Furyheart eventually found Sunspot in her "office," a small pitch tent near the flight zone. It sat within the clearing, but was draped over with a mesh of very convincing camouflage cloth. Inside, Sunspot had put together a desk from crates, and a map board on a stand. The map contained pins representing significant events, and strings showing where the patrols from the past few days had swept. Sunspot looked particularly frazzled when Furyheart arrived. Her combat rig was slung over the desk, and her jump suit hung open, having only been zipped halfway up. Her mane was in a Braid similar to those used by mares in Prance.

"Fury, good to see you. The research going well?"

"We've put it on indefinite hold," he replied, "I think AB learned what he wanted to."

"Well I'm glad your day is going better than mine. My fliers are grounded. There are reports of changeling drones everywhere, it's just too dangerous, which means everypony is doing patrols on foot. Not normally an issue, fliers can't really spot many things through the trees, but I can't send a messenger to get reports from," she paused to gesture at the map, "that outpost. There's no easy access, and hoofing it around this gulch here takes a while. So my plan is that we take all the grounded fliers -for added troop strength- trot our happy little flanks on over there, and make a small hop across the gulch, hopefully without alerting the swarm."

Furyheart examined the map and read it out loud, "Friendship Gulch, sounds pleasant actually."

Amber Brilliance pushed his way into the tent and said, "Formerly Chasm of the Apostate Sister, until of course Princess Twilight cleansed Princess Luna of her condition."

"That sounds a little less welcoming," replied Furyheart. "So is there room for me to join you?"

"Oh good," said Sunspot, "and I thought I'd have to convince you. We have some gear you can use, including a pig sticker."

"A what?"

"Sorry, you wouldn't likely know about those. It's an augmentation for a head harness or armor piece. Pretty much just a spike or a blade that goes on your forehead, like a horn, it's a bit weird flying around like an alicorn, but I think you'll get used to it."

Furyheart sighed, "I can't imagine alicorns instill the same kind of reverent admiration that they used to. Well, not any of the ones I'm related to I'm sure."

Sunspot shrugged and said, "Eh, don't worry, these days ponies wonder if alicorns ever existed, the ones that are supposedly still alive haven't come down to the ground in years. so nobody directly fears them. Any pegasus with a horn, ponies know they're one of mine," Sunspot seemed to realize her little informational moment had not really lightened the mood, so with forced enthusiasm she added, "But hey, let's get you some equipment. Everyone loves new equipment."

They headed to the supply lockers, a series of trunks and wardrobes in the lower level of one hut. Prizehunter was already there, attempting repairs on her crossbow. "Oh hey Furyheart! You coming with us today?"

"With you?" asked Sunspot, "I didn't know you were headed out. Anyway he's coming with us, so he can't go with you."

"Huh? Which is it, is he coming with us or isn't he?"

"He's heading out in my party, Prize."

"Well that's fine! So are we!" Prizehunter went back to her work. After a moment realization dawned on her, "AB! Did you tell them that we were going to go with them today?"

Amber Brilliance shook his head, "It seems to have slipped my mind."

"That's okay! I can tell them!" Prizehunter turned to Sunspot, "Hey Sunspot!"

"Let me guess," Sunspot interrupted, looking up from the pile of gear she had been quietly assembling, "You're coming with us? Any reason AB?"

"Well, Prize has a feeling that there is a rather dangerous monster somewhere around the castle, and I would like to keep an eye on her, and an eye on Furyheart; just in case. Either way it's always a good day to get some field time."

Sunspot gathered the gear into a neat pile and slammed it awkwardly onto the service table. She caught her breath and said, "Hey, any time I can get Prize on one of my patrols is a boon. Enough of that, Fury, get over here, you need some equipment."

Fury trotted over to where she beckoned him.

Sunspot held up a harness and armor pieces, "Legs through here. You look pretty hearty, so you get the metal plates. Prize, help please." The two mares pulled the straps tight on Furyheart's rig. He felt a strange mix of comfort, familiarity, pressure, and weight as the armor closed around his body. The straps just barely bit into him and then slackened as the buckles settled into position. "You also get darts like mine, just pull on this tassel with your teeth and the knot will release. And here's the pig sticker and your helmet piece." She lifted a battered headpiece. It had foregone the usual Pegasopolis style that most pony helmets used, in favor of mimicking a dragon's head. The ears were guarded by sharp, jagged metal fins, and as promised it had a metal horn set through a hole in the front and anchored to the back by a base plate. The helm obstructed Furyheart's vision slightly, but he was happy for the protection if there truly were monsters about.

