Silphen awoke the next morning to a scream. A scream he recognized in a heartbeat. Aurana was in trouble, and he needed to protect her. He burst out of his room, glaring at the creature carrying her away.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" He called out, charging at them with just his claws and teeth.

The three pregasi with black masks over their heads quickly took off through an open window with a struggling bag. Two Earth ponies and a large bipedal bull were blocking Silphen’s way to the window. They were surprised to see him, the three left in the room turning their heads in surprise.

Silphen pounced on the minotaur, as they tried to leave, roaring in rage as he tore into its back like a rabid beast. They took the one pony he cared for, and now he would take their lives as compensation!

While the minotaur roared as it was pushed off balance, the two earth ponies to the side weren’t as off balance as the two bucked their back legs into the tangle of Silphen and their companion. Silphen felt their kicks, heard them breaking his ribs and dislocating his shoulders… He didn't care. They would die for taking her. He screamed out a spell that flew through his mind and the wounds he was slowly acquiring vanished from him and into the minotaur below him, who coughed out blood across the floor as his ribs were suddenly in his lungs. The two earth ponies recoiled as they witnessed the horrific sight.

“Fuck this, Fuego isn’t paying enough!” One of them shouted before running off, the other continued, prying Silphen off from the dying minotaur, only to end up getting grabbed and yanked into his awaiting claws and fangs.

As Silphen watched the fleeing kidnapper, he tore open the guts of the one he had caught and left the two of them on the floor to go check on Jade.

"Jade…?" He called out nervously, scared they may have taken her or killed her as well. He sighed in relief when he heard her cough from the armoire in the room. "Jade, I'm sorry… I couldn't save Aurana… I… I need to send you somewhere that I know you'll be safe, ok…?"

Jade sniffled as she stepped out and nodded. Silphen knew she could feel his sorrow at losing Aurana, fear at losing her, and hatred at the name the pony mentioned before running off. "O-ok… a-are you planning to-"

"Yes, I am. Even if it means burning this forest to ash to get her back, I will." He said, cutting her off with his cold tone and heartless gaze. She shivered in fear at the look, all too familiar with it. Silphen began making a circle of runes on the floor, mumbling to himself about distance and facing directions. Shortly after, he stepped back and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry, Jade… I know you can feel what I'm feeling, but there's nothing I can do to quell this hate. I need to find them, and I need to make them pay. I'll get your sister back and meet you in Ponyville, ok?"

He didn't wait for a response and threw her into the portal that opened in the magic circle, connecting the two points for a few seconds after he healed her properly. He then turned to the two dying- scratch that. One dying hostage he had. The pony had succumbed to having his insides turned into outsides it seems. Shame.

Silphen stepped onto the minotaur's back, healing him a little to extend his pain. "Tell me who this Fuego fucker is, and I'll let you die quickly. Don't, and, well…" he chuckled darkly and reached forward, grabbing one of his fingers and jerking back sharply, snapping it. "I will make you wish you had."

“Hulking- Hulking Iron will never tell-” The minotaur started speaking before Silphen snapped a second finger, healing the first one as he did in preparation to break it once again.

"Try again," he said, cold as Death itself.

“Fuego… will do worse to… Hulking Iron.” The minotaur wheezed out, a little blood dribbling down his chin.

"Hmm… is that so…? Well, I guess it's a good thing you have such… an interesting set of horns, yes? Minotaurs value the length of their horns, don't they?" Silphen asked, snapping another finger as he made sure Hulking Iron would stay alive long enough to give him the answers he needed. He then rested a hand on one of the minotaur's horns, clearly intent on snapping it off next.

The minotaur chuckled. “You wouldn’t dare… Breaking Hulking Iron’s horns would… Declare your hatred for all minotaurs…”

"Ha! You really think I'd care about that? Listen here you little shit, you tell me, and get to live back in your own damn lands, or you don't and I torture your damned soul. Choose wisely, because I'm half tempted to turn you into a sow and lock you in a breeding post." Silphen growled as he began to twist the horn to the side, causing it to creak.

“Fine, fine!” The minotaur went pale. He heard dark mages were sick, but what he was talking about was truly unthinkable. “Fuego… Hulking Iron has never met Feugo, but he’s… He’s the boss around this area…”

Silphen snorted, having already guessed as much. "Obviously. Elaborate." It was clear he wasn't asking as his grip on Hulking Iron's horn didn't waver.

