"Alright, start searching. I want to know what the monsters are up to," Spitfire orders landing on a building.
"Yes sir," the three mares and stallions say together before they take off a bit and head off in different directions to find any signs.
"With most of us here, we should find some signs," Spitfire says looking around.
Fleetfoot hums as she flies around before seeing the settlement and heads straight for it; landing inside and looks around. "Excuse me, you know anything about…?" Fleetfoot stops as the guard just pass her by. "No one ever stops," she says to herself before seeing a group eating at a table. "Excuse me?" she calls out walking up.
"Hello, cute thing," Trial greets.
Fleetfoot frowns. "Quiet. I am just looking for any information about the collapsed building."
"Which one?" Trial asks as he goes back to examining his wing.
"The big one that collapsed a while ago in the past few days," Fleetfoot says raising an eyebrow.
"Didn't that dog take out a big piece of the central support?" Trial asks Sentire.
"That's what he said," Sentire says eyeing the meat sticks carefully as she still isn't used to eating meat yet.
"So why do you ask cute stuff?" Trial asks.
"Because we are investigating the reason behind it. Plus if any monster nests are getting active," Fleetfoot explains.
"Thinking of taking them out?" Trial asks moving his wing back a little suggestively to only her P.O.V.
"Making sure they aren't going to attack here. If they are, we might have to," Fleetfoot says frowning at the thought.
"What about you personally? You doing anything later?" Trial asks making her blush.
"Um…no. I would be busy," Fleetfoot says unsure.
"You sure?" Trial says tempting her.
"Um…well…" Fleetfoot starts before Leone smacks Trial across the head.
"Hey. Don't embarrass the girl," Leone scolds before playfully grinning at Fleetfoot. "So you free later?"
'Oh, want to do her?' Trial thinks as Sentire watches this interested.
"Maybe. She looks sexy. And that suit is really helping along," Leone says grinning at how thin Fleetfoot is in the skinsuit.
"You want one?" Trial asks.
"Would I look sexy in it for you?" Leone asks giggling.
"Yes," Trial says as Fleetfoot tried to sneak away to not get embarrassed again.
"Then yes. I would like one…where did she go?" Leone asks looking around.
"She ran off. Shall we leave?" Trial asks.
"Not going to get much done while we are here," Sentire says getting up and grabbing her bag.
"You think we might run into more?" Leone asks grabbing Sentire's plate and eating everything on it.
"Who knows?" Trial says.
Sentire hums as they head for the main gate. "Now where do we head next?"
"Wherever the wind takes us," Trial says.
"In other words, no idea," Leone says smiling as she follows.
"Do you?" Trial asks.
"Nope," Leone says smirking.
"There's your answer," Trial says as they head out of the settlement as Sentire looks around one last time.
"Nothing," Spitfire says in disbelief.
"And no found nests acting up that much," Rainbow says landing beside her.
"I found a few…burning," Glide says.
"Did the settlement do it?" Spitfire asks looking at her.
"The way they look, they do not have the horsepower," Fleetfoot informs.
"So it looks like something else is going on. We are going to have to find this and maybe use it. Who knows? We could kill off more nests with it," Spitfire says thinking out loud before an explosion is heard on the other side of the ruins.
"Or we could follow that," Glide says pointing.
"You can feel the heat," Fleetfoot says.
"A lot of it. Permission to check out?" Rainbow asks.
"Granted for all of us," Spitfire says.
"I got to say, this boar, not too bad," Trial say as they ate the meat of a boar they roasted in a forest.
Leone nods eagerly as she ate a whole slab while Sentire slowly pokes her meat on a stick. "You got the rump Trial?" Leone asks with her mouth full.
"I got the ribs," Trial informs.
"I got the rump," the dog says biting into the carcass near them.
"Here, have the heart," Trial says throwing it up for him to try and catch it on its way down.
"Oh boy!" the dog cheers and jumps up and bites down on it. "Mmmm…bloody."
"Fattening up the emergency food, huh?" Leona asks the smirking Trial.
"Yeah. We are going to run out soon enough," he says biting down on a piece of rib.
"Sentire, they are putting me on the menu again," the dog whines.
"Why should I care? You had me on the menu," Sentire shot back.
"What do you think, roasted or a stew?" Trial asks smirking.
"I say stew. I want some soup with some flesh," Leone says grinning.
"I missed you Leone," Trial says before hugging her again.
Leone giggles and hugs him back. "Missed you too hubby."
"Hubby?" Sentire asks looking up.
Trial still smiles. "Yeah. Hubby. She is mine after all," he says hugging Leone tightly.
"You're married?" Sentire asks.
"No, but we do screw," Leone says happily.
"Oh…that's something," Sentire says now missing something like that.
