The chilled breeze flowing in from the train’s window did little to ease my mind. All I could think about was Osprey. Wether it was the amount of trouble he would get himself into during his stay at the palace, the stress of his training, pranks he would pull on Princess Celestia, his smile after accomplishing such a feat, how happy he would be to eat meat once more, how toned his body would become after his training, how his armor fit just right in all the-

Dear Luna, am I really thinking about that?

Shaking the oncoming lewd thoughts away, I sighed as I looked around the train car from my seat. For the purposes of our trip, the car had been cleared of it’s usual seating arrangements, and only a few small tables lined the walls. On the floor, cushions were littered about, favoring our mixed company.

This mission was to be a combined effort of equestrian, griffon, and feline forces. Our mission was to investigate and detain any significant leadership behind the recent foalnappings of pony and griffin nobles in Las Pegasus. Whatever organization was behind the threat had began to branch out to the griffin empire, causing chaos to ensue amongst the upper echelons of power. Due to the significance of this mission, the Emperor had sent his forces to Celestia, wishing to aid us in our future operations. Looking around, I took inventory of the ones I would be working alongside these next few weeks.

At the front of the room sat the griffons. Out of the group of seven, I only recognized three faces. Sharpbeak was talking to Fire Starter, most likely about the craftsmanship of his blade, holding his falchion out for the red stallion to see. Captain Buck and Lord Thalon were conversing quietly, shooting the occasional glance around the room. Despite his noble rank, age, and influence, he was an operative of this mission. Thalon was a full blown warrior who wielded a large buster sword, made of the thickest and sharpest steel I had ever seen, almost putting Strong Hoof’s weapon to shame.

Continuing my gaze, my eyes settled on the nearby group of solar guards. There were six in the group, all of whom had seen time in various parts of Equestria, however, the only face I recognized was Starlight Breaker, a pegasus guard who served with the knights from time to time.

Locking eyes with him, I gave a light smile before looking to the next group, laying in the shadows of the car, the six lunar guards. It was a little past noon, so they were catching up on rest they had missed out on due to our morning briefing before our departure. I didn’t know much about them, only that the lead of their guard was a bat pony by the name of Lunar Shackle. He was notorious amongst the night guard for using a chain and blade combo when entering combat, earning the simplistic nickname of ‘chain’ amongst his peers.

Settling my eyes on the last group, i narrowed my eyes on the small group of knights. There were only five of us on this mission, and my eyesore of the day was happily his greatsword, talking to one of my seniors, keeping a narrowed eye on my corner of the train. Unfortunately for me, he had been granted full authority of this mission, making him commander of the headquarters we would be establishing with the guard in Las Pegasus. I glared at him, still feeling the soreness in my wings from our most recent sparring match outside of the Everfree forest, where he hounded me about honor, service, and my lack of either as well as my failure to protect my charge. It had taken everything in my power to dodge, block, and fly away from his blurring strikes of his greatsword and his earth pony magic. He had been so brutal in his punishment that he had broken one of my wingblades, leaving me with only one for this mission. On my side, just under my left wing was my sheathed falchion. I would have to become more acquainted with this souvenir until we returned and my wingblade was repaired, re-enchanted, and ready to serve.

Looking past my settled wing, my mood lightened as a particular dark green unicorn slept soundly beside me. Shining Leaf, codenamed X-Ray, was one of my favorite knights to work alongside, with Steelwing and Fire Starter as close seconds. He and I had joined the knights at the same time, making fond memories together during our years of service. He was extremely talented with nature magic and dabbled in something called Eagle’s Watch, a grandmaster observation spell he was trying to perfect before he retired.

Looking to my other side sat the V.I.P of the mission, a mysterious feline mercenary that went by the name of Tasha. She and I were to be working side by side during this operation, scouting out leads in Las Pegasus she had acquired alongside Commander Silent Night about the shadow organization. I had a hard time trusting her, especially after learning she was once part of the very organization we were looking to uproot. The majority of our intel we had received was from her, and the entire operation just smelled of deception. My gut told me this was a trap, but when the princess herself gives the briefing, and the commander backs her, there’s not much more to do than follow orders.

I sunk my head back in my hooves, feeling irritated about the situation. I had been reactivated as a knight, scolded by Princess Luna, and placed under Strong Hoof’s command as punishment for being unable to protect Osprey, by the command of Silent Night, who had a disappointed look on her face when I saw her. I knew that it was wrong for us to venture into the forest alone, but I was feeling cocky, and wanted nothing more to see him smile, rather than being cooped up in smallsville, starving himself because of his insatiable desire for protein.

