The Elder Scrolls: Equestria

by NazoPureChaos

Rating: teen
Tags: Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Other, Original Character, Adventure, Crossover
Length: 33077

After the three tribes arrived in Equestria, enemies from their past have returned to seek revenge.

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria… not everything was perfect. The three pony tribes, forced out of their home, stumbled upon the fertile land that was to become known as Equestria, and settled there. An agreement was struck between the three to share this new land, and to put behind them past misdeeds. Unfortunately, it was not that easy. Hate and hostility continued to fester between the earth ponies and the unicorns, kept at bay only because of the pact, with the pegasi caught in the crossfire. With tensions coming to a boil, and the threat of a civil war looming over everypony’s mind, everyday became a struggle.

Something is stirring in the shadows. Enemies long forgotten by the children of Equestria have returned, and brought with them a much greater threat. With ancient forces amassing, and the dead rising, the fate of the world falls into the hooves of an unlikely trio to unite the three provinces of Equestria – if they don’t kill each other first.

Pre-read by the amazing stanku! <- Go give this guy some love!

Published 2013-12-30 07:00:06 UTC
Last updated 2015-01-01 05:13:26 UTC

Anomaly

Anomaly

Chapter One

Anomaly

“Your ignorance of our homeland doesn’t surprise me.”

~Skyfall~

My eyes opened to the sight of blue sky and the serenity of clouds floating by. Oh, and stars; stars floated overhead. Pretty stars. I watched the lights twinkling around my vision. I tried poking one, but it disappeared. I pouted and tried again. I also realized the my head was hurting. Now that was curious, why’d my head hurt? I don’t remember banging it on anything... Oh well. I’ll figure it out later. I was admiring stars that were floating in the middle of the day. Wait, something about that didn’t add up. Hmm.

Where was I?

I was staring at stars in the sky... watching clouds float by... on a nice, hard, wood-like surface. Oh, wait, it was wood. Whew, glad that’s cleared up. Okay, so what is made out of wood, and flies next to stars in the sky? ... Am I on a floating porch? No, that didn’t make an ounce of sense.

Well, it seems like these stars aren’t going to reveal anything to me. That was nice of them. Maybe if I looked the other direction, I could sum up what I’m on, and where I am. Actually, my neck hurt like hell as well (heh, that rhymed...), which was making it hard to turn my head. After a few tries, I managed to twist my head around, but now I was in a predicament. Instead of stargazing, I was staring into the silver eyes of a large, heavyset blue stallion.

I opened my mouth, and prepared to ask the question of who was this guy. “Ow...” Well, that wasn’t right. Maybe I should try again. “Oww...” I repeated, albeit a little more dragged out. Apparently my brain wasn’t on the same wavelength as me. I tried again a third time, this time concentrating hard on what it was I wanted to say. Ready? Here we go!

“...Owww...” Well, damn. So much for communication. The stallion just snorted, lips curling at the tips. It would seem my inability to communicate was a viable source of humor for him. Well laugh it up! That’s right, it’s the amazing me! I’m here from seven to ten every Tuesday!

“Yep, you’ll be fine, just a concussion,” he said, before turning his back to me and wandering out of my peripheral. I heard something creak, and a second later the thing I was on tilted as it turned. Watching clouds move by that fast was too much for my brain however, and I groaned as my headache throbbed. Closing my eyes seemed to help alleviate some of it, and I reopened them only once my head stopped hurting, or at least wasn’t unbearable.

When I did, I saw that the blue stallion had walked back on over, this time with a bottle of some red liquid. Perhaps a smarter pony than I would have questioned his integrity, and by proxy the purpose of the potion, but I was not a smart pony. So it was lucky for me that the red liquid was merely a healing potion. A few seconds after ingestion my headache disappeared, and I felt a warmth in the back of my head, accompanied by a sense of relief. Everything but the pressure on my forehead seemed to vanish.

I took another sip of the liquid, and placed the now empty bottle next to me. “Who are you?” The other stallion just laughed.

“Who am I? Why now, that there’s a long story. Best told in a pub, with some nice, strong liquor, and some privacy. But for now, I am Captain Bronze Nut. Most people just call me ‘The Captain’, however.” A silver aurora encased the empty bottle, and it floated out of sight. I saw a similar silver glow coming from the mat of white mane on the Captain’s head, and realized that he was a unicorn. “But,” he continued, “seeing as it was you who landed on my airship, I do believe you should introduce yourself. It is only common courtesy, after all.”

Oh, oops. Well that was easy. I opened my mouth, prepared to explain my accident, when I realized something. I had no idea what my name was! Or, now that I thought about it, how I even got here! I shut my mouth and my eyes widened. What was I going to say?

The Captain’s jaw tightened as his lips pursed. “Well?” he said tersely. “What can you tell me about yourself?”

“I... I...” I stammered as I sought for a distraction; something to give me more time to think. He stared at me, it looked like he was calculating me with his eyes. “I... don’t know...” I finished lamely.

The Captain’s eyes narrowed. I swallowed. “Don’t know... what? Hmm? Perhaps you do not remember how you ended up topside on my ship?” I just stared at him, sure that whatever I looked like, it was ridiculously dumbfounded. I laid there pathetically silent, waiting for him to ask the question. “But what about you? who are you?” And there it was.

“I... I...” I stuttered, trying to grasp any sort of explanation. The Captain’s eyes narrowed in thought again.

“You don’t mean to tell me you don’t know who you are?” he said. I merely swallowed and nodded my head solemnly. “Well now, that seems like a rather convenient coincidence.” But, it wasn’t a coincidence! I swear! Oh hay, what’s he going to do if he thinks I’m playing him for a fool? He must have seen the fear in my eyes, because he quickly said, “Now, now, don’t be hasty. I believe you,” he stroked his beard with a hoof. “But these are strange times we live in, lad. Must be careful. Who knows, you might be a changeling spy. Would be very intuitive for a changeling to have his mind wiped before taking on a difficult charge.”

I had absolutely no idea what he was rambling about – what in Tartarus was a changeling? What was Tartarus? Damn it, what the hay happened to my memory! Then the Captain advanced on me, his horn glowing. I reeled, trying to scramble away from him.

“Whoa, now. I’m just going to perform a spell that will tell me if you’re a changeling or not. If you’re not, you won’t feel a thing. If you are, well, you still won’t feel a thing, but it will make you dizzy.” My pause gave him enough time to scan me with some light that matched the glow from his horn. There was a tingly feeling, then nothing.

“What was that?” I asked him.

“That was the spell. It’s a bit complicated to explain; let us just say that it’s... an applied truth spell.” I nodded, not really following. “Speaking of which, it also verified that you are not lying. Memory loss... it’s a rather peculiar predicament you’re in.” He seemed to be speaking more to himself than me. “I must admit, you’ve rather peaked my curiosity. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions on the matter?” he smacked himself on the side of his head. “Oh, but where are my manners? Hmm? Let’s get you off the floor, lad.”

After I able to pull myself off the wooden deck, I was able to better drink in my surroundings. When the Captain said airship, I didn’t think he meant literally. Yet here I was, standing near the bow of a giant ship floating through the clouds, held aloft by an elaborately decorated balloon nearly three times the size of the ship I was on. The ship itself was huge, large enough that I found it hard to believe that a crew of ten could sail her, much less that Bronze Nut captained it himself. I supposed being a unicorn lightened the load, however.

I saw him trot over to the wheel (which was almost as large as him) and cast a spell on it. The wheel began twisting and turning of its own accord, adjusting the direction and steering the ship. The Captain beckoned for me to follow him, and he led me down through a set of double doors to the lower decks. The brass buttons on his uniform jangled, breaking the silence as we entered the kitchen. Grabbing two mugs with his magic, he trotted over to a spigot and poured a dark, golden liquid into both. He placed them both on a table and sat down, motioning me to do the same.

“So...” I said. “Why do you believe me?” I took a sip of the drink; it was sweet and sugary, complemented by the spice of cinnamon. The Captain was quiet at first, lips pursed and eyes squinted. He seemed to be lost in a reverie before snapping out of it, and looking to me with a unjudgeable look.

“Hmm... several reasons,” he muttered, taking a generous gulp of the cider. He cleared his throat and continued. “The first of which is the truth spell. You weren’t lying when you said your memory was gone. That, and I also applied a... memory spell at the same time.” A memory spell? Now why did that sound off? “It, er... it lets me scrounge around in your head. Er, sorry,” he said, abashed. I bit back a retort, letting him continue. The look on his face, however, put a few snakes in my stomach. “And, well, it proved you were right. No memory. And that’s the second reason. When I probed your memory, I discovered something rather... disconcerting. You have no memory.”

“But I already know I lost my memories.” A troubled look past over his face, lingering as he thought thoroughly about what his next words were.

“It’s... not an easy subject to explain. Hmm... I would tell you to sit if you were not already.” He stroked his beard in thought. “But, when I say you have no memory, I don’t mean you don’t remember. If that were the case, then there would be phantom remnants of your past left – memories do not disappear, they are merely forgotten. But you,” he pressed, staring hard at me, “You have no memories; no past. It’s as if you never existed until several minutes ago.

“You are an anomaly.”

And now those snakes were replaced by a multitude of rocks. No, wait, there were the snakes; they were still there. Writhing and squirming and slithering... ugh, trying not to think about it. Or the... weight... in my gut. I had no idea how to react to that, and so a pregnant silence descended in the kitchen. Bronze Nut drained the rest of his glass, and laid it back down with a thunk that resounded in the dead air. I just stared into mine. Not sure if I blinked.

“What is this?” I said, quieter than I intended.

“Home-brewed apple cider. Well, ship-brewed. Sometimes I purchase a few barrels from Brae every now and then.” He was calm. A little too calm for just telling me that I can’t exist. I didn’t like it.

“Home-brewed?” I asked, not making eye-contact. “You make it yourself?”

“Yes. I buy crates of apples from the Hearts’ Passion Heart Acres down in Dun Mare, whenever I make the trip. Been meaning to swing by there sometime soon. Actually... hmm... maybe...” The Captain began mumbling to himself, staring off into a dark corner of the kitchen, all the while stroking his long, white beard. He was so enthralled with... whatever had taken his fancy... that when I posed my next question, he was perturbed that I even existed. Which probably went right along with the fact that I was an anomaly. One of the snakes slithered again.

“What? Oh... er, sorry. What did you say?” he said, placing his hoof back down.

“What...” My mouth was dry, and I took another sip of the cider before continuing. “How can I not exist?” The Captain stood up to refill his mug at the tap.

“I’m sorry, that probably was not the best thing I could have said. It was... rather tactless, I admit.” He turned back around to face me. “It’s... difficult to –”

“– I mean,” I butted in, “I’m... I’m right here,” I chuckled mirthlessly. “I’m not a foal, right? I obviously exist!” He stared at me, and I stared right back. I wasn’t born yesterday, so I had to have a past! That just wasn’t normal. The Captain bit his lip as he thought. “I didn’t... just... appear out of thin air! I exist!”

The unicorn stole a glance away, and something in me snapped. “I EXIST!” I yelled at him, jumping off the seat and stepping closer to him. “I’m RIGHT HERE! SOMEPONY GOT HAPPY AND MADE ME, SO I HAVE A BLOODY PAST!So explain... explain to me how you can sayI don’t have one!” To his credit, the Captain didn’t flinch, and took it like a stallion. I don’t know how long I went off on him. He waited until I ran out of breath to speak.

“Feel better?”

“... No,” I sighed, putting my head in my hooves. He placed a comforting hoof on my shoulder.

“I have a few theories as to your lack of memory, ones that would explain the... your predicament, and the memory loss. And they’re perfectly understandable theories,” he told me. Then, seeing my mouth open, added, “Theories that I do not wish to explain just yet. Not until I have further proof. Does that help?”

“Not much,” I replied. Personally, I believed that he made the theories up in an effort to comfort me, a gesture that did not go unappreciated. But, if he did have insight into my... anomaly, then I’d have to accept it at face value. Bronze Nut smiled.

“Well, on the scale of helpfulness, ‘Not much’ ranks higher than ‘Not at all’, so I’ll take it.”

I snorted a half-hearted laugh. What else was I to do? There was no point in wallowing in... whatever it was ponies wallowed in. What do ponies wallow in? Look at me! I’m so pathetic, I don’t even remember what ponies wallow in! And yet somehow, that only made me laugh.

“Shall I assume that that means you’ll take it as well?”

“Sure,” I replied as I pushed myself off the floor. Bronze Nut hooked a hoof around me and helped lift me up, then we both walked back to the lone table. I stared at the golden puddle slowly dripping onto the floorboards, and apologized. He just waved it off, conjuring some magic that removed any trace of the spilled cider. Then, (as if he was trying to wound my pride), he grabbed my mug and refilled it.

“Well, don’t try to make me feel inferior with that magic of yours,” I chuckled. Bronze Nut didn’t find it funny, as he responded by staring at me, eyebrows furrowed. Then his eyes widened in revelation and wonderment.

“By the Sun and Moon, you don’t even know what you look like?” When I shook my head, this realization just hitting me as well, he sighed solemnly. “Well now, isn’t that something. Here, let me conjure you up a mirror, and let us see what you look like.” His horn glowed silver once more, and a shimmering pool of reflective magic swirled around in the air, forming into a ovalish mirror.

Cautiously I trotted up to it, taking a gander at my reflected appearance. It was hard to tell in the darkness, but my hide appeared to be white, or possibly a very light shade of blue. I stepped close enough to the mirror to find out that it was indeed solid, and that my coat was definitely white. White, like the clouds floating outside. My mane hung wildly, a vivid dark blue that partially covered my golden irises. However, the very first thing I noticed was the pale horn jutting from between locks of my hair.

“I’m a unicorn.” It wasn’t a question, or even an exclamation. It might not have even counted as a statement; it just was. I am a unicorn. What did that mean? I’m not sure what I expected. Did I expect a sudden surge of joy in knowing what I look like? Happy? Excitement? If I did, I received none of those things. I didn’t feel cold, or mirthless either. I merely felt... normal. Possibly content, but that might be stretching it. No, content might actually be what I was feeling; yeah, I was content. And, looking back at my reflection, I also felt like a part of me had been returned.

“Really? I might have guessed, what with your lack of wings,” Bronze Nut chuckled, then paused. “Er... too soon?” My look gave him his answer, then it was my turn to pause as what he said registered.

“Wings?” I said as we walked back to the table and sat down. “There are pegasi too?”

The blue stallion looked stunned. After a moment he frowned, and said, “Sorry, it astounds me still the depth of your... perhaps I should ask instead what do you know? Such as, you know of the existence of us unicorns, but not of the pegasi?”

I felt like I was being studied. Was I being studied? Well, based on the way his eyes bore into me, and the thoughtful way he stroked that beard of his, then yes. I was being studied. When I saw that I too was an unicorn, then I assumed that was all there was. Not a solution that, in hindsight, made any sense. Of course there were other species, like pegasi! How absurd was I to think otherwise?

What did I know? Random things, certainly. For instance, I knew the word Tartarus, but had nothing to relate it to. What was Tartarus? Or possibly who was Tartarus? Was it a thing, an object, or something more, like a place, or perhaps even a person?

In the end, Bronze Nut thought it best to just explain everything, and what I knew we could skip over.

“Hmm... where to start, where to start,” he murmured, tapping a hoof to his chin. “Well, let’s start at the very beginning.”

“– A very good place to start,” I interjected. Bronze Nut huffed.

“Yes, so it would seem. Well, before I begin your history lesson, lad, how about I renew our mugs, hm?” Then, noticing my untouched second, corrected, “Er, perhaps just mine, then.” I felt slightly guilty, reminded that he had brewed it himself, and promptly took a sip of the cider, hoping to curb any ill feelings. Of course, as I took my sip, I realized that I was, indeed, very thirsty.

Bronze Nut stopped short as he trotted back with his... third? Or was it fourth? full mug of cider. He stared at my empty mug with a raised eyebrow, then looked at me and snorted. “You would have to wait till I got back from the tap, wouldn’t you?” I smiled sheepishly as he carried my mug off.

“Sorry.”

“Ah, don’t be sorry, lad. It’s the good stuff I brew, and I can’t remember the last time I had somepony to sit down and drink with.” Bronze Nut sat down on the wooden bench across from me once more, hoofing over my mug. “But back to your lesson. Would I be wrong in assuming you don’t know the name of our country?” I shook my head, flushing at the ludicracy of that monumental ignorance. “Well, the land we are in is named Equestria. Not too hard of a name to remember, seeing as you’ll hear it everywhere I imagine.

“Us ponies didn’t always live in Equestria, however. About a... decade or so... hmm; er – several years ago, the three tribes made an exodus to Equestria. Now, hold on, I’ll get to that,” he said, motioning for me to keep my questions until the end. “We used to live in a far off land to the north. Back then, the three tribes lived in a sort of... mutualistic symbiosis that was borderline parasitic in some respects.” The last part was delivered in a cold and dangerous tone of voice, and a pained hatred flickered in his eyes as he said it. Then, just as it came, it went, and he continued after taking a generous gulp from the mug. “Those were hard times, lad.”

(\_.^\_.^\_.^\_>-<>-<-></(_)><->-<>-<_/^._/^._/^._/)

After Bronze regaled me with what would come to be known as the Tale of Hearth’s Warming in decades to come, we continued to sit in the silence of the meadery (cidery? Is that even that right word?). However, as opposed to the earlier silence, this one was void of the dark shadows looming over me. It was a peaceful silence, a moment seemingly stopped in time where me and the Captain just sat, draining his supply of home brewed apple cider. Then, as the whole ship tilted slightly, I came to a realization.

“Um... Captain?” I said, breaking the silence as I hooked a hoof around my mug before it could roll any further away.

“Hmm? Yes lad, what is it?”

“Well, I was just wondering... If you’re down here with me, then who’s flying this ship?”

Animosity

Chapter Two

Animosity

“What are you, a SPY?”

~Applebuck~

The Maretania-Equestrian border (or more accurately the Maretania-Earth border, as the majority of southern Equestria fell under the province of Earth) was a grey line; neither of the two would risk their citizens in an attempt to map the border.  Between Equestria and Maretania was an enormous expanse of sand known as the Eversand Desert by the earth ponies.  Treacherous at best, it took a miracle and lots of water to traverse, and nopony was willing to put their life on the line in order to map out a border.  In light of this, the two governments agreed that the Eversand Desert was to be the border separating them.

It was on the edge of this very desert that Applebuck stood, beads of sweat irritating his eyebrows, despite the fact that the Sun had yet to crest the horizon.  He brushed a tan hoof across his forehead, and smeared the sweat on his leather cuirass, darkened spots forming in his wake.

The only objects Applebuck brought with him were three canteens (two of which were empty, and the third was only partially full), the leather armor he wore, and his steel warhammer that was strapped to his back.  Bringing paraphernalia into the Eversand was a death sentence.

The stallion closed his eyes and allowed himself to enjoy a cool morning breeze from the northeast.  The breezed seemed to disband as it hit the border of the Eversand, as if blocked by some unseen force.  Applebuck chuckled to himself at the thought of the Eversand Desert being cursed.  It made almost too much sense.

He briefly scanned the horizon before spotting a large, black mass not far in the distance.  He recognized it immediately as Mount Ebony.  As the name implied, Mount Ebony was a massive rock of pure ebony, and the largest recorded source of ebony ore known to pony-kind.  It was also the main source of conflict between Maretania and Earth; ebony was an extremely rare ore, said to have originated in the Planes of Tartarus.  It was highly prized by blacksmiths, the ebony armor and weapons crafted out of it exceptionally strong.

Applebuck took a generous sip out of his final canteen before starting the journey to his destination.  However, it was not Mount Ebony that was his destination; more accurately, it was what lay in the lone mountain.  In a miraculous feat (ebony was, according to the blacksmith Applebuck knew, very difficult to work with), somepony, or what was more likely a very large group of someponies, had carved a city into the ebony mountain a few decades ago when the earth ponies first arrived in Equestria.

This city, more aptly described as a fortress, became the capital of Earth, Dun Mare.  Despite the high value of Dun Mare’s residence, not a single one of Maretania’s advances made it past the main gate.  In truth, the main gate was the only gate, unless one was willing to risk the sewer entrance (the fact that none of the opposing forces attempted to use the sewer should speak for itself, and the few who had tried were never seen again).

