Dependable Blades

Chapters

Prologue
Cauliflower?
Job Openings
The Bandit Hunt
Finishing the Job
Little Talks
The Castle Ambrose: A New Adventure

Prologue

Heavy hooffalls on pristine marble floors echoed throughout the castle of Canterlot and combined with the clang of metal with every step. Stallions and mares alike, clad in shining golden armor marched their way into the courtyard of the palace as the sun above them began to make its way over the horizon. A sizable legion stood at attention while their commanding officers strode up and down the lines barking commands at them.

As the sun finally set and all were assembled, another loud ring of metal and hooves could be heard approaching from the side courtyard. A group of ponies clad in dark armor began to march their way into the main courtyard in formation. Unlike their golden-clad comrades, these Equestrians had eyes that shone in the darkness with a predatory gleam. Long, pointed ears sat atop their heads ending in tufts of fur while folded at their sides were long leathery wings.

The changing of the day shift with the night shift had always been a sight to behold for anypony lucky enough to be in the castle walls to witness it. They were Equestria’s bravest and strongest, after all, keepers of the peace and defenders of the crowns. Anypony would count themselves lucky to be counted amongst their number, a place of vaunted honor that was hard earned. And currently, one mare in particular was doing her part to earn her place.

Amber Shine was a young up-and-coming member of the guard, not yet a fully-fledged member. Her fiery mane and tail for which she was named had long since settled into a state of natural curls that stood out brightly against her dull blue fur and long bat like wings that stayed folded at her sides. Her golden, cat-like eyes watched the assembled ponies in the courtyard down below change shifts. The body of this mare was one of taut-and-toned muscle that reflected years of training in preparation for the day she would be one of those proud ponies in the courtyard below. She wore a lightweight cuirass and a pair of bracers around her forelimbs, though her armor was not as fanciful and well polished as the guards down below. A smile curled her lips at the thought of it, revealing the long pointed fangs of her kin.

“Oi, mind the daydreamin’, runt,” her commander snarled at her.

“S-sorry sir, I was just-“

“Just make believin’ you was one’a those fancy rank-and-show ponies down there again.” He stated flatly as a sharp eye fixed on her from beneath his tattered helmet.

“Uh… aye… sir,” she admitted as her ears and demeanor drooped to the floor.

“Tch, chin up girl,” he scoffed at her as they continued strolling through the upper halls of the castle. “You’re doing real guardspony work, not stompin’ around in the open to look pretty for the nobles and dignitaries. You should start takein’ pride in that.”

“I know, sir…” She sighed as she kept pace behind him. “It’s just that, when I joined the Night Guard, I thought I’d be doing importantthings. I thought I’d be doing things like fending off assassins and other threats to the crowns.”

“You are doin’ important work,” he snapped at her. “You might not be livin’ the storybook fantasy you had in mind, but the work we do is just as important, don’t forget that, girl.”

“So, what important guardspony duty are we covering tonight, sir?”

“Real simple task, not even you can screw it up.” He replied. “We’re going to be assisting mage Burnt Ember with his latest spell.”

“Lab assistants,” Amber scoffed. “Forgive me, sir, if I don’t happily embrace the idea of scrubbing floors and fetching vials of newt eyes as the high point of a royal guard’s life.”

“You young pups, always itchin’ for adventure and hopin’ for a fight,” her leader grumbled. “Just wait till you get that adventure or that big fight, you’ll be beggin’ the princesses for simple tasks like these again.”

As they pushed open the door at the end of the hall, they were treated to sight neither of them certainly expected to find. Fiery bolts and streams of magical energy strafed the air around them and scorched the stonework of the room. The smell of burnt wood and paper filled their nostrils as the chaotic beams tore the room apart. At the center of it all was a tall cast iron brazier that spewed forth thick plumes of smoke.

Both guardsponies made a mad dash for the nearest piece of thick furniture they could find. Amber ventured a glance over her shoulder to see the spot she had been standing suddenly turn into a thick black smear.

“So, Sergeant, at what point does this go back to being a simple task?” Amber chuckled at him.

“Shut it!” He snapped at her as another bolt of magical energy struck their barricade. “What the in the fires of Tartarus happened here?!”

“I don’t know,” cried a shrill voice above the chaos. “Everything was added to the spell perfectly. This reaction, it shouldn’t be happening!”

