Forest Fireby Hopeful_Ink_HoofChaptersWakingFallingHidingFightingDreamingStrugglingSpelunkingPetrifyingRecoveringWakingPain. Pain was the first thing that she felt. Everything ached. As the initial feeling of hurt faded, she began to notice other things. There was ground beneath her. It was hard, and she could feel the cold of it seeping through her flight suit. There was also something wet over one of her eyes. The sound of her heartbeat faded from her ears, letting her hear the faint sounds of insects. Spitfire lifted her head, feeling a twinge in her neck. When she opened her eyes, one saw things normally while the other burned with something wet. Everything from that view was tinted red and the sizes were all off. Reaching up with one hoof, she moved to wipe the stuff away and hit the edge of her goggles. She had actually forgotten she was wearing them. The mare took a hold of the eye wear, pulling them off to look at them. One of the lenses was shattered, shards still sticking to the rim but the middle was mostly missing. That explained the skewed vision in one sense. Also gave a very obvious clue as to the cause of the other. Tentatively, she raised a hoof to feel at the spot around her eye. Spitfire winced as she felt a burst of pain when she touched a piece of glass. She pulled the shard out, a hiss of pain escaping from between her clenched teeth. She dropped the bloody piece of glass and the goggles. Spitfire moved to stand up, feeling the weight in her legs as she did. They were sore and stiff, but nothing was broken or felt seriously damaged. It would be unpleasant to walk, but she could manage it. Next she spread her wings to give them a testing flap. The pegasus found herself back on the ground as white hot pain flared through her body. Slowly, carefully, she pulled her wing back in, tucking them against her body. As she did, she could feel the pain burning from the right one. It was probably not broken since she could still move it, but it was definitely too injured to use. So flying was not an option. She was going to have to walk. Now the question became where was she? Slowly turning around, Spitfire looked at her surroundings and tried to figure out her location. It looked like a courtyard for a castle, or had been at one point. There was enough to tell that the ground had once been covered in cobblestones, but plants had forced their way up between them and pushed them around. Large chunks of what must have once been the walls surrounding the courtyard still stood, most of it having fallen into large piles of rubble. Beyond the remains of the walls, all she could see was pretty much trees. Spitfire wiped at her forehead, trying to keep the seeping blood from getting into her eye again. Her mind worked to try and figure out where she might be. The sheer amount of trees indicated that it was a forest of some kind. With a castle that looked abandoned, it was unlikely that many ponies came out to where she was. At least, not on any regular basis. She could think of one possible location, and dear Celestia she hoped she was wrong. Her gaze drifted up to the sky. She bit her lip as she saw the twilight of dusk begin to touch the edge she could see. The idea of being stuck in a strange forest at night did not appeal to her. Spitfire was no coward. Becoming the captain of The Wonderbolts took courage, but it also took intelligence and skill. One of the abilities that had helped was actually being able to understand her fears, and right now the idea of being stuck -- injured -- in a dangerous place at night did not seem to be safe in the slightest. The setting of the sun did give her one advantage. With so much of the sky blocked by the trees, the hints of twilight gave her a good idea which direction was west. Knowing that, she could figure out the other three and use that to help decide which way she needed to travel to get out. Although, admittedly, it would be more helpful if she could figure out which direction would actually be the shortest. The pegasus began to walk, heading toward a hole in what had once been the castle walls. She moved through the rubble carefully, not wanting to injure herself further. She was already unable to fly. If she were too injured to walk, then she would be at the mercy at whatever ended up finding her. Spitfire had no interest in dying, especially without anypony ever knowing what happened to her. Reaching the gap, she looked out at the area near her. The ground seemed flat over all. There was a bit of sloping, but nothing too bad. She would have to be careful to avoid the roots of the trees, but there was no immediate danger of falling if she slipped. Once she stepped out of the courtyard, she began heading in the direction she believed would lead her back to civilization. The way she headed ended having Spitfire walk along outside of the castle for a while. She finally stopped when she saw that there was a gap between her another part of the forest. Spitfire moved close to the edge on her side, stopping once she was able to stretch her neck and look down. With the darkness of night and the forest around her, she could not see the bottom of it. That was enough to know it was too far to simply hop down. Closing her eyes, she focused on her ears. After a moment, she thought she could hear water running somewhere below. That should be no surprise to her. After all, one purpose of a castle was defense. So it would make sense for there to be natural barriers to aid in the protection. Turning to look at the castle, it looked to her as though she must be close to what would be the front. As such, there should be some way to cross the gorge. With that conclusion, she began to follow along the edge from what felt like a safe distance. A rope bridge came into view, giving the pegasus a flare of excitement. She picked up her pace, moving faster toward it. Spitfire then stopped as she reached the edge, looking at it. How was it still standing? If the castle was any indication, the rope and wood should have rotted away already. They would have needed to be replaced at some point, but the certainly were not very new. Had magic been used on them to make them last longer? Or maybe to make them look older than they actually were? With a step closer, Spitfire reached out with a hoof and put it on the first board. Slowly she pressed down, putting more and more weight onto it. When nothing happened, she put another hoof onto it, repeating the process. There was a groaning creak from the bridge, but otherwise nothing happened. Still feeling uncertain, she began to walk across it. A third of the way across, the bridge suddenly lurched as it tilted toward the right. Trusting her instincts, Spitfire turned and started running back the way she had come. The bridge shifted and jumped as the pegasus moved as fast as she could to try and get back to solid ground. There was a final groan as the ropes snapped. Out of desperation, Spitfire tried to jump for the edge. Unfortunately, the bridge already began to fall away, giving her nothing solid enough to actually push off of. With just inches from salvation, she began to fall. FallingThe world seemed to freeze in time for a split second as the bridge disappeared from underneath Spitfire's hooves. It made her feel weightless, as she did just before going into free fall. The main problem was that this was not planned. Gravity once more began to exert itself on the pegasus, pulling her down toward the ground somewhere below. Spitfire could only think of one way to survive. It was going to hurt, but it should work. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to brace herself. She flung her wings open, spreading them as wide as she could that would catch the wind. There was a burst of pain from her injured wing as she forced it out, flaring white hot through her shoulder and up into her mind. Flapping it was out of the question. It was able to open though, which meant that she could use it for gliding. The pain faded slightly, becoming a burning ache, as she kept the wing mostly still. At the same time, each shift of it to adjust for any drafts or to keep from hitting the sides sent needles of pain stabbing into her back. While not able to fly, she was at least able to slow down her fall so she would be able to survive. The sound of water could be heard as the river below came into view. The cliffs on both side prevented in sort of shore for her to land on. There were also no rocks to see sticking out from the water beneath her. This was good and bad news. Good because it meant not having to worry about hitting them, and bad because it also meant she could not use one to land. Seeing no other option, Spitfire prepared to enter the water. With a fresh burst of pain, she pulled her wings in close to her body, and allowed herself to fall the last few feet. The pegasus hit the water with a splash. The aches and pains vanished as everything turned numb with cold as she became soaked by the water. The Wonderbolts suit had been designed with water resistance and insulation, but that was for flying in rain or snow. It was never designed to deal with total immersion in running water. The outfit quickly soaked up the the cold and wetness. Kicking up, Spitfire made her way back to the surface of the water. As soon as she broke the surface, she gasped, taking a deep breath of air. She had forgotten to hold her breath before going under, and the shock of the cold had knocked what air she did have from her lungs. She took deep gasping breaths, feeling the darkness that had been threatening the edge of her vision fade away. The pegasus mare kicked to keep her head above the water, trying to get her breathing back to normal. She most just let herself float with the current, moving a little to get closer to the side she had been trying to reach. That way it would be easier to get out on the correct side once the chance came. It was a relief as the ground began to flatten and grow wider. As the sides of the river began to become level with it, Spitfire turned and started swimming toward the shore. Her lips twitched to the hint of a smile as she felt the solid ground under her hooves. Quick as she could, she climbed out of the cold water and onto dry land. As soon as she reached the soft grass away, her legs gave out from under her. She laid her head and felt her eyes begin to close. NO! She lifted her head and gave it a shake. You just started traveling. You've barely left the castle and there is a long way to go. Get up. She let out a groan as she shifted. Get up! She managed to get her hooves under her. GET! UP! Feeling her legs wobble, she pushed herself back up to standing. You are Spitfire. You are a Wonderbolt. I am Captain of the Wonderbolts! I will not die lost in the Everfree Forest. It took more effort than she would like to admit, but she was able to get back up on her hooves and start walking. She walked through the forest, heading the direction she hoped some town would be as well as back up the hillside. The hope was that there would be a path leading from the castle and she would intersect with it. From there she would have a better sense of where to go to get back to civilization. Spitfire froze as she heard a roar. HidingThe sound of a roar caused Spitfire to freeze, ears perked and muscles tense. The rustle of something and a growing shadow sent her into motion. Turning to one side, she dove into some brush. Not the bravest action, she would admit, but it seemed the wisest. The mare was already injured, sore and tired. All combined, it would give her a major disadvantage in a fight. Judging from the size and sound, the creature was larger than her and aggressive, which would give it an advantage. Being double disadvantaged made winning a direct confrontation doubtful. The minor burn of scrapes and scratches started to make its way through her body and reaching her mind. Keeping still, she moved her eyes to look at the brush she had hidden in. That was when she noticed that it was covered with thorns. So few plants in Equestria had them, the possibility had not even crossed her mind. The continued noise of something approaching drew Spitfire's attention away from the thorns and back to the creature beyond it. It looked mostly like a lion, a male seeing as it had a massive mane around its head. Large draconic wing sprouted from the creature's shoulders, currently tucked against its sides. A tail curled up above its back, looking segmented and barbed like an over-sized scorpion tail. Spitfire tensed, resisting the urge to move. She had no idea how well the creature could hear so she wanted to avoid making her hiding place rustle. Her jaw clenched tight as she held her breath, watching the creature. It seemed to be sniffing around for something. Not able to do much else, the pegasus mare watched and waited. She gave a small silent prayer to be missed by the thing. The manticore stopped in its tracks. Shifting, it lowered its head and began to sniff at the ground. The feline moved back and forth, the tail shifting behind it. Lifting its head, it took a deep breath then started to move forward. The body shifted, moving lower to the ground as it crept along, eyes, ears and nose focused ahead of it. Spitfire continued to hold still and wait. She was forced to resume breathing sooner than she would have liked, but the creature took no notice. Slowly, she continued to breathe, focusing on it and waiting for her body to calm down. As the creature moved further and further away, her heart started to beat at a calmer and calmer pace. Once feeling comfortable that the creature was a safe distance, she began to crawl out of her hiding spot. The mare moved to climb out more carefully than she had jumped in. She could feel the thorns as she moved, tugging at her mane, tail, and flightsuit. As she worked free, something caught her eye. Blackberries. Without realizing it, she had hidden in a blackberry bush. Now she was looking at some of the fruit, and it appeared to be ripe. A small growl came from her stomach. It had been a while since she had eaten anything (Lunch time? Breakfast?), and she would need to keep her energy up if she was going to keep walking. Being careful of the thorns, Spitfire began to eat the blackberries. The berries were ripe and ready to burst at the first bite, releasing a small explosion of sweet juice with a hint of tartness to it. The taste began to fade before being replaced by another of the delicious berries. After eating about twenty, Spitfire licked her lips and decided to stop. As much as she was enjoying it, she needed a bit more variety than just blackberries. Stepping away from the bush, she turned and continued her way toward what she