the edges were damaged in several places, as though something slightly too large had squeezed through. Beyond the hole, after a short, steep set of stairs, the descending tunnel opened up dramatically.

“Alright,” Belle said, keeping her voice fairly low, “here’s the plan. Em and Morning will lead. Morning, have your arrows ready and provide the light. Em, I want you go have your shield ready to go at a moment’s notice. Oak and I will be right behind with our spears. Keen and Twilight, you bring up the rear. Keen, keep an ear out for anything that might somehow get behind us, but if we need you in the front, you’re to get up here as fast as possible. Twilight, you’re our rear shield. If there’s even a suspicion of fire from behind, throw it up. Take no chances. I’d rather have to pause for a few seconds over a false alarm than be char broiled. Everypony understand?”

In the gloom, Belle saw five ponies nod silently. “If we see one of the creatures ahead of us,” she continued, “the shields should be up at all times. Ideally, we can take both of them down with just arrows, but if we have to fight one up close, keep the shields as close as possible and we'll use our spears. Keen, you’re our ace-in-the-hole. If things get out of hoof, use your speed to do what you can. Nopony take any unnecessary chances, I want everypony to come out of this alive. Any questions?”

She was met with a resolute silence. She nodded her head solemnly. “Alright, let’s go.”

The two unicorn guards dropped into the hole carefully, light already streaming from Morning’s horn. Belle followed immediately after, her hooves thumping into the packed dirt of the tunnel. Almost immediately afterward she heard the thumps of three more ponies landing behind her.

The tunnel stretched out before her, going at a steady but shallow decline, twisting out of sight just a few paces away. Support beams were spaced regularly along the walls and ceiling. The six ponies quickly got into the appropriate formation and slowly began to make their way down the tunnel.

Within a few minutes, they had a problem. The path came to a crossroads, the tunnel continuing straight but also branching off in either direction. They halted, staring at the different paths in turn. “This could be a problem,” Oak said, keeping his voice low so that it wouldn’t echo and give their position away. “Which way do we go, Captain?”

Belle studied the branching tunnels. Despite the light from the unicorns’ horns, she had decided to keep her glasses raised so that she could have every advantage possible; besides, if necessary, replacing them over her eyes was as simple as a quick jerk of the head. The dirt of the left-hoof tunnel seemed looser, not as packed down, while the air of the forward tunnel smelled old and musty, especially compared to the right-hoof tunnel. Also, straight ahead the ground started to rise up, which Belle assumed meant that it led to an exit. She made her decision, and prayed to Celestia it was the right one.

“We go right,” she said, trying to sound confident. “Twilight, as we go past, can you mark the walls so that we can find our way back?”

Twilight looked up, the light fading from her horn, the faint glow of the newly etched symbol in the nearest support beam still visible pointing the way back to the entrance. “Oh, um,” she said, looking somewhat chagrined, “okay?”

Belle smiled and nodded, glad that she and her new unicorn friend were on the same page. “Alright,” she said, addressing everypony, “let’s move on.”

Without the sun or any clocks around, Belle quickly lost track of how long they walked. Occasionally they would come to another crossroads with two or three options to choose from. Belle always picked the tunnel that seemed the most used, or that led down, while Twilight would mark the path that they exited from.

It was weary walking. The constant threat of attack had them all on edge, and the lack of anything happening was beginning to get to them. Couple that with the bland and repetitive scenery, consisting of little more than dirt, stone, and wooden beams, and Belle could sense the mounting tension and frustration.

Finally, they came to a point where the tunnel opened out into a large room. They quickly spread out into it, checking to make sure it was empty. The room was full of long-broken crates, crumbling chairs, and it had a large rotting table in the center. It appeared to be some kind of meeting room. Two passageways exited the room in addition to the one they had just entered from. A quick investigation revealed that one passage led into a second chamber full of decaying cots; some kind of sleeping quarters. The second exit was another tunnel like the one they had just left, going a few dozen paces before turning sharply to the right.

Belle decided to have a rest. “Alright everypony,” she said in a voice just above a whisper, “take five. Keep quiet for the time being, though, and keep an ear out for anything odd.”

