The Conversion Bureau: Dogs of Winter

by Cloudhammer

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Adventure, Human, Princess Luna, Gore, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe
Length: 27040

A new serum is made, and a man makes his choice.

In the aftermath of the St Louis Massacre, suspicions were raised about the involvement of the griffons. However, Scythion has closed off all contact with Equestria. So, a small team is chosen to infiltrate the frozen north, and see what secrets lie buried beneath the snow. But hidden from the rest of the world are schemes with far-reaching implications, and it's up to the Wild Cards to make tough choices that may impact the fate of an entire nation.

Published 2012-12-21 10:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2018-12-16 07:59:09 UTC

01 - Grasping at Straws

The

CONVERSION

►Bureau

Dogs of

Winter

By Cloudhammer

Year 6, Week 5, Sunday

Day in, day out, the schedule was always the same. The guards would wake him up at 6am for the morning meal. Then he would spend the next few hours in his cell, before being fed lunch and taken outside for the hour of physical activity. Though for most of that he would simply enjoy the chance to be outside and see the sky. The other three men who had surrendered with him would sometimes come and enjoy the sun with him. After the hour was up he would be escorted back to his cell, where he would remain until dinner and then lights out.

To say that former HLF member Steve Rangel was bored would be a severe understatement.

There was at least one thing that make the hour outside more interesting. After all, being a fellow inmate to the first pony prisoners of a maximum security facility was pretty groundbreaking. They’d had something shipped in from Equestria, some special metal rings that nullified magic to prevent the unicorns from pulling anything. Though none of them seemed to be doing as well confined indoors, and there were rumors that the ponies would be shipped out to some other prison soon.

He knew, however, that this was the punishment for committing acts of domestic terrorism, even if he had not killed anyone or anypony. What had made his pretrial hearing mildly interesting to the media was that the ponies he’d been ordered to kill vocally protested his imprisonment. He’d found it amusing himself, though he supposed it was in their nature, especially since he’d saved their lives.

He was outside, back against the wall of the pit that formed the exercise yard, looking at a small piece of paper when a guard approached him. “Prisoner, on your feet.”

Rangel looked up, tucked the paper into the small pocket he’d fashioned, and pushed himself off of the ground. “Yes officer?”

“You got a visitor. Move.” The guard indicated with his nightstick and Rangel started walking, his mind now kicking into overdrive. He’d not met with his lawyer in months, had told the FBI and CIA everything he knew about the HLF, and reporters were banned from this most secure of prisons. So what in the world would make someone want to come all the way out to Florence ADX to see him?

“Are you sure about your recommendation, Cloudhammer?” Luna asked as they trotted down the hall toward the balcony.

“Yes. As much as I question his reasons for joining the HLF, he demonstrated an admirable adherence to his ideals over following an order he knew was wrong. Not to mention that letting someone who can make decisions like that rot in prison is a waste of his talents. He is perfect for this.”

“And what of the other four? Will they be ready in time?” Luna lit her horn as they reached the balcony, reaching out to her destination with a careful focus of power.

“I’ve ensured that each of them had an instructor who was capable of teaching them assigned. They will be ready,” Cloudhammer said confidently, only flinching a little as space twisted around him and he felt the dry heat of the savannah sweep across him. Looking around, he could see the same tree from his last visit, and swept his gaze around patiently until he spotted a slightly darker patch of grass. “There they are.”

“Indeed.” Luna said as the grass suddenly parted, a trio of hulking forms rising up to stand in front of them. Giving the figures an appraising look as they approached, she let a small smile cross her face. “K’rik, it is lovely to finally meet you. My sister speaks highly of you.”

“And you as well, Mistress Luna.” K’rik hefted a long fishing spear across his shoulders and looked down at Cloudhammer. Taking a brief sniff, his lips pulled back from his teeth in a smile. “And it is good to see you among the living, Cloudhammer.”

Cloudhammer nodded. “You’re looking well. How are things with the zebras?”

K’rik sighed. “The relations with the zebras go well, but food is getting scarcer. We will need to relocate the pack if we are to survive.” The bulky dog’s speech had improved drastically the more time he spent working with the zebras and the Equestrian ambassadors.

“Well, I am sure that given the circumstances of the arrangement, the United States would be more than willing to lend its support,” Luna said as she began to envision her next destination in mind. “However, we are due for a meeting with the project directors, and hopefully the first full test of the new serum.”

K’rik nodded and gestured to the diamond dog next to him. “This is Ferrik, my Beta in B’kar’s absence. He will teach the human, should he survive.” Ferrik nodded his head in greeting, and he and K’rik took their spears and passed them to the third, who took a few steps back. “We trust that weapons will not be needed?”

“Of course not,” Luna said firmly. “Well, we had best be going.” With a flash of gold light the four figures vanished with a faint thud of displaced air. The third dog growled his displeasure at the stench of magic on the air before slinging the three spears across his back. He trudged back toward the tree, dug his claws into the ground and soon vanished in a flurry of dirt.

Rangel sat quietly in the chair, eyes calm as he stared at the suit across from him. A small, thin metal briefcase sat on the table between them The handcuff chains holding his feet to the chair clinked as he shifted slightly. “So, what brings you out here to pay me a visit? I gave all the info I could to the FBI and CIA when I was taken into custody.”

“I’ve been instructed to ask you, have you given thought to Conversion in the past?” The man’s voice had a reedy, rasping quality to it, though the expression on his face remained stern.

Rangel was taken aback by the question. Sure, he’d considered it for all of thirty seconds before he’d decided it a colossal load of shit. Joining the HLF had seemed like a logical thing to do, and had appealed to his sense of pride in his species. But then had come the deployment to St Louis. He and a few other guys from the scratch unit that had been formed were ordered to clear a room filled with foals and civilians. They’d refused, shot their former comrades, and surrendered to the police. Which had, of course, led to his current predicament.

While spending twenty-three hours of each day locked in his cell, he’d thought often of the one pegasus stallion he’d briefly spoken with, Cirrus. The majority of their conversation had been Rangel sticking his foot in his mouth and the pony calling him out on his decision to join a group like the HLF. He’d realized, after some deep staring at the ceiling, that while he still felt that efforts should continue on finding an alternative, using the solution that did work for now wasn’t really a bad thing. And even then, there might be a way to change back, for those that wanted it, at least. Besides, maybe being a pony wouldn’t be that bad after all

He realized he’d been staring blankly when the suit coughed roughly. “Well, I’ve given it some thought, yes... but why is that important?”

The suit nodded and opened the slim briefcase he’d brought with him. Taking out a piece of paper, he pushed it across the table to him. “Read this document please. At the top is a standard non-disclosure agreement stating that you will not repeat a word of what you’ve read should you decline this offer.”

Rangel stared at the man for a moment, then pulled the paper a little closer and gave it a closer look. Eyes tracking back and forth, it wasn’t until he reached the third paragraph that he blinked and sat back. “Experimental? How dangerous is this shit?”

“I do not have the details of the project. I have been told enough to tell you that it has been strenuously tested. If you read on, you will see that in exchange for your volunteering on this mission, you will immediately be pardoned, and allowed to go free.”

Rangel hesitated again. As leery as he was of ponification, spending the next ten to twenty years in prison like this was not appealing to him either. He took a deep breath and met the suit’s gaze. “Alright, I’ll do it.”

The suit nodded and slid a pen across to him. “Excellent, thank you.” Once Rangel scratched his signature onto the line at the bottom, he pushed it back to the suit, who tucked it into the briefcase. Motioning for the guard to unchain him from the floor, the suit got to his feet and adjusted his tie. “Let’s get going, the helicopter needs to leave soon if we are to reach the facility on time.”

Rangel blinked as the guard started leading him toward the door. “Wait, we’re going to do this today?”

“There is no time like the present, Mr. Rangel, and we are, I’m afraid, on a schedule,” the suit said as he followed them out the door.

Ferrik felt his knees go weak as the teleport completed. His nose twitched madly as a host of new smells flooded it, and he was dimly aware of something nearby making noise. Shaking his head to clear his vision, he looked around and gaped at his surroundings. The floor, walls, and apparently ceiling were made of some light grey stone, but as he concentrated on the bottoms of his hindpaws, it felt... off. He dropped to all fours and licked the floor, a multitude of flavors warring for his attention. “There deepstone here!”

He felt a paw seize him and haul him upright as K’rik snarled, “Mind your place! You are not a sniveling cur, to taste another’s stone!”

Ferrik snapped his teeth, but relented under his alpha’s glare.

“Soooo, we’re sure they’re friendly, right?” Dr. Walter Lewis said as he watched the two doglike creatures snarl and snap at each other.

“Of course,” Luna said calmly, “they just tend to be more... vocal than ponies are.”

The bigger one finally turned his stare to meet Lewis’, and he was pointedly reminded of those nature shows on wolves that had them staring directly at the camera. Only this time a mere eight feet separated them, and he was decidedly uncomfortable with that.

Finally, the moment passed and those yellow eyes turned to Luna as it spoke a short, guttural string of words. Luna nodded and looked at Lewis. “He says that you need not act like prey in front of him, he is not hunting you.” She inclined her head toward him. “This is K’rik, the Great Alpha of the savannah diamond dogs. Beside him is Ferrik, his Beta.” The smaller one opened its jaws in a form of a grin, though that had the side effect of displaying its mouthful of very sharp teeth.

Lewis swallowed nervously. “Right. Right, okay.” He took a step forward and held out his hand. “My name’s Walter Lewis, it’s nice to meet you.”

Ferrik tilted his head slightly, leaning forward to take a deep sniff at the outstretched hand. Feeling a bit more adventurous, he gave it a tentative lick with his tongue. His muzzle screwed up in a half-snarl at the plethora of flavors and scents emanating from the flesh. “Taste bad.”

K’rik chuffed in what could be approximated for laughter as Lewis nervously took a step back, then looked back to Luna. “This human amuses me.”

Luna allowed a small quirk of a smile to touch her face. “He is the lead researcher on this project, so I believe frightening him is not exactly wise.”

K’rik flicked an ear. “If we are to proceed with this, then he must know the pack. We are not ponies after all.”

Luna nodded. “That you are not, my friend.”

Lewis waved his hand to catch their attention. “Umm, sorry to interrupt, but I’ve not got a clue what you’re saying. And if the phone call we received was right, our first patient will be arriving here at any moment, and there’s some more things that need to be discussed before he gets here.”

Luna nodded. “Of course Dr. Lewis. Lead the way.”

Giving the two canines another nervous look, Lewis led them through the door to the inner labs. “Well, there was some... peculiarities with the last test that Azure discovered, I think you’ll be very interested to hear this Luna...”

Rangel jolted awake as the helicopter settled onto the pad. Looking out the window, he could see that it was well and truly dark outside. As the rotors spun down, the guard escorting him unlocked the leg cuffs from the floor. Opening the door, he helped Rangel shuffle awkwardly onto the concrete and toward a well-lit, heavy looking door. Glancing around, Rangel could tell that they were still somewhere in the Rockies, but any more than that was beyond him.

As he was led inside, he blinked a little at the blinding lights spaced evenly along the ceiling. The hallway was the same as any other government facility he’d ever been in, dull grey and lifeless, even with all the scientist types walking around. Dull brown doors barely served to break up the monotony of the walls, odd numbers on the left and even on the right.

Finally, the guard stopped him in front of one of the doors, number 111 gleaming in dull bronze on the front. Bending over, he unlocked the leg and handcuffs and bundled them up. “You will have new escorts from here. Proceed through the door for further instructions.” The guard opened the door, revealing yet another featureless hallway, though the pair of soldiers standing there waiting for him seemed very lively indeed.

“Please, come this way.” The one on the left said, gesturing down the hall. Rangel obliged, the soldiers falling into formation on either side of him as they walked toward a single, massive door at the far end.

“So, have you heard anything about this serum? All I got was that it was experimental.” Rangel asked as one of the soldiers typed in a long passcode on a pad next to the door. At the soldier’s silence, he shrugged. “Just asking.”

The door swung open and the soldier motioned for him to walk through. The next room was a wide, sweeping space, with medical equipment and computers spread around. In the center of the room was a single operating table, with life support equipment patiently waiting nearby. Along the left wall was an observation area, where he could see the unmistakable form of Princess Luna conversing with a scientist, an officer, and someone he couldn’t see.

One of the soldiers walked over to a speaker and pressed a button. “The patient is here.”

Luna and the scientist turned their heads, saying a few more words to each other before they walked out of sight of the windows. The door swung open a few seconds later, the officer, a colonel, leading the scientist, a blue unicorn, Princess Luna and her guard. What rooted him to the floor were the two hulking forms stepping through the door after them. The shorter of the two was six feet tall and brown-furred, the taller seven and coal grey. Both wore crudely made shirts and pants, with what looked like crocodile hide armor on top. Their forearms were elongated, almost like a chimpanzee’s, the fingers tipped with large claws. Their eyes were like wolves’, yellowed and decidedly feral, yet bearing intelligence as well. It was a very unnerving stare, but Rangel was determined not to pussy out and stood his ground. “So, guess I was wrong about this ‘experimental’ serum being ponification serum then?”

Luna smiled. “Indeed not, Steven Rangel, indeed not.”

02 - Raising the Stakes

Year 6, Week 5, Sunday

David Young trotted through the door to the lounge and nearly collapsed onto the couch. “I take back everything I said about boot camp. This is a hundred times worse.” The white and red unicorn let out a sigh as he sagged onto the couch.

“Aw shut it David,” said the red and black pegasus trotting in behind him. “Fuckin’ Moody is running my ass ragged with her flight training.”

“You’d catch a break sometime if you didn’t keep chasing that flank, Desmond,” the earth pony stallion following Desmond retorted as he emerged from the washroom. “Last time we caught you two ‘training’, I wondered if we’d have to request a new trainer,” Emmet said with a chuckle.

“You shove it too, sir,” Diamond replied irritably as he flexed his wings, wincing as they protested the movement.

The final pony to enter the lounge was silent, plodding slowly to the largest of the couches and slouching onto it gratefully. He was a massive specimen, easily larger than any of the instructors that had been assigned to him. The couch frame groaned in good-natured protest, but held the black-coated body up. “Hold still Moses, I’ve been practicing my healing magic,” David said with a smile, his horn igniting with a crimson light as he washed the spell over his friend’s body. Moses sighed in relief as his sore muscles relaxed.

“So when the fuck are they going to tell us what’s going on?” Desmond asked as he looked out the window at the beach. The small base they had spent nearly five months living and training at was safely hidden away on the northern coast of Kauai, with three full squads of Royal Guard to keep any wandering tourists away. While they’d appreciated the chance to return to active duty, five months without any significant contact was a long time. A very long time indeed.

The peace and quiet was broken by the thud of hooves on floor as a deep red stallion entered the room, a broad smile on his face. “Up and at ‘em colts! Good news!” Aegis said cheerfully. With a chorus of groans the four stallions heaved themselves into formation and saluted. “Now now, no need for the fancy salutin’. Finally got permission from the higher ups to tell ya why you’re here, and I think you’re going to like it.” He took a pause for dramatic effect, enjoying the anticipation on the four’s faces. “Y’all get to find out what’s been going on in Scythion, the home country of the griffons.”

Emmet, once he’d picked his jaw up, blinked a few times. “Mind explaining sir?”

Aegis nodded. “Well, there were griffons involved in the attack on St Louis. We determined that they were responsible for the magic explosion that killed your unit. What we don’t know is how the HLF made contact with those griffons. But, your mission is simple. Infiltrate Scythion, find out what’s going on, get out. You’ll have a specialist accompanying you for the mission, they should be here within the next day or two. Unfortunately, they’ll need to have to be trained in their body before the mission is a go, but it oughta be a bit easier than it was for ya’ll.”

Emmet tilted his head. “Is there anything else you can tell us? Going in with an asset we know nothing about isn’t exactly conducive to a successful mission.”

Aegis shook his head. “‘Fraid not. Nopony’s told me anything either. But you four have passed every test we’ve given. If anypony can pull this off, it’s ya’ll.”

“So wait a minute, let me get this straight,” Rangel said for the third time. “So this serum is going to turn me into one of them?” He pointed to the two canine bipeds with a wavering hand.

