“Maybe we should leave this to the adults,” Crossed Swords offered.

I agree. You don't need to see this Rainy. Rejoin your family, and we’ll interrogate him outside. I added, sending my thoughts directly into the young pony’s mind.

“But I wanna help,” Rainy Days declared.

“Then help Fly Wheel,” Crossed Swords exclaimed, gesturing to the stallion.

“I could use some water, and a hoof,” offered the downed male.

“Okay!” Rainy Days happily declared, pulling the stallion from the ground.

“Woah you are strong,” Fly Wheel murmured.

“That's because I eat all my greens,” Rainy Days exclaimed.

“Err yeah. That's probably it,” Fly Wheel murmured.

Together the thankfully uninjured stallion and his filly assistant departed, meeting her parents halfway down. Through a little concerned for their child, they swiftly moved to help Fly Wheel away, while Crossed Swords hefted the dog onto his back. I kept my small swarm hovering nearby, ready to jump at the moment I noticed that he was waking up.

Thankfully that didn't happen and soon we were outside once more, with the sun sitting high overhead. My draconic servant was waiting, as were the rest of the bat ponies, including a concerned-looking Stalwart Steel. The mare appraised our captive and shook her head, a spark of recognition igniting in the pony’s old eyes.

“Damn shame,” she murmured.

“Do you know what's going on?” I pressed.

Stalwart grunted and gestured to the dog. “These poor bastards were mostly neutral in the war, and though we largely ignored them, the tyrant took offense to their neutrality. She hunted and enslaved them, claiming they were working to undermine Equestria at Luna’s request.”

“That explains the garish collar,” I murmured.

“He was saying something about if he caught one of us he could go free. That's new,” Crossed Swords remarked.

“Probably a lie,” Stalwart declared.

“Regardless, what do we do?” Cracked Wheel asked.

“We get some answers,” I exclaimed.

My statement was punctuated by a water skin being dumped on the dog’s head. I expected him to jump up, and ask what was going on, only that didn't happen. He just kept laying there, inert, but still breathing at least.

“Uh, do it again?” someone offered.

Another pony dumped their water supply on his head, to no effect other than making the dog wet. Which elicited a less than pleasant smell to waft across from the bloody and now muddy dog. Burning Beaker stepped up to the plate and smacked the dog twice across the face, only to get the same result as before.

“Do we have any smelling salts?” she asked.

“I could make some, but it would take time,” I replied.

“Just tie the dumb bastard up and get the food back to the others,” Stalwart barked, the mare limping over to the group, a scowl remaining on her face. “Any longer and they’re going to start panicking again.”

“R-right,” Burning Beaker murmured.

Crossed Swords stepped up. “Right, gather the supplies. I’ll tie up our visitor, and Stalwart here will make sure he doesn't run off without us noticing.”

The old guard pony grunted, settling down on a nearby rock.

Everyone else placed their bags on their back and rounded up what loose goods they had forgotten to pack. Within only a few minutes they had assembled near the edge of the grove, and though I wanted to go with them, I was conflicted. My first responsibility was to the grove, and to defend it, but I also wished to extend the same to the thestrals.

“Rainy,” I whispered. “I have an important job for you.”

“What is it uncle Xathrid?” she replied, looking up at my draconic avatar.

“There is a chance that these diamond dogs are scouting the others, and I need you to check up on them. Could you fetch your parents?” I pressed.

Rainy Days nodded dutifully before trotting away, returning a few seconds later with her parents.

“What's this about a job?” Cracked Wheel asked.

“I just need Rainy to go with you and act as my eyes and ears, that's it,” I quickly explained. “The dangerous part will be handled by them.”

I gestured down to the small group of undead animals nearby.

“And that's it?” White Iron inquired, her tone stern and unyielding.

“That's it,” I promised. “I just need someone who can talk and who can relay my messages.”

“Fine,” White Iron muttered. “But that had better be the extent of it.”

“Are you ready?” I asked, glancing down at Rainy Day.

The filly nodded confidently. “Totally!”

“Good. You will guide the others out of the grove while I remain here with our prisoner,” I explained.

“Okay dokay, be back soon uncle Xathrid,” Rainy Days exclaimed.

The filly quickly departed, along with her parents who seemed confused by her moniker for me. They didn't seem angered though, only amused after an explanation was given, so I counted that as a win. Crossed Swords was the last to rejoin the group, the stallion stopping a few feet from me and clearing his throat.

“I assume you have some manner of plan,” he half asked, half stated.

“I do,” I replied. “That was too small to be a raiding party, so it's likely that they are just scouting the area and took the opportunity before them. If I can drive them away, then it will be one less headache for the both of us.”

“It's too bad we can't free them. No one deserves to live their life in chains,” Crossed Swords remarked before turning away from me, my small swarm close on his heels.