The Sun had risen just past the horizon when Applebuck saw the massive gate carved out of the black rock, and the two ponies decked in armor that stood guard near the entrance.  As Applebuck approached the gate, one of the guards drew his sword.  Those who took part in the gate rotations were issued ebony weapons, and this stallion had apparently chosen a dagger.  Although, despite the value of his weapon, it appeared they were still issued the standard suit of iron armor.

“Halt!  State your name, rank, and business,” droned the guard through the hilt in his mouth.  The other kept his post, but continued to watch Applebuck for signs of hostility.

“Praefect Applebuck.  I am here to run The Gauntlet,” he replied.  At the word ‘praefect’ the soldier snapped to attention, whipping a hoof to his brow, and somehow managing to knock the sword out of his mouth.  Applebuck rolled his azure eyes.  Perfect, we have a new-blood on guard shift.

“P-praefect, sir!  I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t recognize you in that armor, sir!” he flushed.  It was true, for the journey here he did not exhibit his commissioned armor.  As a praefect Applebuck had been issued a fine set of steel plated armor, along with an embroidered cape signifying his position and a kite shield with the Earthen coat of arms.  However, for the two-day journey through the Eversand Desert he thought it best to travel light – meaning his leather armor from when he was a scout, and his trusty warhammer sheathed to his back.

“So, you’re here to run The Gauntlet, huh?” the second guard asserted.  He grabbed the first’s sword and shoved it back into the sheathe, giving him a disapproving glare before turning back to Applebuck.  “Knight Obsidian, and this here new-blood is Daggerlot.  He’s one of the newer recruits.”  Knight Obsidian raised a pitch-black hoof to his forehead, and the praefect returned his gesture.

“At ease, soldier.”  Obsidian fell back into a relaxed stance, and for once Daggerlot did something right.  “And yes, you heard right.  I’m here for The Gauntlet.”

The knight let out a low whistle.  “Dangerous business, The Gauntlet.  They say the hardest part is getting by the Quartermaster, but I don’t believe it for a second.  I hope you’re ready.  It’d be a shame to lose a praefect, seeing as we don’t have many to spare.”

The Gauntlet was a grueling trial that defined the line between the Knights of Earth, and the Fire Knights – the prestigious soldiers who served directly under Chancellor Smart Cookie, the Jarl of Earth, and acted as an extension of her own hoof.  Despite the cachet stature befitting the title of ‘Fire Knight’, the only two requirements to run were having previously been knighted, and a signed petition from a pony of recognizable stature.  However, to fail the Gauntlet was dishonorable, and there was only one way to amend that level of dishonorment.

Obsidian rapped on an adjacent window and motioned for the pony inside to open the gates.  “There you go, gates are opened.  Good luck.”

Applebuck acknowledged him with a nod, and trotted through the gates of Dun Mare as the knight and the recruit grudgingly retreated back to their posts.

(\_.^\_.^\_.^\_>-<>-<-></(_)><->-<>-<_/^._/^._/^._/)

Not far into Dun Mare, nestled in an alcove and surrounded by jutting rocks, was a small apparel shop.  It sold several varying kinds of armor, at varying kinds of belated prices.  The owner of Shady Steel’s Armor and Apparel, Shady Steel, was a rather dubious character.  He was well known among the guards as a purveyor of stolen goods, and the only thing keeping him from the staring at the wrong side of a set of bars was a lack of evidence against him.  Or, more accurately, whatever evidence there was would suddenly disappear, and one or two of the guards would be trotting around with a shiny new shield or helmet.

So, it was no surprise to Applebuck when a robed unicorn maintaining a magical shield burst out of the door as he walked by.

That was a blatant lie.

Applebuck picked himself off the paved walkway as a guard galloped after him, sword held firm in his mouth.  The unicorn twisted on his front hooves, and his horn glowed; a hole in the shield opened, and a ball of fire was launched at the pursuing knight.  The knight was able to bring his shield to bear quick enough to deflect most of the flame, the force knocking him back onto his rump as he cried out in pain.

Applebuck lept into the fight, mentally criticizing himself for not recovering sooner.  He turned his head and grabbed the handle sticking out for convenience, and pulled as he launched himself at the enemy.  The warhammer bashed against the unicorn’s shield, causing it to flash white and flicker.  Sensing that his shield wouldn’t withstand another pounding like that, the unicorn threw his telekinesis around the other guard’s sword, whipping it around and slashing at the air between himself and Applebuck.

Applebuck stopped mid swing, (which was not easy when swinging a thirty-five pound, large, steel hammer), and backed away swiftly before he could be cut by the unicorn’s offensive.  Today would be the day he just had to wear his leather armor!  The sword the unicorn stole from the guard was an ebony shortsword; it would carve up his armor in seconds at best.

As he continuously dodged the lightning-fast swings of the unicorn, Applebuck heard the war cries of more knights coming to his aid.  The unicorn did too, and both of them turned to the direction of the sound just in time to see Obsidian rear up and bring his ebony mace down hard on the magical shield, shattering it.

Without missing a beat, the unicorn charged a bolt of lightning at Applebuck, at the same time slashing wildly at Obsidian.  Applebuck was able avoid any major damage by twisting himself so that the bolt hit the leather, but he still felt a sharp tingle reverberate through his body.  The shortsword missed Obsidian, who counted himself lucky, until Daggerlot ran out from behind him unwittingly, and took the blow to his face.  Daggerlot screamed and writhed on the ground, his forehoof pressed hard against where his eye had been, blood pooling around the area.

The guard that had been hit by the fireball yelled as he charged, the unicorn easily sidestepping him – and right into the trajectory of Obsidian’s swing.  The mace collided hard with the unicorn’s jaw, and the force knocked him onto his side a few feet away.  His jaw seemed slightly off center.  Applebuck drew his warhammer again, as did Obsidian with his mace, and the guard grabbed his sword from where the unicorn dropped it, and together they charged the now-cornered unicorn.

Or so they thought.  As they approached him, the unicorn picked himself up, spitting blood onto the ground.  His horn flashed, and a large shockwave knocked all three of them back.  Applebuck’s hammer flew away from him, skipping several yards on the cobblestone road.  He glanced back at the unicorn, now enveloped in a golden aura as his wounds were magically healed.  Groaning in frustration, he ran to his weapon, biting down on the handle and galloping back into the fight.

Almost immediately he backpedaled, a flaming meteor from the heavens slamming down just in front of him, cracking stone and scorching the ground.  Applebuck roared; he hated unicorns and their freaky magic!  The heat singed part of his coat, but he ignored it, charging back to where Obsidian and the other guard were dancing around bolts of lightning.  He reared up, readying to bludgeon the damn unicorn into submission, when the unicorn flicked his horn, sending a bolt straight into one of the exposed spots in his armor.  The jolt coursed through his body, momentarily causing him to seize up.

Before he could react to whatever damage the bolt of lightning did to him, the unicorn hopped onto one forehoof, sweeping Applebuck with an outstretched rear leg.  Then, while Applebuck was still falling, swiftly bucked the praefect before landing in an upright position.  The knight bounced across the cobblestone before colliding with a large boulder.

Groaning, he picked himself up, trying to ignore the bruise forming underneath the leather.  The shock from the lightning along with the buck to the face were making him feel dizzy.  Forcing himself to stay focused, he returned his gaze to the unicorn.  He was still standing on his hind legs, but now had a ball of some ethereal energy forming in between his forehooves.  The three knights still standing steeled themselves as they awaited whatever offense the unicorn was planing.

Before he had a chance to release, an ebony dagger plunged through his neck, interrupting the powerful spell.  Daggerlot, forehoof still pressed against his eye, stepped out from behind him.

“You have committed... crimes against E... Earth and her people.  W... what say you in your defense?” the young recruit recited through the pain.  He then grabbed the dagger by the hilt, and yanked it out, the momentum pulling the unicorn onto the ground.

No longer in control of the situation, the unicorn writhed on the ground, hooves trying to find a grip on his neck to apply pressure, but the blood caused them to keep slipping.  His horn flashed as golden light enveloped the hole in his neck, and part of his skin began to stitch itself back together.  Before he could complete the spell however, Daggerlot’s namesake smashed into his skull, there was a loud crack!, and his horn snapped off.

The unicorn screamed, gurgling through the blood that had pooled in his mouth.  The wound in his neck stopped mending, but the magic had succeeded in removing the mortality of it.

With the unicorn down, Applebuck turned his attention to the wounded recruit.  An obsidian forehoof pressed against Daggerlot’s neck, holding him to the ground.  The praefect grabbed the dagger and thrust it into one of the braziers outside of Shady Steel’s, waiting impatiently as the ebony grew hot.  As soon as it began to glow, he pulled it out of the burning coals and ran back to Daggerlot.

Obsidian forcefully pulled back his hoof, opening the eye to the naked air.  A bloody canyon ran through his eye, from his brow down to his jawbone.  Applebuck winced at the sight of it, and gritted his teeth as he pressed the glowing blade against the wound.  Daggerlot’s hisses of pain turned to howls of agony as the skin underneath bubbled and hissed; his body contorted from the pain, but the added efforts of Obsidian helped keep him down as the hot metal did its job.  After a few seconds Applebuck drew the dagger away, the canyon in Daggerlot’s eye now wielded shut.

Daggerlot whimpered as he lay there, remnants of tears still dripping from his eye.  Applebuck, the deed done, turned back to the unicorn cowering near a large boulder, a gentle stream of blood flowing from the gape that was once his horn.  He approached the unicorn slowly, taking in the bastard that wounded Daggerlot.  He looked to be about Applebuck’s own age, perhaps a year or so older.  A unique hooded cloak covered his steel blue coat, most of it was made from a blackish material, with the cuffs and a triangular stole dyed a deep red.  On the stole was a pictogram, half-sun and half-moon, with a dark hoofprint inside of it.  Applebuck also noted the pale yellow of the mane matted with warm blood, and the deep blue eyes of the unicorn; then, as the unicorn pushed himself into a sitting position, Applebuck twisted on his forehooves and bucked him in the face.

The unicorn’s head smacked against the rock, chuckling as he spit out some blood.  The praefect pressed a forehoof against his neck, slowly applying pressure.  “Come with us peacefully, or I’ll buck you again!” Applebuck roared, enunciating the “buck” with a stomp.

The unicorn stared at him for a moment before once again chuckling to himself.  Applebuck held the stare, but the expression on the unicorn’s face was unreadable, which was pissing him off.  He glared at the steel blue stallion under him, then backhoofed him on the nose.  His dark blue eyes rolled, and he slumped unconscious.  The praefect turned back to his fellow knights, a smug look on his face that disappeared when he saw Obsidian’s questioning glare.

“What?” he said defensively,  “He looked like he was about to try something.”  The black stallion just rolled his eyes and shook his head slowly, before snorting in amusement.  “You looking for something to do?  Take Daggerlot up to the temple, now!”  Obsidian saluted him, then trotted over to where the young recruit lay, easing the light green stallion onto his back before cantering further into the fortress.  He then turned to the dun colored guard.

“You, state your name and rank!”  The guard rose up, sliding into a professional salute, wincing at the burn on his side.

“Auxiliary Steel Heart, sir!” he recited.  Applebuck opened one of his pouches with his nose, praying none of the bottles had broken.  When he saw that all but one were intact, he grabbed out a healing potion and tossed it to the other pony.

“There’s a potion for you.  That should take care of your burns.”  Steel mumbled a “thank you” as he gulped it down.  “Go interrogate Shady Steel.  That bastard had something to do with this, I know it.  When you’re done, head over to the temple as well.”

The auxiliary nodded in confirmation, and glanced at the unconscious unicorn.  “What about him?” he asked.  Applebuck looked down at him as well, as he answered,

“I’ll take him up to the keep, and give my report to the Chancellor.  I need to speak with her anyway.”

“Yes sir,” he nodded, before disappearing behind the store’s door.  Applebuck doubted Steel Heart would manage to get anything out of Shady Steel, no one ever did.  Still, procedure was procedure, and that was for a reason.

Now alone, everything was quiet, but for the sound of the wind and the crackling of the braziers.  Applebuck looked up to the sky, which was partially pale pink and yellow as the Sun entered out of the dawn, and into the day.  He sighed.

He looked to the door the unicorn had burst out of, the same one Steel Heart had just entered.  What purpose could a unicorn have for sneaking into Dun Mare?  Unicorns were banned from the city, that was common knowledge.  Did that make him extremely brave, or extremely foolish?  Applebuck glanced at the blood dripping from the stallion’s open mouth.  It must have been foolishness; attempting to infiltrate Dun Mare alone was not brave, it was stupid.

He nudged the unicorn onto his back, his unconscious body hanging limply off his sides, and began his trot into the fortress of Dun Mare, shaking the questions from his mind.  Questions would do no good now, the only thing that mattered was that he was stopped before he could enact his plan – assuming the fool had one.

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The throne room of Dun Mare’s keep was carved out of the mountain itself, the walls and ceiling partially layered with dark granite stones.  It was here that the manufactured stone that made up the ancient walls receded into the mountain, giving way to the natural ebony beneath.  Large and small pipes of an alien design, crafted from a mysterious golden alloy ran along the ceiling like veins, leading their contents to and from the heart of the mountain.  Small fires lit in braziers lining the room threw an eerie shine onto the black, smooth rock as it reflected the flickering lights.

Applebuck, with the cloaked and broken unicorn slumped across his back, trotted up the warm, stone steps toward the large embrasure carved into the top of the stairs.  The steps were steep, and the praefect forced himself to take them slowly, so as not to drop his package.  Not out of compassion towards the lowly unicorn – Applebuck could care less if the pony suffered more injuries falling down the hard, stone slope – but he did not want anypony to see him as clumsy and careless should he actually drop the unicorn.

The apex of the stairs gave way to another hallway, stretching out in opposite directions to unseen ends.  Flower troughs, filled with a particular type of plant that only required water to grow, and elaborate stone braziers bordered the edges of the hall.  Large, green throw rugs were laid out the floor, desperately adding color to an otherwise bland room.  Across from the stairs was a niche carved out for one specific purpose:  To be the resting place of the Mournful Throne.

Contrary to its name, the Mournful Throne was decorated vivaciously, with numerous objects akin to celebratory decor, and a velvet throw pillow adorning the seat.  Lounging on the throne, head back and eyes closed was a mare the color of fresh dough, with a faded red mane, streaks of grey running through it.

Stepping out in front of her, from her own smaller, stone perch next to the throne, was the mare on the throne’s housecarl:  A dark grey mare, with an even darker gray mane.

“State your name and rank,” she said indifferently.

“Praefect Applebuck,” he recited.  “As you well know, Monotonia.”

“Mhm,” was the only recognition Monotonia gave the praefect.  “And what is your business in approaching the Mournful Throne, Praefect?”

“This thing –” Applebuck shrugged off the unicorn, letting him slump unceremoniously onto one of the green carpets in front of them both “– was found within the borders of Dun Mare.  He attacked Steel Heart and I near the gate.”

Monotonia stared at the unconscious stallion, and for a moment Applebuck could have sworn the mare’s eyebrows raised.  If she did, then it was gone in a moment before he could be sure.  The grey mare turned toward the mare on the throne, and nudged her softly.

“Smart Cookie, you may want to see this.”  The mare on the throne awoke with a start, massaging the sleep from her eyes before giving recognition to the mare beside her.

“Mm... yes Mon – Monotonia?” the regal mare yawned.

“We have a guest.  Praefect Applebuck wishes to grace your presence, and it appears he brought you a present,” Monotonia replied, eyeing the unicorn sprawled out on the floor.

“Oh?” The elder mare pushed herself into a more dignified sitting position before taking in the stallion before her.  “Applebuck! What a pleasant surprise,” she said, giving him a warm smile, her dark green eyes twinkling with a light that the years had once dulled as she stared into his brighter blue ones. However, that light died when her eyes drifted to the limp pony at her hooves.

“Is” – Smart Cookie vaguely gestured at the unicorn – “That what I think it is?”

Applebuck opened his mouth to reply, but it was Monotonia who answered.

“Yes,” Monotonia said as she and Smart Cookie shared a look.  “Yes it is.”

Smart Cookie’s smile became a thin line, her eyebrows furrowed as a shadow crossed over her face, and she stared hard at the symbol on the unicorn’s stole.

“I do not like this.  Not one bit,” she said.  “This has bad written all over it.”  With a dough-colored hoof she prodded the unicorn’s face, knocking back his hood.  “Where did you find him?” she asked the praefect, not removing her eyes from the still body.

“Just past the gate, before the market.  He... came out of Shady Steel’s store....”  Applebuck was a little taken aback by the lack of recognition.  Cautiously he took a step forward, glancing at the mare for any signs of disapprovement before studying the pictogram himself.  Something about it had caught the eye of Smart Cookie, but what that was Applebuck could not seem to grasp.

“And what do you have to say for yourself?” she asked to the room at large.

Applebuck stepped back, afraid he had offended his superior in some way.  “I –”

Smart Cookie held up a hoof to silence him.  “Not you,” she clarified.  She tilted her head toward the unconscious pony before her.  “him.”

Applebuck stared at the unicorn as well.  His body lay unmoving, his robes dishevelled.  His head fell to the side, dried blood staining the steel blue of his neck and the area underneath his severed horn.  His eyes had fallen shut, and his breathing was shallow.

“What do you mean?” Applebuck inquired, turning away from the unconscious pony.

“When did you find him?” she asked.

“Just after sunrise.”

“And what time is it now?”

“According to the servants, time for breakfast,” replied Monotonia, staring behind Smart Cookie at the two ponies who had just walked in.  “We will be with you in a moment!” she called out to them.  Without saying a word the two servants retreated back down the hall, to where Applebuck remembered the kitchen lay.

For the first time since his time as a scout, Applebuck pounded a hoof against his head – not out of anger toward somepony else, but toward himself.  How could he have been so careless? It had been not-much-less than an hour since the incident at the gate.

He cursed under his breath.  “How could I have fallen to such a new-blood mistake?”

“It happens to the best of us,” Smart Cookie assured him.  “Fortunately for all of us, this ‘mistake’ did not carry a high price.”

“I am a praefect!  I should be more astute than this!”

“Applebuck!” Smart Cookie growled.  “I will not spend my morning listening to your self-pity.  Get a hold of yourself; you are, as you said, ‘a praefect’!”

The stallion took a step back, having forgotten that he was standing before his commanding officer.  He cleared his throat, taking in a deep breath and then expelling it, and reconfigured his stance to better fit his title.  “My apologies, my liege.  Sometimes I fail to remember you are my superior.”

The elder mare sighed.  “I do not need your excuses, Applebuck; I accept your apology.”  As she turned back to the prisoner at her feet, she muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Applebuck to hear, “Sometimes, I forget that you are more than my nephew.

“So tell me unicorn –” her eyes drifted to the bloody stump protruding from the stallion’s forehead “– Let me amend that; tell me, hornless one,” she sat down next to him, pressing her face close enough to his that she could smell the dulled scent of copper wafting from his wounds.

“Would you like some breakfast?”

Ambiguity

Chapter Three

Ambiguity

“A discrete and undetected arrival is more often the best policy.”

~Aurora~

Aurora relished flying.

The wind caressing her dark mane, blowing it into the windswept mess that she was so well known for; the light tingle in her wings as the breeze ruffled her pitch feathers; the exhilarating rush of adrenaline when she folded into a dive, or flowed into a barrel roll; and the quiet that only existed in such a place as the sky, where she was alone with her thoughts.  It was... serene.

She straightened her wings, catching an updraft that carried her through a layer of clouds, the mist coating her in a refreshing layer that shielded her from the midday heat.  She took a slow breath, enjoying the clarity and purity of the air.

Woosh.

Broken from her thoughts, Aurora craned her neck to search the area for a sign of disturbance.  She scanned the horizon, and even rolled onto her back to check behind her, but there was nothing.  Wierd, she could have sworn she saw something black in her peripheral.

