Everfree Guardian

Two weeks. That's how long it's been since Fluttershy, Applejack, or ANYPONY has seen or heard from the local human living in his seclusion within the Everfree Forest.

Gilda, when she was found, was admitted into Ponyville Hospital, treated for her injuries and out through several pointed surgeries just to get her jaw back on straight. In the various times she was seen by those visiting her, she was more and more of a mess every time.

Fluttershy herself had braced the wilderness of the Everfree in an effort to catch up to Nate after the incident. His trail was able to be tracked via the blood left in his wake. Whether his or Gilda's, he practically oozed it, and it covered his tracks in the literal sense. However, when she reached the end, there was nothing. A small open clearing that resulted in a dead end. Fluttershy couldn't understand it, nor could she pick up another trail to follow Nate. Thus, she had no choice but to return home, sulking day in and out as she no longer saw her friend come out of that forest in the mornings.

Applejack wasn't faring much better. With how things went, and the certain hints and clues that illuminated what happened, the farm mare was livid with a lot of Ponies. Her ire was mainly focused on Gilda. She may not have known Nate for that long, but she knew him enough to know that he wouldn't just up and attack someone for no reason. The fiasco with the Timberwolves proved this. Nate was a fighter, but wasn't one to actively search for trouble.

It just so happens that trouble seems to find him.

Now, because of all this, the Apple Family had temporarily lost their newest and most recently treasured employee, and the family moral had fallen quite a bit.

It didn't help the fact that the Royal Guard was involved as well. Several medical units led by one of Twilight's older siblings: Gleaming Shield were called out by the purple Unicorn to help in nursing Gilda back to health. Details on what happened to her were scarce at best, as nopony had the full picture, though Gleaming was just as sharp as Applejack when picking up on the more subtle details of a story. It wasn't long before they came and went, leaving the case as incomplete, but closed until further notice.

With that being said, everything slowly returned to business as usual, aside from the behavioral changes due to Nate's absence.

Speaking of which...

"Listen up, everypony!!"

The residents of Ponyville turned from their respective tasks as Twilight Sparkle stood atop a small bridge that separated a park from Ponyville's main village. Fluttershy, who was among the crowd, looked up at the purple Unicorn as she was ripped away from her sulking.

"Smoke is spreading all over Equestria! But don't worry! I've just received a letter from Princess Celestia informing me that it not coming from a fire."

Some of the natives sighed in relief after their initial panic when seeing the said streams of dark clouds in the sky above them. Their relief quickly shifted back when Twilight clarified what it really was coming from.

"It's coming from an adult Dragon who leads a small group of adolescents, and their collective presence is swarming the nation with these smoke clouds."

Everypony shared their concerns with one another as Twilight's friends began to arrive one by one. Applejack, hearing Twilight's claim before the others, tilted her head as she narrowed her eyes in concern.

"What in the name of cinnamon swirl is a full-grown Dragon doing in Equestria, let alone bringing younglings with him?"

Twilight shook her head.

"I can't say what the younger Dragons are doing, but the adult is here just to sleep."

At that, confusion spread throughout the crowd, making Twilight clear the air once more.

"According to the Princess, he's taking a nap while the young that follow him do their own thing. His snoring combined with the teenagers' rambunctious antics in the neighboring towns is what's causing the smoke."

Rarity stepped up next to Applejack, the two sharing a glance in greeting before the former spoke up.

"Darling, what do you mean by "rambunctious"?"

"They're raiding nearby villages and towns, asserting their greed and taking what they want while letting the rest burn. This is why the Princess believes this to be a matter of importance. If this continues, it could cause some friction between Equestria and the Dragonlands."

Applejack crossed her arms.

"Well, at least the big fellah ain't causin' no harm. What does the Princess want us to do about it?"

"I'll tell ya what we're meant to do!"

Rainbow flew overhead, hovering above the crowd and looking down at her friends.

"Give him and the scrawny bastards that follow him the boot!"

Twilight frowned at the Pegasus speedster.

"No, Rainbow Dash. Violence isn't going to solve this. While it may be necessary to subdue the teenagers, we need to only encourage the adult to take his nap elsewhere. Princess Celestia's given the Elements of Harmony this specific mission for a reason, and we cannot fail. If we do, the Kingdom is involved with the prelude to another Great War with the Dragons."

Rainbow Dash pouted at her chances being stolen from her, but kept quiet. She may be brash, but she's not stupid. Doing things her way will bring more harm than good to the Kingdom.

"Alright, fine. I'll head up to Cloudsdale and get some supplies for the trip. I'll see if I can also get the Weather Factory to lend some clouds in case we need a bit of lightning to spook the younger Dragons."

Applejack tipped her hat forward as she walked backwards to her farm.

"Ah'll whip up some grub fer us to take as well. No sense in going on empty stomachs."

One by one, the six mares headed in separate directions, all preparing for the trip ahead of them. Fluttershy, on the other hand, stayed in the park, looking towards the mountain where the smoke was coming from. An adult Dragon was there, sleeping the years away while his young were terrorizing the nation. That alone scared her, but what frightened her more was where the mountain was located.