I felt myself thinking more and more about him as time went on. Despite him being a stressful, unpredictable, and dangerous entity to protect all hours of the day, I would be remiss if I didn’t notice how close we had gotten. He was a real sappy, fragile thing, tormented by discord, and even his own mind, but one with a good heart, sharp sarcasm, and a calming demeanor, making no two days feel the same, drawing in the presence of many different ponies.

Thinking about his waking terrors, chaotic pull, and Discord"s taunts, I couldn’t help but want to be by his side, even now, knowing he was under the best protection the world had to offer.

Shaking my head, i froze, realizing I was starting to replicate the human’s tendencies.

Maybe some time away from him is what I need after all. He’s rubbing off on me. I need focus, I need drive, and I need…to get laid. Its been so long…

I looked at Fire Starter, who was still talking to the griffins. I sighed again, remembering I couldn’t get a good rutting in if I tried. The knights had a strict policy on members sleeping with each other, especially while on the job. My saving grace last time was being deactivated and removed from the roster, creating a loophole that I could no longer take advantage of.

Yet another thought of Osprey popped into my head, and of the recent interaction with Princess Cadence, who had made me question a few things about our friendship. I felt her magic digging into the depths of my mind that day, and even now, surfacing feelings and thoughts I would rather not explore.

Before I could think more on my internal struggles, the sound of gear being assembled made me look out of the window. Sure enough, we were close, and it was time to prepare for our departure. With the cloud city coming into view, and the foreboding forest beyond it, I started assembling my gear, focusing on my current mission, thoughts of the human fading into the darkness of my mind.

— —

"As displeased as I am with you, Knight, Star was very insistent on you leading the investigation in Las Pegasus with Lord Thalon." Strong Hoof's glare intensified. "Tasha is important to the success of this mission, I hope for your sake, you do a better job of protecting her than you did the human." I flinched inwardly but maintained my bearing, refusing to give the bull-headed commander the satisfaction of getting under my skin again. He began to walk away, starting towards the guard outpost on the outskirts of the city with the remainders of our joint force, preparing to establish a camp deep in the forest where reports of the shadow organization had been seen. He looked over his shoulder, giving me one more meaningful glare. "You have two weeks. Come back with intel, and the cat, unharmed, or I'll cut you down myself." With that, the group started off with a brisk pace, following the now galloping commander, drawing the looks of the occasional passerby.

Tasha, standing beside me, put a hand on my back. "Does he always threaten your life, my pretty little mare?" She traced a finger down my spine, giving me chills. Shooing her paw away with a wing, I ignored her comment and looked at my squad. With me were Lord Thalon, Sharpbeak, Starlight Breaker, Tasha, and Hawksy. Hawksy was one of my senior knights, having joined long before me, and as such, I had never been granted the opportunity of learning his actual name. He was a Sunflower yellow pegasus with blue eyes, his mane and tail a dirty blonde, both cut short. Since we were in a cloud city, it was necessary to have the winged members of our force on this mission, so if we ever had to retreat to the main camp with Strong Hoof, or do aerial reconnaissance, all bases would be covered.

Motioning them all over, we gathered around a table at a nearby bakery, the griffons of our party effectively scaring away curious glances. I looked at Thalon, who was joining me to follow up on intel and resources he had in the city he visited so often. As such, our temporary base of operations would be his estate if the need should arrive, in the casino district, where we would be spending the majority of our time. This would be the first time I would be working side by side with him, so I was admittedly a little nervous about being in control of someone so high on the nobility spectrum. As if noticing my apprehension, he gave me a light smile, which was uncharacteristic of a griffin. Despite that, I took a deep breath, taking it as a sign.

"Alright, so here's the deal. The best use of our time here would be to split up. In the military, pairing up with another species is no big deal, but as I'm sure you all know, there's bad blood between Griffins and pegasi, so doing so here would draw in unnecessary attention." Thalon nodded, and Sharpbeak rolled his eyes at me.

"I wouldn't want to work with prey anyway, you'll just slow us d-ow!" Sharpbeak started, but was smacked upside the head by Thalon, receiving a dirty look from the older griffin. Chiding done, he looked to me.

"As you say, Guardian. I have an informant here that should be able to shed some light on this situation, but he is rather wary of his own kind. It will take a few days to track him down, but it will be done." I nodded at Thalon, thankful he understood I wasn't trying to be supremacist.

