The first thing that Zephyr felt as he began to regain consciousness was a comforting feeling of warmth and softness. It enveloped his entire being and put him in a state of relaxation that made him want to want to stay asleep. He shifted in whatever position that he was in to get more of the warmth embracing him, and it seemed to return it. Reaching out with his forehooves, he wrapped them around the warm and soft object. The stallion nuzzled deep into it, inhaling its sweet scent, which seemed to be that of a multitude of flowers. He suddenly found himself enveloped by even more of the comforting feeling, realizing it was reciprocating. A draconic purr seemed to make its way out his lips, signaling his love for whatever he was feeling.

“Oh my, it looks like he’s finally starting to come to girls.” A soft and gentle voice suddenly said from outside of Zephyr’s consciousness. It flowed into the stallion’s ears like a flowing river, or a gentle breeze in the middle of spring. “Zephyr sweetie, are you okay?”

Zephyr’s ears flicked, somehow recognizing the gentle voice despite still somewhat being in his unconscious state. He shifted again in the warmth and hugged it even tighter, even going so far as to wrap his wings around it. When that didn’t work, he just settled into cuddling into it, letting out another purr in the process.

“Hmhm, it looks like he is darling, but he doesn’t really want to let you go~.” Another more melodic voice crooned, laced with amusement and tenderness. “The poor dear is just far too comfortable with you holding him like that.”

“Well can you really blame him?” A third more raspy voice asked knowingly, sounding rougher than the other few. “He just got blasted by that giant fucking raptor after he took the hit for Fluttershy. I know for a fact that could not have felt good in any way.”

“Ah’m amazed that he even managed to survive that t’ be honest.” A fourth voice with a southern drawl murmured, speaking in a calmer tone. “It looks like them fancy lookin’ guards are a lot tougher than Ah thought.”

“Well, like Goku, Zephyr is a Shenron, and they are known for being able to take brutal beatings, just like the Nightstalkers.” A fifth more intelligent voice said softly, carrying undertone of deep worry. “Still, even I’m amazed that he was able to take such a devastating attack. For a second I really thought that he was…”

“Yeah, I had thought that too when the Shinomōkin struck Zephyr. At the very least, I thought that he was going to be out of commission for a while.” A fifth voice, this one sounding smooth and silky. “Thankfully it looks like that’s not the case. The fact that he’s moving at all is a good sign, for both him and us. As much as I want to let him rest for a bit longer, we’re going to need him up again.”

“Awww, do we have to Goku?” A sixth and final voice whined childishly, its high pitch nearly waking Zephyr up. “He looks so cute all snuggled up to Fluttershy like that! Can’t we just let him stay like that for just a little longer!”

“I’m sorry Pinkie Pie, but Goku’s right.” The soft gentle voice said sadly. “We’ve been here for over two hours now, and we’ve managed to recover from being shocked by the Shinomōkin. So, I think we should be getting a move on in a little while, though, I think we should have him eat something before we go.”

“Awww, phooey.”

“Don’t worry Pinkie Pie, it’s not the end of the world. I’m pretty sure that we’ll be able to have more moments like this.” The silky voice said comfortingly. “If it’s any consolation, if Zephyr gets knocked out by any of the animals again, I’ll let you be the one to cuddle him this time.”

The childish voice let out a squeal of delight. “Oh wow, really?! You’d let me do that?!”

“Sure sweetie. I could see how jealous you were that Fluttershy got to be the one to do it. So, I figured that you should get a turn if the opportunity presents itself.” The silky voice said, a low giggle coming afterward. “Just as long as you give Twilight a turn afterwards when your done with him.”

“Yes sir, ma’am sir!” The childish voice replied, a giggle of its own leaving shortly after.

“Really Goku?” The intelligent voice moaned, sounding embarrassed.

“Yes really.” The silky voice chuckled slyly. A second later, the sound of hoofsteps made its way over to Zephyr, before the royal blue stallion felt a warm breath right next to his ear. “Zephyr, it’s time to get up sleepy boy. Come on, I know you can hear me.”

Despite the gentleness in the silky voice, the undertone of firmness and authority behind it was enough to get Zephyr out of his state of semi-consciousness. The training he that he received form the military academy to pay attention when somepony’s talking to him added to that, and before Zephyr knew it, he was waking up. He stretched his legs out, while still being enveloped in warmth, before reaching up to his face and rubbing at his eyes. After blinking them a few times, he opened them, and found his vision enveloped in nothing but a sea of soft pink and yellow. Giving another rub at his eyes, he looked around, and found himself staring into the gentle, yet amused teal eyes of Fluttershy, with a smile to match.

“Good morning sleepyhead~.” She cooed, a soft giggle leaving her lips. “Did you have a nice nap in my chest fluff~?”

“Fluttershy?” Zephyr murmured quietly, looking at the buttermilk pegasus in confusion. He looked around and saw the other six mares, all of which who were sitting around him. There was also large clearing with a burning fireplace in the center. “W…what’s going on? Why am I snuggled up with you?”

“You mean you don’t remember what happened?” Goku asked with a small head tilt. “You got zapped by a giant Shinomōkin after you pushed Fluttershy away from its line of fire. After that you just went completely unconscious.”

“No, I remember that. I totally remember that.” Zephyr said dryly, shaking his head. “What I’m asking is, what exactly is going on here? And why am I all wrapped up in Fluttershy’s wings like this?”

“Weeeeeeeell,” Pinkie Pie began slowly, twirling her straw hat in her right hoof. “After you had gotten zapped unconscious by that giant scary bird, it chased us across some of the forest trying to zap us to smithereens as well! We had managed to make it to clearing where were we tried to think up of a plan, buuuuut that giant bird kind of ruined it for us and caught us all in its big cloudy body! It started zapping all of us, and we wouldn’t ended up as its food if it weren’t for Goku zapping that scary bird back!”

“Wait, you did?” Zephyr asked, his eyes widening at the tan Thestral. “You actually…fought that thing?”

Goku blushed sheepishly. “I wouldn’t say fight per say…” she said hesitantly, rubbing the back of her head as if she had done something embarrassing. “More like I blasted a hole through that bad boy’s body and created a hole big enough to break us all free and into the river.” She pointed over to an entrance in the forest where an opening could be seen. “The same river that I dragged you all out of, you’re welcome.”

“You made a hole in the Shinomōkin’s body?” Zephyr asked, staring aghast at Goku. A short stretch of silence passed, before he worriedly asked, “Did…did you-”

“No! No, I didn’t do it!” Goku interrupted quickly before Zephyr could finish. “You can trust me when I say that I did not kill the big boy. The Shinomōkin’s body was made entirely out of lightning and storm clouds and nothing else. So, while my attacks may have been painful, there was no way they could’ve killed while he wasn’t in his normal form.” She bit her lip as she looked away. “Although, I may have given the poor thing a stomach pain that’ll take a few days to go away. Other than that, he should still be able to master the skies he was blessed to soar under.”