The Everfree Forest.

*BANG-BANG*

A cavern tunnel lit up in a series of flashes as Nate fired two shots down one side, the bullets piercing the scales of another Dragon and throwing him onto his back. With another one of these lizards dead, Nate turned and hauled himself down the tunnel, escaping into an adjacent path with several more of these creatures tailing after him. Grimacing at his luck, and cursing the Dragons' sharp senses, Nate slid down the steep slope into another tunnel's path, which broke up into two roads.

Nate's home was compromised. The tunnel system he knew from front to back was exposed, and the Dragons were pouring in. How the hell did they even find him? He camouflaged his home perfectly. Wooden boards covered in foliage and leaves disguised every entrance and exit to the system, which all led back to the central hub where he built his house.

He had to have made a mistake somewhere. That's the only explanation.

Sliding down another steep decline, the still-healing human landed in the center chamber of the system, a hub that was connected to all of the tunnels. The room itself was vast, and was illuminated by a glowing lake. In the center of the lake was an island, one that Nate built his home upon with a bridge separating the mainland and the island. Standing up, Nate reloaded his Smith & Wesson as he made his way towards his house. Stopping just after taking a few steps, he looked up as a group of those Dragons came dropping from another tunnel, landing between him and his house.

Readying his pistol, the human took a step back as the group advanced on him. Killing two instantly with a pull of the trigger, Nate grunted as one of them latched onto his side. Shoving the draconic being off, he popped several cartridges into his chest as he aimed up and pumped the rest of his clip into the remaining foes in his path.

Moving to continue to his house, he heard the caves crack and break. Looking back as he got to the bridge, he found one of the Dragons, a bigger and nastier one, slamming its head through the cave wall. Judging by the size of the head, this one's at least the size of a house.

"HAAAAAHHHHRRRRR!!!"

More of the body shook through the system, revealing its front as the silver scales of the beast shone with the beams of light coming from the tunnels above.

"MWWWWWRRRRYYYAAAAAAAAAHHHHRRRRRR!!!"

For a brief moment, Nate covered his ears when that roar echoed throughout the chamber. With it, several more smaller Dragons were called to engage the human in this fight. Reloading and firing at the beasts, he managed to kill one of them before two the size of a beagle dog clasped onto his head. Struggling to stand, let alone walk properly, he reeled his arms up and swiped them into the dirt with a swing downwards past his face. Their claws tore away some of his hood and scratched up his face, adding to the large gash that crossed his eye thanks to the fight he had with the Griffon a few weeks prior to now.

The human was still injured from that fight, having suffered some pretty gruesome wounds that he had to patch himself up from. It certainly wasn't easy, especially since he had to stitch himself up with an old sowing needle and bits of string. He thanked his lucky stars that the needle didn't give him tetanus, or the cuts and scrapes weren't infected. His biggest concerns was the one on his back, but after hours of trying, he managed to close it and bandage himself up. The rest of his days were spent relaxing and letting his body rest. His home was a one-room concept, and he spent most of that time on some iteration of the Playstation 4 powered by magic. He had a lot of fun, and even friended this one gamer named GamerLuna, who was actually really good at a lot of these games.

But, I digress. Nate stood firm as he fired away at the rest coming to him, ripping off those who grabbed him and curb stomping those he put into the ground. Looking back up at the larger Dragon, he was too slow to avoid the large claw coming at him. Gripped in its enlarged hold, the Dragon roared in his face before smashing him against the ground. Gagging blood as it lifted him back up, the floor broke away, revealing the source of the glowing light underneath the lake.

'Is... Is that a por-'

*SWOOOOOO---!!!*

"Alright, girls. Listen up. I'm mapping out the safest, yet fastest route to the Dragon's cave."

Twilight stood before the Everfree Forest. All of them agreed that going through the forest from Ponyville directly was a bad idea, so they rounded it to find the shortest route to the base of the mountain. Now standing at the edge of the forest itself, they were prepared and ready to go inside, though one cream-coated mare had second thoughts due to the danger they'd face inside.

"The Dragon's cave is located at the top of the mountain itself, just a little ways below the peak. According to the reports, the younglings occupy the lower levels, so we'll have a tough enough time getting through them to get to the adult."

Applejack nodded in agreement.

"The other things we gotta worry about are the height and weather. Judgin' by how high it is, we'll be freezin' our rear ends off once we get three quarters of the way up."

Rarity smiled as she reached into her satchel.

"Good thing I brought a scarf for everyone.~"

She pulled them out all at once, throwing them in the air and using her magic to wrap them around the others. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at Rarity while Fluttershy peered up at the mountain, shaking like a leaf as her shy demeanor also came with natural fears. Heights wasn't one of them, but Dragons surely were. Looking to Twilight as she was examining a map, she licked her lips as she tugged on her sleeve.

"U-Um, Twilight...?"

"Hmm?"

"M-Maybe I should just, um... sit this one out? Y'know... stay back in Ponyville?'