hoped would be civilization. Her mind focused as she took in as much as she could, trying to notice any other foods she could eat as well as possible threats. No dangers came into view, but she did find food. As she walked, Spitfire came across a pecan tree. There were many nuts on the ground around it, from fresh to either rotten or starting to sprout. The fresh sprouts were tender and a little more substantial than the blackberries from earlier. The shells on the ripe nuts were soft enough to bite and eat, making the meal extra crunchy. The meat inside was delicious, having a slight wooden taste to it. Although not as tasty as the berries, they were more substantial. Between the two courses, the hunger had subsided and she felt a little re-energized. Her body still ached and her muscles were stiff, but she no longer felt the need to sleep as much as she did before. With renewed energy, the pegasus continued on, trotting faster than she had before. Her tail gave a flick as she felt her confident returning. She may be in the Everfree Forest, but she was going to get out and be fine. After all, she was a soldier. In point, she had earned a position as leader to one of the best group of pegasi flyers in Equestria. She would still have to be careful, but she could -- and would -- make it out and back home. Something grabbed her foot. "Look what me's found," a voice growled out. FightingSpitfire yanked her leg, trying to pull free. Instead the grip tightened, yanking her off balance. As she fell to her side, something began to emerge from beneath the ground. A diamond dog. It climbed onto the surface, standing taller than the pony it held by one leg. Had she been up on all fours, she would only have come up to his chest. The dog looked down at the pony with narrow yellow eyes. Two more climbed out of the hole behind it. One looked to be closer to the size of a pony and the other was a head taller than the first. "We caught a pony," the first one said. "What we want do with it?" "It look tasty," the third said. "We eat?" "Release me this instant!" Spitfire ordered. "I am an officer of the Equestrian military and you are currently holding me prisoner with threats of murder. So, I will give you one chance. Release me and we can all go about our nights peacefully." Her words boomed with authority, speaking loud and clear after years of practice due to needing to be heard great distances in high winds and during flight. The heat of anger and annoyance could be heard in her tone. It was a voice that had caused many recruits to cringe with fear, and a few to even flee in terror. The Diamond Dogs looked down at her, then burst out into laughter. "There more of us," the second said, "and we bigger than pony. What make think you scare us?" The pegasus let out a snort and shifted her weight. With her free leg, she kicked up as hard as she could, aiming between the legs of the Diamond Dog that held her. There was a loud thump as the front of Spitfire's hoof connected with the canine's crotch, the blow thoroughly slamming against his testicles. The dog let out a high pitched yelp of pain, letting go to grab at his genitals as he fell to his knees. Momentarily freed, Spitfire quickly rolled over to get back on her hooves. Before she could get up, something jumped on her back. She was pinned by the weight a moment before one paw grabbed her mouth. The other moved across her stomach, the arm wrapping around her body. She was then lifted off her the ground, held against the largest of the animals. The smallest started to move in front of Spitfire, walking toward her and growling. "Stupid pony going to pay for that." He bared his teeth at her as he moved closer. The pinned pegasus held perfectly still, watching the approaching Diamond Dog. Once certain he was close enough, she kicked out hard with both her hind legs. Her hooves hit him in the stomach, causing him to grunt as the air was knocked out of him and start to double over in pain. Spitfire then swung her legs up, bringing them into the underside of the canine's jaw. The impact caused the Diamond Dog's head to snap back before falling. Everything felt distorted to the mare as she was sudden lifted higher and slammed down. There was an explosion of white in front of her eyes and a loud cracking-popping noise as her wings and back hit the ground. The impact knocked the air from her lungs, leaving he paralyzed as she tried to breathe in. The largest Diamond Dog let out a snarl. His grip tightened on her, the nails digging into the flight suit and started to tear the durable fabric. With a grunt, he began to lift her up off the ground again. As she was lifted over the Diamond Dog's head as high as he could, Spitfire threw her weight to one side as hard as she could. The sudden shift caught the canine unexpected and put him off-balance. The pegasus turned as she fell, trying to land on her side and protect her back. There was a tearing sound as the fabric of her suit tore further. Spitfire managed to land on her flank, feeling a pain in her hip but letting the toned muscle absorb most of the energy form the impact. She tried to keep the movement going, making it hurt less and getting back onto her legs. The large Diamond Dog was unharmed and got up quickly, standing before she was. It was watching her with part of its gaze, the other part focused on its friends. The one that had been holding her earlier had recovered enough from the kick to start standing back up. Spitfire moved to try and keep an eye on both of them as well. She may not have known about Diamond Dog thinking or the idea of pack mentality, but she understood the idea of teamwork. It was difficult to tell what they were planning to do, but she could tell they were moving together. Running was not an option. Her injured wing, hurting more from the impact, meant that she was still unable to fly. In the case of actual physical running, she was most likely faster, but the dogs would chase her out of instinct. Plus she had no way of knowing what kind of stamina they had. Spitfire tensed. She lowered her head close to the ground and narrowed her eyes at them. The large equine ears pulled back as she bared her teeth. "Your friend," she said, "is unconscious. Take him, and leave. Otherwise, you are going to join him." Neither of the Diamond Dogs acknowledged what she said. Instead they continued to move, separating and trying to get on each side of her. Spitfire continued to move and tried to keep them both in sight, but it was getting more difficult. She was going to have to try a different tact. Letting out a battle cry, the pegasus ran at full speed toward the largest of the Diamond Dogs. The two creatures froze at the sight, eyes wide. They were so caught off guard by the charging pony, neither of them could figure out how to respond. Running as fast as she could, Spitfire slammed her head into the stomach of the Diamond Dog. As she felt the impact, she reared up onto her hind legs and shoved forward with all her weight. The impact and momentum managed to knock him onto his back and Spitfire jumped onto his chest. One hoof reached up, pressing against his chin. "Trying anything and I break your jaw," she stated, giving a small push to emphasize her point. She then turned to the other one. "Or you!" she shouted. The other Diamond Dog looked from her, to his friend, and back. Raising his claws, he slowly backed away. "Now take your friend," she said, "and go back down your hole. When you do, I'll let your friend go. Then we can all walk away, forget this happened, and move on." The Diamond Dog glared at Spitfire, but moved away. He went to pick up the still unconscious friend, throwing him over one shoulder. He continued to stare at the pegasus as he walked back to the hole, stopping at the edge. He gave a snort, then jumped down with his friend. "Now you." Spitfire turned her attention to the one she was on top of. "I am going to get off you and you are going to leave as well. If you try anything," she leaned close, pressing her face against his, "I will buck you in the apples so hard, your grand-pups will double over in pain. Got it?" The pinned canine gave small gulp and nodded. Spitfire kept her eyes on him as she moved back, stepping off the Diamond Dog. As she did, she made sure to let one hoof rest on his crotch, pressing down just slightly to remind him of her warning. Once the pegasus was off the Diamond Dog, the canine rolled over and crawled on all fours to the hole in the ground. He did not even dare to look back as he scurried to it and then slipped inside. Spitfire continued to watch the spot the dogs had gone as she continued to move away from it. Once certain that they were not going to suddenly jump out, she turned and sprinted away from the area. Had to be sure that she was not going to be seen by them first. After all, running would be a sign of weakness, and they say that predators will chase anything that runs, even if they did not originally plan to. After five minutes of running, she had to stop. The surge of adrenaline from the fight wore off, leaving the pegasus to feel worn out and exhausted. It also left her shaking and starting to hurt. She also realized that she could not see out of her left eye again. A quick touch to her forehead revealed that the gash from earlier had torn back open some time during the flight, and was bleeding again. There was also pain in her right side along her ribs. Checking, she discovered the fresh tears in her flight suit. They must have been torn by one of the Diamond Dogs when she was trying to escape. Each tear mirrored a shallow furrow in her skin, more blood oozing from the thin wounds. While irritated at the scratches, Spitfire was also grateful at how minor they were. If they had been something with actual claws, it would have been a lot deeper. As much as she dislike the idea,she needed to rest. Sleep would help her heal, so the worst would be past when she woke up. It would also help with the exhaustion. Well, bleeding and stinging pain wise. The dull aches would be at their worst when she got up. Another upside would be that her mind would be rested as well, helping her think clearly. Moving slowly, Spitfire searched for a spot that seemed safe. Finding a tree with brush around the trunk, she checked for thorns. Seeing none, she checked to see if she could squeeze in and be hidden by the foliage. Satisfied, she slipped into the middle and curled up. Within seconds, she was asleep. DreamingSpitfire stared at the ceiling of her room. Her front half was on the floor while her back end pointed up in the air as it pressed against the side of the bed. Her body ached and her head throbbed, made worse by the light stabbing at her eyes. We must have celebrated too hard last night. The made her stop. What would they have been celebrating last night? Were they celebrating? Normally she would go out with the team after they did what seemed like a great performance during one of their stunt shows. She did not recall doing a show recently. The last thing she remembered was... was... "You okay?" a feminine voice asked. At the doorway stood a white pegasus mare with a blond mane and tail. "I'm fine," Spitfire responded as she moved to get up. "What's up?" "I was actually coming to wake you. There's a meeting in one hour. All team members are expected to be in the main conference room in their flight suits." The white pegasus grinned, pulling her goggles down over her eyes. "Alright," Spitfire gave a nod. "Thank you, Surprise. I'll be down shortly." As Surprise gave a nod of acknowledgement and left, Spitfire walked toward the bathroom. She stepped through the doorway and into the meeting room in her Wonderbolt flight suit. Several teammates were already sitting around and waiting for the meeting to start. Others would be showing up shortly. "Thank you all for coming," Princess Luna stated. "I have called you all here for a very important reason." Spitfire? Can you hear me, Spitfire? Spitfire blinked in confusion and looked around. She could have sworn that she just heard Luna call her name, but the pegasus had been watching the princess, and her lips had not moved. Had somepony else called her name? Up front, Luna's horn glowed as she pulled down a projection screen. As the lights went down, a projector came on. On the screen appeared an image of a black alicorn with an ethereal blue mane and tail. On her flank was a crescent moon surrounded by a night sky, and she wore dark blue armor. "Nightmare Moon has returned," the princess stated. "More accurately, the entity that is Nightmare Moon has found a new vessel." The image changed to a black dragon breathing purple flame. "Somehow it has taken a hold of a dragon." Where are you? Spitfire lost track of what was being said as she heard what sounded like Luna again. This time it could not have been the princess at the front because the other voice had spoken over her. I can sense that you are asleep, but I can't seem to find you. "Spitfire." The sound of her name being called made the pegasus jump in her seat. "You, Soarin, and Surprise shall report to Ponyville," the Luna up front stated. "There you shall assist Pinkie Pie in covering the giant waffles with whipped cream, cherries, and sprinkles. Everypony understand their missions?" "Yes, Ma'am!" All the assembled ponies, Spitfire included, shouted with a salute. "Dismissed!" Flanked by Soarin and Surprise, Spitfire flew straight up out of the meeting room and into the sky. The three continued to fly straight up until they were flying down toward Ponyville. Below, they could see what looked to be a waffle close to twenty-five feet in diameter. Several ponies stood around it. As soon as they landed, Surprise stripped off her flight suit. She then reached up to the base of her mane, and pulled down. The white pegasus peeled away to reveal a pink earth pony. "Hi," Pink Surprise (?) said with a wide grin. "Thank you so-so much for coming to help. We really need to get this pie a la mode before-" "PIE!" Soarin shouted. Before any of the ponies could do anything, the pegasus stallion dove head first into the giant pie, bits of crust and cherry filling spraying out. Quickly, he began to swim through the large baked good, eating a path through the crust as he went. "SOARIN!" Spitfire shouted. "Get out of there. We are supposed to be getting ready to face Nightmare Dragon!" "Oh you don't have to worry about that," the pink pony that had been Surprise said. "It's never going to reach us before you wake up." With that, she hopped away. "Great," Spitfire said before something else sank in. "Wait. What do you mean by that?" Before she could get an answer, the ground beneath her hooves began to