Fluttershy sweat dropped, shooting a weird look at the thestral mare. ‘Is that really the only thing she gave the Shinomōkin?’

“Oh, I totally believe that one.” Rainbow Dash snorted out, as she laughed. “Overdoing things as usual G, haha!”

Rarity gracefully struck the back of Rainbow’s head with her tail. “Like you have any room to talk dear.”

“Oh, I see. Well, that’s good at least.” Zephyr said softly, looking relieved. With a sigh, he slowly pulled himself from Fluttershy, cringing as the pain receptors in his body flared up. “Ugh, sweet Faust, that aches.”

“Well you did just get zapped by a giant ass bird that could’ve eaten us all whole if it wanted to.” Applejack pointed out. “Ah’d be surprised if that didn’t hurt, or at least didn’t feel really sore…in a painful way.”

“Well, my pain isn’t the only one that I should be worried about.” Zephyr said, eyeing the rest of the mares. “Are any of you girls okay? I know that Shinomōkin got all of you too, so I know that all of you have your own fair share of injuries.”

“Well, we did, but not anymore.” Twilight said, rubbing the back of her head. “When we had all came to, Fluttershy used her healing powers to assist in the acceleration of our healing rate.”

The royal blue stallion snapped his gaze over to the buttermilk Pegasus. “You healed all of their wounds?”

“It’s a special type of healing magic that only members of my clan can use.” Fluttershy replied, slowly getting to her hooves. “Besides the Rosario clan, I come from another called the Tenshi clan, which like my other clan, has the ability to heal wounds by using spiritual energy in a solid form. When I came to, I had encased you, and almost everypony else in an oval of healing magic and healed your wounds while you were unconscious.”

“You can do that? Zephyr asked in amazement, earning a soft nod from Fluttershy. “Wow, I gotta admit…that is a really cool ability.”

Fluttershy blushed and looked away, her long pink mane partially hiding her face. “Oh, it’s not really anything special to be honest. Just something that I can use in case of dire situations like this.” A look of slight disappointment came to her face as she sighed. “Though, it is what you may call a double-edged sword.”

“What do you mean by that?” Zephyr asked, his voice tinged with worry. “It doesn’t have any serious side effects does it?”

“Thankfully not really.” Goku replied, easing Zephyr’s concerns. “It just drains an insane amount of Fluttershy’s magical power and leaves her in a bit of a weak state for some time. Plenty of rest and filling your stomach until it bursts will get that energy right back up though, and luckily for us, we’re surrounded by plenty of vegetation.” Her ears perked as a smile came to her face, her fangs gleaming. “There is one other cool thing about Fluttershy’s healing powers though. It runs off of her emotional energy and what positive or negative emotion she’s feeling. The more positive her feelings are and the more conviction she has, the stronger her healing magic is and the less her magic is drained. However, the more negative they are and the more doubt and worry Fluttershy has…”

“…The more magic is drained out of her and the weaker her healing magic is.” Zephyr finished as he figured the rest out, Fluttershy’s nod confirming it. He looked back over at the veterinarian, who was still looking down at the ground bashfully. “So…how long were we all out?”

“Well, I was the first one to wake up, and Goku told me that it was a good thirty minutes since we had all escaped the Shinomōkin. After she had explained to be the situation, I had used my healing magic to help you and the rest of the girls recover from being electrocuted, which took about another half hour. After that, me and her waited for the others to wake up; first Applejack, then it was Rarity, then Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and finally you.”

“Okay, so let me get this straight. We spend half hour unconscious after being zapped into unconsciousness while you healed…most of us.” Zephyr said, glancing over at Goku for a moment before looking back at Fluttershy. “Then after another half hour, you waited one by one for us to wake up while I was cuddled up with you?”

“On a pile o’ big smooth leaves.” Applejack nodded, pointing at a large leaf bed behind Fluttershy. “Fluttershy insisted that if she was gonna be keepin’ ya warm, that you’d at least be as comfortable as possible. She wanted to do it fer all o’ us but, well…she only had enough fer one pony.”

“Oh, I see…” Zephyr nodded glancing at the lead bed for a moment. Shaking his head, he shot Fluttershy a grateful smile. “Thank you for doing that for me Fluttershy. That was, um…a really kind thing for you to do. Even though I don’t really know why in the hay you’d do that.”

“Why wouldn’t I? You saved me from being shocked to death by the largest bird of prey in all of existence, second only to the Haast’s Eagle.” Fluttershy said, tilting her head. “After such a life-threatening move like that, the least I could do was make you as comfortable as possible. Even if it meant sleeping with you.”

Zephyr’s cheeks flared up into a deep red blush as Rainbow Dash burst out laughing. “Sweet fuck Fluttershy! Did you really have to put it like that?!”

“Put it like what?” Fluttershy asked, looking over at the cyan mare. “All I was saying that even if it meant sleeping with him, I would make him as comfy as can be after he saved me.”

“That’s exactly what Rainbow Dash meant darling.” Rarity said delicately, a pink tint on her own snow-white cheeks. “Not the fact that you would make Zephyr as comfortable as possible while he recovered, but how you said the way you would do it. You said you’d do whatever it took, even if it meant sleeping with him.” She coughed into her throat like she literally had something stuck inside of it that required the action. “Don’t you think that sounded just the least bit, um…”

“Sexually graphic?” Twilight finished bluntly not looking the least bit embarrassed. “What Rarity’s trying to say is that when you said, ‘even if it meant sleeping with Zephyr’, you made it seem like you would…you would-”

“Wait what?!” Pinkie suddenly cried as she dropped her hat, her high-pitched voice echoing about the clearing. “That’s what you meant when you said that you’d make Zephie comfy while he was recovering?! That you would butter the biscuit with him?!”

Goku’s eyes bulged as Fluttershy’s pupils contracted, a sharp gasp leaving Zephyr’s mouth a split second later. Quickly regaining her composure, the fanged mare rounded on the pink earth pony, a tick mark forming on her head.

“That is not what Fluttershy meant and you know it Pinkie Pie!” She hissed sharply, keeping her voice low as to not attract any unwanted attention from within the forest. Ignoring Rainbow’s loud guffaws, she continued, “While you’re at it, keep your voice down too! We are in the middle of a clearing, and the last thing any of us needs is for that Shinomōkin to come back! Or any other animal to suddenly come into this clearing and ambush us!”

“What do you mean, that’s not what she meant?!” Pinkie Pie asked, frowning confusedly at the irritated tan thestral. “Rarity and Twilight said it themselves! When Fluttershy said that she’d go as far as to sleep with Zephie to make him comfier, she meant that she’d let him turn her into a creampie! While he was asleep!”