Twilight gave a low hum, absentmindedly acknowledging Fluttershy without paying attention. This caused Fluttershy to beam, thinking she could get out of this.

"O-Oh! That's perfect, then. I'll stay back in Ponyville and-"

Twilight's ear flicked as her mind came back to reality. Perking up at Fluttershy's claim, she shook her head.

"Wait, what? You can't stay, Fluttershy. We need you. Your way with wild animals will surely come in handy."

"B-But, I don't think I--"

Twilight smiled as she rolled up her map, giving her shy friend a kind and gentle look as she deposited the map away in her bag.

"You don't have to worry about a thing, Fluttershy. Your animals are being well-cared for. I've got Spike helping a caretaker back at your cottage. Everything is in good hands."

"I-I know. I can count on Spike. It's just that--"

*swooooo--!*

*bang-bang--!*

Fluttershy looked back at the mountain as she heard the familiar crackles of a certain weapon. Applejack, hearing this as well, turned her eyes up to the mountain as well, seeing that more of the cracks came as well as small flashes near mid-way up the mountain. They both knew what this meant.

Nate was up there.

With his presence and desire to see him again fueling a newfound encouragement, Fluttershy silenced all semblances of protest. Shying away behind her mane, she twiddled her fingers as Rainbow Dash took a side glance at her. Hovering over to Twilight, she leaned down to whisper to her.

"Are you sure you want Fluttershy to come along? We ARE talking about a Pony who's afraid of her shadow..."

Twilight looked over to Fluttershy as she was standing next to Applejack, the two having a conversation of their own. Twilight was surprised to see the Pegasus not backing down from going on this trip. Sure, she suggested staying in hopes that she wouldn't have to deal with any Dragons, but that changed suddenly when they all heard magic being used by the scaly creatures within the carious tunnel systems halfway up the main tower of the mountain. Seeing her resolve, she shook her head at Rainbow.

"I'm sure she's fine. She's just a bit nervous, that's all. Once we get going, she'll pick up the pace with us."

Rainbow Dash eyed Fluttershy, seeing the same thing Twilight did. She wasn't as convinced that her old pal was up for this trip. Fluttershy was never brave, not like she was. She didn't go on extreme adventures or stood up to bullies in their younger days. Rainbow had protected her, gave her strength. She'd hoped that strength would come to fruition as time passed, and to an extent, it did. It was just entirely situational with this girl.

Nevertheless, if Fluttershy wasn't backing out, then Rainbow wasn't going to say anything. Flying off ahead to scout out any danger in their path, the other girls began their steady trek into the Everfree Forest. As they moved down the path towards the mountain, Fluttershy looked back up at the mountain, hearing the same distant commotion as before. Biting her lip, she silently prayed her alien friend was alright.

The only thing that can describe being shoved into a portal is maddening. A series of colors that would give anyone seizures if they looked at it for too long. Coming out of it was just as trippy, as when Nate flew from the portal in the ground, he flopped onto the stone surface of another cavern's floor like a sack of potatoes. Grunting as he pushed himself up, he could feel his two-week old wounds reopening from all the stress he's putting on his body, but right now, that didn't matter. He merely wrapped them with more bandages and pressed on.

Taking up his pistol as he looked around, he found that he was in some unknown location with a light at the end of one of the two ways through the tunnel. Heading for it, he wasn't surprised when more Dragons came to intercept him. Aiming his pistol forward, Nate failed to fire as a female was on him in seconds, attempting to bind his arms as she pushed him back. Headbutting her, he freed his arm and put the barrel to her chin, blasting it apart as he turned to the next. Dodging a swing of a large club, he grabbed the handle and pushed it into the gut of the burlier draconic being, ripping it from his grasp and knocking him back with it. Gunning him down, Nate rushed for the third Dragon standing past him, stabbing the club forward and letting the splinters on the end carve open his chest as the entirety of it was forced through his abdomen.

Taking down the last in his path, he moved on towards the light, exiting the cave and finding his surroundings to be the side of a mountain. This stunned Nate into silence as he looked around, his instincts and reflexes kicking back in when another batch of Dragons began their assault. Dodging a blade forged from the scales of another Dragon, Nate pistolwhipped the Dragon holding it, taking it from his hands and popping two cartridges into his throat. Backing up quickly while holding the blade backwards, the tip rammed right into a cyan female Dragon as Nate emptied his clip into two more coming from his front. Tearing the blade out, he held the reload trigger and whipped his pistol around, launching the magazine into the face of the final Dragon of this small horde.

Reloading his firearm, Nate glanced about, now having the time to examine where he was at. He was still in the Everfree. He can see Ponyville down below. If he had to guess, he was on top of the mountain that sat in this forest. A more treacherous spot to be considering this mountain is just as unpredictable, if not more so, than the forest. Looking upwards now, Nate saw the clouds of smoke in the sky. Had those always been there? He'd been sheltered in his home for two weeks, and a smoke storm is rolling over the Kingdom?