The group, now complete, trotted away, with Rainy Days leading them safely through my domain. I watched them leave for several seconds before turning my attention to the two remaining guests. The dog was still unconscious and was being watched like a hawk by Stalwart, who had somehow managed to locate one of the daggers dropped in the fight.

“Think you can get this thing off of him?” Stalwart barked, pointing with the knife towards the dog’s throat.

“No idea,” I admitted. “But I’ll try.”

I leaned down and plucked the dog from the earth, cradling his unconscious body in my massive bony hand. There he looked downright tiny, barely larger than one of the bones in my draconic avatar’s palm. He also looked a little cute, to be honest, like a diminutive puppy with oddly apelike characteristics.

Brushing aside such thoughts, I summoned my magic, and exhaled across his body, focusing on his throat. The collar lit up with bright gold, before morphing into a mix of yellow as well as a twisting dark grey color. It was strange, and unpleasant to look at, though I was mostly unbothered, as was Stalwart who watched my every move.

“It's an enchantment, a powerful one,” I remarked, digging through my stolen knowledge. “I don't know much of that school, and I don't think removing it would be a good idea. There is a lot of energy stored within that spell.”

“Don't want him exploding,” Stalwart muttered.

I would have raised an eyebrow if I could, the mare’s confident tone saying more than she did. Regardless, I had little else to do, so I focused on inhabiting the small swarm of critters heading back to the mountain. Or at least I would have, had Stalwart not loudly cleared her throat after a few minutes of silence.

“What's your angle?” she demanded.

“I thought we went over this already,” I replied.

“I’m not satisfied with your explanation, now tell me what you hope to gain from helping us,” Stalwart pressed.

“Company,” I answered after a short pause. “That's about it really. I’ve got a long life ahead of me, and I’d like it if it was one filled with laughter.”

“That's really, it?” Stalwart asked, incredulously.

“That's it,” I echoed.

The mare sat quietly, the blade laying on her lap and reflecting her face in its crudely shaped edge. She remained there, just staring for several minutes, before seemingly making up her mind and letting out a huff. She didn't elaborate any further, however, and I wasn't exactly itching to pry either, so I shifted my attention away.

To the group of bat ponies as they made their way back to their mountain home with my swarm and servant in tow. It wasn't that terribly long of a journey, given that they could all fly, save for Rainy Day, who could still only glide. Not like the filly minded, as she required no rest, and was able to run far faster than a living foal would normally be capable of.

I made a note to experiment more later, perhaps a bit of magic was all the undead pony needed. That was a thought for another time, however, as right now, she was fine running along beneath the others. Her parents remained close overhead but soon retreated a little further up once they realized their child was safe and close by.

My small swarm had mostly hitched a ride with the filly, sticking firmly to her back or neck. Their shorter legs weren't enough to keep up, save for a few of the frogs which could leap several meters in a single hop. Add to that their undead vigor and they were making great strides through the woods in little time.

Even Crooked Coin managed to stay airborne the entire way, though she was clearly winded by the end of it. Thankfully her leg muscles were mostly unused, allowing her to jog alongside the others as they entered the mountain. Statues passed them by, the silent mostly destroyed sentinels watching as the small squad ran back to the rest of the group.

Along the way, I was careful to inspect our surroundings using the small swarm of creatures. Things seemed fairly normal, with nothing being out of the ordinary, that was until we reached the city itself. There I could smell that something was off, the air was disturbed somehow as if another cave entrance had been opened nearby.

The others seemed to notice this as well and slowed down.

“Something’s wrong,” Crossed Swords muttered.

“Uncle Xathrid thinks so too,” Rainy Day offered.

I didn't tell her to say that, but it felt fitting at least.

“We need to move,” Crossed Swords declared.

Noone hesitated or offered another opinion, merely falling in behind the guard as he started ascending the steps. Hopping sometimes two or three stairs at a time, the group made their way swiftly up to the long bridge spanning the two sides of the cavern. There they saw their first sign that something was off, as a door to one of the many homes was laying on the road.

Some force had evidently knocked it clean off its hinges, and hadn't cared to toss it aside. Whoever had done this swiftly got in a scuffle, as blood, and dirt was spread all over the place. That crimson trail led towards the castle, which itself was a buzz with activity, bat ponies visible all over the place. Some ran out of it, others into it, while a couple flew overhead, confused or making their own escape.

“Stay here,” Crossed Swords ordered.

“I can help,” Rainy Day declared.

Stay with your parents. I added. It's too dangerous.

Rainy Day frowned. “Fine, but only because uncle Xathrid wants me to stay here.”

When Crossed Swords left, I had my swarm follow after him, the guard using his sense of danger quite effectively. It wasn't long before we had entered the castle, and were making our way into the cellar, pushing our way past the odd pony. Down there we found our first true guard pony, laying face down in a slowly growing pool of his own lifeblood.