“Well, yes,” Dr. Lewis said as he flipped through a few stapled pages, “the tests we’ve run have all come back as unequivocal. The serum will work, of that I can assure you.”

Rangel shook his head, trying to wrap his head around it. “So why me? And why turn me into one of these things? No offense,” he added hurriedly.

The colonel took a step forward. “I’m Colonel Harkness, in charge of this base. In the attack on St Louis six months ago, there were griffons participating in the attack. They helped slaughter a company of US Marines, and one hundred thirty National Guard, before making their escape through unknown means. Upon questioning of the griffon ambassador in Canterlot, he admitted to receiving a letter ordering him to destroy what documents he could and leave the country. In exchange for this information, he specified that no Equestrian set hoof in Scythion. Therefore, you will be attached to a specialist unit that has been assembled to infiltrate Scythion. This mission is to allow for the United States and Equestria to gain intelligence on the state of the country, and perhaps even learn how the HLF found out about the Hunters to hire them. Princess Luna has been the lead negotiator between us and the diamond dogs, and will explain further about what this project will achieve.”

Luna nodded her thanks as she took over from Harkness. “In exchange for our assistance, the largest pack of canids, led by Alpha K’rik and his Beta, Ferrik,” she indicated K’rik and Ferrik with a wing, “have agreed to support us in this infiltration. There will be a team of ponies who will be accompanying you, all former National Guardsmen saved in St Louis. But ultimately, the decision was made to pursue this new serum for two reasons. One, the short term gain of having a diamond dog on the mission vastly increases its chance of success. Two, the diamond dog’s population is just too low. Something needed to be done to try and help them raise their numbers. This serum both does that, and gives humanity another option when it comes to Conversion.”

Rangel held up his hand. “Okay, a lot of this is going over my head. Can I just have some time to think about this?”

Luna nodded. “Of course. There is a small lounge through the door there. Take as much time as you need.”

Rangel walked through the door without another word. K’rik looked at Luna, a faint trace of annoyance in his eyes. “The human is weak. He will not accept this offer.”

Ignoring the canid, Harkness grunted. “If it were up to me he’d be suckin’ prison air for the rest of his life.”

Luna laughed lightly. “I think you both underestimate him. Asking something like this out of the blue would cause anypony a great deal of confusion and worry. Just give him time.” She glanced at Harkness. “And if you’d really had fault with our recommendation for his selection, you didn’t express it at the planning meeting.”

Harkness only scowled as he stared at the open lounge door.

In the lounge, Rangel was preoccupied with counting the specks on the floor, trying to get the shaking hands back under control. He’d spent the flight over preparing to undergo Conversion and be a pony. Now things were starting to crumble again, and he was getting tired of the edifice of his beliefs being shaken up at every turn. He’d known that there were other intelligent species living in Equestria, but none of them had really made any effort at coming to Earth and mingling with humans like the ponies had. He’d wondered about that, but had never thought to ask one of the ponies, believing that they’d either lie about it, or worse, that they had conquered the other races and thus were keeping them enslaved.

He found himself wondering if it really was as Luna had said, and it was simply that these diamond dogs were a relatively tiny population compared to the Equestrians. But then what did that say about the Equestrians? Were they even aware of the suffering of the other species? Did they even care? Maybe they didn’t know, but if they were telling the truth, he sure as hell knew now. But would Conversion be the solution to this, or would it simply be a matter of relocating the diamond dogs somewhere where they could increase their numbers? But where would they relocate to?

He put his hands to his head in an attempt to quiet the storm of questions rattling around, not even noticing Dr Lewis entering the room and sitting next to him.

“It is a tough choice, believe me, I know.”

Rangel leaned back against the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling. “You got that right, Doc. Did you guys even consider that Conversion might not be the answer to this?”

Lewis took a deep breath. “Well, I can’t say for sure. I’ve thought about it for a while during the development of the serum. From what I’ve talked about with Luna and the other ponies who were brought in, the diamond dog population’s just too scattered for them to have a viable breeding population. K’rik’s pack is a start, but from what I’ve come to understand the diamond dogs are a very fractious species, even more so than our own. Not to mention that trying to force those diamond dogs that don’t want to relocate would be just as wrong. So, Luna and Celestia felt that developing the serum to create new canids would be the best alternative. It’s not the best solution, but it’s the one we thought made the best of the situation.” He got to his feet and walked over to the water cooler, pouring himself a drink. Glancing back at Rangel, he tilted the cup questioningly. When Rangel shook his head Lewis drained the paper cup in a single go, tossing it into the garbage can. “I can’t tell you if undergoing this Conversion is the right or wrong thing to do. If it works, we’ll be able to give a species time while we look for another solution. The infiltration into Scythion will have a much better chance of success with you along though.” He sat back down next to Rangel. “You thought, in St Louis. You didn’t let your fear and anger control you and prevent you from making the morally right choice. There wasn’t anything to gain from murdering children.”

Rangel nodded, only half hearing what the doctor was saying. “What happens to me when I come back?”

Lewis swallowed. He’d known, in a way, that this question would come up. “Well, there are conditions attached... I want you to know that I in no way agree with them but...”

“I’m not going to be allowed to just go back to a normal life, am I?” Rangel asked quietly, his hands still.

“... No.” Lewis heaved a sigh as the word left his mouth. “I’m sorry, but the United States cannot just let you go free. Even if you did the right thi-”

“Don’t.” Rangel rose to his feet and walked to the counter, gripping the edge tightly. “To be honest, for a while afterward, I couldn’t look myself in the face again. Let alone my family.” He reached into his pocket and pulled a simple piece of folded paper from it. Unfolding it slowly, he gave it a look before turning to face Lewis. “My family was in the Charleston Bureau when the attack happened. My parents disowned me. I admit I never really got along with them after I said I was joining the Army. When they found out I was one of the HLF terrorists captured, I guess it was too much for them. My little sister Carrie, though, she sent me this letter. Said she knew I wasn’t really one of the terrorists, that I was fighting them from the inside. She said that she’d never forget me, and to never forget her.” He folded the letter with shaking hands, clutching it tightly. “But, if I’d been sent to one of the other floors, I think I really would have shot the ponies there. But the sight of those foals, they reminded me of Carrie, and suddenly I couldn’t pull the trigger. I can’t ever look her, or my parents, in the face again.” He took a deep breath and looked up, his eyes a little wet. “So, what’s the specifics of that, Doc?”

Lewis flipped through the papers. “You would not be allowed to return to the United States under your old identity. You would be expected to choose a new name for yourself, preferably a diamond dog name. Of course, should you so choose, you can emigrate to Equestria and live there as well, though that would present challenges of its own.”

Rangel nodded slowly. He looked down at the letter held in his hand, not even seeing it, but the smiling face of his sister. Taking a deep breath, he met Lewis’ gaze. “Alright, I’ll do it.”

Lewis nodded, and walked back out into the lab, Rangel following after him. Colonel Harkness had gone back into the observation room and was speaking on a phone, his shoulders stiff. Rangel pulled his gaze away as Lewis spoke briefly with Luna, who relayed the news to the two diamond dogs. The larger one chuffed out a breath and turned to face him. This time, Rangel met it’s feral stare evenly, not willing to let himself be intimidated again.

“He... may survive this,” K’rik finally said. “For how well the serum works, that will have to be seen.”

Lewis, in the meantime, was busy helping Rangel get ready. The former soldier stripped out of his clothes and put on the plain hospital gown provided. “That’s good, just lie down on the table there. No sense in you falling over after all.”

Rangel complied, wincing a little at the cold bite of the metal on his skin. He looked over as Lewis carefully lifted a tray bearing two needles and set it on the end table nearby. “So that’s it, huh?”

One needle was full of a translucent liquid, what he assumed was the anesthetic. The other glimmered with a faint tan light. He could feel the barest tinge of his skin starting to itch with it sitting next to him, and looked at Dr. Lewis as he swabbed his arm. “So, is it going to hurt?” He wondered if all converts asked that question.

Dr. Lewis chuckled as he picked up the needle of the clear fluid. “Well, that’s what the anesthetic is for.” He carefully slid it into the vein, pressing down on the plunger. “Just relax and let it do its job. You won’t feel a thing.”

Rangel yawned as the anesthetic began to take effect, his body slowly shutting down as  the medicine circulated through it on it’s way to his brain. His eyes stubbornly stayed open for a few more seconds, but they too finally yielded and drifted closed, his brain firing the last few neural snaps before they too fell into slumber.

The crescent moon hung in the sky, a silent observer to the dance of life occurring under it. He lowered himself to the ground, eyes hard as he scanned the trail for the prey-sign. He had been stalking this prey for a long time, across the rough ground. Gripping the assault rifle tightly, he began to creep forward, toward a copse of trees. Bootprints led directly toward it, and he allowed a small mental smile to form as he noted the panicked spreading. The prey was afraid, and its fear inspired the opposite in him, a deep, primal desire to see it run down and ended at his hands. Nudging aside a low branch with his weapon, he paused for a moment in confusion, trying to remember whether it was a spear or an assault rifle he was supposed to be carrying. With a shake of his head, he dismissed the concern and glanced ahead, taking a deep sniff of the cold air drifting past. It was subtle, but the prey-sign was there, thick with the stench of fear and pain. Taking another few slow strides forward, feeling the snow crunching underfoot, he could see the ground slope down toward a small clearing, a thick patch of brush hiding the interior from view. His claws extended, the hardened nails gleaming in the moonlight. But his nose didn’t lie to him, and he quietly slid into the thicket, finally seeing it. The prey stood in the center of the clearing, having taken a moment to rest and lick its wounds. He peered at it in confusion, not recognizing the shape of the terrorist for a few seconds. But as he blinked, the form resolved itself into the more familiar prey-shape of the deer he had been hunting. It was a fearsome stag, antler points like knives in the dim light.

He froze as a new, unfamiliar smell made itself known, just to his right, thirty feet away. Turning his head slowly, so as not to spook the prey, he could make out a shadowed form lurking, cold eyes staring back at him. He flexed his claws slowly, careful not to make any noise and alert the prey. The other figure did the same, and in unspoken agreement, the two turned their focus back to the prey in front of them. It’s head was up, ears twitching round as it sought the source of the sudden, dreadful silence that had fallen upon the clearing. Even the air itself was still, the whole, uncaring focus of the Wild brought to bear on the single moment in time.

As one, the two predators leapt from the thicket, powering through the driven snow toward their quarry, which sprang into motion almost simultaneously. But it was a fraction of a second too slow, its injury too debilitating, and that second was lethal. He came down upon it first, his claws fixing into its shoulder, jaws closing on the neck. The flesh parted, the blood beneath gushing hot and fast into his mouth. It only exhilarated him, and with a twist of his head he tore free the mouthful of flesh. He felt it struggling mightily to escape, but he was mightier still, and soon it fell quiet and still, the snow beneath them stained black in the moonlight. He swallowed the flesh in his mouth and was reaching for another when something slammed into him from the side, knocking him sprawling into the snow.

Surging to his feet with a snarl of breath, he saw the other predator clearly now. It was an enormous wolf, though after a second he realized it wasn’t, as it prowled forward. It stood easily six feet feet at the shoulder, fur as dark as the night sky, claws four inches long. It’s yellowed eyes stared directly at him, conveying a wordless message as clear as day.

Submit.

He snarled his rejection, standing his ground defiantly. The hulking figure acknowledged it by blurring into motion, flashing past him before he could even react. A hot flash of pain burned across his left thigh, his pants soaking with his blood. He shook his head and spun to face the figure as it turned around. Again, the figure demanded through scent and posture. Submit. He snarled and charged forward, spear raised to strike. The figure batted the spear aside with one paw and slashed at his arm with its fangs, scoring a second deep wound. He was knocked to the ground from the force of the impact, crying out in pain as his injured leg gave out.

The figure turned and loomed over him, its head framed by the crescent moon. “Will you submit?” Its voice was like the rolling thunder, and for a second he found his knees trying to bend.

With a grunt he forced them to stop, and with a hiss of pain, pushed himself upright. Looking down at the savaged body of the terrorist, he felt a mild sense of revulsion, but brought his eyes up to meet the feral ones staring at him. “Not gonna happen.”

It’s mocking laugh rolled out of the bottom of its chest. “You are barely standing. How long do you feel you can keep this up?”

“As long as I have to,” Rangel snapped back, his hands trembling a little from the cold and blood loss.

The creature stared at him for a second, then heaved itself up so it was standing on its hindlegs. The dim moonlight started to brighten, until he could make out its form better. At best guess, he put its height at twelve feet, corded muscles rippling under its skin. It was similar in appearance to the werewolves he remembered reading about when he was young, but this thing practically radiated nobility in addition to the savagery. “You are an interesting hunter of these trails, Steven Rangel. You bring much strength to my pack. I will see you again, at the end of the hunt.” Throwing back his head, the monstrous diamond dog howled, a world-shattering cacophony that carried with it the loneliness of the winter night, the savage joy of the predator chasing its prey, and the warmth of the sunrise. Steve winced, falling to the ground from the deafening assault and the pain of his injuries. The sound kicked up the snow, swirling it into a tornado that blinded and spun him about until he was completely disoriented. Finally, he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness, the driving snow in his eyes fading into utter blackness.

Rangel jerked as he took a gasping breath, feeling something trying to hold him down on the table. With a delirious shout he threw whatever it was off as he rolled off the table onto the floor. Leaping to his feet, he took a few staggering steps back, towards the wall that he knew was close by. Stopping suddenly, he realized that he could feel the wall, literally sense where it was in relation to his feet on the floor. Opening his eyes, he blinked at the brightness of the lights and sneezed. The breath that surged back into his nose was a second reason to freeze. He could clearly smell the eight other beings in the room, which his eyes picked out a second later.

Colonel Harkness tilted his head. “The serum worked then.”

Standing in the corner, hackles raised and ears flat, was another diamond dog. Standing about as tall as Ferrik, it’s fur was a range of greys, with splashes of russet along the shoulders and eartips. It’s eyes were the same shade of yellow-brown as K’rik’s, though they were currently widened in fear.

Dr. Lewis wheezed from his new spot on the floor. With Azure’s help, he managed to pull himself to his feet, a massive bruise forming on his cheek where Rangel had struck him. “Well, his reflexes seem to be functioning fine, coordination is weak, but better than most newfoals.”

“What’s going on?” the canid Rangel had become suddenly barked out. “I can feel the room, all of you pressing down on it!”

Luna tilted her head curiously, then her eyes narrowed in realization. “Is that what I think it is?”

“All diamond dog sense through the rock. Is our gift from the Alpha of Alphas,” K’rik said sharply. “Ferrik, bring him to heel.”

The shorter dog nodded before taking a few steps forward and facing Rangel squarely. “Will you submit?”

Rangel froze, the words of the diamond dog in front of him now making perfect sense to him, the scent and body posture a mirror to the dream. His lips instinctively pulled back and he crouched lower to the ground. “No.”

Ferrik cracked his neck to one side, then the other. “Ferrik not ask again. Submit.”

Rangel’s only response was to snarl. Dr. Lewis and Azure took a few hasty steps back, while Luna, Harkness and Cloudhammer remained where they were next to K’rik. “I do hope this behavior isn’t always going to happen,” Luna remarked to K'rik. “The standard Bureaus won’t be able to handle this sort of violent tendencies.”

K’rik chuffed dismissively. “This is normal. Diamond dogs are not ponies. Our way is through strength. If needed, I will bring the pack to ensure discipline.”

Ferrik, in the meantime, was nearly face to face with Rangel, both of them now snarling at each other. Rangel lunged at the diamond dog with a snap of his teeth, who rocked back while slapping out with his paw. The claws left three stinging cuts across his face, and Rangel instinctively yelped and closed his eyes. Ferrik grinned and lunged forward, grabbing Rangel’s arm and twisting it behind him, dragging the two of them to the floor. The two struggled violently before Rangel managed to pull his arm free. However, as he started to try and roll into a position to bite, he felt the pricks of teeth gripping his own neck.

