Carmino

Pea gasped, "Berry? Like that Black Berry guy back at the camp?"

Dew winced, she nodded weakly.There was a moment of silence.  Oza saw that the red pony it him out of fear, and didn't  think she was dangerous. He set the two ponies back on the ground. Dew rubbed her shoulder and sat on the ground awkwardly at Oza 's feet. Oza rubbed his hands together and waddled over to the fire pit.

"...Um...Oza start fire now...okay?"

Pea waved her hoof, "Yes, yes please."

Dew looked down at the ground pawing the dirt, "You...you don't need to do that...I'm no guest..."

Pea put a hoof on her shoulder," awww cheer up Blue...er...Dew Berry, you can eat with us. Its okay...right Oza?"

The dragon looked up from his work, "Yep! Stranger can eat with us."

Dew smiled sheepishly, "But....I hit you over the head with a mallet, doesn't that make you at least a little upset with me?" She almost sounded hopeful. Pea shrugged and headed over to the fire.

" We've seen some shit Dew, a bit of wack-a-mole won't  get us in a tizzy," With flicked her tail as she trotted over to the camp fire.

"Y-you two are t-to kind....but...I r-really should get going. Black might get upset..." she got up to leave.

Oz a butted in, "We'll take care of him," he pointed to an empty spot next to the fire, " Sit. "

Dew was ecstatic yet terrified at the same time, she stood for a few moments just blinking. She trudged over to the fire, she tried her best to feel comfortable, but she was fidgeting and looking over her shoulder for the longest time. The three of them sat in an awkward silence as hopeless look at their guest. Dew kept looking around, as if she was waiting for something to get her. Pea had almost enough of this...

"Okay, what's the deal?" Pea blurted out.

"W-what?" Dew was surprised at the hostess' outburst," What's wrong?" she asked timidly.

Pea folded her arms, "You're scared of something...what is it?"

Dew Berry had felt uncomfortable the moment the two strangers opened their arms to her, she tried to kill one of them...Why did they shift gears so suddenly? Did they not take her seriously? Were they setting up a trap? Dew's mind was blazing with uncertainty, what was she going to do? She suddenly collapsed. The memories of when Beamville was raided flared painfully back to her. She curled up into a little ball and shivered. She remembered she escaped them, but there was something she knew she couldn't escape...

Pea was shocked at the sudden events. She heard Dew mumble something about hiding or the hideous jaws of an angry dragon. Pea was going to try and comfort the stranger, but when she got closer to Dew she saw something.  Bruises and small scars showed up on  Dew's back as she curled up. Pea placed a gentle hoof on the stranger's shoulder. Dew shrugged it off.

"N-no...Black...s-stop laughing...p-please?" She looked up at Pea. There was a hopeless look in her tear covered eyes.

Pea became aware that this little red pony had been through something terrible. Dew rose up quickly with shaky knees and looked at the two travelers.

"...Thanks for b-being so nice...But, I g-gotta go home...now..." Dew said between sobs.

She dashed off the hill and back to the town. Pea and Oza watched Dew as she ran back. She stumbled occasionally, but kept her frantic speed. The two travelers looked at each other with ridged expressions. They knew what needed to be done...they need to save that pony, no matter what is following her.

They planned out their strategy as the sun was beginning to set. They first needed to find out a way to get in the camp. They could try to bribe their way in, but everypony recognized them, and they definitely didn't have enough money to make them forget. They could fight their way in...but that wouldn't end well for anyone. They decided to sneak just Pea in.

As they approached the shelter with its makeshift fences, they set their plan into motion. Oza hid away from sight from the patrols and Pea leisured over to the straggling stallion. As the group of guards turned the corner, Pea swung in front him.

"Oh...please sir, c-can you help me?" Her eyes were wet with stage-tears.

The stallion was caught by surprise,"Ahhm....aren't yah that one chick...who was friends with that dragon?"

Pea moved closer to him. Her breath was timid as she inched closer,"I just escaped him, oh he..." she covered her face with a hoof," He was awful!" She squeaked softly. By this point she was inches from the guard. She blushed...

"I...I need someone...or some pony to help me relax..."  she cooed. The guard smirked.

"How relaxed, sugarcube?"

Pea giggled, "This much..."

She learned forward to kiss him and as she did so, she flicked her tail. Oza saw this in his hiding spot and teleported silently behind the aroused guard. With a silent blow to the head the stallion slumped down with a dopey grin. Oza yanked off his uniform and handed it to Pea, "Here Pea, you need this."

Pea nodded and Oza sunk back over with the unconscious guard. Pea pulled the hat brim over her eyes as she needed the gate. She got in with little difficulty,it seemed that the whole thing was a lot less organized than she originally thought. She trotted through anyway, staying out of the main walkways in search of the red pony. She slunk around the camp checking the medical, dental as well as some barracks. All of them had sleeping ponies, not red ones.

The night drug on as she searched, she made it to the other end...there she found who she was looking for. Pea winced at the sight. Outside of a tent,  there were two things one was a sign that read: 'Sargent Black Berry' . The other thing was Dew. She had a thick rope tied rather tightly around her neck. There were new, bigger lashes and bruises on her delicate body and a little red in her baby blue hair. Pea tip-toed over to her. Neither Dew or Black heard her as she inched closer.