Deciding that it was a mirage, her thoughts turned to the prize hidden within the pouch she wore underneath a wing.  It was pure luck that she came across it, just a glint of light out of the corner of her eye. Hoping to come across a good score, she flew down to investigate.  She imagined that it might of been a stray gem, dislodged by a traveler and forgotten, or perhaps by a wild animal.  Maybe it was the glint of gold, dropped carelessly by a robber who was fleeing capture.  Or it could be a cache left abandoned.  However, when the pegasus approached the bush in which the shimmering light escaped, she found that it was something much different.

There, lying in the throes of vines was the most beautiful orb Aurora had ever seen.  It was moderate in size, about as large as a phoenix egg, but made of some unknown crystal.  The center of it shone, varying colors of light illuminating the leaves around it.  To Aurora, it almost seemed... alive, as if this strange orb held the soul of some magnificent creature.  Immediately she gathered it into her pouch, realizing that this beauty was worth more gold than she had ever seen before.

It was surprisingly light, considering its size.  It barely registered as she soared through the sky, its presence betrayed only by the softest of tugs on her skin, and the familiar warmth it emanated.

She burst through the cloud layer, staring in wonder at the picturistic view around her.  The light blue sky stretched onward into infinity, illuminated by the majesty of the Sun high above.  Underneath her, the soft clouds shifted, their rolling white hills going on and on and on…

But something was wrong.

 She could feel it – the world was quiet, no birds enjoying the midday warmth; the swirls of clouds were almost too uniform; and the air was still, as if the world around her held a bated breath.  But... for what?

She stopped mid-flight, landing softly on a nearby tuft of cloud.  Her hooves sunk an inch or so, but her attention was elsewhere.  Aurora studied her surroundings, ears flicking to catch telltale sounds, and eyes wandering to catch sudden movements.  The air was heavy, damp.  She sniffed.  There was a storm coming, she was sure of it.  It was a part of her natural ability to sense oncoming storms, but was that what was bothering her?

Deciding that it would be better to dwell on it as she made headway toward her destination, Aurora spread her wings wide and launched off the cloud, adjusting her position to allow for her package.  Both wings stiffened as she hit an air pocket, drifting for a time before–

BAM!!!

Something black collided with her!  At first she thought it was a large bird, until the creature wrapped itself around her.  A hard, cold hoof tightened around her throat, cutting off her air as she tried to disorientate herself.  The world spun around them, faster and faster as the two pegasi tumbled and fell through the sky.  Blues and whites blurred, adding to the disorientation as she attempted to fight back.

Aurora managed to wrap a forehoof around her attacker’s, trying to pull it away.  Suddenly, he let go.  At first she was relieved, until her whole body was whipped around, and then yanked.  The suddenness of the motion made her go dizzy, and she felt a peculiar loss of weight.  Before she could react, an intense pain jolted through her midsection.

 She tumbled through the sky, her vision a blur of whites and blues and greys and greens.  Instinctively, her wings snapped open to slow her fall.  She stopped for a second, just long enough to feel the fire rage through her muscles, and she instantly began plummeting to the ground once more.

(\_.^\_.^\_.^\_>-<>-<-></(_)><->-<>-<_/^._/^._/^._/)

She was alive!

Oh, thank the gods she was alive!

The first thing that went through her head when Aurora awoke was ecstatic joy that she had survived the fall.  How?  Who gave a damn!  She was alive!

Then the pain hit.

Every muscle in her body was sore.  The pulsing ache was most apparent in her wings and neck, but there was still a hot flame held to her hooves as she tried to push herself up.  She collapsed back onto the ground almost immediately, the shock eliciting a sharp grunt of pain.

She just laid there for an unknown amount of time, relief setting in as rest washed away some of the pain.  But as the soreness left, it was replaced with weariness.  Her eyelids grew heavy as she lay prostrate on the soft grass.  Birds chirped precariously as they grew accustomed to her presence, a rustle of leaves and gentle flap of wings as the took back to the sky.  A cool winter breeze drifted over her, tenderly mixed with the warmth of the midday sun.  She listened to the grass whisper, and the wind whistle.  She closed her eyes.  Yes, this would be a great place to just... sleep...

Then her head shot up, hissing in pain as her neck muscle fought back, as she realized something rather important.  Ignoring the pain as her legs and wings disagreed, she jumped up and searched her immediate vicinity.  When she saw it wasn’t there, the grounded pegasus began to search nearby bushes and shrubs.  Damn it!  It was gone!

Whoever had attacked her had stolen her bag!

Aurora kicked at the ground, scoring a muddy slash in the dirt, and bucked at an old tree, the birds using it abandoning in a flurry of wings and caws.  Her worn muscles began to scream in protest, but at the moment she didn’t care.  She had lost the mysterious orb! It was gone, taken from her, all of its worth now benign to her.  But that was the least of her problems now.  True, the mysterious crystal orb may have been worth a fortune for her, but it was nothing but speculation.  How was she to know of its true worth?  She couldn’t.  There was every chance it was worthless.  But the orb wasn’t the only thing in her pouch.  All of her bits were in there, along with healing potions and items of... varying importance.

As of now, Aurora was broke.  As of now, she had two choices:  She could stay here, surrounded in self-pity and wallowing in misery; or, she could get her ass off the ground and do something!

But what was she to do?  Her wings dragged on the ground, marring the primaries with dirt.  By now, most of her muscles, while tired, were no longer exhibiting pain, but the muscles running down her wings still burned with a fierce intensity.  It was as she feared: whip wing, a condition when a pegasi’s wings were lashed backward with extreme force – such as when she tried to slow her descent – possibly tearing muscle.  Any movement of her wings incited a burst of pain, and Aurora knew that, however bad it was now, it would be ten times worse tomorrow.

The pegasus knew she would need to find a town soon, where gods willing there would be an alchemist.  She would need a silver tongue, given her lack of funds at the moment, but with luck she might be able to charm the pony into giving her a potion or two.  Or convince them she was terminal, whichever garnered her more goods.

First things first, before she could unleash her wily charms, Aurora need to find somepony to use them on.

Well, she was... not in a clearing.  Trees, bushes, flowers and other assorted foliage covered the landscape.  The light was filtered by a canopy of the tallest trees, giving the area a slightly green overtone.  There was a break in the treeline, but after some inspection the pegasus found it led to water.  Normally that wouldn’t have been a problem, she would have just unfurled her wings and took to the sky, but, in her current condition, that was about as likely as the earth ponies and the unicorns making nice.

Opposite the break, however, was a fairly steep bank, the roots of trees and vines covering the face of it.  No, she wouldn’t be able to climb it.  But... hmm... interesting.  The vines were rocking, as if in a slow breeze.  That in itself wouldn’t have been suspicious, if the lengths of grassy rope were blowing to the side.  Instead, it looked more like they were being drawn into the rock face, which would only be possible if there were an opening.

Trotting cautiously up, Aurora brushed aside the vines with a black hoof, revealing a generously sized hole in the wall.  She had absolutely no idea where it led, and absolutely no reason to believe it led anywhere.  It was entirely possible some sort of bear or wolf, or another sort of carnivorous animal was waiting for its lunch to canter on up to it.  What reason could she possibly have for placing herself in such a risk?

Oh, right.  She was bored.  And tired.  And wounded.  And broke.  And just slightly pissed off at being broke.  Perhaps a bit more than slightly.

However, before the grounded pegasus had ventured more than a few steps in, she noticed a disturbance on the rock face.  Adjacent to the entrance, highlighted only by filtered sunlight reflecting off of moisture condensed over it, was a mark.  Upon further inspection, the mark looked more like it had been gouged into the stone.  Moss covered the rest of it, and Aurora wiped away the stale green growth, revealing the symbol carved into the stone.

Aurora gasped when she saw it, stealing a quick glance further into the tunnel.  No, it didn’t matter.  She would carry on.  The mark was old, so whatever caused the artist to scratch it was possibly gone.  That didn’t stop a small part of her mind reminding her she left her bow back home.

(\_.^\_.^\_.^\_>-<>-<-></(_)><->-<>-<_/^._/^._/^._/)

It was true!

It was all true!  That damn mark was right!

However, which danger the mark alluded to was in question.  The pony who carved the image may have etched it because of the possibility of collapse.  Apparently, this tunnel was once a mine for mana crystals, however long ago, abandoned and deserted by the workers.  Whether it was because the miners drained the deposits of crystal, or because of another reason was still up for question, but one thing was certain: years and years of disrepair and erosion had done no good.

The support beams that were supposed to be holding the tunnel up couldn’t possibly have in great condition while the miners worked the mines, and now they were nothing but rotting mold, hollowed out by termites and beetles.  Not even a few meters in and part of the ceiling had collapsed, caving in the portal to the outside, and forcing her to move onwards.  Here and there Aurora had also found evidence of less recent collapses, some of which even concealed mashed pony skeletons.

The second possible danger was the large black bear that had just barreled her into a boulder, stunning her.  The dark pegasus was only trotting casually through the atramentous passage, the only light to guide her way dripping off scattered mana crystals left behind by the miners.  Rare enough as they were, and otherwise useless to her, Aurora had begun to shave off some of the magical formations when she remembered that she was no longer in possession of her handy knapsack.

Bummed that she was robbed (both of her possessions and the gold from selling the crystals), she walked off, carrying down the passage and no longer giving thought to the distractions around her.  Quickening her pace at the groaning of the rocks overhead, the normally-keen-eyed pegasus completely missed the opening in the rock face, or the giant bear that emerged from it – until its paw connected with her flank.

The stone walls shuddered as she fell against them, shaking the dust off the ceiling.  Pain blossomed in her rear, and jolted through her wing as it was crushed between a rock and flesh.  Dazed by the sudden attack, and numbed by the renewed fire in one of her wings and burning wounds on her flank, it was dumb luck that caused her to fall as the incapacitated pegasus tried to stand up.  While she could now add her face to the list of things that hurt, it was a welcome trade to being bear chow as the bear in question missed her, slamming into the cave wall instead.

One of the nearby supports splintered at the impact.  A crack resounded through the walls, followed by a shudder as a dust cloud floated down.  Aurora’s eyes went wide as she realized what was about to happen, backpedaling away from the ponicidal bear and the soon-to-collapse cavern wall.  The bear didn’t, however, continuing its menacing approach unaware of the imminent catastrophe about to befall it.

Aurora wanted to cry out a warning, but her voice was lost in the roar of the beast mingled with the much louder roar coming from above, as the rock ceiling split, pouring boulders and stalactites on the unsuspecting animal.  She swore as a large spike of rock smashed through the bear’s skull, mercifully killing him instantly.

Aurora continued to backpedal away from the destruction raging toward her.  It was apparent that this collapse had been building up inside the weakened rock for a long time, just waiting for the opportune moment and the right straw to fall in order to break this pony’s back.  There was no way all of this came from one support beam shattering.

The falling chunks of stone were advancing on her faster than she was moving, and she needed to do something quick if she was to escape this alive! Aurora decided on sacrificing time for speed.  The pegasus halted for a moment, just long enough to twist back into a standing position.  The cave-in did not heed her need for a time-out, and raged onwards; Aurora broke into a gallop just as a boulder larger than her flattened the area where she was just standing.

The race only lasted a few seconds, before a large slab of craig collapsed, its shear size able to support the surrounding walls and countering the oncoming torrent.  The shock rattled the cave, prying dirt and an odd assortment of small rocks and stones off the adjacent surfaces.

Aurora continued galloping for a short stretch, slowing down her canter.  She took a few more steps in, then promptly fell over.  A pained grunt as she landed on her wing, a slight adjustment off of the appendage.  Breathe in, breathe out.

Never again, Aurora thought to herself, never again.

(\_.^\_.^\_.^\_>-<>-<-></(_)><->-<>-<_/^._/^._/^._/)

Unfortunately, with the danger of another cave-in lingering everywhere, Aurora could not stop to rest.  She would have to wait until she got out of this underground nightmare.

On the contrast, the mare did discover some fortune in where she ended up.  With only one way to go, Aurora didn’t have much say in where to go, and so pressed onward.  Much to her surprise, the dim blue light of the mana veins gave way to a much more vibrant yellow that signalled the path of torches that lay up ahead.  As she rounded the corner, the rock walls opened up into a larger hall, where her path ended on an overhang overlooking the hollow.

A waterfall emptied into a small lake opposite her, a wooden bridge connecting two shores perpendicular to her position.  The floor of the cavern was, at most, a ten to fifteen foot drop from where the wounded pegasus lay.  It shouldn’t have been a problem, just a hop, skip, and a jump into the water, assuming it wasn’t too shallow.  What stopped her, however, was the voices she heard.  There was a flicker of movement, and Aurora could see a shadow move on the adjacent wall.

“What if somepony wanders in here?” one of them questioned.  The other one groaned in aggravation before answering gruffly,

“Nopony’s gonna come in here.  Why would they?  The mine’s been abandoned for divines’ know how long.  Blade set up that rock trap near the entrance, an’ Cleaver is up on guard duty outside.  Now, shut up or get out an’ let me get some damn sleep!”  There were only two types of ponies who holed up in an abandoned mine, and trapped the entrance:  Paranoid ponies, and bandit gangs.  The pegasus swore under her breath; this day just got better and better.

“What’s got you so tired, huh?  It’s the middle of the damn day!” the first one continued, either unaware or uncaring of his ally’s growing hostility.

“I was up all bloody night doing a raid with Soul an’ Blackthorn.  Now, go bother Blade at the forge, or I’m gonna bother my knife into your neck.”  It appeared that was the end of their conversation.

Definitely bandits, she thought.  Bandits were a bunch of unruly bastards, having absolutely no code of ethics.  They raided wherever they wanted, whoever they wanted, whenever they wanted.  They saw no problem in killing another pony for gold, and had no concept of the idea of subtlety.

There was a shuffling sound below her as the second bandit wrapped himself in his makeshift sleeping bag.  The first one came into view as he made his way across the bridge, presumably towards Blade.  The stallion’s dark hide was covered by a set of ironically-named hide armor, a more simplistic and unvaluable version of leather armor.  A blunt iron sword was strapped to his back, and an indiscernible dagger hung off his shoulder.  The pounding of his hooves slowly faded as he disappeared further into the mine.

With the one gone, and the other asleep, the only hinderance to Aurora’s escape was the distance to the ground.  Being a pegasus, this would normally not be a problem, but with her wings out of commission this was no longer the case.  She would need to find a way down that was quiet, and that wouldn’t require her wings.  She peered over the edge of the outcrop, looking down at the body of water.  It would be safe to land in, but the splash would alert the bandits nearby.  Would she be fast enough to escape them though, should that be the case?  Aurora decided that she didn’t want to risk it if there was another way.

She turned back the way she came.  Somepony strung up several lanterns, so the tunnel she came from was meant for a purpose.  There was only one exit, apart from the opening she sat by, but it didn’t seem sound to not have a secondary exit, in case of a cave-in.  The hole she sat in couldn’t possibly be used by earth ponies, not unless they were expected to jump into the lake every time, which while possible was extremely unlikely.  There had to be another passage, one that all ponies could traverse to get from up here to down there.

Unless... she was going about it the wrong way.  The main sector of the mine was down there, and whomever worked down there would need an escape route in case of the not-so-hypothetical cave-in.  More than likely there was already an escape route at the other end of the mine, but just having one would be ridiculously risky, just tempting fate.  There had to have been a secondary route to the surface, but what if she was in it?  If this tunnel she found was the secondary (or even primary) escape route, then there would have to be a passage connecting the two.  Aurora needed to find some sort of lever, or pressure plate that would open the hidden tunnel.

The walls shuddered, more dirt cascading onto her ebony coat, and marring a small patch a dull brown as a deep rumble echoed through the tunnels.  Apparently the storm she sensed earlier had come.

Aurora scoured the shadows for a trigger of some kind.  Examining the wall decorated with lanterns revealed an outline of a door disguised as rock, but there was no way to open it.  She should have expected that – the miners wouldn’t want anypony sneaking in, so of course the lever was on the side only the miners could access.  Damn.

Aurora glanced at the overhang.  There was no choice; she would have to chance it and hope she could outrun them.  Then there was the bandit standing guard outside, although if she took him by surprise she could gallop past him hopefully before he could hinder her.  Her wings itched and her flank burned at the thought of all that running.  She looked back over the edge, and down at the water below.

“Kill him if he talks to me like that again... get him while he’s sleeping... or poison his meat, see if he likes it,” murmured the half-asleep bandit.  There was a shuffle as he rearranged himself in his sleeping bag.

Well, it was now or never.  Aurora back up a few steps, cantered forward, and jumped.  For a moment she was airborne once more, and her wings ached to be unfolded.  Or perhaps they were just aching from the strain.  Whichever it was, she was only in the air for a second before she hit the water.  With all the luck in the world, just as she broke the surface there was a loud crash and the sound of somepony swearing from just outside.

The water was freezing, shocking her as she pushed herself to the surface.  However, that was nothing to the shock when her wounds were exposed to the dirty, cold water, sending an ice-like fire through her rear.  When she broke through, she scampered under the bridge.  With a modest amount of luck, that racket covered up her arrival.  Otherwise, this was a grave mistake.

“What in Tartarus?” came the voice of the previously asleep stallion.  “What was that?”  There was a rustle of cloth as he removed himself from his bed, and the unmistakable sound of him unsheathing a weapon.  The sound of hooffalls signalled another entering the cavern.  “Is that you Cleaver?  Why ain’t ya outside?  An’ what the bloody hell was that racket!”

A new voice reached under the bridge.  “Can’t you hear the thunder?  It’s pouring out there, and I’m not standing guard while it’s pouring.  Go back to sleep you irritable codger!” the one called Cleaver yelled at the elder bandit.  He didn’t seem to take too kindly to being called an “irritable codger”.

“What did ya say to me?  I’d cut your throat for that, if you weren’t Blackthorn’s brother.  An’ what was that racket?  You do that?”

“Yeah, that was me you insufferable git.  I tripped Blade’s trap; it’s dark as night in there ‘cause somepony went and removed all them torches!” Cleaver growled.

“Ah course I removed ‘em, it’s bright as day with ‘em there, an’ I’m trying to sleep!” the old one barked back.

“Then go back to sleep!  You ungrateful bastard; lucky if I don’t slit your throat...” Cleaver added the last part under his breath as he walked away, his hoofsteps leading deeper into the mine, following the path the other bandit took.  The old one mumbled curses and threats under his breath as he crawled back into his sleeping bag.

This was a prime example of why Aurora loathed bandits.  However, she could ruminate on the uncouth behavior of these uncivilized rogues later.  With Cleaver gone, leaving the entrance unguarded, and the other sleeping, now was a prime chance to take her leave.

Slowly she raised herself out of the cavern lake, going step by step so as to not alert the dozing bandit.  There were numerous but quiet splashes as excess water drained onto the rock below, but crouching low to the ground seemed to help rectify that.  The cold stone was like frozen ice to her wet hooves, the inconspicuous chill in the air now much more tangible.  Her flank still burned with a cold fury, numbed slightly by the cool air.

She watched the elder stallion shuffle in his sleeping bag.  Nearby him he had lain his sword: a steel longsword, and in moderate condition, by the look of it.  Aurora wasn’t one for using swords, or any other weapon requiring the mouth, but a steel sword could go for several dozen gold – enough to buy some small healing potions.

She cautiously trotted up to it, glancing at the snoring earth pony to confirm he was sleeping.  But her eye was caught by a cloth purse tucked underneath his pillow.  The mare bit her lip; it wouldn’t be too hard to carry it and the sword, and pooling those resources could certainly garner her what she required, plus a little extra.

Decision made, she gently tugged at the bag of gold, all the while keeping her eyes on the back passage, in case one of the others wandered in.  As soon as it was out, she tucked the top of it under her tongue, and started towards the sword.  She went stiff when a chuckle echoed from deeper in the cave.

“He he he... two threes?”  The voice grew closer, and she turned to see a shadow making its way to the chamber she was in.  “What was he thinking?  Fool never saw me pull that ace out of my boot.”

Slightly panicked, Aurora swiftly grabbed the hilt.  In her haste, the blade clanged against the ground, eliciting a sharp chime that echoed off the rock.  She glanced behind her, praying to the sun and moon that nopony heard.  It was a ludicrous hope.

The previous asleep bandit jolted awake, glaring at her first with befuddlement, then with malice as he saw the pouch of gold and steel sword hanging from her mouth, and realized what the mare was attempting to do.  “Intruder!” he screamed.