“N-now Pinkie, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.” Fluttershy said shakily, her own face as red as the eye on her roseray. “When I said I’d sleep with him, I didn’t mean that I’d r-r-ride him while he was asleep! I meant that I would-!”

“WHAT?!” Pinkie yelled again, the volume of her voice making everypony cringe. “You mean you wanted to do the dirty with him with all of us watching?! Whoa Fluttershy, I had no idea you were that dirty!”

“PINKIE!” Now it was Rarity’s turn to scold her friend. Doing so in a way that made her sound like a mother admonishing her child for doing saying a bad word. “How dare you say such a think about poor Fluttershy?! That is not was she was saying or thinking at all!”

“Uh, yeah it was!” Pinkie nodded adamantly. “Flutters clearly said that she’d do the stinky if it meant Zephie would feel better from being electrocuted! How could she not mean something like that if that’s what she said right in front of us?!”

Goku snarled warningly, another tick mark forming on her head. “Pinkie…”

“No, that’s what you said Pinkie Pie.” Applejack said bluntly with a deadpan expression. “And th’ reason ain’t what Fluttershy had said was because she didn’t mean it like that! Did ya sugarcube?”

“No, I didn’t!” Fluttershy cried desperately, falling to her haunches and covering her face with her forehooves. “I-I mean that I would let Zephyr snuggle up with me if it meant easing the pain he was feeling while he was recovering! I didn’t mean that I was going to touch him without his consent!” She snapped her head over to the royal blue stallion, who was still sporting his deep red blush. “I mean it! I wasn’t going to touch you like that in any way without getting the green light form you!”

“N-no, it’s okay, I believe you.” Zephyr said, fighting to keep his face from heating up. “I know you didn’t try to touch me like that. If you did, I would’ve known even if I was-”

“AHA! I knew it!” Pinkie Pie shouted, jabbing a hoof at Fluttershy. “You were planning to pass the gravy with Zephie! You were actually going to do it!”

“NO!” Fluttershy yelled, stomping both forehooves on the ground. “No, I was not!”

“Oh yes you were!” Pinkie Pie retorted, shooting to her hooves and getting right into a blushing Fluttershy’s face. “You just said right out of your mouth, that unless you had Zephie’s green light that you weren’t going to make him stuff you full of his frosting! You said it right to his and our faces, so now we all know without a doubt that you would’ve taken Zephyr while he was sleeping, and rode him until he-”

Anything else that Pinkie was going to say was interrupted when her face suddenly met the dirt ground below. A large lump appearing on the back of her head, despite her straw-hat covering it. Everypony looked on in shock as Goku stood over Pinkie Pie from behind, her left tri-colored hoof raised in the air. Her head was lowered, and her ears were pinned against her head, her eyes shadowed by her mane and a golden aura surrounding her body.

“I think that’s enough crazy accusations out of you for a while.” The tan thestral said sternly, watching as Pinkie Pie’s eyes swirled around and steam rose form her lump. Letting out a long breath through her nostrils, she turned to Zephyr with a softer expression. “I am so sorry you had to hear all of that Zephyr…Pinkie Pie can be a bit of a motormouth at times. I hope that you weren’t too embarrassed by what she was saying…especially you, Fluttershy.”

“N-no, it’s alright, I wasn’t really that bothered by it.” Zephyr stuttered. “Though I was just the slightest bit taken aback.”

“Yeah…” Twilight murmured dryly. “Just a little…”

“S-same here Goku.” Fluttershy nodded, taking a calming breath. “I’m not really mad at Pinkie about what she said. In fact, I can see why she thought that in the first place…given the rather, um, compromising position that I had put ourselves in. It did look like we were, um…”

“Just finished fucking each other’s brains out?” Rainbow Dash chuckled, earning her a swift bonk on the head from Goku. “Ow!”

“…Yes, that.” Fluttershy said meekly, squeezing her eyes shut as she felt the urge to crawl under a rock. It was soon washed away when she felt a warm wing drape over her, and Fluttershy looked over to see Zephyr smiling warmly at her. “Thank you…”

“Hey, you helped me have what had to be the most comfortable sleep of my life, so the least I could do I ease your embarrassment.” The royal blue stallion replied with a shrug. He suddenly leaned in and whispered into her ear. “If it’s any consolation, I do think that you are attractive as all living shit. I mean seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever seen any mare as sexy as you.”

Fluttershy’s cheeks sported the deepest blush that night. “Oh, um…t-thank you for that. Y-you don’t look, um…so bad yourself.” She replied, rubbing her left foreleg with her right.

“Alright, break it up you two.” Goku said, making the two pegasi look over at her. “You can act all lovey dovey towards each other later. We’re a in a bit of a fix her right now…and we need to band together right now and figure out what we’re going to do. First things first though…we all need to stock up and recharge.”

“Um…recharge?” Zephyr asked, raising an eyebrow.

“She means eating.” Twilight emphasized with a slight giggle. “It had been a while since we had last eaten, which was when we were back in my library, and honestly…it wasn’t very much. So, while we were all out, Goku had decided to do some foraging around the forest.”

“Foragin’?” Applejack asked, turning to Fluttershy and Goku. “Ya mean ya actually went int’ th’ trees to find some food?”

“Uh-huh!” The tan thestral chirped, lashing her extended tail into the shadows of the clearing. With a yank, she pulled out a huge wooden plate that was piled with thick grass, and a multitude of berries. “I had grabbed enough of this to make sure we’re all full until our bellies explode, and we’re not that far from the stream we fell into! So, if we get thirsty, we can just go to that river and drink from there.”

“Whoa Goku, this is a lot!” Pinkie Pie said, amazed at how much Goku had gotten. “This is an even bigger pile than the one of the sweets that I made for your brother! And coming from me, that’s really saying something!”

Rainbow Dash looked over at the pink pony in confusion. “Uh, what?”

“Meet Goku’s brother, gave him some sweets, put a big smile on his face.” Pinkie Pie said, keeping the explanation short and sweet. “Anyway, give me my sweets!”

Rolling her eyes, Goku obliged in taking a wooden plate and given one to each of her friends, Zephyr included, before they all say around the fireplace. They all began to eat the foraged vegetation and fruit, none of them exchanging a word as they took the opportunity to fill their stomachs. About half an hour into the feast, Twilight began to explain the predicament they were now in.

“Alright now, before we do anything else, I think I should point out the main problem we have right now.” Twilight began calmly. “That problem being that we’re no longer on the path we were treading. Which means that we’re now officially lost.”

“I think that was already made painfully obvious.” Zephyr murmured, rubbing at his shoulder as a shudder went down his back. “So, how’re we going to be able to find Queen Celestia’s old castle now? Anypony have any ideas?”

“Well, we could fly up into the air scout it out from here.” Rainbow Dash suggested, before looking up into the trees. “Then again, with all of these big ass trees blocking the sky, that’s going to be a pain in the ass to do. Not that I don’t mind getting a few leaves and twigs here and there, but I’d rather not take my chances of painting the ground red.”