The ponies all sat down on the floor, each one deciding not to risk the decrepit seats, relaxing visibly. Belle sat together with Oak and Twilight, who were in front of one of the walls, staring at a large faded piece of fabric, like a curtain, sporting numerous tears and holes.

“What is that?” she asked.

“I think it’s a map,” said Twilight slowly. “Or at least it used to be. A map of these tunnels.”

Belle stared at the fabric. With her vision, she couldn’t make out much, maybe the occasional darker smudge hidden underneath many years’ worth of dust. “Could it be of any use?”

Twilight shook her head. “Very little. It’s too far gone. I can only make out sections here and there. Although I think I can see several other large rooms like this one, but the direct paths to them have faded. Wow, it looks like not only are there multiple levels to these tunnels, but they all seem run the entire length of the town.”

“These tunnels are enormous,” Sergeant Oak said gruffly. “Ma’am, I don’t like this, we have no idea where we’re going, and every branching tunnel is another opportunity for one of those creatures to attack us from behind.”

Belle nodded. “I agree, Sergeant. But what choice do we have?”

“We could flood the tunnels. Divert part of the river into them and flush the damn beasts out.”

“Not a good idea,” Twilight interjected, not looking away from the tattered map. “These tunnels are obviously well made, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be damaged. If parts of these tunnels collapse, it could be catastrophic. Think about what’s above us.”

Belle’s imagination showed her destroyed buildings and dead ponies. She shook her head to quickly clear the image. “But I saw part of a tunnel collapse already,” she said, remembering the blocked tunnel underneath the burned cottage.

“It was on the outskirts of town though,” countered Twilight, “and on the far edge of the tunnel network. Far enough away to not do any damage, or start a chain reaction throughout the rest of the tunnels.”

They all fell silent after this, the only sound in the dark room the breathing of six ponies, which in the crypt-like silence of the tunnel sounded loud and heavy. At last Belle spoke. “We keep going. We have to see this through to the end. If there are other large rooms like this down here, it stands to reason that the creatures are using one of them like a den. They have to sleep sometime.”

“I can make out at least three rooms on what’s left of this map, but it’s possible that there are more and they’ve just faded from it,” said Twilight.

Suddenly Keen spoke up. “Are any of them along the edge of the tunnel network? Possibly along the river?”

Belle was surprised to hear the normally taciturn pegasus speak of his own accord. Twilight, who didn’t know him well enough to understand how rare it was, simply studied the map for a moment. “Um, yes, actually. If I’m reading this correctly, there’s a large chamber to the south. It looks like it has two tunnels leading to it, but one of them is very short; and it’s not just faded away, it clearly ends. Why?”

Keen shrugged. “Just figured a predator’s a predator. If they have a den, they’d want one that’s out of the way but fairly easily accessible, and so far, most of the attacks have been along the river.”

“It’s better than wandering aimlessly until we stumble upon it,” added Belle. “Twilight, can you read enough of the map to get us to that chamber?”

Twilight shook her head sadly. “Not without knowing which chamber we’re in at the moment. I would guess it’d be that one to the north up there.” She indicated with a hoof, but Belle couldn’t make out the area she was pointing to. “Besides, too many of the actual paths have faded away.”

“Well can it at least give us a clue?” interjected Morning.

“If we can head in a generally southern direction I’m sure we’ll reach it,” Twilight said, unfazed by the constable’s interruption. “But I’m afraid I have no idea which direction is which down here. I’m all mixed up without a point of reference.”

“Oh, that’s easy,” said Keen in a bored voice. “South’s that way.” He indicated with a wing towards the tunnel they had not come in from.

All of the other ponies stared at him in astonishment. He looked around at them. “What?” he asked, somewhat defensively. “I’m good at keeping my bearings.”

Twilight looked fascinated. “Really? That’s amazing. Is it an innate sense or are you able to keep track of the different turns in relation to your previous positions?”

Keen took a half step back. “Um, I don’t know?”

The inquisitive mare frowned, deflating somewhat. “Ah. Well, perhaps later on I could ask you a few questions about it. I’d love to study it. I’ve heard of other pegasi being able to innately know their heading while they fly, but I never suspected it would work even underground.”

