“So when does this story start to get interesting?”

“Excuse me?” Alastoria asked as she sat next to Dorrorrain. Her size was still bigger than his but neither of them ever seemed to mind even as the armored pair received and occasional glance from those who may have left or entered the tavern, but seeing that they were both falconers they casually allowed it.

“Are you trying to bore me to sleep?” he chuckled with sarcasm. “I wanna hear it, I haven’t come all this way just to hear a bedtime story.”

She smirked and answered, “Luckily it actually picks up right here. So let me skip the part where Igneous practically crawled back to the village.”

“Seems cruel when you say it like that.”

“Quiet,” she commanded which really only ended up amusing Dorrorrain. “So Igneous made it back by himself and made it by afternoon. Well while Dramier and Adridge were taking care of Igneous a stranger came up to me. He said he was with this company who were delivering tools and supplies, only there cart got held up somewhere on the trail only he never said how or why.”

As a smile stretched across Dorrorrians face he said, “A monster?”

A grin stretched across Alastoria’s muzzle she boldly answered, “Igneouses first hunt.”

“Tell me more.”

It was a perfect day with hardly any clouds to be seen on this bright sunny day. Igneous was expected to go straight to bed but Alastoria with this new mission to be concern with couldn’t just leave him alone. It was customary to never leave a Falconer behind and even though he was exhausted beyond even being able to carry himself, it was decided that Alastoria would carry him on her back.

“So how far did this guy say his cart was out,” Raillay asked following closely by at her side.

“Just mile,” she said giving no sign of struggle as she carried Igneous who gazed over her head as he rode along.

“Do they think were their errand runners?” Igneous asked from atop her.

Jerking her body to better balance him she answered, “Quiet you.”

“We should almost be there by now,” Raillay said. “How did they say it got stuck again.”

“A particularly deep pothole,” she answered. “It's not too hard to imagine since all these paths are paved with dirt. Poorly kept and overgrown too with foliage in some places as well.”

Hearing it mentioned Igneous seemed to suddenly take notice. True the trails and roads were beaten down by travel. This made travel a bit more difficult and since this was bandit and monstrous territory it was no wonder caravans travel in groups. However these guys seemed to have come alone and for good reason as they were hauling weapons to begin with so protection amongst themselves would seem substantial enough. One thing still bothered him, “How come they didn’t come? It's not like they could have had anything better to do except loaf around.”

“I don't know hunter,” Alastoria answered. “He reasoned it was because it wasn’t that far to begin with but he seemed to withhold a few vital details.”

“I would suspect it's a monster.”

“Would it be?” Igneous asked.

“I don't know,” Raillay answered unsure with what she just suggested.

“It's a monster,” Alastoria flatly affermed.

“Great.”

A few minutes later they had found the sight and what a sight it was. He was honest in that it was a particularly large pot hole but that was an understatement because the back half of the cart was teetering on the edge of a fairly deep hole-hole. One with a bottom but would make retrieving the cart almost impossible. The ground surrounding it seemed upturned with loose soil strewn about with large concave indents imprinted in the ground that pathed all along the sight.

“What happened here?” Raillay asked.

“Keep an eye on the surrounding area,” Alastoria commanded. “This beast might still be lurking.

Dramier flew down landing right next to Alastoria to give a report. “I've seen nothing from above. It may be safe by my observation may be wrong.”

“I'll trust your word for now,” she said as she approached the cart. “I need your help pulling this thing out.”

The cart itself was intended to be pulled by a team of four and its size only reinforced that statement. How she expected to get this back was still unclear.

“What about me,” Igneous asked still perched atop the mare.

Walking in between the wooden post that stuck out with empty harnesses she bucked Igneous off causing him land atop a pile of boxes inside the cart. “Just stay there please.”

Taking a look inside he found that in the front were solid wooden crates. The back held loose equipment some of which looked like weapons. “Hm,” he went as he inched himself closer to it.

Dramier appeared popped up at the back of the cart meeting Igneous face to face while setting his eyes on the items of interest. “Igneous look at this,” he said as he hoovered in the air. Dipping his head downward he picked up a standard wooden crossbow and set it on the box next to Igneous. “I didn’t know they still made these for Unicorns. I wonder where the… Oh.” He again dipped his head down only now this time he pulled up a satchel holding the protruding ends wooden bolts; the fletching with whitened feathers. “It looks nice doesn’t it,” he said as he admired the work. Looking to Igneous he smiled and wispered, “I have an idea.”