“Now, submit,” Ferrik growled. Rangel bared his fangs and started to swing up to claw at the other dog in an attempt to escape. He never made it, as Ferrik’s jaws tightened slightly, a hairsbreadth from puncturing his jungular and carotid blood vessels. “Keep going, Ferrik will end you,” the native said with a thick snarl. The room was silent as the assembled onlookers waited to see what would happen.

Rangel’s mind raced, trying to think of a way out, but his body seemed to almost take over, his limbs going slack and his tail tucking itself underneath him as best it could. Finally, with a pleading whine, he went still. After a few seconds, Ferrik let him go and stood up. Rangel followed him with a resentful snarl. “Fuckin’ touch me again and it won’t go the same way, dog. And for that matter, why can I understand him now?”

Ferrik’s response was only a harsh laugh as he walked away. “Ferrik likes this pup. He carries the heart of the stone in him.”

Luna shook her head before walking forward to face Rangel. “We’ve been refining the base serum spells to allow for the Convert to understand the tongue of the species they become, and now...” she paused, a look of pride on her face, “now, it gives you a basic knowledge of how to speak it. Anyway, Steven, we need you to put this enmity behind you. You will need to be trained in how to use your body, and Ferrik here will be the one to teach you. ”

Rangel bared his teeth slightly, but relented under Luna’s stern gaze. “Fine. But he thinks I’m gonna behave like a good boy, he’s got another thing coming.”

Luna smiled. “Excellent! Now then, come Dr. Lewis, we need to take a blood sample and his vital signs.”

Lewis grunted acknowledgement as he rubbed his bruised face. “Long as he doesn’t hit me again.”

Rangel rolled his arm to try and alleviate some of the pain from it nearly being dislocated, and realized his tail was still firmly pressed against his rear. Taking a few deep breaths, he felt it start to loosen up and hang freely again. “Now that is going to take some getting used to.”

03 - Beleaguered Castle

Year 6, Week 9, Tuesday

The structure was sturdily built, walls of steel-reinforced stone looming imposingly over the forest. At the single entrance to the building, two unicorns stood guard, their brown eyes glaring into the darkness. Beside them stood two earth ponies, their heavy armor rendering them like walking tanks. Overhead, three of the best pegasi the Guard could provide circled in surveillance pattern, keen eyes scouring the surrounding jungle for any trace of movement. Not even a small bird taking flight could escape their gaze. And at the very top of this fortress, a small red flag fluttered gently in the evening air.

Down in the jungle, a pair of eyes was carefully tracking the airborne pegasi. “Damnit, they changed the pattern again. They learned after our last attempt.” Desmond squinted. “Fuck me, Moody’s up there. I know she’s out to get me.”

There was a growling chuckle from the figure buried into the vegetation behind the red pegasus. “Maybe you should try baiting her again, she seemed to like running your dumb ass down.”

“Shut the fuck up mutt,” Desmond hissed, careful not to let his voice rise above a whisper. “Just don’t screw up your part of the job.”

Another figure leaned slightly out of the bushes. “If you two don’t shut it I’m going to buck you out in the open and let the unicorns take your sorry butts down like the time before last.”

The two squabbling figures fell silent, though not before shooting each other a glare. Rangel slowly pulled back, lowered himself to the ground, and buried his forepaws in the loose soil. Slowly, he began to sweep, pushing the dirt aside easily, though he took great pains to keep it from rustling the bush or making any noise. Once he had cleared a hole large enough, he began to move down, pushing the earth past him until he struck rock. Closing his eyes, Rangel concentrated, letting himself feel the rock below the dirt, willing himself into it. Slowly, his claws slid into the stone, and he began to form the initial tunnel.

Next to the forming entrance, a white earth pony, his coat thoroughly covered in mud to hide him from the eyes in the sky, carefully used his hooves to push the material to the side. “Alright, keep your eyes open,” Emmet whispered as he concentrated on not making any more noise than absolutely necessary. “David, make sure none of those Night Guard unicorns are sneaking up on us again.”

“Freeze.” The final member of their team, a hulking earth pony, suddenly whispered. Almost in unison, the group complied, as a bat-winged pegasus zipped by not forty feet overhead. Once a full minute had passed, Rangel and Emmet returned to expanding the tunnel.

“Those goddamned Night Guard pegs. Normal Guards I can put up with. But those bats are just plain cheating.” Desmond muttered as he swept the sky. “There, there’s the other one. Try to sneak around when I’m watchin’, huh?”

“You’re just mad they caught you the second time we took this test.” David said with a quiet snort.

Further conversation was ended as Rangel stuck his head out of the hole. “If you all are done chattering, we’re running out of time. We only have until sunrise to finish this.”

The other ponies all nodded before carefully entering the tunnel. Once they were inside, Rangel carefully pushed the rock back into place, the stone almost acting like putty under his claws. He was still fascinated by how easily it came to him, almost like his body had knew how to do it from the get go. Dr. Lewis had explained that a side effect of the Conversion was the imparting of low-level instincts, like how newfoal pegasi knew how to use their wings, and earth ponies could sense the earth under their hooves. In his case, they weren’t entirely sure what instincts would be given him, so they’d had him write down anything Ferrik taught him, so they could use it for other diamond dog converts once the serum went public.

The time dragged by as Rangel continued to tunnel through the raw stone. The darkness was dispelled by Heart’s magic, while Emmet and Moses worked to keep the stone moving behind them. Stopping every few dozen feet, the newpup pressed his paws against the stone and concentrated, feeling where the natural stone ended and the formed stone began. How he could tell had confounded him for most of his training, but ultimately he’d simply accepted that was how it was. No sense in trying to wrap his brain around a concept that ultimately couldn’t be wrapped around. Once he felt they were in the right spot, he set about expanding the area so they could bunch together. “Alright, we’re under the front wall. Give me an hour to get ready. Then make your moves.”

“An hour? The fuck are we supposed to do for an hour?” Desmond asked irritably.

Rangel only shot him a smirk. “Figure it out for yourself, ‘Diamond’.”

The moon had just turned over the top of the sky, and the guardponies garrisoning the small fortress were in the middle of shift change. They were confident, all thirty of them were awake and the odds of four ponies and one dog attacking the fortress were nonexistent. And that was when the earth ponies at the front gate felt it. The ground seemed to... shift slightly. They peered around the jungle when suddenly, with a sharp crack, the entire structure sank a foot and a half into the ground. The pegasi overhead tightened their formation, the Night Guard pegasi joining them a moment later to scan the jungle for any sign of an attack. Further cracks came as suddenly, the whole rear half of the building tore free of the rest and fell backward into the jungle, throwing up a cloud of dust that obscured the ruins of the fortress from sight.

Almost as soon as the ground finished shaking, a streak of red shot up through the dust, blasting through the middle of the pegasi overhead. One tumbled away, a wing spasming from the kick it had received.

“That’ll show em,” Desmond hollered as he rolled over into a dive, the other pegasi giving chase. “I’ll give it to the mutt, he knows how to put on a good show.”

Down on the ground, the unicorns and earth ponies were still stumbling around aimlessly, the dust too thick to see more than five feet in front of their faces. One of the earth ponies suddenly bumped into what felt like another pony, only this one was huge, towering a full head over him. “Wait a minute-” The rest of the sentence was never finished as a hoof collided with the front of his helmet, denting the metal and dropping the unfortunate pony to the ground.

“Clear. Go.” Moses said as Emmet and David emerged from the tunnel behind him. Almost instantly the three ducked as a unicorn shot a spell at them.

“David, take care of it!” Emmet shouted as he and Moses broke into a gallop, vanishing into the dust.

David turned to face the other unicorn, both their horns glowing as they prepared to unleash their next spell. However, the dust was starting to settle, allowing Heart to see the five blurry shapes taking up position next to his opponent. “Oh, that’s just not fair.” The unicorns released all their spells, the dust blasting away in flashes of multicolored light.

Emmet and Moses moved as quickly as they could, pouncing on the isolated and confused guards. But after the first three, the guards pulled into a ring around the two, not allowing them the chance to vanish back into the dust.

“Guess we’re out of luck, eh Moses?” Emmet asked rhetorically as the unicorn guards trotted up, the immobilized David held tightly in their magic.

“Yep.” The bulky earth pony was as terse as ever.

The guards deposited David into the circle with a thud before releasing him. “Sorry Sarge, not much one can do against six.”

“It’s fine, Sergeant,” Emmet said with a sigh. “Least we tried.”

A blur of motion overhead caught their eye as the pegasi descended, harrying a solitary red form to the ground. “Damn bastards, using the Night Guard like that,” Desmond said with an angry toss of his head, his wings flared in challenge.

“Oh shut it, little colt.” A bat-winged pegasus mare landed in front of Desmond. “Your technique’s still sloppy, want me to lend you a hoof with it?” she asked with a sardonic smirk.

Desmond snorted, glaring at the other pegasus. “Bring it on Moody, I’m still better than you one on one!”

“Whatever makes you sleep better at night,” she replied as she snapped her wings to take off, catching him sharply across the nose with her tail as she did. “Try not to sprain a wing, it makes it less fun.”

“Alright, now let’s go find the mutt, he can’t be too far,” one of the earth pony guards said as the pegasi started clearing the cloud.

“And you’d be right,” a new voice called out from the depths of the rapidly diminishing cloud. Instantly, the guards whirled, forming into a defensive wall. A figure heaved itself over a wall of rubble, something held under one arm. Tossing the unconscious pegasus Desmond had kicked to the ground, Rangel held up the flag in his left paw. “So, what do we win?”

The room was silent, aside from the clip-clopping of hooves on wood as Captain Flare paced back and forth in front of the assembled team. “So, let me get this straight. Instead of following the orders you were given, which were to infiltrate the fortress, neutralize the guards, and capture the flag, you instead saw fit to demolish the entire building?”

The four ponies all looked squarely at Rangel, who crouched down a little before sighing. “Sir, our unit made six attempts to take the fortress through conventional means and as per orders. I felt that making a seventh conventional attempt would not be in the best interest of the mission. And in our defense, the collapse was timed for the shift rotation so no one would be in the rear of the structure, sir.”

Flare snorted. “And just what were the rest of you doing while Mr. Rangel here was off destroying a perfectly viable training facility?”

The ponies shifted uncomfortably before Emmet spoke up. “Sir, we were playing cards, sir. Blackjack to be precise.”

Flare just stared at them, trying to decide whether he was being serious or not, when a chuckle came from the doorway.

“Well, it might not have been the idea we had in mind when this exercise was thought up,” Aegis said as he entered the room, “but they technically did get the flag.”

“But... the facility-” Flare said dumbfoundedly, only for Aegis to gently cut him off.

“Sometimes, when ya got no other option, breakin’ the rules is all you can do. Sure ain’t gonna be no rules to follow when they get to it where they’re goin’.” Aegis turned and faced the five. “Alright, ya passed the last test. So enjoy the rest of the night, you’re getting sent to the Equestrian northern border post at dawn. From there, you’ll be totally on your own. If you get caught, you are not citizens of Equestria, and there will be no help coming for you. Rangel, Ferrik wants to see you at the southern entrance. Don’t take all night now.”

Rangel nodded, heaving himself off of the chair and making his way out of the barracks. Once he was outside, his nose twitched as he took a deep sniff of the night air. He could smell the ponies inhabiting the camp, the humidity in the air, and one familiar scent to his right. Walking calmly along the dirt path, he soon made out the shape of Ferrik lurking just outside the gate. “So, what’d you want me for?”

“Ferrik have something to tell you.” He heaved himself to his paws. “Follow me.”

Rangel nodded, yet again glad that the serum had imparted the basic understanding of the dog's language to him. He’d never done well with foreign languages of cultures on earth, let alone ones from other worlds. Together, the two loped into the dark jungle, moving steadily uphill until they cleared the treeline. The sky was clear overhead, the stars twinkling like diamonds around the silver moon. “So, what exactly are we doing?”

Ferrik didn’t answer, instead leading him further up, to the top of the ridge. Once they were there, Ferrik stood stock still, staring at the moon. Rangel sat patiently for the first few minutes, but rapidly got bored. “So, are you gonna tell me anything or-”

“Ferrik knows of choice given you before you became as us.” His voice was quiet, almost too quiet for Rangel to hear. “K’rik took great offense at it. We hear of what you did in St. Louis,” he stumbled briefly over the human words, “and there should not be punishment for that. So, K’rik and Ferrik decide on offer of our own. If you so choose, you may join K’rik’s pack when hunt over.”

Rangel just stared. From what little he’d learned, this kind of thing was never done. Sure, other dogs could join, but only after proving their value to the pack, usually through dueling the beta. For the pack to extend an offer like this was a huge concession by the alpha, and potentially a loss of face should the new packmate not be up to standard. “I... I don’t really know-”

“What is there to not know?” Ferrik tilted his head. “Pack would be strengthened by you.”

“It’s just something I’m not sure I can decide now,” Rangel said with a sigh. “I mean, it’s only been a month.” Getting an idea, he looked over at Ferrik. “Can I decide when I return?”

Ferrik nodded. “I do not see problem with it.” He lifted his head toward the moon. “Now, join me. We shall cry to the moon for a successful hunt.”

The haunting howls rose into the air, echoing across nearly the entire island. In their homes and apartments by the beach the ponies glanced fearfully out the window, their instincts warning them of predators on the hunt. In the Royal Guard barracks, the guards stamped their hooves nervously, looking to their fellows for reassurance.

Inside the lounge, David looked out the window toward the jungle. “What in the world is that?”

Emmet joined him. “I believe that our new Joker is ready to go.”

04 - Into the North

Year 6, Week 9, Thursday

Rangel felt his ears pop as the world spun back into existence in front of his eyes. He looked around to see the other four ponies swaying on their hooves, their faces green. “You guys okay?”

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to teleporting...” Emmet groaned.

“So why is the mutt not sick?” Desmond muttered irritably as he fought to keep his breakfast down.

Rangel was about to snap a reply when his nose twitched and he looked toward the door. A second later it swung open and a unicorn guard trotted in, his face stern even by guardpony standards. “You all the ‘special team’ we got orders about?” His voice was harsh, with a wheezy undertone to it.

Spade swallowed hard and took a step forward. “Yes sir. Master Sergeant Emmet Webb reporting for-”

“You don’t salute me, you’re not a Guard,” the unicorn said with a snort as he turned around, “so shut it. Orders say to take you to the north gate, not socialize. Now follow me, you got gear waiting for you.”

Glancing at each other, they followed the stallion down the hallways of the barracks, Rangel having to duck his head to make it through the doors. They came to a large room, with a counter and several rows of shelving behind it. They groaned with the weight of the equipment on them, everything from bedding to cloaks to what looked like field rations. With a pulse of his magic, the unicorn hefted five bags to them, one of them clearly modified for Rangel. Grabbing five cloaks, he piled them on the counter. “Now, I want to make it clear that right now, you’re taking supplies that we might need. Princesses’ orders or not, you understand and appreciate that little detail.” Trotting around the counter, he marched toward the door while they hurriedly put on the bags and cloaks.

Exiting onto the street, the first thing they were made aware of was the biting cold. The second, for all they’d expected to see of Equestrian towns, was that this town was anything but that. There were few ponies out on the street, and the ones that were shot disdainful glances at the four ponies. However, their faces twisted into outright hostility as they looked at Rangel.

“Friendly bunch.” Rangel said with a short huff as they descended the stairs into the snow. The cold briefly stabbed into his pads, but after a few seconds it settled into a mild chill.

“You’re new here, so lemme tell ya something, dog,” the unicorn said coldly as he led the group down the icy street. “Up here in the north, every day we have to worry about raids from either griffons or Diamond Dogs. Everypony here’s lost something to them. Family, friends, food,” he coughed harshly, “sometimes even more than that.”

“What’s your name, sir?” David asked quietly.

The guard looked at him for a long minute before tossing his head. “First Lieutenant White Melody.”

“Might... might I have a look at your neck? I’m a medic, I could maybe-” David said, lowering his head to get a better look at the three scars visible on the other unicorn’s neck.