“Well, luckily for you guys, I’m a flyer that doesn’t really need to worry about my wings getting messed up.” Goku said, winking at the cyan mare. “Though, you do make a good point…those trees are larger than any other that I’ve ever seen before. So, I guess I shouldn’t try my luck in flying up there, least I either break a wing, or send a rain of branches down here.”

“Good thing we’re not in Marelaska or the Forbidden Jungle if that were to happen.” Fluttershy murmured quietly. “Then we’d really be in trouble…”

“What was that darling?” Rarity asked, batting her eyelashes at the other mare.

“Nothing.” The buttermilk pegasus sighed. “Anyway, does anypony else have any suggestions?”

“We could try backtrackin’.” Applejack said her voice slightly muffled by the grass that she was currently chewing on. “Goku just pointed out that we’re not too far from the river that we fell in after getting’ away from that giant bird thing. So, we could go back to where we had landed and see if we can git back on th’ trail from there.”

“I believe that the bird that attacked us is called a Shinomōkin Applejack. It was said more than several times now.” Rarity said daintily chewing on a few berries and grapes. “And please, don’t talk with your mouth full. It’s unbecoming of a lady, even if you are a farmer.”

Applejack glared in annoyance at the fashionista, but said nothing.

“That’s another good idea. Except there’s one little problem.” Twilight said, grimacing slightly as she levitated her now burnt saddlebag in front of her. Opening a remained of one of the flaps, she pulled out the remnants of their map. “While we were trapped inside of the Shinomōkin, my saddlebag got burnt pretty bad. While not everything is burnt, it’s not going to be of much help for us anymore. There’s only a few extra maps and the combat weapons that I brought that, surprisingly, haven’t been totally burned or soaked. Other than that…everything is pretty much useless.”

“Soooo…” Pinkie said slowly a frown coming to her face. “…that also means the tasty treats that Spike made for us are gone as well?”

Fluttershy frowned sympathetically at Pinkie. “Yes Pinkie, every last one of them…I’m sorry.”

The party pony sighed dejectedly and fell flat on her face again. Doing it in a way that made it seem like Goku had given her another lump on her head. “Well that’s one other plan that’s party pooped…all of that hard work Spike did, gone just like that! And here I thought that it’d be a bit easier for us to keep going on this exciting adventure. Now we’ll never get to keep going on this super-duper fun adventure!”

“…Not exactly Pinkie.” Zephyr suddenly said, making all the mares turn to him. “There is a bit of a silver lining to Applejack’s suggestion to how to get back on track. That being the stream that Goku had rescued us from.”

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow Dash asked. “What’s so good about that?”

“Thing about it; when we had first appeared in that clearing, there was not a single tree in the river that we had flown to.” Zephyr explained. “Not only that, but since there was no trees, we were allowed to give a full view of the sky above since it wasn’t blocked by the trees. So, I think either me, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, or Goku should go over to that same river and fly above all the trees until they can see the remnants of the abandoned castle.”

“That does sound like a good idea Zephyr.” Fluttershy said contemplatively. It was soon replaced with a perplexed frown. “But…how will we able to spot the castle? It could be anywhere in the grove of trees no matter how hard we look.”

“I don’t think that should be much of a problem.” Goku said reassuringly. “If any of you want, I can go and look for the castle. From that I can remember, the castle of the two sisters is in the far mid-eastern side of the Everfree. I also have pretty sharp eyes, and can see from a pretty far distance, just like a dragon can.”

“That you do; anything that is far away to a normal pony is up close to thestrals like you.” Twilight said knowingly. “In that case, I’ll leave it to you Goku. Just be careful out there okay? There are a lot of dangerous beasts out here, and we really don’t need you getting into a scuffle with them.”

Goku nodded, winking at Twilight as she got up from her position in the fireplace. “Don’t worry Twi, I’ll be alright. If any animal tries to get me, I’ll just show them a good dose of my good old thestral strength. That way, they’ll know not to mess with me, just like the rest of my fellow bat ponies of this beautiful forest. I’ll be back as soon as I can, and if something happens, just scream and I’ll come right back.”

“You got it Goku!” Pinkie chirped. “We’ll make sure to scream nice and loud if we feel like we’re in any type of danger.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear that Pinkie.” Goku nodded approvingly, turning tail and trotting away. Just before she vanished into the darkness, she turned to Fluttershy and Zephyr and said, “Oh and Fluttershy, Zephyr, try not to fuck each other’s brains out while I’m gone.”

With a sly giggle, Goku spread her wings and took off into the shadows of the forest, leaving two blushing Pegasi and the rest of her friends behind at the campfire. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash all laughed their asses off while Fluttershy and Zephyr stayed silent, both of their faces burning by the cheeks. The only ones who weren’t laughing were Twilight and Rarity, both of which who were sporting her own blushes, the latter sporting a disapproving frown.

“Well, I would never!” Rarity said hotly, looking like she was fighting back a smirk. “Of things she could’ve said before parting ways, that was what she came up with? Is she trying to make those two even more embarrassed than they already are?”

“If she was trying to make them shyer around each other, then it worked.” Twilight replied, watching as Zephyr and Fluttershy avoided eye contact. “Of course, I kind of suspected she wanted to have some fun with them before she took off.” She sighed and shook her head. “Typical.”

“Well, Ah was kind of expectin’ it mahself.” Applejack said, chuckling. “Goku more or less did the same thing t’ her brother while she was havin’ brunch with me an’ mah family. Sheton was tormented relentlessly by th’ teasin’ she was given him while he was playin’ with Apple Bloom on the field. The poor boy’s face was as red as Honey Blossom’s fur!”

“Oh, now I would’ve loved to see that!” Rainbow Dash snorted. “The same thing happened back at my home when Goku, her brother and sisters had come with me to my house. Blossomforth and Cloud Kicker were at my house, and they met G’s little brother, and needless to say…they hit it off pretty quickly, Sheton and Blossomforth especially. Heh, that girl always had a soft spot for kids…”

“I could say the same as well about that darlings.” Rarity said, giggling a bit. “Sheton was such a little gentlecolt my little Sweetie Belle when he first met her. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her hit it off with a foal that fast, not even your own sisters now that I think about it.”

“Yeah well that Sheton for you.” Zephyr chuckled, making the three mares turn to him. “He has this knack for getting anypony to like him. Well, at least those that have enough of a soft heart to like him and even love him. This works with a lot of ponies, the mares and fillies especially, and while not many of the ponies at the school he goes to got one over by him, the ones that did have taken quite a liking to him, Crescent Shield and Spike being a couple of them.”

“Heehee, I definitely believe that!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “When I had first met Sheton, which was earlier today, I saw something in him that I let me know that I’d like him the second I saw him! That theory was proven when he met my candy sweet little fan, Melon Cake, and didn’t make fun of her for having multi-colored eyes. He even went so far as to say that he thought they were the prettiest eyes he ever seen!”