“What?”

“You keep an eye out with this here crossbow, just keep it up and aimed.” He rotated the wooden device with his hoof to check its statues and found it wasn't loaded. He then looked passed Igneous to see that Raillay and Alastoria were busy trying to strap themselves into the harnesses. “You know how to use these things right?” he asked quietly.

“I’ve been taught before,” he said picking it up in his magical grip. It seemed exceedingly heavy but that may have been because it wasn't bounded and it didn’t bear the weight of having been bound to another so it was static in its magical nature.

“Really? Who taught you?”

Before Igneous could answer but now he wasn’t so sure. However before Dramier could ask again Alastoria called saying, “Dramier I need you to join us.”

“Alright,” he called back but lowinger his voice to a whisper he told Igneous, “Just keep that thing aimed.” Igneous nodded as he pulling a white feathered bolt out of the satchel and loaded into the flight groove, pushing back against the string and locking it into the latch. He kept the heavy object laid down as he didn't want to needlessly drain his magical strength.

Alastoria strapped Dramier to the cart with the harness wrapped beneath his wings. His position was behind the two but on Raillay’s side of the post . Alastoria gave the word and in unison they began to heave the cart as best they could. Igneous being on top could feel the thing begin to slide in their favor and as they continued in their efforts Raillay asked Dramier, “So when are you going to follow through on our deal.”

With a heavy grunt he answered, “I don't carry that kind of money on me, I need to make a withdraw first.”

They continued to heave until the wheels met with the edge of the hole having to demand more effort from the team forcing them to pull harder. “A little more effort,” Alastoria encouraged, “Come on now give, it your most.”

Igneous with his passive presents continued to keep watch and with the sun high and the trees obscuring some of the area he began to wonder what could have caused this gaping hole. Whatever it was seemed to be very good at moving dirt as there was plenty of it around. He looked to the ground just as Alastoria and the others jolted the cart upwards freeing it.

“Alright get me out of this harness please,” Dramier complained. “I don’t like being grounded, I have a bad feeling.”

Igneous saw something shift below lifting the dirt as it snaked beneath the ground. “Guys?”

“Just a second Igneous,” Raillay called back. She like the others were still strapped in and only Alastoria could undo the harnesses.

The snaking path slowly creeped under cart and all together came to a halt. In a worry Igneous stood up and took the crossbow in his magical grip and proclaimed, “It's here!”

Immediately Alastoria quit in her efforts to free Dramier and every falconer froze. They waited and listened but could hear nothing noor scout anything from the open spaces to the tree line not far off. Alastoria turned her head to Igneous and asked, “the monster? Where?” She looked around not seeing anything. As she stood their she felt her hooves tremble but it wasn’t a bodily tremble. More like an earthly one. “Still,” she commanded. The others continued to worriedly glanced around looking for the threat only to come up fruitless. “Stay still and listen.”

“Alastoria,” Rrailly carefully whispered. “Neither me nor Dramier can be effective unless you unharness us.”

She looked to them just accross the post that separated her from them and said, “We wouldn’t have enough t-”

Her words got cut off as the ground itself erupted just next to Raillay and Dramier. They both shouted as they became startled and Dramier instinctively opened up his wings to fly away only he was harnessed and the his left wing that had been pinned between his body and the post broke from over exertion causing Dramier to let out a shrill cry of pain.

Immediately the cart jolted forward almost dispensing Igneous out the back as they charged forward in a tactical retreat, only the beast was closely following. “Alastoria this cart is meant to be ran by a team of four,” Raillay shouted.

“It's okay I count as two,” she answered.

“I think I broke my wing,” Dramier gasped.

When Igneous picked himself up and looked back to see he caught a clear glimpse of their pressure. This thing had the body of a snake but the head of something unworldly as at the very center of its head was a myriad of jagged teeth and four elongated pincers that jutted outwards.

With the body of this beast sticking straight into the air it soon toppled over and buried itself in the dirt. Igneous saw the rest of its bodied snake into the ground leading a mound of dirt in its wake that following fastly.

“Guys it's coming,” Igneous shouted as he raised his crossbow and fired at the ground doubting it even would have done much.

“Where!?” yelled Alastoria.