He followed the source of that smoke to the mountain he was on. Just a few levels up was another cave, one that had a heavily snoring creature inside that was breathing smoke out of the mouth of the cave. That smoke will roll over the Kingdom at this rate, and if he's learned anything from Environmental Science Class in high school, then this will spell the end for a fresh and green Kingdom of harmony.

He was already up here. He could go stop whatever's causing this, but what could he do? He wasn't powerful, nor could he use magic. All he had were his guns, which helped him take on grunts and small fry baddies. Full grown deities would wipe the floor with him.

Growling at his inability to do anything to stop this, Nate turned and began making his way down the mountainside, keeping his pistol trained forward as he knew he'd find some opposition along the way.

Fluttershy and company had finally reached the mountain. After a short trek through the Everfree Forest's thin foliage and pathways, they were at the turnabout that led to the slope leading up the mountain. What was once a tourist spot was now overgrown with nature. It's obvious why no one came down this path. Fluttershy can only imagine how many Ponies fell to a twisted fate with what lurks out here.

Having come this far, the shy mare was insisting herself to continue, her mind fighting with her body as it shook and quivered. The others had already gone ahead a bit, ascending while she was mustering up the courage to follow.

"Hey! What are you waiting for, Fluttershy?!"

The cream-coated Pegasus turned her eyes up, seeing her friends were already a level above her. Gulping, she turned to follow.

*SPLAT-!!!*

"EEP-!!!"

Her courage was shattered immediately upon seeing the corpse of a Dragon splatter onto the ground in front of her. The other girls were just as shocked to see it and looked up, hearing the pops of some sort of weapon, perhaps a repurposed firecracker, as well as the screams of a gruesome brawl.

With Fluttershy stuck in place, scared out of her wits from seeing such a bloody mess, Applejack quickly slid down to her, consoling her and calming her nerves so she didn't go into shock from her panic attack. Seeing some rocks and more bodies coming down, Applejack moved Fluttershy away from the carnage tumbling down on top of them, the others sticking to the ledge to avoid what was coming. Seeing no way up that wouldn't get them "messy", Applejack held Fluttershy as she looked up at the other girls.

"Ah'm gonna take her around the mountain ta find another way up! Y'all keep goin'! We'll meet halfway up!"

Rainbow Dash would have groaned at this if it weren't for another body falling past them. She hated that the progress was being delayed to save Equestria once more, but like all Ponies, she found murder and homicide repulsive. Nopony in Equestria would willingly take another's life, not even the big villains that came before her. To see corpses falling from the mountain, it was evident the Dragons did things differently.

Turning Fluttershy and walking away from the scene, Applejack shushed Fluttershy as they kept to the path, wandering the side of the base while the rest of the Mane Six made their way upwards. As they disappeared from sight, Applejack waved to Twilight.

"Don't you worry none, Twilight! We'll be there licketty-split!"

Twilight glanced back at the sky, seeing the clouds beginning to cluster and spread. It won't be long now till they start doing some permanent damage.

Left with no choice, she and her three other friends went on their own, traversing this dangerous venture without their strongest link, and their gentlest.

'I just hope they'll be okay...'

Going down the slope of the mountain was more troubling than Nate wanted to admit. As he suspected, he faced heavy resistance along his escape route, fighting through several more batches of Dragons and whittling their numbers little by little every time. On some occasions, he's had to go through caves to reach another path on the mountainside. Every time he went into one, there was always another horde awaiting him inside.

Not only that, but the Everfree Mountain appeared to be just as unpredictable as the forest that surrounded it. Aside from the Dragons, Nate had encountered a new breed of those nature-made wolves. This time, they were made of the rocks that broke off the mountain itself. Aptly dubbed the "Mountainwolves", these sturdier brethren to the Timberwolves were less ferocious, only attacking when getting too close to what was considered their territory. Considering their strong stone bodies and ferocious attacks, Nate opted to steer clear of Mountainwolves when he could.

Jumping down onto another platform, Nate used the rocky formation of the walls to climb his way down to another level, continuing onwards till he reached another cave. What he found inside gave him pause.

Inside this cave, Nate found various treasures, precious items, and other such things that would fetch a pretty penny on the market. This is normal for Dragons in Equestria. They shelter jewels and all sorts of things that were valuable to forge their nests, but the way they were assembled in this cavern specifically was different. They were hoarded here without pattern, without reason. It was as if all the things they deemed unnecessary were thrown in haphazardly.

But the strangest this is, these aren't just your run-of-the-mill valuables. These were items that were close to those who owned them. Pictures of families, articles of clothing; there was even a pile of panties in the corner. Why would the Dragons have all this? It doesn't make sense.

Looking around, Nate found some sort of decline in the center of the room. Investigating it showed a spiral staircase going downwards.

Strange. Dragons don't usually go for style like this. They're primitive, focusing on efficiency more than brownie points in looks. Their style is a show of strength and will, not how one looks in terms of beauty. Seeing a staircase like this would indicate something important is down there.