“Awwww, he did~?” Fluttershy cooed, putting her hooves to her chest. “Well that was sweet of him. I bet that really made little Melon smile a lot~.”

“Oh, you better believe it sister!” Pinkie said slyly. “Oh, and you know what else I found out from Goku about her brother? Sheton has a thing for fillies that had different colored eyes!”

This made Fluttershy pause for a long moment. “He…he does?”

“Uh-huh, the little guy sure does.” Zephyr nodded, smiling slyly. “Don’t get me wrong, Sheton thinks that any mare or filly he sees as pretty is even prettier because of her eyes, no matter the color. Be that as it may, there’s just something about a filly or mare having one eye color being different from the other that’s really well…captivating to him. Heck, one time, while I was having lunch with his family, he told me that he ran into a thestral filly whose eyes were two different colors, and when he looked into them, it was like he was looking into different orbs of prettiness.”

“Well isn’t that sweet?” Twilight grinned, giggling into her hoof. “I bet that little filly really like hearing that.”

Zephyr barely held back a snort of laughter. “Oh yeah, she totally did! If the multiple kisses she gave him were any indication!”

“So…he likes fillies with heterochromia.” Fluttershy said quietly, her eyes trailing to the fire as it flickered within her pupils. Images of her smiling sister suddenly flew in her mind like a dove through a split mountain, and she found herself choking up. That choking soon dissolved into sniffling as her face went from thoughtfulness to pure sadness and anguish.

“Fluttershy, is somethin’ wrong sugarcube?” Applejack asked softly, being the first to notice Fluttershy’s demeanor change. “Ya don’t look too good.”

“Oh, it’s nothing, I’m just-” Fluttershy began, only to stop abruptly as the shaking in her voice became more apparent. The teary-eyed expression she had on her face strengthened as her eyes glaze over, the fire in front of her making them shine. Her head slowly lowered more as her eyes pinned and her wings ruffled, before a whimper left her throat.

“Fluttershy?” Zephyr asked softly, concern lacing his deep voice. “What’s the matter? Are you okay?

Fluttershy, at the last question let out a soft sob that drew the attention of the other mares to her. Applejack and the others all went silent, their conversing ceasing as Fluttershy’s sobs grew louder and stronger. She collapsed onto her barrel; her tears being covered by her mane which was now covering nearly all of her face. Zephyr immediately took her in his forelegs, holding her close to him while the other pegasus cried in his embrace.

“N-no…no, I’m not okay!” She cried out; her eyes so tightly shut that it looked like she was in pain. “How can I possibly be okay at a time like this?!”

“You’re not?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Why is that?”

“It should be obvious why she’s not okay.” Zephyr replied, rubbing Fluttershy’s back. “You’re thinking about your sister, aren’t you?”

Everypony froze in place as this question struck into their heads like an axe repeatedly chipping its way through a giant tree. The relaxed and cautious demeanor they had a few minutes ago dissolved as they all looked at each other. Their gazes soon turned back to Fluttershy, who continued to cry as her tears plopped onto the grass.

“Y-yes…I am. I’ve been thinking about her ever since we arrived in the Everfree. And since she was taken away from me by Nightmare Moon Nocturnis!” Fluttershy replied, her quiet voice ending in a fierce cry as she stomped the ground. “D-do…do any of you have any idea how scared she looked w-when I saw her? W-when I did everything in my power t-to get to her a-and get her away from the Q-Queen of Darkness? I-I’ve never seen such fear…s-such terror on the f-face of an foal in my l-life! S-she looked like she had s-seen t-the one thing s-she feared the most…and s-she wasn’t t-the only one either.” She inhaled shakily as she lifted her head up, one teal eye looking up at her friends. “Y-you all saw it too d-didn’t you? T-the same looks on the r-rest of your s-sister’s faces? E-even Sheton’s?”

None of the girls answered; none of them needed to answer that question. The look in their eyes and language in their bodies spoke louder than any words that could’ve came out of their mouths.

“I know you did...b-because I saw the looks in y-your eyes back at the T-Town Square.” Fluttershy continued, sniffling as she pushed her mane from her face. “T-the fear…t-the terror…the anguish…and the anger. T-the need to g-get them away from that monster that took Q-Queen Celestia’s s-sister…I saw and felt it from every single one of you.” Gently, she pushed Zephyr off of her dried her tears. “I can still feel it now. No matter how well you hide it from others, I can see it swelling inside of you all. I know that the only thing that you’ve been thinking about was getting to Nightmare Moon as possible and get our precious siblings away from her. And that you want to give her some sort of punishment for what she did. You’re still thinking that, aren’t you?”

Again, no nopony spoke, letting their eyes and slumped body frames do it for them. Slowly, they each broke away from Fluttershy’s gaze, their manes shadowing their eyes from the flames of the fireplace. The tense air around the clearing was so thick that it could’ve been slice to bits by the claws of a dragon. A tension that was soon broken by Rarity’s smooth poised and graceful voice speaking out.

“That’s just you Fluttershy. Always able to spot something that is so efficiently and masterfully hidden.” She said softly, sounding like she had made the worst dress in the world. “You are correct on all parts my dear…one every single point. I thought that I had managed to keep myself composed enough to think about surviving this place long enough to get to my sister.” She sighed in defeat as she delicately wiped at her muzzle. “I suppose I have just been fooling myself.”
`
“I’d be a real party pooper if I said that I didn’t feel the same way.” Pinkie said with a mirthless smile, her voice unusually soft. “I haven’t been able to really smile after my sweet little Melon Cake was taken to whatever party Nightmare Moon has planned. I tried to keep myself from being too down, because I didn’t wanna let it bother me.” Her smile fell into a genuine frown as her pink colors began to turn blue. “I guess it had the opposite effect…the big unfun affect!”

“You jus’ spoke mah mind sugarcube.” Applejack nodded, probing at her hat. “When Ah saw Apple Bloom gettin’ stared down by that mare…Ah jus’ so…angry. Like Ah wanted to break somepony’s neck kind of angry.” Her hooves dug into the ground as she bit her lip, nearly making her blood draw. “Ah wasn’t thinkin’ about anythin’ else, Ah jus’ wanted t’ save mah lil’ sis b’fore anythin’ happened t’ her.” She looked up into the trees, as if she could see the figure and terrified face of Apple Bloom being whisked into the sky by Nightmare Moon. “Lookin’ back, Ah think that turned out t’ be mah undoin’.”

“Same here AJ.” Rainbow muttered; her forelegs crossed tightly in front of her chest. “Hell, even before Firestreak got foalnapped, I was already planning on slicing Nightmare Moon’s head off for stabbing the Queen. And I very well would’ve if I had my sword…and if you hadn’t stopped me at the last second.” She sighed as she reached back and clenched the handle of her sword. “I was pretty pissed that you did, but now…I’m glad you did. I can see now that I wouldn’t have been able to try to save my sister now if I had just gotten myself killed like that. And that would’ve have been very uncool. Not just for me, but for Firestreak too.”