White Melody jerked his head up, ears folded half back in annoyance. “First off, nopony but my doctor looks at the neck. You ain’t him. Second, even if you could do something, I wouldn’t let ya. I earned these scars, and thanks to that mongrel that stole my song, they’re what I got left. In the north, you take what you can and keep moving forward. Stop to cry like a foal and you die.”

David shied away, his ears folding. The rest of the ponies all looked at each other and decided that keeping to themselves was the best course of action. Rangel simply kept his eyes on everypony they passed, while admiring the architecture of the buildings. Each was built solidly, obviously intended to act as a defense from the elements and attackers first before anything else.

Eventually, they reached the edge of town, the unicorn gesturing forward with a hoof. “The border’s that way. Dunno what the Guard’s thinkin’ though, sending just five of ya into Scythion like this. We haven’t seen or heard much outta the country in over ten years, ‘cept the occasional griffon coming south on official business.”

Emmet nodded. “Well, we’re used to operating on our own. Thanks for the escort.”

The unicorn snorted. “Don’t think ya should be thankin’ me.” He turned around and trotted back into town. Turning his head, he shouted back, “Odds are the lot of you will be gettin’ your bones picked over by the timberwolves, two day’s hence.”

The wind was like a living thing, wheezing its breath through the stands of pine trees, snow billowing up in clouds and tornadoes of white, at times obscuring vision to only a few feet. There were faint signs of life’s passing, but as for the life itself, nothing. The very land itself seemed eager to stifle all signs that anything could actually live here.

And Rangel loved everything about it. The barren, hostile landscape almost seemed to resonate in him, like one predator acknowledging another. He’d already become accustomed to the cold nipping at his pads, to the point where he barely even registered it. “Damn, but this feels like winter back home when I was a kid. Always loved it.” He pushed the hood of the cloak back to let the wind blow across his fur, his ears twitching at every creak of the branches.

“Speak for yourself,” Desmond muttered, the pegasus shivering despite his coat and the cloak. “It figures, griffons can’t be nice and live somewhere like the beach. No, now our asses get to tromp around in the snow and freeze.”

“Something’s not right,” Moses rumbled, the earth pony digging a hoof at the ground. “Earth feels strange.”

“He’s right,” Emmet chimed in. “The ground... feels different than it did back at the border post. It feels more alive, more wild.”

“There’s something similar for the magic around us.” David concentrated, a dim red glow forming around his horn. “It’s not only wilder... but there’s... less of it. It’s strange.”

“I think you’re all just crazy,” Desmond grumbled.

“For once I agree with you.” Rangel looked around for a second, just letting the smells soak into his nose. “So, where to go from here?”

Emmet trotted a few feet ahead, eyes half closed as he concentrated. “There’s a road here, going that way.” He pointed with a hoof toward the northwest. “What do you think, Moses?”

“We should follow it, see where it leads,” Moses said simply, already starting to trot forward ponderously.

Emmet nodded. “Alright, then that’s the plan for now.” He turned to face the four. “And from here on, we leave our human names behind. Most of us know the score, Rangel, but given that it’s your first time out with us, my name’s Spade, Moses is Club, David is Heart, and Desmond is Diamond.” He glanced at his flank, the cutie mark clearly visible. “Suppose the names make even more sense now. And don’t worry, we got your name already picked.” He grinned. “You’ll be going by Joker while we’re here.”

Rangel stared at Emmet in disbelief. “You’re kidding, right?”

Desmond snorted. “Nah, that’s your job, Fido.”

Rangel could only sputter as the assembled ponies just laughed. “Oh, I’m going to get you back for this.” The ponies only laughed harder as they turned toward the road ahead.

Following the road, or rather, following Spade and Club as they checked the boundaries of the road, took the better part of two hours. The driving snow had at least abated, allowing them to see the landscape ahead of them. Towering mountains pierced the sky like daggers, their slopes dark with stands of pine trees. The sky for the most part was a brilliant shade of blue, though another snowstorm looked to be blowing in from the northeast.

“Alright, that’s it, I’m tired of walking. Gonna pop up and take a look around,” Diamond said with a snort. Spreading his wings, he leapt into the sky, spiraling higher until he was a red speck against the blue. Though after a few seconds of hovering, he flipped over and dove toward them. “Got a village about two miles ahead, didn’t see any sign of life.”

“Alright, let’s go take a look then.” Spade started trotting off in the direction Diamond had indicated, Club following along.

Rangel caught Heart as the unicorn trotted past. “Are we even going to scout the place out?”

Heart shook his head. “If Desmond says it looks clear, it usually is.”

True to form, the town was deserted, many of the buildings collapsed into piles of rubble obscured by ice and snow. The team moved slowly down what appeared to be the main street, ears flat in the case of the ponies and hackles raised in Rangel’s.

“I am seriously getting a bad feeling from this place,” Rangel muttered as they drew even with the first mostly intact building, a house from the look of it. “What do you think?”

“Let’s check it out. Standard entry,” Spade said quietly, the other Cards forming up on the door. “Rangel, you come in after we say it’s clear-”

“It is, I can smell it,” Rangel interrupted as he kicked the door in, a cloud of dust and snow billowing up. Taking a few steps in, he looked around and sneezed. “See? All clear.”

Spade snorted, but followed him in. “You were right this time. But next time, we stick to a plan and move like a team. What we don’t need is someone like you going in like he’s John Wayne. You got me, Joker?”

Rangel felt his upper lip starting to curl, and after an agonizing split second he forced it down. “Sir, yes sir.”

Spade nodded sharply while the other Cards entered the house. “Alright. Fan out and see what’s here. You find anything, call it out. Move quick.”

Rangel was already moving, ducking his head to enter the kitchen. It was similar to a lot of kitchens he’d seen, the dining table, or what was left of it, in the middle. There were a couple plates frozen to the remaining wood, and stains which he guessed were from food still visible on them. The chairs were knocked over, though the ice was rapidly working on turning them into featureless lumps. “Whatever happened here, happened fast. Given the lack of bodies, I’m thinking either snatch and grab or some kind of alert. What do you think boss?”

Spade entered from the living room. “Looks like it. Okay, let’s keep going.”

Every house they checked showed the same thing, the previous occupants leaving some daily task in a hurry. Given the number of dinner tables upset, they decided that it had to have happened during a meal. Finally, they stood before the largest building in town, the hospital.

“So, what’s the plan?” Rangel asked.

“We go in, sweep a floor, then go up to the next floor. Wash, rinse, repeat,” Spade said calmly as they approached the door. Rangel took one side with Spade, while Club and Heart took the other side. Diamond took back to the air, circling low to the ground to allow him to see into the windows. As soon as the unit was in position, Spade gestured with a hoof. “Go.”

Rangel and Club swept in first, eyes glancing over the room for any waiting threats. As expected, there were none, but this room held something the other buildings had not. “We got bodies,” Club said as he relaxed a hair. Several skeletons lay scattered on the floor in varying positions, but all appeared to have died in pain.

Rangel padded forward, crouching down to get a better look at one of the skeletons, sniffing a little at the mangled ribs and spine. “Sir, I’m no medic, but it looks like they were... shot.”

“Let me take a look.” Heart crouched down next to him, peering closely at the body. “Well, I’d agree with you, though I can’t tell what kind of bullet he was shot with... hold on.” His horn lit as he gently swept his magic through the skeleton. “Now that’s weird, I can’t find the bullet. Whoever shot them must have dug it out. But looking at the damage to the ribcage, whatever hit them was a large caliber weapon.”

Spade nodded as he looked toward the doors leading into the hospital’s back halls. “Let’s keep moving. Got a lot of hospital to clear.” The rest of the team nodded as they spread out, each of them taking a hallway.

Outside, Diamond continued his slow, lazy circuit of the hospital. “Figures. Once again, I’m stuck with keeping an eye on the outside.” The pegasus dropped a little lower to drag a hoof through the snow. “Nothin’ going on out here but snow, snow, and more snow.”

Overhead, far above the town, a pair of dark green eyes watched the pegasus floating along, while their owner licked its lips in anticipation. Circling around so the sun was in front of it, it angled into a stooping dive, glancing down to make sure its shadow wouldn’t give away its presence before there was no way for the prey to escape. As it closed in, it snapped its wings out, curving its tail in preparation to make the telling first strike.

Diamond had next to no warning. If he’d been paying attention, he’d have seen it coming. As it was, he heard the snap of the wings from directly above and behind him, and was in the middle of powering sideways when something struck him hard along the shoulder, burning a trail of fire and knocking him head over hooves into a snowdrift. Gritting his teeth, he managed to get his head above the snow to see what had hit him, only to feel a surge of real fear grip him.

The creature stood nearly ten feet tall, its hide a light blue patterned with white. It almost looked vaguely draconic, but instead of four legs it only had two hindlegs, the wings forming the upper pair. It’s head was almost birdlike, but the naked ferocity in it’s eyes was unnerving. With a chirping screech it started to hop towards him, drool starting to form in the corners of its mouth.

And then Club crashed through the wall.

Chunks of half-rotted wood went flying in all directions, several of them bombarding the beast, forcing it to hop away from Diamond and protect it’s eyes with a wing. Interposing himself between Diamond and the creature, Club tossed his head angrily and reared, bellowing a deep-throated whinny that Diamond swore lifted snow off the ground. He tried to get to his hooves to scoot further away, but suddenly sagged, his muscles refusing to respond.

“Don’t try to move. I think it might have poisoned you,” Heart said as he skidded into the snowdrift beside Diamond. “Just give me a little bit, I should be able to at least prevent the worst of the effects.”

“Figures, I get the easy job and then end up having the bad shit happen to me.” Diamond mumbled as he felt Heart’s magic sweep over him. He dimly heard other thuds and looked up to see Spade and Rangel joining Club in fighting the creature. “Good luck guys, it’s six on three in our favor!”

Rangel ducked the stinger as it struck at his face, feeling the wind from it’s passage as it whipped back. Club, meanwhile, had to keep backpedaling to avoid getting bitten by the thing’s beak. However, this left an opening for Spade, who charged in and reared, striking a double blow on its side, below where he thought it’s ribs ended. He was rewarded by a screech from the monster, and a wing to the side as it whirled about. He tumbled sideways, winding up upside down in the snow, trying not to vomit from the nausea.

The creature turned about, stabbing at Club with it’s tail while advancing on Spade. Which left Rangel an opening as wide as he could have asked for. Extending his claws, he ran toward it and jumped, looking to land on its back. “It ain’t stone, but I think these ought to hurt some!” he shouted as he dug three of his feet into it’s hide for purchase, while the fourth paw went for its spine, the claws parting the tough scales like butter. The beast shrieked even louder and forgot about Club and Spade, snapping its wings out roughly and taking off. Rangel kept the effort going for a few more seconds, but seeing the height they were gaining, released his hindpaw’s grip and slid down it’s side, tearing six deep gouges in the hide. For good measure, he slapped a paw across a wing as he fell free, ripping the thin membrane to shreds. Tumbling over and over, he landed flat on his back. Hard. Wheezing as the air was driven from his lungs, he managed to force himself upright to see the creature flapping awkwardly away, fat drops of blood oozing from its wounds. It cast a look back at the prey it had been cheated of and squawked indignantly before flapping higher and away.

“Not too bad, Joker,” Spade remarked as he trotted over to help him to his feet. “Though next time, leave the flying to Diamond, okay?”

“No argument from me there. So is he alright?” Rangel shook his head to try and make the ringing go away.

“Yeah, David’s patching him up now. I’ll say this, magic sure beats having to use antivenoms and wait in a hospital. If only we could use it on humans in combat situations...” Spade trailed off as he thought of the possibilities.

“So what the hell was that thing?” Rangel wondered as he pushed himself painfully to his feet.

“That thing, was a wyvern,” a new voice said as a figure fluttered in for a landing. “You all did a great job driving that thing off for a bunch of southerners.” The griffon tilted its head curiously. “Might you be willing to do a little town a huge favor?”

05 - The Beast Within

Year 6, Week 9, Thursday

“Mind repeating that?” Spade said as the other Cards started trotting over.

“You deaf or somethin’?” The griffon asked curiously. “Saw how ya drove the wyvern off, was hopin’ to ask you all if you could lend us a claw... er, hoof or paw or whatever. There’s a whole nest of those things, and they don’t stay full for long. Our town’s the biggest source of food in the area, and we’ve just about run out of weapons to fight them off with. Will you help us?” The griffon was trying to keep his voice calm, but his desperation was clear.

“Give us a moment,” Spade said as he turned to face the other Cards, Rangel joining him. “Alright everyone, huddle up. You heard him same as I did. What do you think?”

“We got our orders, sir,” Diamond said firmly. “Don’t think the brass would appreciate us going on a side job like this.”

“But we can’t just leave them!” Heart protested.

“Could save them, ask for information as payment,” Club said quietly.

“I dunno Sarge, Desmond has a point,” Rangel’s ear flicked. “I hate the idea of letting those things get a free meal too, but we just barely fought off one. We don’t know what condition the town is in, or even if it’s a trap.”

Spade narrowed his eyes as he stared at the snow. After a few long seconds, he looked up and turned to the griffon. “Alright, we’ll do it. But we’re going to have some questions to ask when it’s all over.”

The griffon nodded. “Fair enough. Though to be brutally honest, I’m still worried about how likely it is that we’re all going to die horribly.”

Spade chuckled. “Oh, that makes this even easier then.”

“Now this is just plain weird,” Diamond exclaimed, looking down at the griffon town. They’d traveled along the frozen road for nearly an hour, speaking little so they could keep their face wraps up against the biting wind. Finally, the dark spots of the buildings had become visible, until they had stopped at the top of the last hill.

The griffon leading them, whose name he’d told them was Bloodeye, craned his neck back, his expression confused. “What do you mean?”

Diamond didn’t answer, too busy staring at the buildings. They were long, low-slung affairs built from stacked logs, with what looked like patches of dirt showing through the snow on the roofs. “Those are Viking buildings, boss,” he whispered to Spade. “Right out of the fuckin’ history books.”

“I see them too, Corporal. Now I recommend you keep your mouth shut. We need to maintain our cover.”

“Well, come on,” Bloodeye called as he turned back to the town, “You need to be introduced to the rest of the town...” He tilted his head, peering intently to the west. As the Cards looked at each other confusedly, a faint, yet familiar screech made itself known. “And we don’t have a whole lot of time.”

They hurried down the slope, seeing a multitude of other griffons starting to come out of their homes, all of them looking nervously at the Cards, though none of them were willing to hold their gaze for long.

“What do we do Emmet?” Heart asked worriedly, as a large griffon stormed up to Bloodeye and proceeded to screech at him. The two argued vehemently for a few minutes before the larger one hissed in anger, looking up at the sky anxiously.

“Start planning a defense, I guess. If their behavior is any indication, I don’t think those wyverns are too far off.” Emmet replied quietly as Bloodeye turned back to them.

“Alright, the town elder has agreed to allow you to assist in our defense. I explained you would have questions, which he did not like, but has grudgingly agreed to answer them. Now, what is your plan?” Bloodeye asked eagerly.

“The plan is for you to follow our instructions to the letter. I assume we don’t have a lot of time, and that means doing exactly what we say, when we say it. Do any of them not know Equestrian?” Spade asked, gesturing with a hoof at the griffons huddling in the entryway of the closest building. “If any of them don’t, we’ll need a translator.”

“Um, right.” The griffon fidgeted. “I’m the only griffon in this town that knows Equestrian. I traveled there in my youth for a time, returning home before-” he cut himself off with a clack of his beak.

Spade narrowed his eyes, very interested in what Bloodeye had been about to say, but tossed his head with a snort. “Alright. Then we’ll just have to make do. Heart, is Diamond ready to fly?”

“Yeah yeah, I’m on it. Gonna pay those beasties back for thinkin’ to pick a fight with me.” Diamond said with a snap of his wings as he took off.”

“Okay, I’ll take care of getting the defenses laid out, Club, you’ll help me with that. I want you,” he pointed at Rangel, “to take Bloodeye and get an inventory on weapons, anything you can find. We’ll need as many griffons armed as possible for this.”

Rangel nodded. “Right, no problem.” Turning to Bloodeye, he gestured with an arm. “If you’d be so kind?” He followed the griffon toward one of the larger buildings in the town, a plume of black smoke rising from it.