Aurora didn’t think, she just acted, and that included regrettably dropping both items and galloping as fast as her legs could carry her.

She made her way through the tunnel leading to the exit, and just as Cleaver had said, all of the torches were either blown out or removed.  Being a pegasus, this did not hinder her movement by much, adjusting to different levels of light one of the avian abilities adopted by her kind.  However, the two bandits chasing her had no such luck, as she heard grunts and swears behind her as the two lost her in the darkness.

Aurora found the rock trap mentioned before, the one that had been tripped.  Several rocks ranging in size from as big as her head to a few large boulders littered the ground, having fallen from a wooden chute above.  The trigger lay on the ground – a thin rope, easily missed and easily broken.  The one called Cleaver was lucky he wasn’t killed, although right now lucky wasn’t the word she’d use.

Aurora tucked herself behind some of the larger boulders, hoping her pitch coat would conceal her in the darkness.  Pain bit through her when she landed on her wing, but she forced down any sort of whimper when she heard the hoofsteps from the two pursuing her, along with more grunts and curses as they waded through the minefield of rocks.  Their hoofbeats stopped in the middle.

“Damn, where’d she go?” came a voice from right beside her.  Aurora held her breath.

“This is why you ain’t supposed to be sleepin’ during your shift, you damn codger!” the second pony snorted.  “Forget that mare, she’s gone.”  Another roar of thunder rattled the cave, disturbing a cloud of dirt that rolled over her open wounds.  Aurora bit her lip.

“What do you mean, forge’ her?”

“Did she get away with any of your loot?”  There was a moment of silence as the other pony presumably shook his head.  “Then shut up!” spat the second.  “It’s not like we’ll see the bitch again.”

Aurora continued to hold her breath until she heard their hoofsteps disappear.  Then, when she was sure neither of them would return, she gasped, not entirely sure why the sudden release of breath was going to ease her pain.

Not far from the pile of rocks, up a small slope, and through wooden double doors was the outside. Just as the bandit said, the rain was pouring hard.  The sky had grown a dark grey, filtering the sun through layers upon layers of cumlionimbus.  There was a flash of light, signaling the roar that followed shortly after.  The only shelter at the moment was the small, little roof that housed the entrance to the mine below.

Free from the bandits for now, Aurora observed where she was.  The grass was lush, sectioning off juts of rock that escaped the ground, and was host to a multitude of bushes and flowers.  From where she sat, Aurora could see various mountain flowers, dragon’s tongue, and if she was right, snowberries.  Numerous conifers clouded the landscape, offering shelter to the families of birds and rabbits.

What stuck out to her most was the thing she had been most hoping she’d find; down a worn dirt path that had once led to the mine, across a bridge, was the pegasus ground-colony of Nimbustall.  While the pegasus was not a fan of getting her feathers wet, the warning fire still present in her flanks convinced her to limp on in the rain towards the civilization.

Now to practice that silver tongue.

A Flash of Green

Chapter Four

A Flash of Green

“What was that?”

~Skyfall~

Silver magic wrapped around one of the spokes on the wheel, ever so slightly turning this way and that, guiding the enormous airship along its projected course.  Likewise, multiple ribbons of the same silver energy tugged and pulled on various ropes and pulleys, working alongside each other as though they were mimicking a sentient crew.  More, hidden beneath the hull, manipulated the rudders, all working in conjunction with each other towards their one goal.

“You work this entire ship by yourself?”  I asked the blue stallion beside me.  He took a gander at his handiwork before acknowledging my question.

“Well, essentially yes,” he said, turning back to me.  “More specifically, I cast a rather extensive ‘come-to-life’ spell – oh, don’t give me that look, it’s self-explanatory,” he interjected in response to the look I gave him, (the look that I would later adopt as my “I don’t know what you’re talking about” glare.  With Bronze Nut constantly divulging into his wealthy expanse of knowledge, I became rather good at it).

“The magic analyzes the knowledge in my mind on how this ship works, and applies it to the ship itself.  Because I was there supervising the entire time they were building her, I know every nook and cranny of this ship, and by extension so does my magic, working as a proxy to a normal crew.  Actually, I’d go as far to say it works better than a crew; no clashing personalities to have to fight with and all that drama.”

“That’s... rather spectacular.”

“Hmm? Ah, yes I suppose it is.”  Silence descended on us once more as we floated through the clouds.  Winds whistled as they grew stronger, and I followed a few of the silver motes as they adjusted to the change.  I could hear the ship groan quietly as it moved.  Bronze Nut shuffled beside me, but I didn’t pay much notice to it until I heard his signature “Hmm...”.  He was looking out at the horizon, where a mass of clouds were gathering.

“What’s that?” I asked, startling him out of his stupor.

“What is what?”

“Out there; those dark clouds.”

“Oh, that’s just a storm brewing.  Shouldn’t bother us though, it’s way out of our trajectory,” he answered before turning away.  Something didn’t sit right with me, the aged unicorn seemed too interested in what was out there for it to be “just a storm”.  And so I found myself staring out at the growing mass of clouds, intent on discovering what it was that Bronze Nut found so enthralling.  At first, I saw nothing out of the ordinary, just the swirling grey masses.  Then –

“What was that?” I blurted, causing Bronze Nut to perk up.  He glanced at me, then followed my gaze out to where the storms were gathering.

“Did you see something, lad?”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure what. It was there for a second, then gone,” I replied.  The both of us continued to stare out into the horizon.  I wasn’t even entirely sure what I saw was real.  It could have been easily a mirage.

“What did you see?” he asked intently.

“I, well... I’m not sure. It was like some sort of green flash out in the distance.  Around where that storm is.”  Now that I said it out loud, it occurred to me that the flash could have been lighting.  It seemed rather obvious in hindsight, that a flash of light in the midst of a storm should evidently be lightning.

“Hmm... how curious,” he stated simply.  It took me by surprise that the elder unicorn didn’t take my sighting for lightning.  Something about it had intrigued him, and now I was determined to know the significance.

“I’m sorry, but what’s curious?”  I said as I turned back to face him.  He continued staring out as he replied, eyes narrowed and focused on the spot I pointed out to him.

“Well, if one were to see a flash of light in a storm cloud, I would certainly assume that it was lightning,” he said slowly, stroking his white beard with a blue hoof.  Something in his tone of voice told me that he didn’t agree with this natural assumption like I did.  He continued, “But, you say it was green?” turning to me for confirmation.  When I nodded my head, he merely hummed in thought.  I gave him a few minutes for his silent musing before I broke his concentration.

“Does that mean anything?” I asked him.

He snapped his head in my direction.  “What? Oh, yes... yes I suppose it does... possibly....”  He went back to staring off into space.

I groaned in exasperation and let my head droop.  I learned to tell when he was lost in thought, because he would cease whatever it was he was doing, and stare off into some random direction completely oblivious to everything around him, all the while stroking his beard.  I waited for a minute or so, hoping that he would break away and actually answer a question without giving me more questions that needed answering!

When it appeared that he wasn’t going to, I sighed and moved toward the starboard side.  I watched a cloud float by, sending a chill through me as the moisture clothed my coat.  Out into the distance I could see an enormous mountain rising, as if the world was a bedsheet and somepony had pulled up a part of it as high as it could go, its apex only visible because I too was above the clouds.  About midway down the mountain, still a generous height above the ground, was a conglomeration of white and gold spires and towers growing out of the side.

To the West was an exuberant patch of clouds, grouped too close together to have been natural.  From here I could see small falls of rainbow pouring off the edge, disintegrating before reaching the ground beneath.  I could only assume this was a pegasus settlement.  Underneath the colossal of clouds was a large, silver spire towering above the land around it, rising high enough to disappear into the white wad of clouds.

“What are those out there?” I asked, with turning away from the spectacle.

“Hm?” was all I got in reply before my companion broke out of his reverie.  My ear twitched and followed a set of hoofsteps and jingling brass walking over to me.  When he figured out what had caught my fancy, “Ah, yes.  Such a wondrous sight.  Not many but the pegasi get to enjoy something like this, and not many pegasi travel this far from their homes.”

“Well, look who finally woke up.  I thought you had fallen asleep back there,” I jested with a thin smile on my face.  Bronze Nut acknowledged it with a warm chuckle.

“Sorry about that, lad.  The mind of an old stallion like me tends to run away at times.  What were you asking now?”

“I wanted to know what those two places were,” I replied, pointing out the city on the mountainside and the large tower.

“Ah, those are two of the three capitals in Equestria.”

“Three?” I blurted, before remembering that there were three provinces in the country, and that each one would need their own capital.

“Yes, three.  One for each of the provinces.”  Like I said.  “That one there on the mountain is Canterlot, capital of Unicornia.  It also houses the leading institute of magic, The University of Canterlot,” he said, flourishing the name with wonderment.

“And what of the tower?”

“That’s the ground section of Cloudsdale, capital of Pegasopolis.  The clouds above it are the actual city, but you can’t see much of it from this distance.”

The whole of the ship rocked slightly as another breeze swept through, dragging the cold air along with it.  I shivered involuntarily as the cold bit me hard, and wished that my coat was thicker.  Apparently the unicorn next to me read minds as well.  I wondered if that’s a spell I could learn... would’ve been damned useful in hindsight.

“Argh, damn my old mind,” he reprimanded himself.  “I should’ve thought to offer you something warm to wear, lad; it tends to get bloody cold up here, and being a breath away from winter will make it all the more worse as the days pass.”  He motioned to follow him with a blue hoof, and led me back down into the depths of the ship.

(\_.^\_.^\_.^\_>-<>-<-></(_)><->-<>-<_/^._/^._/^._/)

Where before he brought me to the galley (as I learned it was called), this time we took a right instead of a left, and down a corridor or two into a room filled with shelves, crates, chests, and wardrobes.  Most everything was covered in dust, but for a generous amount of the floor where we walked.  All but two of the chests were left open, allowing passersby and potential thieves to see the invaluable emptiness of their contents.

The wardrobes seemed to be the only furniture used, having the smallest layers of dust coating the bunch.  It was one of these that he led me to, silver magic wrapping around the handle and tugging open the old wooden door.  Inside were several folded garments of varying designs, ranging from simple cloth to embroidered silk.  Some of them seemed to have a faint, glowing outline to them, if looked at from just the right direction.

It was one of these that Bronze Nut pulled out.  It was one of the layered pieces, a brownish-red colored undershirt with a frayed grey collar, covered over by a thicker faded blue wool coat, with a sort of diamond pattern stitched in.  Keeping it in place was a leather belt wrapped around my waist.

Instantaneously I felt a warmth flow through me, expelling the cold air.  It was like I was laying beside a fire, only portable.

“Whew, what was that?” I breathed.

Bronze Nut raised an eyebrow.  “You seem very fond of the question.”

“Fond of... what? Oh... ha ha.”  He suppressed his own chuckle at my expense before answering my previous question.

“That set, amongst others, was enchanted with a petty level fire enchantment, along with greater resistance to counter the –” he stopped, taking in the look I was giving him.  “– It is enchanted to warm you,” he simplified.  “You know, if you wish to ever become more than just a novice at the arcane arts, there are basics you will need to master, and enchanting is only one of them,” he said simply.  It sounded like an observation, but the way he said it made it seem like he was reprimanding me.

I merely grunted in response; I knew he was right, I would eventually have to learn all of this new magic stuff, but not right now.  This was just a little too sudden for my tastes, and I was still adjusting to the idea of not having a past.

Almost as if he knew what I was thinking, “I’m sorry, lad. I’m pushing you too hard too fast.  I used to teach at the University you know, I supposed part of that rubbed off on me.”

“Why did you stop?”

“Oh, various reasons,” he answered solemnly.  I knew he was going to avoid answering, but I figured I should have asked anyway.  Bronze Nut wasn’t very open about his past, or at least, the specifics of his past.

Another silence descended in the halls as we made our way back up through the ship.  It was me who broke it first.

“So, what were you saying about the tower? The one below Cloudsdale?”

“Not much to say about it; It’s called the Tower of Harmony, and it was built the first years here by all three tribes, as a sort of peace offering to each other.  That’s where they signed the Entente of Harmony, named for the tower.”

By now we had reached the large doors that opened onto the deck.  The chilled air bit at my face (mostly my nose), but it wasn’t too harsh, and the enchanted coat I was wearing certainly helped to persuade away the cold.  We walked over to the edge of the starboard again, looking back at the monumental tower in the distance.  It had grown farther away since we went below, and now a forest backed by a mountain range had appeared around it, blocking most of it from view.

“I assume that was the peace treaty?”

“Yes, and I might add that it is rather common knowledge.  It would certainly alarm me if one was to not know of the Entente of Harmony.”

“And why is that?” I asked, turning to face him.

“Well, with the changelings about, you can never be too careful, lad.”  There was that word again, ‘changeling’.  It must of been of some importance, and I was sure I would need to know what they were.  I can honestly say, having that sort of a thought process, especially naturally, was rather unsettling.  Not even knowing what I would and would not require to have knowledge of only served to upset my stomach, and I could feel a familiar sinking feeling welling back up.

“What are changelings?  I’ve heard you mention them before.”

“Changelings are... well, monster is probably the best word for them, even if not accurate.  Calling them dangerous would be harsh, but they’re not exactly friendly to most ponies.  Would you rather finish this conversation in the galley, lad?  I only brought you up here because you were curious how I was able to magically run this ship, but, well, now that that’s settled...”

I nodded in agreement.  “Sure.”  I was getting bored of being topside myself; there really wasn’t much to do, other than follow the silver motes of light working the ropes and pulleys, or watching the landscape slowly waltz by.

(\_.^\_.^\_.^\_>-<>-<-></(_)><->-<>-<_/^._/^._/^._/)

When we reached the familiar room, the unicorn disappeared behind the counter for a moment, returning with a basket of assorted fruits, although most were apples.  When he returned I regarded him with a raised eyebrow.

“So this is why you wanted to come back down?”

Bronze Nut hummed thoughtfully.  “Hmm... possibly.”  He released his magical aura, and the basket dropped onto the table before us with a dull thunk.  “It’s nearing midday, and I forgot to eat breakfast because of your unexpected arrival.”  My eyebrow raised slightly higher at that, but he just waved it away with his hoof.  “Besides, I daresay you’ll be hungry yourself; you haven’t eaten since this morning either.”

I wasn’t sure how much truth there was to that.  True, I haven’t ingested anything but cider since... but I didn’t feel hungry.  Still, the red and yellow apple he brandished at me looked tasty, so I took him up on his offer.

I held out a hoof for him to drop the apple into, but he just sort of stared at it, a small frown on his face.  Finally he relinquished it, and the sweet sugars invading my mouth when I took a bit of it proved him right.  I was hungry.

He too picked out an apple from the basket, but didn’t eat it quite yet.  It was almost disturbing watching him contemplate me while I ate.  I stopped mid-chew, swallowing what was left in my mouth as I stared back at him.  “... What?”

“Nothing,” he replied, taking a bite out of his apple.  “I’m just not accustomed to seeing a unicorn not using magic.”

“Well, I’m sorry that my inability to use magic troubles you so,” I breathed out fast, harsher than I should have been, or perhaps just enough.

“I’ve done well letting you off, with your attitude certainly being understandable because of your incident, but I will have you observe manners that are due to me in my presence!”  I reeled back, surprised at his outburst, but I returned back to the field ready to lay into him without a viable cause, my pride rearing.

Before I could open my mouth however, he cut me off.  “You are but a guest, a foal at that, and I am both your host and your elder.”  He rose up, both hooves on the table, pushing himself above me as I feel flat onto my back.  “And I will not have you demeaning me on my own ship!”

“I’m sorry, I was just... I, uh... yeah... sorry.  I’m sorry,” I babbled.

“I understand you are going through something rather difficult, and I won’t speak under the pretense of knowing how you feel.  Perhaps I shouldn’t have been as harsh as I was, so I’ll ask you to forgive me on that, but my request still stands, lad.  Now, let us put this behind us, and continue on the matter we were to discuss upon coming here.”  He held out a hoof, and for the second time that day he pulled me off the floor of the galley.

“On the previous subject, however: in my library I have a personal collection of what should be every spell tome out there.  Perhaps later you and I could peruse some of them?”

“Every spell tome?”

“Why yes, lad.  Quite an astounding collection, if I do say so myself; I’m quite proud of it.”

“... Sure, sounds like a plan,” I said, to which he nodded in agreement.  If he had a library with every spell tome... I entertained the idea of there being memory spells hidden there.  In fact, I recalled a few hours ago, when the Captain mentioned using a memory spell on me to scrounge through my mind.  However, something seemed fishy about the way he said it...

“Now,” I started, bringing the conversation back to the subject he was telling me about before we descended back down into the ship.  “You were telling me about the changelings.”

“Ah, yes quite right.  And what was it I had said about them, lad?”

“You said something about them being a danger to ponies.”

“Yes, right.  I myself have had dealings with them in the past, but to most travelers they can be a very great hinderance, although most ponies never see them.”

“And why is that?” I asked, finishing off the apple and reaching for a second.  The skin was bitter, and the flesh was a little sour, but it wasn’t bad.

“Changelings reside in the deepest recesses of Equestria, and are astoundingly protective of their hives.  There are very few hives that exist on the surface, but most are crafted farther underground than most ponies are willing to travel.  They only time they seem to surface is around Hearts and Hooves Day.”

“And what is Hearts and Hooves Day?”

Bronze Nut took another bite of his apple before answering.  “It is a holiday observed by most of the country.  It started several decades ago; a famous scandal that involved our own Unicorn King, before his daughter took his place on the throne.”

“We have a Unicorn King?”

“Yes, before he stepped down and ceded the throne to Princess Platinum, the current ruler of Unicornia.”

“What happened to him?”

“Old age.”  Bronze Nut had a somber overtone in his voice, and I guessed that he might have known the Unicorn King.  I could only imagine what it was like to lose a friend.  The slithering serpents in my gut reminded me of the possibility that I just couldn’t remember what it was like.  I imagined a little me trying to beat away the snake with an apple core.

“So, why do these changelings surface on Hearts and Hooves Day?”

“Changelings are a unique species because they feed off of emotions, particularly love.”  Bronze Nut removed himself from the table, opting to refill our tankards with more home-brewed cider.  I was beginning to wonder exactly how healthy consuming this much cider was, but at a glance there didn’t appeared to be any other drink taps.

I rolled an apple in between my hooves.  “How does something feed off of love?”

At this he chuckled, bringing up the second mug to the tap as he set down the first.  “Do not tempt me, lad, or we’ll be here ‘till sunrise tomorrow –” his head snapped up “– Oh!  Speaking of which....”  He closed his eyes, and the glow around his horn intensified.  I continued batting the apple around, mulling over whether to eat a third.  I hung my head and sighed, wondering how long he would be out of it this time.

Fortunately it was only a few seconds.  The glow from his horn ceased, only to reignite fast enough to catch the mug he dropped.  “Good, we’ve still plenty of time.”

“Plenty of time for what?”  I frowned as a thought occurred to me.  “Where are we going?”

He passed back the dull tin tankard, now full with golden cider.  “To the Arch-mage, whom will hopefully be able to apprentice you.”  He sat down, taking a sip of his drink and a bite of his apple before continuing.  “We’ll be nearing her cottage in but a few hours, plenty of time for me to train you in some basic magic.”

I was stunned by this sudden turn of events.  “Wait, wait.  Why are we going to the Arch-mage?”

“Because, you are a unicorn who needs to learn magic, and she is somepony who teaches magic.  Rather obvious match, if you ask me,” said the Captain nonchalantly.  This only irritated me.  One of the snakes hissed at a miniature Captain.

“You said yourself that you were once a professor, and you have a library of spell tomes!  Why can’t you teach me?”

“Because,” he said calmly, setting his mug down.  “I have places to be, ponies I need to see.”

I threw my hooves in the air.  “And why does that mean I need to leave?”

“Why are you so desperate to stay beside me?”  I was oblivious to the tension leaking into his voice, the beasts in my stomach egging me on with hisses and snarls as they snapped their jaws.  The little pony in my mind threw away the apple core and ran for cover.