Tears silent feel from Twilight’s eyes she softly talked. “I…I can’t say that I’m innocent in my sister’s obduction either. I didn’t…couldn’t do anything to save her…neither her nor Spike from getting hurt by Nightmare Moon.” She hugged her tail close to her, as if it was a large teddy bear instead of a part of her body. “I can still here Crescent screaming out to me and feel Spike sobbing in my hooves. I never saw either of them so scared or distraught before. When Nightmare Moon took them, I felt my heart stop and I almost passed out. I-I didn’t do anything…no chase, no magic blast…n-nothing. I-I just stood there…a-and watched!” Her breath hitched in her throat as cheeks streamed with tears. “I…I have to get them back…we have to get them back. Our sisters and Sheton back! All of them back! We can’t lose them to Nightmare Moon! For Faust’s sake, WE CAN’T LOSE THEM!”

Anything else the lavender unicorn planned to say was drowned out by the multitude of tears freely spilling from her eyes. She began to cry softly as she hugged herself, rocking back and forth like an elderly mare in a rocking chair. Most of the others weren’t too far off as they too began to softly weep, some more quiet than others. Only Rainbow and Applejack looked to be still somewhat composed, though they looked like they were going to shed a few tears themselves. Fluttershy felt her heart go out to each of her friends, wanting to hug all of them, and she would’ve if she didn’t start crying again.

Then, like a soft clean tissue, Zephyr’s low voice dampened those tears away.

“You won’t.”

All six mare’s ears perked at these two words the conviction and firm determination within them pulling their faces towards Zephyr. They flinched when they saw the sharp gaze in his eyes, the orange irises burning brighter than the fireplace.

“You won’t lose them girls. You won’t lose any of them. Do you understand me?” The royal blue pegasus said, his voice gentle, yet stern. “None of you are going to lose any of those precious little hatchlings, ever. Not while I’m here, not while we’re in this forest and still on our trek to the abandoned castle.” He hugged Fluttershy close to him, and this time, the mare didn’t push away, resigning to snuggling against him instead. “I can’t imagine how you’re feeling right now based on what happened. I don’t even have any siblings myself, but I do have a mom…a kind, gentle, and understanding mare. And let me tell you, that my anger would be through the fucking roof if anypony hurt her or tried to take her from me. I would have nothing in my mind but burning whoever had the audacity to harm her.”

He sighed when he felt Fluttershy gently press a hoof against his cheek, stroking it in a motherly fashion. “Even so, I know that won’t help me. Just like how it won’t help any of you to let your emotions get the better of you. A royal guard never lets that happen with them, mare or stallion, though you guys are fine, since you’re not guards. Which is why, until we get your siblings back, and stop Nightmare Moon, I will not stop. I will not run away, I will not back down, and I will certainly not leave you to the mercy of the Everfree. Even if you do get help from the Everfree Alliances, I will not leave a group of ponies who are so determined to rescue their loved ones, that they will throw themselves in the most dangerous wilderness in the world.” He took off his helmet and pressed it against his chest. “As long as Nightmare Moon has those hatchlings with her, I will fight. To my last breath I will use every ounce of magic blessed to me by Faust herself so they can see tomorrow. That I swear on the roseray that I wear, the fire that I breath and the dragon that roars within me.”

The silence in the clearing was so thick, that the wood snapping and fire crackling was the only thing that was heard. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie all looked at Zephyr, their tears eyes washing into the fiery orange irises his eyes possessed. Looking into them, they could still see the determination and conviction that burned inside of them. Which reflected in the words that he just spoke to them. They could feel the power radiating from those words, so strong that not a single doubt about them etched into their minds. The girls just sat, still and at a loss for words as Zephyr kept his helmet close to his chest.

Finally, the quietness was broken when Fluttershy reached out and cupped Zephyr’s face in them, turning the surprised stallion towards her. He suddenly felt something warm and soft press against his forehead, soon realizing that it was Fluttershy’s lips. His blue face blossomed into red as Fluttershy kissed him on his forehead, the act deep, warm and gentle. It last for at least ten seconds, but seemed to go on longer, before pulling away. The tears were still in her eyes, but they were accompanied by a smile that made Zephyr’s heart flutter.

“Thank you, Zephyr. That means so much to use to hear you say that.” She said sweetly, running her hooves along his mane. “We can’t even begin to comprehend what our sisters and Sheton could be suffering under Nightmare Moon right now. We want nothing more than to take them out of where she’s taken them and never let her anywhere near them again.” She hugged the stallion around his, letting his face rest into her chest. “I’m so happy that you’re going to help us any anyway you can. Truly, I am…”

Zephyr blushed but said nothing for a moment as he took a moment to inhale another smell of Fluttershy’s enticing scent. Slowly, almost reluctantly, he pulled away and draped a wing around her quivering form. “Well of course, why wouldn’t I? I signed up for the royal guard for a reason and that was to fulfill my dream. To protect any innocent citizens who can’t protect themselves against everything…and that’s what I intend to do. Even if it’s here and even if we do get some extra assistance.”

“I know baby, I know.” Fluttershy said, planting another gentle kiss on Zephyr’s cheek. “I just wanted to say how glad I am that you’re devoted to helping us. Goku really did choose wisely in becoming friends with you, and not just because you’re a fellow Shenron.”

“Yeah, she sure did.” Twilight nodded, laughing a little. “I’m thankful too Zephyr, that you want to help us too. And we’ll do all we can to help you, help us in finding Nightmare Moon and stopping her from keeping our sisters and taking over Equestria.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that Twi, you and the rest of your friends.” Zephyr said somewhat jokingly. “Because I’m not going to treat any of you like damsels in distress. I’ll be expecting you all to hold your own, just like how I will. And I’m definitely gonna be expecting some sort of thank you from you guys when this is over.”

Rarity giggled, her voice dripping to a tender, yet sensual croon as she talked “Oh, I will certainly make sure that goes through darling~. You’re risking yourself just to be in this forest with us, even more so to rescue our sisters. That is not something that can be repaid with a simple kiss~.”

Applejack looked at Rarity again, this time with dry amusement. “Fer you, it never is.”

“Ooooh, and just how’re you going to repay him Rarity?” Rainbow asked slyly, nudging the alabaster unicorn in her side. “With some sort of fancy tuxedo? Or maybe with a nice good fuc-”

“Don’t,” Rarity sharp voice pierce through Rainbow’s question like needle through fabric. “Even. Finish. That. Sentence.”