shake. The giant pie tin went flying as the earth beneath it surged up, taking the pie loving pegasus with it. The ground burst open, rocks and dirt flying through the air. From the hole, a giant canine claw emerged. It was soon followed by another. Slowly from the ground emerged a twenty five foot tall Diamond Dog. Except... It looked like a poodle. Not only did it have the curly white hair coat, but even had the popular poodle cut. The gigantic Diamond Poodle climbed out of the opening and stood at its full height. The scorpion tail flicked behind it as it straightened up. It spread the dragon wings wide and let out a massive roar. "Oh no!" a voice shouted. "It's the Diamond Dog Deity. Run for your lives." This was followed by screams as ponies began to do just that. The creature watched the ponies as they ran before turning toward Spitfire. Looking down, it let out a snarl. It reared back its head and took a deep breath. The creature then thrust forward, opening its mouth wide. A rainbow colored bubble blew out from the monster's mouth and encompassed the pegasus. Before she realized it, she began to float up into the air and drift away. Spitfire looked around as she began to float up, wondering what was going on. Reaching out with a hoof, she poked at the wall of the bubble. It resisted the pressure, not popping on contact. Made sense since it was actually able to support her weight. Not seeing much other choice, she stood there and watched the ground float by. It was actually kind of relaxing. She never had the opportunity to float through the air without having it be under her own power. It was something that she would have to do more often. Maybe they could create glass bottomed hot air balloons. Would not quite be the same, but would be as close as they could get from what she could figure. She watched The Everfree Forest come into view beneath her. The bubble burst. Spitfire heard a small pop from around her and felt something sticky coat her wings. Their was a moment was weightlessness and freedom before she felt the pull of gravity. Her breath caught in her throat as she began to fall toward the ground, getting faster and faster until reaching a speed she knew would break her neck. StrugglingSpitfire's body was awake and reacting before her mind had. Trying to find a way out of free fall, she twisted and kick. She rolled into the thorns of the bush she had hidden in, one of her hind legs lashing out and getting stuck in the barbed branches. The burst of pain caused her eyes to snap open, but panic kept her from seeing where she was. A noise of pain and fear escaped from her as she twisted and kicked, trying to fight whatever it was that had her. In her blind fear, she was not aware that she was hurting herself more. Each yank and kick of her leg pushed it against the thorns, some times even sliding back and forth against the sharp points. Every shift and turn caused her to either get stabbed by the plant, or have her uniform snag and tear. After exhausting herself, Spitfire collapsed, panting. As she tied to catch her breath, the blind panic subsided and she started to remember where she was and what had happened. With a sigh, she brought one of her forelegs up and smacked herself in the face with her hoof. "Great work," she grumbled to herself, "a Wonderbolt getting beaten up by a thorny bush she chose to get into in the first place. If my team mates found out, I'd probably never hear the end of it." Feeling calmer, she was able to extricate her hind leg from the hole of thorns she had gotten it stuck in. Once that was done and she was able to stand back up, she decided to give herself a check over. She could still see fine, but a gentle probing revealed that the area around the eye was swollen and tender from the shattered goggled (thinking back, it was a miracle she had not been blinded). Not only was there a gash, but probably a bruise beneath her fur. Her uniform was torn and tattered. Really it was not much more than stretchy rags. Each tear also marked a place where she was scraped, scratched, cut, gashed, or gauged. Every injury was noted by a bright red of fresh blood, or dark rusty brown of dried. Her legs were feeling a little stiff and sore, but it was minor and barely noticeable compared to the rest of her. Especially her wings. They hurt and refused to move, so much so that Spitfire was doubtful she could use them even if her life depended on it. Considering the way things had been going for her, it very well might. Removing the remains of her Wonderbolts uniform, she dropped it to the ground. She felt guilt flutter through her heart as she did. It was so torn, tattered, and stained it did not look like a uniform any more. At the same time, it was a symbol of what she had accomplished and who she was. It was not the only one she owned, nor the first she had to give up (some damaged in the line of duty, others just worn thin from regular use). Still, it felt like she was disrespecting The Wonderbolts by abandoning her uniform like this. Pushing the guilt aside, Spitfire quickly made her way out of the bush before she could change her mind. Figuring out which way she had come, she turned and continued to head what she hoped would lead her back to where some other ponies lived. As she started to walk, she began to wonder what time it was. With all she had been to and having either slept or passed out on multiple occasions, her internal sense of time was screwed up. Looking up did no good, because the forest was so thick that even if the sun (or moon) was up above, none of the light was getting through. After walking for ten minutes (or twenty, or thirty. She had no idea), Spitfire let out a sigh. "What else could possibly happen?" The sound of a growl filled her ears as a blast of warm, foul smelling air blew against her. Her heart and legs froze. Slowly, Spitfire turned her neck and saw the Timberwolf. SpelunkingGlowing green eyes looked down at Spitfire from a wooden face. Each time the creature exhaled, a foul blast of air -- It smelled of damp, rotting wood and mold -- struck the pony. Sharpened stakes showed as they were bared in open wolf-like jaws. Watching the timberwolf, Spitfire began to move. Not taking her eyes off the creature, she slowly backed away from it. As she did, the creature held still, watching her intently. She tried to keep herself calm and controlled as she continued. It was doubtful she would be able to defend successfully stop the creature if it attacked her, so her best chance was that it did no such thing. It seemed unwilling to move while she was watching, and if she moved slow, it hopefully would not chase her. The plan did not work as well as Spitfire would have liked. It let her get quite a distance from her without moving, but the timberwolf was not letting her escape completely. When she got fifty feet away from it, the creature began to move forward, keeping its eyes on Spitfire. Is it toying with me? she wondered as she continued to move back. After nearly tripping over something, the mare found she had no choice but to look away from the timberwolf. She was in a forest with unsteady ground, and an area she was not familiar with after all. If she wanted to get out -- and not break a leg -- she was going to have to look away from the timberwolf and at where she was going. Seeing no other choice, Spitfire turned around and walked slowly away. She refused to stop, wanting to keep moving at a steady pace. Every chance she got she would take a glance behind her. Each time she did, she hoped that the creature would be gone. Each time she did, she still saw the thing was following her. Despite herself, she began to walk faster. It was not a conscious plan. In point she wanted to keep moving slowly as long as she could. Actually what she wanted was for the timberwolf to stop following her, and was reaching the point where she was beginning to wish it would do something, even if it was to attack. Instead, this being followed was making her become tense and nervous. Without meaning to, she began to move faster and faster until breaking out into a full galloping run. The timberwolf chased after her. It ran quickly, having the advantage with longer legs and familiarity of the forest. It wove through the trees and cleared brush easily, quickly catching up toward its prey. Spitfire had the advantage when it came to speed and agility since she was smaller and a Wonderbolt. It did not give her much in the hope of escape, but it did give her more time to try and come up with something else to try. Catching sight of a cave, she turned and started running for it. Given all that had happened, she thought it likely that there was something inside, but hopefully it would not be as much of a threat as the wooden wolf that was chasing her. Had she looked back, she would have noticed that the timberwolf had stopped. It let out a growl, but stayed back where it had stopped and stared at the mare running for the stone opening. As it was, she did not slow down until she was inside, feeling the cool damp air encompass her. Only then did she look back to see the timberwolf staring at her from where it had stopped. Seeing an option of going deeper or leaving, Spitfire decided to go deeper into the cave and see if there may be another way out. After walking a while, the cave got darker. Spitfire stopped to let her eyes adjust, although it did no good. Not being able to see, the mare continued to walk. Once again she moved slowly, slipping a hoof forward to check the path ahead for obstructions or drops. It was not fully effective, which she learned when her head struck a stalactite. As she continued deeper, she noticed that she was able to make out some details. Not everything as clear as she would like, but some of it. The detail was enough to make it so she would not have to worry about walking into things. It also meant that there had to be a light source somewhere. She saw the source of the light, and stopped. There in front of her was a large glowing shape. Curled up on the floor of a cavern was a form shaped like a bear. It gave off dark blue light like the night sky, and like the night sky, there were a few points of stars twinkling in its form. The creature was curled up, head resting on its forelegs with its eyes closed. The sight sent a mix of emotions through Spitfire, equal parts relief and fresh anxiety. Relief because the creature was asleep, meaning it was not an immediate threat. At the same time, it being asleep made her nervous. If it was anything like an actual bear, then waking it up would make it very cranky. As such, if she woke it up by accident, it would probably tear her apart. So she either had to sneak past a sleeping giant glowing bear creature, and try to risk getting by without waking it, or go back the way she came and have to face a timberwolf that she knew wanted to kill her. Given the options between the two, the threat of death with the possibility of escaped seemed a better choice than having to try and outrun certain doom. Moving carefully, Spitfire pressed herself against one of the walls of the cavern. She took a deep breath, held it, and started to follow the wall around the slumbering creature and try to find another way out of the cave. The mare tried to move as quickly as she could without making any noise. She had no idea what would wake the thing up, and the sooner she escaped the sooner she could breathe again. Finding her way out of the cavern of the sleeping creature, she let out a sigh of relief. She started to move faster, glad that was behind her. She then stopped at what she saw before her now. Not only was there a larger cavern, there was a larger creature in it. It looked similar to the one she had just left behind. The biggest difference was just that, it was bigger. The bear like thing she had seen in the previous area was larger than a timberwolf the same way as a regular bear would be to a normal wolf. The creature that she now saw was so massive, it could pick the other one up like a foal. It was also darker, more of a deep purple than the blue, and had more stars in its form. The bear-like creature was dangerously sharp. It had claws that were as long as her body from nose to tail. There were also massive fangs, nearly the same length, protruding down from its jaw. Above it were a pair of bright yellow eyes. Eyes that were open and staring right at her. Spitfire froze as she saw the creature was awake and watching her. Her heart slammed in her chest as she forgot to breathe. It was hard to figure out what to do. Simply hold still would not work, she would have to move. Could she run? The thing had no need to even chase her. It could just reach out with one paw and either smash her from the size, or slice her into three equal sized pony pieces. Were she to go back, she would have to sneak past the sneaking creature again and then some how make it past the waiting timberwolf. Seeing little other choice, she only went with the one option she saw. Slowly she began to walk again. Her eyes glimpsed at the creature from time to time as she moved, watching its reaction. It made her feel a little more relaxed when she noticed that the bear-like animal was following with its eyes, but otherwise staying still. The mare had to keep reminding herself to move slowly, to resist the urge to run. As Spitfire moved past the massive purple bear-like being, she felt relief began to grow as she noticed that it did not follow after her other than with its eyes. The walk took longer than with the previous, but she soon reached another opening. The mare braced herself, expecting a larger cavern complete with a larger creature in it. Fortunately, neither happened. There was a lot of space, enough for the creature she had just left behind to fit through it comfortably, but there was not another one that was of even greater size waiting. Hopefully all the monsters were now behind her. Now she needed to find a way to get out of the caves and back to civilization. Using the remnants of light she got from behind her, she looked around, trying to find something that would indicate which way to go. One of her ears gave a twitch as she felt the air blowing against it. The feeling was nice, then sent a realization through her mind. If she felt air blowing against her, that meant there was a wind. In order for that to happen, there had to be a way for air to be moving into the cave. So if there was a way for the wind to get in, then maybe it was enough for her to get out. Especially since neither of the creatures she had seen could possibly fit through the entrance she had used. Spitfire let her mind enter a calm, zen-like state. It was a state that she used when she was