“That you, Burney?!” the Sergeant asked.

“Yes, it’s me, and don’t call me ‘Burney’!”

“So how do we stop this thing!?”

“I’m working on that!”

Amber peeked out from behind cover just a bolt struck the wall beside her. Yelping in surprise she quickly pulled back into hiding. She knew they couldn’t just sit here, that they had to do something. Hiding behind an overturned desk while magical death filled the air around them, this wasn’t what a guardspony should be doing. They needed action and they needed it now.

“I’ve got an idea.” Amber proudly announced.

Before anyone could question the brash young mare, she had already darted out of cover. Running at a full gallop, she tried to close the gap between herself and the magical concoction gone mad. Her ears and wings pinned themselves against her body as she tried to make herself a smaller target. The air around her stunk of burnt fur and ozone as she barely avoided bolt after mystic bolt. Soon her destination had been reached, and with a loud battle cry, she reared up on her front hooves to give the brazier a hard kick.

A loud, thunderous bang filled the room and shook the castle, as her hooves connected with it and the mystical energies spewing forth became disrupted. Smoke filled their room coupled with the sounds of coughing. As the debris began to settle and the lack of magical chaos was no longer felt, the pair of ponies carefully strode out from their hiding spots. Cautiously they made their way through the haze to the source of all the problems, they braced themselves for twisted remains they might find, but neither were expecting this.

“Burney, was the spell supposed to do that?”

“I… well, no, of course not.”

“Then what am I lookin’ at?”

On the floor, where they had assumed either the unconscious or dead body of Amber Shine would be, was instead a head of cauliflower. The pair shared a look of confusion before looking back at the vegetable on the floor.

“I really hope you can fix this, Burney, because this is going to be one hell of an incident report!”

Cauliflower?

“So… was that supposed to happen?” a voice in the darkness asked.

Amber Shine’s mind stirred and tried to make her focus. Something had happened when she struck the brazier, something has been released from it and she had been at the center of the mess. Her entire body ached with pain and her eyes refused to open, but she could feel other things. She still felt the cold embrace of the rough stone floor, maybe they hadn’t moved her yet.

“No, of course not,” the second speaker’s voice had a higher pitch but still held a strong sense of intelligence to it. “What would be the point of a spell that turns someone’s lunch, well, whatever this is?”

Neither of these voices registered with Amber. They weren’t the Sergeant or Burnt Embers. A twinge of fear jumped up her spine when she realized this. Questions filled her mind, who were they, where was she, what happened to her after she struck the brazier? The Night Guard knew she wouldn’t get any answers just laying on the floor. Through a heavy dose of will, she started to force her eyes open.

“Elwick, I think it’s waking up.”

“Good, maybe we can get some answers.”

The world was a painful white glare that nearly forced her eyes shut again. Groaning in pain, Amber forced her head to clear before trying to slowly open her eyes again. The initial haze started to give way to a place that very clearly was not the laboratory of Burnt Embers. Tall bookshelves lined the walls while thick elaborate tapestries filled in any open wall space there was. But what caused her to fully snap out of her fog was the pair of creatures standing over her.

Both stood tall and with ease upon their back legs while their forelimbs each looked to be tipped with fingers. Their bodies were lacking fur save for what sat atop their heads, they looked to make up for this shortcoming by wearing various clothes.

The taller of the two was clad in what looked to be very well-kept clothes that had been fitted to his athletic form. A clean, white tunic covered his upper body while a pair of dark slacks and boots took care of his legs. This creature’s face certainly wasn’t unpleasant to look at, deep green eyes and a sandy blonde mane that had been cut short to his head along with a strong jaw line. What concerned the mare however was the sword that hung from his side that one of its “paws” sat upon the hilt of.

To say his companion was short would be an understatement. Amber was sure she’d seen fillies and colts of a much larger size than this creature. If not for the squared jaw and strong intelligence that gleamed in its bright cerulean eyes, she’d continue to mistake it for a child. The tiny being’s body was clad in what she assumed was a long brown robe for his size, they were left open revealing the off white and dark slacks beneath. His head was topped with a mess of a curly dark green mane that just barely covered the pointed tips of its ears.

“Helloooooo there,” the small one said softly with a wide smile. “No need to be afraid, we won’t hurt you my little friend.”