The bewildered pegasus gave her a confused glance but shrugged with a noncommittal, “We’ll see.”

Belle cleared her throat to get the excited unicorn’s attention. Once she had it, she said, “Alright, let’s focus. We’ll make for that Southern chamber. In the meantime, the plan hasn’t changed. Keep to your assignments and don’t let your guard down for an instant. Is everypony clear?”

There was a general round of nods and a muttered, “Yes, ma’am.”

They moved on, returning to the same formation. Moving along the tunnel at the same careful pace as before, they made slow but steady progress. Or at least, Belle assumed they were making progress, since the tunnel itself didn’t change much. When they reached the first crossroads after the chamber, Belle consulted Keen and took the passage leading south.

Belle couldn’t believe how large the tunnel network was. They must have been walking for at least two hours by now, and it took less than that to casually walk the length of the town. She couldn’t imagine what it must have been like when they were actually being put to use. She imagined dozens of ponies transporting carts of smuggled goods through these tunnels, navigating the odd labyrinth with the casual ease that she herself had on patrol; they must have had unicorns, or at least cart lanterns to light the way since the supports had no torch brackets. The meandering maze must have been built to confuse authorities who came investigating, giving the smugglers time to evacuate. She could think of no other reason to make it so confusing and twisted.

The more she thought about the ponies who had built and used these tunnels, the more annoyed she became with them. Not only had they been running grossly illegal operations right under her predecessors’ noses (and possibly her own nose, depending on when they had fallen out of use), but they had done so in quite possibly the most annoying way imaginable. What kind of egomaniac built something this ridiculous? Would a straight tunnel be too simple? And now, those ponies’ greed had provided a haven for at least one, and most likely two, dangerous monsters that had been wreaking havoc on her town.

Her musings were cut short when Em suddenly stopped and raised a hoof, her shield manifesting in front of them instantly. They all froze, tensing as they stared ahead into the gloom. Em’s shield forced them to look through a hazy curtain, but they could still see enough by the light of Morning’s horn. Nopony moved a muscle, ears straining for any sound.

After several intense moments, a soft skittering sound could just barely be heard, getting steadily louder until at length something appeared out of the gloom. Several rats came scampering along the wall of the tunnel, racing along, heedless of the ponies in the middle of the path. An arrow from the nervous unicorn constable struck the floor just in front of one of the rats. It jumped back momentarily but didn’t stop, racing ahead behind its companions. Em let the shield drop, allowing the rodents to run past the six ponies.

They had been the first animals that the ponies had seen in the tunnels. That hadn’t occurred to Belle before now, but after seeing the rats, the fact surprised her. They hadn’t even seen any insects or spiders. For some reason, that thought made her shiver.

“Is it just me,” asked Morning in a low voice, “or was that kind of weird?”

“It almost looked like they were running away from something,” Twilight commented, still looking back down the tunnel in the direction the rats had run to.

“I think we’re getting close,” Oak said ominously.

There was a nervous silence for a few moments. “Be ready,” Belle said at last, “let’s go.”

They moved off again, slower now, every movement tense and ready.

They rounded a bend and everypony froze. “Cut the light!” hissed Belle. Instantly the light from Morning’s horn winked out, plunging the six hunters into darkness. But not complete darkness. There, a few dozen strides ahead of them, down an unusually straight passage, and around a final corner, streamed a faint light. They had found something at last.

“Let’s get closer,” Belle whispered. “Em, Keen, and Morning, hang a bit back and watch our backs. Nopony attacks until I give the signal. The closer we can get without it noticing us, the better.”

The group moved forward, Belle leading the way this time, simply because she had the best eyesight for the task; but Twilight was close behind her, ready to throw up a shield at a moment’s notice. They hardly dared to breathe as they slowly approached the corner. Less than three strides from the turn, Belle drew up short, causing the others to stop as well. She could just make out the last thing she ever expected to hear in a monster’s den: a voice.