"Thank you. As there are only two leads we'll be checking on, I'll be leaving the two of you to your own devices. As for the rest of us..." I looked at the two pegasi. "Breaker, Hawksy, you'll be tailing a leader of the local mafia."

Starlight Breaker put a hoof to his muzzle before speaking. "You're talking about Short Straw right?" Hawksy smacked him with a wing, while I sighed in irritation.

"Breaker, I know you're still getting used to this whole espionage thing, but if you ever want to join us on the playing field more often, you have got to be more careful about what you say, and where you say it." He muttered an apology, his white hair shielding his light green eyes. I continued. "But yes, you're right. I encourage against working with the private security around here, he's been known to make rather generous donations to authority." The two of them nodded. While Breaker was new to this, he had a lot of enthusiasm and natural talent, so being paired up with an experienced stallion like Hawksy would only ensure his growth. "Everyone has the necessary resources for R&R correct?" They all nodded. "Good. Exfil is in two weeks, meet at Thalon's residence no later than 0600, or we'll assume you've been compromised and leave you behind." More like put the city on lockdown and abort the mission, bringing the wrath of Strong Hoof upon the mafia to find them. They all nodded, and each pairing walked away from the table, not saying a word. I looked at Tasha, who was playing with my hair for the upteenth time today. Batting her paw away, I glared at her. She just smiled back.

"Now that you're all done with your big speech, let's go have some fun!" She said, dragging me along towards the casino district, where we would blend in for a few days, and begin our search for her mercenary brethren, working in the shadows. I was relying on her, as she stated that there were many leads in Las Pegasus, but I felt a sneaking suspicion that this cat was just in it for a good time. After all, she hadn't told me anything, but Silent Night trusted her, and I had little choice but to follow along.

2 weeks later, Outskirts of The undiscovered west

“I can’t believe we wasted all of that time in Las Pegasus so you could just gamble! This is ridiculous! I should drop you right now! Celestia knows what good it would do Equestria…” I growled back at the feline riding me, who was covered in golden and colorful jewelry, laughing maniacally. She patted my side, whispering in my ear.

“You could, my precious little mare, but then who would be left to show you the location of the mercenary camp?” She put a paw in my mane, a devious smirk on her face as she played with my strawberry locks. “All this business and no fun? Why a girl’s gotta have fun, babe, and who better to protect me from thieves and swindlers and than you, my faithful Guardian Angel.” I ripped my hair out of her grasp with a hoof, growling slightly. “Come come now, I was told you’re the fun one? All this rushing...Have someone waiting for you back home or something?” She whispered once again in my ear, her paws sliding down my stomach. “Cause I can change that…we could have so much fun together…” Her paw brushed against one of my teats, making my eyes widen, a shock of pleasure shooting through my body in the chilled winter air.

“PAWS. OFF!” I roared out, doing a barrel roll, diving sharply, and pulling into a violent spiral, making her shriek and latch onto my barrel, ending her teasing. Righting myself moments later, I noticed I was getting looks from my squad. Sharpbeak was smirking, Thalon was raising a brow, Hawksy was glaring at me, and Starlight Breaker glided next to me, with a concerned look on his face.

“Hey, um, you alright?” He asked, looking at the two of us. Tasha was quiet, still clinging to me tightly. I smirked, composing myself, knowing full well she wouldn’t try that again. Cats weren't fond of heights.

“Oh I’m just fine, just giving this pussy the ride of her life...” I could hear Sharpbeak chuckling behind me. Breaker just gave me a confused look.

“Well, um, Ma’am, with all due respect, could you like, not, put our informant in danger?” I waved him off with a hoof, pointing to a break in the tree line.

“Calm down Breaker, we’re here, and believe me, I cannot WAIT to set her down.” A heard a light growl of agreement from my hitchhiker. With a few flaps, I lowered myself into the open clearing, my companions landing around me in a protective circle. The forest was silent as we stayed still, our formation unwavering. Under the assumption that we were in good hooves, I sang the challenge phrase, expecting a response from the undergrowth.

“Sweet Caroline.” I stomped my hoof three times in a rhythmic fashion. I had to contain myself from smiling at the memory of an intoxicated Osprey re-enacting a story of his highschool days when he was in band, and his drum major had gave him the cymbals out of desperation one day. The human had given a very passionate performance, and it made for an interesting report later that night.

The forest remained silent for a few more moments before a rustle of bushes echoed the expected response.

