In The Kingdom Of Hope [Concluded]

"This fight makes for for a rather ill fitting gauge of that," Luna said, observing Fearful as he snapped through the necks that held the resistance of tree trunks. Now, they numbered only three through which all the available magic ran. "This all feels like a somewhat half hearted distraction than a genuine attempt to halt our progress."

"Three is the magic number," Mittere said. "Mr Market spoke of its importance. Luna." Mittere flinched as another of the phantoms was struck. "I need you to listen to me. Fearful, keep going as you are, but avoid breaking a sweat, I will have this over soon in the time you provide for us." Luna was displeased, but she imbedded her weapon into one of the phantoms, which it ate with little consequence, and moved back to Mittere in order to cooperate with her. She was confident Fearful and the rest of the guards could finish things up if they really wanted to.

The stallion gave Blade a curious and confused look as he spoke. The revelation of a language barrier caused the enthusiasm he had to deflate a little. He looked upwards pointing to the sky before he drew a picture in the sand. The sun shining down upon a line meant to represent the earth, before drawing an arrow of the sun's movement from midday to sunset before looking at the pony with questioning eyes. The strange pony then wrote out a number in old but this time recognisable numerals. It was a largish number at four figures, but it seemed totally random if Blade didn't understand the context.

"We start by making things better, or perhaps not. Celestia cared. So much so that she lost sight of many other things,” Mittere said. "I guess I cannot put this effort off much longer. I care too. I am doing it with your’s and the world’s best interest in mind, really." Celestia was being much crueler than she was going to be, she didn’t have the heart to kill ponies outright, going for the slow method was just not fair to those who were going to die anyway. The point of a slow death was to give hope, but none was to be found here. Mittere closed her eyes and winced as she brought the sun in a better position. "If I were to walk a dark path Mr Market, one time and never again, in order to bring light to the future, would you walk it with me? You need to do anything against your will, but you would be more than helpful to have with me.” She was being vague, but being completely forward would not do. He'd never get him to side with her that way.

Sugary agreed in some ways, but he still mostly felt like things were wrong. That things should not be this way. He also noticed that Mittere was doing... something. He wasn't sure what she was up to, but he found it suspicious given the topic between them. It seemed he needed to come to a critical decision. "... I think you ought to remember what we spoke before in private? About how I might be willing to make and carry on with harsh choices, but only if there was no other way...? I'll go to hell and back with you if things truly turn out better, but I'll be the first obstacle down your path if you're just doing it because it's easier..." And he meant every word. Their time at the shower wasn't just to remind him that she might off him herself, but that he might be the one to off her instead if the situation went truly sour. "... What exactly is it you're trying to do?"

Fearful chuckled softly and tore the head off of another phantom. "Well Luna, I stand by my word. As for you Mittere, I'm not going to follow your orders. I will however continue to tear the heads off these phantoms as I find it quite cathartic. Normally I would come up with a plan of some description, but there is little point in this instance. What did you have in mind Mittere?" He asked as he continued to tear apart the phantoms around him with indifference.

Blade glanced at the Sun and to the sand, trying to figure out what the stallion was drawing. All he could piece together was that in four periods of times, hopefully hours, was when the Sun down and something bad was going to happen. Yet, this piece of information just gave the guard even more questions though he nodded to single he understood. He glanced at the path the Sun would have to follow to set and again wasn't really sure what was going to happen then. If the stallion didn't illustrate or use some other way in explaining as to why the setting Sun was so bad, outside of possibly freezing to death. That fact was something that was pushed onto the backburn er of the stallion's mind since the burn's on the stallion was not caused by the cold, and caught a couple obvious glances from Blade.

"If you refuse to listen to me then my plan is wasted on your ears. You continue as you said you would." Mittere was sure that if Fearful thought of a plan it would be brilliant and clever, but he had not offered one, so she quietly briefed Luna and her grandson on her plan whilst fearful did something that was hopefully useful.