“Hulking Iron doesn’t know much about Fuego! Other’s who’ve met him say he’s large and mean! He takes what he wants and destroys what he can’t!” The minotaur yelled, coughing out blood at the end of his panicked tirade.

"Ah. A bandit then. Well, if this truly is all you know, then I'll let you go. But if I find out you've been holding back information…" Silphen let the end hang there. During the whole thing he had been using the blood from the pony to make a second circle, this one set to several thousand miles directly upwards. Silphen needed to make his wrath known, and he knew the best way to do that was with a very flashy kill. He stepped off the minotaur's back and finished the spell circle, letting the portal open under him.

Then Hulking Iron was distinctly aware that he was falling. When he looked forward, or what should have been forward for him, he saw the lights of the village he was just in approaching him. And quickly. All he could do was scream in horror as he realized what had just happened before he found himself impaled on a pillar of ice that had formed under him as he watched. That damn mage lied to him, and now he was going to suffer for it. The last thought to cross his mind before he died was that he should've stayed back in Zebrica…

Silphen felt no remorse for lying to the bandit. Nor did he feel remorse when he stepped outside and tore the throats out of the two "guards" that had been waiting for him. The bandit leader, this Fuego fool, had declared war by kidnapping Aurana. A thought crossed his mind that he was playing into Fuego's hands, but he didn't care. His only concern was getting Aurana back safely and taking them to Ponyville to get her sister. That was when he blacked out, the events of the night, and the extensive mana usage, proving too much for him and making him collapse into a pile of trash in an alleyway.

The large dragon was admiring his scales atop his throne of riches when he looked up. Forge, his second most reliable drake, had entered. He could smell Forge’s fear, as it should be, he was terrifying, strong and powerful, and Forge recognized that. Soon, three pony grunts came in, and Fuego was furious. Unless Forge had decided to steal his wealth, and purchase an enchanted bag, they hadn’t managed to steal both of the dark mage’s minions. And considering they hadn’t done that, he could also assume that they hadn’t also done it without the dark mage being aware.

Forge raised his immense body up, he towered a good height above Forge as he slowly stepped forward, already feeling the urge to incinerate these four. He stepped on the sack cloth with the struggling pony lightly, causing the hostage inside to go still in fright.

“Tell me why… My orders were not carried out… And why I don’t have a dark mage here, ready to sow terror.” He rumbled out, his voice thick with his seething rage.

“Th-the dark mage was more powerful than we th-” Forge’s words were interrupted as Fuego whipped him in his stomach with his tail, knocking the lesser dragon down to the ground wheezing.

“I did not underestimate a lousy mage, it is you who didn’t take considerations. It is you who failed in doing what I asked, and it is you who will take the punishment for doing so!” Fuego snorted, Heavy plumes of ash drifted over the shaking ponies and Forge. Forge had stood shakily back up, stopping at a kneeling position, remembering his place.

“I- I did not think how powerful the dark mage was…” Forge wheezed out.

“Good… These three will have their wings plucked.” Feugo glared at the three ponies as they began to open their mouths to plead. If anything, he hated that more than screwups. “You will administer this punishment, Forge, and promptly descale your left leg. All of this will be in full view of the camp.”

He was annoyed as the entrance to his cave was intruded upon once more. As he looked up, the glare he gave would cow any of the living. Unfortunately, the mare in the entrance was unintimidated, as she was part of the living dead, vamponies they liked to call themselves as. “And what is so important that you need to disturb me in the middle of this.”

The Vampony mare gave her standard greeting, baring her neck and letting her bat-like wing drop to the ground, a sign that they wouldn't fight it, should the one on the other side decide to kill them. "I'm sure you already heard, Master, but I come with a report. The minotaur's team, Hulking Iron? His body and the body of one of the ponies he commanded has been found in, and on top of, the inn nearest the camp. The third member of his group has yet to be located, but we assume he either escaped or was transported elsewhere. The mage himself has escaped capture, but has not left the village itself yet. All attempts to subtly scry him result in an alleyway somewhere in town." She bowed as she finished her report. "Thus ends my report, Master Fuego."

“Very well. Then you will accompany these four, and make sure the punishments I have doled out are performed as painfully as possible.” Fuego ordered, already dropping Forge off the list of dragons he found competent.

“I will do so, Master Fuego.” She answered back.