“Good times never seemed so good.” The undergrowth opened up, letting X-Ray and one of the Lunar Guards enter the clearing. X-Ray gave me a look. “That is by far, the oddest challenge I have ever heard.”

I smirked. “Would you rather, Sunshine, Sunshine, Lady-“ The green unicorn held a hoof up, shaking his head.

“Point taken, Guardian, let’s just get moving already.”

I nodded, turning back to the feline on my back. “This is the part where you get off of me, Tasha.” I spoke the last part with as much venom as I could muster. To my dismay, she seemed to have recovered from my airborne threat. She caressed my cheek with a paw, kissing the pinched spot gently, then whispering in my ear.

“I think I’d rather get you off, my-“ She was suddenly levitated off of my back, and over by an unamused X-Ray.

“I believe the knight has spoken. The Bull awaits.” She gave me a narrowed gaze, but walked alongside our unicorn escort, finally allowing me to stretch, letting the rest of the group enter before me. Thalon tousled my mane with a claw before walking ahead of me, and I followed after him, a small smile coming across my face.

Our walk to the base was quiet and uneventful, allowing me to witness X-Ray subtlety rearrange the nature around us, making our escort hard to see from any outsiders within the forest. Before long, we were greeted by a makeshift barricade of felled trees and vines, which were pushed aside by our green unicorn with ease, allowing for the sight of green and black tents to be seen from the entrance.

Upon entering the camp, I had to admit that Strong Hoof, code named Bull, did a fine job with making our rather large scale operation well hidden and run. Along the edge of the encampment were guard patrols, each with a different pairing. Griffin with Solar, Lunar with Knight, ect ect. The tents were arranged in a circle, with the command tent mirroring the others to make it difficult for the uninformed to understand our organization. The command tent was the second tent we came across, where Tasha, Thalon, and myself entered, leaving the rest of our party to scatter throughout the camp.

Inside the small tent, sat Bull, greatsword strapped to his back like always, and wearing a camouflaged uniform, much like the rest of the camp. He narrowed his eyes at me, and I nodded to him. He spoke one word.

“Report.”

I sighed, glaring at Tasha, who found an interest in her many jewels adorning her body.

“Waste of time, Short Straw is missing, our leads in Las Pegasus turned up dry, dead, or unwilling, Thalon killed a small group of bandits, and our feline friend was withholding information so she could get her party on.” I pointed a wing at a map that hung from the walls of the tent. I circled a small area, which detailed the location of our camp. Then pointed at a large ravine, circling it in its entirety. “The main camp is expected to be around here, but she refuses to specify where exactly.” I looked at Tasha, who shrugged.

“I’m here to guide you, and your map is hardly detailed enough. Face it, equestrian, without my assistance, you’d be walking into a massacre.”

The earth pony looked at Tasha with distaste in his eyes, then returned to glare at me.

“All that time, and you found nothing?”

“Nothing but dead bodies. Our informant is keeping a very tight lip.” Tasha giggled and Thalon cleared his throat trying to take some of the blame off of me.

“Our team encountered a group of bandits, but they had no relation nor any skill to the group we’re hunting. My connections were useless, they had been paid off by a third party and refused to tell us anything. It appears that something knows were coming, as even my most trusted informant was killed before I could speak to him. ” He sat on his haunches, folding his lion forelimbs over each other. “It would seem we're wasting our time, I believe we should strike immediately.”

Bull nodded at the Griffin Lord. “I agree, I had hoped to uncover the larger operation with these leads Star had gathered…” He glared at me.

Sure, blame this all on me.

“But it appears that I am to be disappointed with my operative once more.” He cracked his neck. “Guardian, you are to take Tasha, and six others to scout the area, attack the compound should you find it, capture the leader, and eliminate all hostiles. They have overstayed their welcome in Equestria.”

I narrowed my eyes. Tasha scoffed. Thalon’s beak was slightly ajar. To his credit, the earth pony had gave his order with confidence, as if it were the best possible option.

Six? Is he trying to get me killed?

“With respect, Bull, if you want me to scout and assault this camp, I’m going to need more than 8 ponies-er operatives. I don't understand how I'm supposed to accomplish so many objectives with so little support. Do you plan to follow us?”

He growled. “You may send a runner, like you are trained to do, should you be incapable of this task. However, you are a Knight, and I expect results, especially after your recent failures. Do not disappoint me. Should I have to come to your aid for anything short of Discord himself, I will personally send you to Tartarus for your worthless performance.” He glared at all three of us, the shock of his ridiculous expectations rendering us silent.