It was probably a foolish decision, but Belle couldn’t pass up the opportunity to listen in, hoping to finally get some answers. Waving a hoof to keep the others back, Belle crept closer. As she came to the edge of the wall, she almost gagged. A nauseating smell was emanating from the passage ahead, a disgusting mixture of rotted wood, spoiled meat, and... a barn? Whatever it was, it was foul. Doing her best to ignore the smell, Belle leaned forward as far as she dared and listened intently, ears perked.

It was definitely a voice. A deep voice, unlike any she had ever heard before. It sounded agitated, perhaps annoyed, but it was too faint to clearly make out. She needed to hear this. Throwing caution to the wind, Belle peeked around the corner quickly, drawing back immediately, in case something was there. In the brief look she had gotten, she had seen a short, empty passage that ended abruptly about twenty strides away. But at the end of the passage was a sharply angled ladder leading to a large trap door, similar in size to a barn cellar door. It was open and light was pouring out of it, creating a large, rectangular spotlight on the floor of the tunnel beneath. In truth, she got the feeling that it was fairly weak light, but in the absolute darkness it seemed as bright as any spotlight.

Belle looked again, slower this time, assuring herself that it really was empty, before slipping silently around the corner, staying close to wall. She carefully began to creep along the passage, getting closer and closer to the trapdoor. Behind her, she could hear whispered orders being given by Oak. A quick glance behind showed her that all but Twilight were hanging back for the moment. The young unicorn, however, was right behind her.

About halfway down the passage, the voice became clear enough to understand. Belle stopped, listening intently. Twilight followed suit, ears visibly tensing, trying to catch as much as possible.

“-n’t care what your stomach says!” the deep, unfamiliar voice was saying. “I draw the line at that... that filth.”

The voice was unusual, it had a rumbling cadence to it. It was like she could feel the voice as well as hear it. It spoke perfect Equestrian with an educated, refined tone. But there was an underlying harshness to it that scared Belle.

There was a few seconds of silence, then the deep voice returned with a heavy sigh. “I grow weary of waiting and skulking in these loathsome tunnels.”

Again there was silence, Belle strained her ears. This sounded like a conversation, but where was the other pony? Who else was talking and why couldn’t she hear them?

“Bah, I am beyond caring what the luminous nag can see during her rule. I yearn to be free of this place, to return to our glorious purpose.”

A pause. “Yes, the other’s ineptitude during her rule has granted us leeway, but the night is not enough. And even then, she keeps us on a short leash. How dare...”

Silence. Then a low, horrible growl that made the fur on the back of Belle’s neck stand on end. “I know, I know. We will go along with her. For now. But I do not fear the sun monarch’s power as she does.”

Again silence. When the voice returned, it had gained a hard edge, making the already other-worldly voice seem downright monstrous. “That was long ago. She has grown soft through the centuries. Her powers have diminished, diffused to others. She is not the threat she once was.”

Another pause. “I do not share the mistress’ fears. When we have fulfilled our obligation, we shall not cower in secret, we shall...”

The voice cut out, as though the other, unheard voice had interrupted it. When the voice returned, it was filled with a cold anger. “How dare you speak to me in such a way! Were things different I would destroy you where you lie!” There was a sound almost like a muffled explosion, perhaps a loud snort? It was followed by a heavy, rumbling sigh. “Very well, I suppose you are correct. And it is not as though I have much choice. Bah! I strain at these restrictions, the sooner we are free of them the happier I shall be.”

The voice fell silent again, and this time it did not return. Belle shared a glance with Twilight. To the captain’s surprise, the young unicorn looked quite shaken. Belle signaled for them to fall back and quickly sidled back along the wall to where the others waited. Twilight followed on trembling legs. Once they had all regrouped around the corner, far enough away that their voices wouldn’t be heard, Belle described to the others the unusual half-conversation that she had overheard.

“What do you make of it?” asked Oak when she had finished.

Belle shook her head. “I have no idea. I mean, who was talking? I certainly didn’t recognize the voice. Who is this ‘mistress’ he was talking about? And what is his ‘obligation?’“

Nopony seemed to have an answer. Belle glanced at Twilight again, who still looked shaky, and now looked troubled and anxious. “Twilight,” Belle asked softly, “did that... conversation mean anything to you?”