"Pssst!" Pea whispered, but Dew didn't respond. Pea tried again, this time Pea touched Dew's head gently. Dew made a muffled squeak of pain.  Pea spoke a little louder.

" Blue...er...Dew, can you hear me?"

Dew kept her head low, her slender red body stayed curled in a feeble ball. Pea was about to untie the rope when she heard something from inside the tent....

"Eh...boss? Maybe you shouldn't smoke those here...somepony might see 'em..." said a male voice.

Pea recognized the second one, but Black Berry sounded a bit sluggish than when she first heard him. She his behind a few crates as Black began to speak audibly.

"Shaddap you...I'll smoke mah stash where I want...." Pea heard mumbling, followed by a muffled yell. Suddenly there was a nasty crash then a low thump. Black barked out again;

"Dew! Git yer ass in here an' clean dis up!"

Dew got up and limped into the tent, there was some low chatter as Pea heard some rustling on the dirt floor. There was more shuffling and soon everything was quiet. Pea wasn't sure if she should try and sneak into the tent or wait for Dew to come back out, she didn't have long to wait...Dew came back out. Her delicate red body trembled slightly in the moonlight. Pea saw a sliver of light from the underside of the tent. She took a peek under the tent and saw Black. He was sitting on a massive pillow that had ornate patterns. There was a limp guard at his feet. Around the motionless stallion the dirt looked wet, like something was washed out.

Black had a deliriously calm expression  on his gaunt face. He huffed out a thick bluish cloud of smoke in the air. After a few moments he reached behind the pillow and pulled out a long tube with a nozzle that looked like a deep sea fish. He inhaled deeply and when he huffed the smoke out again it turned from blue to green. He chuckled stupidly watching the cloud as it changed colors. Pea knew he was on something, but when he refilled his hookah, she saw what it was. He pulled out of a crate jars that were labeled 'JADE CACTUS FRUIT'...

Pea's knees buckled, she needed to get Dew away from Black at that moment. Without consideration, she leapt over to Dew and violently rid her of the ropes. Dew made a squeak of surprise, but nothing else. Then she was lifted onto Pea's back. Pea whistled loudly and Oza teleported on the other side of the fence. He tore part of the fence out of the ground. Black roused out of the tent as the commotion started. He blinked lazily as he saw Dew being carried off by Pea and Oza. His lazy eyes became bloodshot with rage as he tore through his tent for his gun. The encampment guards buzzed around in the commotion, searchlights blazed and everypony started shouting.

Black shot off a few rounds and roared orders to the guards," Get movin! Dem bastards just ran off with a mare from Beamville, yall better find 'em or I'll gut ya!!"

His chest heaved with rage as the guards sped away like attack dogs. His heart suddenly had an enormously hard time beating, the drug he was smoking was a hit or miss experience...today it was a stimulant and his heart couldn't handle what it did to him. He would've been at the front of the chase if he didn't pass out...

The guards sped out of the camp after Oza and Pea. They were hot on the escape's trail. Dew was now fully awake and was screaming in confusion. She squirmed on Pea's back as the grey mare tried to run, but Dew made it difficult. Some shots hit near Pea's handicapped hooves. She became frantic and zig-zagged,  but almost fell on her face with the weight of another pony on her back. Oza seemed oddly calm, as if he was waiting for Pea to speed up.

"A little help for Christ's sakes Oza!" Pea shouted.

"Okay..."

Oza slowed behind Pea and lifted each mare in a different hand. He held the two close to his chest as bullets began spritzing the air like angry fireflies. Oza's hind legs, now not slowed down to another's pace sped across the ground insanely. Some of the faster stallions  used almost all of their strength to catch up with Oza. They blind fired some shots at him, only studding his back slightly. The Guards were going so fast their reaction time practically didn't exist.

Oza dug his feet into the ground making small ditches for a few yards. The guards, not even seeing this ran straight into Oza, and felt a similar experience to running into a stone wall. What guards din't run into the dragon tripped over the ditches and were promptly swatted away by Oza's tail.

The Dragon shook the unconscious guards off his back and continued off to the night at a quick pace. Oza held the two mares to his chest as he ran, Dew listened to his heartbeat. It seemed unusually slow for such speeds she thought. He had been running for what seemed hours and Pea was getting a little motion sick.

"C-Can we stop now?",she said between bumps. Oza ground to a halt.

"You were waiting for us to ask you to stop?" asked Dew. Oza placed the mares down and nodded.

Pea was setting up a fire for her and Dew while Oza was orienting the map. He had ran about 30 miles away from the town. They were a little to far East from the direction they had intended to go. Oza and Pea decided to plan a route around the Neighxville area and go through the forest and it's eastern border. As they were deep in conversation Pea handed Dew one of her apples, Dew took it reluctantly. She sat next to the fire munching slowly on the fruit as she watched her rescuers. A lump grew in her throat when she wanted to ask just why the decided to save her. She didn't understand how or why they saved her, she was a slave, not even one in good condition....what kind of good price could they get off of her?

TO BE CONTINUED...