Author's Note

I changed the cover to my story. I hope you like it and you enjoy this chapter.

19. There is a hole

Misty stretched out in the warm sun, rolling her shoulder blades and stretching her wings.

The trees surrounding the farmstead were still charred a dark black and had no leaves.

How on Equestria Gooseberry didn't notice Gooseberry boggled the mind. She just knew he was an idiot, and idiots could be controlled.

Misty lowered her body, and Savarin climbed onto her back.

Gooseberry climbed up as well.

Misty flapped her wings, once, twice, flying up into the air, and the farm spiralled out far below them.

She was unsteady as she flew higher and higher, the land a mosaic of green colour spreading out around them. First, there was green and then the green of forests, and lines of blue that were rivers, and the white snow on the mountains.

"Servant," Misty said, and Gooseberry pointed her in the direction to go.

They flew across forests and mountains, over cities cloaked in differently coloured magic of the unicorns.

As she was now, she couldn't stand against the force fields. She needed souls, and who better than the diamond dogs to serve that purpose?

According to Gooseberry, there were two kingdoms of diamond dogs. The first was in their original territory, where the sun beat down and cracked the earth. They lived in the tunnels below.

The second kingdom was a few years old. Misty didn't know about it since she was out of the loop. It was a new kingdom in a forest adjacent to their desert territory and would probably have no magical force fields.

"Here," Gooseberry said, and Misty came down for a landing, almost dumping her passengers on the ground.

They rested on soft grass and moss, but beyond them was the forest.

It was dappled and green, and trees were thrusting themselves up and up to the sun. Birds twittered, and squirrels ran up and down tree trunks.

A rabbit poked his head out of his burrow and quickly ducked out of sight.

"If you're leading us into a trap or you're lying, I'll make you wish you were dead," Misty said.

Gooseberry gulped and nodded. Trickles of sweat ran down his face, and he turned to move through the bush.

Misty and Savarin followed him.

Curls of white mist twisted around giant mushrooms growing out from tree trunks, and there was the odd sensation of being watched by the wildlife.

They knew they didn't belong.

"We're here," said Gooseberry, leaning against an oak tree.

Below the oak tree was a vast, yawning tunnel. It was slightly bigger than Misty, stopping just above her head.

"What are you waiting for?" Misty asked, and she smiled.

If anycreature had seen it who didn't know her, it would've seemed like a friendly, tender smile -despite the fangs-, but Gooseberry knew better.

He shivered, and crept closer to the tunnel and called out: "hallo."

The hellos echoed, growing smaller and smaller until it faded away.

Something bobbed in the tunnel, a light. It bobbed closer and closer until it coalesced into a lantern being carried by a diamond dog in grey amour.

She also had a spear and fiddled around as she set the lantern down at the mouth of the tunnel. She only had eyes for Gooseberry.

"Hi Gooseberry," she said cheerfully enough. "What are we doing here? We don't have any deliveries needing to be delivered, or do we?"

"It's-" began Gooseberry.

"Hi, I'm Misty Flare," Misty interrupted. "And this is Savarin."

Unfortunately, the dog had caught on and pointed her spear right at Misty's chest.

Savarin sighed and stepped in front of Misty, so the point of the spear was pressing onto her chest.

Gooseberry was a blur of dark red, stepping right in front of Savarin, so the spear was aimed at his hindquarters. He said to Misty and Savarin: "please don't kill her. Please."

"Would you rather we kill you or her?" Misty asked. "I want you to choose."

Gooseberry scuffed his front hoof on the ground, opening his mouth and closing it.

Sweat dribbled down his nose, dripping off and onto the ground. It wasn't from the heat, and the dog's paws were shaking.

"Me?" he said at last.

"Was that so hard?" Savarin drawled. She grabbed the spear in her magic, turning it around and stabbing the guard dog through her chest.

The guard dog sagged to the ground, and her pretty blood soaked into the dirt.

Before her soul left her completely, Misty touched her with the tip of her wing and stretched her jaw wider and wider, and she ate the whispering soul.

When she was finished, a grey husk trembled in a slight wind on the ground before blowing away into ash.

Gooseberry let out a choked sound and fell into the dirt. Misty tutted, tilting his head up, so he looked into her eyes.

"Will you be okay to keep walking with us?" she asked him.

"I'm going to keep going," he whispered.

"Good for you. Go on ahead."

He sniffled, picking up the lantern and started down the tunnel.

Misty and Savarin followed him at a distance.

"Next time, I choose the slave," Savarin said. "This one needs too much work for my liking."

"I can't argue with that."

"Because you know I am always correct."

They walked and walked and walked until the tunnel opened up into a huge, lit up cavern.

The cavern sides were peppered with carved houses, where diamond dogs lived, ate, partied and died, whereas the main floor was carved with paths.

Diamond dogs were everywhere, going about their business, but as soon as they saw her, they disappeared down hidden tunnels or into their houses.

The busy market square was empty in a matter of seconds.

"Well," said Savarin and that about summed it up.

A bell rang from somewhere, everywhere, echoing in Misty's head, and the steady stomp-stomp-stomp of many paws filled the air.

A small wave of diamond dogs marched toward them, dressed in the same garb the guard dog had on, with spears and swords galore.

Misty grinned and flew right at them.

Savarin could take care of herself and indeed had already leapt into the fray, shooting down dogs left and right.

Somehow, the dogs left Goosberry alone, and he went to stand near the cavern's walls.

Misty swooped, touching their heads and gulping up the souls of passing dogs. A spear clipped her wing, and she almost tumbled, so she flew up and up toward the ceiling of the cavern.

She turned onto her back and closed her wings, and started to fall.

Wind blurred her eyes as the ground came up fast, and she pulled up a metre from the ground, grabbing souls as she went with only a touch.

"FIRE!"

She pressed herself to the ground just in time, cannonballs whizzing over her head.

Who on Equestria gave the dogs cannons? She could hear imaginary Savarin say in her head.

Still, the dogs kept coming.

"Get out of the way," Misty shouted to Savarin, and Savarin cantered from view.

She ground her teeth and formed the spell in her mind, and she shot it directly into the knot of dogs.

A pure black ooze spread across the ground, sticking every single dog. They screamed and wailed as they started to sink.

Afterwards, it was only a matter of picking off the remaining dogs, but more kept coming, and these were dressed in thicker armour.
At the front was a grey dog in royal finery.

He wore a red robe lined with white fur and golden jewels, a collar studded with blue diamonds and jade, and silken slippers. He had rings glittering on his claws. Clasped in his right paw was a sword.

Misty landed a few metres away from him, and the dog raised his paw, so his army stopped where they were.

"Who are you?" Misty asked.

The royal dog smiled at her, and his teeth tipped with jewels. "I'm His Royal Highness Fergus Francois Bernby IV Lewis Gallan Webb Carol von Liechtenstein, son of Fergus the III of Kingdom of Sand and Carol the III Kingdom of Forest. And you are Misty Flare."

"I'm a goddess, so I don't need titles, mutt."

The first wave of soldiers ran at Misty, trying to get her with their spears, and she flew up, brushing over their heads with a wing.

She swallowed souls with a touch.

"Don't let her touch you!" shouted King Fergus.

Misty laughed as she fought off the guards, swallowing more and more souls.
She shot beams of light, knocking dogs off their feet and into the air, where she caught them in her grip to eat.

Fergus lunged at her, and she flew at him, fast as anything, but she stopped short.

She tried to move and couldn't.

His sword was sticking through her stomach and out the other side.

Impossible. How could he have moved that fast?

"This doesn't hurt, this doesn't-"

Everything went black.