"Come on my lioness. Time to rest," Trial says.
"Aw. But I want to stay up," Leone whines grabbing him.
"I am going to rest as well," Trial says carrying her along.
"Aw!" Leone whines loudly.
"Shh. We get to sleep together," Trial informs.
"Oh. Okay then," Leone says happily being carried off to their side of the camp.
"Don't keep us awake," the dog says.
"Go find something to hump then," Trial says over his shoulder as Sentire lays down on the log she is sitting on.
"The trail of destruction leads this way," a feminine voice says.
Sentire quickly opens her eyes and picks herself up to look around as she grips the scythe that was nearby her.
"No, you think Rainbow?" a male voice asks sarcastically.
"Oh, shut up. You didn't even see it," Rainbow shot back.
"Wings beating. They are pegasi," Leone says.
"Oh. Maybe it's the sexy one," Trial says grinning.
"Let's see," Leone says getting up.
"Nope. But she did come with friends," Sentire says standing as well toward the approaching suited pegasi.
"So what?" Trial asks.
"Are you always this cynical?" Sentire asks sarcastically.
"Uh-oh. Someone is going to have some fun messing with them," Leone says smirking.
Sentire rolls her eyes as a group of pegasi lands before them; Sentire now noticing that the dog has slipped away. "Yes?"
"Oh, hey. It is here and she brought three cute friends," Trial says smiling.
Fleetfoot blushes. "Um…captain? This is the guy who kinda came onto me."
"...really?" she asks unconvinced.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Fleetfoot asks a little disgruntled.
"Nothing…nothing," Spitfire says rolling her eyes to where she doesn't see it.
"So what brings you here…or are you following us cutie?" Trial teases.
Fleetfoot frowns. "Following a trail of destruction."
"Is that a boar over a fire?" one of the stallions asks.
"Yeah. And you can't have a bite," Trial warns shaking a fist at him. "Ladies are welcome to it though," he says calming down and bringing his fist down.
"Okay. What is going on?" Spitfire asks raising an eyebrow at him.
"I like mares," Trial says simply.
"Not the right information," Spitfire says frowning.
"What do you want to hear?" Trial asks.
"What the heck is going on? First a collapsed building, then the nest burning, and now this," Spitfire says counting off the trouble.
"Good times," Trial says.
"Not to us. You are making us waste our time with all this," Spitfire argues frowning.
"You also know you are being followed, right?" Trial asks.
"Followed?" Spitfire asks as the rest of them look behind themselves.
"Yeah. That tree wasn't there before," Trial says as the opening they came through was now blocked by a said tree and its branches.
"How did we…" Spitfire starts before they all jumped away as a root crashes down where they were.
"Leone, you want to take this one or should I or our friend here take it?" Trial asks.
"Well, she hasn't fought yet. Let's see how she does against a hulking tree," Leone says smiling and leaning against him.
"What?!" Sentire cries out before diving to the side; the branch missing her by a few feet. "You want me to fight that?!"
"Good luck," Trial says eating the boar with Leone once again.
"You have to…" Sentire stops as a shadow covers her. Looking up, a large root is ready to crash onto her. "Ok…" Sentire says and grips her scythe before moving to the side as it comes crashing down. "I'm so going to slice them soon."
Trial scarfs down a large piece and kept watching Sentire move around and try to slice at the trunk. "You think she knows the weak point?"
"Not a chance," Leone says.
"Get ready to jump in if she needs help," Trial informs.
"Aw. But I want to see her ass get beaten," Leone whines hugging him.
"We can't let her die," Trial reminds.
"You're no fun," Leone pouts cutely to him.
"Part of the job. So sure you don't want any of this?" Trial asks.
"Nah. Kinda full," Leone says happily patting her stomach.
"What about my fellow fliers?" Trial asks.
"The fiery one looks good enough. The silver-haired and rainbow-colored seem good picks," Leone says counting them off.
"I meant do they want anything," Trial says.
"Looks like, but they are distracted by the fighting," Leone says seeing a branch come down onto Sentire. Having a root crash on top of her as she tries to hold it up painfully with her scythe blade and handle over her shoulders.
"Seems that training I did with her is worth something. Even if it isn't too much offensively," Trial says.
"Doubt she is ready fully though based on this," Leone says holding up her strip of meat up to him.
"Real life experience will do her good," Trial says before fanning the smell of the roasted boar to the wonderbolts.
"You guys smell that?" Fleetfoot asks as they kept watching the fight and how the mare was trying to slice off the root and branches as best she can.
"Yes…we haven't eaten since Ponyville yesterday as well," Rainbow adds.
"Permission to eat?" the stallion asks carefully.
"No stallions!" Trial calls.
"Denied," Spitfire says frowning to the rest of the wonderbolts.