“Thanks?” Amber replied cautiously.

The pair shared a look before looking back at her. “You can talk?” The tall one asked.

“Of course I can talk.” Amber grumbled back at them. “You don’t see me looking shocked and surprised because you two can speak.”

“She makes a fair point,” the tiny one agreed. “Where are my manners, I am Elwickshintlzefick Wizzlepop VonFrook, though most non-gnomes find it easier to simply call me Elwick.” He said with a bow to her. “Master of the arcane arts and conjurer of illusions grandiose and amazing,” he proudly declared with a quick motion of his hands. Bright shimmering sparks filled the air around him adding to his claims.

The taller furless being snorted at his friend’s boasting drawing an angry glare from Elwick. The self declared gnome motioned towards him. “And my friend here is Sir Alistair Crown, a knight of some kind or something.”

“My Lady,” Alistair said while bowing his head to her. “Please forgive my overly excitable friend; he tends to brag when meeting new people.”

“Hmph, bragging you say,” Elwick scoffed. “Just trying to make a good first impression on our new friend,” he claimed as he rolled his eyes with an annoyed grumble.

Amber slowly forced herself to stand on her hooves as she looked the pair over and forced up a smile. “My name is Amber Shine. I’m a member of the Equestrian Night Guard and defender of the princesses of Equestria.”

Elwick began circling her, his eyes looking her up and down as he mentally picked her apart. “And, how did you come to be passed out on the floor of my study, Ms. Shine?”

Amber rubbed her temples with an annoyed sigh as she recalled the events. “All I remember was trying to stop a spell that’d gone out of control; there was a bright flash and a loud bang, then… I woke up here.”

“One thing does still bug me though,” Alistair stated. “If you’re here, then where did the cauliflower go?”

“Cauliflower,” Amber asked as she looked between the pair.

“Master Elwick here thought he found a way to turn it into gold.” Alistair told her with a wry grin.

“Cauliflower,” she felt the need to ask again.

“Not just cauliflower,” Ewlick huffed. “If it worked it would transmute matter into gold! Granted, Transmutation was never my best subject…”

“As fascinating as this conversation is,” Amber interrupted them. “Where am I?”

With a wide, childish grin, Elwick motioned her over to the large bay window before flinging it open. “You’re on the plane of Domhan,” He announced proudly as he lead her onto the balcony.

Amber’s eyes went wide as she beheld a city that spread out in all directions. Buildings of various sizes and shapes that dotted the landscape, all laid out in a grid formation. Waterways of varying sizes cut paths through the city and looked to cut it into districts. The warm air of summer blew through her main and fur as she looked down to see that they stood high above it all in a massive tower at the very center of this metropolis. Through the rushing wind she could hear the sounds of endless voices and see the throngs of beings and creatures of various breeds milling about like ants below.

“More accurately,” Elwick continued. “You’re in the city of Le’Ratte, the capital city of the kingdom of West Loch, realm of the goodly King Antoine Dupre.” The gnome shot her a teasing smirk. “I can go into the full history of the kingdom if you’d like to hear that as well.”

“I’d avoid that one, unless you want to be bored to tears, my lady.” Alistair chimed in.

“In the meantime though, if you don’t mind answering a few questions,” Elwick continued as he tried to guide her back inside the tower. “For starters, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen or heard of any kind of equine that possesses your bat like features. Not to mention how much I’d love to hear about this Equestria of your-“

Amber ducked away from the gnome and quickly backed up to the edge of the balcony. “And I’m sure it will be a lovely conversation, buuuuuut,” with a quick flap of her wings she perched herself up on the railing, “I think I’d like to take in my new surroundings for a bit.” With a wink and a gleeful smirk she jumped backwards and let the wind take her wings. “I’m sure I can find this place when I’m done, boys!”

“In hindsight, maybe you shouldn’t have opened the window,” Alistair quipped as he watched her glide off towards the city.

“I don’t suppose you’ll make yourself useful and go make sure she stays out of trouble?” Elwick grumbled.

The rush of air along her wings brought a smile to Amber’s face. Excitement swelled up in her chest and began to crush what had at one point been fear. She was far from home, further than anypony may have ever been. She might be the only member of ponykind to even lay eyes upon this strange new world. While a smarter pony would be confused and frightened by all of this, all Amber Shine could see was endless possibilities laid out before her.