Pushing open the door, Bloodeye sighed. “It’s not much, but this is our arsenal.”

Along the far wall, a series of racks held spears, swords, axes and even three polearms. It was the final rack that caught Rangel’s eye though. Padding across the room, he stared down at the three weapons with a mix of confusion and eagerness. “Are these what I think they are?”

Bloodeye walked over and picked up one of the ungainly looking weapons.”I don’t know. I do know that these are the last of our firesticks. Though they’re not in the best shape. We don’t have anyone trained in their construction or repair.”

Rangel picked up another one, sniffing at it closely. It looked vaguely similar to some muskets he remembered seeing in history books, though this one was at least half again as big. He winced at the sight and smell of the rust on the barrel. “Does anyone really take care of these things?”

“We try, but without our smith we can’t make new parts.” Bloodeye remarked sadly.

“Well, we’ll just use what we got,” Rangel said with a shrug. “Let’s see what else is usable.”

“Alright! Set those logs down where I marked!” Spade shouted at Club, gesturing with his hooves for the benefit of the griffons helping. Barely even sweating from the effort, Club dragged the three logs into their positions, the other griffons stacking theirs atop his. They’d moved the griffons not capable of fighting into one of the larger houses, and were in the process of building a barricade. “Heart! Make sure they’re wedged together nice and tight. Diamond!” he shouted up at the red pegasus, “Any sign of the wyverns?”

“Not that I can see, boss, but given their colors, they might be hiding up in the clouds for now. I’ll let ya know!” Diamond shouted back down.

Spade nodded. “Alright, that’s going well for now. Club, keep things going here. I’m going to go check on Rangel.” He started to trot toward the building he’d seen Rangel going into, only to stop as he saw him walking toward him, a bundle of what looked like swords and spears under one arm, and an oversized rifle over his shoulder. “Tell me you got more of those coming.”

Rangel shook his head. “Sorry, we only got two of these things. Third one’s too rusted up to be any use.” He set down the bundle and pointed to where Bloodeye could be seen dragging a sled with a few boxes stacked on it. “We got a couple polearms, plenty of powder and ammo. But to be honest, a lot of these weapons have seen better days. He mentioned the town smith is gone, but won’t say why.”

“I see. Well, we’ll have to ask him about that,” Spade muttered in English before turning to face Bloodeye. “Who in the village is a decent shot with these things?” He indicated the rifle in Rangel’s paw.

“Well, I used one a while ago...” Bloodeye trailed off uncomfortably.

“That’s what I thought. Heart! Get over here!” Spade bellowed. Once the unicorn was in earshot, he indicated the other rifle. “I want you and Rangel to use the guns.”

Heart shifted uncomfortably, but nodded, taking the other gun in his telekinetic grip.

Spade’s expression softened. “I know how you feel Heart, but we need the best, and right now that’s you and Rangel.”

“R-right,” Heart said with a nod. “I won’t let you down, sir.”

Spade nodded and turned to Rangel and Bloodeye. “I want you and the rest of the griffons to fight the wyverns outside of the barricade. This is going to be our fallback position. Do you know how many of the wyverns are going to be attacking?”

“I don’t know. Certainly their males. Wyverns usually have one female and several males, anywhere from one to six,” Bloodeye explained, flinching as the echo of a screech was heard, “and she won’t leave the nest. If we can kill the males, we can locate the nest while the female tries to hunt, destroy the eggs and offspring, and the female will leave for good.”

“Well, let’s just focus on surviving the males first,” Spade muttered. Looking up at the sky, he waved to catch Diamond’s attention. “See anything?”

“Not yet...” Diamond had a thought and glanced up, seeing nothing but the sky... except the sky didn’t slice through clouds. “Crap. Boss, I got em right overtop of us coming straight down. Hope you got the welcome mat laid out.”

“Understood. Get down here, I want you behind the barricade to react as we need it.” Spade turned to Club. “You got your orders?”

Club nodded, the earth pony already focused on the job at hand. Or hoof, Spade supposed. “Okay, let’s get ready to rock. Bloodeye, make sure everyone knows their positions and roles.”

The griffon nodded, shouting out instructions to the others, who started to disperse.

“Alright. It’s showtime,” Spade said as he started galloping toward his position.

The silence of the village was shattered as four massive shapes landed in the central square, snow billowing up from their downdraft. The wyverns peered around, confused. Every other time they’d come to this place, the prey had always tried to meet it in the open. But now there was nothing. They’d seen the small red thing that had been flying over the town, but now it too was gone.

With a sharp hiss, the biggest of the males started herding the other three to begin spreading out, while it approached one of the dwellings. Bumping its nose against the door, it blinked as it swung open, the interior empty. In a sudden rush of anger, it screeched, rearing to its full height as it kicked the entire door frame in. It looked around and saw the others were having similar luck with their initial searches, and warbled quietly to itself as it tried to think.

With a whisper of displaced air, the spear tore a ragged hole in the big male’s wing. A small spray of blood arced as the wyvern screeched in pain and rage, swinging its ponderous body around to try and find the source of the attack. An empty street greeted it, and it howled it’s frustration. With a rip, another spear flew in from the opposite direction and punched through it’s other wing, eliciting another cry of anger. The other wyverns gave voice to their own howls as they continued to find empty buildings and streets.

One of the younger males, its head crest still stunted, cocked its head as it heard a scrape and a muffled curse. Hopping forward eagerly, it sprang around the corner of the building to see a griffon glaring at it from not five feet away, holding something in it’s talons.

“Hello, ugly.” Bloodeye lunged forward with the polearm, the metal blade biting deep into the wyvern’s chest and lodging on something. Staggering back as a gout of blood stained the snow a dark red, the wyvern screeched even louder as it fell over backward. Bloodeye turned loose of the polearm as its rear-facing hook caught in the beast’s ribcage, more screeches filling the air as the other wyverns began to move through the town toward them.

Grimacing as the sound did it’s best to deafen him, Heart hurried forward, the firestick held in his magic. Looking down at the writhing wyvern for a second, Heart sighed as he could see the wounds from the previous encounter with them. Angling the firestick downward, he shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry.” Pulling the trigger, the heavy ball tore through the wyvern’s neck, the screeching replaced by a thick gurgle as its lifeblood spilled out, staining the snow and pooling around Heart’s hooves.

“Come on!” Bloodeye shouted as he grabbed Heart by the mane with one paw and the firestick with the other. “They’re going to be here any second!” The griffon hauled Heart back down one of the side alleys, where a few other griffons waited anxiously. The group quickly dispersed back, to the areas now abandoned by the wyverns.

It was as one of the smaller wyverns was stomping past some of the residences that things started to go wrong. Stopping for a moment to wonder why it’s fellow male had stopped making noise, it froze completely as a single muffled noise was heard.

A sneeze. From inside the building to its right. A curious arrangement of logs were in its way, which after a second’s consideration it kicked over, burbling it’s disappointment at not finding anything. Looking back up at the building, it curiously took a  few hopping steps forward until it could see the huddling griffons within. It squawked excitedly as it rose upright, warbling at its fellows. The other two immediately changed course, the dead wyvern already forgotten.

“Damnit,” Spade swore as he peeked around the corner. “Should have known that things wouldn’t work out. Club! Roll out the welcome mat!”

The hulking earth pony nodded, trotting out into the street. One of the wyverns spotted him and cried out, turning to charge at him. The other smaller one decided to join it, the two wyverns falling into a matched stride.

Club, for his part, simply stood his ground, not even blinking as the two monsters bore down on him. The wyverns lowered their heads into the sprint, both sets of jaws hanging open in anticipation of the meal ahead of them.

“Three... two... one... NOW!” Diamond shouted from his hiding place on a nearby roof. With a series of whispers the hiding griffons threw their spears. Arcing over the buildings and out of alleys, the majority clattered off their hides, but some tore holes in wings or struck tender spots like their joints.

The wyverns howled in agony as they came to a skidding stop, one falling onto it’s side as it lost its footing in the snow. They flailed and snapped at each other as they tried to figure out which way they wanted to go.

“Right, let’s get them while they’re down!” Spade shouted. “I want some of you to go help Rangel at the bunker!” He gestured with a hoof toward the reinforced building, where the larger wyvern was still nosing at the building, looking for a good way in. The griffons nodded and leapt into the air, drawing their swords and axes. Several of them peeled off to join the others starting to harry the big one, while the majority swooped in on the two entangled wyverns, their swords slashing out to lay open their hides, though only a few swords were sharp enough to inflict any deep tissue damage.

The wyvern on the ground flailed in an attempt to get to it’s feet, but felt something heavy press down on its neck. Struggling, it rolled its eye around to see the massive pony it had tried to eat pinning it. A griffon came up next to it, a long spear held in one paw. The griffon hefted the spear as the wyvern renewed it’s struggles to escape, the last thing it saw being the speartip driving straight for it’s eye.

The griffon huntress worked the spear around for a moment to make sure the wyvern was well and truly dead, then yanked it out in a spray of blood. Looking over at Club, she nodded before taking off to deal with the other one, which was proving to be much more nimble than the prone one.

“Keep driving it back! Don’t let it get away!” Spade shouted as the griffons jabbed at it with their spears, one of them carrying the few polearms. Every time the wyvern tried to spread its wings, the griffons would lunge in and stab at them. And every time the wyvern tried to bite at one of them, Spade would be waiting with a buck to the head. Finally, they had driven it against one of the buildings, where they formed a cage of spears to keep it from trying to escape.

As it’s tail lashed out and struck another griffon with the stinger, Spade glanced up. “Come on Diamond, time’s a wastin’” Letting out a sigh of relief as he spotted the red pegasus, he shouted to the griffons, “Alright! Just a little bit longer! Keep it still!”

Overhead, Diamond was in a vertical dive, the griffons following him with hard sweeps of their wings. “Alright, just like I showed you! Give ‘em hell!” Flaring his wings, he rolled to the side and out of the way.

The griffons hefted their spears and flung them at the last possible second, the speed of their dive adding extra force to the throw. Each in turn tumbled out of the way of the griffon after them, a hail of spears soon rocketing downward, all aimed at the wyvern. Slamming into the wyvern’s head and neck, the spears punched clean through it’s armored hide, some even fully exiting the other side to embed themselves in the snow. With a gurgling warble, the wyvern collapsed, a crown of spears sticking out of its skull.

“Good! Just one more left!” Spade shouted, the griffons echoing him with a cheer as they turned toward the last wyvern.

Rangel pressed up against the edge of the building, risking a quick glance around the corner. He could see the bulk of the wyvern as it spun about, snapping at the darting forms of the griffons with its jaws and tail. As Rangel watched, a griffon tumbled from the sky, having failed to dodge the stinger. Most of it never made it to the ground, as the wyvern almost gracefully spun on its feet and lunged with its jaws. Not even stopping as the front paws, front part of the face, hindlegs and tail thudded to the ground, the wyvern swung a wing in a sweeping arc to strike two more from the sky. Tossing its head back, it swallowed the meal in it’s mouth and screeched its rage at the other griffons, who fell back in disarray.

“Alright, time to turn this thing around,” Rangel muttered as he started to spin around the corner... only to remain where he was, legs shaking slightly and his tail tucking itself against him. Something about watching the effortless, predatory grace of the wyvern had terrified him on a fundamental level, and all of sudden he just wanted to bolt, to run and keep running until it was safe. He started to loosen his grip on the rifle, but a sharp cry snapped him out of it and he gripped the rifle tighter. He was a soldier, for Christ’s sake. He wasn’t some animal to run with its tail between his legs. Well, maybe he was now, but he was still human on the inside, and he’d be damned before he let a case of the shakes make him run away.

Whirling around the corner, he froze for a second at the sight in front of him. The wyvern had knocked another griffon from the sky, and pinned it to the ground with its foot. Its green eyes flicked up to see Rangel staring at it, then with in an almost nonchalant motion bit down on the griffon’s upper body and tore it in half. The griffon’s eyes widened in disbelief and pain, meeting Rangel’s for a second before they went cold, the wyvern tossing the carcass into the air and biting down on it again, swallowing it too with contemptuous ease.

The fur on Rangel’s neck bristled, his lips pulling back from his teeth in a snarl as he strode forward, nearly forgetting he had the firestick until he realized his claws were digging into it. Bringing it to his shoulder, he took aim as the wyvern hissed at him. “How’s this taste, you freak?” he crude rifle spat fire as he pulled the trigger, the lead ball riding it like a meteor directly into the wyvern’s face, right below the left eye. Breaking into a run as the wyvern howled in pain, Rangel wasn’t even aware of dropping the firestick as he leapt onto it’s leg, claws biting deep for purchase.

He felt his anger growing, almost fueling itself, and welcomed it, his body knowing instinctively how to grip the wyvern so he wouldn’t fall off. As he scaled its back and finally reached the wyvern’s neck, he was snarling like an animal himself, several of the griffons banking away as he snapped his teeth at them. Turning his gaze back to his prey, he flexed his claws before plunging them into the wyvern’s neck, the scales parting easily.

The wyvern screamed in agony as it flailed, trying to dislodge the stubborn dog, who only dug his claws in and held on. Burrowing deeper into the muscle, he could feel it, the lifeblood of his prey flowing frantic and hot. Howling his triumph, he plunged his head down, fangs closing around a column of bone and tissue. The bone resisted briefly before his jaw flexed, the teeth grinding through like saw blades until they met with a wet clack.

The wyvern collapsed, it’s eyes rolling wildly as its brain tried desperately to make its body move. But nothing was responding from below the terrible injury to it’s neck, and that brought a fear the wyvern hadn’t known in its entire life. It felt the monster on it’s neck still, fangs biting deep, but the pain was rapidly fading and soon all it knew was blackness.

Spade, Club and Heart trotted up hesitantly, even the griffons reluctant to approach the carcass of the wyvern. Diamond floated overhead, the pegasus feeling sick despite himself at the sight of the blood-soaked Rangel. “Hey, Rangel, ease up man, it’s dead-”

Rangel snapped his head up, locking eyes with Diamond. For a second, he swore that he couldn’t see Rangel looking back at him, only a predator. His heart pounded a mile a minute, and he very nearly took off for the safety of the sky. A chunk of flesh hung from Rangel’s jaws, and he chewed it for a second before he seemed to shudder, his eyes losing that feral glint. Looking down at himself, he started to shake, dropping the hunk of meat. He looked like he wanted to be sick, but couldn’t bring himself to more than a hacking spit of blood.

Spade shook his head and took a step forward, ears tilted back in a combination of nervousness and determination. “Soldier, stand down. Now.”

With a low whine, Rangel heaved himself out of the ruin of the wyvern’s neck, stumbling a little as he hit the blood soaked ground. The griffons instinctively took a step back, as did the rest of the Cards. Only Spade held his ground, glaring at Rangel steadily.

“What’s wrong with me, sir?” Rangel asked haltingly.

“I don’t know,” Spade replied honestly. “Now, come on. You need to clean yourself off, and we need our questions answered.”

06 - Cold Truth

Year 6, Week 9, Thursday

Inside the town hall, the atmosphere was tense as the five Cards sat facing the griffon chief. His left wing was splinted from where he’d been struck by a wyvern, and his eyes were flinty as he stared at Rangel. Though clean of the blood that had soaked his fur, none of the griffons wanted to be near him, and even the ponies were still on edge.

The chief spoke to Bloodeye, who coughed a little from his bruised ribs. “Chief Stormwind wishes to thank you for your... assistance in dealing with the wyverns.” He glanced nervously at Rangel before continuing. “As promised, you will be able to ask us your questions.”

Spade nodded. “I want to thank you for allowing us to ask you these questions first. And as for helping you defeat the wyverns, we could not stand by and let you fall prey to such monsters.” Bloodeye translated to Stormwind, who nodded gratefully. Spade took a breath before continuing on. “My companions and I came to this country because we’ve heard many interesting stories of the north, and wanted to see if there was any truth to them. However, after crossing the border, we came across another, smaller village, which had been destroyed by unknown means. Since you’re so close, perhaps you saw something, survivors perhaps?”