“Why?  Why?  You are the only pony I know!  I literally woke up on your ship with absolutely no memory – a bloody anomaly, as you so put it!”  I venomously reminded him.  “You seem to be the only pony out of the two of us who knows what going on, and here you are just dumping me at the feet of this Arch-mage!”

“I already told you –”

“Told me what?”  I slammed my hooves on the table, spilling both our mugs.  I could see a fire alight in the stallion’s eyes, but my foolish emotions already had the better of me.  “That you’d rather wait until you had further proof?  How do you even plan to get this ‘further proof’?  At least tell me what’s going on here!”

There was a moment of silence as we both stared at each other.  “How do I know that you’re not the one who did this to me?”  In all honesty, I wasn’t aware that thought had crossed my mind until I said it aloud.

“Because I’m trying to help you,” he said through clenched teeth.

“No,” I stood up, staring at the Captain incredulously.  “No, it all makes sense!  I wake up on your ship, with no memory, and you just happen to know why?”  I started pacing back and forth.  “You’ve already told me that you know memory spells, and I’m sure you have a whole section on memory magic or whatever in that library!  You’ve spent the last few hours just waltzing around your ship with a pony who just appeared, drinking cider and eating apples –”

“Stop,” he commanded.

“You want me to stop?  Then tell me what’s going on!  Give me a reason to trust you, or give me back my memory!”

“SIT DOWN!” thundered the Captain, the walls of the galley shuddering in response.

I planted my flank straight onto the wooden floor at his words.  My eyes widened as he slowly pulled himself off the bench, and advanced on me.  What was I to do if he attacked me?  I should have waited for him to teach me some magic before calling him out!  I kicked myself backward, trying to put as much distance between myself and the elder unicorn.

His horn flashed with a brilliant silver, and I swore all the cider from earlier ran through me as I was sure I was about to die –

But I looked into his old, silver eyes, and all the fear washed away.  I wondered why I was so insistent on casting the unicorn as the villain, where he had spent the better half of his day catering to an unexpected guest.  Surely, after the last few hours, he had earned the benefit of the doubt?

I stopped, and we stared at each other for a moment, until the light from his horn died.

He trotted over to where I lay, and looked down upon me with an unreadable expression.  “I am not trying to hurt you, I am trying to help you,” he said in a calm tone.  “Do you believe me?”

I didn’t nod or shake my head, instead I just continued to stare at him as he continued.  “I did not remove your memory, nor did I in any way harm you, lad.  I have seen a lot in my travels, perhaps too much.  Your appearance on my ship I will admit startled me, but long ago I learned that rash actions lead to damning results.  Do you follow?”

I nodded my head.  “I do not have all the answers, lad, nor shall I pretend to.  Much care is to be taken, and that is why I am entrusting you to the Arch-mage.  She is a very capable mare, and she will take care of you in my stead.”

“And... until then?” I asked him cautiously.

“Until then, I’d wager our time best be spent in the library, training you in some magic, eh, lad?”

I felt a warm elation at the prospect of learning magic, and finally being something other than a useless unicorn.  The serpents receded, coiling around each other.  I pushed myself off the old, wooden floor.  “So... shall we get started?”

The elder unicorn chuckled heartily as he followed suit.  “It is nice to see you showing some enthusiasm.  Follow me to my library, and let us see what you can learn within our allotted time.”

We left the familiarity of the galley, and I followed the blue stallion down numerous wooden corridors that, all together, should not have been able to fit inside the entirety of the ship.  As we trecked through the bowels of the monstrous craft, I began to dwell on our destination:  The Arch-mage.  True, it was painfully obvious that I wasn’t going to spend my life aboard this ship with Bronze Nut, but in the last few hours that life was all I had known.  The idea of actually leaving the airship, and embarking on my own quest in Equestria scared me more than I would have admitted.

To distract myself, I let my mind drift to my future with this Arch-mage, and what it would be like under her tutelage.  It was in that moment a thought occurred to me.  It wasn’t a pleasant thought, and the idea sent a cold shiver down my spine and into my gut, freezing it into a weighty block of ice that I wanted nothing more than to throw up.  “B... Bronze Nut?” I choked out.

“Yes, lad?”

“W... what should I tell her my name is?” I said slowly.  At this the unicorn froze.

“Oh... oh dear.”  He mumbled something to himself, possibly several curses in another tongue, before he turned to me, the light from his horn throwing his face into sharp relief.  “Well, it certainly won’t do to have you wandering around without a name now will it?”  He coughed into his hoof.  “Do you... have any suggestions?”

I shook my head; at the moment I was feeling rather inept about pony nomenclature, possibly stemming from the fact that the only pony name I was aware of was Bronze Nut’s.

“Well....”  For the first time since meeting him (which wasn’t saying much) Bronze Nut’s face went blank.  He stared at me hard, making me rather uncomfortable, for a short time before gesturing to the old wooden ceiling above us.  “Sky....”  He then brought his hoof slowly down until he pointed at me.  “... fall.”

I stared back at him for a second, then deadpanned.  “Sky... fall?  Skyfall?  You’re naming me after how I arrived on your ship?”  I raised an eyebrow.  “Seriously?”

“Oi!  Don’t look at me like that; I was never good at crafting names, that’s why I let my wife name our children,” he said with a chuckle.

“You have a wife?”  I was quite frankly surprised.  Despite his age, I had figured he had no spouse, primarily drawing this conclusion because I had never seen a portrait of any mare aboard his ship.  Then again, I had never been to his quarters.

The stallion’s face grew very melancholy.  “I... I did.”  Oh.  Well, damn good job, Skyfall!  Congratulations on being tactless with the one and only pony you know!

“I’m sorry,” I offered.  Bronze Nut waved it off.

“It is fine, lad.  She’s been... gone a long time, and I’ve had plenty of years to come to terms with her passing,” he said, giving me a reassuring smile.

“And... your children?” I asked, biting my lower lip.  He nodded somberly. “Oh.”

“It’s been a while, lad – Skyfall,” he corrected, tasting my new name on his tongue.  It was weird being addressed with an actual name, but I had to admit it was much better than not having one.  “Like I said, I’ve had years to get over it, and I would rather not dwell on it.  Come on, we’re not far from the library.”

I followed him in silence, and neither of us spoke again until we reached his library.

(\_.^\_.^\_.^\_>-<>-<-></(_)><->-<>-<_/^._/^._/^._/)

        Three hours later, as the sun began to slowly fall back towards the horizon, we arrived at our destination, or more accurately my destination.

During those three hours, which had gone by faster than I had hoped, I managed to learn telekinesis, alongside the basics of a novice healing spell, and a novice destruction spell.  Bronze Nut found my learning curve to be fascinating, telling me that a normal unicorn spent weeks mastering novice spells, whereas I had learned them in the expanse of mere hours.  When I questioned him about it, he assured me that it fit in with his theory about my predicament; I, however, felt there was more to it than he let on.  Something about the fascination in his voice when he was describing it.

We landed on the shore, near the edge of the mountain range I saw earlier.  According to the Captain, the Arch-mage lived on the outskirts of the mountain, but close enough that his airship could not land.  She lived in a cottage not far from where we landed, and he gave me directions to a path that led there.

Now all that was left was to say goodbye.

That left us standing beside each other awkwardly, staring out at the massive jut of rock in front of us.  It was miniscule compared to the mountain Canterlot rested on, but still intimidating in its own right.

“Well... thanks for the, er, lift.  And for teaching me magic.”  That wasn’t awkward at all.  Nope.

“You’re welcome, lad.”

“And, I guess this is goodbye?”

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll meet again somewhere along the path, perhaps sooner than later,” he said ominously.

“Um... sure,” I replied.  I stared at the gangplank the Captain had laid out, working up the courage to move.  Bronze Nut held up a hoof, signaling his intention to speak.

“I don’t mean to be brash, but I get this feeling, lad, that you’ve been brooding over your predicament.  Somehow, you believe, that you’ve just... popped into existence!  That you have no past to recollect.  Am I close?”

I sighed and nodded my head; there was no point in denying it.  “Yeah. Pretty close.”

Bronze Nut put a hoof on my chin, and lifted my face up level to his eyes, giving me a sober grin.  “You do.  You have a past, as you pointed out earlier.  The hard part is is that your memories have not been erased, they have been obliterated.  You do have a past, just as you have a present, and will have a future.  The question now is:  Will you spend the future dwelling on the past, or spend the present dwelling on the future?”

I had no answer to that, so I just stood there, the wind blowing my mane into my face.  I felt the wind; it was softer, warmer down here than up in the atmosphere, comforting.  It was warm enough that I no longer needed the fine clothes Bronze Nut had given me.  My magical aura (which was the same gold color as my eyes) enveloped the suit, removing it layer by layer.

“I won’t be needing this anymore,” I said as I handed him the pile of silk and cloth.  “Thanks.”

My gold aura was replaced by silver.  “You’re welcome, lad.”

I turned towards the wooden plank hanging off the ship.  I was about to leave this ship, the only reality I had known since waking up that morning.  I was about to embark on a quest through Equestria, wherever that would take me.  It all started with a single step, just one hoof on that board, I could do it!

I raised a pale hoof, and then carefully laid it down onto the gangplank.  I felt the anxiety leave me through a shallow gasp.

“And, you’re sure the Arch-mage will take me in?” I asked, turning back to look at the elder blue stallion one last time.

“Just tell her ‘The Captain sent you.’  That should dispel any doubts she has.”

“Thanks, Bronze Nut.  For everything.”

“Don’t mention it, lad.  I’d do it for anypony who fell out of the sky.”  We both shared a chuckle at that.  There was one last awkward silence, before he broke it with a final farewell.  “We’ll see each other again soon, I’m sure,” he said with a wave, pulling the wooden board back onto the deck.

“Well, see you later.”  There was a moment’s pause, and then his ship began to take to the sky once more.  Just as it left, I was able to make out its name composed in beautiful golden calligraphy, next to the figurehead of an even more beautiful ivory mare:  The Celestia.

I wondered if that name had any sort of special meaning.  Knowing Bronze Nut, it most likely did.  I watched the ship sail off, until the gigantic vessel became a speck of brown, and even that disappeared.

A sharp gust of wind blew over the ocean, throwing a refreshing spray over me, misting my coat.  I closed my eyes, and just listened to all of the new senses around me.  There was a rhythmic splash as the waves beat against the sandy shore before retreating back to their watery fortress, waiting impatiently for their next chance.  There was a whisper of wind as it rustled the leaves of the nearby trees, and a bird called out to its family.

I felt the sand underneath me.  Individually, each speck of sand was rough and coarse, but altogether it was soft, and my hooves sank slightly into it.  The waves continued to mist my coat with each breach of the shore.  It all felt so new to me, and yet, somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew it all felt familiar.  None of these sensations were new, and yet I retained no memory of ever experiencing them before hoof.

I opened my eyes, shaking off the sand that clung to my coat, and saw that the brown speck that was The Celestia had gone completely.  I was alone.

I had been alone before – on the Captain’s ship not every moment was spent with him, there were times where he went off to do his own thing – but even then I was not alone.  He was still there on that ship with me.  But now, he wasn’t here.  There was no other stallion nearby for me to call upon, however vain that notion was.  I was, for the first time in my known life, alone.

I turned to the forest bordering the beach, wherein lay the path that would guide me to the Arch-mage’s cottage.  True, I was alone right now, but not for long.

The Morning Trial

Chapter Five

The Morning Trial

“Something’s not right here . . .”

~Applebuck~

A medium length of stone table, covered by a yellow ornamental cloth, sat as the centerpiece of the length of hall that extended past the Mournful Throne.  To call it a hall was superfluous, as it only had one wall bordering it, both ends extending to their own, specifically one leading to the Throne and the other to the Chancellor’s personal blacksmith.

Upon the table rested a few candelabras, illuminating the numerous bowls and plates of food littering its surface.  Jugs of milk from the outlying farms, juices fresh squeezed from the gardens, and the earth pony’s water:  Cider.  Alongside the cider was some bottles of wine:  White and red wine, and some special alto wine imported from Pegasopolis.

Assorted steamed vegetables and steaming loaves of white and rye bread laid on silver platters, mildly hot piles of fried potatoes sauteed with onions and peppers, and fresh salads sat in similarly silver bowls, while a serving of sliced ham and fried eggs sat on each of the four’s plates.

Applebuck (his armor and warhammer had been confiscated by Monotonia and set aside, out of his reach) sat next to the housecarl, whom sat across from the trepid unicorn.  Smart Cookie, on her own personal chair, sat at the head of the table.  He glared at the unicorn, unsure as to what the Chancellor was up to, but ready for anything the unicorn might try to pull.  If the unicorn was surprised at the offer of breakfast, then he hid it behind his expressionless mask.

“I say we behead him,” stated Applebuck.  The unicorn merely acknowledged him with a glance, as if he expected this sort of treatment.  Smart Cookie reached for a bowl of salad before responding.

“On what grounds?” she asked, taking a bite out of the pile of leaves.

“He was found trespassing in Dun Mare.”  Applebuck grabbed a salad as well, and dished some of the potatoes onto his plate.  “On top of that, he attacked three officers, one of which was half-blinded as a result.”

“Did he, now?”  Smart Cookie poured herself some of the alto wine, offering it to her guests as well.  Monotonia declined and poured herself some hard cider, Applebuck held out his goblet for her to pour the light red liquid into, and the unicorn just glared at the green bottle.  Smart Cookie shrugged at his reaction, and set the bottle down beside her own goblet.  “Who was injured?”

“A new-blood by the name of Daggerlot.  I had another knight bring him to the temple.”  Applebuck started on a piece of ham, dipping it into the egg yolk.

Smart Cookie nodded in agreement.  “And who de-horned him?” she asked, gesturing to the unicorn beside her, who glared at her.

“Same pony.”

The Chancellor allowed herself to look genuinely impressed.  “Tenacity.  Wonderful attribute for a Knight, wouldn’t you agree, Monotonia?”

The housecarl took a sip of wine before answering, “Honor and courage are the currency of the Knight.”

“I do love your adages, especially when said in that dulcet, monotonous voice of yours,” Smart Cookie said while hiding an amused smile.  She gave herself a moment to enjoy another bite of salad and a sip of wine before turning back to the resident praefect.  “Applebuck, when this is over will you notify... Daggerlot?  Notify Daggerlot of his promotion.”

He acknowledged her with a nod before savoring his helping of fried potatoes.  “Yes ma’am, I shall.”

The Chancellor eyed the unicorn’s untouched food.  “As a guest, it is rather rude to not eat the food that is provided for you.  The kitchen servants go to great lengths to prepare such meals,” she chastised him.

The unicorn snorted in response.  “I will not play your games, Warlord.”

The hall became deathly silent at the mention of “Warlord.”  All three of them stopped eating, and Monotonia and Applebuck darted their eyes toward their leader to catch her reaction.  If Smart Cookie was offended by the unicorn moniker, then she showed no sign of it.  Instead, she gently placed down her utensil, giving the unicorn her full attention.

“I am not a warlord,” she said to him, in the way one would say “the sky is blue.”  If the unicorn felt the malice disguised in her words, then he did not heed it.  “If you are looking for a warlord, I suggest you go visit the pegasi.”

“You carry the Halberd.  It is a weapon fit for ground-pounding war mongers such as yourself, passed down through your leaders you call ‘Chancellors’, who are no better than the brutish leaders of a barbaric culture,” he spat at her.

Applebuck jumped out of his seat with enough force to send it flying across the room, and slammed his hooves on the table as he attempted to leap across and eviscerate the offending stallion.  Monotonia reacted quickly, grabbing the praefect and throwing him to the ground, wrestling to keep him down.  Before Applebuck had even reacted, Smart Cookie had drawn a dagger made from an unusual golden alloy, and pressed it against the unicorn’s neck, right across his still-healing scar.

“I welcome you into my dining hall, give you food to eat and wine to drink, and treat as if you were a civilian of my own province, and this is how you act?  Now who is the barbarian!” she spat at him in a venomous tone.

The unicorn (whether out of sheer stupidity or through ill brazen), despite having a foot-long blade pressed against his neck, had the gall to laugh.  “Are you serious?  You’re treating my ‘trial’ – as if you can call this mockery a trial – as if it were nothing but a friendly meeting!  You talk of beheading me over wine and bread – as if this were nothing but a breakfast tradition!  How is that not barbaric?”  Everypony in the room stopped and stared at him, stunned by his words.  Even Smart Cookie was taken aback, reflexively loosening her hold.  The stallion took advantage of her temporary shock and continued.

“Why don’t you go ahead and kill me?  You’d be doing me a favor,” he said, glaring at the dagger hovering near his throat.  Smart Cookie left the blade where it was, and focused now on the unicorn, intent on hearing what he had to say.  “I’ve seen you and your housecarl staring at my robes, you recognize the symbol, you know who I am – who I represent.  They will kill me should I return, so I have no wish to do so – I rather like my intestines the shape they’re in, and I have no desire to see what they look like.”

He glanced back down at the dagger, and in one swift move grabbed it and the Chancellor’s hoof and slammed them onto the table, and shoved his face into hers.  Applebuck flinched reflexively, and Monotonia’s hoof twitched toward the ebony dagger strapped to her flank.  “Your dog broke my horn, and thus I cannot perform magic anymore.  You’ve already taken from me my greatest asset – my life and soul!”  He took the mare’s hoof that held the dagger and thrust it against his neck.  “SO KILL ME ALREADY!”

Silence once more reigned as the two held eye contact.  The unicorn glared at her with barely disguised malice, yet Smart Cookie’s own emotions were unreadable behind her eyes.  Applebuck and Monotonia, sprawled on the ground, sat still as death, waiting anxiously for something to happen.  After a long minute Smart Cookie removed her hoof from his throat, then punched him.  He reeled backward, falling into his chair.  The mare just looked at him with pity.

“I have decided what to do with you, unicorn.”  She picked up her dagger, and slid it back into its sheath as she turned to face her housecarl.  “Monotonia, go fetch two guards and have them escort him to the Mine.”

(\_.^\_.^\_.^\_>-<>-<-></(_)><->-<>-<_/^._/^._/^._/)

“I could not just kill him.”

Applebuck stared just beyond Smart Cookie’s eyes, taking in the structural magnificence of the pillars holding up Understone Keep.  While Dun Mare’s most intimidating feature was the ebony mountain it rested in, the most impressive feature was the city itself.  Most outsiders were under the impression that the earth ponies had carved the city in its entirety, and the earth ponies did not deny this myth.

They had not actually crafted Dun Mare; even with all the earth ponies in Equestria, that would have been an impossible feat in two decades.  In truth, the earth ponies had wandered the desert for months looking for suitable building land, and were drawn to the large, black mass of rock that was to become Mount Ebony.  Imagine their surprise and elation at finding a massive, abandoned city, ripe for the taking, just sitting there.

It did not take long for the rumor to spread that the earth ponies had built a fortress, prompting the unicorns to build Dun Mare’s equal in Canterlot.  Although, where they found the time to construct a castle while working on the Tower of Harmony Applebuck had no idea, nor did he care to.

Applebuck was busy being disappointed in himself.  He was acting rather immature for his rank, and he knew it.  However, he was also disappointed that the unicorn’s head did not roll.  He should have just killed the stallion at the gate, and chalked it up to self-defense.

“Why not?” he asked the mare.

She eyed the ponies now filtering into the hall as the day approached noon.  “Come.  Take a walk with me.”  She gestured toward the door leading outside the throne room.  Applebuck sighed and followed, very happy that she was family, given his present attitude.

Two stallions dressed in red-stained cuirasses approached, but Smart Cookie held out a hoof.  “This here is Praefect Applebuck.”  She nodded her head towards him.  “He will suffice as my bodyguard for now.”

The two guards glanced over Applebuck, and shared a look.  “Isn’t he a mite young?” the one on the left said.  Applebuck felt his cheeks burn, and clenched his teeth.

“Did you not hear me say Praefect Applebuck?  His age is of no concern of mine, and I assure you he is capable.”  Applebuck felt his cheeks grow hotter as the Chancellor all but confirmed his youth.  The two guards once more shared a look, and decided it was better to not question their superior.  The pair walked their own paths away, but not before giving the praefect and their charge a second glance.

“I’m not that young,” Applebuck breathed as the doors closed behind them.