flying. Her thoughts were subdued as she opened her senses wider and let her subconscious and instincts have greater control. It allowed her to respond to any minor changes in the weather and wind before she even realized it. It worked better without the outfit, which made her a little grateful that she had taken it off. Unfortunately, it also worked better when she could have her wings spread wide, so having to keep them against her put her at a disadvantage. Having comfortably achieved her zen-like state, Spitfire began to walk through the cave. She continued to keep her pace slow, making sure the ground in front of her was safe as she went. With growing excitement, she followed the feeling of fresh air against her fur. The excitement grew as it became easier to see. Soon she could see the way out. A grin spread across her mouth as she sped up, moving faster and faster. Spitfire nearly ran out of the cave in her excitement, then stopped just before she left. The mare looked out, making sure that there was nothing outside for her to see that could be a new threat to her. Seeing nothing, she left the cave behind. Feeling a little safer, Spitfire continued on, hoping to find some indication that she would get back to civilization soon. PetrifyingSpitfire let out a sigh as she continued to walk, although at the moment the term seemed generous at the moment. She barely lifted her hooves off the ground, the edges stroking across the dirt and through the grass before dropping again. Her steps were more of an exhausted shuffle that moved slower than she should. Since she had escaped the cave with the bear-like creatures, the pegasus mare had been walking for what seemed like hours. At first she had trotted at a pretty rapid gait, wanting to get away from the cave and hopefully the timberwolf as quickly as she could. As Spitfire got further and further from the cave, she felt herself feeling a little calmer and less threatened. Her pace slowed down, taking a more relaxed speed that would be easier to maintain for a great length. Unfortunately she did not know for how long it would be. Spitfire had walked, and walked... and walked some more. It had been so long, she was feeling exhausted. As her steps slowed and became heavier, her mind began to wander. Was she going the right way? What if instead of making her way out of the forest, she was inadvertently going deeper into it? Or worse, what if there was no way out? Was it possible that there was some spell that caused the woods to fold around on themselves, making it impossible to leave? That is if it was a real forest to begin. Maybe it was not? Maybe she was lying somewhere in a coma and the whole thing was actually a dream from which she will never wake? The last was extremely unlikely, but it was also the scariest. After all, if this were all a coma dream, how would she ever know? And how would she ever get out of it? A sound like the crow of a rooster caught her attention. The mare raised her head up, ears perking at the sound. A thrill of excitement sparked through Spitfire, causing her to lift her hooves up properly once more and pick up her pace with renewed excitement. After all, nopony kept just a rooster. If there was a rooster, there were hens. And where there were chickens, there had to be a pony to feed them. So if there was a rooster crowing, there had to be a pony's home nearby that had chickens. Spitfire's hope and excitement came to a screeching halt as she tried to do the same with her hooves. The creature before her was not a chicken, much less a rooster. It had the head of a chicken, and the feet, but not the body. It had the general shape, but covered in scales. There was a thick, reptilian tail sticking out from the back, and small dragon-like wings. What she had thought was a rooster was a cockatrice. It turned to look at her. The mare quickly looked away, keeping the creature in the edge of her vision. She had to watch it just in case it tried something. At the same time, she had to be careful not to look it directly in the eye. Doing so would put her at risk of being caught in the cockatrice's power and being turned into stone. She saw the movement of the creature. It was starting to stalk towards her. She could see the talon-toed feet moving closer to where she stood. It made a slight cluck-clucking as it approached. Spitfire stepped away, trying to match the pace of the cockatrice. Each step the foul fowl made toward the pegasus was matched by her taking a step away. She tried to move slowly as she did, not wanting to provoke the creature. This time, it did not work. Flapping its wings, the cockatrice took a flying leap at Spitfire. Instinctively, the mare reared up on her hind legs. She lashed out with her left front hoof, striking the creature. There was a loud wet cracking sound as Spitfire struck the thing in the chest, shattering the breast bone. The cockatrice let out a gurgling squawk as it fell back, slamming against the ground. Flapping and kicking, the creature finally managed to right itself. Beak wide open, it lunged at the pegasus mare once again. This time it caught her unprepared, biting down in the foreleg. "MOTHERBUCKER!" Spitfire screamed as she felt the teeth sink into her flesh. She kicked and bucked as hard as she could, shaking the horrible creature off. There was a flash of pain as the monster's teeth tore strips of flesh from her front leg, leaving long bloody gashes. The mare reared up again, this time slamming her good leg down on the cockatrice's head. There was another wet crack as she smashed its skull in, sending shards of bone into the gelatinous mass of what had once been its brain. The mare found herself breathing heavily as she stared down at her hoof and the crushed mass of flesh beneath it. Her chest rose and fell as she found herself breathing heavily. Her body began to tremble as the adrenaline started to burn out of her system. Spitfire stepped away, taking slow, shaking steps as she turned from the scene of battle. The Wonderbolt Captain vomited. The Wonderbolts were a military force. While most of the time they performed aerial stunt shows for ponies to enjoy, they were also an air force when necessary. It was not a duty on which they were often called to perform, but it was one that she had done. That had mostly required flight and aerial combat however. While she had been trained in hoof to hoof combat, she had never actually used it in the field before ending up in the Everfree Forest. She certainly never killed anything, to say nothing about doing so in such a brutal and grotesque manner. Now having done so, she felt sick to her stomach. There was little for her body to expel as she had not eaten since she had woken up and began to walk. Now she was somewhat grateful for that fact. Once the final heave had passed, she tried to wipe her mouth with her leg, and found she could not move it. Turning to look down at it, she felt a whole new feeling of shock and fear. Her leg, the one that the cockatrice had bitten, was now stone. From the hoof to the shoulder blade, it had become petrified. The creature's bite had a venom that had been able to do what its gaze could not. While Spitfire was not aware of it, she was fortunate in that it was not enough to petrify her fully. She also was not feeling very fortunate since she now had a leg made of solid rock. Turning, she caught sight of the remnants and again felt sick. Spitfire felt a massive urge to escape, to get out of there and as far away from the scene as she could. It was not as fast as she would like, or very fast at all since she was forced to drag one leg, but she did the absolute best that she could. Movement was now slow, tedious, and exhausting. The stone leg dragged, leaving a furrow in the dirt as she tried to pull it along with her. It was also incredibly and unexpectedly painful. Each move caused the spots where the rock attached to her body to pull at her skin and muscles, making it feel like they would rip and tear any second. Reaching her limit, and not making it as far as she would have liked, Spitfire collapsed. It was more of a fall, landing on her side with the weight of the stone leg pressing against her. It caused discomfort in her chest, but she could not bring herself up. A shadow moved over the prone mare's form. She tried to look up, and saw something vaguely in the shape of the pony above her. "What is this I see before me?" a voice asked. "'tis a strange and injured pony that I see." "Help," Spitfire said, her voice nearly a whisper. "So many injuries, and a leg of stone. Seems miraculous you made it this far alone." "Please," the pegasus said again, "I need help." "Yes in deed, help is something you do need. Close your eyes and get some rest, and helping you I will do my best. I can carry you to my home, and find a potion to reverse the stone." The figure moved, lifting Spitfire with ease. "Then while you sleep and begin to heal, I shall go and get assistance from Ponyville." Ponyville Spitfire thought. Something about the name sound familiar. For some reason, she could not place her hoof on it at the moment. She felt her weight settle across somepony's back. Tilting her head, the mare caught sight of a black and white pattern, and what looked like a sun. Before her eyes, the black lines seemed to grow thicker and connect, before everything finally went dark. Recovering...the injured pegasus is resting here... ...nurse... doctor... Is that really her? Rainbow Dash! ..Soarin... ...transfusion... Spitfire let out a groan as she opened her eyes. All see saw bright fuzzy whiteness. Closing them again, she lifted a hoof to rub at them. "Hey doc," A voice said, "she's waking up." The voice sounded familiar. She could not place it for some reason. Shifting, she pushed herself up, feeling the softness beneath her. The voice was forgotten about as she turned her head and looked down. She was in a hospital bed. The mare could feel a smile spread across her face. She had never been so happy to wake up in a hospital bed in her entire life. She flopped back down, enjoying the feeling of having a mattress and sheets beneath her once again. "Well it seems that you are recovering quite nicely," said a strange voice. Spitfire opened her eyes, seeing a doctor standing over her. Behind him stood a white pony in a nurse's uniform "Yeah." She stretched out, feeling some aches and pains. "So glad to be out of that forest. I really need to thank..." She stopped and looked around. "You know... I don't even know who saved me..." "It was Zecora," the familiar voice said again. "She's a zebra that lives in the Everfree Forest." Spitfire looked to see a familiar blue pegasus with rainbow colored mane. "Rainbow Dash? What are you doing here?" "I saw Applejack carrying you and have been here since you arrived." "Applejack?" Spitfire asked, blinking. "Who's-" "Excuse me," the doctor said. "Now that you are conscious, could you please tell me what happened?" Spitfire shifted and thought, then started to speak. She gave a brief explanation of her fight in Canterlot and waking up in The Everfree Forest, as well as a summary of what happened as she tried to get out. While she spoke, the doctor checked her vitals as well as her eyes and ears, and the nurse changed the dressing on various parts of her body. "Well you are recovering quite well," the doctor said after they finished. "We want to keep you for a few days, but you should be able to go home soon." "Thanks Doc," she called as the doctor and nurse left. Spitfire turned back to Rainbow Dash. "So what are you doing here? I thought we were past the hero worship thing after telling me off at the academy." "Are you kidding?" The blue pegasus shifted, nearly dancing. "You're still one of the awesomest ponies alive, and captain of The Wonderbolts. No way I would leave you alone in the hospital." She blushed. "Uh... I mean... Some pony should be here to keep an eye on you until you wake up." "Still a little creepy stalkerish sounding," Spitfire said with a laugh, "but I get what you're saying. So does your being here mean I'm back in Ponyville?" Before Rainbow Dash could say anything, a voice called "SPITFIRE!" In a blur, a powder blue pegasus stallion flew into the room and nearly slammed into the bed, wrapping his front legs around Spitfire. "Hey Soarin," the pegasus mare said with a grin, hugging him back. "What took you so long?" "We were out searching for you," he explained. "I came back to hq and got that message that you were here. What happened to you?" Once again she gave a brief explanation of what happened after waking up in The Everfree Forest. As she reached the part about seeing a pony shaped figure before passing out, she turned to look at Rainbow Dash. "I was hoping she could tell me who saved me and how I got here just as you showed up." The two Wonderbolts turned to give their full attention. The pair watched the rainbow maned mare shift nervously before putting on a face that seemed confident and taking a deep breath. "The pony that found you was Zecora," Rainbow Dash explained, "A zebra that lives in The Everfree Forest. She probably took you to her hut and gave you some medicine. She's weird, but knows how to make some potions that are pretty useful. After that, she got Applejack, a friend of mine you've met who lives at a farm near the forest, to help. A.J. is strong so she was able to carry you to the hospital. I saw here when I was following and came along. Twilight saw and sent a message to the Princess to let her know you were found. And here you are." She made a motion "Sounds like I have a lot of ponies I'm going to have to thank," Spitfire said. "Dash, could you give Soarin and me some time alone?" "Sure," Rainbow Dash responded as she headed for the door. "I have to go pick someone up from school anyways. If you want, I can go by the library and bring you something to read." "That's okay." She gave a smile as the excited young mare left. As soon as Rainbow Dash was gone, Spitfire turned to Soarin. The smile quickly vanished and tears began to fill the yellow mare's eyes. She grabbed her friend and buried her face against him as she began to cry. Soarin shifted, thrown off by the sudden change. He spread his wings and wrapped them around his captain, his teammate, and most of all his friend. The stallion held the mare tightly, rubbing her back as she sobbed against him. He waited patiently until the worst of the outburst subsided, then listened quietly as she went into greater detail about how scared she had been and how horrible she felt about what she did to the cockatrice. Spitfire's body would be healed in a few days, but it seemed that the trauma of what happened would take longer to heal.