Before he could answer it burst out from the ground directly next to her. As it arced through the air with pure intent to land directly in the middle of the falconering company, Alastoria acting swiftly summoned a tower shield and heavily batted it away causing her to lead the cart rightwards away from the beast while also dropping the dark summon as a result.

“Taff,” she sputtered as she recovered from the magical exertion she just performed. “What a waist.”

“These bolts are not effective against this thing,” Igneous yelled as he continued to fire roughly were the thing was buried. For a brief moment it broke ground making a shallow arc just behind the cart catching only the dust of the wooden and an a bolt from Igneous which didn’t affect it much

Raillay could tell Dramier had been hurt not only because he mentioned it but because he was very clearly was struggling to keep up and pull his own weight let alone the weight of the cart. “Dramier please just hang in there.” He didn’t answer but instead continued to moan with every bump, pothole and rock they drug the thing over.

“Left! Left!” Alastoria commanded as they almost ran the thing off the trail and into the brush. The sudden turn threw Igneous off his hooves almost throwing him off the car. However he miraculously was able to hold on to the wooden rail as his hind legs dangled over the rushing earth. His trusty crossbow however was not so lucky. Pulling himself up he devoted himself to digging around to find another weapon even if that meant throwing swords at the beast which he did.

“Alastoria what are you planning?” Raillay shouted as they took another documented turn.

From her horn she launched off two white signals that sailed high into the air, something most ponies knew as a combat warning. One white signal was for navigation, two for indicating combat. “They should be armed, miners tend to have an affinity for combat.”

“I pray your right.”

“Igneous where is it?” she called back.

“What?” he asked as he raised his head from an opened box he was rummaging through.

“Where?”

Looking over the edge of the cart he immediately found his answer, “It's…”

“Whoa!!!” Alastoria shouted tugging the cart leftward while bringing it to a semi-stop just as the beast exploded upwards in front of them. Alastoria swiftly led them around the beast just as it fell behind and off to the right. Again it submerged itself within the ground.

“Igneous where are you?” she called expecting to follow up with with a question on where the beast was.

“I'm right here,” she heard him say all too close.

When she turned her head she found Igneous was clinging to the wooden post that harnessed them. “Igneous!” Raillay said with a mixture of surprise, concern and exhaustion.

Picking him up by the armor Alastoria laid Igneous down on her back and said, “we're almost there just stay alive.”

“I-I…” Dramier sputtered. He looked pale even through his colored fur and he seemed to be dragging along more than running.

Raillay cried, “Dramier just please hold on.” However just as she said that she felt a tug and the cart suddenly became harder to pull as they dragged the now passed out Dramier along.

Another earthly explosion as the beast arched upwards only to disappear once again into the ground. It was gaining fast.

“Igneous I need you to be my eyes,” Alastoria said as she as a dark mist took form behind her.

“What?” he asked in confused as the mist began to solidify.

It took the shape of a great bow and arrow. Floating just in front of Igneous as he faced the back of the cart Alastoria rotated it sideways while pulling back on the string with the great arrow in place.

She announced, “the next time this thing breaches you're going to hit it.”

“Okay,” he said nervously as he set his hooves on the string so he could aim it. As he looked to the ground he could see the large uprise of dirt and he looked as it snaked back and forth as if it was attempting to disorient them as it trailed closely by.

“I can see the village,” Raillay gleefully cried out.

“Igneous tell me when,” Alastoria said. “if you miss we might not make it.” He reassured himself he would make the shot as he franticly traced the beast path attempting to read its patterns and foreshadow its next move.

Its pattern was simple: Stroke left wide stroke right short, left short and stroke right wide and repeat. However he needed it to be exposed and unsheltered from the dirt it hide within. Eyeing it carefully he thought he might take the risk but just when he set his sights on the projected path it would take the mound suddenly vanished and he knew exactly why.

Panicked he yelled, “Taff.” Immediately he aimed upwards and just as he did the monster burst out of the ground clipping the cart and sailing into the air right on his line of sight. “Fire!” He yelled and Alastoria let loose on the bow.

He didn’t get to see the results of his efforts as the arrow rocketed away, because the cart flipped, drifted sideways causing the wheels to dig into the ground and snap off, tipping the cart over, whipping Alastoria over as the harness broke and sent both her and Igneous flying off to the side while Dramier and Raillay got the better end of the deal by being turned upside down with Dramier still passed out.