Descending the stairs as he reloaded his pistol, he hopped the last step and landed on the next cave's floor. There was a stench in the air, a smell that was familiar to Nate, and gave him horrible flashbacks of his mother. Shuddering at the thoughts that riddled his brain, he glanced around for the source of that smell, but it was too dark to see. The only light source was coming from a small entrance on the other side of the room, and it barely showed anything within. Walking forward towards it, Nate's foot kicked something on the way there.

Seeing a thick stick roll from him, he knelt down and picked it up, thinking he could possibly create a torch. Reaching into his pocket, he brought out extra bandages he had stored just in case he needed to patch himself up again. Along with it, he brought out a lighter. Wrapping the bandages around the broad end of the stick, he lit the bandages ablaze, allowing him to see more around the room.

What he found was horrifying.

Mares ranging from their late teens to middle ages were strewn all around the room, tied and bound by chains and mechanisms that put them in compromising positions. All of them were stark naked, their eyes lacking any light to show signs of life. The only indication that they were alive was a rise and fall of their chests.

Nate wanted to throw up and scream in rage all at the same time. Memories of his life before assaulted his conscious, memories of events he wanted to forget, but also learn from. These Dragons were sick. They were just...

They were just like him.

Shaking his head of the oncoming delusions, Nate walked over to a few of the mares, looking them over and seeing how "used" they were. Most had to have been here for a few days, while a significantly less amount were captured and made into whores for the lizards long before the recent additions.

"I-I am... here... and I-I see your pa-ain...~"

"???"

Nate turned his head towards one side of the room, seeing a mare chained against the walls with her legs reeled up and bound to the same cuffs that held her arms, giving any Dragon nearby a clear shot for her exposed bits. Nate didn't even need to look down to know she'd been done in once already, let alone a bunch of times in the hours or days she's been held captive.

"Th-Through the storms, throu-ugh the clouds, the r-rain...~"

Wait... Was she singing? Nate lowered his arms for a second as he heard the stuttering mare's lullaby, entranced by it for but a moment as he could feel a warmth in his chest swell at the song's lyrics.

"I'm t-telling you, you c-cannot escaaape...~"

She opened her mouth to utter another line, but was silenced as she began coughing violently. Walking over to her, he pressed his hand on her cheek, using the torch to illuminate her figure.

Like Fluttershy, she had a cream-colored coat with pop-star hair that covered her eyes in a mix of black and yellow. A pink bow was tied at the back of her head, and her torn-up clothing appeared to be a black stage-performer jumpsuit.

Speaking of her hair, is was... interesting, to say the least. Nate hadn't figured any prominent figures would emulate what humans look like, but in this case, this mare pulled the look off and came across as cute and attractive. it looked like what you'd see on those popular pop song singers in Hollywood. Not Lady Gaga, of course, because she terrifies the shit out of everyone.

But even with this appearance, it couldn't hide just how ragged she looked, how abused and torn asunder her will was, and she was the most STABLE out of all of them.

'Damn... What the hell did these things do to them...?'

*skkf--!*

Nate swiftly turned to the cave's entrance, pointing his pistol in its direction. Two figures were coming, leaving Nate to grimace at the idea of having a firefight in a room full of naked innocents.

Lowering his pistol, he took up a hiding place next to the doorway. When the first one came through, he let her pass. Seeing the next come through, he sprang.

"YAHH!!!"

Throwing his knee up, Nate managed to stun the Dragon long enough to throw a punch. With his fist scraping across the Dragon's jaw, he lifted up his own arm to block a counter. Wrapping the same around around her neck, he pulled her to the right and punched down at her knee, making her grunt as she stepped back. Unable to see who he was facing, having lost the torch when he realized they were coming, he was unaware of what he was truly dealing with. Hearing a huff from the Dragoness, he lifted his leg up and countered the Dragon's kick, which was much more powerful than Nate expected. Turning and throwing his other leg up, he smacked his boot against her temple, dazing her and allowing him and punch her again. As she staggered back, he rose the pistol, aiming for the Dragon's chest.

"Wait!!"

Nate froze as he recognized the voice that called to him. The sweetness of the tone, the gentle nature that came with it... Looking over to his left, he found Fluttershy holding his torch. Turning forward, the flickering light illuminated enough of the room for him to identify who he was about to kill.

"Boss?"

Applejack blinked as she rubbed her cheek, looking up as she also found her old worker standing in front of her.

"Nate? Y'all really ARE up here?"

Nate lowered his pistol, taking another look at Fluttershy before refocusing on Applejack.

"AJ, what are you two doing up here? It's too dangerous for either of you. There are Dragons everywhere."

"What are we doing? What are Y'ALL doin' up here, sugar-hon?!"

Fluttershy walked up to Nate, still holding the torch high.

"We haven't seen you for two weeks. What happened? A-Are you okay?"

He rose a hand up to the two.

"I'm fine. A little scraped up from that fight two weeks ago, but I lived."

He ushered back the way he came.

"I was on my way back to my house after hunting out in the Everfree Forest. Halfway back, I was ambushed by the Dragons that're living on this mountain. One of them, a large silver one, shoved me through a portal underneath the lake near my house, and it teleported me a few levels up."