Twilight didn’t speak for a moment. Instead she chewed nervously on her lower lip while not looking at anypony in particular. “Twilight?” Belle prodded.

Finally the troubled unicorn looked up, meeting Belle’s eyes. “Um, I’m not sure. But I think... I think that was the voice of a dragon.”

What?

Nopony moved. Nopony made a sound. The stunned ponies hardly dared to breathe.

“A dragon!?” hissed Belle finally. “A dragon! You said the tracks definitely didn’t belong to a dragon!”

“They didn’t. Er, they don’t,” Twilight whispered hurriedly. “But I’ve heard a grown dragon speak before, and that voice back there sounded just like one.”

Belle’s head wheeled at the possibility. The other guards looked as shocked as she felt. Even Keen’s normally bored visage bore an expression of unease. This was suddenly looking like it was way too big for them. “Wait, wait,” she said in a low voice, trying to push her sudden panic aside and use her reason. “That can’t be right. There’s no way an adult dragon could fit down here. These tunnels are surprisingly large, I will admit, but nowhere near large enough to contain something that big.”

Twilight nodded but didn’t seem convinced.

“Perhaps it’s a young dragon,” suggested Em, trying to be even quieter than she normally was. To her credit, she was mostly successful, meaning that she was only slightly louder than everypony else. “Perhaps it’s still growing.”

“Perhaps...” conceded Twilight, although she didn’t sound like she believed it. She sounded troubled, and... contemplative?

“The question is,” said Oak, looking directly at Belle, the momentary panic from the proclamation having been replaced yet again with grim determination and confidence. “What do we do now?”

What should they do? Realistically, what could they do against a dragon, even a younger one? This changed things. There was little chance of this small group living through a fight with a dragon, let alone winning. If they continued on, she could be sentencing her guards, her friends to death. But what was the alternative? They couldn’t let this thing run rampant any longer.

Hold on. She was thinking about this all wrong. What had Twilight said? She wasn’t sure that it was a dragon’s voice; merely that it sounded like one. She needed to calm down and not jump to conclusions. She needed to think this through. Up to this point, they had been working under the assumption that they were dealing with a drake, and a manticore. All of the evidence had backed up her guesses. Heck, she had at least gotten a partial look at the drake just last night. It had been big, sure, bigger than a pony; but it hadn’t been as big as a dragon.

This couldn’t be a dragon. There was simply no evidence outside of a shaky feeling from Twilight that this was anything other than a drake. But then who had been speaking back there? And who had been the silent responder? It seemed like every time she found an answer it just led to a half dozen more. She needed answers. Now.

“Twilight,” she whispered, “is it possible that drakes can talk, that that’s what we heard back there? I mean, they’re like smaller, flightless dragons anyway.”

Twilight considered the question for a long moment before responding. “Well... I suppose it is possible. There was no mention of it in my research; although to be fair it never said they couldn’t either. It did say they were definitely considered less intelligent than dragons. I’m sorry, Belle. I just don’t know for certain.”

Belle accepted this with a nod. She made her decision.

The trapdoor was too narrow to allow more than two ponies through at a time. Belle worried about this until a quick glance through the doorway revealed that the chamber above was just an empty room, the only thing of interest was a doorway leading into a much larger room, like a hall, with the light streaming through the open door. There was no sign of the drake or the manticore; or, thankfully, a dragon.

Em and Morning went first, their shields ready to go at the first sign of danger. They climbed the steps as silently as they could, but Belle winced at every muffled thump of a hoof. Once they were sure it was safe, Morning waved the rest up. Belle took position with Em and Twilight on one side of the doorway into the next room while Keen, Oak, and Morning all huddled on the opposite side, waiting.

Belle peeked slowly around the door frame, scanning the adjacent room as quickly as she could before ducking back again. The room was large, much larger than Belle had expected. It almost looked like a warehouse. It looked to be about a hundred and fifty strides long, about half that wide. She could make out the vague shapes of several lanterns, unlit, hanging from the ceiling. Only two were lit, the two hanging on either side of the doorway on the opposite side of the room. The remains of crumbling crates littered the room, with piles of old and rotting wood crammed along the walls, forming several mountains of debris interspersed randomly throughout the room. There were multiple spots closer to the center of the room where the ancient wood had been smashed to pieces, not just rotted away; evidence of something large passing through. At the far end of the room, between and beyond the two lanterns, she could make out a patch of blackness that even she couldn’t see through, another doorway to another room. Other than the smashed boxes, there was still no sign of the drake or the manticore, or any evidence of a pony having been present recently.

