I plodded as quietly as a nearly two-ton heap of rock could manage, my charges held gently in my hands. The others were walking ahead of me, their pace lethargic but thankfully not slowing down any further. It was clear that they weren't ready for a long trek, but were emboldened enough by their newfound freedom to ignore the aches and pains that ailed them.

I estimated that they would just barely manage to get back before they started collapsing from exhaustion. This was unacceptable, and I was already trying to think of some way that I could carry them all without dropping anyone. While I contemplated my predicament, I noticed that the group had gone quiet for the most part, with only a single whispered conversation being had.

I didn't want to eavesdrop so I merely let them talk, focusing instead on the three ponies in my hands. Crimson Heart had closed her eyes, though I could tell that she was not asleep due to her constant shifting. The broken stallion was completely gone, the male snoring loudly, relaxed completely for the first time in what had likely been a long time.

Only the older stallion remained alert and awake, his hooves gripping the edge of my hand. He peered intently out at the mostly quiet forest, studying the many shapes that darted through the darkened wood. His attention prompted me to scan my surroundings again, but thankfully the effort was unneeded as there were no predators nearby.

I was tempted to speak to the male, to ask him about his life, and his time, and perhaps even acquire new information on Lakeside. I resisted this urge, however, merely allowing him a chance to relax. He seemed to have the mental fortitude necessary to speak of his experiences, but I didn't want to take away his chance at tranquility.

So I walked on in relative silence, listening to the insects, and distant birds that called out to one another. After several minutes we managed to reach the edge of the forest, allowing me to peer above the short trees that grew there. What I saw was an advancing wall of rain coming down from the mountain and across the plain.

Like a great wave of water, it created many deep puddles and a considerable amount of difficult terrain. It was then that I realized I must put my half-concocted plans to use and leaned down, placing the backs of my hands on the ground.

“I am going to carry you all back, but to do so I must find something really quickly,” I warned.

Crimson Heart blinked wearily. “Why, what's going on?”

“We are about to get rained on,” remarked the old-timer.

The broken stallion gazed forward, watching as the rain rushed towards us.

“I’ll be right back everyone,” I warned.

I could tell that some wished to contradict me and demand that I stay with them, but their loyalty won out in the end. Instead, they simply stood there as I jogged away, making a beeline for a downed tree I had spotted not long ago. Picking it up, I turned it over and found that it was nearly perfect for my plans.

The first thing I did was split it in half, after which I scooped out the dirt and muck that had collected in the hollow center. Once that was done, I walked back over to the group of ponies and knelt back down once more. With the two sections of tree laid out on my arms, I extended my hands and placed them against one another.

“Quickly, find a spot to sit,” I urged.

“You heard her,” barked the older stallion.

The group swiftly got into position, seating themselves comfortably without too much overcrowding. One of the mares that had been used as a pack mule even had enough rope to secure the tree to my arms and ensure they didn't roll. In the end, it was a bit slapdash, but it was enough to seat everyone, so I was happy with the result.

By the time I rose once more and began to trod towards the distant mountain, the rain was upon us. Coming down hard, and cold I knew instantly that this would likely make a few of my ponies sick if I did not move quickly.

So that is what I did.

“Hold on everyone,” I urged.

I gave them only a few seconds before I began to move as fast as I dared. I started with a light jog but soon picked up the pace, reaching a comfortable running speed. My charges were jostled slightly, but I made sure to bend my arms just enough to keep them from getting knocked off.

Without having to worry about anyone getting underfoot or slipping from my grasp, we were able to reach the mountain quickly. As we approached, I noticed that one of the watchers posted ran off, likely to alert the others of my coming arrival. Sure enough by the time we reached the final plate, a small crowd of ponies had gathered near the mouth of the cave.

Wearing what little clothes they had, they watched and waited until I knelt down before them, arms outstretched. My charges were quick to disembark and make their way toward the waiting hooves of their loved ones. The sudden arrival was met with many tears, heartfelt words of thanks, and more than a few gasps of shock.

I stayed at the back, merely observing as the group of recently freed slaves was ushered inside. Only once they were all dry did Crystal approach me, the mare wearing an oversized cloak likely fitted for her partner and not her.