This time Fearful would have no luck this time trying to use physical force to overpower the phantoms. Now that their number had been diminished so much, they held enough magic to keep them firmly together in a adhesive pony form. Fearful had made himself a target with this behaviour. The phantom removed the spear Luna had placed in it and began to turn it against Fearful, unleashing a series of powerful slashes imbued with violent energy. This magic was taxing on the phantom however, and it was left weaker for it.

The pony spoke again, ending their sentence on a higher note. He pointed to himself, before kicking away his previous drawing in the sand for a new one. He drew an image of the sun once more this time showing a ball circling it. He pointed at himself again before drawing the same numerals again, before drawing a line for Blade to give an answer himself. He’d do his best to avoid looking into Blade’s eyes when he caught him glancing at the wound. It was certainly odd.

“To take the hard way…” Mittere said with a sigh. “I want to look after ponies now Celestia is gone, but I am unsure if they will have me. I feel I am betraying you by using this situation to take power, but after Celestia I feel I am the only one I can trust to not snap.” She let her wings flare out a she made connection with the sun, it still felt like Celestia’s, her imprint all over it. The sun pulled back, not in a visible way, but in a way that could certainly be felt by all. Sugary would be able to recognize the feeling as the heat died down and his armour felt slightly of a burden to his shoulders, though he was likely still warm in the thing. “When the guards come for me, will you stop them with me? I would never wish to hurt you, seeing us fight after everything would be too much.” Sugary certainly wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to the mind of his precious mate.

((Fate defied...?))

Even in a false location that pretended to be real, one thing was completely genuine. Sugary's devotion to the cause would not be deterred in any way, shape or form until he breathed his last, or the mission was a success. His feelings towards the decision made by a false being would be very real as he felt a dangerous weight lifting off of his shoulders as things slowly cooled down once more.

He took in a deep breath as he composed himself further and saw the lone form of his unusual mate on the throne that didn't belong to either one of them. And it was at this point that he moved a bit closer still to her as he spoke tiredly once the air didn't feel as oppressive. "... Remember what we discussed before we left Khepri? About what we should do in the worst case if we ever did end up bringing Celestia down from power? I said I'd do my best to aid you if you took her role... That I would remain by your side to make sure the damages were mended, and changes happened as smoothly as we could manage to settle things down again... I'm pretty sure that still applies now. I'll stay right here and fight off anyone not willing to talk this over..." He then sat down slowly near her, smiling a bit nervously under the helmet. "... Of course, I hope things go smoothly. I don't think I have it in me to fight off an entire army right now... I could use a rest." And so he sat close to Mittere, his view switching between the main entrance, and herself. There wasn't much else he could do at the moment except remain loyal to his convictions, which just so happened to include loyalty to a would-be-mate both professionally and intimately, as well as any others that just wanted the nightmare to end once and for all...

Fearful sighed and glanced at Mittere. "Fine, I will follow your orders. Now tell me your P-" He paused, the phantom having planted the spear in his throat. He stared at it for a moment, his blood dripping over the spear and onto the ground as his eyebrow slowly raised. Grabbing the spear in one hoof, he tore it out of his throat with a gag and spat out some more blood. He spun the spear in his hoof and jabbed at the phantom in return, hoping to kill it in its weakened form. If that failed, he would grab the phantom, attempt to tear its wings off, then throw it into the room, all the while his blood dripped from the hole in his throat.

Blade was confused as he pondered about what the stallion actually meant. The numbers weren't apart of time, but instead a circle. He looked down at the line and glancing at the stallion with a look that didn't hide his confusion. The stallion began to wonder what the figures actually meant since they seemed to be a number, but the circle reminded him of a planet. The stallion's pupils shrunk to the size of peas as he considered the fact he had been transported to another planet in the matter of seconds. While holding on to the impossibility he held out so that bottom part faced the sky. He worked his magic through to create a small scale replica of the solar system though they would only be orbs of varying sizes, connected by circles. He hovered the fourth planet up and pointed towards the stallion, somewhat hoping he would simply be confused while hoping he was right at the same time. If he confirmed that Blade was right, he would lift the third planet

A similarly sized hole to the one in Fearful was made in the phantom, which quickly expanded the deeper that it went. This time it felt all the effects, and was reduced to a very poor and useless state, like most ponies would in such a situation. The phantom was incapable of giving resistance, or even making anypony aware of its pain as a wing was being torn. This prompted Mittere into action. "Now," she ordered, fighting a creeping headache from the phantom's wounds.