“No, I dare say you’re not,” the mare agreed.  “But you are one of the youngest recruits, and the youngest praefect.  And, if my sources are correct, you will become the youngest Fire Knight.”

“So, you know about that?”

Smart Cookie flashed him a devious smile, that in an odd way befitted her.  “My dear, I may wear the title Chancellor as merely a memory, but that does not change my role as Jarl of Earth.  I would be a great fool not to have eyes and ears wherever I can spare them.”

Applebuck nodded in agreement.  “Yes, you are right. I plan to run the Gauntlet – this weekend, if probable.”

“Are you ready?  The Gauntlet is not for the faint of heart.”

“I like to believe I am.  We’re not allowed to use any armor, so I left my sanctioned armor back home.  And whatever weapons we use are what we can scavenge during the trial.  I only brought these for safety while crossing the desert.”

"That just leaves the petition.  Do you have anyone in mind?"

Applebuck opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Smart Cookie placing a dough colored hoof over it.  "Other than me?  The petition can not be signed by family members, as you know."

The stallion stared at her for moment, then sighed in defeat.  "Yes, I know.  It's bad enough already, I wouldn't want to add to it."  The mare gave him a curious look, and Applebuck answered her unasked question.  "Some believe that the only reason I made it this far is because of my relation to you."

Smart Cookie paused, her eyebrows furrowed.  "And if that statement was a little more than accurate?"

Applebuck jerked to a stop, staring at her incredulously, his eyes wide as the words of his superiors and equals echoed in his mind.  “You mean... it was true?”

“Don’t dwell on it for too long, Applebuck.”  Smart Cookie looked into his eyes, the truth of her words shining in them.  “You are strong-willed and noble, I just made sure it was recognized.”

A moment of silence followed as Applebuck swallowed her words.  He could feel the doubt still clinging to the edge of his mind, but for now he let the words of his aunt assuage his fears.  “You’re right, you’re right.  I’m sorry.”

“And stop apologizing!” she said, more forcefully.  “You’re not Private Pansy.”

Applebuck paused mid-trot, his hoof still up as his head cocked to the side.  “Private Pansy?”

Silence fell between them as they continued their walk.  It was not the dreaded silence of being ignored, nor the heated silence of being scorned.  It was a warm, pleasant, and familial silence.  There was nothing left to say, nor was there anything that needed to be said.  Applebuck dutifully followed Smart Cookie (his charge, he reminded himself, having been tasked as her temporary bodyguard) down the narrow hall.  The hall was respectively narrow, compared to the vast openness of the Throne Room.  In reality, the hall was thrice the height of the stallion.

Applebuck was the one who broke the silence, as they neared the end of the corridor.  The corridor was doorless at this end, nothing barring the transition from the narrow hall to the much-less-narrow atrium before them.  More of the large golden pipes fed through the room, a few leading towards a large crevasse forcefully dug through a ruined and crumbling part of the atrium wall.  It was as the two neared the gap that Applebuck spoke up.

“If you don’t mind me asking, where are you taking me?”

“To the excavation site,” she answered simply.  Instead of walking past as Applebuck had expected, Smart Cookie veered toward the gaping hole, and climbed up a hastily-crafted stone walkway that led straight through.  Unaware of where she was leading him, Applebuck followed dutifully.

Beyond the hole in the wall was a vast, open bubble blown into the mountain of ebony, like the last breath of some terrible being trapped beneath.  Water poured out of numerous pipes that had collapsed or cracked open, slowly filling a sea of water that had formed below.  A few dark towers, outlined with the orange-gold alloy, and decorated with ancient runes occupied most of the space, connected by thick, curving paths of the same design.

At the bottom of the path they were on a large cloaked figure was bent over a stone table, his silhouette obscuring whatever he was studying.  Flanking him were two mares in commoner’s wear, with pickaxes strapped to their side.

“Excavation site?”

“Oh, you haven’t heard?  I suppose its not surprising; we only found it a few months ago.  I’ll let our lead excavator explain it, however.  He’ll be delighted.”  Smart Cookie trotted up to the cloaked figure, and tapped him on the shoulder.  He turned sharply to face her.

“Hm? Jarl, what are you doing here?” he said to her.  Applebuck felt like there was something off about the stranger’s voice, some inequine quality to it.  “I don’t need anymore workers or guards.”

“I was hoping that you would have some work for my companion, here,” she answered, gesturing to the stallion beside her.

His head snapped toward Applebuck, and the praefect stepped back in surprise.  The stranger under the cloak was not a pony:  His feathered face was vaguely avian, along with a golden beak for a mouth and piercing red eyes.  A long, jagged scar ran through one of them, the eye now clouded and most likely blind.  From this angle, his clawed forearms were visible beneath the dark cloak he wore.

“What are you?” Applebuck asked bluntly.  “You’re too short to be a griffon.”

The not-a-griffon snorted.  “How... perceptive of you,” he said snidely, narrowing his eyes at Applebuck.  “I am a hippogriff, half-pony and half-griffon.  Mother was a mare, father was a griffon,” he recited before turning back to Smart Cookie.  “Is this a joke?”

“No.  This is Praefect Applebuck, and he needs a signature for his petition to run the Gauntlet.”

The hippogriff eyed the stallion from under his hood.  “Praefect, hm?  Little young to be a praefect?”  Applebuck kept his mouth closed, but returned the hippogriff’s stare.  Eventually he turned his gaze back to the mare.  “Well, no, I don’t have any work for him.  I have my hands full as it is finding work for my colleagues; too many workers and not enough jobs.”

“What has got you occupied right now?” asked Smart Cookie, peering over at the table.  Chunks of the gold alloy were strewn over it, mixed in with chunks of ebony rock.

“We hit a dead end, but yesterday we discovered a door concealed behind some recently excavated rubble.  I’m hoping it may lead to insights into diamine culture.”  The hippogriff gestured to a broken, dented contraption that vaguely resembled a bipedal, canine creature lying against the stone work table.  “We discovered one of their animunculi outside, and some text I found lead me to believe it may be a factory where the diamine created these automatons.”  A smile spread across his face.  “It may even conceal the secret to how these animunculi work!”

“How exciting,” deadpanned Smart Cookie.  However, the sarcasm was lost on the hippogriff.

“Oh, very much so!  A millenia of questions may finally be answered, should this find prove to be the finding I perceive!”  His colleagues surrounding him all nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

“Diamine, those are the diamond dogs, correct?” piped up Applebuck.

The hippogriff turned to him, looking at the praefect as if for the first time.  “Hmm, no mere brute mercenary, but a thinker, eh?”  He ran a talon along his feathered neck.  “Perhaps even... a scholar?  Nah!” he spat.  “But, it seems you are a cut above the usual brutes the Jarl sends my way.”

“Why does an excavation site require this many guards?”  Applebuck asked, looking around at the armored stallions and mares standing idly by.

“To protect my research, for one.”  The hippogriff glanced at the hole in the wall that served as the entrance to the excavation.  “There are more cutthroat scholars out there who would steal my findings if they got the chance.  And the excavations into Nchuand-Zel are dangerous.  Diamine machines and traps still function even after thousands of years,” he finished, tapping a talon just below his clouded red eye.

“Yes, the knights have a new policy to stay out of diamond dog ruins,” clarified Smart Cookie.

“Oh, right.  I heard about that.  Something involving bandits, I believe.”

Applebuck turned to the Chancellor at the hippogriff’s words.  “When did this happen?”

Smart Cookie put a hoof to her chin.  “It was about a month ago, if I’m not mistaken.  I sent one of my Fire Knights with a few of the guards to clean out an infestation of bandits.  Unfortunately, the bandits holed up in one of the ruins, and the knights followed them in.  Only one of the guard survived.”

Applebuck swore.  “A Fire Knight?”

Smart Cookie nodded in confirmation.  “Yes, it was a shame.  We assume it was an ambush of diamine animunculi, but the surviving guard kept going on about something big.  Really big.”

“From what I’ve heard, he saw one of the centurions,” said the hippogriff ominously.

“What’s a centurion?” asked Applebuck.

“The largest of the animunculi, easily as tall as a tower, some even bigger.  Just one of them could level a company of soldiers!”  Applebuck thought the hippogriff could seem a hair less excited about the prospect.

“Have you ever seen one?” asked Applebuck.

“Not alive, no,” replied the hippogriff.  “And I don’t care to.”  His colleagues all nodded their agreement.

“Well, not that I don’t find this conversation enlightening,” spoke up the Chancellor, catching everypony’s attention.  “But if it’s all the same to you, Applebuck and I shall be on our way.”

The hippogriff arched an eyebrow.  “Leaving so soon, Jarl?”

“I’ve taken a personal interest in finding somepony to sign for his petition, and it appears you have no work for him.”

The hippogriff once again ran a talon down his neck.  “Well, no.  I don’t have anything for him, but you should try my brother, Gearheart.  He’s always looking for help on the orchard.”  He turned back to Applebuck.  “That is, if you don’t mind menial labor?”

“No, of course not,” answered the praefect.  Applebuck swore he saw the tip of the hippogriff’s beak twitch at his answer.

He made a shooing motion with one of his clawed hands.  “Well, then go hunt down my brother, and leave me to my research!”

Smart Cookie raised an eyebrow at the hippogriff, but he had already lost himself scribbling in a ledger.  “Well, then farewell, and thank you, Gauldr.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” dismissed the hippogriff, as he half-heartedly waved.  “Farewell to you as well.”

The Chancellor and her temporary bodyguard made their way out of the diamine excavation, the former wearing a slightly amused look.  “Short-tempered and tactless, but still a genius.”  The mare sighed.  Applebuck looked at her, and he could see the old age betrayed in her own facade.  “Well, I suppose we should make our way towards the farms.”

“I can find my own way, if you wish to return to the throne,” said Applebuck.

Smart Cookie glared at him with enough fire to cause the praefect to flinch.  “Are you suggesting I’m old?”

The stallion shook his head vigorously.  “No, not at all!  It’s just that, as Jarl, you’re the headpiece of Earth.  After the attack this morning, I don’t think it would be a good idea for you to just be trotting around in the open.”

Smart Cookie barked out a hearty laugh.  “Good save!  But nonsense; that’s why you’re my bodyguard, to keep me out of those situations.”  The mare gave Applebuck a look plainly telling him that, under no circumstance, was she going to just ‘return to the throne.’

“As you wish.”

(\_.^\_.^\_.^\_>-<>-<-></(_)><->-<>-<_/^._/^._/^._/)

Passion Heart Acres (according to the old, wooden sign hanging from a diamine arch) lay outside of Dun Mare, hugging close to the edge of Mount Ebony.  Several acres of varying trees (although most of them seemed to be apple trees of one kind or another) stretched across surprisingly fertile fields of sun-baked sand.  A green earth pony waved to them, as she worked bucking trees.

Not far down a well-worn path sat a large, shingle-roofed building, with a not-much-smaller building adjacent.  As the duo approached the main house, they passed by another wooden sign hanging from a pole, ‘Passion Heart Cidery’painted above a caricature of an apple tree.

The quaintness of the farm was reflected inside the cidery:  A moderately-sized bar with a few stools set out in front of it and a couple tables set in the corners, two chairs apiece.  On the walls hung an assortment of decorative plates, feathers hanging off strings attached to them.  A few carpets were being swept of dirt by a young stallion, and an older stallion the color of aged parchment was frantically washing a dagger in a basin.  The only thing that could stain the scene was the body of a large rat, bleeding fresh blood over the stone floor.

“Hello, Gearheart,” said Smart Cookie.  The stallion behind the bar jumped.

“Oh, it’s only you, Chancellor,” he said, putting a hoof over his heart.

“Expecting somepony, are you?” she asked, as Applebuck eyed the dead rat.

Gearheart laughed half-heartedly.  “Are you kidding?  I’m supposed to be holding a tasting of the new Passion Heart Reserve for the Captain of the Guard.”  He gestured to the rat that Applebuck was still eyeing.  “Look at this place!  If he sees my cidery in this state, I’ll be ruined!”

Applebuck turned away from the rat.  “Well, if you’re looking for some help...” he offered.

The stallion eyed the praefect with trepid disbelief, glancing between him and Smart Cookie.  “Oh really?  I don’t suppose you’d just do it out of the kindness of your heart, would you?”  He sighed.  “I hope you don’t expect to be paid until the job’s done.”

“I wasn’t looking for money, actually,” said Applebuck, earning another disbelieving look, both from Gearheart and his help sweeping the floor.

“We were told by your brother, Gauldr, that you are able to sign for Applebuck’s petition to run the Gauntlet,” clarified Smart Cookie.

A glint flickered in the stallion’s eye, and Gearheart’s look of disbelief turned into a grin.  “Really?  Of course I’d sign the petition!”  He turned his attention back to Applebuck.  “My only demand is that these vermin –” he gestured to the rat “– are permanently eliminated before my reputation is destroyed!”

He held up a hoof, signalling for Applebuck to wait as he ran to a back room.  Smart Cookie turned to her praefect.  “Well, now that my job here is done, I will take my leave and return to the throne.”

“Are you sure you’ll be fine on your own?”

Smart Cookie raised an eyebrow.  “Do you think Puddinghead would have named me her successor merely because she liked my mane?”  The mare paused.  “Well, actually, she would ‘ve.  But even still; before I was her secretary, I worked on our family’s farm bucking trees for the harvest.   Even while I was her secretary I still did that.  I believe I can take care of myself, should the need arise.”

Applebuck sighed in defeat.  “All right, as you wish.  Have a good day, Chancellor.”

“You too, Applebuck,” she said as she turned towards the exit.  “And one of these days, I’m going to get you to call me ‘Aunt’!”

“Not for as long as you’re ‘Chancellor’!” he called back as she trotted out the door.  Gearheart returned with a violet bottle in his mouth, which he carefully set on the counter.

“I bought some poison,” he said, pointing at the bottle.  “I was going to have my lazy, good-for-nothing assistant handle it, but he seems to have vanished!”  Applebuck took the bottle and slid it into one of the pockets in his armor.  “If you plant that in the vermin’s nest, it should stop them from ever coming back!”

“And where do you think the nest is?”

Gearheart gestured to a set of double doors adjacent to the bar.  “Back there is where I store the barrels as they ferment.  In the room is a set of stairs leading to the cellar; that’s where I saw the first rat come from.”

Applebuck glanced at the doors in question.  “Alright.  Anything else?”

“Don’t come back until every one of those things are dead!” he ordered.  Applebuck found it amusing how much the bartender reminded him of his old captain.  Gearheart ran over to the doors leading to the storage and unlocked them.  “And... please hurry.  The Captain of the Guard isn’t patient when it comes to tasting time.”

“As you wish.”

The storage room ran parallel to the bar, and was also much larger.  Dozens of oak barrels were scattered over the floor, in some sort of organized chaos that only Gearheart probably understood.  A few small chandeliers hung from the rafters, and a staircase on the opposite wall led up to a platform resting above the rafters.  Next to those were a set of stairs leading into the floor, and ending with a door, presumably the cellar door.

The cellar was certainly cramped; the arched, stone ceiling hung low, and the large vats pushed up against the walls made it slightly hard to navigate.  Applebuck stepped over the disfigured body of a large rat caught in a bear trap, but stopped when he saw the creature’s fangs jutting out from under its lip.

He pried open the rat’s jaw, and tentatively lifted its upper lip.  Applebuck cursed when he saw the two three-inch incisors the beast had.

“Venomfang,” he whispered to the empty air.  Applebuck swore he was going to kill Gearheart when he returned.  Preferably after he received his petition, but he was sure there would be more ponies willing to sign, should something unfortunate happen beforehoof.

Giant rats were common in Equestria, more common than Applebuck wished.  Some were only a foot long, but they could grow to be the size of an equine foal, depending on the species.  Venomfangs, however, were some of the largest rats to plague Southern Equestria.  And, true to their name, the bastards were born with snake-like fangs that injected a nasty poison should they get in a bite.  There was a rumor going about for the last decade that venomfangs were some experiment let loose by the unicorns up North.

He sniffed the air. Ever since he entered the cidery, the smell of apples and cinnamon was constant.  The scent was strong in the storage, and was quite possibly stronger in the cellar.  However, the smell down here was marred by the scent of copper, mold, and oddly enough, fresh earth.  Applebuck flicked his ears, and caught the faint sound of flowing air coming from the back of the cellar.

Somehow, the rats had carved a hole through the stone wall.  At some point Gearheart must have noticed the hole, because several boards were nailed over it.  Somepony had removed a few planks at the bottom, however, leaving a large enough hole for the rats to get through.

After smashing the remaining planks to splinters with his warhammer, Applebuck cautiously trotted through into the cave just beyond.  The cool stone sent a chill through the praefect, but he ignored it, finding the temperate cold enjoyable after the last few days in a blistering desert.

The tunnel was easily the size of a normal equine hall, not something one would expect of a pack of rats, even venomfangs.  At first Applebuck assumed the cave was natural, and coincidentally ran to Passion Heart's cellar, but as he trotted through, he noticed that the rock had an unnatural edge to it.  Not easily noticeable, but there if one looked hard enough.  The more obvious proof that the cave wasn’t natural were the periodical lanterns left burning.  The dull light reflected off the moist rock wasn’t great, but it was enough to maneuver the tunnels with.

Now to find the rat’s nest.

(\_.^\_.^\_.^\_>-<>-<-></(_)><->-<>-<_/^._/^._/^._/)

Tongues of flame licked at Applebuck's mane as he rolled behind a damp stalagmite, the heat from the blast of fire drying the rock and charring it black. He cursed the heavens that allowed him to be right, and the wretched hornhead who was attempting to sear the flesh from his bones. The stalagmite wasn’t large enough to completely bar the heat, and stray flames found their way around, singeing the sides of his leather cuirass and the skin underneath. A moment of respite followed as the unicorn shouted threats and taunts that fell on deaf ears, allowing Applebuck time to leap behind an adjacent boulder, closer to the steel warhammer that rested near the venomfang’s nest.

In Applebuck’s defense, the unicorn mare had been gone when he found the nest. In his eagerness to finish the job and leave, the praefect had laid down his weapon and left himself ignorant of his surroundings. If he had taken the time to study the chamber, he would have recognized the alembic and calcinator on an otherwise empty flat surface of rock in the corner, and deduced that whomever was playing alchemist had disappeared to go search for more ingredients.

Applebuck ran his tongue across his teeth, pooling his saliva and spitting a modest amount of blood on the ground as he prepared for another barrage of flames, the mare’s favorite. Despite being a unicorn, the deranged mare’s first method of attack was a hay shovel to the praefect’s jaw, before she discarded it and began conjuring fire, screaming something about how he was trying to kill her ‘babies’.

The boulder proved to be much more adept at concealing him from the flames, although the heat still made it’s way through the cold stone. He was only a few feet away from his warhammer; close enough to glimpse its head from where he crouched, but far enough away that he would be struck before reaching it. The hammer lay in the open, without any more obstructions for him to hide behind. Applebuck would need to wait for the mare to tire out once more, dash to his hammer, and beat the fear of Tartarus into that mare before she recovered.

The flames receded, and the mare began spouting more taunts. Taking his chance, Applebuck leaped from his hiding spot and made for the steel hammer. In the span of a second he went from a few feet away to mere inches away. Just as he was about to grab the hilt in his mouth and unleash his fury upon the unfortunate mare, his ear flicked and heard an ominous whomph, just beforean explosion carried him off his hooves and sent him flying across the cavern.

Applebuck bounced across the floor, the dust and dirt kicked up masking the smoke from his singed mane. He pawed at his head, his ears ringing. However, before he could regain his footing, another eruption of inferno sent him ragdolling even further away from his target.

“Stop blasting me with your magic, you damned hornhead!” he yelled at the mare, knowing full well she wasn’t about to oblige. The earth pony managed to find temporary respite behind a cluster of stalagmites the explosion had blown him through. The mare screamed something about teaching him a lesson before the cavern shook once more.

The barrier of stalagmites were certainly doing a good job of blocking most of the mare’s offense, and Applebuck took advantage of the breather to chug the last health potion he had brought with him across the desert. His proximity to the last fireball had partially boiled his forehooves, and the earth pony watched anxiously as the potion took effect. A golden light similar to the healing spell the unicorn that morning had used washed over his wounds, reversing the bubbling skin back to smooth.