There was one thing that was holding her back though, the unrelenting glare of the sun. Her nocturnal eyes were having a hard time adjusting to the bright sunny day and it was starting to affect her ability to fly in a straight line. The bat mare finally gave in and glided down to one of the more empty looking alleys with more than a little lacking grace. She came to a stumbling stop, but at least she was in the shade now.

“Wonder if they have sunglasses in this world,” Amber asked herself out loud.

With bold confidence, she strode through the alleyway towards the main street, always certain to stay under the soothing shade of the buildings overhead if possible. The displaced gueardsmare could feel the growing number of eyes on her as she trotted through the streets. Her overly developed ears easily picked up on their hushed conversations and mutterings about her. They whispered about how she must have been some kind of escaped experiment from the “Mage’s Tower” and that she was clearly some kind of strange sin against the gods of some such. Amber Shine had very little time to feel self conscious about their fearful opinions of her, she was far too engrossed with these strange new surroundings.

Amber’s journey eventually brought her to what was clearly some kind of bazaar. A long wide street full of shops and market stalls on either side snaked on towards the horizon, their owners loudly announcing the superiority of their goods compared to those in the other stalls. She eagerly trotted from merchant to merchant as she visually sampled everything around her. Brightly-colored fabrics and glittering, ornate trinkets of craftsmanship she had never before laid eyes upon. Her nose was treated to the sweet and foreign smells of spices and various fruits that had never graced the shores of Equestria.

From the quiet whispers that still trickled into her ears through the throngs of people all speaking in unison, Amber easily worked out that her kind had never before been seen here. She was clearly the only batpony they had ever come across, perhaps the only Equestrian to set hoof on these streets. The thought brought a wide excited grin to her face.

With a light skip in her step and humming a happy tune, Amber made her way through the crowds of people. Her merriment was cut short, however, when one dark whisper caught her attention, “Bet we could make more than a few coins off that thing, maybe more if the hide’s intact.”

Her eyes narrowed straight ahead, “Forget money, I wanna know how dat thing tastes in a stew, horse is good eats, bats can be good eats, but a bat horse, that’sa new one.”

Amber kept her pace up as she heard the voices bickering not far behind her: “What good’s eatin’ her when we can get a pile’a gold? Hells, the mage what lost that thing probably has loads of coin to buy back his little pet.”

There were too many people around her for any kind of fight. If they wanted to bring her down they could easily crowd around her here and knock her out. She doubted anyone would even notice. Thinking quickly, Amber ducked down the first alleyway that crossed her path. Just as she’d hoped it was empty with only one way in or out. Heavy footfalls behind her told her that she wasn’t alone in here. A cruel smirk tugged the corners of her mouth as she turned to face her would be attackers, very pleased with herself and with them for taking the bait.

Standing between Amber and supposed freedom were four ragged bipeds whom happily sneered at the little pony they had trapped. Three of them looked to be of Alistair’s race, though their clothes and unwashed faces told her that these colts came from a far less reputable background than him. At the head stood a tall, heavily-built and burly creature with dark green skin and a face that reminded her somewhat of a boar and a large wooden club resting on his shoulders. Amber never did care much for boars; every one of them that she had met always came off as rude and ill-tempered.

“Here, lil horsey,” their leader beckoned to her. “Come to Uncle Thrasher.”

“Uncle Thrasher is about to get his pig nose bucked into the back of his head if thinks he’ll be taking me that easily,” Amber snorted in retort.

The four of them spread out into the alley. “You got a smart mouth on you, squirt,” the green one grumbled as he readied his club. “Let’s see how smart you are with a few less teeth in your mouth.”

“You’re welcome to come and try, big boy.” Amber taunted before baring her fangs at the group with a loud hiss.

Their advance halted at that moment, one of them even took a step back as he eyed her cautiously, “You don’t think those fangs are poisoned do ye? I hear mages like given their freaky creations stuff like that.”

“Then pick how you wanna die, Crow,” their leader snarled. “Her fangs or my club,”

Amber readied herself for what she knew was coming. Falling back on her time spent training for the guard. She lowered herself into a fighting stance, legs braced to lunge forward at a moment’s notice. Her wings spread out wide from her side on instinct to make her appear larger while her ears flattened themselves against her head. She dug her hooves into the ground and continued to bare her fangs, ready to snap and bite whatever came close to her.