Alastoria landed heavily on the ground and Igneous broke a tree branch having been catapulted fro Alastoria which as a result sent him further. Thankfully his armor withstood and it felt more like a rough push in the wrong direction. He coughed as the wind got knocked out of him and raised his head to see Alastoria already getting up.

She made eye contact with Igneous and seeing he was fine she immediately moved on. “Right... well. Thanks I guess,” she muttered.

As Igneous stumbled his way back to the narrow path he found that a small portion of the village was armed and on the sight with a few more trailing just behind. One particular Mare broke off from the and followed next to Alastoria saying, “we saw the signal and prepared the village for combat, however it looks the job is already done?”

“Please help my team,” she asked not bothering to acknowledge her statment.

“Right, sorry,” she gestured for the others to help the two falconers still strapped to the almost broken cart while sending others to watch over the down beast with readied crossbows and/or fixed spears. In no time at all Raillay crawled out with one crossbow having been smashed by the impact caused by the crash, shortly followed by Dramier who was dragged out with a badly bent left wing.

“Oh Dramier,” Alastoria went as she saw the state he was in. Turning to the mare who was the village leader Alastoria hastily asked, “do you happen to have any unicorns sufficiently educated in light magic to fix my Peganier’s wing?”

“Looking down at him I already say that wing needs to be fixed before we magically fuse it together,” She shook her head. “That might take a few weeks it's not a simple fracture, his wing practically mangled.”

Hearing this news Alastoria began to rub her head with minor frustration. “I can’t have an injured falconer on the front lines, let alone an earthenier with a broken suit. We’re going to have to swap positions with another team and have a brand new suit sent to us from the capital.”

“I’ll send a messenger immediately,” the more said.

“Thank you,” she said having one problem be relieved. Coming around the cart she found the beast surrounded by two unicorns who kept crossbows aimed at it with an earth pony standing atop the beast with a fixed spear.

Looking over the beast one stallion found a round incision near the head of it and asked, “was this done by some dark summon? Killed it with one hit?”

“Really?” questioned one of the unicorns as he lowered his aim. “A beast this size? I doubt it.”

“Aw at least we can harvest it,” said another. “I find the teeth very fascinating. I'll take one purely for collection.”

“A collection?” asked the other beginning a whole conversation Alastoria didn’t find herself invested in. Making sure the beast was dead she summoned the same great bow and fired two great arrows, both of which vanished after a time, into the head of the beast for good measure. This surprised the earth pony standing atop it causing the unicorns to get a good laugh as he toppled over and fell to the ground.

Moments later she heard a scream of pain. It was shrill, and horrific and loud and it was Dramier.

Coming around the corner of the cart she heard him yell, “Ouch Aaahhh!!! What Did You Do To Me?!?! Dafted Taff...” and other swears Igneous’ poor little ears became subjected to.

Raillay sitting closely by with the company who was trying to help the unicorn scolded, “What did you expect was going to happen when you passed out.”

“Nawwuuut Thhh-thissss.”

“Hey we're going to carry you back,” Railly assured trying to calm him down. “Just please try not to cry you delicate bird, oh dearest Dramier.”

“T-t-terrible context,” he sputtered.

“Oh shut up,” she said as two unicorns lifted him in their magical grip by the armor. Holding him in midair they made sure not to disturb his broken wing.

When all was said and done Dramier made it back in immense pain who was watched over by Raillay. Getting his wing set back into place may be better left unsaid as the whole village could definitely hear his cries of pain that could easily unsettle even the most calm minded of individuals.

The owner of the cart was very upset at how his merchandise ended up but Alastoria swiftly argued that he couldn’t complain over the pristine quality free services provided which astonishingly quickly shut his snout. Then again it could have been her brawn that silenced him.

The village harvested the beast’s hide, teeth and meat. All of which could be sold as exotics bringing in some much needed revenue for the small mining village. For their efforts, and slight losses. the mare said they would equip them with a free waggon to carry Dramier to their next destination.

Raillay still had a half broken earthenier suit, and after all that chaos and a near death experience Igneous got a slight approving nod from Alastoria for his heroism and the taking down of the beast.

“Yay,” he enthusiastically moaned as he fell fast first onto his bed mat. It was a much deserved rest especially since he was still sore from last night’s running. Hopefully by tomorrow he would be well rested enough to withstand a full day of walking.

Pure, unadulterated, peaceful, serene walking. What could go wrong?f

Author's Note

Vacuous

Having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence; mindless.

Lumbricina

The scientific term for worm.