“You are dismissed.”

Snapping out of my shocked state, fury in my very essence, I stormed out of the tent with Tasha and Thalon close behind. I ignored passing patrols and friendly faces while I tried to come up with a plan that wouldn't end in death. Upon reaching an abandoned tent, I entered, giving up on my planning and just trying to understand the suicidal orders I had been given.

“There are forty of us here. What in Celestia’s name am I supposed to do with eight? What is he thinking! This is bullshit!” Looking over at Thalon, I saw a grim look on his face. He didn’t seem bothered by my outburst, but I could see his claws kneading the dirt floor.

“That idiot does not command me. I will have words with your Princess upon our return about his incompetence. Pick your six, Guardian, my warriors and I will fight alongside you. Of our own accord.” With a low squawking sound, he left the tent, presumably to rally his followers. I looked at Tasha, who stared at the entrance of the tent. She was no longer admiring the various jewels that hung from her body.

“You should know, I don’t trust your commander. I haven’t from the start, and I don't think I ever will.” She looked at me, a serious gaze I hadn’t seen from her before. “Star speaks highly of his destructive power, but his arrogance and pride will kill us all.”

Trying to compose myself, I took a deep breath, walking towards the entrance of the tent.

“If you want us to make it through this, and this group is as deadly as you say, I suggest you stop toying with me. I have no more patience for your games. More lives are at stake now, and the blood will be on my hooves, should we fail.”
— —

“…So in other words, we’re going to die.”

“Can it rookie.”

“I agree with Dynamite, Star must be made aware of this. A plan like this is unbecoming of a leader.”

“X-Ray, its far too late for that.”

“Are all ponies this stupid?”

“Sharpbeak, we’ve been over this.”

“We’ve got eyes on a ravine.” Thalon dropped down from the treeline, Tasha in his arms. She dropped down in front of me.

“There’s nothing there, they’ve definitely moved since I was last here.” I pulled out a map, getting everyone to circle around it.

“Okay, when were you here last?”

“A month ago, they couldn’t have gone far, this forest and the mountain range make for an excellent location to hide their base of operations.”

I looked to Starlight Breaker who was joining us on our road to suicide. “Patrols came up with nothing right?” He nodded, looking at Lunar Shackle, who spoke with irritation in his voice.

"My lunar guards used their location magic on patrol, their patrols only found a few travelers who were interrogated before being sent away.”

Tasha shook her head. “Their dogs don’t handle altitude well, their only option is the forest. I just can’t think of where else they could stay concealed from airborne patrols and your surveillance magic.”

I put a hoof to my muzzle in thought, looking at the ravine once more, an idea coming to mind. I turned to X-Ray.

“Can you see through water with your spell?” He shook his head.

“Water has residual magic, just like plants, I have only been successful so far because of my affinity for nature magic. Elemental magic is an entirely different field of study. Why?” I looked at Thalon.

“Did you see any waterfalls near the ravine? On the map there’s a large clearing at the end of this part of the ravine.” He shook his head, but Sharpbeak stepped forward.

“It’s like you say, pony, I saw a waterfall near the end of the eastern sector of the ravine. What does that have to do with anything? Feeling dirty or something?” I smiled, ignoring him, looking at Tasha.

“I don’t think they went very far at all. Tell me, are their dogs skilled at digging through stone?”

“Yes, they’re often used for breaking into banks but-oh.”

I nodded, looking back at Sharpbeak. “Did the waterfall look off at all?” He shrugged. I looked to Thalon who was preparing to take off again. “Don’t get too close, but can you see if the waterfall looks deeper than normal? I think they’re hiding out in a cave behind it.” He gave me a curt nod, flying off, two of his griffin guard with him, along with Lunar Shackle and Starlight Breaker, who brought up the rear. I looked at the map once more, taking a few minutes to think up a plan of attack.

It would be a one-way entry point most likely, leaving few chances for a sneak attack. Guarding such an inconspicuous entrance would be a waste of time, and a smart merc would have their guards close to the goods and main force, likely having the security right inside of the cave. This would have to be an entrance of shock and awe. No matter what we do, they would see us coming, if they haven't already.

“Now, as for-“

“INCOMING!”

"Scatter!"

