Rescue Process (9) (Patreon)

Thomas wasn't exactly fond of mountaineering. 

He knew enough to do it competently—he still remembered his years in the boy scouts, and all the proper techniques they taught for traveling. He knew how to keep his footing, how to see the signs of an unstable path, and where to look for water while at altitude. He could start fires, boil water for drinking, and dig latrines.

Somehow, he didn't think the ones who wrote his scout handbook, or signed off on his merit badges, ever imagined he would use those skills to save a group of desperate refugees, fleeing underground captivity to evil dogs.

Several diamond dogs had escaped into the underground, to whisper stories of the rebellion they'd just experienced. The Alpha would return, bringing the remainder of the fighting-strength canines to recapture them. Or worse, get revenge.

A single night's sleep was already a significant gamble—long enough that a message could reach the alphas. By the time they set off that morning, it was with the knowledge that the diamond dogs could very well be just behind them.

Confinement and surprise were powerful allies—they were probably the only reason their little rebellion was successful. If the dogs found them on the trail, they would have neither of those weapons. If that happened, they might all be recaptured—or just shoved off the mountain to their deaths.

One thing was certain: the diamond dogs would know just how dangerous humans were, and how fiercely they would fight for their freedom.

Thomas was not chosen to carry the injured. Useless as they were during the fight, a number of equestrians had signed up for that task and rotated between each other every few hours. At least they were all on the same side.

Fortunately, Marked Pattern was right in his impression of the location. Before the Alpha could return—before the sun had even fully set—they saw the glow of electric lights coming from the valley below. 

“Follow the trail,” Pattern said, pointing. He still kept his distance from Thomas and the other former humans. “It's only a few more hours that way. They might already see us.”

They did, as it turned out. Ten minutes later, an exhausted pegasus landed on the path in front of them, wearing a set of golden armor and carrying an actual spear. The stallion didn't draw the weapon, only looked them over with confusion on his face. “Where did you all come from? Was there an airship crash?”

“Captives of a diamond dog mine,” Shauna said. “We were slaves. Fought our way out. As you can see, we have injured.”

“Oh.” The armored pegasus shifted in place, then took off. “If you're strong enough to keep walking, you should! Motherlode only has a few constables—but there should be some safety in numbers. I'll let everypony know you're coming. We should be able to open up city hall for you.”

He took off again in a rush, leaving them standing alone and confused on the trail.

“You heard him,” Shauna said. “We have to reach that village. If we can get there before nightfall, that would be best. I don't like the idea of hiking in the dark.”

“Lots of hungry ponies here,” Pattern muttered. “Nopony's giving up. But this would be a lot easier if we stopped. We must be far enough away by now.”

“Not a chance,” Thomas said, standing beside Shauna. “Dogs have great endurance, and they have great night vision. I'm not going back into the mine so close to rescue.”

Mutters of agreement passed through the crowd. Not all were on his side, but many were. Even those ponies that wanted to make camp somewhere looked uncomfortable when the group began to move without them. Cowards or not, these ponies wanted to be part of a herd. 

They were all exhausted. Lin barely kept pace with him, her wings dragging along the ground beside her and eyes glazed over. He might've offered to carry her, if he wasn't still overwhelmed from the fighting. Besides, if ponies weren't already talking about them, that would do them in for sure.

More than once, Thomas's senses focused on the trail behind them. Were those canine claws scraping on the rock? Had that been the bark of a dog, loping down the mountain towards them?

If it was, their former masters never got close enough for him to see, or smell. Just as his strength was nearing exhaustion, their hooves left the trail and settled onto firm cobblestone paths. Warm orange light glowed out from homes, clustered on either side of a single main road. Ponies emerged from within, each one carrying trays of... food.

The smell might as well have been a magic spell of its own, revitalizing him as nothing else could. Thomas straightened, walking proudly near their leader now. Even Lin looked better.

The armored pegasus was nowhere to be seen, replaced with a disorderly band of ponies of all three tribes. “Everypony left their spare blankets and things in city hall,” said someone else, an older mare with sharp features and coal dust on her coat. “Hopefully it's enough. Almost as many of you as there are ponies in our village.”

It could not possibly be enough food to fill the aching stomachs of their escaping band. Even before the fight, their captors barely fed them enough to keep them alive through such demanding labor. The fight and expedition down had taken its toll.

“We have injured,” Shauna said, pointing. “That's the first priority. This much travel was very hard on them. But we had to get down here... couldn't take the chance of the diamond dogs following us.”

The pony looked them over, obvious worry on her face. “We have...  a little clinic. Patch is expecting injured. Go ahead and bring them that way. We'll do what we can. But if they're seriously hurt, they'll need to be moved somewhere bigger. We don't have a lot of wounded in Motherlode.”

They didn't need Thomas's help. By miracle or just a little good luck, he'd escaped the rebellion with only minor scrapes and bruises. At least some of that good fortune might have a more explainable cause: magic.