He turned back to the girls.

"Do you two know what's happening? Why are the Dragons here?"

"Accordin' ta Twilight, these here vermin followed an adult Dragon to this mountain. They've been causing a mess around these parts while the big fella's sleepin'. His nap is what's causin' the smoke clouds."

"Shit... And you two are up here because...?"

Fluttershy pointed up at the ceiling.

"Twilight and a few other friends of ours went on ahead up to the levels above. We got separated when a bunch of Dragons fell from the mountain."

Nate grimaced, wondering if those Dragons were the bodies he threw over when fighting the creatures back on his escape. He listened as Applejack continued for Fluttershy.

"Twilight's somewhere up there, waitin' fer us. We're headin' up to wake the big guy up and get him ta hightail it somewhere else for his nap. If we don't go..."

Nate glanced at the floor when AJ went silent, the insinuation of what would happen crystal clear to all three of them. Shaking his head, Nate pointed to the stairs.

"Well, I'm not sure what I can do, but that stairwell leads to the cave above. Most of the Dragons have been cleared out already, so you should have no problem making it up to them if you stick close to the path."

"What? Y'all not comin' with us?"

He shrugged in response.

"What more can I do? My bullets can't penetrate a fully-grown Dragon's scales. I've only been able to take on the young ones along the way, thankfully. Aside from covering fire for them, I don't see what I can do to help you on your journey. Besides..."

He looked towards the dark walls.

"I have a feeling I have a mission of my own."

"???" "???"

Fluttershy hovered the torch to the side, letting it light up the wall. A loud gasp came from her as Applejack's jaw dropped, the two of them seeing the Dragon's "prizes" chained and bound to the walls and stakes.

"Sweet Celestia..."

"What in tarnation...?"

Nate walked back over to the tied up Ponies, checking another as Fluttershy drifted the light to all corners of the room. It was horrifying for her to see so many mares, at least thirty in bulk, imprisoned in this room where all they could look forward to was the next Dragon to use them. Applejack was faring no better as her nerves were rattled.

"What in the Sam hell is all THIS?"

She stormed over to one of the girls on the other side while Nate checked the stable one of the Ponies was tied to. After careful consideration, he came to a conclusion.

"This room is a breeding ground."

Fluttershy's ear twitched at that, her terrified look gaining a hint of confusion as she turned to Nate.

"What? B-But, Dragons can't breed with Ponies. It's impossible. Dragons can only come from Dragon eggs laid by the female demographic of their kind."

"Then how do you explain all the signs around the room, Flutters, or the stocks these Ponies are locked in? Either they found a way, or this room is just a place for them to... cut loose."

Applejack clenched her teeth as she seethed, bundling her hands up into fists.

"Goddamn bastards... Ah recognize some of these Ponies from neighboring towns to Ponyville. There's even a few here from Appleloosa."

"Yeah. These Ponies must've been captured when the young ones raided settlements after establishing their territory here. Dunno how long they've been here, but their conditions are deteriorating every hour they stay here."

Nate stood back up, taking a step back and throwing his foot forward. The mare in the stock yipped as the lock was kicked off, the shackles undoing from her neck and letting her drop to the ground. Helping her sit up against the wall, he looked back at Fluttershy and Applejack.

"I'll free these mares and get them down to Ponyville. There's a hospital there, right?"

Applejack nodded.

"Yeah. Just take em to the northwest side of town. The hospital is two blocks from the shopping district."

Fluttershy hovered over to him as she handed him the torch.

"There's a cart outside. It looks to be how the Dragons got the mares here in the first place. Maybe you can use that to get them to town?"

Nate nodded, standing back up as he went to free another.

"Good thinking. I'll round them up into that cart and escort them to the edge of town. From there, I'll get somepony else to take them in. Odds are, the younglings aren't gonna like their prizes being stolen from them, and if you need any supporting fire..."

He drew out his Remington rifle, loading a bullet into the chamber as he racked it.

"I'll be able to snipe anything out of your way if you get into any trouble."

"Thank ya, sugar-hon. We'll do our best up there. Good luck to ya."

Fluttershy flew after Applejack as she raced for the stairs. Looking back at Nate as he freed another mare, she gave him a sideways glare.

"After we're done here, you and I are going to have a very long chat, mister..."

Nate looked up at her, then turned away slightly as he went back to freeing the mares. With Fluttershy leaving him behind, he was about halfway through getting them all out before more commotion came. Some Dragons that followed them up were now at the entrance, enraged that he was taking away their breeding mares.

Setting the Pony he had off to the side, Nate wielded the torch like a club, whirling it in his right hand as he put away the pistol for a moment. The fire itself wasn't what he was betting on when combating these beasts. After all, they breathed it. No, he wanted to make them hurt, to cave in their skulls painfully and watch them slowly hemorrhage on the floor. Swinging upwards with the torch, he cracked one Dragon's jaw to the left. Swinging back down, he cracked down on the skull of the second Dragon, creating a nice dent in the top of his head as he toppled him over with a home-run to his chest.