WakingPain. Pain was the first thing that she felt. Everything ached. As the initial feeling of hurt faded, she began to notice other things. There was ground beneath her. It was hard, and she could feel the cold of it seeping through her flight suit. There was also something wet over one of her eyes. The sound of her heartbeat faded from her ears, letting her hear the faint sounds of insects. Spitfire lifted her head, feeling a twinge in her neck. When she opened her eyes, one saw things normally while the other burned with something wet. Everything from that view was tinted red and the sizes were all off. Reaching up with one hoof, she moved to wipe the stuff away and hit the edge of her goggles. She had actually forgotten she was wearing them. The mare took a hold of the eye wear, pulling them off to look at them. One of the lenses was shattered, shards still sticking to the rim but the middle was mostly missing. That explained the skewed vision in one sense. Also gave a very obvious clue as to the cause of the other. Tentatively, she raised a hoof to feel at the spot around her eye. Spitfire winced as she felt a burst of pain when she touched a piece of glass. She pulled the shard out, a hiss of pain escaping from between her clenched teeth. She dropped the bloody piece of glass and the goggles. Spitfire moved to stand up, feeling the weight in her legs as she did. They were sore and stiff, but nothing was broken or felt seriously damaged. It would be unpleasant to walk, but she could manage it. Next she spread her wings to give them a testing flap. The pegasus found herself back on the ground as white hot pain flared through her body. Slowly, carefully, she pulled her wing back in, tucking them against her body. As she did, she could feel the pain burning from the right one. It was probably not broken since she could still move it, but it was definitely too injured to use. So flying was not an option. She was going to have to walk. Now the question became where was she? Slowly turning around, Spitfire looked at her surroundings and tried to figure out her location. It looked like a courtyard for a castle, or had been at one point. There was enough to tell that the ground had once been covered in cobblestones, but plants had forced their way up between them and pushed them around. Large chunks of what must have once been the walls surrounding the courtyard still stood, most of it having fallen into large piles of rubble. Beyond the remains of the walls, all she could see was pretty much trees. Spitfire wiped at her forehead, trying to keep the seeping blood from getting into her eye again. Her mind worked to try and figure out where she might be. The sheer amount of trees indicated that it was a forest of some kind. With a castle that looked abandoned, it was unlikely that many ponies came out to where she was. At least, not on any regular basis. She could think of one possible location, and dear Celestia she hoped she was wrong. Her gaze drifted up to the sky. She bit her lip as she saw the twilight of dusk begin to touch the edge she could see. The idea of being stuck in a strange forest at night did not appeal to her. Spitfire was no coward. Becoming the captain of The Wonderbolts took courage, but it also took intelligence and skill. One of the abilities that had helped was actually being able to understand her fears, and right now the idea of being stuck -- injured -- in a dangerous place at night did not seem to be safe in the slightest. The setting of the sun did give her one advantage. With so much of the sky blocked by the trees, the hints of twilight gave her a good idea which direction was west. Knowing that, she could figure out the other three and use that to help decide which way she needed to travel to get out. Although, admittedly, it would be more helpful if she could figure out which direction would actually be the shortest. The pegasus began to walk, heading toward a hole in what had once been the castle walls. She moved through the rubble carefully, not wanting to injure herself further. She was already unable to fly. If she were too injured to walk, then she would be at the mercy at whatever ended up finding her. Spitfire had no interest in dying, especially without anypony ever knowing what happened to her. Reaching the gap, she looked out at the area near her. The ground seemed flat over all. There was a bit of sloping, but nothing too bad. She would have to be careful to avoid the roots of the trees, but there was no immediate danger of falling if she slipped. Once she stepped out of the courtyard, she began heading in the direction she believed would lead her back to civilization. The way she headed ended having Spitfire walk along outside of the castle for a while. She finally stopped when she saw that there was a gap between her another part of the forest. Spitfire moved close to the edge on her side, stopping once she was able to stretch her neck and look down. With the darkness of night and the forest around her, she could not see the bottom of it. That was enough to know it was too far to simply hop down. Closing her eyes, she focused on her ears. After a moment, she thought she could hear water running somewhere below. That should be no surprise to her. After all, one purpose of a castle was defense. So it would make sense for there to be natural barriers to aid in the protection. Turning to look at the castle, it looked to her as though she must be close to what would be the front. As such, there should be some way to cross the gorge. With that conclusion, she began to follow along the edge from what felt like a safe distance. A rope bridge came into view, giving the pegasus a flare of excitement. She picked up her pace, moving faster toward it. Spitfire then stopped as she reached the edge, looking at it. How was it still standing? If the castle was any indication, the rope and wood should have rotted away already. They would have needed to be replaced at some point, but the certainly were not very new. Had magic been used on them to make them last longer? Or maybe to make them look older than they actually were? With a step closer, Spitfire reached out with a hoof and put it on the first board. Slowly she pressed down, putting more and more weight onto it. When nothing happened, she put another hoof onto it, repeating the process. There was a groaning creak from the bridge, but otherwise nothing happened. Still feeling uncertain, she began to walk across it. A third of the way across, the bridge suddenly lurched as it tilted toward the right. Trusting her instincts, Spitfire turned and started running back the way she had come. The bridge shifted and jumped as the pegasus moved as fast as she could to try and get back to solid ground. There was a final groan as the ropes snapped. Out of desperation, Spitfire tried to jump for the edge. Unfortunately, the bridge already began to fall away, giving her nothing solid enough to actually push off of. With just inches from salvation, she began to fall.
FallingThe world seemed to freeze in time for a split second as the bridge disappeared from underneath Spitfire's hooves. It made her feel weightless, as she did just before going into free fall. The main problem was that this was not planned. Gravity once more began to exert itself on the pegasus, pulling her down toward the ground somewhere below. Spitfire could only think of one way to survive. It was going to hurt, but it should work. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to brace herself. She flung her wings open, spreading them as wide as she could that would catch the wind. There was a burst of pain from her injured wing as she forced it out, flaring white hot through her shoulder and up into her mind. Flapping it was out of the question. It was able to open though, which meant that she could use it for gliding. The pain faded slightly, becoming a burning ache, as she kept the wing mostly still. At the same time, each shift of it to adjust for any drafts or to keep from hitting the sides sent needles of pain stabbing into her back. While not able to fly, she was at least able to slow down her fall so she would be able to survive. The sound of water could be heard as the river below came into view. The cliffs on both side prevented in sort of shore for her to land on. There were also no rocks to see sticking out from the water beneath her. This was good and bad news. Good because it meant not having to worry about hitting them, and bad because it also meant she could not use one to land. Seeing no other option, Spitfire prepared to enter the water. With a fresh burst of pain, she pulled her wings in close to her body, and allowed herself to fall the last few feet. The pegasus hit the water with a splash. The aches and pains vanished as everything turned numb with cold as she became soaked by the water. The Wonderbolts suit had been designed with water resistance and insulation, but that was for flying in rain or snow. It was never designed to deal with total immersion in running water. The outfit quickly soaked up the the cold and wetness. Kicking up, Spitfire made her way back to the surface of the water. As soon as she broke the surface, she gasped, taking a deep breath of air. She had forgotten to hold her breath before going under, and the shock of the cold had knocked what air she did have from her lungs. She took deep gasping breaths, feeling the darkness that had been threatening the edge of her vision fade away. The pegasus mare kicked to keep her head above the water, trying to get her breathing back to normal. She most just let herself float with the current, moving a little to get closer to the side she had been trying to reach. That way it would be easier to get out on the correct side once the chance came. It was a relief as the ground began to flatten and grow wider. As the sides of the river began to become level with it, Spitfire turned and started swimming toward the shore. Her lips twitched to the hint of a smile as she felt the solid ground under her hooves. Quick as she could, she climbed out of the cold water and onto dry land. As soon as she reached the soft grass away, her legs gave out from under her. She laid her head and felt her eyes begin to close. NO! She lifted her head and gave it a shake. You just started traveling. You've barely left the castle and there is a long way to go. Get up. She let out a groan as she shifted. Get up! She managed to get her hooves under her. GET! UP! Feeling her legs wobble, she pushed herself back up to standing. You are Spitfire. You are a Wonderbolt. I am Captain of the Wonderbolts! I will not die lost in the Everfree Forest. It took more effort than she would like to admit, but she was able to get back up on her hooves and start walking. She walked through the forest, heading the direction she hoped some town would be as well as back up the hillside. The hope was that there would be a path leading from the castle and she would intersect with it. From there she would have a better sense of where to go to get back to civilization. Spitfire froze as she heard a roar.
HidingThe sound of a roar caused Spitfire to freeze, ears perked and muscles tense. The rustle of something and a growing shadow sent her into motion. Turning to one side, she dove into some brush. Not the bravest action, she would admit, but it seemed the wisest. The mare was already injured, sore and tired. All combined, it would give her a major disadvantage in a fight. Judging from the size and sound, the creature was larger than her and aggressive, which would give it an advantage. Being double disadvantaged made winning a direct confrontation doubtful. The minor burn of scrapes and scratches started to make its way through her body and reaching her mind. Keeping still, she moved her eyes to look at the brush she had hidden in. That was when she noticed that it was covered with thorns. So few plants in Equestria had them, the possibility had not even crossed her mind. The continued noise of something approaching drew Spitfire's attention away from the thorns and back to the creature beyond it. It looked mostly like a lion, a male seeing as it had a massive mane around its head. Large draconic wing sprouted from the creature's shoulders, currently tucked against its sides. A tail curled up above its back, looking segmented and barbed like an over-sized scorpion tail. Spitfire tensed, resisting the urge to move. She had no idea how well the creature could hear so she wanted to avoid making her hiding place rustle. Her jaw clenched tight as she held her breath, watching the creature. It seemed to be sniffing around for something. Not able to do much else, the pegasus mare watched and waited. She gave a small silent prayer to be missed by the thing. The manticore stopped in its tracks. Shifting, it lowered its head and began to sniff at the ground. The feline moved back and forth, the tail shifting behind it. Lifting its head, it took a deep breath then started to move forward. The body shifted, moving lower to the ground as it crept along, eyes, ears and nose focused ahead of it. Spitfire continued to hold still and wait. She was forced to resume breathing sooner than she would have liked, but the creature took no notice. Slowly, she continued to breathe, focusing on it and waiting for her body to calm down. As the creature moved further and further away, her heart started to beat at a calmer and calmer pace. Once feeling comfortable that the creature was a safe distance, she began to crawl out of her hiding spot. The mare moved to climb out more carefully than she had jumped in. She could feel the thorns as she moved, tugging at her mane, tail, and flightsuit. As she worked free, something caught her eye. Blackberries. Without realizing it, she had hidden in a blackberry bush. Now she was looking at some of the fruit, and it appeared to be ripe. A small growl came from her stomach. It had been a while since she had eaten anything (Lunch time? Breakfast?), and she would need to keep her energy up if she was going to keep walking. Being careful of the thorns, Spitfire began to eat the blackberries. The berries were ripe and ready to burst at the first bite, releasing a small explosion of sweet juice with a hint of tartness to it. The taste began to fade before being replaced by another of the delicious berries. After eating about twenty, Spitfire licked her lips and decided to stop. As much as she was enjoying it, she needed a bit more variety than just blackberries. Stepping away from the bush, she turned and continued her way toward what she hoped would be civilization. Her mind focused as she took in as much as she could, trying to notice any other foods she could eat as well as possible threats. No dangers came into view, but she did find food. As she walked, Spitfire came across a pecan tree. There were many nuts on the ground around it, from fresh to either rotten or starting to sprout. The fresh sprouts were tender and a little more substantial than the blackberries from earlier. The shells on the ripe nuts were soft enough to bite and eat, making the meal extra crunchy. The meat inside was delicious, having a slight wooden taste to it. Although not as tasty as the berries, they were more substantial. Between the two courses, the hunger had subsided and she felt a little re-energized. Her body still ached and her muscles were stiff, but she no longer felt the need to sleep as much as she did before. With renewed energy, the pegasus continued on, trotting faster than she had before. Her tail gave a flick as she felt her confident returning. She may be in the Everfree Forest, but she was going to get out and be fine. After all, she was a soldier. In point, she had earned a position as leader to one of the best group of pegasi flyers in Equestria. She would still have to be careful, but she could -- and would -- make it out and back home. Something grabbed her foot. "Look what me's found," a voice growled out.