He said as much over dinner, when Lin joined him, Night, and Ethan at their table. “I swear it wasn't just picking up the weapon. When I was fighting, there was this...” He gestured with a hoof, moving it through the air in front of his horn. “Force? Hard to explain.”

“You're a unicorn,” Night said, flat. There weren't many native-born ponies willing to get anywhere near them, now that they'd fought and killed. But she actually helped with the escape. They weren't all spineless. “You can levitate things. Hold them, push or pull them—everypony knows that. It's the other kinds of spells that aren't as well understood.”

Lin pecked at her plate. Even a day later, the pegasus hadn't quite regained her appetite. “Is that what it felt like? Things getting pushed away from you?”

He nodded slowly. “When they got close. A dog swung at me with a mace, saw the spikes coming right down for my head—but it stopped. Bounced off nothing. Wasn't even the only time.” None of the other instances were quite as dramatic. “I'd be at that clinic now with the others, or worse. Magic saved my life.”

“Wish we could've helped more,” Ethan muttered. His own plate was completely empty, and he was eyeing up the big trays in the center of city hall.

The space was obviously the biggest building in Motherlode, a multipurpose civic building with chairs and tables and a little classroom in back. He could imagine weddings, funerals, and elections all taking place in here, with various simple decorations hung on the walls to give it a little flavor. 

Now it was his shelter. They would sleep on threadbare blankets on the floor tonight, but it would still be a floor. 

“You helped,” Lin said. “And we got out. There's no reason to try and change anything when it works.”

The young pegasus muttered something under his breath, not quite an acknowledgment.

Thomas nodded, touching his leg briefly around the colt's shoulder. “You weren't old enough to be charging out there and risking your life. What would your parents think?”

Ethan pushed him away, glaring. “I might not have got to see my parents again. You're just lucky you didn't need me fighting. I'm strong enough!”

“No one said you weren't.” Thomas lowered his hoof again, so the teenager could get his distance. “But it's over now. We won't have to fight again, right? Equestria's a safe place.”

“Very,” Night said. “Usually. No country is perfect. Sometimes bad things still happen to good ponies. Just not as bad as what we went through—when the princesses find out, it'll be huge. The Golden Army will trample down that mine and make sure no monsters do anything like this ever again.”

Thomas nodded along. “Like she said. No more fighting. It's all a victory lap from here.”

“I hope so.” Lin wasn't watching them anymore—her attention was across the room, where Marked Pattern spoke with Mayor Pine near a window. With every word, the old villager seemed more intimidated by the ponies gathered inside. “Equestrians don't seem to like us very much. They can't seriously think we're dangerous to you, Night. We broke everyone out!”

“You did,” Night agreed. “But it was... bloody. Everypony wants to be free, but nopony wants to pay the price. Bats remember that, even if the others don't.”

“Lin?” Someone tapped on the table, getting them all to look up. It was Winston, looking a little worse for wear. He wasn’t hurt badly enough to need a trip to the clinic, but there were still fresh bandages across his back. He would probably have a mean scar when it was all said and done. “Got a minute?”

“I...” She looked up, and her ears folded back. “Something wrong?”

“No.” He took a single nervous step back, hooves loud on the wooden floor. “Just thought you might want to come look at something with me. Not sure how long the view will last. Looks like there's fog rolling in.”

“She doesn't want—” But before Thomas could finish, the pegasus was already standing.

“It's okay.” She waved her wing in his direction. “Find a spot for me, okay? I'm not hungry anyway.” She pushed her plate across the table, until it was in front of Ethan. “You, finish this. Looks like you need it more than I do, anyway.”

She followed Winston from the table, tail swishing nervously back and forth behind her. Thomas watched as they reached the door, then slipped out into the night.

“Didn't have to just sit there, you know,” Night said. She rested her chin on her foreleg, grinning slyly at him. “If you were jealous, you should've gone. Now you'll just brood about it all night.”

He closed his eyes, burying his face in his forelegs. “I'm not jealous. We came through together—we're friends. That's all.”

“Sure, yeah. I believe that. That's why you smell like that. Why she spent every night in your tent. Perfectly reasonable.”

She stood up, puffing out her chest. “If it makes you feel any better, you could find someone else. Drown your sorrows with a pony who's more impressed with your bravery. Pegasi are all like her—flighty. Don't know what loyalty means.”

Was she—no, he was obviously imagining things. If he spent too long looking at Night, he might start noticing all those things he had tried very hard not to. We're going back soon. We've escaped, it's only a matter of time, princess will get the portal back open, and everything will go back to normal.

It didn't matter if he was one of them. Thomas wasn't going home with regrets. “Everything's fine, Night. Whatever you think is between Lin and me, you're wrong. I don't care who she talks to, or... whatever else she does.” He turned his back on the table, head slumped. “I'm gonna get some sleep.”