The first one wasn’t the smartest of the bunch, she assumed. Screaming at the top of his lungs, the brigand took a small club from his belt and ran screaming at the mare. Amber was quick to react as she darted forward and kept low to the ground. Her long leathery wings wrapped around her self-assumed attacker’s leg and yanked it with her as she ran forwards. The unwashed street thug yelped in surprise as he fell, face forward into the hard dirty stone ground.

With the advantage already hers, Amber gave a quick flap of her wings rise up over their heads. Her hooves connected with one of the alley walls only long enough for her to kick off it and come down on the second bandit. Her forelimbs wrapped around his shoulders as she passed and yanked him off his feet with her momentum. Their bodies still in motion, Amber rolled him over her shoulders before letting go. Gravity did the rest of the work for her as he was sent hurtling into one of his allies. With a loud crash they both tumbled into a pile of debris that had been stacked in the corner.

From the corner of her eyes she could see the first one she’d felled starting to stir. With mischievous grin she leapt into the air. Just as he was starting to push himself up from the ground, the street thug’s attention was quickly knocked out of his daze by a gust of wind and loud clop. Fear flooded his face when he looked up to find himself staring into a large pair of cat like eyes and frighteningly sharp looking fangs. Amber could barely muster the ability to snarl at him through the fits of giggles that spilled out of her mouth instead as she watched him scurry away from her in a panic.

Before he could make it far however, his boss made good on his threat. So close to the exit, the thick heavy wood of the club came crashing down on the top of his head. Amber watched as the top his skull was caved inwards, a trickle of blood and other matter still connecting the club to the victim as it was pulled away. The thug’s body went limp and stumbled forward into a heap on the ground where blood began to pool around him.

“Guess he chose the club.” The big green one chuckled as he turned his dark eyes to her.

Hate and anger burned their way through Amber’s stomach till it clawed at her chest and began to pour itself into her eyes, something the last man standing picked up on with a sneer. “What, feeling sorry for him,” he chuckled. “You might wanna know, he suggested we cook and eat you. I don’t much care for the meat off’a mage’s pet, magic makes it taste wrong.”

Amber Shine didn’t say a word as she started to walk the parameter of the alley. She picked everything about him apart as they began to circle one another. Her eyes studied every scar and marking on him, the club his hands, the heavy build of his muscles, even the way he walked. Taking all of it in as she tried to extrapolate a weakness in this giant.

Her studies didn’t get to last long as he made the first move. With a loud roar, the tusked monster barreled forward, club at the ready. He was larger, stronger and had more reach, but Amber Shine knew she had him beat on speed. True to this, her reaction time was far greater than his, letting her dance out of the way of his club. To her surprise, the thick wooden weapon was able to leave a heavy dent in the alley wall as it struck.

She continued to move and avoid his attacks, her hooves and wings never getting more than half a breath to rest after the last dodge. Her opponent eagerly kept her on the defense as he swung his weapon with all the might his powerfully muscled arms could afford. One too many times the club came dangerously close to Amber- she had to end this quickly.

Almost as if the goddesses had heard her from across time and space, she was given just what she needed. A small blade landed on the ground, just behind the green brute. After her latest attempt at avoiding being smashed into a paste, Amber shot forward with all the might her legs could give her. To her surprise and her enemy’s, she managed to make the tumble past him without getting beaten to death.

Rolling across the ground, Amber’s mouth grabbed the hilt of the knife tightly. She could hear the beastly creature’s roars as she escaped him and the heavy thumps of his feet as he charged after her. As she came out of her roll, she shot into the air and hurled the blade at him with a quick snap of her neck. The weapon struck true and embedded itself into his thick chest, an act that only seemed to slow him for a split second, all the time she needed.

With a swift flap of her wings, Amber took off like a missile and struck the hilt of the dagger with all her might. The force of the blow pushed the weapon deeper into his chest, past powerful muscle and stone cast bone to find the organs they protected. Thick black blood began to pour from his wound and mouth as he finally came to a stop. His arms hung uselessly at his side as he dropped to his knees, but that look of rage and hate refused to fall away as life drained out of him.

With a sigh of relief, Amber took a step away from the green mountain she’d finally managed to fell. Her ears picked up on the sound of clapping and her body tensed back up like a spring. She quickly spun around to face this next enemy but only froze in confusion as she saw the man she knew as Alistair Crown standing at the entrance to the alley.