“Yeah, that’s what I wanna know Rarity!” Pinkie said excitedly, pressing her muzzle directly against Rarity’s. “Are you gonna repay Zephyr the same way that Fluttershy said she was going to get comfortable with him? By bumping your cushy tushy pretties?”

Rarity’s face went beet read and she looked to be ready to rip Pinkie’s mane right out of her head. Any such attempt was stopped when she noticed shoot up to her hooves, her ears flickering about. Also taking notice of the actions in their friend, Twilight, and the others all went silent, watching as Fluttershy continued to look around the campsite.

“Girls, I don’t want to terrify you…” She began softly and slowly. “…but I don’t think we’re alone right now.”

“Not alone?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Is Goku back already?”

“No, she’s not.” Zephyr shook her head. “If she was, I would’ve been able to pick up her scent. Even more so if there was wind blowing in this direction, and pick up her magical presence, especially since her reserves are so large.” He looked back into the dark shadows of the trees around them. “I’m picking up a powerful source of magic somewhere in these woods, and whatever it is, it is not Goku.”

This made everypony else go on high alert and stand to attention. Each of them gained looks that varied between fear and worry.

“Oh dear…” Rarity said gravely. “…you don’t mean to say that dreaded bird is back, do you?”

“…No, I’m not sensing the Shinomōkin anywhere around her. If it was hear, we’d be hearing the flapping of its wings, which is a dead giveaway whenever its hunting.” Fluttershy replied. “I can sense another animal’s magical presence around here, and it is huge.”

“I can sense it too.” Zephyr said, his own ears pinning back. “Everypony be on your guard, if this animal is a powerful as Fluttershy says it is, the we need to be prepared for everything.”

“Don’t need t’ tell us twice hun.” Applejack said, pulling on her fire boots. “After all o’ that shit we got but through with that varmint bird, Ah ain’t lettin’ any other critter here git th’ jump on me again.”

“Shinomōkin.” Rarity hissed sharply, glaring over at the tangerine farmer.

The echoing snap of a tree branch stopped all conversing between the ponies as they looked around the campsite for the new creature. Rainbow Dash was hovering above the group, legs tensed, and fangs bared as her magenta eyes gleamed in the campfire. Pinkie Pie stood in the very middle, her fur, mane and tails shifting between pink and purple as she tried to keep her fear under control. Rarity and Twilight stood off to the left, their horns aglow with magic in preparation of firing, while Applejack and Fluttershy stood to the right, their forelegs planted wide and heads lowered. Zephyr stood at the front, his body alight with an orange aura which glowed as brightly as his eyes, his wings halfway spread, and teeth bared.

“Did anypony else hear that?” Applejack asked, breaking the silence. “Ah couldn’t have been the only one who heard that.”

“No, you definitely didn’t.” Rainbow replied, growling a little. “And I’d really wish that whatever this thing is would just hurry up and come out so I can whip its ass! If it doesn’t, then I’m going to make it come out and make it fight me!”

“Rainbow Dash, calm down!” Twilight hissed sharply. “We’re not supposed to be making any noise right now! We don’t know where this animal is coming from, and your shouting may lead it to where we are! So please, keep your voice down!”

“I have to agree with Twilight, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity nodded. “Your shouting and threatening of this beast are the last thing that we need! And we certainly don’t need you trying to provoke it into coming out, least it eats you first!”

Before Rainbow Dash could go in on Rarity, a snarl broke through the shadows that made both her and everypony else’s blood curdle. They once again froze in place and looked the area, all of them feeling more afraid than ever of the unknown creature. Just as quickly as the sound came, it had immediately gone away, leaving the effect of it savagery on the seven ponies.

“It’s here everypony.” Fluttershy hissed quietly, looking at each of her friends. “Don’t let down your guard for even a moment. If you do, one of you might get-”

Before she could, she and everypony else were deafened by an explosive roar that shook the clearing like an earthquake. Two golden and garnet eyes suddenly sliced through the darkness like knives through flesh before a large white blur burst out from the trees. They all screamed and scattered in multiple directions, but one of them wasn’t quick enough, this unlucky victim being Pinkie. Fortunately for her, she was saved by Zephyr, who shoved her out of the way just in the nick of time. He immediately found himself screaming as something sharp clamp down on him I between his muscular neck and left shoulder. Before Zephyr could even try to get free, he felt himself being dragged back into the forest by the creature.

“Zephyr!” Twilight yelled as she watched her friend get taken into the trees and bushes. “He’s gone!”

“Hold on, I’ll go get him!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew off into the forest.

“Rainbow Dash wait!” Rarity shouted, just before the cyan mare vanished. Once she was out of sight, Rarity let out a frustrated sigh. “Ugh, I swear, that mare-!”

“D-d-d-did you guys just see that?!” Pinkie Pie cried, her entire body a bright purple. “You guys just saw that too, right?!”

“Yes, and I know exactly what that was.” Fluttershy replied, her eyes narrowed. “What had just popped out was a Doragontora!”

Applejack turned to Fluttershy with a perplexed look. “A what now?”

All six mares’ heads suddenly turned to see Goku flying into the scene, a worried and extremely panicked look on her face. As she landed, the tan thestral looked around the campsite, not seeing Zephyr and Rainbow Dash with Twilight and the rest. The fear in her eyes was joined with worry when she took notice of the large animal tracks, and the destroyed campfire.

“Girls, what the hell going on?!” Goku asked, locking eyes with them. “Where’s Zephyr?! Why is he not with you?!”

“H-he was attacked darling!” Rarity replied, looking ready to have a meltdown. “W-we were just sitting here at the campfire when something just popped out of nowhere and attacked us! We don’t know what it was, but it got Zephyr and dragged him into the forest!”

“What?!” Goku yelled her eyes widening in terror. “Did it get Rainbow Dash too?!”

“N-no it didn’t.” Pinkie whimpered, tears welling up in her eyes. “A-after Zephyr saved me and got taken, Rainbow Dash went after the thing that took Zephyr. She was going to try and go save him and bring him back!”

“Wait, so you mean to tell me that you let Rainbow go in there alone?!” Goku asked, a snarl coming to her face as she bared her fangs. “And you didn’t even try to stop her either?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

“W-we’re sorry, we were just so taken aback that we couldn’t do anythin’!” Applejack said, shrinking away from the tan Thestrals glare. “We didn’t have enough time t’ keep her from goin’ after that varmint that got Zephyr! It all jus’ happened so fast!”

Goku was stopped from berating her friends again upon hearing a scream and noticed something burst out from the trees. Her eyes widened when she saw it was Rainbow Dash, and she watched as she sailed over them and slammed into a nearby tree, falling to the ground with sickening thud.

“Rainbow Dash!” The jet-black maned mare shouted as she and the others ran to the fallen mare. “Are you alright, what happened?!”