When they went to secure the helm however, it seemed to press unevenly against Furyheart's skull. He protested, "Uh, Sunspot? This thing is uncomfortable."

"It's military gear, what do you expect?" Sunspot assured him.

Prizehunter confirmed Furyheart's complaints, "No it's definitely not sitting right. It's like there's a knob on his head." She pulled the helmet off of Furyheart's head. "Hold on." She smashed her hoof into the helm's interior several times, denting the base plate and the area around the hole.

"Prize!" scolded a surprised Sunspot.

"What? It works," Prizehunter replied, slamming the helmet down onto Furyheart's head.

"She's not wrong," Furyheart offered as a disgruntled Sunspot tightened the straps around the base of his head.

"That's not the point," Sunspot grumbled back. "Regardless we have one last thing. Some bracelets that will keep you relatively safe from magic." She tossed two sets of brass bangles onto the table in front of Furyheart. They were etched with symbols that made Furyheart go cross-eyed briefly.

"Fancy," he forced out, trying to put the bangles over his fetlocks without looking at them. When the first one went over his hoof he felt immediate revulsion. "No! Not fancy! What in the hoof is this?"

"Just a protective spell," answered Amber Brilliance, "I assure you it is no dark magic. These were made by Princess Celestia to protect her sergeant at arms from Nightmare Moon should she ever return. They guard against even alicorn magic. If there are drones and changeling princesses around I must urge you to put them on."

Furyheart shook his head slowly as he put them on one at a time. His head spun faster with each ring. The straps on the helm grew tight, and the metal made a protesting noise briefly. Furyheart regained his senses briefly. He stopped swaying, gathered himself into good posture and said, "I don't feel at all well," with remarkable clarity. Then the room swiveled around him and the ground slammed him in the jaw. Everything went black.

***

The dark mare set hooves down in the forest; an alicorn followed by four pegasi and two unicorns. The rest of her squad landed softly behind her. The glow from the unicorns' horns subsided and the cushions of air beneath them dissipated, sending a puff of air and dry leaves in all directions.

The dark mare turned back to address her squad, "Little Boot has ordered us to find and destroy any remains of Furyheart. We feel it is necessary to caution you, our quarry is not to be taken lightly, he is strong, calculating, and when the mood takes him, incredibly aggressive. He will not hesitate to end any of our lives should he suspect our purpose. He is not our biggest threat here, but we will address that when we come to it. For now, we move."

They set off at a light trot. According to the estimation she had made, the point of impact was two miles away. It would be slow going in this ancient forest. Her squad, while capable fighters all, would be at a severe disadvantage in the growth. They were all accustomed to fighting in the clouds. Storming a cloud city was one thing. There was plenty of open space for the pegasi to maneuver, and for the unicorns to send their arcane energies at clear targets. It was like grappling almost, the victor was the one who more quickly flanked her enemy and closed upon him, twisting him into a disadvantaged position.

The brush however. There was no maneuvering by reflex. There was maneuver by subterfuge. The advantageous position was meaningless when an enemy could be lost the moment the net closed. The limbs gave walking ponies the advantages of three dimensional tactics normally reserved for fliers, and a single skilled opponent could keep an overwhelming force confused long enough to eliminate them as single foes.

The longer she walked the bigger and more oppressively the forest loomed about her. The vines strangled her vision, tangled in ancient trees who bore many secrets she could never learn to read.

"The moment we make contact," she said to the lead unicorn, "I want you to burn the foliage as far as you can reach, and smokescreen them. We take no chances, and we fight on our terms."

"Understood my lady."

The knowledge that she could eliminate the forest's grip at any moment comforted her, but not much. She had no idea how Furyheart would react to their encounter. Would he want to see her? Would he be as ruthless as she had made him seem? After he had dealt with her retinue would he believe that she had misgivings about her task, and the situation she had been put into.

It troubled her, she knew her capabilities, but Furyheart was a glass cannon. With flight and pure rage alone he could handle her squad, or be taken out by a lucky shot in seconds, and she had no idea which would be the worse outcome.