Bloodeye translated this and the griffons in the room warbled lightly, nervousness clear on their faces. Stormwind, however, remained impassive, and after a few seconds thought spoke to Bloodeye. “No. We’ve heard nothing of this devastation. The first that I saw of it was when I was following the wyvern’s trail and encountered you.”

Rangel’s nose twitched, the smells of the griffons becoming... off. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something wasn’t right. He took another sniff, focusing on Stormwind, but his smell had remained unchanged. He almost leaned forward to tap Spade on the shoulder, but stopped as one of the other griffons, his feathers nearly bereft of their color, spoke up, his voice a dry rasp. Stormwind clacked his beak angrily, but it was too late.

“What did he say?” Spade asked Bloodeye curiously.

Bloodeye gulped, risking a glance at Stormwind and the older griffon, who were still glaring at each other. “He... he said that the answers you seek would be found at the Mountain Eye Eyrie. I beg of you, do not go. It is a cursed place.”

Spade narrowed his eyes. “Curses don’t scare me. Where is this eyrie?” He stared hard at Bloodeye, his expression ordering the griffon to tell him.

Bloodeye swallowed again, before crumbling. “It’s further to the east, and a little north, the first mountain you’ll see. The eyrie is at the top. Though I warn you, it was not made with land bound creatures in mind. The climb will be arduous.”

“Let us worry about that,” Spade said coldly.

“Boss...” Diamond wheezed, “The next time we get asked for a mission like this, think you can just tell them no?”

The hike to the mountain had taken them almost an hour of trudging through the snow, the looming edifice steadily growing taller until it nearly blocked the sun. Like Bloodeye had said, there wasn’t any real path, so the Cards had to improvise. Tying their ropes together into a pair of harnesses, they’d slowly made their way up the face.

Stopping on a ledge, Rangel slumped to his haunches, leaning back against the rock face. “Whew. You guys may be smaller, but you sure weigh a ton.”

Club’s reply was an idle shrug, the earth pony heaving Heart up onto the ledge with them. The unicorn was breathing hard, little chunks of frozen sweat clumping his fur. Club turned to look at Spade. “We need to hurry up, Heart’s not looking so good.”

The other earth pony nodded. “I know. But we’re almost at the top. Let’s get up there and we can ask for some supplies and a place to rest.”

“Sir...” Heart took a second to get his breath. “Why haven’t we seen any griffons? It’s obvious that this eyrie was placed to have a commanding view of the area, but there’s been no one sent to ask why we’re here, or to lend a hand with getting us up. Something doesn’t add up.”

“Well, we’ll just have to see what we find when we get there. Diamond, think you can fly up and get a quick look?” Spade said after a moment’s thought.

“Sure thing. Climbing was getting boring anyway.” The pegasus leaped into the air and spiraled upward, quickly reaching the cavernous entrance to the eyrie. After hovering there for a few seconds, he rolled over into a dive and sped back down to them. “Sir, you need to see this.”

Spade’s eyes narrowed, and he turned to Rangel. “Get the harness, I want us up there five minutes ago.”

“Damn, was just starting to enjoy the break.” Rangel muttered as he started securing the harness around Club’s shoulders.

After much sweating, grunting and sprinkled profanity, the Cards were assembled on the ledge of the eyrie, all staring in shock at the sight before them.

“Well, I think we know why there weren’t any griffons sent to ask us questions,” Spade muttered worriedly.

The buildings were set right into the rock face, working their way right into the cave. What gave them pause was the condition of the buildings. Many of them were torched, the wood almost completely disintegrated. The buildings still standing had doorways ripped open, and the unmistakable signs of bullet damage on their facings.

“Alright team, let’s move out. Stay on your hooves. Report anything you find, and I mean anything,” Spade ordered.

Nodding, the Cards spread out, though none of them strayed out of eyesight of the others. The silence of the eyrie, broken only by the soft sigh of the wind, pressed down on them until all of them were jumping at shadows and every creak of aging wood.

Rangel put a paw to a rotten door, only to wince as the hinges fell out of the frame and the door collapsed in a crash of wood. Glancing sheepishly at the other Cards, he turned back to examine the room’s contents. “Sir, I got a body!”

As the other Cards hurried over, Rangel knelt to take a closer look. Unlike the skeletons in the first town, this one was in much better condition. Its feathers were a shade of grey, with brown mottling near the tips, while the eyes, frozen open, were a dark brown hue, speckled with yellow. Glancing down at the chest, Rangel could see that it was matted with blood, a large pool frozen to the floor under it. A gaping hole was visible, and Rangel’s eyes narrowed as he reached into his bag.

Heart carefully trotted up next to him, peering closely at the wound. “Well, it looks like the same weapon that was used on the griffons in the first town-” He stopped as Rangel found what he was looking for, and held a paw up against the chest as Club, Diamond, and Spade entered the room.

In his claws was held one of the firestick balls, the lead sphere matching the entrance hole almost perfectly. “And now we know what killed them.” The fur on the back of his neck bristled as he straightened. “Sir, I didn’t mention it before, but when we were in the town hall, when their chief said they hadn’t heard anything of the attack on the first town, something about the other gryphon’s scents was... off. I think they might not be telling us the whole story, sir.”

Spade nodded. “Bloodeye did say he returned to Scythion before something happened, but cut himself off before he said what that something was.” He turned to look squarely at Rangel. “And if you think they’re hiding something, you tell me right away, don’t withhold important information like that again.” Rangel nodded slowly, and Spade looked toward the mouth of the eyrie. “I think I’d like to go back and ask them some more questions.”

Diamond sighed irritably. “We just got up here, sir.”

“Well, then we’re going right on back down. Get the harness secured around Club, Rangel.” Spade trotted to the ledge’s edge, eyes hard as he stared to the southwest. Whatever was going on in this country, it was rapidly becoming harder and harder to figure out, and that annoyed him. “This time, we’re going to get the truth.”

The trek back down the mountain had, at least, been somewhat easier than the climb up. The mood of the Cards remained sour as they made the hike back toward the town. Diamond floated overhead, the pegasus shivering in the cold wind. “Sarge, can I come down? There’s not going to be anything to see, and my wings are freezing.”

“Suck it up Diamond. We’ll be there soon...” Spade trailed off as they came to the top of the next hill. Squinting, he could see the griffons gathered in the center of the town. “Diamond, what’s going on?”

The pegasus narrowed his eyes, drifting a little closer to try and get a better view. “Not sure boss, looks like four or five of them in front of the rest,” he watched as several of the griffons in the crowd came forward, and all of them took off, flying due north, “Boss, I think the ones in front were out of towners, they just flew off with a bunch of the locals, maybe hostages. What do you want to do?”

“We keep going,” Spade ordered. “Much as I don’t like them taking hostages, we need to remain as low-profile as we can. So for now, we’ll keep going.”

Heart was silent, his expression downcast as he trudged through the snow. “Do you think we were responsible for it?”

Club bumped shoulders with him. “No point worrying about it. We’ll see when we get there.”

Heart brightened up a little, only to shiver as the wind kicked up again. “I swear, I’ve never felt c-cold like this. It’s almost like it’s tt-rying to get under y-your skin.” He paused as he felt something settling around his shoulders, and turned to see Rangel giving him a wry grin as he finished putting his cloak around the unicorn’s shoulders.

“Well, given where we are, it might be.” Rangel chuckled roughly. At Heart’s continued stare, he shrugged. “Was getting hot under it anyway.” Taking a moment to close his eyes as he felt the wind blow through his fur, he shivered slightly. “Well, I might want it back at some point, but you keep it for now.”

“T-thanks,” Heart said, the doubled layer of cloaks dispersing the cold in short order.

“Don’t mention it,” Rangel muttered as they made their way down the hill toward the town. As they approached the edge, several griffons paced out to meet them, angry glares on their faces. One of them took a step forward, screeching at them.

“Where’s Bloodeye? We can’t understand you,” Spade asked.

The griffons looked at each other, and after a few seconds Spade’s eyes widened. “Oh. Oh crap.”

“You think they took him?” Rangel asked.

“I’d say that’s a fair assumption Private,” Spade whispered back. Turning back to the griffons, he thought for a few seconds before he visibly brightened. Grabbing a small stick from the ground, he drew a few rough shapes resembling griffons, and the town. He looked up at the griffons, spotting the aged griffon among them. “I know you can’t understand me. But we need to know where they took Bloodeye and the others.”

The aged griffon looked down at the drawing, then took a few steps forward. Dragging his claw through the snow and dirt, he traced a line to the north, finally stopping a full three feet away. With a few quick swipes to add in some mountains and forests, he took a step back and nodded.

“Thank you,” Spade said quietly. “I can’t guarantee we’ll bring him back alive, but if we can, we will.”

The griffon nodded, taking a breath. “You are welcome.” His voice was dry and raspy, and judging by the looks of shock on the other griffon’s faces, they hadn’t expected him to be speaking Equestrian.

Spade and the Cards were taken aback as well. “You know Equestrian?” Spade asked, rather unnecessarily. “Why didn’t you tell us this before?”

“Yes.” The griffon rasped a dry chuckle. “As for not telling you... it was an issue of trust. Be careful the further you go. Iron Talons does not allow ponies,” he indicated Rangel, “or your kind to roam free.”

Rangel felt his fur bristle. “What do you mean by that?”

The griffon shook his head. “Go north, you will see the truth for yourself.”

07 - Under the Mountain

Year 6, Week 10, Friday

Rangel’s ears twitched as he stretched, wincing involuntarily as his paws hit the wall of his snow shelter. He’d barely slept the night before, the hunger gnawing at him stronger than ever. He’d thought it was merely the effort of hiking through the driving snow and cold at first, but was now forced to admit that his rations just weren’t what his body wanted. He glanced at the nearly empty bag, down to his last pack after last night's attempt to quiet his hunger. Ferrik had never mentioned this during the month they’d spent training, and his stomach growled irritably as he rolled over.

On top of that, it certainly didn’t help that he and the rest of the Cards had been on slightly less than pleasant terms after the wyvern attack. To be honest, he was ashamed of himself for losing control like that. Spade had said that things were even between them so long as it didn’t happen again, but he could practically feel the distrust lacing their scents.

Gradually, things had soured until they barely spoke, except for giving orders and checking the map the griffon elder had given them. He found himself missing the feeling of learning under Ferrik, the sense of knowing his place in the world on some fundamental level.

“Well, might as well see how the weather is,” he muttered as he pushed free of the snow burrow and shook himself vigorously. Hauling his gear free, he settled the pack into place, then threw the cloak around his shoulders. As it had for the past week, the snow fell in a steady curtain, though he could see patches of blue sky beginning to make its entrance.

“Good morning, Private.” Rangel turned as he saw Spade rise from his own burrow, snow clinging stubbornly to his coat. The earth pony turned and pulled his pack on, the cloak following a second later. “Let’s get moving, I want to reach that mountain range before midday.”

“Yes sir,” Rangel replied dryly as he started to pad forward, the other Cards rising to their hooves. He ignored the looks from Diamond and Heart and pricked his ears forward, his nose already sifting through the myriad smells on the breeze. Ahead of them the mountains loomed over them like silent guardians, their peaks lost above the clouds. If what the griffon elder had told them was right, once they crossed the mountain range they’d be in Scythion proper, and be able to figure out some answers to the deepening mystery they found themselves in.

As the next hour passed, Rangel’s stomach twisted again and he felt a compulsion to dig overcome him. He couldn’t explain how he knew it, but there was food below, and he was going to find it. He was up to his elbows in the dirt before he stopped, the Cards staring incredulously at him

“What’s the matter, boy?” Diamond taunted. “Find a bone?”

“Fuck you, Diamond,” Rangel snapped as he pulled his arms out of the dirt, grimacing as his stomach reminded him how empty it was.

Spade snorted dismissively. “Look Rangel, it’s obvious you’re not okay. Now I want you to tell me-”

The wind shifted and suddenly Rangel’s nose flared, a new smell hitting it like a sledgehammer. “Sir! New scent!” He froze, his tail stiff as a rail as his ears twitched in time with his nose. This smell... it was like him and Ferrik, but different, almost a metallic tang underneath it. Without even thinking about it, he began to power forward through the snow. Whatever else the smell meant, there were diamond dogs here, and he felt compelled to seek it out.

“Damnit Rangel, get back here!” Spade shouted ineffectually. “Alright, let’s follow him, Cards. Diamond, get airborne and keep an eye on him.”

“Roger that Boss,” Diamond replied with a snort as he tossed his cloak to Club. A quick pair of wingbeats later and he was circling skyward. “Figures the mutt would get sucked into chasing something. Ten bucks says it’s just a damn squirrel.”

Rangel loped forward, his eyes, nose, ears, everything focused on following the scent. It led toward a grove of pine trees at the base of the mountain, and he slowed down as he drew near, hackles raised as he entered the trees. He was aware of the ponies coming to a stop behind him, Spade’s scent laced with anger and annoyance.

“Listen Rangel, you have to get yourself under control. I understand it’s hard being in a new body, but we can’t have you running off at every new scent-” Spade stopped as Rangel silently raised his arm, pointing into the center of the grove.

Huddled in a tight circle around a barely smouldering fire lay three forms, clearly canine in shape, though different from Rangel. At first they appeared frozen solid, but it became clear that they were still breathing faintly.

“Okay, Heart, I need you to see about their condition,” Spade ordered sharply, “and Club, start finding some firewood-” he stopped as one of the forms shifted and staggered to its paws.

“P-ponies s-stay back. Rover n-not s-s-scared of you, D-Diamond Dogs s-stronger than p-ponies,” the canine growled weakly, its Equestrian rough and halting.

“Boss, remember what that guard back at the border town said,” Diamond said warningly as the other two canines started to stir. The ponies drew themselves tighter, shooting nervous glances into the woods as the three Diamond Dogs faced them down.

“Relax sir, I know what to do,” Rangel muttered to Spade before he strode toward the one calling himself Rover. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before they each nodded once. Then Rangel punched him in the face.

“Stop, that enough for now,” Ferrik said with a sharp nod.

Rangel pulled his paws out of the stone, staring as it seemed to harden right before his eyes. “So how does that even work?”

“It not important how. You ask more questions than a pony,” Ferrik replied with a soft growl. “Now, sit, it is time for lesson.” The canid glanced down the hole. “And no stoneshaping. Ferrik will know if you do.”

Rangel growled, but wiped the sweat from his eyes and started to climb. It had been two weeks since they’d teleported his ass to Hawaii, two weeks of training that put Basic to shame. At least in Basic they’d let you have some time off every now and then. Ferrik seemed hellbent on showing up at any time, occasionally from any direction. Rangel still keenly remembered sitting down for dinner, only for the floor to give out as Ferrik pulled him underground for a lecture on awareness. He finally reached the top of the tunnel and hauled himself onto the ground, panting heavily.

“Now, do you remember what Ferrik taught you last night?” The canid was sitting a short distance away on a rock, watching the sun make it’s way below the horizon.

“Every diamond dog pack has an alpha. The alpha’s word is law, and without them the pack is lost,” Rangel grumbled as he heaved himself upright.

“And?” Ferrik’s tone was level, but Rangel could smell his mild annoyance.

“And in all matters of speaking to other packs the alphas will speak. Or if demands are made, fight for dominance,” Rangel finished with a sigh.

“And do you know why it is this way?” Ferrik asked.

Rangel blinked. This part hadn’t been talked about. “Well, probably because it’s the only way to make sure who’s the best to lead?”

Ferrik chuffed as he heaved himself to his paws. “An answer typical of a pup, yet not entirely wrong. On the surface, yes, it proves who is strongest. However, it also prevents a return to the Ruin. After the fall of Chaos, the Great Alpha united the packs in a bid to rival the ponies. But this great pack did not last forever. When the long night came, the packs began to fight amongst themselves, and this angered Sirius. He descended upon the packs and we begged for his forgiveness. In his mercy, he sundered the packs and reforged us in the ideals of the Old Way. And a pledge was made, to Sirius, Sun and Moon, that we would never again forget the true way, and it has been kept ever since.” He laughed at Rangel’s confused expression. “When you return, Ferrik will take you to the elder singer, who can tell you more.”

