Ash looked at him, pity in his gaze. The smokestacks and metal towers slowly fell away behind them as they continued across Machina's realm. The land grew flat and barren, and steam billowed out of cracks in the ground, coiling around them like wraiths. Colossal machines, with enormous iron wheels and armored shells, lay beside the tracks. They looked like a cross between modern-day tanks and the mecha vehicles of anime. They were old and rusty and was strangely resemblant of Ironhorse.


Ash grunted suddenly and fell, his legs buckling underneath him.

Jason didn't know why Ash had pity in his gaze and didn't show any sign of noticing. But later as Ash's legs buckled he jumped forward,catching him in his arms carefully and wrapping his wings around him. "Ash?!" He sounded worried as heck,holding the Ice Prince carefully as worried lavender and light blue broke through the forced black of his freckles and color changing scales.

"Don't," he gritted out. "Keep going. We have to--" Suddenly he straightened, his hand going to his sword. Ahead of them, the steam cleared, parting enough to reveal a hulking figure standing on the tracks. A horse made of iron and snorting flame, steel hooves pawing the ground. His glowing eyes watched them balefully.
"THOUGHT YOU GOT RID OF ME, DID YOU?" Ironhorse boomed, his voice reverberating off the machines around them. "IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN A CAVE-IN TO KILL ME. I MADE THE MISTAKE OF UNDERESTIMATING YOU BEFORE. THAT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN."

Movement surged around them as hundreds of gremlins crawled into view, hissing and crackling. They swarmed over the machines like spiders, laughing and chittering, and scuttled along the ground. In seconds, they had them surrounded, a living black carpet. Ash drew his sword, and the gremlins hissed at him nastily.

Jason's rich purple eyes widened as he came to a full stand,fangs bared and wings spread wide despite how it pulled at his still slightly bleeding wing. He painfully forced his body to shift but it seemed to cost a little as he shivered faintly and spat more glass stuff but this time spat it at a gremilin,the stuff solidifying into a glass hold. "Ha! You'll see more than a cave in, Ironmule." He teased,letting ice sputter from his jaws and a faint hissing in his throat signifying more lava like before.

Ironhorse snorts and ignores Jason's comment. Two figures appeared through the steam on either side of them. They marched forward in unison, and the gremlins parted to let them through. Warriors in full battle armor, with helmets and masks covering their faces, stepped into the circle. Their insectlike suits looked like something from a science-fiction movie, somehow ancient and modern at the same time. Their breastplates bore the insignia of a barbed-wire crown. Drawing their swords, they stepped forward.


"Jason, get back," Ash muttered, squaring off against the armored pair coming at him. He didn't dare mention that Jason was hurt

Jason stepped back but kept a glare at the duo. "I can fight.I'm not a dragonet." He said softly,a little softer than Ash had spoken to him but was serious.

Jason was suddenly grabbed from behind. He was dragged to the edge of the circle, where the gremlins jabbered at him. His captor was a third warrior.


"Jason!" Ash tried to follow, but the first two knights blocked his way, the sickly light glinting off their iron blades. Glaring at them, Ash flourished his sword and sank into a battle stance.


They lunged at him, swords sweeping down in a blur, coming both low and high. Ash leaped over the first and parried the second, knocking it away with a flurry of ice and sparks. He landed, spun to his left to block the savage back strike, and ducked as the second blade hissed overhead. Whirling around, his sword lashed out, slicing across one armored chest with a grinding screech. The knight staggered back, the image of the wire crown cut through and coated with frost.


They broke away for a moment, facing each other, swords at the ready. Ash was panting, his eyes narrowed in concentration. He didn't look good, quite horrible, actually. The other knights slowly began to circle him, coming at him from different sides like stalking wolves. But before they could get into position, Ash snarled and lunged. For a moment, the knight he engaged was driven back by the ferocity of the attack. Ash hammered into him relentlessly, his blade slipping through his enemy's guard to smash at his armor. Sparks flew, and the knight stumbled, almost falling. Ash's blade swept up and struck a vicious blow to the side of his head, ripping the helmet clean off.


The face beneath the helmet was Ash, or at least a long-lost brother. Same gray eyes, same ebony hair, same pointed ears. The face was a little older, and a scar slashed its way down his cheek, but the similarities were almost perfect.


The real Ash hesitated, stunned, and that cost him dearly. The second knight rushed up behind him, his sword slashing down, and Ash whirled too late. His blade caught his opponent's sword, but the blow knocked the weapon from his hands. At the same time, his companion backhanded Ash with his metal gauntlet, striking him behind the ear. Ash crumpled to the ground on his back, and two iron swords were pressed against his throat.

Jason growled,kicking at his own attacker,but turned and saw the position Ash was in and was filled with boiling anger and rage. He hissed loudly and let out a deafening screech that was deep and angered. He roared and opened his jaws so wide you'd think it more snake like as he clamped them down on the third attacker and swung his neck so hard you'd think he'd knock it out as he threw his head up and as well the knight. He opened his jaws,letting the person fly up and then swung his tail up and smacked him,exposing his underbelly without a care. He spun his body around and then came up behind the two others,eyes glowing bright purple with anger and color changing scales dark red. "Who dies first?" He slurred,dark and deafening. Lava was dripping from his jaws as he made himself look larger,wings out and frills wide. He was angry. Really Angry.

When one gremlin gets killed, twelve more take its place.

After his captor recovered, he went up to Jason and held him tightly, twisting his arms behind his back. Manacles were snapped around his wrists and he pulled him away from Ash. The other two knights kicked Ash onto his stomach and wrenched his arms behind him, binding him similarly. A gasp could be heard from him as the iron touched his skin. His doppelganger jerked him savagely to his feet. They shoved the two towards Ironhorse, who waited for them in the middle of the tracks, swishing his tail.

"GOOD," he snorted. "KING MACHINA WILL BE PLEASED." His red eyes fastened on Ash, who was barely able to stand, and pinned back his ears. "DISPOSE OF THEIR WEAPONS." Ash's face twisted in agony. Sweat trickled down his brow and he clenched his teeth as he watched the iron knight take his sword to the edge of the tracks and toss it into a ditch, along with his bow and arrows. There was a soft splash as his weapons hit the oily water and sank from view. And then they took the Witchwood arrow. And it was gone, just like that. Game over. They'd failed.

Ironhorse looked the dragon over and snorted steam. "NO FUNNY BUSINESS FROM EITHER OF YOU," he warned, blowing smoke at them. "OR MY KNIGHTS WILL WRAP SO MUCH IRON AROUND THE WINTER PRINCE THAT HIS SKIN WILL PEEL OFF HIS BONES." He coughed flame and swung his head toward the waiting fortress. "LET'S GO. KING MACHINA AWAITS."

(Sorry,it resended.)
Jason suddenly was forced back to his human like form,kicking in frustration. He tried to fight back but felt horrible pain from the wounds now on his back and his torso,they had shifted position but where still horrible and the same size. He saw how much pain Ash was in but was still trying to fight back anyway,wanting to help him.He stopped tho at the threat toward Ash,not wanting harm,or at least more harm,to come toward him. He let himself go limp and his eyes turned hazel brown,gold and purple running out of them slowly.