Luna’s eyes may have softened their glance looking over Fearful, but she was firmly focused on the task at hand. The three ponies mustered what magic they could get around the suppression and leveled it at the portal. The three sets of force confused the portal and l caused it to short out, making magic magic a freely usable tool once more.

Mittere was fast to level spells at the phantoms, exploiting the link between them and using it to assimilate their power, which was hers to begin with. As the phantoms faded into vapours in the  cold air,  she felt better than ever, but retaining this much power was going to be taxing. This power boost, by way of her personality formula was likely to bring with it a new layer of haughtiness. "I do not think we should press forward straight away. We do not know the fate of Mr Market."

"Or my sister..." Luna said, though her gaze and concerns were more with Fearful. She did not wish to approach him because of the blood. She didn’t mind the mess too much, but if it could be avoided there was no sense in not doing so. "Fearful, are are you alright? Don't speak or nod, just blink. Twice for yes." The princess awaited two blinks from him, not even informing him of the alternative.

Mittere knew it would at least keep him quiet, and was not all that worried for his safety. If  the way he acted was any evidence then he took hits like that in the same way other would stepping on glass, or something equally non severe. Maybe it made him hurt and well up in rage, but long term damage wasn’t really a likelihood in her eyes.

The stallion watched patiently as Blade used his magic, though he took a step back for safety.He pointed to the third planet and nodded. He drew the clock face that resembled one of a sundial and moved his hoof counter clockwise in the circle. A nod was what greeted him when he pointed to the fourth planet, as well as the pony giving a few firm downward stamps to emphasize the answer. How Blade would react to that answer the pony was unsure, but it made them a little nervous. It wasn’t his fault, but angry ponies sometimes did things, and Blade was a unicorn, giving him more options than most.

"Thank you Mr Market, this means a great deal to me." Mittere looked at the crown to the side of the throne. They'd be wanting it back. "I fear that they may misunderstand my intentions. A bloodied pony and several bodies would often lead to a quick conclusion. They may not wish to talk after seeing their beloved princess' fate. If that happens we will need to utilise our every advantage, as we are not in the best of positions." She eyed the windows. The stained glass panes were beautiful, and some hundreds of years old, they would have to be desperate to break them. “I do not know what to say to them, do you, Sugary? The most inner of her circle in this plan are in no position to side with us if we speak the truth. What can we do?”

Fearful watched as Mittere as absorbed the remaining phantoms with a raised eyebrow before blinking twice at Luna. He raised a hoof and waved it, his blood floating up and forming words in front of him. I am... alright. The wound is not fatal, but even my prodigious powers of healing will not be able to fix it for some time. Fearful let his blood splash against the ground as he released the spell, content to be quiet for a while. He wasn't surprised persay that Luna was worried about him, but it was unexpected at the very least, and to him, very much appreciated.

He sat down, shrugging slowly, having no idea how to find the group taken. He looked around as best he could, without moving his head too much, as if trying to spot them.

Sugary had to admit that Mittere probably did have a point about others holding deadly grudges after all, real or fake as they might be. He was fairly certain that, real or not, they would only be able to put up so much of a fight in their weakened states. So, giving the situation a bit more thought as he looked towards the same windows for other reasons, he spoke once again with a slightly more chipper but weary tone. "... Fair point... Thinking on it now, the whole reason I joined was just to stop the heatwave... If we've accomplished that, we could just ride off into the sunset till things quiet down and start fixing themselves... My airship ought to be working just fine... The sun is yours. I think we... got all we need right now. Even if others complain, it won't change what happened..." His plan was probably nothing more than a simple, if romantic and clichéd sounding, escape from Canterlot and the heat of the aftermath after the feud had been settled in blood. If the world was truly safe, then they had all the right to save their skins for the time being as well. He got back onto all fours, and looked to her with a hoof towards her as if quietly preparing himself to practically have the two of them elope with their lives and the sun.