FightingSpitfire yanked her leg, trying to pull free. Instead the grip tightened, yanking her off balance. As she fell to her side, something began to emerge from beneath the ground. A diamond dog. It climbed onto the surface, standing taller than the pony it held by one leg. Had she been up on all fours, she would only have come up to his chest. The dog looked down at the pony with narrow yellow eyes. Two more climbed out of the hole behind it. One looked to be closer to the size of a pony and the other was a head taller than the first. "We caught a pony," the first one said. "What we want do with it?" "It look tasty," the third said. "We eat?" "Release me this instant!" Spitfire ordered. "I am an officer of the Equestrian military and you are currently holding me prisoner with threats of murder. So, I will give you one chance. Release me and we can all go about our nights peacefully." Her words boomed with authority, speaking loud and clear after years of practice due to needing to be heard great distances in high winds and during flight. The heat of anger and annoyance could be heard in her tone. It was a voice that had caused many recruits to cringe with fear, and a few to even flee in terror. The Diamond Dogs looked down at her, then burst out into laughter. "There more of us," the second said, "and we bigger than pony. What make think you scare us?" The pegasus let out a snort and shifted her weight. With her free leg, she kicked up as hard as she could, aiming between the legs of the Diamond Dog that held her. There was a loud thump as the front of Spitfire's hoof connected with the canine's crotch, the blow thoroughly slamming against his testicles. The dog let out a high pitched yelp of pain, letting go to grab at his genitals as he fell to his knees. Momentarily freed, Spitfire quickly rolled over to get back on her hooves. Before she could get up, something jumped on her back. She was pinned by the weight a moment before one paw grabbed her mouth. The other moved across her stomach, the arm wrapping around her body. She was then lifted off her the ground, held against the largest of the animals. The smallest started to move in front of Spitfire, walking toward her and growling. "Stupid pony going to pay for that." He bared his teeth at her as he moved closer. The pinned pegasus held perfectly still, watching the approaching Diamond Dog. Once certain he was close enough, she kicked out hard with both her hind legs. Her hooves hit him in the stomach, causing him to grunt as the air was knocked out of him and start to double over in pain. Spitfire then swung her legs up, bringing them into the underside of the canine's jaw. The impact caused the Diamond Dog's head to snap back before falling. Everything felt distorted to the mare as she was sudden lifted higher and slammed down. There was an explosion of white in front of her eyes and a loud cracking-popping noise as her wings and back hit the ground. The impact knocked the air from her lungs, leaving he paralyzed as she tried to breathe in. The largest Diamond Dog let out a snarl. His grip tightened on her, the nails digging into the flight suit and started to tear the durable fabric. With a grunt, he began to lift her up off the ground again. As she was lifted over the Diamond Dog's head as high as he could, Spitfire threw her weight to one side as hard as she could. The sudden shift caught the canine unexpected and put him off-balance. The pegasus turned as she fell, trying to land on her side and protect her back. There was a tearing sound as the fabric of her suit tore further. Spitfire managed to land on her flank, feeling a pain in her hip but letting the toned muscle absorb most of the energy form the impact. She tried to keep the movement going, making it hurt less and getting back onto her legs. The large Diamond Dog was unharmed and got up quickly, standing before she was. It was watching her with part of its gaze, the other part focused on its friends. The one that had been holding her earlier had recovered enough from the kick to start standing back up. Spitfire moved to try and keep an eye on both of them as well. She may not have known about Diamond Dog thinking or the idea of pack mentality, but she understood the idea of teamwork. It was difficult to tell what they were planning to do, but she could tell they were moving together. Running was not an option. Her injured wing, hurting more from the impact, meant that she was still unable to fly. In the case of actual physical running, she was most likely faster, but the dogs would chase her out of instinct. Plus she had no way of knowing what kind of stamina they had. Spitfire tensed. She lowered her head close to the ground and narrowed her eyes at them. The large equine ears pulled back as she bared her teeth. "Your friend," she said, "is unconscious. Take him, and leave. Otherwise, you are going to join him." Neither of the Diamond Dogs acknowledged what she said. Instead they continued to move, separating and trying to get on each side of her. Spitfire continued to move and tried to keep them both in sight, but it was getting more difficult. She was going to have to try a different tact. Letting out a battle cry, the pegasus ran at full speed toward the largest of the Diamond Dogs. The two creatures froze at the sight, eyes wide. They were so caught off guard by the charging pony, neither of them could figure out how to respond. Running as fast as she could, Spitfire slammed her head into the stomach of the Diamond Dog. As she felt the impact, she reared up onto her hind legs and shoved forward with all her weight. The impact and momentum managed to knock him onto his back and Spitfire jumped onto his chest. One hoof reached up, pressing against his chin. "Trying anything and I break your jaw," she stated, giving a small push to emphasize her point. She then turned to the other one. "Or you!" she shouted. The other Diamond Dog looked from her, to his friend, and back. Raising his claws, he slowly backed away. "Now take your friend," she said, "and go back down your hole. When you do, I'll let your friend go. Then we can all walk away, forget this happened, and move on." The Diamond Dog glared at Spitfire, but moved away. He went to pick up the still unconscious friend, throwing him over one shoulder. He continued to stare at the pegasus as he walked back to the hole, stopping at the edge. He gave a snort, then jumped down with his friend. "Now you." Spitfire turned her attention to the one she was on top of. "I am going to get off you and you are going to leave as well. If you try anything," she leaned close, pressing her face against his, "I will buck you in the apples so hard, your grand-pups will double over in pain. Got it?" The pinned canine gave small gulp and nodded. Spitfire kept her eyes on him as she moved back, stepping off the Diamond Dog. As she did, she made sure to let one hoof rest on his crotch, pressing down just slightly to remind him of her warning. Once the pegasus was off the Diamond Dog, the canine rolled over and crawled on all fours to the hole in the ground. He did not even dare to look back as he scurried to it and then slipped inside. Spitfire continued to watch the spot the dogs had gone as she continued to move away from it. Once certain that they were not going to suddenly jump out, she turned and sprinted away from the area. Had to be sure that she was not going to be seen by them first. After all, running would be a sign of weakness, and they say that predators will chase anything that runs, even if they did not originally plan to. After five minutes of running, she had to stop. The surge of adrenaline from the fight wore off, leaving the pegasus to feel worn out and exhausted. It also left her shaking and starting to hurt. She also realized that she could not see out of her left eye again. A quick touch to her forehead revealed that the gash from earlier had torn back open some time during the flight, and was bleeding again. There was also pain in her right side along her ribs. Checking, she discovered the fresh tears in her flight suit. They must have been torn by one of the Diamond Dogs when she was trying to escape. Each tear mirrored a shallow furrow in her skin, more blood oozing from the thin wounds. While irritated at the scratches, Spitfire was also grateful at how minor they were. If they had been something with actual claws, it would have been a lot deeper. As much as she dislike the idea,she needed to rest. Sleep would help her heal, so the worst would be past when she woke up. It would also help with the exhaustion. Well, bleeding and stinging pain wise. The dull aches would be at their worst when she got up. Another upside would be that her mind would be rested as well, helping her think clearly. Moving slowly, Spitfire searched for a spot that seemed safe. Finding a tree with brush around the trunk, she checked for thorns. Seeing none, she checked to see if she could squeeze in and be hidden by the foliage. Satisfied, she slipped into the middle and curled up. Within seconds, she was asleep.
DreamingSpitfire stared at the ceiling of her room. Her front half was on the floor while her back end pointed up in the air as it pressed against the side of the bed. Her body ached and her head throbbed, made worse by the light stabbing at her eyes. We must have celebrated too hard last night. The made her stop. What would they have been celebrating last night? Were they celebrating? Normally she would go out with the team after they did what seemed like a great performance during one of their stunt shows. She did not recall doing a show recently. The last thing she remembered was... was... "You okay?" a feminine voice asked. At the doorway stood a white pegasus mare with a blond mane and tail. "I'm fine," Spitfire responded as she moved to get up. "What's up?" "I was actually coming to wake you. There's a meeting in one hour. All team members are expected to be in the main conference room in their flight suits." The white pegasus grinned, pulling her goggles down over her eyes. "Alright," Spitfire gave a nod. "Thank you, Surprise. I'll be down shortly." As Surprise gave a nod of acknowledgement and left, Spitfire walked toward the bathroom. She stepped through the doorway and into the meeting room in her Wonderbolt flight suit. Several teammates were already sitting around and waiting for the meeting to start. Others would be showing up shortly. "Thank you all for coming," Princess Luna stated. "I have called you all here for a very important reason." Spitfire? Can you hear me, Spitfire? Spitfire blinked in confusion and looked around. She could have sworn that she just heard Luna call her name, but the pegasus had been watching the princess, and her lips had not moved. Had somepony else called her name? Up front, Luna's horn glowed as she pulled down a projection screen. As the lights went down, a projector came on. On the screen appeared an image of a black alicorn with an ethereal blue mane and tail. On her flank was a crescent moon surrounded by a night sky, and she wore dark blue armor. "Nightmare Moon has returned," the princess stated. "More accurately, the entity that is Nightmare Moon has found a new vessel." The image changed to a black dragon breathing purple flame. "Somehow it has taken a hold of a dragon." Where are you? Spitfire lost track of what was being said as she heard what sounded like Luna again. This time it could not have been the princess at the front because the other voice had spoken over her. I can sense that you are asleep, but I can't seem to find you. "Spitfire." The sound of her name being called made the pegasus jump in her seat. "You, Soarin, and Surprise shall report to Ponyville," the Luna up front stated. "There you shall assist Pinkie Pie in covering the giant waffles with whipped cream, cherries, and sprinkles. Everypony understand their missions?" "Yes, Ma'am!" All the assembled ponies, Spitfire included, shouted with a salute. "Dismissed!" Flanked by Soarin and Surprise, Spitfire flew straight up out of the meeting room and into the sky. The three continued to fly straight up until they were flying down toward Ponyville. Below, they could see what looked to be a waffle close to twenty-five feet in diameter. Several ponies stood around it. As soon as they landed, Surprise stripped off her flight suit. She then reached up to the base of her mane, and pulled down. The white pegasus peeled away to reveal a pink earth pony. "Hi," Pink Surprise (?) said with a wide grin. "Thank you so-so much for coming to help. We really need to get this pie a la mode before-" "PIE!" Soarin shouted. Before any of the ponies could do anything, the pegasus stallion dove head first into the giant pie, bits of crust and cherry filling spraying out. Quickly, he began to swim through the large baked good, eating a path through the crust as he went. "SOARIN!" Spitfire shouted. "Get out of there. We are supposed to be getting ready to face Nightmare Dragon!" "Oh you don't have to worry about that," the pink pony that had been Surprise said. "It's never going to reach us before you wake up." With that, she hopped away. "Great," Spitfire said before something else sank in. "Wait. What do you mean by that?" Before she could get an answer, the ground beneath her hooves began to shake. The giant pie tin went flying as the earth beneath it surged up, taking the pie loving pegasus with it. The ground burst open, rocks and dirt flying through the air. From the hole, a giant canine claw emerged. It was soon followed by another. Slowly from the ground emerged a twenty five foot tall Diamond Dog. Except... It looked like a poodle. Not only did it have the curly white hair coat, but even had the popular poodle cut. The gigantic Diamond Poodle climbed out of the opening and stood at its full height. The scorpion tail flicked behind it as it straightened up. It spread the dragon wings wide and let out a massive roar. "Oh no!" a voice shouted. "It's the Diamond Dog Deity. Run for your lives." This was followed by screams as ponies began to do just that. The creature watched the ponies as they ran before turning toward Spitfire. Looking down, it let out a snarl. It reared back its head and took a deep breath. The creature then thrust forward, opening its mouth wide. A rainbow colored bubble blew out from the monster's mouth and encompassed the pegasus. Before she realized it, she began to float up into the air and drift away. Spitfire looked around as she began to float up, wondering what was going on. Reaching out with a hoof, she poked at the wall of the bubble. It resisted the pressure, not popping on contact. Made sense since it was actually able to support her weight. Not seeing much other choice, she stood there and watched the ground float by. It was actually kind of relaxing. She never had the opportunity to float through the air without having it be under her own power. It was something that she would have to do more often. Maybe they could create glass bottomed hot air balloons. Would not quite be the same, but would be as close as they could get from what she could figure. She watched The Everfree Forest come into view beneath her. The bubble burst. Spitfire heard a small pop from around her and felt something sticky coat her wings. Their was a moment was weightlessness and freedom before she felt the pull of gravity. Her breath caught in her throat as she began to fall toward the ground, getting faster and faster until reaching a speed she knew would break her neck.