Grabbing the map and spreading my wings, I looked up to see a large tree hurtling through the air, right towards us. My mind in overdrive, I tensed my muscles, and waited for my moment to jump away. The airborne tree slammed into another tree, splintering off into several different projectiles, cutting off various escape routes, as if it had been planned. I could swear I heard a dark chuckle echo throughout the forest as I sent a gust of wind to the side, sending my body flying backwards, and kicking into a tree moments later, sending myself flying into the ground a few meters away, just barely avoiding two sharp pieces of flying timber. Hitting the ground, I allowed myself to roll twice, getting some extra distance, gritting my teeth as my armor dug into my fur. Crawling behind a nearby bush, and looking up, I saw there were no more projectiles in the air. Sniffing the air, I tried to pick out my team's scent. The only one I picked up was Tasha's, and looking up, I could see her clinging to a tree trunk, several feet off of the ground. She locked eyes with me, not saying a word. The forest was quiet. Waiting another minute to find nothing else happening, I motioned for Tasha to drop down to me. With her feline grace, she did, her paws barely making a sound. Before I could speak, I heard the others call out once more.

"Move!"

"Heads up!"

Looking up, I could see three more projectiles showering down from the tree tops; a rock, and two more shattered trees. Picking myself up, I leaped forward, Tasha right beside me, and we leaped from side to side, tucking and rolling, dodging branches, rocks, and sharpened tree trunks. Whoever was doing this knew exactly where we were and in order to minimize casualties, we were going to have to split up. Wincing from a hit from a fallen branch, I slid behind a tall tree and took a deep breath.

Poking my head out from cover I yelled out, "Pair up! Find the source! Rally in one five!" Not waiting for a response, I felt a familiar sensation in my gut, and leaped forwards, hearing the sound of snapping branches behind me. Flying just a few feet off of the ground, I caught up with Tasha, who was running along a dirt path. I looked back, and saw more rocks raining down from the tree tops, getting closer. My eyes widening, I flapped my wings, aiming backwards, and flung myself into the feline, sending us both rolling to the side as a tree slammed down where we would have been next. Tasha raised a brow, looking at the large tree.

"Thanks."

I ignored her, picking myself up, and taking off into a full gallop. I could hear the sounds of a river, and based off the map, that would mean an open clearing would be in sight. Tasha was right behind me, but before we could reach the edge, a voice called out from the distance, a word that made my blood run cold.

"-RTH DRAGON!"

I stopped short, whipping my head to the left where the voice came from. I looked at Tasha, but she was already running off, her claws out. Not having any better ideas, I followed close behind her, gaining a burst of speed from my wings. Reaching the edge of the tree line, we came across a slow flowing river. Over the sound of the water, I could hear the sounds of battle.

"Tasha hop on!" I leapt in front of her, spreading my wings wide. She straddled my back, smacking my flank. Growling, I took to the air, feeling her claws dig into the chinks of my armor. The added weight was straining, but the sight I witnessed made me forget about it entirely. In the middle of a clearing of shredded trees and demolished rubble, was a large brown dragon, its claws swiping at the air where Sharpbeak and a bat pony were, evading the strikes to the best of their ability. Getting closer, I yelled at Tasha to hold on and I put on a burst of speed, flying behind the dragon, my front hooves aiming for the back of his head. Tasha jumped off, onto the reptile's back, and I flipped forward, slamming my back hooves down, aiming for the top of its head. My hooves connecting, a shock ran through my body, the force of the kick registering through my horseshoes first, shattering parts of them, then running along the back of my legs, back, neck and to the top of my head as I screamed out.

"ARRRAAAGGHHHHH!" The force of the kick sent the dragon's head slamming into the ground, and I could hear a satisfying crunch of the dragon's mouth being slammed shut as the momentum of my kick sent me flipping forward twice more before I righted myself with my wings, and slowed myself into a gentle roll onto the forest floor, stopping against a tree, my armor ringing out a metallic note upon the impact. I gasped for air, my vision still spinning as I tried to focus on the sounds of my team wearing the dragon down.

My vision, finally returned, allowed me to see that the dragon was still recovering from my hit, staggering slightly, but aware enough to bat one of the griffons away, its long spiked tail slamming into the griffin's chest, sending him rolling on the floor. Getting up, I felt that my back shoes were broken, not meant for going blow for blow with giant armored beasts. Flapping my wings, I hovered above the ground, kicking off the shoes, allowing my bare hooves to touch the ground. The sound of hoofsteps made me flinch to the side and look to the trees where X-Ray and Dynamite stopped beside me, watching the scene in disbelief. Shaking my head of the last bits of dizziness, I shoved Dynamite forward.