“Thank you, mother Gaea. Once more you have saved us from slavery and darkness,” she greeted.

I waved a hand dismissively. “Save it for Sunday.”

“As you say. Though I am curious as to what happened to them. They said very little about their time in the forest,” Crystal continued, glancing over to the cave entrance.

“The less said the better,” I murmured. “It… wasn't good. Furthermore, we have a complication with a few other captives, and the diamond dogs they now serve mostly willingly.”

“Mostly?” Crystal pressed.

I imitated a sigh and gestured to the cave entrance. “Come. I will fill you in while you are not standing out in the rain.”

“Of course,” Crystal agreed.

We moved over to the safety of cover, and I began filling her in on what had all happened. It took a few minutes to tell her everything that occurred, but once done she stood there silently, a pained expression on her face.

“Those poor, poor ponies,” she muttered.

“There are more,” I stated.

“What do we do? We have no weapons, or armor, we dropped everything that might have weighed us down. I think a few survivors were guards or soldiers but there can't be more than a dozen of them total,” Crystal blurted.

“I’ll go,” I replied, rising up to my full height. “I have no need for swords or the like, nor do I require sleep.”

“True, but this Moldy guy, he can't be a pushover. To gain control over so many dragons would mean that he’d have to be quite strong, and fairly old as well,” Crystal pointed out.

“Irrelevant,” I retorted. “They have my ponies, and no matter how big or how tough he is, he must die.”

“I agree, but this is a whole order of magnitude larger than a couple of inquisitors, or a hoofull of raiders,” Crystal pressed.

“I will be careful, but this is not something I can ignore,” I declared quite firmly.

Crystal sighed and nodded. “I know, but I can't help but feel like this dragon is going to be a bigger problem than any of us realize.”

“It will be fine,” I stressed. “Just go help the others get situated, and tell your boy toy to put a few more watchers out on the cliff.”

“I will,” Crystal replied.

“Good, oh, and remind them to stay out of sight. If they find you guys while I’m not here, things will not go well,” I pointed out, my words heavy with importance.

“I know mother. Just, stay safe,” Crystal muttered before turning around and going back inside.

A sense of pride welled in my chest, making me wish I could smile or pat the departing mare on the back. I made a note of doing so later once I was inhabiting a smaller body, and maybe even giving the girl a hug. She had certainly earned it.

Brushing off such motherly notions, I turned my attention back to the task at hand, that being the various points of interest the diamond dogs had noted for me. Upon thinking of the furry warriors I had spoken with not long ago, I began to worry, my mind conjuring images of their betrayal. Yet the ponies they had amongst them trusted them, maybe not completely, but it was there and I felt it clearly.

“Trust is a two-way street,” I muttered to myself.

Taking off back in the direction of the forest, I focused on just getting there quickly while also not slipping along the way. A feat that would have been impossible had I still been human. Though thankfully I was a multi-ton golem made primarily of stone with bits of metal so some mud didn't slow me down.

I merely thundered through the rain, my anger giving me the determination to push on despite the foul weather. As if detecting my dour thoughts, a bolt of lightning pierced the sky a second before the thunder rolled over me. I wanted to turn around, head back and relax in safety but the knowledge of what the dragons had done to my ponies drove me on.

With thundering footsteps, I ran to the first location marked on the map that I had been shown. I’m not sure how I knew exactly where it was, but I just did, on an almost instinctual level no less. It was like there was some arrow hovering above the ground before me, pointing me in the direction I wished to go.

Eventually, I reached it, having not run across any wildlife, save for a blood-red salamander the length of a pony. The slimy critter didn't stick around long and quickly retreated back into a puddle, where it watched me pass. After that, there had been nothing but thunder, the pounding rain, and my simmering hatred for those who had done harm to my ponies.

Upon seeing that I had found the deep ravine from Hypereas’ map, I came to a quick stop. Glancing around, I found that it looked completely normal, albeit a bit dreary given the weather.

A deep trench had been cut out of the land, sliced out by the swiftly running creek that was found at its base. There, nearly thirty meters down was the waterway itself, its banks overflowing with the sudden influx of rain. Normally it looked to be only a meter or two across at its widest point, meaning that most creatures could hop across if needed. I don't know why I thought of that anecdote, but I did, and I quickly pushed it out of my mind.