StrugglingSpitfire's body was awake and reacting before her mind had. Trying to find a way out of free fall, she twisted and kick. She rolled into the thorns of the bush she had hidden in, one of her hind legs lashing out and getting stuck in the barbed branches. The burst of pain caused her eyes to snap open, but panic kept her from seeing where she was. A noise of pain and fear escaped from her as she twisted and kicked, trying to fight whatever it was that had her. In her blind fear, she was not aware that she was hurting herself more. Each yank and kick of her leg pushed it against the thorns, some times even sliding back and forth against the sharp points. Every shift and turn caused her to either get stabbed by the plant, or have her uniform snag and tear. After exhausting herself, Spitfire collapsed, panting. As she tied to catch her breath, the blind panic subsided and she started to remember where she was and what had happened. With a sigh, she brought one of her forelegs up and smacked herself in the face with her hoof. "Great work," she grumbled to herself, "a Wonderbolt getting beaten up by a thorny bush she chose to get into in the first place. If my team mates found out, I'd probably never hear the end of it." Feeling calmer, she was able to extricate her hind leg from the hole of thorns she had gotten it stuck in. Once that was done and she was able to stand back up, she decided to give herself a check over. She could still see fine, but a gentle probing revealed that the area around the eye was swollen and tender from the shattered goggled (thinking back, it was a miracle she had not been blinded). Not only was there a gash, but probably a bruise beneath her fur. Her uniform was torn and tattered. Really it was not much more than stretchy rags. Each tear also marked a place where she was scraped, scratched, cut, gashed, or gauged. Every injury was noted by a bright red of fresh blood, or dark rusty brown of dried. Her legs were feeling a little stiff and sore, but it was minor and barely noticeable compared to the rest of her. Especially her wings. They hurt and refused to move, so much so that Spitfire was doubtful she could use them even if her life depended on it. Considering the way things had been going for her, it very well might. Removing the remains of her Wonderbolts uniform, she dropped it to the ground. She felt guilt flutter through her heart as she did. It was so torn, tattered, and stained it did not look like a uniform any more. At the same time, it was a symbol of what she had accomplished and who she was. It was not the only one she owned, nor the first she had to give up (some damaged in the line of duty, others just worn thin from regular use). Still, it felt like she was disrespecting The Wonderbolts by abandoning her uniform like this. Pushing the guilt aside, Spitfire quickly made her way out of the bush before she could change her mind. Figuring out which way she had come, she turned and continued to head what she hoped would lead her back to where some other ponies lived. As she started to walk, she began to wonder what time it was. With all she had been to and having either slept or passed out on multiple occasions, her internal sense of time was screwed up. Looking up did no good, because the forest was so thick that even if the sun (or moon) was up above, none of the light was getting through. After walking for ten minutes (or twenty, or thirty. She had no idea), Spitfire let out a sigh. "What else could possibly happen?" The sound of a growl filled her ears as a blast of warm, foul smelling air blew against her. Her heart and legs froze. Slowly, Spitfire turned her neck and saw the Timberwolf.
SpelunkingGlowing green eyes looked down at Spitfire from a wooden face. Each time the creature exhaled, a foul blast of air -- It smelled of damp, rotting wood and mold -- struck the pony. Sharpened stakes showed as they were bared in open wolf-like jaws. Watching the timberwolf, Spitfire began to move. Not taking her eyes off the creature, she slowly backed away from it. As she did, the creature held still, watching her intently. She tried to keep herself calm and controlled as she continued. It was doubtful she would be able to defend successfully stop the creature if it attacked her, so her best chance was that it did no such thing. It seemed unwilling to move while she was watching, and if she moved slow, it hopefully would not chase her. The plan did not work as well as Spitfire would have liked. It let her get quite a distance from her without moving, but the timberwolf was not letting her escape completely. When she got fifty feet away from it, the creature began to move forward, keeping its eyes on Spitfire. Is it toying with me? she wondered as she continued to move back. After nearly tripping over something, the mare found she had no choice but to look away from the timberwolf. She was in a forest with unsteady ground, and an area she was not familiar with after all. If she wanted to get out -- and not break a leg -- she was going to have to look away from the timberwolf and at where she was going. Seeing no other choice, Spitfire turned around and walked slowly away. She refused to stop, wanting to keep moving at a steady pace. Every chance she got she would take a glance behind her. Each time she did, she hoped that the creature would be gone. Each time she did, she still saw the thing was following her. Despite herself, she began to walk faster. It was not a conscious plan. In point she wanted to keep moving slowly as long as she could. Actually what she wanted was for the timberwolf to stop following her, and was reaching the point where she was beginning to wish it would do something, even if it was to attack. Instead, this being followed was making her become tense and nervous. Without meaning to, she began to move faster and faster until breaking out into a full galloping run. The timberwolf chased after her. It ran quickly, having the advantage with longer legs and familiarity of the forest. It wove through the trees and cleared brush easily, quickly catching up toward its prey. Spitfire had the advantage when it came to speed and agility since she was smaller and a Wonderbolt. It did not give her much in the hope of escape, but it did give her more time to try and come up with something else to try. Catching sight of a cave, she turned and started running for it. Given all that had happened, she thought it likely that there was something inside, but hopefully it would not be as much of a threat as the wooden wolf that was chasing her. Had she looked back, she would have noticed that the timberwolf had stopped. It let out a growl, but stayed back where it had stopped and stared at the mare running for the stone opening. As it was, she did not slow down until she was inside, feeling the cool damp air encompass her. Only then did she look back to see the timberwolf staring at her from where it had stopped. Seeing an option of going deeper or leaving, Spitfire decided to go deeper into the cave and see if there may be another way out. After walking a while, the cave got darker. Spitfire stopped to let her eyes adjust, although it did no good. Not being able to see, the mare continued to walk. Once again she moved slowly, slipping a hoof forward to check the path ahead for obstructions or drops. It was not fully effective, which she learned when her head struck a stalactite. As she continued deeper, she noticed that she was able to make out some details. Not everything as clear as she would like, but some of it. The detail was enough to make it so she would not have to worry about walking into things. It also meant that there had to be a light source somewhere. She saw the source of the light, and stopped. There in front of her was a large glowing shape. Curled up on the floor of a cavern was a form shaped like a bear. It gave off dark blue light like the night sky, and like the night sky, there were a few points of stars twinkling in its form. The creature was curled up, head resting on its forelegs with its eyes closed. The sight sent a mix of emotions through Spitfire, equal parts relief and fresh anxiety. Relief because the creature was asleep, meaning it was not an immediate threat. At the same time, it being asleep made her nervous. If it was anything like an actual bear, then waking it up would make it very cranky. As such, if she woke it up by accident, it would probably tear her apart. So she either had to sneak past a sleeping giant glowing bear creature, and try to risk getting by without waking it, or go back the way she came and have to face a timberwolf that she knew wanted to kill her. Given the options between the two, the threat of death with the possibility of escaped seemed a better choice than having to try and outrun certain doom. Moving carefully, Spitfire pressed herself against one of the walls of the cavern. She took a deep breath, held it, and started to follow the wall around the slumbering creature and try to find another way out of the cave. The mare tried to move as quickly as she could without making any noise. She had no idea what would wake the thing up, and the sooner she escaped the sooner she could breathe again. Finding her way out of the cavern of the sleeping creature, she let out a sigh of relief. She started to move faster, glad that was behind her. She then stopped at what she saw before her now. Not only was there a larger cavern, there was a larger creature in it. It looked similar to the one she had just left behind. The biggest difference was just that, it was bigger. The bear like thing she had seen in the previous area was larger than a timberwolf the same way as a regular bear would be to a normal wolf. The creature that she now saw was so massive, it could pick the other one up like a foal. It was also darker, more of a deep purple than the blue, and had more stars in its form. The bear-like creature was dangerously sharp. It had claws that were as long as her body from nose to tail. There were also massive fangs, nearly the same length, protruding down from its jaw. Above it were a pair of bright yellow eyes. Eyes that were open and staring right at her. Spitfire froze as she saw the creature was awake and watching her. Her heart slammed in her chest as she forgot to breathe. It was hard to figure out what to do. Simply hold still would not work, she would have to move. Could she run? The thing had no need to even chase her. It could just reach out with one paw and either smash her from the size, or slice her into three equal sized pony pieces. Were she to go back, she would have to sneak past the sneaking creature again and then some how make it past the waiting timberwolf. Seeing little other choice, she only went with the one option she saw. Slowly she began to walk again. Her eyes glimpsed at the creature from time to time as she moved, watching its reaction. It made her feel a little more relaxed when she noticed that the bear-like animal was following with its eyes, but otherwise staying still. The mare had to keep reminding herself to move slowly, to resist the urge to run. As Spitfire moved past the massive purple bear-like being, she felt relief began to grow as she noticed that it did not follow after her other than with its eyes. The walk took longer than with the previous, but she soon reached another opening. The mare braced herself, expecting a larger cavern complete with a larger creature in it. Fortunately, neither happened. There was a lot of space, enough for the creature she had just left behind to fit through it comfortably, but there was not another one that was of even greater size waiting. Hopefully all the monsters were now behind her. Now she needed to find a way to get out of the caves and back to civilization. Using the remnants of light she got from behind her, she looked around, trying to find something that would indicate which way to go. One of her ears gave a twitch as she felt the air blowing against it. The feeling was nice, then sent a realization through her mind. If she felt air blowing against her, that meant there was a wind. In order for that to happen, there had to be a way for air to be moving into the cave. So if there was a way for the wind to get in, then maybe it was enough for her to get out. Especially since neither of the creatures she had seen could possibly fit through the entrance she had used. Spitfire let her mind enter a calm, zen-like state. It was a state that she used when she was flying. Her thoughts were subdued as she opened her senses wider and let her subconscious and instincts have greater control. It allowed her to respond to any minor changes in the weather and wind before she even realized it. It worked better without the outfit, which made her a little grateful that she had taken it off. Unfortunately, it also worked better when she could have her wings spread wide, so having to keep them against her put her at a disadvantage. Having comfortably achieved her zen-like state, Spitfire began to walk through the cave. She continued to keep her pace slow, making sure the ground in front of her was safe as she went. With growing excitement, she followed the feeling of fresh air against her fur. The excitement grew as it became easier to see. Soon she could see the way out. A grin spread across her mouth as she sped up, moving faster and faster. Spitfire nearly ran out of the cave in her excitement, then stopped just before she left. The mare looked out, making sure that there was nothing outside for her to see that could be a new threat to her. Seeing nothing, she left the cave behind. Feeling a little safer, Spitfire continued on, hoping to find some indication that she would get back to civilization soon.