“Rangel! What the hell is wrong with you?” Spade bellowed as the two fell into a biting, clawing melee with each other. He started to move forward, only for the larger of the other two diamond dogs to interpose himself.

“No interfere. This fight between them.” He turned to watching the two with an eerie intensity, the other one shuffling to stand beside him.

“What do we do, Boss?” Diamond asked warily.

Spade sighed in aggravation. “Well, looks like we’re waiting. At least we know they speak Equestrian, so that’s a relief.” He turned his head slightly. “Club, I want you ready for the big one if things go south. Diamond, the smaller one is all yours.”

The big earth pony nodded slightly and rocked forward on his hooves a little. Diamond just flicked an ear as he glared at the two canines. Heart folded his ears nervously and sidled partly behind Club, a healing spell already prepared just in case.

For Rangel, the conversation went unheard, his entire world reduced to the opponent in front of him. They circled each other warily, both bleeding from the minor injuries they’d taken in their initial scuffle. Rangel’s face and arms bore a number of shallow cuts, while Rover held a paw over the side of his head.

Rangel swayed slightly on his feet, his paws slowly clenching open and shut as he snarled . He could smell the weakness in Rover, the diamond dog clearly malnourished and on the brink of collapse. He lunged forward to swipe at Rover, only to yelp in surprise as the diamond dog sank six inches into the ground and swung back, scoring a deep wound across Rangel’s chest.

“You soft like pony. Rover strong,” he growled smugly as he pulled his feet free of the earth and lunged, bowling Rangel over as the canid staggered back. It was a perfect move.

Except Rangel had been expecting it and, instead of attempting to throw Rover off, gripped him tighter and bit into his shoulder. Rover howled in agony and tried to pull back, but Rangel clung to him and shifted his jaws, gripping him by the neck. “Submit,” he mumbled, trying not to gag at the taste of Rover’s fur.

With a pleading whine, Rover finally went limp, and Rangel released him, staggering a few steps back as his chest wound throbbed painfully.

“Now submit,” Ferrik growled as he tightened his grip on Rangel’s throat.

With a sharp whimper Rangel felt his body relax, and after a moment Ferrik nodded and released him. Rangel coughed as he felt air flow back into his lungs. “Damnit, I’m going to beat you one of these days.”

Ferrik laughed harshly as he sat down. “Pup may keep dreaming.” He glanced up at the setting sun. “It has been twenty suns since Ferrik began teaching you. Tell me, do you know why your body submits when your mind doesn’t?”

Rangel shook his head as he sat up. “Because it’s still too soft and needs to be toughened up?”

Ferrik laughed harder. “Pup is right about that. But there is more to it. As is obvious, we are not ponies. Our way is different, passed down to us from Sirius himself. It is not a sign of weakness to submit to a stronger predator, but rather a sign of respect. However, this also demands the alpha know to respect his pack, for without them he is nothing. Do you understand?”

“I think so, for the most part anyway,” Rangel admitted.

Ferrik chuffed in amusement. “Well, don’t worry. Ferrik has plenty of time to teach you.” The canid grinned toothily. “But above all, trust yourself. Your body knows best, even if you do not.”

Rover lay where Rangel had left him, breathing heavily. After a wary glance at Rangel, the other two crept to Rover and helped him sit up.

Heart trotted forward and cast his magic over Rangel, the crimson aura soaking across the cuts and bruises before it sank into them. Rangel shivered as his flesh responded to the spell’s imperative, muscle and skin growing back together, his fur sprouting up almost before the wounds had closed fully. “Thanks Heart.”

“Don’t mention it,” Heart replied with a smile. “I’m just glad neither of you were hurt too badly. Got to admit, I’m still getting used to how much easier it is to cast spells here than it was back on Hawaii. Flare always seemed to downplay just how big a difference it made.” He started to cast his spell on Rover, but retreated as the diamond dog bared his teeth. “Or maybe not.”

“Alright Rover, now that that’s settled, I need to ask you a few questions. I know you speak Equestrian, so it’s not worth pretending you don’t,” Spade said gently.

Rover ignored him, the other two Diamond Dogs helping him to his paws.

“Hey, I’m talking to you-” Spade was cut off as Rangel stepped in front of him.

“What were you three doing out here?” he asked firmly.

“Fleeing,” Rover replied instantly, the other two glancing nervously back at the mountain.

“From what?” Rangel asked, practically feeling Spade’s stare boring into him from behind.

Club trotted forward and put a hoof on Spade’s shoulder. “Calm down.”

Heart stopped on Spade’s other side. “So long as our questions are answered, it’ll be alright.”

“Besides, if they don’t feel like it, we can always smack a little common sense into them,” Diamond added with a snort.

Rover bared his teeth a little at the ponies, but turned his attention back to Rangel. “We were fleeing the griffons, Alpha.”

“Fleeing them? What do you mean?” Rangel asked.

Rover glanced at the other two Diamond Dogs. “It is better if Rover show you, Alpha. Follow us, we have a tunnel!” He pointed toward the mountain with a toothy grin.

“First, let Heart tend to your wounds,” Rangel ordered. Rover growled, but relented as Heart’s magic made short work of his injuries. He poked at where a deep cut had been curiously, even giving it a tentative lick.

Rangel shook his head in amusement. “Gotta appreciate the little things, I guess. Now, show me this tunnel.” He pointed to the other two. “And what are their names?”

“Tall one Fido, and this is Spot!” Rover replied with a wag of his tail. “They members of pack from the beginning!” He began to stride up the slope toward the mountain. “Alpha follow, Rover show the way!”

“Rangel, wait!” Spade scowled as he and the other Cards cantered after the canines. “Is it too much to ask for a nice, simple mission, with clear chains of command?”

“Boss, we’re a bunch of ponies, on a secret deployment into a land of griffons and bipedal dog things. Where would normal even know where to fit in?” Diamond asked rhetorically as they trudged through the snow.

Rover led the group to a small overhang, a crack into the mountain barely visible within. “Tunnel through here! Rover show Alpha!” He gave the ponies a sidelong glance and bared his teeth again. “Alpha really want ponies to follow?”

Rangel nodded. “Just show us the way.”

Rover’s expression soured, but he nodded and plunged into the crack, the other two following.

Spade caught Rangel as he started to enter the tunnel. “Look, I won’t pretend to understand everything about diamond dog customs, but can we trust them?”

“Yes.” Rangel’s voice was ironclad with certainty as he glanced back. “Just relax sir, everything’s under control.” He turned and jogged forward, vanishing into the darkness.

Spade snorted irritably. “I swear, a simple chain of command. Is that really too much to ask for? Going to see about a transfer to a regular unit when we get home.”

“Oh come on, Boss,” Diamond retorted, “you’d be bored out of your skull inside of a week.” He suppressed a shudder as he glanced into the tunnel. “Man, can’t I just fly over?”

“Sorry Diamond, can’t risk the griffons finding us. Tunnel’s the only safe way, I guess.” Spade tossed his head nervously and trotted into the mountain, the other Cards following after.

He hated it here, hated it with such a passion that his muzzle seemed to carry a permanent scowl. He dimly remembered and clung to memories of a time when he was free, with his brothers and sisters under the open sky. But then they had come, and taken him and his siblings because they were too slow. He’d not seen any of his pack in over two winters, and had lost hope that he ever would again.

He scurried around and under the others who worked the line, his only task to gather the scrap and toss it into the smelter for re-use. The tang of the oil made his stomach lurch, but he had long ago learned the penalty for making a mess on the floor and ignored it.

Only one thing kept him going, one simple thing he remembered his mother telling him the day before he was taken.

She’d given him his first name, and he clung to it stubbornly, his only island in the sea of despair that tried to drown him. When it all felt like too much, and he felt like there was nothing left to him, that was the one thing the overseers couldn’t take. It was his.

The overseer in charge of the bell rang it once, signalling the change of duties. Wordlessly, he joined the adults, to be bound together to prevent their escape. As they were led toward the door, he growled softly under his breath.

“My name is Tumble, my name is Tumble...”

“So, you’re sure we’re going the right way, sir?” Heart asked nervously as he picked his way past a stalactite. Patches of glowing fungus provided a faint illumination, and with his light spell they at least had enough light to see.

“Well, it doesn’t seem like we have much of a choice,” Spade muttered. “How much further do we have to go?”

Rover glanced back, but was otherwise silent as he started to climb the next incline. It was as he reached the top that his legs buckled and he slumped against the side of the tunnel. Fido caught him and lowered him to the ground, while Spot looked at Rangel worriedly.

“What’s wrong?” Rangel crouched down beside them, taking his pack off.

“Hungry, haven’t eaten since escape,” Spot replied with a low whine.

Rangel sighed. “I know the feeling.” His stomach rumbled as he dug into his pack for the last of his emergency rations. “Here, give him these, they’ll help. Might as well put em to some use.”

Spot stared at him incredulously. “What alpha not know what is food? Rover not pony, he needs gems!”

Rangel blinked. “Wait, what?”

“Spot show alpha! Follow!” Spot rolled over and began to dig, rapidly vanishing from sight.

“Rangel, you got five. Make ‘em count,” Spade said with a snort as he and the rest of the Cards came to a stop around the canines.

Rangel nodded and followed after Spot, soon out of sight as well.

After he was sure Rover was okay, Fido glanced at the ponies. “Sooo... how long has alpha been alpha to ponies?”

All four Cards just stared back.

Rangel couldn’t see anything, but he could smell Spot ahead of him as the short dog quickly and efficiently burrowed down into the rock. He had to admit, the little guy knew how to dig, and was a lot better than he was. “So, how much farther?” he asked, this time trying out the native diamond dog tongue.

Spot stopped, his scent now laced with surprise. “Alpha know stonetongue? Why alpha no say so?”

“I didn’t even know that’s what it was called,” Rangel muttered as he sniffed. Suddenly, he stiffened as he caught a new scent. “What is that?”

Spot scuffled about until he had turned around. “Spot find gem, see?” He pushed his paw forward until it bumped against Rangel’s nose.

The scent that flooded his lungs was overpowering, and before he even realized it he’d snatched it and bit down. The gemstone shattered under his teeth, flavor washing over his tongue like a cold beer on a summer day. It reminded him almost of mint, and he eagerly crunched down on the rest of the gem. “That was amazing!”

Spot tilted his head in the darkness. “Spot confused. How can alpha not know taste of gems?”

Rangel hesitated. “It’s... complicated. Anyway, let’s find some more and get back to the pack.”

Spot was quiet for a few seconds, before he squirmed around and began to tunnel again. “Spot follow, but want truth from alpha. Pack need truth to live.”

“I...” Rangel took a breath, “I’ll tell you what I can, but you may not like it.”

“It not matter if Spot like it. It truth. Pack work best when secrets exposed.”

Half an hour later, the three Diamond Dogs were looking much healthier as they chowed down on the gemstones Spot and Rangel had managed to find.

The Cards were gathered a short distance away, eating some of their own rations. A small fire burned in the center of the space, providing a small amount of blessed heat.

“Rangel, can I have a word?” Spade called over from his spot next to the edge of the incline. Rangel looked up from where he was sitting between Spot and Rover and started to rise, only for Spot to tug on his arm.

“Alpha want Spot to come with him?” The Diamond Dog’s bulldog features were creased with concern.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll be right back,” Rangel replied absently

Spot grabbed one of his gems, a ruby, and pressed it into Rangel’s paw. “Here, take. Alpha must stay strong too.”

Rangel took a bite and stared, his tongue warming as an inexplicable flavor washed across his tongue. He paused, took another tentative bite, and glanced back at Spot. “Thank you.”

Spot grinned. “Alpha no need to thank Spot. Good diamond dog look out for pack and alpha. Besides, all diamond dogs know how to pick a good gem!”

Taking another bite, Rangel turned and crossed the cavern to stand next to Spade. “So, what’s going on?”

Spade stared for a second as Rangel chewed noisily before he snorted. “Listen, I understand that you’re happy to have found some of your own out here, and I understand that this might help us in the mission. But you need to keep in mind why we’re here. We simply don’t have the time to keep going off-mission. If this doesn’t pan out, we need to get back on track.”

Rangel glowered at Spade, then shook his head. “I can’t just leave them, sir. What if there’s something more going on here than what’s specific to the mission? If the griffons are doing something to the diamond dogs here, then I’ve got to do something about it. How would you feel if it were ponies we’d found instead?”

Spade worked his jaw for a second, but finally tossed his head with a snort. “We’ll see what’s going on once we exit the tunnel. But don’t forget that the entire team’s lives are at risk if we start trying anything further. It’s my responsibility to ensure that everyone comes home safe, you included.”

Rangel met his eyes levelly. “And it’s my job now to look after them. But I’ll keep it in mind, sir.” He crunched the rest of the ruby thoughtfully as he walked back to the diamond dogs. “So, you ready to go? I want to get through the mountain before nightfall.”

Rover pushed himself to his feet. “Rover ready whenever alpha calls, it not much further now.” He started forward into the tunnel ahead, Rangel following him with Spot and Fido. The Cards yet again brought up the rear.

“Boss, are you really sure it’s okay to trust the locals? Joker’s getting awfully tight with them, alpha stuff or not,” Diamond whispered.

“Well, think about it, Diamond,” Heart replied quietly. “This is the first Rangel’s seen of anyone like him since we got here. I mean, yeah, Ferrik was training him and all, but I don’t think they ever really got past the “trainer and learner” stage.”

“Still, it’s kinda weirding me out,” Diamond replied.

“Cut the chatter you two, let’s just focus on getting the job done,” Spade said with finality.

As the group picked their way along the tunnel, the oppressive darkness finally began to lift, a narrow hole in the wall becoming visible. The canines picked up their pace, leaving the ponies lagging behind on the slope.

“Rangel, slow down, let’s not rush into things...” Spade trailed off as the Cards finally emerged into the wan daylight, the sun almost touching the horizon. The tunnel exited onto a small ledge, terminating in a dropoff. Rangel was crouched by the edge with the other diamond dogs, a spyglass already held to his eye. As Spade drew closer, he could see that Rangel’s body was tense, and his ears folded back as he realized that Rangel was shaking slightly. “What is it?”

Wordlessly, Rangel held the spyglass out for Spade, and with a little adjustment he was staring through it at the valley below. A cluster of buildings were tightly grouped at the valley mouth, a wall winding around them. A large building similar to the foundry from the first village stood in the center, and several more that could be dwellings surrounded it. But none of that was what caught his attention and dropped the bottom out of his stomach.

A line of griffons and diamond dogs, bound by what could only be chains, shuffled their way from the foundry towards one of the other buildings. He felt his jaw clench instinctively as one of the figures stumbled, one of the griffons escorting them striking it until it got to its feet and continued the somber march.

The view began to shake, and Spade pulled back in alarm as Rangel dropped the spyglass, his paws flexing as his eyes narrowed. He took a few nervous steps back, the rest of the Cards following suit. “Rangel, I’m as upset as you are by this, but you need to keep calm-”

“Fuck. You.” Rangel’s voice was thick; a low, wet growl bubbling from his throat as he rose to his full height. The air seemed to grow quiet, even the falling snow seemed entirely focused on the enraged diamond dog.

Finally, something broke within Rangel and he threw his head back, his chest puffing out as he inhaled. The howl was deafening, something in it ringing in the minds and hearts of the ponies and diamond dogs. It sang of rage, and despair, and vengeance, and all the retribution that could be brought down upon those who prompted such a cacophony. The rest of the pack threw their heads back and joined in, the sound amplifying and tearing through the air.

Down in the line, Tumble’s ears perked up and he stopped along with the rest as the overseers began to look furtively for that dreadful sound. The older diamond dogs glanced at each other uncertainly, but Tumble felt the howl burn its way through him, and he lifted his own head. His voice was tremulous, and barely reached beyond the walls of the camp, but wove its way into the main howl and added his own anguish to it all the same. He staggered to the ground as an overseer again struck him to the snow, but the adults had come to their senses, and soon the entire valley reverberated with their combined howls.