Blade gulped as he tried to keep calm about his situation. If he had been sent to another planet, there had to be another way. There just had to! He couldn't simply be taken out of the fighting like this. Whatever test or trial he would have to face, he was determined to face it. Right now, he needed answers. He shifted his construct so that the other celestial objects flowed into the third and fourth before numerous arrows pointed towards the third in hopes that it would be taken as to how he got back to his home planet. Deep down he doubted that the stallion knew, but he had to ask and possibly have some hope in helping the others again. Not being there was much worse than not being able to help. Blade would seem calm and being able to take in the information rather well though it was obvious he wanted to get home.

Mittere was rather glad for the quiet caused by Fearful’s injury. That probably made her a bad pony, but she made some effort to hide this slight pleasure by refusing to address the situation at all. She probably could have sealed his wounded, but whyever would she want to do that. It wasn’t as though they were going to be friends or anything, when this was all over she would never have to look him in the eye again. "We should wait. Just a few minutes. I am sure they would all offer us the same courtesy.” Mittere did not desire to give Celestia a compliment, there were some qualities of hers that she could not deny. She was mostly talking about Sugary, and Blade, from what she knew of him.

Luna sat down hard on the cavern floor, giving a slight hiss at the coldness of it. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She looked at Fearful, trying to see the churning emotions flickering across his face. She had chosen to come here, knowing how cruel fate could be, and he’d gone and thrown himself into danger just because she did. She needed her apology accepted so she could quickly move it behind her, as she knew there may not be time later, so it was best closed now.

"Y'know," Diurnae began. "Blade seemed like an alright pony. I can't help but think he'd do well even without us." He felt as though he was the first one to really acknowledge his absence. With all the other special ponies in the room, it would be easy to dismiss him as just another guard, but even if he was that, which wasn’t true, the guard’s all still had feelings, moods and quirks. There was a place for the more common pony in this too. Even Ashen had come this far, and the smaller the pony seemed in the larger picture, the braver and more commendable they were for being a part of it. He found it very hard to express this with words however, so what he ended up say was the result.  

The stallion shook his head. If he had known, why would he be here. He hesitated for a moment afterward as a realisation came to his face. Maybe there was now that he was here. Blade wore armour, so that had to mean he was competent with his magic. The fourth planet was crossed out by the pony before sand was kicked over it. He motioned with a nod of his head for the stallion to follow. The pony found it no easy task to move with the burns, but they were less important right now.  

Mittere rose slowly, walking to Sugary and taking his hoof. "I guess it is just not our time yet. Maybe we can return and explain ourselves one day, but this will be the last time in a great length of time we shall see Canterlot. I just hope things will not get worse still..." She looked to the doors of the throne room, ready to throw them open to make their run for it. Maybe it was a plan founded in a romantic idealism, but it was there for the taking. "Are you ready?" She asked.

Since he was still wearing his armor, Sugary's grip on Mittere was soft, but also uncertain. There were still doubts about where he was right now and why he was there, but all he had going for him was what made sense. "Of course I'm ready. We talk to whom we can, but otherwise just leave right away. I'm only suggesting we run if you're so sure we might have to. No need having others thinking we just stole the sun... But better safe than sorry, right?" He was ready to follow alongside her at any pace necessary, no matter what. If she chose to go out horns blazing, then so be it. He was already involved with a serious matter, and living through it was key from that point on. Plus, he felt he'd find his true goal this way...

Fearful would have chuckled at Mittere, but his ruined throat prevented him from doing so. He frowned at Luna's apology, shaking his head gently. He raised a hoof and gestured, making fresh words out if his blood. This is not your fault Lulu. I came here of my own vocation, and not because of you. Besides, I owe you more than you know... Fearful smiled at her, and the words changed slowly. But, I know you well Lulu. I accept your apology.

He glanced at Diurnae, the words changing again. Blade will pull through. The one I'm worried about is Celestia. There is one spell I could try... Do you want me to use it Lulu? He asked Luna, letting his blood drip slowly onto the ground.