PetrifyingSpitfire let out a sigh as she continued to walk, although at the moment the term seemed generous at the moment. She barely lifted her hooves off the ground, the edges stroking across the dirt and through the grass before dropping again. Her steps were more of an exhausted shuffle that moved slower than she should. Since she had escaped the cave with the bear-like creatures, the pegasus mare had been walking for what seemed like hours. At first she had trotted at a pretty rapid gait, wanting to get away from the cave and hopefully the timberwolf as quickly as she could. As Spitfire got further and further from the cave, she felt herself feeling a little calmer and less threatened. Her pace slowed down, taking a more relaxed speed that would be easier to maintain for a great length. Unfortunately she did not know for how long it would be. Spitfire had walked, and walked... and walked some more. It had been so long, she was feeling exhausted. As her steps slowed and became heavier, her mind began to wander. Was she going the right way? What if instead of making her way out of the forest, she was inadvertently going deeper into it? Or worse, what if there was no way out? Was it possible that there was some spell that caused the woods to fold around on themselves, making it impossible to leave? That is if it was a real forest to begin. Maybe it was not? Maybe she was lying somewhere in a coma and the whole thing was actually a dream from which she will never wake? The last was extremely unlikely, but it was also the scariest. After all, if this were all a coma dream, how would she ever know? And how would she ever get out of it? A sound like the crow of a rooster caught her attention. The mare raised her head up, ears perking at the sound. A thrill of excitement sparked through Spitfire, causing her to lift her hooves up properly once more and pick up her pace with renewed excitement. After all, nopony kept just a rooster. If there was a rooster, there were hens. And where there were chickens, there had to be a pony to feed them. So if there was a rooster crowing, there had to be a pony's home nearby that had chickens. Spitfire's hope and excitement came to a screeching halt as she tried to do the same with her hooves. The creature before her was not a chicken, much less a rooster. It had the head of a chicken, and the feet, but not the body. It had the general shape, but covered in scales. There was a thick, reptilian tail sticking out from the back, and small dragon-like wings. What she had thought was a rooster was a cockatrice. It turned to look at her. The mare quickly looked away, keeping the creature in the edge of her vision. She had to watch it just in case it tried something. At the same time, she had to be careful not to look it directly in the eye. Doing so would put her at risk of being caught in the cockatrice's power and being turned into stone. She saw the movement of the creature. It was starting to stalk towards her. She could see the talon-toed feet moving closer to where she stood. It made a slight cluck-clucking as it approached. Spitfire stepped away, trying to match the pace of the cockatrice. Each step the foul fowl made toward the pegasus was matched by her taking a step away. She tried to move slowly as she did, not wanting to provoke the creature. This time, it did not work. Flapping its wings, the cockatrice took a flying leap at Spitfire. Instinctively, the mare reared up on her hind legs. She lashed out with her left front hoof, striking the creature. There was a loud wet cracking sound as Spitfire struck the thing in the chest, shattering the breast bone. The cockatrice let out a gurgling squawk as it fell back, slamming against the ground. Flapping and kicking, the creature finally managed to right itself. Beak wide open, it lunged at the pegasus mare once again. This time it caught her unprepared, biting down in the foreleg. "MOTHERBUCKER!" Spitfire screamed as she felt the teeth sink into her flesh. She kicked and bucked as hard as she could, shaking the horrible creature off. There was a flash of pain as the monster's teeth tore strips of flesh from her front leg, leaving long bloody gashes. The mare reared up again, this time slamming her good leg down on the cockatrice's head. There was another wet crack as she smashed its skull in, sending shards of bone into the gelatinous mass of what had once been its brain. The mare found herself breathing heavily as she stared down at her hoof and the crushed mass of flesh beneath it. Her chest rose and fell as she found herself breathing heavily. Her body began to tremble as the adrenaline started to burn out of her system. Spitfire stepped away, taking slow, shaking steps as she turned from the scene of battle. The Wonderbolt Captain vomited. The Wonderbolts were a military force. While most of the time they performed aerial stunt shows for ponies to enjoy, they were also an air force when necessary. It was not a duty on which they were often called to perform, but it was one that she had done. That had mostly required flight and aerial combat however. While she had been trained in hoof to hoof combat, she had never actually used it in the field before ending up in the Everfree Forest. She certainly never killed anything, to say nothing about doing so in such a brutal and grotesque manner. Now having done so, she felt sick to her stomach. There was little for her body to expel as she had not eaten since she had woken up and began to walk. Now she was somewhat grateful for that fact. Once the final heave had passed, she tried to wipe her mouth with her leg, and found she could not move it. Turning to look down at it, she felt a whole new feeling of shock and fear. Her leg, the one that the cockatrice had bitten, was now stone. From the hoof to the shoulder blade, it had become petrified. The creature's bite had a venom that had been able to do what its gaze could not. While Spitfire was not aware of it, she was fortunate in that it was not enough to petrify her fully. She also was not feeling very fortunate since she now had a leg made of solid rock. Turning, she caught sight of the remnants and again felt sick. Spitfire felt a massive urge to escape, to get out of there and as far away from the scene as she could. It was not as fast as she would like, or very fast at all since she was forced to drag one leg, but she did the absolute best that she could. Movement was now slow, tedious, and exhausting. The stone leg dragged, leaving a furrow in the dirt as she tried to pull it along with her. It was also incredibly and unexpectedly painful. Each move caused the spots where the rock attached to her body to pull at her skin and muscles, making it feel like they would rip and tear any second. Reaching her limit, and not making it as far as she would have liked, Spitfire collapsed. It was more of a fall, landing on her side with the weight of the stone leg pressing against her. It caused discomfort in her chest, but she could not bring herself up. A shadow moved over the prone mare's form. She tried to look up, and saw something vaguely in the shape of the pony above her. "What is this I see before me?" a voice asked. "'tis a strange and injured pony that I see." "Help," Spitfire said, her voice nearly a whisper. "So many injuries, and a leg of stone. Seems miraculous you made it this far alone." "Please," the pegasus said again, "I need help." "Yes in deed, help is something you do need. Close your eyes and get some rest, and helping you I will do my best. I can carry you to my home, and find a potion to reverse the stone." The figure moved, lifting Spitfire with ease. "Then while you sleep and begin to heal, I shall go and get assistance from Ponyville." Ponyville Spitfire thought. Something about the name sound familiar. For some reason, she could not place her hoof on it at the moment. She felt her weight settle across somepony's back. Tilting her head, the mare caught sight of a black and white pattern, and what looked like a sun. Before her eyes, the black lines seemed to grow thicker and connect, before everything finally went dark.
Recovering...the injured pegasus is resting here... ...nurse... doctor... Is that really her? Rainbow Dash! ..Soarin... ...transfusion... Spitfire let out a groan as she opened her eyes. All see saw bright fuzzy whiteness. Closing them again, she lifted a hoof to rub at them. "Hey doc," A voice said, "she's waking up." The voice sounded familiar. She could not place it for some reason. Shifting, she pushed herself up, feeling the softness beneath her. The voice was forgotten about as she turned her head and looked down. She was in a hospital bed. The mare could feel a smile spread across her face. She had never been so happy to wake up in a hospital bed in her entire life. She flopped back down, enjoying the feeling of having a mattress and sheets beneath her once again. "Well it seems that you are recovering quite nicely," said a strange voice. Spitfire opened her eyes, seeing a doctor standing over her. Behind him stood a white pony in a nurse's uniform "Yeah." She stretched out, feeling some aches and pains. "So glad to be out of that forest. I really need to thank..." She stopped and looked around. "You know... I don't even know who saved me..." "It was Zecora," the familiar voice said again. "She's a zebra that lives in the Everfree Forest." Spitfire looked to see a familiar blue pegasus with rainbow colored mane. "Rainbow Dash? What are you doing here?" "I saw Applejack carrying you and have been here since you arrived." "Applejack?" Spitfire asked, blinking. "Who's-" "Excuse me," the doctor said. "Now that you are conscious, could you please tell me what happened?" Spitfire shifted and thought, then started to speak. She gave a brief explanation of her fight in Canterlot and waking up in The Everfree Forest, as well as a summary of what happened as she tried to get out. While she spoke, the doctor checked her vitals as well as her eyes and ears, and the nurse changed the dressing on various parts of her body. "Well you are recovering quite well," the doctor said after they finished. "We want to keep you for a few days, but you should be able to go home soon." "Thanks Doc," she called as the doctor and nurse left. Spitfire turned back to Rainbow Dash. "So what are you doing here? I thought we were past the hero worship thing after telling me off at the academy." "Are you kidding?" The blue pegasus shifted, nearly dancing. "You're still one of the awesomest ponies alive, and captain of The Wonderbolts. No way I would leave you alone in the hospital." She blushed. "Uh... I mean... Some pony should be here to keep an eye on you until you wake up." "Still a little creepy stalkerish sounding," Spitfire said with a laugh, "but I get what you're saying. So does your being here mean I'm back in Ponyville?" Before Rainbow Dash could say anything, a voice called "SPITFIRE!" In a blur, a powder blue pegasus stallion flew into the room and nearly slammed into the bed, wrapping his front legs around Spitfire. "Hey Soarin," the pegasus mare said with a grin, hugging him back. "What took you so long?" "We were out searching for you," he explained. "I came back to hq and got that message that you were here. What happened to you?" Once again she gave a brief explanation of what happened after waking up in The Everfree Forest. As she reached the part about seeing a pony shaped figure before passing out, she turned to look at Rainbow Dash. "I was hoping she could tell me who saved me and how I got here just as you showed up." The two Wonderbolts turned to give their full attention. The pair watched the rainbow maned mare shift nervously before putting on a face that seemed confident and taking a deep breath. "The pony that found you was Zecora," Rainbow Dash explained, "A zebra that lives in The Everfree Forest. She probably took you to her hut and gave you some medicine. She's weird, but knows how to make some potions that are pretty useful. After that, she got Applejack, a friend of mine you've met who lives at a farm near the forest, to help. A.J. is strong so she was able to carry you to the hospital. I saw here when I was following and came along. Twilight saw and sent a message to the Princess to let her know you were found. And here you are." She made a motion "Sounds like I have a lot of ponies I'm going to have to thank," Spitfire said. "Dash, could you give Soarin and me some time alone?" "Sure," Rainbow Dash responded as she headed for the door. "I have to go pick someone up from school anyways. If you want, I can go by the library and bring you something to read." "That's okay." She gave a smile as the excited young mare left. As soon as Rainbow Dash was gone, Spitfire turned to Soarin. The smile quickly vanished and tears began to fill the yellow mare's eyes. She grabbed her friend and buried her face against him as she began to cry. Soarin shifted, thrown off by the sudden change. He spread his wings and wrapped them around his captain, his teammate, and most of all his friend. The stallion held the mare tightly, rubbing her back as she sobbed against him. He waited patiently until the worst of the outburst subsided, then listened quietly as she went into greater detail about how scared she had been and how horrible she felt about what she did to the cockatrice. Spitfire's body would be healed in a few days, but it seemed that the trauma of what happened would take longer to heal.