Rainbow Dash groaned, pushing herself off the ground with her front hooves as she leaned against Fluttershy for support. Inhaling a deep shaky breath, she coughed out a glob of blood that splattered onto the ground. Holding a hoof to her chest and stomach, she choked out, “T…t-that goddamn cat…got the drop on m-me. I-I almost had him until he h-hit me with his d-damn t-tail club!”

“Rainbow Dash what were you thinking?!” Fluttershy scolded. “I know you wanted to try and save Zephyr but rushing in like that wasn’t the way to go! Do you even know what the animal that you tried to fight was?!”

“N-no, I don’t.” Rainbow Dash snarked, glaring up at Fluttershy. “And I’m assuming that you know what it was?”

“Dashie, Fluttershy had told us of all kind of Everfree animals that she knew of back in Twilight’s library before we came here!” Pinkie Pie said before Fluttershy could reply. “Of course, she knows what it is! Why would she be asking you what you tried to fight if she didn’t?”

The sound of hard galloping caused all of the girls to turn around to the spot where most of them had seen Zephyr get taken. Shock and relief washed over their faces when they saw that it was Zephyr, who was sporting a look of panic. All the mares flinched when they saw a large bite mark on between his left shoulder and side of his neck. Along with claw marks on the left right side of his face, left leg, back, and chest.

“Zephyr!” Twilight cried, running towards the injured stallion. “You managed to escape?!”

“Yes, I did, but we’re in real deep shit right now.” Zephyr replied, unable to hide the undertone of panic in his otherwise levelled voice. “We need to get away from this campsite! It’s not safe here anymore!”

“What do you mean?” Rarity asked. “What was it that just attacked you?”

“There’s no time to explain! We have to leave now before it-” Zephyr was cut off when Goku suddenly lunged at him and tackled him to the ground. The movement came just before a large bolt of fire shot out from above the trees and struck the one behind the other girls. The girls cried as it the bark exploded in multiple directions, not enough to make the tree fall but certainly enough to leave a noticeable mark on it. They were all brought out of their stunned states by another snarl, and they turned to the source, only for all of them to flinch at what they saw next.

Slowly hovering down from the trees and bushes, smoke floating from out of its gaping jaws, was what had to be the biggest tiger that any of them had ever seen. Upon closer inspection, the eight ponies realized that the rhino sized beast wasn’t actually a tiger; at least not entirely. It certainly had the legs, tail, torso, and head of the striped feline. But it had the legs of the reptile, with the feet being a mixture of both beasts. Its fur was a deep brown, almost to the point where it was chocolate color, sporting jet black strips that seemed to melt into the shadows around it. The cat had a set of deep green spines that went from the top of its head, all the way down to where its hind legs were, its eyes a blazing yellow with slitted golden orange pupils. The feline had a vast wingspan that span over twenty-five feet, both the ends and thumbs, along with its paws, lined with long curved white claws, and five-inch-long sabers protruded from its mouth.

“Sweet Faust above!” Rarity cried. “What unnatural abomination is that?!”

Fluttershy, who was also staring in shock at the creature, whispered, “Doragontora…”

Twilight looked over at Fluttershy, having not entirely heard what she had said. “What did you say Fluttershy?”

“She said it’s a Doragontora.” Zephyr replied, standing in front of the girls. “From what I had read about on creatures of the Everfree, the Doragontora is the famed draconic tiger of it.”

“A what?!” Rainbow Dash yelled in shock. “You mean to tell me that things a cross between a tiger and a dragon?!”

“Yes Rainbow Dash, it is.” Goku replied. “The Doragontora is considered to be the largest living tiger ever to exist in the Everfree Forest, with the Manticore being a close second. It has the strength and power of a dragon combined with that of a tiger’s speed and agility, despite the cat’s own power as well, making it a deadly adversary. It has claws that are strong and sharp enough to cut through the toughest bark on trees, with jaw power that can crush a pony’s skull and even shatter it in one bite. It also has a large spiked tail club that’s made entirely out of bone, strong enough to permanently cripple, or even kill another animal. Its most dangerous weapon is the fire power that it has, and its able to fire it off like a missile, quicker than most other dragons, aside from the Night Fury.”

“Night Fury?” Pinkie Pie repeated quizzically. “What the heck is a Night Fury?”

“Ah’m sure Fluttershy will have plenty o’ time t’ explain it t’ ya later sugarcube.” Applejack said, before Fluttershy could reply. “Right now, we gotta skedaddle!”

Right as she said that, the Doragontora roared again and leaped at the ponies with speed that took them by surprise, Zephyr being its main target. He was ready for it though, and delivered a swift back hoof to the draconic feline’s face, sending it flying off to the other side. He ducked when its tail club came zooming towards him, and he ducked just as it smashed into the burnt tree behind him.

‘Damn that’s a powerful club it has there!’ He thought, watching in silent shock as the tail club smashed through even more of the tree. ‘Normally I wouldn’t worry about any creatures tail in a fight, but it looks like I’ll have to make an exception with this one.’

Zephyr turned back to the Doragontora just in time to see it flip around before landing back on its clawed feet, its eyes piercing right into his. It gave another roar before it flapped its wings and leapt at him again, its large clawed paws out ready to slice. When it was within reached, it swiped at Zephyr with those same paws at a speed that Zephyr couldn’t help but be impressed by. Even so, it was enough to catch him off guard and make himself a target. When he saw an opening, he rushed under the cat and delivered a punch right to its stomach, before kicking it away from him. It was able to quickly recover and flew at the stallion, lashing its tail out and striking him it his side, the spikes drive into his skin and fur. Zephyr grunted as the attack hit him, before he collided with a tree, the force of the impact nearly making him throw up as bark rained down on him.

“Damn, this reptilian cat is kicking my ass like it’s nothing…! ” Zephyr said to himself, looking up at the beast through his mess of a blue and yellow mane. "Guess I shouldn't be all that surprised since he is a beast of the Everfree Forest!" His eyes glowed as his wings spread out, almost acting like a shield for the girls. Soon after, crackling chirping was heard as lightning burst out f him, charring ground beneath his hooves at its master’s will. “Alright then, time for me to respond in kind!”

Aside from editing and shortening some sentences, and adding a bit of a dramatic effect like I should've done last time, I this chapter is staying the same. Oh, and a good portion of the ending of the last one has been taken out, it it will be added in the next chapter that shows the fight with the Doragontora. Oh along with a little sneak peak with the Shadowbolts, as I'm sure some of you will remember me doing from the last edition. I do believe that the editing in these chapters are getting better and better, especially with the little paragraphs and phrases I'm putting in. Now, for those of you who may get on me about emphasizing the words and sentences into black, please don't get on my case about that okay? I believe that it would help me add some extra impact on the drama that I want to present in this story, so please don't come to be complaining about that too much. Now sure if I'll get the next chapter out just a day after this one, but hey...we'll see, now won't we?

Next time: The girls try to keep themselves from being lunch for the striped assassin, while the Shadowbolts run into a...minor problem.