Turning around as more came in and circled him, he swung wildly, clashing his fiery club with the shield made of another Dragon's scales. Why they would use their own kind's remains to make weapons boggled Nate's mind, but at this point, he didn't really care. Charging the Dragon holding it, he bumped the shield aside and stabbed a splinter into his eye, making him roar in agony as he dropped the shield and clutched his eye. Dropping the torch and taking up the shield, Nate used it to block the oncoming fire breath of another Dragon, falling back from the pressure of the heat. When he had his opening, he struck, punching in the Dragon's muzzle with the shield while another lunged for him. After taking a few hits, the human bucked forward and knocked the fucker out with a curb stomp when he on his back.

Tossing down the shield, Nate finished the job by shooting the Dragon he got in the eye, ensuring none got back up to fight again. When he had the chance of silence, he unshackled the rest of the women, and hoisted them all outside, one by one. Some of them fought, or screamed, when he touched them, but he was left with no other options. Those still coherent enough to understand what was happening around them didn't resist. Seeing him fight off the Dragons that imprisoned them had them figure he was there to rescue them, and that assumption was correct.

Loading the pop singer on last, Nate shut the back of the cart and walked to the front. Looking down the slope, the edge was going to provide a bit of an issue. If he couldn't turn the cart, or direct it in some way, there was no feasible way Nate could use it to extract all these mares from the Everfree Mountain. Going back into the cave, Nate had a lightbulb go off in his head when he picked up one of the loosened shackles. If he couldn't drag the cart along, perhaps it was time he made his own iteration of a car in this universe.

Taking up all the chains he could, he walked back outside and began wrapping them around the front two wheels, attaching them to the bar that turned them. Securing them with the cuffs, Nate climbed aboard after giving the cart a push, taking up the bar and glancing back as they slowly cruised along. As they began their descent and sped up, a thought occurred to Nate.

'... Shit, did I forget about the brakes...?'

Five seconds later gave him his answer.

"FUCK!!!"

With Applejack and Fluttershy reuniting with the rest of the Mane Six, the adventure up the mountain was quieter than they initially suspected. Fluttershy and Applejack, from their previous encounter with the Everfree human, understood why there was a lack of younglings in their way, and furthermore, why most of the ones they came across were dead or dying. Nate must have been warped about halfway up and fought his way down. This was good for the girls. It meant they didn't have to unnecessarily risk their lives on top of dealing with the fully-grown Dragon itself. Shuffling along and overcoming environmental hurdles along the way, they began to see living teenagers the closer they got to their destination. Needless to say, they weren't happy with them intruding, nor were they pleased that the Mane Six got as far as they did.

With their magic and separate talents, the Dragons they came across were dispelled easily enough. The groups they came in were usually no more than five or six of them. Plenty to deal with safely thanks to Rainbow's speed, Applejack's strength, Pinkie's unpredictability, and Twilight's magic.

Although, one time, they did find themselves overwhelmed. A larger group of a dozen had them cornered, backed up against the mountain as they went on about how they were going to break them in the breeding room below. With Applejack and Fluttershy already knowing what goes on there, they didn't want to chance joining the mares Nate rescued, and they didn't have to.

*bang-!!*

The whizzing sound of something cutting through the air was the first and last thing one of the Dragons heard before a bullet went right through his skull. With his body dropping onto the ground, the others turned and looked down towards the forest below.

Applejack and Fluttershy smiled, or the former's case, smirked as they saw Nate riding off through the Everfree Forest with a cart full of the newly-freed Ponies. In his hands was his sniper rifle, the barrel lowering as he dropped it into the cart and turned back around, steering the cargo away from the trees. Hissing, the Dragons tailed after him, giving the Ponies the chance they needed to continue on ahead. Fluttershy spared a look down towards Nate as the other eleven Dragons were flying after him, but followed after Applejack soothed her along, guaranteeing their friend's ability to look out for himself.

After a few more levels, Rainbow Dash stole and glance back at Fluttershy, pursing her lips as she went up to Twilight.

"Still think it was a good idea to bring Fluttershy?"

"We're about to find out, Rainbow..."

The purple Unicorn pointed to the last cave the path led to, easily the largest of the many they traversed through, and the pinpointed source of the smog rolling over the Kingdom.

"We're here."

*BANG-!!!*

Nate looked up from his scope as he fired a sniper shot at the Dragons surrounding his friends. Watching as the bullet traveled, he awaited the two seconds it would take for it to connect and when it did, he smiled.

"Haha! Bullseye! Fuck yea--"

And then he promptly turned that smile upside down when seeing eleven Dragons racing towards him from the sky.

"O-Oh shit..."