Blast after blast barraged the barrier, every consecutive hit shaking dust and dirt free. A thin layer covered Applebuck by the time the unicorn ceased her onslaught. Cautiously, he peered between the juts of rock. The mare was pacing back and forth, her livid and deranged glare never leaving his hiding spot. Applebuck watched as she gulped down the contents of a large, blue phial, tossing the bottle to the ground. The praefect noted that there were more than a few similar bottles adorning the cave floor.

The unicorn’s horn flashed, and Applebuck threw himself away from the opening in time to avoid having his eye boiled. The mare had yet to come near him, and seemed content to just stand there, holding him down with her magic. Applebuck wondered if she was actually guarding his weapon, knowing full well her assured demise once he got his hooves on it. Then again, she considered venomfangs her “babies”, and was living underneath a cidery.

Either way, it ended as soon as he reach his warhammer. Which was a problem, because to reach the warhammer meant exposing himself to her raw magic, and Applebuck had no desire to be roasted. The stallion watched as one of the thinner stalagmites vibrated from the force of the blasts. Every time one of the fireballs struck, it waivered, small rocks and pebbles falling from it like apples during the harvest–

Applebuck sat up a little straighter, focusing intently on the stalagmite. He had traveled across the Eversand Desert from his hometown of Brae, a small earth pony village just on the border. There he grew up on his family’s farm, not too different from Passion Heart Acres, apart from size. Ever since he was old enough he helped out the family by bucking trees during the harvest.

He didn’t need his warhammer. He had sheer earth pony strength on his side.

The praefect waited patiently for the onslaught of inferno to end, knowing full well he had but a few seconds before the potions his target was chugging restored her magic. As soon as the pause between tremors became unnaturally long, he bounded out from his hiding spot, aiming straight for the mare.

Her eyes widened when she saw him approaching, and she threw the phial away, lowering her horn. Sparks danced across it, the telltale sign that a spell was only a second away. She was either going to impale him (which at the speed he was going was highly likely) or failing that she was going to turn his face into a charcoal briquette.

As flames licked his coat, Applebuck felt the satisfying crunch of the mare’s skull underneath his hooves. As quickly as the life drained from her, the spell ceased and the flames receded, leaving the praefect with a slightly burnt leather cuirass. He stomped on her head a few times more, for good measure.

He picked up his warhammer from where it had fallen, and slid it back into its sheath. After a moment of thought, he walked back over to the unicorn and spat on her. For good measure.

Applebuck inspected the battlefield. Almost a third of the chamber had been scorched black by the unicorn’s magic, save for the area where the venomfang’s nest was, and where her alchemy station had been set up. There was no question anymore: He was going to brutally murder Gearheart. Before he signed the petition.

Before he could satisfy himself with more futile notions, there was a greater pressing matter at hoof. While the hostility between earth ponies and unicorns was sufficient enough to waiver any hornhead’s dream of traveling Earth, unicorns were not forbidden from entering the province. Unicorns were, however, strictly forbidden from entering the capital of Dun Mare.

Applebuck glared at the mare with a combination of curiosity and borderline hate. This was the second time in one day a unicorn had found their way into the city. The first had infiltrated the walls themselves, albeit with the help of a sleazy merchant. And based on the twists and turns he followed in the winding tunnels, the praefect was most likely underneath Dun Mare. The unicorn mare could have easily carved her way through, if a few of her pets hadn’t found a taste for cider.

The Chancellor needed to hear about this. This mare bore no similar clothing to the first unicorn, and by all appearances the two were not connected, but to Applebuck there were no such things as coincidences. This whole concept of a pony breeding venomfangs while carving her way into Dun Mare underground left a bad taste in the praefect’s mouth.

But before he bothered the Smart Cookie once again, he needed to make sure. No sense in sending a regiment to check out these tunnels when he was already here, after all. Beyond the chamber she had made home, the unicorn had continued blasting away at the earth, although she had yet to widen the passage. Applebuck followed the path she had carved, squeezing through narrower and narrower holes, until finally he came upon a wide, open space.

The stallion coughed up dust and dirt that had accumulated in his lungs from the claustrophobic tunnel (if it could even be called a tunnel). After clearing his airwaves, he took a gander about the gaping cavern. At the end of a wide, arching bridge was a massive, golden door set between two dark, stone pillars. Braziers hanging from the pillars illuminated familiar runes and markings that decorated the door.

“Son of a bitch,” Applebuck breathed when he recognized the architecture from earlier: The entrance to a diamine ruin. In fact, he would bet his family’s farm that this door led to the same ruin being excavated by the hippogriff. There was no question: The Chancellor needed to hear about this.

(\_.^\_.^\_.^\_>-<>-<-></(_)><->-<>-<_/^._/^._/^._/)

“GEARHEART!” Applebuck roared as he entered the cidery’s bar, the promise from earlier still fresh in the young praefect’s mind. The flustered stallion ran over to him, unaware of the ill will directed towards him.

“Well, its about time!” The praefect’s eyes bulged. It took his entire willpower and Gearheart’s next sentence to restrain himself from throttling the stallion right there and then. “I had to stall the Captain until you were finished!”

True to the bartender’s words, a few more ponies were occupying the bar then when Applebuck had left. The help that he had seen sweeping the floor was chatting up a mare dressed in iron armor, while her counterpart stood stoically beside another mare. This second mare was adorned in a complete set of ebony armor, barring the helmet. Her coat was a brilliant blue, and her mane was a vibrant white. And she was walking toward Gearheart and Applebuck.

“So, this must be the one you suckered into doing your dirty work for you,” she said as she approached. “Although I must admit I’m surprised to see you, Applebuck. Decided to become a sellsword, have you? Shame.”

“Well, actually–” stammered Gearheart, but he was cut off by a glare that promised a painful death from Applebuck. Satisfied the bartender was no longer going to talk, the praefect turned toward his former captain.

“Actually, I’m here to receive a signature for my petition,” he explained. The mare snorted amusedly.

“Petition? Going for the Gauntlet are you? You just keep rising through the ranks, no regard for whoever’s in your way. That’s what I always liked about you.”

“Thank you, Captain Gleaming Shield,” Applebuck replied with a nod.

“Yes, well, I’m not here for a nostalgic crying session. Now that you’ve taken care of your little pest problem, how about I get a taste of some of your cider?” Gleaming Shield’s guards nodded in agreement, and Gearheart plastered a fake smile on his face. As he led the Captain and her entourage to the bar, Applebuck hounded him for his signature.

“You’ll just have to wait until after the Captain’s finished,” he whispered. “I suppose you can wait around, if you want.”

Gleaming Shield sat down on the barstool directly in front of the taps. The stallion took a seat beside her, and the mare continued her conversation with the assistant. Gearheart waved to the third tap, presenting the mare of the hour with a mug.

“Help yourself, milady. It’s my finest brew yet; I call it: Passion Heart Reserve.” Gleaming nudged the mug underneath the tap, flicking a knob and filling the mug with the barrel’s contents: a rich golden-brown liquid. “I think you’ll find it quite pleasing to your palette.”

“Oh come now, this is cider!” Gleaming scoffed. “Not some wine to be sipped and savored.”

She tipped back the contents of the mug, draining it dry. She let the mug clatter back onto the bar as she took her time judging it.

“Well?” Gearheart asked impatiently.

The Captain of the Guard took another moment before she answered, and Applebuck had a sneaking suspicion she was teasing the brewmaster by making him wait. “Well, I deem it delicious enough to overlook your infestation once again,” she said simply. Gearheart breathed a sigh of relief.

Gleaming Shield removed herself from the bar. “Well, Gearheart, I would love to stay and chit chat, and maybe get drunk, but I have more pressing duties to attend to. Farewell.”

“Farewell to you as well, Captain!” Gearheart waved. “Come back soon!”

“Sure, and I’ll bring my archers with me; they could use the target practice,” she said over her shoulder as her companions fell in line behind her. “And may the Sun bless you when you run the Gauntlet, Applebuck. It’d be a shame if you died,” she added bluntly. As soon as the doors swung shut behind her, and Applebuck was sure she was out of hearing range, he turned to Gearheart, whose eyes went wide with fear.

“GEARHEART!”

The Inn of the Grounded Pegasus

Chapter Six

The Inn of the Grounded Pegasus

“. . . And you are?”

~Aurora~

Thud.

The body of an unconscious stallion flopped onto the floor unceremoniously, a slow drizzle of drool flowing down his chin and onto the floorboards.  A pewter tankard clanged next to him, one of many, the remaining dark brown liquid sloshing against and staining the colt’s mane.  The bartender grumbled and poked at the stallion with the blunt end of a broom.  She came to the conclusion he wasn’t going to wake, and collected her mug off the floor.

A pitch black pegasus mare gulped down the rest of her own beverage, and slammed the mug onto the countertop in victory.  The conglomeration of mares, stallions, and even a few deer who had come to watch groaned and swore as they begrudgingly hoofed over their money to the pitch mare, who separated out some of the gold to pay the more jubilant winners, and tossed a few coins towards the bartender.

“Sorry about the mess,” said Aurora, as she counted out her earnings.  The mare behind the counter eyed the gold bits, and the tankards precariously piled next to them.

“Don’t forget you still have to pay for the drinks,” the mare nickered.  Aurora curtly tossed several more bits her way.  The mare just stared at them, and raised an eyebrow, glancing at the passed out stallion.  “You can’t be serious!” Aurora balked.  “He can pay his own tab.”

The mare huffed.  “Well, I don’t see him paying me anytime soon, and I’d rather see bits in my purse than a promise.”

Aurora snorted.  “Horseapples!” she spat, causing the mare to wrinkle her nose.  “I’m not paying you for his stupidity.  Take it out of him when he wakes up.”

“That’s the local drunk,” she said, nodding her head to the stallion, who just started snoring.  “He doesn’t have enough money to pay his rent here.  He certainly doesn’t have enough to pay for his drinks.”

“Then why do you expect me to take care of his problem?” Aurora scoffed.

“Because, he conned you into buying his drinks for him.  It’s what he does,” she replied matter-of-factly.  She held out a hoof.  “Now, cough up the bits, or I get the guard involved.”  She glanced over to the mare who just walked into the pub; a pegasus mare dressed in thick, steel armor.  Damn, Aurora mentally swore when she saw the coat of arms painted over the pegasus mare’s cutie mark.  She quickly turned around, bowing her head slightly as she tossed over most of her earnings.

“There, was that so hard?” the bartender said snidely, hoofing the gold behind the counter.  “And you even have some spending money left over, how nice!”

Aurora gave no thought to the mare’s remarks as she hurried out of the pub, taking care not to be seen by the armored pegasus.  She darted her eyes across the town, searching to see if any other ponies wore the same coat of arms.  The pouring rain made it hard to see, but she spotted only two other pegasi who bore the mark, both at separate stalls bartering for equipment or repairs.  Aurora stiffly cantered past them, not stopping until the pub and the armored pegasi were out of sight.

She found her reprieve in a darkened alley, the eves of the buildings filtering out most of the rain.  How had they found her?  Was it mere coincidence, a wing of legionnaires showing up in the same town as herself?  They could have been at the stalls questioning the locals, but how had they known?  It drove her insane to think they could have possibly tracked her here; hay, even she hadn’t planned on stopping in Nimbustall, it was a complete accident.  Besides, she had nothing to worry about.  They wouldn’t be able to recognize her, it had been too many years.  But if they did find her... she had no means of fighting, besides hoof and teeth.  Even with her bow, she couldn’t stand a chance.  Not against three.

“Aurora?”

 The mare yelped, jumping out of her skin.  She quickly turned around to face the darkness, from whence came the voice.  She prepared for the wing of legionnaires to come barreling out of the shadows weapons drawn and fury burning in their eyes.  She bared her teeth and growled as something moved in the darkness.  If they were indeed the legionnaires, then she would fight them tooth and hoof!  Sun and Moon be damned if she let herself be taken away!

“Damn, Aurora!” audibly flinched the voice, a voice Aurora was quickly recognizing.  “Calm down, it’s just me!” Aurora perked up with both confusion and relief.  A lanky pegasus cautiously trotted out of the shadows, eyes wide with fear as he eyed the mare before him.  Aurora took in his moss colored hide and his violet mane, and more importantly the two gold coins on his flank.

“Lighthooves?” she asked.  “Why the hay are you here?”

“A fencing operation, and I’m runnin’ few shill jobs on the side,” he answered conversationally.  He gave the mare a puzzled look.  “I thought you were on a job?”

Light illuminated the alley, throwing Lighthooves and Aurora into sharp relief as thunder roared overhead.  “Luna’s fury!” the stallion swore as his eyes descended upon her rear.  “What happened to you?”

“Bear,” Aurora answered.

“A consequence of one of his ‘jobs’?” Lighthooves asked tensely, glaring at the drying blood.

“Not directly; I was attacked on the way back,” she clarified.

“Damn.”  He bit his lip, looking as if he was trying to decide between slowly gouging out his left eye, or ripping out the teeth in his bottom jaw.  Aurora just stared at him with a raised brow, not entirely sure how to respond to her acquaintance’s expression.  She was torn between worry that something might be wrong with him, and bursting into laughter.

After a moment of deep, dichotomous thought, Lighthooves gestured to the shadows behind him, sighing in apparent defeat.  “Need anythin’?”

She rubbed her chin, contemplating for a moment before shugging.  “Got any health potions?”

“Um....”  Lighthooves glanced over his shoulder, where Aurora presumed his cache was hidden.  “Nope.  Haven’t had a chance to acquire any yet, though I plan to hit the town alchemist tonight.  Do, uh ––” the stallion grimaced “–– Do you want some stuff to sell?  I might have a spare bow or somethin’.”  The words almost looked painful coming out of his mouth.

Aurora shook her head.  She was certain that Lighthooves was authentic in his offer, but in any other circumstance the offer would have been a courtesy at best –– members of their guild weren’t known for their generosity, even towards each other.  She noticed that the stallion looked relieved at her answer.

A flash of light preluded a booming thunder that tore apart the sky.  Both pegasi turned to the clouds visible from the split between roofs.

“That was very close,” said the stallion. “Too close for my taste.”

Aurora nodded absentmindedly.  She groaned as she felt a wave of legarthy roll over her.  She slowly laid herself on the ground, squeezing her eyes shut and massaging her temple.  A moment later it passed.

“You alright there, Aurora?”

The mare shook her head.  “Just tired, is all.  Any inns nearby?  Other than the one across the marketplace?” she amended.  It wasn’t that she had a problem with the barmaid (although there were several unkind things she would like to do to the mare, involving a quiver of arrows and a rather sensitive spot between the hindquarters), it was more to do with the legionaries that were most likely consuming copious amounts of liquor while awaiting the storm to pass.  The farther she was from them, the less paranoid she would be.

The stallion put a moss-colored hoof to his chin, staring at a clay wall bordered by logs and wood planks.  “Well,” he began slowly.  “I haven’t been here but for a few days, so I don’t have the layout consigned to memory just yet.”

Aurora sighed and hung her head.  “It’s just as well.  I may have to commandeer your cot, in that case.”  Lighthooves startled her by tapping the ground.

“Wait!” he said.  “A new inn just opened up a week or so ago.”  He frowned.  “It’s on the other side of town though, so you’re goin’ to get drenched on the way there.”

The mare raised an eyebrow, smirking.  “Are you offering to escort me, fair gentlecolt?” she said, batting her eyelashes.  The stallion pursed his lips, a warm red highlighting his cheeks.

“Not at all,” he said, perhaps a little too briskly.  “I’m just sayin’ that you’re goin’ to want your hood.”  The stallion paused, looking the mare up and down.  Aurora narrowed her eyes and glared at him.  When he caught her glare, he balked, raising his forehooves in self-defense.  “Woah, I’m not like that; I just noticed that you aren’t wearing your normal outfit.  Why not?”

“Left it back home,” she answered.

“Well, what’d you go and do a fool thing like that for?”

Aurora shook her head and shrugged.  “One of the conditions for the job.  He wanted me to go unarmed and unarmored.  To Tartarus if I know why.”

“Conditions be damned!” Lighthooves spat, emphasizing his words with a stomp.  “Sending our best mare into one of those damned tombs without any protection is borderline murder!  Did you upset him or somethin’?”

“No,” Aurora huffed.  “But I think it was a test.”

The stallion wrinkled his nose.  “A test?  What for?”

“I’m not sure,” the mare admitted.  “But I think our mysterious employer is planning something fantastical.  He’s testing our limitations, seeing how far we can go.”

It wasn’t the first time Aurora had thought about it.  His first mission was to dispatch their best to Unicornia, to acquire a simple robe once worn by some long-time-honored unicorn prodigy.  The catch was that it was on display in the Ivory Hall, the center of the Mage’s Guild in Equestria.  And that she was to steal it, in broad daylight, during a convention held by some esteemed unicorn.  Since then, she was tasked with various jobs that brought her throughout Equestria, each one characterized by an absurd requirement –– this last one requiring her to be completely naked.

Given the nature of these jobs, Aurora came to believe they were tests, leading up to some grandiose scheme.  It was either that, or somepony had a nasty grudge and was attempting to seek vengeance through suicidal tasks.

“Well, whatever he’s up to, I won’t deny he’s makin’ an absolute ass of himself,” Lighthooves said.  Aurora snorted, and shook her head.  For all they knew, he very well might be a donkey.

“He pays good.  That’s all that matters.”  Aurora replied mechanically, not meeting the stallion’s eyes.

“You sound like Shadowhorn.”  The tone of Lighthooves’ voice made his statement sound like an accusation, and Aurora refused to meet his eyes.

“Where is that inn?” she asked after a moment of silence.

“West side of town.  Can’t remember the name of it for the life of me, though.”

Aurora gazed up at the dark clouds illuminated by filtered sunlight and the occasional bolt of lightning.  “Well, it was nice running into you, Lighthooves.  Shadows be with you.”

“Shadows be with you,” he reiterated.

With that, Aurora charged headfirst into the storm, ignoring the droplets of water pelting and soaking her fur, and digging their cold, wet claws into the wounds on her flank.

(\_.^\_.^\_.^\_>-<>-<-></(_)><->-<>-<_/^._/^._/^._/)

Soft –– fluffy –– comfortable.  What was?

Aurora didn’t want to open her eyes.  It was too much effort.  Whatever she was lying on, wherever she was, it could wait.  It would wait.  It needed to wait.

Soft hoofsteps found their way to somewhere nearby her head.  There was the tink of glass on glass, shuffling, and then the hoofsteps left the way they came.  Some part of her recognized these things, acknowledged their existence, but the rest of her ignored the phantom.  Over the last two days it felt like a cloud had descended upon her mind, nipping at the heels of her judgement.  Lying here, she felt energized, alive –– like when she was flying.

Until now, she hadn’t even noticed the weight, subtle as it was.  It had only been two days without sleep, nothing she hadn’t suffered before.  It was these damn jobs this mysterious bastard persisted on shoving down her guild’s throat!  Aurora rolled herself over, her head flopping to the side.  Perhaps Lighthooves was right.

She had lost her package.  It was a necklace, enchanted, hidden within the tomb of a famous earth pony.  It was in her bags when she was assaulted on her way back to Cloudsdale.

What the hell was she doing, stealing from the deceased?  Robbing the living of their lasting memories?  This wasn’t what she had wanted.  Once upon a time she had ideals, morals.  Ethics ruled her choices.  Looting graves?  That should have been beneath her.

Was it?

Aurora opened her eyes.  She was greeted by a wall crafted from fresh wood, shadows cast by a recently lit candle dancing across the timber.  At her present eyelevel, a dark beam bordered between the lighter, more natural wood above, and the stained wood beneath.  She was lying on top of a large, linen mattress, the skin of a bear stretched out over it.

She felt an odd tightness as she tried to stretch out her legs.  Shifting her head to peer down to the end of the bed, she saw that somepony had wrapped her in cloth from her midsection down to her hindlegs.  Heat rose in her cheeks when she realized that whoever took the initiative had to have lifted her tail to secure the bandage around her flanks.