"GO! Blast him to hell already!" Without looking at me, the red stallion charged into the fray, shooting a bolt of lightning from his horn, the spell hitting the dragon square in the chest, making it stumble backwards. I looked at X-Ray. "Letter. Bull. NOW!" He gave me a quick nod, and I took to the air, looking for Tasha. Staying far enough away to avoid the flying bits of earth and tree the dragon was flinging at all of us, I circled the area, noticing the feline jumping away from the dragon's spiked tail, her daggers drawn. Flying down, I motioned for her to grab onto me, and she latched onto a hoof, letting me take us into the air just as the swinging tail grazed my wingblade, protecting the base of my wing, but sending an uncomfortable vibration through my bones. Flying high, I swung her onto my back, where she hung on as I dived back to the forest where X-Ray was seen last.

Taking cover behind a wall of vines, branches, and tree splinters, X-Ray was healing a downed griffin, Breaker beside him. I landed, flinching as a chunk of earth flew into the wall. "Well? Any response?" The green unicorn's eyes were closed in concentration, but spoke in a strained voice.

"No...Response."

The griffin in his care groaned, finally waving X-Ray off, shaking himself, drawing a blade, and taking to the sky, faltering ever so often. Breaker flew up beside him, steadying the feathered warrior. The unicorn shook his head, narrowing his eyes as they took on a blue glow. He was using Eagle's Watch. I waited patiently, peeking out from the wall to witness more griffins join the fray. Captain Buck, with his jaguar half, dived a well placed kick just above the dragon's eye, flipping over a claw, and diving away unharmed. I looked around more, but there was no sign of Thalon or Shackle. Dynamite was still shooting bolts of lightning at the dragon, but Earth Dragons are more magically resistant than most dragons, especially when on the ground, making full use of their dragonic magic to nullify elemental attacks.

The best course of action would be to call a retreat, and lure the beast deeper into the forest, stunning it, then assaulting him with everything we have, or even better, avoiding it completely. But until Thalon and more of his group returned, I couldn't risk spreading our forces with this dragon to pick off our stragglers. Looking back at X-Ray, I waited a few more moments until he looked at me, the glow absent from his eyes. He didn't look pleased.

"No one has left the camp. Bull is nowhere to be seen. We're not getting any help, that bastard is leaving us to die!" My eyes widened, anger starting to build in my stomach. He continued. "Thalon is on his way, we just need to hold out until he gets here." His eyes narrowed, looking at the scene in front of us. He pulled out a glowing purple vial from his saddlebag, looking to me. "I'm going to try and restrain it with vines. Can you weaken it? I won't be able to overpower him as he is now."

Thinking, I looked for Dynamite and one of the solar unicorns shielding a downed bat pony. I looked back at X-Ray. "Wait for my signal. Keep an eye on Tasha." Not waiting for a response, I took off, soaring over to the bat pony, dragging him closer to the two unicorns. The solar guard threw up a shield around us, a rock shard bouncing off harmlessly. I looked at Dynamite, who was taking deep breaths, a hoof to his head. "Alright, help isn't coming, so I need to know if you can stun that thing with enough lightning for us to get a good hit in." He winced at me, nodding.

"I think I can summon an actual bolt of lightning, I'm just going to need some time to charge it up...and I'm going to be useless afterwards. Are you sure what you're planning will work? Lightning Magic is hardly my specialty." I looked at the solar guard. I think his name was Cider Barrel. "Do you know any lightning magic?" He shook his head, maintaining the shield as he healed the bat pony, Faded Moonlight. He had a gash in his armor, but he looked decent enough aside from a few large bruises. "Alright, then I need you to keep this shield up until his spell is done, and I want you two as close to that bastard as possible. If he gets back up, I need you to shield everyone for a full retreat." I looked to Moonlight. "Do you still have your impacts?" Cracking his neck, he got up, looking at me with amber eyes.

"Yes ma'am, but after what happened to yours-" I raised a hoof, wincing as more debris flew into the shield. "Don't worry about it. I need you to follow right behind me, and I mean RIGHT behind me. I need you to do that scream thing in his ears and put everything you've got into knocking him down. We're going to pin him down for X-Ray. Follow me!" Before he could say anything else, I opened my wings, watching him do the same. I nodded at the unicorns and they let us out, charging their spells. Flying towards the main group, I noticed Shackle and Thalon in the far distance. Straining my tired body, I put on a burst of speed, grabbing Breaker by his armor, helping him out of the way as a burst of hot steam rushed past us, scorching the ground. Following me in the air, circling the dragon from a greater height, I quickly told him the plan, and dived down, letting gravity help speed my descent. The griffons on the ground noticed us, and immediately attacked at once, gaining the dragon's attention. We soared past his head, and Moonlight let out an ear-piecing screech, making the dragon wince away, only to catch Breaker's back hooves slamming into the side of his head, sending it back towards me, with Moonlight shooting straight up, readying to mirror my attack from earlier. My Falchion in my mouth, I slashed the blade against the dragon's eyelid, drawing blood and a deafening roar, turning it's head towards me instinctively. Before it could recover from the head trauma of Breaker's kick, the bat pony streaked down from above, landing a beautiful strike that sent both the dragon and the pony slamming into the ground.