The life seemed to fade from the stallion as he started to realize that he was stuck here. He went to think about how else he could get back, but his mind couldn't come up with anything, his eyes darting around as he thought about it. They focused on the stallion when he kicked the sand and gestured to guide them to some where. Blade smiled, there was a chance! The stallion was ready to start jumping around, but managed to control himself. His eagerness faded once he noticed the pain coming from the wound on the stallion's back. The guard decided to make things a bit easer for the both of them and quickened his pace so that he could be next to the burned stallion. He would bring the construct he was using before to create two ponies sitting on a square while a pegasus seemed to be flying next to them. Hopefully, he would understand that he meant that they could hover on a platform. Blade would simply would turn his construct into a square and toss it a small distance, the thing expanding as it does so, before it lands a few inches of the sand.

“I think minimizing our exposure would be just as effective. We can slow down as we pass through the heart of the city.” Mittere pulled at the door just enough for the two of them to fit through, closing it behind them. No need for anypony walking by to have to see what had happened inside. Mittere called upon her knowledge of the castle as they ran through several halls, pushing herself to stay ahead of Sugary, if only by an inch, in order to guide him. She knew the fastest route that could get them out before information of what happened could circulate properly.

Part of the escape entailed going through an open area of courtyard. Mittere did not care much to look at the greenery or ornamentation however, being more occupied by the group of guards instead, about ten, though she did not count. They seemed to be somewhat ready for their approach.  A regular murderer may not have unnerved them, but two mass murderers were not something they wanted to stand up to. As Mittere stepped forward they quickly broke ranks and backed away. They didn’t need to fight the pair, just contain them until somepony else came. They filed through the doorway at the other side of the courtyard and slammed the large door shut in a panic. Mittere leveled at simple spell at the door to knock it down, but spared herself the effort after she felt the ground ahead of the door flare with a kind of magic, a barrier appearing, visible only by the traces of light it reflected. She was sure she could force it, but after the fight in the throne room she wanted to save her energy. “That is the fastest route. Do we go through or around? Unless you have something you think you can say to them.” Sugary had convinced her to stop doing something she might have regretted, there was a chance he could do the same here. Surely Sugary Market had some skills of the tongue from the art of barter that could be applied here.

"You've done plenty already. I’m sure they shall be fine. It is just a matter of waiting.” Luna sounded confident, nodding to add to this. She began sliding a hoof gently across the ice, letting it slide a little before swing it to do the same to the other side. She was glad her apology had been accepted, even if he had shifted the blame onto himself, which she felt was not correct. She couldn't control what he did however, though that would be convenient at times...

Mittere did not approve of this plan. They’d already given it a few moments, it was not something that could be solved on their end. “The traps have not been all that lethal so far…” she said, still ignoring Fearful, since his wound on another pony might have been cause for concern.  The guards were all a little bit beaten up and shaken up, but they were all fine. "Pushing." She sneezed. Luna’s face wrinkled at that. She didn’t want to catch whatever it was she might have had. "Forward again might not be so bad. Fearful is a big boy, he should be fine to move." She had no idea as to why she was pitching the idea to Luna so much, yet it also made sense to. She could keep the vampire on a leash, as well as get the guards to move. Sugary would have backed her up, and losing that backing was slightly sad.

The act of magic left the stallion in a confused state, but after a blink or two he seemed to understand. This was to work to his benefit. He nodded slowly and moved a little quicker to the square the unicorn had thrown out.  He tilted his body position to the right and left, holding his hooves out as though trying to grab something, his head turned towards Blade while doing so. He wanted to know how he could control the direction the construct would go, though it would likely be hard to miss where he planned to direct Blade once they got started.

Sugary followed along with the lead he was given, constantly alert for any opposition. Only one thing bothered him in the least at the time, and that was the look the guards gave the two of them before they seemingly blocked their path. There was a feeling of guilt, no doubt, but he didn't come that far just to end it all in a whimper. He decided to give diplomacy a try though. If they were being slowed down, perhaps someone was willing to listen in the meantime. "I say we try talking, just this once. But let's try and keep moving anyway... GUARDS!!" He yelled towards the other side in the hopes he'd be heard by anyone while letting Mittere decide their movements. "We're not here to keep fighting! But what's done is done, the feud is over! Now is the time to bring order and peace to the cities and towns! Isn't that what matters most now!?"