Where were the monsters? This was seriously starting to get to Belle. She guessed that they were in that room at the far end of the hall. That posed a problem. In order to get there they would have to traverse the debris littered floor, in the open, in plain view. Unless the creature was asleep, it seemed unlikely that they could make it without being spotted.

Belle turned to Twilight and put her mouth close to the unicorn’s ear. “Too open,” she breathed. “We’d be seen. Can’t see any monsters. Suggestions?” She drew back, waiting for an answer.

The young mare pondered this for a moment. She even slipped around Belle to get a quick peak at the hall herself. Across the doorway, Morning looked confused, but both Oak and Keen were waiting patiently.

Finally, Twilight leaned in to whisper back in Belle’s ear. “I think we have to risk it. I could teleport us across, but it makes some noise and there’s always a bright flash of light. If we extinguish the lights, that would be a dead giveaway that something is up. Our best advantage is surprise. It’s not expecting us, so as long as we’re quiet, we should be able to get across the hall without it noticing. If it’s looking directly at us, then there’s nothing for it.”

Belle nodded. It was unfortunate, but she had to agree with the unicorn’s assessment. She looked across the doorway and met Oak’s gaze. She nodded to him and then gave a small jerk of her head in the direction of the adjacent room. Oak nodded his understanding and turned to whisper to Morning. Once the plan had been successfully relayed, Belle mimicked stomping her hoof three times, and on the third pseudo-stomp, Em and Morning ducked around and entered the room. Their horns weren’t glowing, but there was a tenseness about them that bespoke their readiness to cast a shield. Oak and Belle ducked in after them with Twilight and Keen following just behind.

Slowly and carefully, they made their way across the hall. The fact that there had not been an uproar as soon as they entered boded well for them. If one of the creatures was watching from the next room, then it would have spotted them by now and reacted. They picked their way through the detritus strewn about the floor, each hoof cautiously placed on the hard earth, constantly wary of wooden shards that might make a noise. It took longer than Belle would have liked, but soon enough they were almost to the door.

Things didn't go wrong until they were about a dozen strides away from the doorway. Suddenly a loud rustling sound came from the darkness between the small lanterns. They all froze in place, tense and waiting for something to happen. Belle cursed inwardly. Then a voice filled the enclosed hall, booming and echoing off the walls and ceiling. It was the same voice that Belle had heard before, but infinitely scarier because now it was larger than life, full of a malicious humor, and, worst of all, directed at them. "Well, well," the voice said with a horrible chuckle. "What's this? Six morsels coming to us, of their own free will? How wonderful."

Nopony moved, nopony said a word in response. Then, in the darkness between the two lanterns, a large, vague shape lumbered forward. Stopping just inside the doorframe, still mostly obscured in shadows, was something that only moderately resembled a lion. Where it was standing, Belle could see the distinctive feline shape to the creature's head, but it was off. Its ears were slightly larger than they should be, broad but tapering suddenly at the tip. Its mane was large but somewhat streamlined, not puffing out but lying flat. Its snout was slightly longer than she had expected, with vicious fangs that would have been visible even with its mouth closed. As it was, that horrible mouth was open in a surprisingly quiet snarl, its hackles raised and its beady eyes smoldering with rage. It was also enormous. If the head was any indication, then it would stand significantly taller than even Em. Only one of its forelegs was visible in the gloom, placed forward as though it were preparing to sprint. Oddly, it looked surprisingly lean, considering its size. Belle had only seen pictures of manticores, but they always seemed to have rather heavy legs and large paws. Like the tail end of the drake that she had seen before, this monster looked like it was built more for speed and endurance than for raw strength. Only the very front of the manticore was visible, and even that was just barely distinguishable in the darkness. Behind it, Belle could see little to nothing of the creature's body, creating a rather unsettling image.