08 - Fork in the Road

The howl was all-consuming, a fire raging in his chest that was more than just the air in his lungs, more than just the sound ringing in his ears. The sight of the imprisoned diamond dogs had lit that fire like a match to tinder. Finally, regretfully, Rangel felt the howl fall silent, and opened his eyes. The rest of the diamond dogs fell silent as well, and the sounds of the world rushed back in.

“Damnit Rangel, what in God’s name were you thinking?” Spade hissed, tossing his head. “Diamond, what’s going on down there?”

“Looks like a couple of ‘em are goin’ airborne, sir!” Diamond called back, his wings half-spread. “We gotta get scarce, right the hell now.”

“Alright. Move out, Cards. You too, um, dogs.” Spade wasted no time in half-pushing Rangel into the cave, the other ponies and diamond dogs following hurriedly after. Once inside the tunnel, they pressed themselves out of sight and held their breath. A pair of shadows passed by the opening, warbling shrieks causing everyone to press even more against the stone. The shadows continued on, and after another few minutes everyone relaxed.

Spade swung his glare back to Rangel. “I have had it with your behavior lately, Rangel. You need to control yourself, or you’re going to put this entire mission in jeopardy!” He stamped his hoof angrily as he and Rangel stood hoof to paw, both refusing to back down.

Fido growled and moved toward Spade, paws extended to grab him, when a literal wall of muscle interposed itself. “Don’t even think about it,” Club said calmly as he stared at the slightly taller diamond dog. The two ponies shifted slightly until they stood shoulder to shoulder, while Rover and Spot moved to stand with Rangel and Fido.

Heart glanced back and forth, tail lashing anxiously as he tried to think of a way to resolve this standoff. Across from him, Diamond kept a wary eye on the tunnel opening, though the fluttering of his wings betrayed his nervousness.

“I’m going to tell you how it is, Rangel,” Spade said, tapping a hoof on the ground. “We have our orders. If even one griffon escapes that camp, we’ve failed. We need to find out more information about what’s going on here in Scythion-”

“And what if the start of that answer is in that camp, Spade?” he retorted. “We won’t find answers by hiding and watching from a distance, we have to take action! For Christ’s sake, they were beating slaves, Spade! We’re supposed to stand for better than that. I swore I’d stand for better than that after St Louis!” Rangel was shouting in English by the end, his eyes hot with anger.

“We have our orders, Rangel. If you refuse to follow them, you’re not only putting the team at risk, but you’ll be considered AWOL!”

“I fuckin’ might as well be!” Rangel snapped before he turned about and stormed off, the rest of the diamond dogs warily following.

“Sir, Rangel does have a point-” Heart started, only to quail under the glare Spade shot his way.

“Not now, Heart.” Spade snorted irritably and trotted to the other side of the cave. Club followed him, and the two began whispering to each other.

“Diamond?” Heart asked weakly, looking to him for support.

“Look, Heart...” he sighed, “I got to keep eyes on the sky, there’s still griffons out there.”

“R-right,” Heart replied. He stood there awkwardly, trying desperately to think of a way to resolve the mess they’d found themselves in. Finally, he made his decision and turned, ears alert despite his nervousness.

Fido looked up as Heart approached, his lip curling up in a slight snarl. “What pony want?”

“I... I want to talk to Rangel, err... your alpha,” Heart finished weakly, forehoof pawing at the rough stone.

“Fido, let him through,” Rangel said without turning. “What do you want, ‘Heart’?”

The slight edge on his name wasn’t lost on the unicorn, who took a few hesitant steps forward, giving Fido and Rover each a worried glance. “Well, I just wanted to try to talk to you-”

Rangel cut him off with a curt shake of his head. “Do you mean it, or is Spade just trying to figure out how serious I am about liberating the camp?”

“No, I’m just here to talk to you.” Heart cautiously trotted closer. “Look, I know things have been kind of tense since the wyvern attack...” he decided to simply ignore Rangel’s huff of derision and press on, “and I wanted to try to understand your side of things.”

Rangel glanced over at Heart, and started to tell him to fuck off when he felt a tug on his arm. He looked down at Spot, the shorter dog staring firmly at him. “What?”

“Alpha must calm self. It right to be angry at seeing other packs enslaved. But alpha must remember to be strong both outside and inside. Pack cannot, will not survive if it does not work together.” Spot’s tail wagged a little. “Maybe this time alpha include Spot in talk?”

Rangel couldn’t help but smile a little at Spot’s enthusiasm. “Sorry, but not yet.”

Spot scowled, though he cuffed Rangel good-naturedly and turned back to the others. “Alpha just remember promise.”

Rangel shook his head wryly before he looked at Heart. “Alright, so what do you want to talk about then?” He made sure he was speaking English for this. He wasn’t ready for the pack to learn just everything yet, no matter how much it hurt to hide the truth from them.

“Well, I wanted to ask what you meant earlier,” Heart asked quietly.

Rangel glanced at the ground, mind racing. He knew the terms of his deal were supposed to be kept confidential, but with everything that had happened, he had to tell someone. He wanted to wait for the right time to tell the pack, but Heart’s scent told Rangel he was being honest. “Alright, but this stays between us.” He shifted so he was facing Heart and took a breath. “Basically, since I was involved in that shitfest in St Louis, I was given a deal: Test the Canification serum and I get out of prison early.”

“Wait, then that means-”

Rangel cut him off with a quick nod. “Yep. Deployed with the HLF, resigned by shooting my commander when he ordered me to clear a room full of foals. Surrendered to police when it was all said and done.”

“And they still sent you to jail?” Heart asked despite himself.

Rangel shrugged. “Honestly, I expected worse. Desertion and terrorism don’t sit too well with the Army, and usually have one outcome.”

“So then what-” Heart stopped as Rangel lifted a paw.

“It gets better. Part of the deal, so that the US wouldn’t have to admit they recruited a convicted terrorist into the program, was that I couldn’t come back to the US. Well, at least back to my old life. It was pushed pretty hard that I consider taking up residence here in Equestria.”

Heart sat there, stunned for a second. “I... don’t know what to say...”

Rangel huffed. “Don’t say anything. I had the chance to say no. Though with the way things are going, wondering if I should have said it instead.”

Heart shook his head vehemently. “Don’t say that. If you hadn’t, we’d probably all be wyvern food. Or we’d not have found the diamond dogs, and be worse off with anything else that we find here.” He put a hoof on Rangel’s arm, ignoring the warning growls from the other diamond dogs. “Look, the truth is we need you as much as you need us. So I’ve got your back, Steven.”

Rangel stared at him for a second, eyes conflicted. He wanted to stay angry at Heart, but he could both hear and smell the sincerity in his tone. Finally, he shook his head in bemusement. “Alright.” He pushed himself to his paws and motioned for the pack to follow him. He made his way across the cave to stand in front of Spade. “Look Spade, I’m going to liberate that camp, no matter what you say otherwise.”

Spade glowered at him, then snorted in resignation. “Rangel, I appreciate your intention, I do. But this is too risky for the mission. If you go, you’ll be on your own. I can’t risk the whole team on this-”

“Actually, sir...” Heart trailed off as Spade turned his head to look at him, but took a deep breath and continued, “I’m with Rangel on this one. I don’t want to risk the mission either, but I can’t see stuff like that and not do something.”

“Heart, I’m only going to say this once-” Spade started, only to stop as Diamond hurriedly trotted back into the cave.

“Boss, got somethin’ you might be interested in. Took another peek down at the camp and you’re not gonna like what I saw: They got Bloodeye down there.”

Spade whipped his head around. “You’re sure?”

Diamond snorted. “Have I ever been wrong with my spotting? He’s not with the regular prisoners, but they got him all the same.”

Spade was silent as he stared off into space. Finally, he shook his head ruefully. “Can’t catch a break, it seems.” He looked over to Rangel. “Alright then, I suppose we will be liberating that camp. What plan did you have in mind?”

Rangel hesitated. “Well, I was working it out...” He scowled as Spade chuckled. “So what’s your great idea then?”

“Come on Rangel, think this through. We’re looking at a fortress, with only one way in or out. So...” he trailed off, an expectant look in his eye.

“So we’ll just make our own way in,” Rangel replied, his jaw dropping in a wry smile. “I think we can deliver that just fine.” He motioned the other diamond dogs to gather around. “Alright, here’s the plan.” As he explained, the other diamond dogs grinned eagerly, tails wagging in anticipation.

The two griffons unlucky enough to draw the night shift huddled around a small fire, feathers fluffed to ward off the cold.

“Why do we always get stuck with guarding these wastes of meat?” one of the guards said with an irritated clack of his beak.

“Because we’re not Blooded, or because our superiors won’t assign us to a raiding party,” another replied rhetorically. “Look at it this way, if Iron Talons wants to pay us to sit around guarding prisoners, I’m okay with that. Nothing happens out here anyway.”

The first guard opened his beak to reply when there was a dull crack. The guards warbled nervously as they started to reach for their weapons, when the guard barracks swayed slightly and abruptly fell in on itself. A cloud of dust and snow exploded upward as the ceiling broke apart, followed by the walls.

Muffled shrieks could be heard as the sound of crashing wood and stone faded, and once their shock wore off the two griffons started to run forward. They barely made five steps before the ground abruptly caved in, a pair of dirt-stained paws gripped their ankles, and they found themselves up to their necks in the ground. A hulking form heaved itself out of the dirt and glared at them.

“Stay,” Fido growled. A few seconds passed, before he abruptly started laughing. “Ha, stay…”

The overseer had jolted awake at the crash, and was halfway into his armor when a series of sharp snaps rang out. He managed to look down in time to see a circle of cracks form and the floor cave in, sending him falling head over claws into a dark cave only lit by his lantern overhead. As he tried to get his bearings, he realized he wasn’t alone, four blurry figures glaring at him. He blinked rapidly and they swam into focus, and his eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of three ponies and a diamond dog.

“Club, restrain him,” Spade ordered coldly.

Club nodded and strode forward, expression as calm as if he were simply walking along the street.

The overseer smirked as he rolled to his claws. “One pony? And a mere mud pony at that? You must be joking.” He flexed his paws in anticipation before he lunged forward.

Moments later, Rover scratched his head as the spectacle unfolded before him. “Rover admit, he not think leg could bend that way.”

Diamond cringed slightly as the overseer shrieked in pain. “No argument from me there. Think he’s had enough, Boss?”

Spade’s ear flicked as the overseer shrieked again. “I’m only going to ask you once-”

“Please! I surrender!” the overseer howled desperately as Club let up on the pressure. With a snort he reached into his saddlebag and tugged out some rope. A few deft movements later and the overseer was securely tied, including his beak.

“Alright, that’s taken care of,” Spade remarked. “Let’s get going, we need to get Bloodeye and meet with the others.”

The slaves had been startled awake by the sound of the building collapsing, but their chains prevented them from much more than nervous shaking. The sharp cracks of a circular section of floor falling inward only made it worse, with several dogs inadvertently marking new territory.

Tumble stared intently at the gaping hole, eyes wide as a red light began to illuminate the room. A tall, cloaked figure climbed out of the hole, alongside two shorter figures. He sniffed cautiously and recoiled in surprise as he realized that two of them were dogs like him. Something was off about their scents though, and he tilted his head. “Why you here?” he growled softly.

Rangel glanced at the pup in confusion. “We’re rescuing you,” he replied in Stonetongue before he looked at Heart. “Think you can undo their restraints?”

Heart fidgeted. “Yeah, but...” he glanced worriedly at the griffons. “What do we do with them?”

Rangel glanced at them, his eyes cold. “Spot, explain to the dogs that we’re going to get them out of here, and lead them back up the tunnel. Heart, help him get their chains off.”

“Right,” Heart said as he trotted to the nearest diamond dog, Spot following after him. While the dog spoke reassuringly to the prisoner, Heart gripped the bolt in his magic and forced it from the wall. “Whew, they stuck these things in tight. Gimme a second here.”

Rangel walked over to the closest griffon and crouched down so they were eye to eye. “Can you understand me?” When he was met with a blank stare, he sighed. “Okay, guess we’re just winging it.” He put a finger to his mouth, then pointed to the tunnel. “You understand?” He repeated the gesture and the griffon nodded emphatically. “Alright, hold still.” He tugged the bolt free and carefully undid the chains, taking a step back as the griffon stretched its wings. They stared at each other for a moment, each sizing the other up before the griffon turned and started to release the others.

Rangel watched him for a second, then turned toward the pup he’d talked to before. “Alright, stay still, I’ll let you go.”

“Not trust griffons,” Tumble growled, his eyes fixed on the freed griffons. “They kill us at first chance. Should leave them.”

Rangel stared at him, then shook his head. “Sorry, but I don’t leave prisoners to starve.” He pulled the bolt from the wall and started to unravel the chain. “Once we’re free, they’ll be told to go south, out of our way.”

Tumble stared at Rangel, his eyes narrowed. “And where you going?”

Rangel thought it over for a second, then shrugged. Just telling him a rough direction wouldn’t give much away. “North.”

Tumble blinked. “You crazy.”

“So, Boss,” Diamond remarked with a snort as he looked at the now-crowded cave, “still think this was a good idea?”

Spade sighed. On one side of the cave, Rangel and the other diamond dogs tended to theirs, while on the other side, Heart and Bloodeye saw to the griffons. However, both sides were starting to give each other pointed looks, and the atmosphere was rapidly becoming hostile. He finally made up his mind and trotted toward the griffons “Alright Bloodeye, I need you to translate for me.” At Bloodeye’s nod he took a deep breath. “We’re going to release you on the condition that you go south. It’s pretty clear that whoever imprisoned you will be coming to find out what happened here.”

Bloodeye rapidly spoke, a chorus of warbles answering him as the other griffons crowded forward. He finished and turned back to Spade. “They will go south, my village will see to hiding them. I need to go with them-”

“I’m sorry, but I need you to stay with us,” Spade said sharply. “We need someone who knows the local language, to interrogate him.” He indicated the captured overseer with his head, who brooded silently under Club’s care. “And you owe me the truth about what’s going on here in Scythion.”

Bloodeye glared at him, but after a few seconds seemed to crumble. “Alright, I’ll tell you everything. But you must promise to do what you can to help.”

“We’ll see what you have to say, then I’ll tell you what we can and cannot do,” Spade replied with a grunt.

Across the cave, the diamond dogs were huddled around Spot, the diminutive troll gesturing wildly as he explained the situation. Well, the situation as he saw it, anyway.

“And so Spot tell alpha of course diamond dogs know how to pick good gem!” Spot concluded with a barking laugh as the other dogs joined in.

“Alright, alright, knock it off, Spot,” Rangel grumbled.

Spot waved a paw dismissively and turned back to the others. “Anyway, Rangel pack go north, where dogs go?”

Rangel took a step forward, that feeling of emptiness starting to return, albeit weaker than it had before he’d found Spot and the others. “Any dog who wants a little payback can join me. I would bet that there’ll be more of those camps

A larger dog, skin loose on his frame from deprivation, took a step forward. “Granite take his pack to the Dawnward Rise. Other dogs there. We hide, we go deep. Griffons not follow.” The other dogs started muttering agreement, with several moving to stand next to him. He tilted his head and gave Rangel an appraising look. “You should follow. Yapper Ten-Howls could use pack like yours.”

“Well-” Rangel started to reply, only for Bloodeye to cut him off.

“Wait a minute, did he just say Yapper?” Bloodeye seemed torn between honest curiosity and nervousness.

“Yeah, what about it?” Rangel asked irritably.

“He’s one of the strongest alphas in the north. There’s a huge reward from Iron Talons for proof of death, even more for his capture,” Bloodeye said animatedly, only to quail as the assembled dogs growled in unison. “I’m not interested in capturing him, that’s suicide! Just saying...” he trailed off nervously and took a few steps back. “He’s also been opposing Iron Talons for as long as I know, so he probably has even more information on what’s going on here in Scythion than I do.”

“Well, what do you think, Boss?” Diamond asked. “This is getting pretty off-mission here.”

Spade looked around the cave, everyone staring back expectantly. “I want the rest of you on your way first. Then you and I are going to sit down and have a talk, Bloodeye.”

09 - Digging for the Truth

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10 - Unearthing Hope

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11 - Underground, Under Pressure

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12 - Fire in the Hole

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