Inspecting it a little closer, I found that many caves lined the walls of the ravine, though none seemed very deep or very large. A pulse confirmed this, informing me that save for a few birds, none called this place home. That seemed to be the end of it, and without anything to go on, I found myself stuck.

Then a thought occurred to me.

Lakeside was probably on the side of a lake which meant that this ravine might flow into it. That was a good lead, but I wasn't sure which direction to go in as they both seemed to lead in the same vague direction. Deciding to leave it to chance, I waited until another bolt of lightning shot through the air, and I headed in that direction.

Wandering to the right, I found that after a few bends, the land descended slightly before leveling off once more. It was at this point, where the ground was flat that I felt a force begin to assail my senses. My vision was the first to start waning, with everything becoming slightly muddy and distorted.

I tried to shake it off and focus, but it only got worse, making me feel as though I was drunk or had been drugged. My hearing went next, with the thunder and rain gaining an odd warbling like I was listening to it through a tunnel. Again I tried to shake this off but it soon became so bad that I couldn't tell which direction the thunder was coming from.

There was no way I was going to give up, however, and so I attempted to push through the miasma that had beset me. My vision flickered in and out, while strange noises rang in my metaphorical ears. Then, just as I thought I was breaking through, my balance slipped through my fingers.

Stumbling blindly through the woods, I tried to stay on course but I quickly realized that I had no idea where I was. This continued for several minutes before everything started to clear. I heard the rain clearly, and saw the forest before me in sharp detail.

Only, I was nowhere near a ravine, and in fact, was standing in a slightly swampy area. I tried to get my bearings by looking around but the fog remained for nearly a minute longer. After finally gathering my senses I searched my surroundings for a second time.

I was still in a swamp, still lost, but I could at least stand upright without almost falling over again. A pulse told me that I was a fair distance from the ravine, despite how little time had passed since I had departed. For a moment I simply stood there, confused and discombobulated.

Then I shook my head and focused on going to the second location, intent on finding another clue. I was still unnerved by the experience but was determined to find something, anything to help me figure out what was going on. A few short minutes later I was able to reach the spot in question and was standing in the midst of a cropse of redwoods.

The towering trees were old, but not so old that they were much larger than the average tree. Still, they were tall, and would likely tower over their surroundings, had they not grown in a slightly lower section of the forest. My inspection of the surroundings abruptly halted upon spotting the bottom segment of a redwood chopped down by artificial means.

The stump stuck out like a sore thumb, doubly so when I noticed that saw dust-covered sections on the ground nearby. Once felled, the thing had likely been cut up into smaller pieces and dragged off, if the deep gouges left behind were any indication. Searching around, I was able to locate a discarded hatchet likely forgotten by the loggers.

Hefting the small ax up, I peered intently at it, noting that it seemed quite well made. Built for a creature with hands, and who was about as tall or taller than the average human being, it was quite sharp. I was tempted to take it with me back to my ponies but decided against it as I wanted there to be no indication that someone had found the logging site.

So I went back to the stump and found the drag marks from the tree. I quickly extrapolated where they were going and found that they were headed to the same location I was when I had been following the ravine. Clearly, someone or something was attempting to keep me at bay, though how was an unknown to me.

I couldn't be affected by poisons or the like, though I was still able to be influenced by magic. Or at least I assumed as much since no one had told me they were attempting to cast a spell on me. I wasn't about to let this get me down, however, so I focused my will, put my head down, and charged into the woods.

I didn't make it more than a dozen meters before the dizziness returned. Holding my arms out, I focused completely on just running forward as quickly as possible for as long as I could manage. It felt like I was on an intense cocktail of drugs, but I felt as though I was breaking through to the other side.

Then my foot caught on something, and I found myself veering wildly off course. I tried to correct this, but I couldn't figure out which direction I had originally been heading in the first place. My attempts to go back the way I came probably backfired, as I soon felt my senses returning to me.

This time when I looked around, I found that I was in an entirely new location. Surrounded by trees, and bushes, I couldn't make heads or tails of where I was. A pulse scan told me that I wasn't quite as far away this time. I was still a good distance from where I had begun though which was disconcerting.

“Right then,” I muttered to myself. “To the third location.”

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