I looked at Dynamite who was right next to the dragon's now downed head, his horn and the ground around him sparking with electricity. He didn't need any further encouragement from me, letting his lightning shoot from his horn, electrifying its head, the current sparking throughout its body, making the dragon writhe in pain on the ground. I looked towards the back of the clearing to see X-Ray throw a vial on the ground, and the area around us cracked and splintered away as large, spiked vines rose from the ground. With the dragon splayed about, suffering from shock, little resistance was offered to the tightly binding spiked ropes, pinning the dragon.

Thalon, Shackle, and two Griffins landed in the clearing, weapons drawn, looking at me. I looked at the dragon who was now trying to struggle against the vines. Dropping my blade I yelled out, "Take it down!" Thalon hoisted his massive blade above his head, taking to the sky, and Shackle uncoiled his chains from his armor, waving it around, striking the dragon from various angles, and chaining down its tail with a final strike. Cider Barrel and Breaker slammed their hooves into the Dragon's front legs, making it take the combined punishment of the group until, in a flash of steel, and a warrior's cry, Thalon slammed his great blade down on the side of the dragon's head, the steel sinking in, making it roar in pain, and eventually, stopped struggling against its bindings. Taking labored breaths, we all waited, Thalon still on the dragon's head, blade poised to strike again. Minutes passed by until X-Ray, panting, sidled up beside me.

"It's...not dead...the spikes had a powerful...venom, so he won't be an issue...for a while." Slumping down, we circled up, recuperating. Out of the fifteen of us, no one had been severely injured, thanks to our two unicorns as Dynamite was still unconscious, recovering from the mental exhaustion of using so many powerful spells at once. Looking at the group, I took a deep breath, standing to my hooves readying myself to give a debrief. I was in no condition to exude confidence, and we were all tired, but there was still a mission to accomplish.

But as I opened my mouth, the sound of clapping made me whip around, and immediately become frozen mid spin. Earth dragons were the least of my problems today, it would seem. Standing before my group, stood a bipedal female fire dragon, still young, only coming up to Celestia's height, wearing a grey cloak, hiding any weapons she may have. Her red scales shimmered in the daylight, and her green eyes shone like the emeralds upon her black crown.

Next to her sat a smirking Strong Hoof, in his full blackened armor, saddlebags bulging with parchment, and his greatsword across his back, menacing as ever, was stained in a crimson liquid. He whistled, looking at the downed earth dragon behind me.

"I must say, I was not expecting that out of you. It would seem I underestimated your strength, even if you did drag those blasted griffins along with you..." He looked at the dragoness beside him. "Sorry about your pal, hun." She huffed, narrowing her eyes at the downed beast.

"He has proven himself to be worthless, falling to the likes of your kind." Strong Hoof rolled his eyes. Before he could speak, my rage surfaced, breaking me out of my trance. I couldn't move my body, but my mouth would do just fine.

"YOU...YOU PLANNED THIS?! I-I should have fucking known. Sending me out with only six ponies on a suicide mission, you celestia-damned traitor! Why I-" A snap rang out in the clearing, and I was unable to do more than keep my eyes open as a small talon came into my vision. With it, came the being of chaos. Discord, floating on his own time, flew on an invisible breeze, putting his paw and talon behind his head, giggling lightly.

"Now now, Angel... if you want to see your precious human again, I suggest you behave. He misses you quite dearly, and it would be a shame to tell the poor boy that you joined his father in the great beyond..." My body stayed frozen in time as he snapped, summoning Hoof's great sword, impaling it in the ground, allowing his miniature body to stand on the pommel, his arms crossed. "Now, let's have a friendly little chat, shall we?"

Author's Note

As expected, Angel will be starring in the next chapter. Warning for the next chapter, it'll be rather dark, if the cliffhanger wasn't enough of a hint.