"Mares invited…the boar has been roasted to when it is both tender and filling," Trial calls, making all their stomachs rumble.
"Sir…?" Glide starts.
"One more little push?" Trial asks smirking to Leone as Sentire manages to take off a branch.
"Oh, yeah…what about some clothes?" Leone asks reaching for her shirt.
"For the mares. Any stallions approach, defend the food," Trial says smirking as the tree let out an ungodly roar.
"Is anypony going to help me?!" Sentire yells slicing off a root coming close to her.
"You're doing fine," Trial says smirking as the smell was getting to the wonderbolts.
"Fuck you!" Sentire yells back and jumps to the side from a crashing branch.
"Doing better than I thought," Leone says as it was as if the stomachs were in a choir.
"Sir?" Fleetfoot starts.
"Be strong," Spitfire says sneaking away as all of their attention was on the fight.
"But sir…?" Rainbow pipes up as her stomach growls.
"That's an order," Spitfire says before sneaking to the boar and getting some of it,
"Hey, sexy. Nice ass," Trial says grinning towards her.
"You saw nothing," Spitfire informs.
"So what's your name captain?" Trial asks.
"Don't say a thing," Spitfire warns.
"Oh, feisty. By chance you have someone?" Trial asks stopping her completely.
"No, and I am not looking for anyone," Spitfire says frowning.
"Oh? What are you doing later?" Trial asks making her blush.
"Didn't I say I wasn't looking for anyone?" Spitfire shot back.
"You're quite cute, you know that?" Leone adds, stopping her and makes her stare at him.
"You…are those lion ears?" Spitfire asks surprised.
"You can touch them, but you have to be topless first," Leone says smirking.
"I think that would involve the whole outfit," Trial says chuckling.
"Exactly," Leone says cheerfully.
"Oh, my Leone," Trial says leaning against her.
Spitfire kept frowning and crosses her arms.
"The rib area is extra tender," Trial informs as a branch crashes to the ground severed.
"Seriously?! You guys are flirting?!" Sentire scolds and chops off a root in anger.
"Bob and weave," Trial calls, reminding her in time to dodge a branch.
"You are evil. You are not even helping. Or can you even fight?" Spitfire asks frowning at him.
"No combat experience. She has to get it from somewhere," Trial explains, reminding Spitfire of her training of new recruits.
"Fuck you asshole!" Sentire yells as she slices off another root and sends the tree tumbling down onto its side.
"She is doing good…how will she deal with the others?" Trial asks.
Sentire blinks and looks behind her to see two more. "You have to be fucking kidding me." The scythe blade suddenly lights up in flames and has her look at her it in surprise as it doesn't burn her one bit. "In…te…gro…?" she sounds out and the blade shines. Sentire grips the scythe tighter and brings it up and digs it into the trunk of one tree before suddenly slicing outward. A single dark floating ball of dark shadow floating where the hole is before it screeches and turns white as it flies off.
"Sentire, take a break. Your magic aura is fading faster than water on the desert sand," Trial informs.
Sentire doesn't respond as she collapses onto the ground shortly thereafter as the fire on the scythe dies down. The last tree looming over her and starting to wind up a branch meant for her.
"One moment," Trial says putting his hands in the opposite sleeve before bringing them out and moves them as if slamming something and cut marks started to appear on the earth towards the tree.
"How…?" Spitfire starts and Leone wraps an arm around her shoulders grinning.
"Just plain old wires," Leone explains.
"Forged from the beard of an ancient and nearly invincible dragon. Any last words?" Trial asks the tree monster as it was tied with the wires and they were already digging into it.
The tree doesn't respond as Trial claps his hands and slices the tree into pieces. All the bark and tree pieces falling to the ground as nothing happened much now.
"Leone, we don't need more firewood," Trial says walking over before carrying Sentire to the fire and lays her against the log.
"Nah. Since we are going to sleep soon," Leone says shrugging.
"Also, rules still apply. Stallions, on their own for food and mares, all you can eat," Trial informs.
"Doesn't that apply to you?" Spitfire asks offhandedly.
"I hunted it. So you are eating my hard work results," Trial informs.
"He grew up learning males don't contribute, they starve," Leone says.
"Blame the rulers," Trial says waving a hand their way.
"Oh. He's going to hate that one settlement," Fleetfoot says rubbing the back of her head.
"Anyways. If you're hungry, you can always forage for berries or try and hunt something down," Trial says to the stallions.
"Why do I feel like he's going to allow the mares to take over everything?" one of the stallions asks.
"If you don't want to do that, you can try and kill me and take it for your own, but remember," Trial says referring to all the new firewood.
All the stallions immediately put up their hands at that.