When they arrived at their first coordinate, she looked around. The search would be hopeless. Her vision was too restricted, and she had at least ten square miles to scour. There was little she could do to seek him by anything but her basic senses. His ethereal presence had been cut abruptly short the day he disappeared, leading her to believe he was dead, but the timing of things confused her. "Fan out," she commanded her squad, "unicorns at the end. Send green flares inward every thousand paces, or red flares if you find anything, or black if you run into trouble. Send response signals to confirm. Pegasi, you know the drill, find the closest one of us and we will relay messages. We head east, do not exceed a thousand paces without seeing the flare. With any luck my estimates were right."

They set off, barely covering an area the size of a tournament pitch, keeping close together to maintain visual contact. Several times while walking the dark mare became so lost in thought that she lost her pace count. Fortunately her end points were diligent and sent signals in the appropriate fashion. She was about to hold for one of them to send the pace mark, when a red bolt cut through the trees over her head. She passed the flare down the line and it returned. Within a minute all seven ponies were gathered in a clearing.

She saw why as soon as she realized that it had not always been a clearing. There had been a fight here, magic had been used, the area still contained a faint trace of nether-worldly forces. "What is your thinking madam?" asked the lead unicorn.

"We feel that these hoof prints, the group, likely contain the prints of our target. Which means that these," she pointed to a single set approaching from the other direction, "were him as well."

"Not those?" asked the second unicorn.

"Idiot," rebuked the senior unicorn, "Those are changeling prints."

"We go," commanded the dark mare, and she followed the tracks back to their source. They were spotty at best, and the group had to use dead reckoning at times to keep on them. They found the site of a brief struggle. Something had clearly lost a non trivial amount of blood. It had unfortunately left, so they continued.

Through what seemed sheer luck the group stumbled upon a pegasus sized dent in the ground. "He was here," the black mare said with grave certainty, "and he was alive. We must go back and determine where he managed to escape to."

They had almost returned to the site of the battle when the dark mare felt a nagging feeling. It told her to redirect slightly north. She could not put a hoof on why, but she knew where he was. Perhaps he really had survived.

After a great trek they came upon a deep gorge. At a distance it split into two. She knew that a castle lay on the outcrop which split the middle. The Castle of the Two Sisters. That was where she would find him, but not with her squad. Things were accelerating, and she would be entering this encounter without a solid plan. It was not a situation she liked, probably why Little Boot had given her so little time to prepare.

Inspiration struck her suddenly. She looked about the far side of the gorge to select a good location. She elected to take a point near the castle, but well out of sight of it. "Go over there," she said, "and form an ambush line. We will lure him to you. Be prepared for us to call you in for assistance."

"Yes madam," said the unicorn, who had just resumed his position as acting squad leader.

***

Furyheart awoke with everypony standing around staring at him. "Is there something on my face?" he asked snidely.

"No, we were just a bit worried because you collapsed for a few seconds," replied Sunspot.

"You know, normal stuff," added Prizehunter.

"Well I feel fine now," Furyheart assured them, "These bracelets, must I wear them?"

"You really should," said Sunspot.

"As long as you're done blacking out," added Prizehunter, helpful as always.

"Thank You, Prize," sighed Sunspot. "But really, are you sure you should be going?"

"Yes," replied Furyheart with some forcefulness, "I don't know why, but now I really feel like I ought to go."

Sunspot rolled her eyes, "If you insist. Let's go ponies, we've got no more time for delays."

They joined with the rest of the group and headed out immediately, joined by a hoof-full of pegasi. The going was easier than it had been the last time Furyheart braved the forest. After a while he realized that they were on a very subtle path, marked only by the lack of thick scrub.

They arrived at what Furyheart could only assume was Friendship Gulch. He could see where it once had a bridge. "Sunspot, why do you not rebuild the bridge if walking around is so inconvenient?" he asked.

"Because we can fly or carry anypony across that we want to, while anypony we don't want to cross here has to go around. Strategic value my friend," answered Sunspot.

"Alright Sun, I'm off to the castle with AB," interjected Prizehunter.

Sunspot waved her off, "Good hunting. Stay light on your hooves."

Prizehunter trotted off with Amber Brilliance across her back, crossbow ready for whatever her intuition had tipped her off to. The rest of the party made the quick hop across the gorge, and the rest of the trip to the outpost. Something he could not quite explain told Furyheart that he should have gone with Prizehunter.