Barely armored, and wielding only a rusted short sword, the soldier bore a long slit across his throat. That was more than enough to egg me on and tell me that this was likely the work of diamond dogs. They were remarkably stealthy, at least when it came to moving through stoney passageways.

While Crossed Swords got slowed down by having to push past a throng of injured and uncoordinated guards, I continued on. Using my many-legged critters to sneak beneath the hooves of the ponies and proceed down another set of stairs. By then we had passed by a cellar, a dungeon, and a dozen other spaces before ending at what had once been a storage area.

Now, however, it was the staging area for the diamond dog attackers, who were making a fighting retreat. The bat ponies were far more numerous and were closing in from all sides, but the dogs had better tactics and arms. The first line of them was fighting with long spears, keeping the bat ponies away while their brethren behind them hauled away frightened captives.

The sight sent a bolt of rage through me, and I swarmed the central-most dog in a horde of undead animals. His confusion turned to terror when a rather large monitor lizard bit off his unmentionables. He screamed and fell to the ground, abandoning any attempt to protect his fellows behind him.

This was just the opening the bat ponies needed, and using the bedlam spreading through the diamond dog line, they pushed. By the time this happened, I had already spread my swarm out amongst the other attackers, biting and clawing whatever I could. I scratched eyes, took out chunks of flesh, and otherwise did my best to sow as much chaos as was physically possible.

Even still, the dogs fought hard enough that some of the captive takers managed to escape before they were overwhelmed. Some were able to sneak away deeper into their impromptu tunnel, collapsing it behind them before the bat ponies had a chance to follow. As the bat ponies got around to taking prisoners and gathering up those who had nearly been kidnapped, I recalled Rainy Day.

I need you to act as my voice. Can you do that? I asked.

Yes! Came Rainy Day’s enthusiastic response.

I recalled the swarm and directed them into an unused room of the castle. I could hear the clamor of panic as ponies were brought away to have their injuries treated while others argued. This was mostly around simply killing all the dogs, but thankfully they decided against this action and bound them instead.

Rainy Day appeared not long after, the filly sprinting into the castle and careening around a corner.

“What are you doing, Rainy?” hissed White Iron. “Come back here.”

“I gotta help uncle Xathrid. He needs to talk to Tall Order,” Rainy Day exclaimed.

“Just slow down. We’ll come with you!” Cracked Wheel added.

The sight of the filly elicited confusion and fear in equal measure amongst the bat ponies. They had larger worries, however, and for the most part, ignored her, and focused on those more pressing concerns. Allowing Rainy Day, and her parents to reach the center of the commotion, the throne room.

Tall Order stood in the middle of it all, barking orders, and pointing people in various directions at a truly remarkable pace. While everyone around him panicked, Tall Order remained a pillar of order amidst the chaos. Within only a minute or so he had managed to get everything under control, bringing calm once more.

It was then that Rainy Day stepped forward after a small amount of urging from myself.

“It is good to see you are still in one piece,” Tall Order began, the aged stallion kneeling down. “Hold on a moment, what happened to you?”

“I died, but I got better,” Rainy Day exclaimed. “Uncle Xathrid needs to talk to you now.”

Tall Order stiffened, rising to a stand once more. Though no explanation was given, I just knew he understood what was going on.

“Go ahead,” he offered.

May I borrow you for a moment? I asked Rainy Day.

Sure. Rainy Day replied.

I regretfully took control of the filly, her posture immediately straightening. “I see you have also had a run-in with these diamond dogs. Any idea what they want?”

“I don't know, but we have prisoners and I intend on making them talk,” Tall Order exclaimed.

“Then bring them in,” I offered.

Tall Order exchanged a nod with one of the other bat ponies, and a few moments later a trio of diamond dogs was dragged inside. One was taller, and resembled a German shepherd almost, his face more angular than the others. Who was wider like the bulldog in their midst, as well as the boxer, whose shoulders were wide enough to carry a fridge on them. I immediately recognized the flat-faced brownish-gray bulldog from the way he clutched his bloody crotch.

“You,” Tall Order commanded, pointing to the clearly injured dog. “Tell me who ordered this attack, and where you are based.”

“Don't say nothing. You know what they’ll do to you if you do,” hissed the boxer.

“We’ll treat your injuries if you do,” Tall Order offered.

“It's a trick, the collar-”

“Some fancy unicorn with gold armor!” the dog shrieked. “Our camp is not far, only a few miles south and deeper in the earth. Now please help me find my pe-”

His demand was cut off when all of a sudden, he erupted in flames, his entire body covered in golden fire. His scream of pain lasted an instant before the dog was reduced to ash, leaving behind the collar he had worn. Unblemished by the flames, the item rested atop the gray pile, ready to enslave another unwilling party.

“Well then,” I muttered through Rainy Day’s mouth. “That complicates matters.”

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