Blade couldn't help, but smile as he stepped onto his construct. The look on the stallion's face was assuming and was a much needed to have Blade ease him. He wouldn't even more his body to slowly raise the construct above the sand dunes in order to get a good look around and hopefully spot wherever they were going, the light of his horn being the only indicator that he was even focusing on the construct itself. In all honesty, a construct like this was simple to create and required very little focus to maintain since it was what he had studied for most of his life.

Fearful watches Luna's hooves calmly, content to wait. He stopped however, to raise an eyebrow before returning his gaze to Luna's hooves. "We... Will... Wait..." He growled out, his words stuttered and cut by his wounded throat. That same throat didn't stop him from summoning a spike of ice under Miterre's chin. "Or... I... Make... You..." He cocked his head and bared his fangs, tempting her to question him. "Those... Three... Would ... Have waited... For you. You will... Wait... For them."

"Oh, Fearful, you can speak again. What wonderful news." There was a false cheeriness to her voice that she made no attempt to hide."And I am sure they might might wait in this situation, but the difference here is that I don't need them. I am only here as a favour to Celestia. So how do you intend to enforce that?" She shifted her wings slightly. "I believe doing what we came here to do to be more important than a single one of you. You are welcome to your own inferior opinion however."

Diurnae winced at that. Mittere was such a kind and loving mare at times. Luna sighed, looking up from her hoof. She had little to weigh into the matter. She wanted to wait for her sister and the rest, but if Mittere wanted to go ahead and trigger any more traps, she was perfectly welcome to for all it mattered to her.

The stallion also held an uneasy face as the platform he was on rose, even though it was fully expected. He pointed with his hoof as he drew an imaginary line from here to their destination. It was a simple natural structure, an outcropping that led into a cavernous area. Its height was the only thing that made it stand out though, as it retained the same foreign color as all of the sand, though it was slightly duller for a more dusty feel. It was not too far away, but for a wounded stallion travelling it could well be considered a long way. The awkward trail his walking on autopilot had made could seen coming from the cavern. He'd been there before, and that could have been the place his burns came from.  

“The threats to the peace will be gone when you decide to stand down!” From the response Sugary had received, they did not seem fond of a compromise where the were the ones doing the giving first by lowering their guard. Celestia probably tried something like that, she was one of the most gentle mares in the world, and look how it had ended for them.

“I believe you need more information before you speak on the matter of our guilt!” Mittere asserted back. She gave a frustrated sigh, There were not making any headway, and they could ill afford to spend any more time of such niceties. “If they wish to cower behind a door, let them." She turned to the left, going through the western exit to the courtyard. She carried on guiding him through halls at a pace which likely aroused suspicion, moving away from the entrance for a short while, but all was part of her plan.  As they went up a floor, they found themselves in a room where large windows made up one side of the hall, letting lots of the afternoon light in. This light did little to obscure the vision of guards approaching. They all had their eyes set forward as they bounded closer, no nervous glances to be had here. Two ponies at the back held weapons which proved their severity; arbalests that were large and heavy, taking up all their back strength in order carry. Meant to pierce through the strongest hide or scale.

“We can beat them back if you like,” Mittere said. “Or we could probably make it out of the window.” That would involve breaking it, but she was greater and more valuable piece of history than some possible fifty year old decorative pane, though she had her biases.

((Great Escape!))

It wouldn't take much for Sugary to quickly agree with Mittere once and for all that it was best to just hightail it out of Canterlot once and for all, lest they went under worse conditions. Having assessed their circumstances, he was already planning to make a move as the guards came their way. "Best to save our strength, they look dead set on stopping us. Let me try one little thing first..." He'd attempt to make use of his Inventory under the assumption it still worked and still held some of the items he had in it: Namely, a flask of flammable oil; Or rather, several of the ones he should still have left over.