He looked down to the sack cloth trapped below his limb. Plans had changed, and the dark mage would not be willing to work with him anymore. He carried the sack to his throne of treasure, setting it down roughly as the spy excused herself, bringing the four others with her. They knew they weren’t able to escape his order, the rest of the camp should have heard his punishment, and if they didn’t perform it, the rest of the lowlifes would gladly do it for them to ingratiate themselves to him.

He bent down, so he was eye to eye with the pony who struggled out of the sack, she froze in terror at the sight of his eye, which was as large as she was.

“You, little pony, will tell me everything about the dark mage you serve…”

Silphen was reawakened by someone trying to steal his bag. He sprung up, and lashed out, catching the retreating pony by the tail. "Where's Fuego!?" He snapped, his anger flowing fresh once more.

“Idon’twanttodietakeallmybitsI’msorryyy” The mare dropped like a sack of rocks to the ground sobbing scared. Already the acrid scent of urine was wafting into Silphen’s nose as he got a good view of the mare pissing herself.

Silphen grunted and let her go saying, "Worthless… You know where the bandits come from? Their leader has someone I care for, and I plan to take his skull as a goblet in return."

“B-bandits… they work for F-fuego… F-from Sludgeville…” The mare whimpered after plopping down in her own puddle and scooting away from Silphen.

The wolf sighed and opened his bag, pulling out a couple days of rations and handing them to the mare. "Where might that be? I'm not going to hurt you, miss, I just want to get her back."

She looked at him, her eyes moving to his other hand holding his bag, to the one offered, to any other part of his body before quickly snatching the rations from his claws and retreating shakily to the end of the alley. “Only the bandits know where Sludgeville is…” She said as she turned the corner quickly.

Silphen groaned and began making his way to the walls of the village. He didn't think they were meant to keep things out anymore, but rather, to keep things in. He carefully watched the skies and the walls, trying to get to a gate without being seen. He quickly realized how fruitless that endeavor would be and decided to simply make his own gate. Forcefully.

He placed a hand on the wall and pulled out his spellbook, looking for something that would do the trick, and found it almost instantly. He grinned like a maniac as he read what the spell did and took a cautionary step back before casting it. The explosion was expected. As was the wood flying every which way it could. What wasn't expected, however, was the fact that it had apparently set fire to the walls instead of blowing a hole through it.

"Fuck!" Silphen shouted as he snapped his book closed and ran away. 'This is what happens when you play with lightning, kids!' He thought to himself. Although, maybe he could use it as a distraction to escape? When he looked around, he smiled as he realized the ponies weren't chasing him, but we're running to put out the fire. He could very easily escape the village while the ponies and other creatures were distracted by the fire now. Now he just had to find out where the hell Sludgetown is and burn it to the ground. Nobody hurts his love and is allowed to live. Nobody.

Silphen paused as he entered the treeline outside of the town, sniffing the air as he thought he caught a scent he recognized. "Show yourself!" He called out, ready to defend himself in case someone tried to attack him.

“I’m just here to talk.” An earthpony with a beige coat walked out. His square muzzle giving away his gender if not for his deep voice.

Silphen instantly recognized his voice and growled low and threateningly, a faint purple mist starting to fall from the corners of his mouth. "Where is she?" He demanded, preparing to kill him purely on principle.

“Hold on, hold on! You kill me, and I never tell you where Sludgetown, and Fuego, are. Not for a lack of wanting to, I assure you!” He said quickly. Holding a hoof over his chest as if that would protect him from anything Silphen did.

Silphen chuffed taking a slow step towards him. "Where." He growled out, still thoroughly pissed.

“You can’t kill me for telling you! The only reason I stayed here waiting for you is that I ran out on the job... Fuego doesn’t like those who don’t follow orders, especially his orders…” The stallion took a few steps back nervously.

Silphen growled deeply before dropping to all fours. "Then speak, mongrel, before I turn you into an ice golem slave!"

“It’s down east! You’ll find a small town with a mineshaft leading into a hill, the hill has been hollowed out by Fuego as his lair!” The stallion quickly spoke, turning to run away after saying his piece.

Silphen started to howl in frustration, but caught himself and straightened up. He took several deep breaths, forcing his anger to the back of his mind as he tried to calm down. He had a bearing now. Now he just had to follow it to the foolish lair of the bandit leader. Who knew, maybe it was a dragon that he could make a nice set of dragonscale armor out of for Aurana or Jade. Or both if he was big enough...

Author's Note

Wow! Double chapter special!