The outpost was not what Furyheart had been expecting. He had not be expecting much, but this was definitely not it, a pit dug into the base of a large hollow tree, with access to the top for lookouts. They were greeted by a stern looking pegasus stallion with a similar setup to Sunspot's. "Greenhollow welcomes you," he said cheerfully, "I take it you noticed the swarm moving around today."

Sunspot smiled and briefly threw a forelimb around him in a very aggressive hug, "Yup, I figured it would be better not to have any fliers moving around today."

"Who's this?" asked the stallion.

"Oh, we really don't know," said Sunspot, "He showed up with trouble at his heels, but he's good help, and doesn't have any reason to betray us, so we'll just call it good. He calls himself Furyheart."

"Nice to meet you, Greenhollow," said Furyheart, accepting the stallion's hoof.

This confused the stallion, after some thinking he said, "My name is Leaf Trotter, Greenhollow is the town we live in near here."

Several things clicked in Furyheart's mind at once. Chiefly that he had just been interpreting everything in the royal voice. Among the other realizations was the idea that the Everfrees were a larger group than they had first appeared. "I'm sorry," said Furyheart, "I haven't quite been myself lately."

"Well that's fine, you can be whoever you like as long as Sun and I have a say in things. But enough pleasantries and platitudes, Sun, we have some time sensitive news for you."

"What's that?" asked Sunspot.

"We saw a squad of royal looking soldiers moving around the gulch. They headed towards the castle."

Sunspot's eyebrow raised almost all the way off of her face, "Soldiers? Here? I know that's why we have these outposts, but still, this is unexpected."

"There's more, they were accompanying an alicorn."

Sunspot's jaw dropped, "We have to get Prize and AB now. Do you know how we can reach the castle without alerting this squad?"

"Yes, if we keep to the far side of the gulch we should be able to avoid detection."

"Let's hope we can end this day without a fight," said Sunspot, her tone making it clear that she doubted this as a possibility.

***

"Are you sure about this?" asked Amber Brilliance, "The monsters usually avoid this place. Even dragons are fearful of treading near here."

Prizehunter sighed and adjusted him on her shoulders. "When you become the master huntress we'll start following your gut," she replied, "But for now we search here." She carefully climbed a tower, ready to fire at any moment. Once they were in the shattered turret of the tower, she shrugged Amber Brilliance off of her shoulders. "Alright, get those spectacles spectacle-ing; we've got a monster to find."

They surveyed the castle and grounds for a while before Prizehunter nudged Amber Brilliance. "Monster?" he asked quietly.

"The worst kind," Prizehunter whispered back to him. He saw where she pointed. An alicorn, colored like dusk on a clear night was moving carefully through the castle grounds. She seemed to be looking for something, and while she kept herself well concealed, there was no hiding from Prizehunter's eyes.

Prizehunter climbed onto one of the shattered walls and prepared to sight her weapon. "Distance?"

"Two hundred forty out, forty down, put it at two hundred twenty out."

She made the adjustments as Amber Brilliance estimated them. "Windage? Nevermind, it's calm enough right now."

Prizehunter tracked the alicorn. It was difficult due to her target's random movements and the frequent obstructions, but the alicorn was moving slowly. She released the bolt. The alicorn must have heard it, because she vanished from sight the moment the wooden shaft had been loosed. It clattered harmlessly across the stones of the courtyard.

"Oh this is bad. AB, stay here. I'm going hunting."

"Be careful," said Amber Brilliance.

"You know me," Prizehunter replied, bouncing down the stairs and out of sight.

"That's why i'm worried."

Prizehunter stalked through the courtyard. She found the bolt, but held back and watched, listening for anything at all.

When she heard no sounds, Prizehunter approached the bolt. As she reached for it, a small sound of grass crushing under hoof alerted her. She wheeled left, and found herself face to face with an imposing figure, wings outstretched, talons raking the stones, fangs barred, flame pouring out of her snout. At long last, the Dragon of Dark Embers was hers.

She fired an instant before realizing that none of this made any sense.

"Sorry, but you lose," said a voice behind her. Prizehunter's hairs stood on end as the crackling energies of the nether poured into existence.

Author's Note

so i got caught up in my research paper, and then Christmas, but i'm back now
i actually wrote this back in november, but just didn't feel like editing until now, so here it is
there's about to be legit action, huzzah.