Chances were the guards would be quick to react upon his use of magic, so he needed to be quicker as he tossed the flasks rapidly in front of the path of the guards and shot a single small ball of fire towards the broken glass and oil. The resulting strong flames should cover their exit well in the enclosed space against the guards, and once the flames began, he'd be quick to gallop right towards the glass. "Now, Madam! Let's go!!" He'd try to be the one to break through the window first since he had his armor on still, but if Mittere had other ideas, she needed only to act upon them before he broke it with his body and levitated the shards along with him to prevent her from getting cut...

Blade took note of the cave and the tracks leading towards it, making the platform move slowly towards it. What Blade was looking at seemed to be a dragon cave simply because of its size, but ursas lived in large caves. However, ursas normally didn't live in deserts, but lizards did. He would make a small grunt to draw the ponies attention as they started to near the entrance. A small orb came from his construct, leaving a hole in it, and would quickly morph to a dragon head shooting out fire onto a pony. Blade gestured to it and then pointed to the stallion's back. If he nodded then, he would continue and shift the pony into a sword that went through the dragon head before shifting it to the arrows and planets. If not, Blade would simply ponder on it.

As much as Fearful would have loved to simply drive the ice spike through Mittere's throat, he sighed and waved his hoof, the ice melting away. He'd already wasted too much energy trying to speak a few short sentences, and he had lost too much blood. He took a deep breath, the urge to take Luna, to make her his, or to put the ignorant whelp Mittere down was rising inside him, but he quashed it and let out his breath. The flow of blood from his neck slowed, but didn't stop as he stood up. Closing his eyes, he took in another deep breath. Ignorant? Compared to me, she is nothing but a drooling child... I should tear her apart... he released his breath and smiled, writing in his blood.

Then go ahead Mittere. I shall remain here and await the return of our fellows.

Mittere had the perfect opportunity to make a smarmy comment, but being the mature adult mare she was, she opted against it. With the great blessings of the rest of the group, turned around confidently with a flick of her tail and walked out from the room, declaring something about how this was just a casual Sunday afternoon for her.

“Her mere presence is enough to be of aggravation is it not?" Luna said. "She seems to inhabit a world adjacent ours all to herself. I was told that she gets that from her mother, and that she was an overbearing bitch also. She did not have some wings to worsen that effect though." The mare felt some tension leave her as she complained.”She really is not a necessary as he thinks she is. Celestia made a bad call in enlisting her."

“You really don’t like her do you? She didn’t do anything to traumatise you, did she?” Diurnae asked. He wasn't trying to pry at all, he just wanted to know a few things.

“Just write me off as allergic.” was the only reply. There was no implication of an actual answer in the tone. Diurnae was just clutching at straws as to why Mittere seemed to get such bitter reactions out of ponies.

The stallion gave a firm nod about the source of his burn, but when it came to the question of if killing the dragon would send them back, his nod was far less certain. He hoped so, though. The stallion eagerly looked to Blade’s face to see what his reaction to that piece of information was. Determination was what he wanted to see, this unicorn knew his way around magic enough to make things from nothing, A dragon couldn’t be too much.

After Sugary took the first bold step, Mittere followed. She honestly wouldn't have cared if the glass had shattered over her, but his concerns were noted. She herself took to flying out of the window. She wrapped herself around Sugary, guiding him down the point she'd planned. Once they landed it was just a case of getting through one of the smaller gates...

The fire flared up harshly as it reacted with the oil. Beyond the oil however, there was very little in the hall to sustain the fire, so the guards were quick to smother the flames. With the fire now somewhat controlled, the two back ponies ran  to the front so they could make a shot out of the broken window. The sound of the weapons tension was loud enough to be heard even from Sugary's distance. The bolt went directly through Mittere's wing, leaving a large exit wound that tore away a large part of her wing, meaning her balance was less than stable. The wound only bled from a few spots, but Mittere had to tense in order to keep the bleeding slow. A sensitive spot like the wings hurt, but they were hardly vital. This did however mean she had a much greater dependence on Sugary as she fell almost uncontrollably, not having enough lift to keep herself up or even controlling her fall to a soft landing