"Good. You know the pecking order," Trial says smiling before heading back to lie down.
"What did we get ourselves into?" Rainbow spoke up after a while.
"Alright. Sun is up and time to get up," Leone says stretching as she gets up.
Trial yawns as he waves her off. "Let me sleep. Haven't had something like this in a while."
"Come on you," Leone says picking him up and carrying him.
Sentire groans as she painfully sits up and rubs her head. "What happened?"
"You did well last night," Leone says stepping over a sleeping wonderbolt stallion.
"Seriously? Cause I could have sworn that I only got one," Sentire says confused as she tries to get up.
"You got two. I was planning to jump in when you tired yourself out from the first," Leone says.
"Shit," Sentire groans getting up and looking around. "Really? They slept here?"
"Trial let the mares eat what we didn't. We are leaving the rest for them as it will go to waste if we didn't," Leone informs as Sentire noticing her carrying a sleeping Trial.
"Wait up," Sentire says grabbing her bag and scythe and rushes after her.
"Also, I bonded a bit with that mare. They don't get much interaction with those not from their team," Leone informs, interesting Sentire.
"So…are they interested?" Sentire asks curiously as the dog finally walks up beside them from the woods.
"Yes. They never saw somepony take down monsters like that. You impressed them when they learned you had no prior battle experience, only training," Leone says.
"Oh…good…" Sentire says, her emotions lifted a bit.
"And now, where to next?" Leone asks.
"Um…?" Sentire tries to think before slowing looking to the dog.
"Honestly, I was just supposed to help you find her and anything you need to get started. Now you need to start searching for the real reason this whole thing started and stop it," the dog says shrugging.
"And maybe this traveling will help me pick out a nice place to live. This one needs to be tied to somewhere," Leone says smirking.
"Har har," the dog says rolling its eyes. "Now look, we do know this. Start at Canterlot. Seems some very prissy ponies are actually finding some progress to cure this problem."
"Not you. The one who is still sleeping emergency food," Leone says
The dog sticks its tongue out at her.
"I am listening for running water still," Leone says reminding him of the stew idea.
The dog rolls its eyes again. "Look, I can leave right now. You don't really need me anymore. I leave and I won't be seen again. And you can go on your own. So, you want me or not and not for food?"
"You run, I hunt," Leone says scaring him as she was going full lioness as he hides behind Sentire.
"Get your nose out of my ass," Sentire warns bringing up her scythe.
"Protect me," the dog cries out.
"Scaredy dog," Sentire says still following.
"Leone," Trial says in his sleep.
"Yes, sweetie?" Leone asks sweetly looking at him as best she could.
"Still sleeping. It's sweet. He dreams of you," Sentire says.
"Friends for the longest time. It would be obvious," Leone says smirking.
"You're more than friends. You said so yourself, you…" Sentire verses off and coughs into a fist to try and tell her the meaning of what she was saying.
Leone chuckles. "I don't think others will care that you say it. Look at this place. Manners is the least of their worries," she says grinning towards her.
"I mean you two…fuck," Sentire blurts out.
Leone nods proudly. "Yep. And we have fun doing it. You should too," she says looking back at her.
"Doesn't that make you more than friends…" Sentire asks going silent.
"It does. Kinda. But we have other priorities," Leone explains.
"Has he told you about the terms he dictated?" Sentire asks unsure.
"Partly. Why?" Leone asks looking at her.
"He refused to come back without you. He would have rather spent eternity in purgatory than be without you," the dog informs.
"Really now?" Leone asks looking at the mumbling Trial.
"Yes, to my shock it was granted. Personally, would have left him there," the dog says.
"Then he would have eaten you," Leone says.
"I'm both of Deaths' hellhound," the dog says shrugging.
"He took off your leg," Sentire reminds.
"I would be regenerated," the dog says shrugging.
"Says the one running from him," Sentire reminds, making the dog frown hard.
"Only because I like my limbs," the dog says still frowning.
"You two go ahead. I will catch up," Leone says.
"Okay…" Sentire says carefully as her and the dog went on ahead.
"Trial," Leone says holding him in front of her and smiles before kissing his cheek.
Trial moans and opens his eyes to see her. "Hey, sexy. Need something?"
"You would have rather spent eternity in purgatory than come back without me," Leone says before just holding him.
"Duh. It got boring there, but it would have been more boring out here without you," Trial says smiling.
"This time, I promise no suicide missions," Leone says holding him, not pressing his head against her chest like she used to, but holding him lovingly.
"Oh, good. I was hoping you didn't go crazy while I was asleep," Trial says hugging her back.
"You must do the same too," Leone says running a claw through his hair lovingly.
Trial smiles. "Anything for my mare."
"We best hurry. The others are waiting," Leone says continuing to carry him.