Tossing his sniper into the cart, Nate jumped back up to the front and took the bar, steering the cart through the forest's path as the Dragons were catching up to them. Ducking a stream of fire whirled past his head, he pulled out his revolver as three managed to make their way around to the front. Blasting them out of the sky like clay pigeons, he turned his head back to see where the rest of them were. Finding the lot of them still catching up, he let go of the bar and ran to the back, taking out his pistol and firing it in the general direction of the flying lizards while picking them off with the three bullets he had left in his revolver. Reloading both weapons as four went down, two being taken out with one bullet, he saw one of the four remaining Dragons attempting to board from the side. Kicking him in his wing and crunching it over the edge of the cart, he let the drake collapse into the dirt and crush himself into meat on impact with a tree. Open firing at the other three, he spread them out and kept them off of him long enough for him to take up one of the shackles stored on the cart. Wrapping one end around his arm, he twirled it around and threw it up at the Dragoness leading the other two, bringing her down and holding her in a choke hold with his gun's barrel pressed into her chin.

Glaring at the other two Dragons, who backed off when seeing their leading grace at a threat of dying, their hesitance left them open to be killed by a few well-placed shots, and before the Dragoness could fight back, she was thrown to the front of the cart, where she fell over the side and was run over by a nearly a thousand pounds worth of mares and metal.

As she was left in the dirt, Nate resumed steering the cart, sure that the threat had passed. Now, all that's left is to get the mares to Ponyville and let the residence lead them to a doctor or a therapist. They'll be able to take it from there after he's done his part.

"HRRRRRYYYAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!"

Nate widened his eyes when hearing the familiar roaring of a larger, much deadlier beast. Turning his head back, he saw the silver Dragon coming at them in bulk, his speed far superior than the cart.

"Oh, give me a fucking break..."

Nate let the bar go after reaching another decline, turning back and drawing out his Mossberg. Racking it and waiting for the Dragon to get closer, he fired a shell at its face, damaging some of the scales, but otherwise leaving it unharmed. Racking and shooting twice more made it fall back, giving him room to steer and maneuver around the forest. Ponyville was so close, now, but he can't lead this monster there. It will cause unending havoc for the little town if he fails to end it right here.

Loading three shells into the chamber, Nate prepared himself as it was coming around for another sweep. Picking up his rifle, he peered through the scope and sniped it in the joint of its left wing, hoping to deter it by taking out its means to fly. This worked, but not as well as he'd hoped. The silver Dragon lingered back, slowing up as the bullet made contact with his wing, but it was still airborne, and still coming. Cursing under his breath, he fired his shotgun again as it got close, nearly getting crushed in the process as the shell hit its throat. Turns out the underside of the Dragon was weaker than the scaled covering the rest of it, but Nate wasn't betting his survival on that advantage alone. He had to keep the heat up and steer this cart into Ponyville. Trying to wait and hit its weak spot will not work fast enough.

Pushing it back with a few more shotgun shells to the muzzle, he eyed the surroundings ahead, seeing a few trees he could squeeze through. Maneuvering the cart in the desired direction, he prayed that he'd be fast enough before the silver Dragon caught up.

*BASH-!!!* "HAAAAUUUURRRR!!!!"

And with a violently crack of wood and rock, Nate's prayers were answered. The silver Dragon was trapped, his neck locked under two Everfree trees as they grew unnaturally around him. With Nate's destination in sight, he didn't dare look back to see what the forest had in store for the Dragon's fate. Odds are, the forest will consume the beast, and leave behind nothing but a few scales as evidence he was even there. Honestly, with how Nate's been surviving, he's learned to steer clear of the more ragged-looking trees, especially those with faces on them.

Now in the home stretch, Nate pulled the bar back and yanked on the chains, braking the front wheels and slowing the cart to a stop just outside of Ponyville. Taking a breath as the threat was over and done with, he turned to the girls in the cart. There were about thirty or so with him. No doubt the Dragons had more he couldn't get to. He was upset that there would be potential victims on higher levels that he couldn't get to, but for now, he was satisfied with those he's saved already. Jumping down, he marched to the back and pulled the bed down, attracting the attention of those still in their right mind. He motioned them to come out, walking to the left as they followed him. Like puppets, or lost dogs, the broken mares followed after, staying behind them as he pointed into the town.

"Go through the shopping district up ahead, then turn left. The hospital is just a few blocks away."

The coherent girls nodded, looking into the town itself before covering their bodies. Leading the others in, Nate stood by and let them go, watching as they earned the stares of those wandering the streets of Ponyville, but were left undisturbed as they moved along. The pop singer looked back as she was the last to follow, her eyes still obscured by her passionate hairstyle. Her smile was filled with hope, with gratitude. Because of Nate, they won't suffer the same fate as others captured by the Dragons would. While true, he couldn't save them all, she was glad he was able to save them, at least. Thinking on what her next song would be, she peered up at a rainbow while her thoughts drifted to the human, her lyrics twisting to center towards both subjects.

"I know you, you're a special one.~ Some see crazy where I see love.~ You fall so low, but shoot so hiiiigh...~"

She giggled to herself as she caught up with the rest, disappearing into Ponyville while Nate turned and went back towards the Everfree, sticking to the treeline after gathering up his weapons. Sighing in relief, he allowed himself to relax, yawning as he rounded the forest and made his way towards the trail leading to his home, and Fluttershy's cottage.

"Alright... Now, time to deal with a pissed off shy mare... Oooooh, boy..."