The alluring smell of warm vegetables and broth mixed with the subtle scent of pine, wafting from a bowl set on a table beside the headboard.  Aurora sniffed at the air, breathing in the wonderful smell a little longer before rolling off of the bed.  She sat back on her haunches, lifting the bowl of soup carefully between her fore hooves to her mouth, sipping intently.  The warmth of the meal flowed through her, banishing the hunger that had grown ravenous during her sleep.  How did she get here?

The sound of soft pattering that she had expected was missing.  The storm had passed.  How long was she out?  Too many questions, the answers to which would be lost to her if she stayed in this room much longer.

The sound of her steps across the wooden were hollow, and echoed.  She was upstairs.  Or above a cellar, perhaps.  Goat horns filled with wax and fitted onto iron constraints illuminated the hall outside her room.  Or rather, the room somepony had lain her in.  The walls were made with the same pine log halves as the room she left, with a stained clay border.  The floor was covered by a hall-length green rug, softer to the touch than its appearance gave credit.  Down the hall were a few more doors, each closed.  Aurora tugged on their knobs.  Everyone was locked as well.

At the end the hallway split down two ways.  One led not much further to double doors, and the other led to the top of a flight of stairs.  One glance at the doors, and the thought of what lay behind them became insistent.  Without a doubt, that was the master bedroom.  Inside of it would be the master of the house’s most valuable possessions.  Precious gems, valuable clothing, jewelry...

No.  She had morals.  This, stealing from the hospitable, was not one of them.  Perhaps Lighthooves was right; these ambitious missions were changing her.  She hated that thought.  When she returned to Cloudsdale, she would demand an audience with this mysterious pony.  No more secrets, no more tasks, no more jobs –– not until he or she told her what the purpose was.  Not until she knew who she was working for.

Aurora stifled a listless chuckle.  She wanted to deny a pony his secrets when her whole life, her very career, was built upon them.  The very definition of hypocrisy.

Beneath the first floor was a bar.  Behind the counter a bone-white unicorn busied himself with mindlessly wiping down a mug with a rag that was growing dirtier by the second.  He was chatting with the lone stallion who sat at the bar, a dark full-body cloak covering all but his head, the hood of said cloak having been withdrawn. The cloaked pony had a blue hoof around a dark green wine bottle, and was talking articularly.

A few windows cast fresh daylight into the room, and a blazing fire surrounded by stone reached what shadows the windows could not.  The benches set around the pit were void of life, but for a single mare who slept outstretched on one, snoring lightly.  The mare twitched, and the bottle in her grasp fell to the floor, rolling until it bounced against the stone border.

The bartender and his customer turned to the stairs when they heard the telltale creak of the boards sagging underneath the weight of a black hoof.

“Ah!  I take it you’re feeling better, madam?” said the pale unicorn, setting down the mug next to others of its kind that littered a specific part of the counter.  The pitch pegasus arched her back on the stairwell, until she heard her spine pop, and sighed in relief.

“Don’t call me madam,” she replied, working on stretching out her forehooves.

“As you wish,” he answered.  The other stallion tapped the counter, hoofing over a few gold coins and his empty bottle.  The unicorn wrapped the bottle in a green field of magic, and carefully placed it in a basket.  He then drew another equally green bottle from beneath the bar, and laid it before the earth pony.

Aurora studied the bar she was in, eyeing the drunk mare stretched out on a bench with distaste.  “Alright, three questions:  Where am I, how did I get here, and who are you?”

“Well, I’m Wineskin,” the bartender began. “Owner and proprietor of The Grounded Pegasus.”  Aurora nickered inwardly, her wings twitching at the name.  “You collapsed yesterday just outside of my inn, and I wasn’t about to just leave an unconscious mare out in that storm, especially with those wounds of yours.  Where did you get them?”

The pegasus held up a hoof.  “Hold on, yesterday?” she asked, eyes widening.  “What day is it?”

“The day’s a Middas, twelfth of Last Seed.  You’ve been asleep for near a whole day.”  Wineskin took note of the look on the mare’s face.  “You don’t have an appointment that you’re late for, do you?”

Aurora shook her head in response, she wasn’t expected back at the dead-drop till the weekend, which gave her another three days. She groaned, and held a hoof to her temple as a throbbing pain worked its way to the forefront.

“You okay, miss?” asked the stallion with the wine bottle.

“Just a headache.”

“Well, would you like a mug of something strong to help take the edge off?”  Aurora gave the bartender a curious look.  “All first-time customers are given a free sample,” he answered her unasked question, offering her an empty tankard.

She thought about it for a moment, and shrugged.  "Sure," she answered, taking a seat beside the stallion.

"So what would you like?" asked Wineskin, hovering the mug underneath several barrel taps.  "We have cider –– of course –– mead, beer, and wine."  He moved the mug under each barrel as he said its name, his green magic highlighting the labels.

"Eh," Aurora glanced between her options.  "I've had enough cider recently,” she said, remembering the drinking competition from yesterday.  “I'll take some of the mead.”

The earth pony guffawed, slamming a hoof down on the counter.  “Ha!  No such thing as too much cider, only too little!”

Aurora glared at him.  “Is that so?”  The stallion nodded sagely in response.  “Then why are you drinking wine?” she said, nodding to the green bottle he had his hoof around.  The bartender chuckled as he returned with her beverage.

“She’s got you there, Billet.”

“Shove it, ‘Skin,” the earth pony spat back.

Aurora sat down on the stool beside the earth pony named Billet.  The pressure of the wood against her bandages was uncomfortable at best, but if she didn’t move her rear then it was bearable.  She took a sip of the mead, enjoying the taste of honeyed liquor versus the spiced cider that was most often served at the pubs she frequented.  It was certainly a nice change of pace; the only times she was able to acquire mead was when she traveled north into Unicornia.

The earth pony took a long pull from his wine bottle, before setting it back down and belching obnoxiously.  Aurora raised her brow at him, but he shrugged it off.  She took a deep gulp of her mead, and held it down for a moment.  When the time was right, she released a burp hearty enough to rival his own.

The earth pony spat out his mouthful of wine, the unicorn just barely dodging the violet stream, and dissolved into a bout of snickering.  Wineskin shook his head and dropped a rag onto the floor, furiously wiping at the small puddle.

“I just had these floors finished!” he whinnied.

“Now there’s a true mare!” Billet said through his cackling, the bartender’s complaints falling on deaf ears.  When the slightly inebriated earth pony was finished, he asked, “So, what’s yer name, miss?”

“Well, it’s not ‘Miss’, I can tell you that,” snapped Aurora.  It wasn’t that she was trying to be short, although she was known for her temper, it was merely that she hated being addressed with pleasantries.  She wasn’t a ‘miss’, she wasn’t a ‘madam’, and nor was she a ‘milady’ (although it was rather rare for her to be addressed by the last title, she had been called it before.  That stallion couldn’t see out of his right eye for a week). She was Aurora the Pegasus, or sometimes ‘Boss’, and that was all she wanted to be.

“You can call me Aurora.”

"So, Aurora," said Wineskin, as he tossed the damp, purple rag into the wash basin.  "If you don't mind me being nosy, how did you come about those nasty scratches?"

"I'd rather keep that to myself," she answered, not meeting his eyes.

"As you wish."  The unicorn grabbed a dirty mug, furiously scrubbing it with another stained rag.  Aurora was reluctantly roped into a conversation with the stallion named Billet, although she was surprised to discover that the earth pony was an archer.

Archery had been developed by the griffons for the air, and adopted by the pegasi.  Whereas earth ponies used their tails and jaws, and unicorns used their horns (cheaters, Aurora couldn't help but think), pegasi used their wings.  Wing blades, and other forms of air weaponry, were often wielded by the pegasi and the griffons, but bows were the most common.

Pony hooves, while able to pick up simple items like mugs or daggers, were far too clumsy for the dexterity that a bow required.  The beast races were blessed with digits that could firmly grip the delicate bowstring, although most used their hands for great hammers and swords and the like.  Pegasi, however, were able to use their primaries as a sort of proxy for fingers, gripping the bow in hoof and working the string with their wings.  There were disadvantages to this, however.  Using their wings meant that a pegasus wielding a bow had to either be on the ground, or on a cloud, elsewise be falling through the sky.

Wineskin came back after evicting the snoring mare, furiously cleaning up the mess she had left behind.  He saw that Aurora’s mug was now empty, and offered her a refill, to which the pegasus refused.  She explained that she was hard on money at the moment, and didn’t want to use up what precious little she had left.

“Well,” said Billet, “If’n yer lookin’ fer some bits, you could always sign up fer the archery contest.”

“Archery contest?” Aurora replied swiftly.

“Yes,” answered Wineskin, as he went back to cleaning a mug.  “They’ve been setting up the arena just outside town since yesterday.”

“What’s the buy-in?”

“Eight bits initially,” said Billet.  “But the contest is today, and I think late buy-ins goes up to ten.”

Aurora frowned.  Ten bits was all she had left from from what she won yesterday.  It wasn’t that she feared losing, she was absolutely confident in her skill with a bow.  However, should she lose, that would break her.

And then, as if deciding for her, she remembered that she had left her custom bow back in Cloudsdale.  Aurora silently cursed her mysterious employer, and his outrageous tests he kept throwing at her.

“Don’t have enough?” asked Billet, seeing her frown.

“No, I have enough to enter,” Aurora told him.  “But I seem to be lacking a bow.”

“Aye, that’s a shame.”

“Well, a few legionnaires from Cloudsdale came by last night, just a few hours after I brought you in,” said Wineskin.  “They left a notice here; don’t know if it’ll be much help, though.”  The pale pony dipped under his counter, and reappeared with a unfurled parchment gripped between his lips, and set it before the mare.

WEATHER-WING FOAL STILL ALIVE

Melodious Whisper of House Weather-Wing

The Weather-Wing Family offers a reward of:

100,000 Bits

for the safe return of their filly.

House Silver-Tip offers an additional:

100,000 Bits

Underneath the notice was a replicated image of a small pegasus filly seated on a cushion, stiffly smiling at the artist.  Aurora admired the innocent mischief that the painter had captured in her yellow eyes, betraying an adventurous spirit that echoed her unique mane –– a multitude of color blending perfectly together, flowing down her neck like a rainbow.

“I thought she was declared dead...” Aurora softly said, her eyes never leaving the filly’s colorful mane.

“She was,” answered Billet soberly. “Can’t imagine how she survived this long –– been near a decade since she went missin’.”

“I can’t imagine what she’s been through; she was such an adorable filly,” added Wineskin, setting down the mug.  “Nopony deserves to go through that; her or her family.”

“What baffles me is how nopony’s found her, with a mane like that,” said Billet, gesturing toward the picture.

“That’s true,” Wineskin agreed.  “She would stand out like a dragon in a field of poppies.”

Aurora nodded solemnly.  She tapped the empty tankard on the wood as she thought.  She should just thank Wineskin for his hospitality, and be on her way to Cloudsdale.  After all, what her mysterious attacker stole from her wasn’t all she had; just spoils of where she had been.

“You alright there, Aurora?” asked the pony beside her, tearing her back to reality.  “You’ve been starin’ at that mug fer awhile, now.”

“Nothing of consequence,” she answered, not meeting either pony’s eyes.  Billet shrugged, returning to his drink.  Coming to a decision, Aurora pushed the empty tin mug toward Wineskin.  She thanked him for his hospitality and company, and swiftly left, Billet wishing her luck.

(\_.^\_.^\_.^\_>-<>-<-></(_)><->-<>-<_/^._/^._/^._/)

Aurora stared at the mountains that loomed over the settlement.  There was no trace of yesterday’s storm; pegasi had probably cleared the sky for the contest.  Just beyond the town she could see ponies working on setting up the arena, in fact, they were almost done.  They had erected several targets across the low end of a vast field, and at the moment they were fixing a stage for the competitors.  Beyond the field she could make out a stone idol of a gargoyle with a thick mane wrapped around his head.  She recognized it as one of the many shrines that dotted the country, although whom was depicted Aurora had no inclination.

The mare turned towards the northeast, where a small section of a dazzling silver tower was visible between the mountains and clouds.  A part of her couldn’t wait to return home, to lie covered in her magnificent silk sheets and just sleep the day away –– but not before stuffing herself with some of Barter’s fresh soup, hot off the fire.  However, despite her longing Aurora felt some sort of tugging on her heart.  It had been there since Wineskin had shown her the picture of the Weather-Wing filly, and she couldn’t shake it.

A part of her didn’t want to return home.  Why, though?  There was nothing for her in Nimbustall; certainly Wineskin and Billet had been nice enough company, but they were hardly reason enough to stay.  For now Aurora decided to ignore the ominous feeling, taking to the stone path that led away from the small town and towards the Tower.

Aurora’s journey began peacefully, just her trotting with nopony for company but for the rabbits who scampered out of her path and the birds that chirped at her from their treetop perches.  Perhaps they sensed the avian blood in her, or perhaps they just viewed her as a potential threat.  Regardless of which, all of them flew off in a flurry of wings as a pink pegasus dived towards her.  The other mare hit the ground cantering, her stunning blue mane whipping about her face as she skidded to a halt beside Aurora.

“Hey, you might not want to go that way!” she said, a large smile plastered over her face.  Aurora raised her eyebrow.

“Why not?”  As if to answer her question, a war cry sounded from over the hill.  Seven or so earth ponies and several pegasi crested over the hill, charging toward Aurora and the pegasus with fire in their eyes and swords in their mouths.

Without a second thought, Aurora turned tail and ran.  The other mare flew overhead, gesturing to her and yelling something that was lost to the wind.

“WHAT?” Aurora yelled back.  The pink mare descended down to her level, wings still flapping furiously.

“Fly!” she repeated.  Aurora just shook her head and growled.  She glanced over her shoulder; sure enough, the band of enraged ponies were still behind them, weapons drawn.  Just what did this mare do to them? she thought.  The both of them rounded a corner, Nimbustall now in sight.  Aurora beat her hooves against the ground harder, desperate to get to the safety of the town.  Her eyes widened when she saw three familiar steel-clad pegasi at the entrance.  Worse, the mares had also spotted the two of them swiftly approaching.

“HALT!” shouted their leader, as the other two bared their weapons.  Aurora slammed her forehooves into the ground, stopping just short of the leader’s snout.  She was slightly larger than Aurora, with a teal coat and fierce green eyes.  Aurora stared defiantly back.  The teal mare narrowed her eyes at the black pegasus.

Thankfully the ponies chasing them chose that moment to round the corner, each still brandishing their weapons and bellowing death threats.  The legionnaire took one look at them before spreading her wings, revealing serrated blades that stretched from the base to the primaries.  She shouted a stern command for the two citizens to stay put, before the wing of mares charged at the small army –– most of whom skidded to a halt and began galloping in the other direction.

“Yeah, that’s right!  Run away!” the pink mare called after the thugs.  “Bastards,” she added quietly enough for only Aurora to hear.

“What by all the fury of the Sun and Moon was that?!” Aurora rounded on her.

The pegasus cocked her head, bemused.  “What do you mean?” she asked.

Aurora grabbed the mare’s head and jerked it towards where the legionnaires had ran off, pointing down the path for emphasis.  “I mean that!”

The pink mare curled her forehooves between the both of them, and pushed Aurora away from herself.  “Calm down, mare.  It was only a bit of misunderstanding.”

Aurora snorted.  “What kind of ‘misunderstanding’ leads to being chased by a dozen ponies?”

She shrugged in response.  “Okay, so it was a little more than just a misunderstanding.  Don’t you think you’re taking this just a little too personal?”  The mare held her wingtips less than inch apart for emphasis.

“No!”  Aurora barked, taking a step forward.  “No, I don’t!  You led them right to the town!  What were you thinking?”

The mare pointed a hoof at herself before poking Aurora on the breast.  “Me?  I was thinking, ‘I’m being chased by ponies with weapons.  I think I might be safe near a town with a bunch of guards!’”

Aurora put her face so close to the other mare’s one could have sworn they were touching.  “And what about the townsponies?  What if the innocent got hurt?”

The other pegasus laughed.  “Innocent?  There’s no such thing as an innocent pony, mare.”  She took a step back, shoving Aurora back as well.  “You’re spending too much time worrying about what could’ve happened; the fact is that they didn’t get into the town, and that your so-called ‘innocent’ didn’t get harmed.”

Aurora worked her jaw, finally reigning in her anger and opting to merely glare at the mare opposite her.  The other mare equalled her glare, before sighing and offering a pink hoof.

“Look, I think we may have gotten off to a bad start,” she candidly stated.  “What say I buy you a drink?  There’s a new pub that just opened in town that I mean to try.”

Aurora stared at the pink appendage for a moment, and shook her head.  “No.  The only thing I want right now is to be on my way to Cloudsdale.”  She picked herself up and once again began to follow the path to the pegasus capitol.

“Woah, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” the other mare warned, cutting off her path.  “Those ponies are still on the road, and there’s a fair bit more than the group who chased me.”

“Thank you for the advice, but I can take care of myself; I assure you I’m a grown mare,” Aurora replied, trotting around the pink annoyance.

“That’s not what I mean,” she said, following the pitch pegasus.  “Certainly you don’t plan on traveling without a weapon or armor? Not in the state you’re in...”

Aurora stopped, turning around and narrowing her eyes.  “What do you mean, ‘state I’m in’?”  The mare pointed her hoof at her rear, at the bandages wrapped around Aurora’s flank.

“So... what happened?” the mare inquired.

“It’s not any of your business,” Aurora said, a more callous version of the answer she gave the bartender when he asked.

“You plan on traveling to Cloudsdale with wounds like those?” the mare continued, much to Aurora’s displeasure.  “You’ll be picked off by bandits before you make it halfway!”

Aurora finally had enough of the pink pegasus.  “Why do you care?” she shouted.  The other mare took a step back, staring at her for a moment before her eyes slightly widened, as if a realization struck her for the first time. She stared at Aurora cooly.

“You’re right,” she said.  “I don’t care.”  And with that, the mare turned around and trotted swiftly away.  Aurora watched her go, the dual lightning bolts adorning the mare’s flank the last thing she saw of her before she disappeared behind the wooden gates of Nimbustall.

Aurora glowered at the gates for a moment, before glancing back up at the barely visible apex of the ivory spire.  The Sun wasn’t very far from the tip, illuminating the massive cloud city wreathed about the tower.  Just after midday; it would be at least several hours before twilight, and regardless of whether Aurora liked it or not, the pegasus had a point.  Unarmed and in the middle of day, there was no chance of sneaking by the the thugs’ camp; and Aurora was not willing to risk traveling off the trail and running into a pack of wolves –– not while she couldn’t fly away.

She experimentally extended her wings, but swiftly withdrew them with a hiss of pain and a swear.  It would be a day or two before she could fully extend them, and she wouldn’t be able to fly without risk of further damaging the appendages until the end of the next week.  That was the case without the help of potions.  If she could buy the services of an alchemist, she would be up and flying in two or three days at the latest!  However, she reminded herself, I have no money.

Aurora stopped.  She craned her neck, staring at the stone path that led through the mountains towards Cloudsdale, the same path not but a short moment ago she had been traveling down –– until she had been chased by a dozen thugs.  A few dozen ponies setting up a camp alongside a main trail?  Most likely forcing a toll on weary travellers... most likely hoarding a small fortune.  Aurora felt a genuine smile wind its way across her face.  It was settled; she would wait in town until the sun went down, and then hit them for all they had.

Her thoughts were broken as a trio of armored pegasi trotted into view, two of the bandits trapped between their shoulders.  Aurora jaunted through the gates of Nimbustall before the legionnaires noticed her, and galloped behind the sanctuary of a wall of barrels.  She watch the trio of mares as they guided their prisoners towards the center of town.  The two earth ponies, dressed in mismatched clothes, looked battered and broken, resigned to their walk of shame.  The three pegasi and their armor were splattered in fresh blood, yet walked with an air of determination and indifference.

As the five ponies trotted past her hiding spot, the middle pegasus stopped.  Without breaking formation, she craned her neck around one of the captured bandits and scanned the houses nearby.  As her gaze passed over Aurora, she paused, and for a fleeting moment Aurora swore the mare could see her.  Aurora stared down those green eyes, certain she had been found.  Then, the mare’s eyes left her, finishing their sweep of the homes.  One of the other legionnaires gave the mare a questioning look, to which the mare shook her head.  Then they continued on their way.

Aurora didn’t stop watching them until they disappeared from sight.