Belle took this all in within a few seconds. She expected the monster to charge them, to attack, to do something. Instead it remained there, snarling. The voice rang out again. "Hmm, soldier ponies. How quaint. Come my little ponies, we have not enjoyed a good fight in over a millennium. We'll try not to end it too quickly." It gave a low laugh again that made Belle's blood run cold.

Belle wasn't about to let that happen. She reached forward and tapped Em and Morning on the flanks, hard enough to be felt through their barding. Instantly, both their horns lit up casting new shadows in the room and throwing the manticore's face in sharp relief for a moment. During that moment, Belle thought she could see and odd lump along its back; its folded wings most likely. Five arrows flew through the doorway, magically launched with more force than any natural bow could have provided. They slammed into the manticore. One grazed its cheek before lodging in its mane; one pierced its foreleg, sinking to the fletching into its elbow joint; one struck its forehead but at a slight angle, causing it to ricochet off of its skull, leaving a vicious gash all the way to the bone; one struck the side of its muzzle, twisting with its momentum and left sticking out to the side like a grotesque whisker. The fifth arrow, launched with Morning's deadly accuracy, tore through the beast's left eye, punching clear through its brain. The beast roared in pain, staggering to the side before collapsing to the ground.

The cruel laughter was cut short by the deadly barrage, replaced by the cheering of five ponies (Oak didn't cheer, although he did allow a slight smile to grace his muzzle). Belle couldn't help herself. "Surrender," she proclaimed loudly. "Or join this thing's fate. I'll only give you this one chance."

Suddenly, a small sound made her freeze. It was the sound of an arrow clattering on the ground. "Give me some light!" she cried out.

Three horns ignited in magical energy, forming three beams of light that quickly centered on the fallen manticore. It had stumbled to the side so much that from their angle, only its bloody head was visible in the doorframe. Slowly, the arrow through its eye was being pushed out. The gash in its head was closed and the arrow through its muzzle had already been evicted, its clatter having alerted the ponies that something was terribly wrong. Even as the stunned ponies watched in horrified disbelief, the arrow slipped out of its skull and dropped to the ground, a horrible eye starting to reform in the gaping socket. Blood still covered its face like the mask of a nightmare, but no wounds were visible any longer.

Belle suddenly realized that the cruel laughter had returned. It stopped as the manticore stirred and started to rise. "Oh, you foolish foal," the voice mocked. "I have shared its fate for two thousand years!" It was cut off by an odd noise that Belle couldn't recognize, a long, reverberating, almost bleating sound. "Yes, yes," the voice said, sounding annoyed, "As have you. But enough of this. Come, ponies. Face your end." Its horrible laughter echoed all around them again.

From beside her, Belle could hear Twilight's voice whispering over and over, "No, no, no, no, no..."

Belle felt her stomach drop as the fear seized her in turn. What could they do against this thing? They couldn't fight something that wouldn't die.

They were all going to die down here.

...

...

...

Fuck. That.

"Twilight!" Belle exclaimed as the two unicorn guards shifted their spells from lights to shields. The young mare in question still looked stunned. Belle smacked her. "Twilight! You said before you could teleport all of us. Can you get us out of here?"

The poor mare, she shouldn't be here. She wasn't a guard, she hadn't been trained for this. It didn't matter, they needed her now. Belle needed her now. She blinked. "Wha... um, yes. It's dangerous but..."

"Do it!" Belle yelled. The manticore had risen back to its feet. It turned its murderous gaze on them.

"But..." Twilight began to protest. The creature drew itself up, inhaling deeply.

Wait. It looked like it was going to…

"Do it now!"

The leonine beast thrust its head forward, its maw wide open, a horribly familiar brightness beginning to burst forth, visible even through the shield.

Belle didn't close her eyes this time. She glared defiantly in the face of death. She didn't blink.

The world exploded.

Author's Notes:

Once again, a huge thanks to my editor Expository Brony.

I have to apologize for this one taking so long to get out. Life's funny that way.

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

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

Any and all feedback/comments are greatly appreciated.