“Well fought, my lady.” He complimented her.

“And just how long have you been standing there?” She huffed in annoyance.

“Long enough to see your measure,” Alistair replied with a disarming smile. “You are quite the warrior as I’d guessed.”

Amber grinned from ear to ear in pride, “Yeah, well, the Night Guard doesn’t hire on just anypony.” She just as quickly switched her mood back to a more serious tone. “For real though, that guy could’a killed me you know.”

“Rest assured, Lady Shine, I would have stepped in before that happened.” Alistair assured her as he gave the hilt of sword a pat. He strode past her to retrieve the dagger from the beastly creature’s chest and took a moment to clean it off before sheathing it behind his back. “Shall we be off then, my lady?”

Amber shine took a moment to stare at the glassy eyes of the dead monster before she turned her attention back to Alistair. “Yes, let’s.”

Job Openings

The guardsmare and her escort continued their journey through the crowded streets of Le’Ratte. They made their way out of the back alley bazaar and onto one of the main thoroughfares. From here, one would have a view of the amazingly well-kept streets, the clean rushing water of the canals, and the heavily elaborate details the stonemasons put into their structures. All of this and more was barely noticed by the young mare as she slipped deeper and deeper into an uncomfortable silence despite the city’s noise. Instead, all she did was stare down at the black smears that still dotted her armor.

“He was the first man you’d ever killed, wasn’t he?” Alistair asked in hopes of stopping her descent.

“In the Guard, they spend what feels like years showing you and drilling you in so many ways to kill somepony if it comes down to it,” Amber said, her voice choked as she fought to meet his gaze. “This was the first time I’d ever had to use those skills in a real fight.”

“I’d say all that training certainly paid off,” Alistair mused, the edge of his mouth began to crack into a smile. “Not many handle themselves as well as you did, especially when going up against an angry orc.”

Amber Shine ventured a glance down at the blood spatter that still clung to her armor and couldn’t help but feel he was right. The guard had taught her how to fight, how to survive and even how to kill - she was a Night Guard after all. While a ball of ice still rolled about inside her gut, she reminded herself that it wasn’t anything she wasn’t trained to handle.

“So, why aren’t we going back to your little friend’s tower?” she asked in hopes of shifting the subject.

“Noticed that, did you?” Alistair asked with a friendly smile. “Well, for starters, a tower full of wizards, all of whom are looking for the latest discovery, is no place for a lady displaced and far removed from her element. It would only be a matter of time before some overly curious mage decides they want to see what makes you tick, or worse.”

“You can’t be serious,” Amber snorted.

“Never underestimate the lengths a curious mage will go to,” Alistair cautioned. “But don’t worry, I’m taking you someplace very safe. You’ll be able to rest for a bit and get your bearings while we try to figure out how... or even if we can send you back to wherever it is you came from.”

“And where would this be?”

“Our guild hall, of course - one of the safest places in the city,” Alistair told her with a wide, prideful grin.

Amber’s brow rose at this. “Guild... you mean like merchants or something?”

“Not exactly,” Alistair said with a wry grin. “Myself, Elwick, and a few others are a part of an Adventurer’s Guild called the Dependable Blades. We handle tasks, jobs and various assignments that normal citizens that don’t have a personal army of their own can’t handle.”

“And do you normally bring strange mares from strange dimensions back home with you?” Amber asked with a sultry tone.

“Only the pretty ones,” he told her with a wink.

It wasn’t long before they stopped in front of a rather modest-looking, three-story building. The large fading sign over the entrance was written in a language that Amber couldn’t begin to understand, with a pair of cartoonishly large swords crossed in the background. The entire building looked to be in a state of low-grade repair and sun-faded stone exterior certainly helped it stand out from the clean, polished structures around it.

“Lady Shine, it is my honor to welcome you to the home of the Dependable Blades,” he announced to her with his chest puffed out in pride.

Almost on cue, one of the upper level windows erupted with a small explosion. From the slight conflagration a tiny green form hurtling through the air and landing in a lump at Amber’s hooves. Plumes of smoke began to billow out of the broken window while angry shouts and commotion could be heard inside.

“And this is your idea of a safe place?” she chuckled with a quirked brow.

The little green lump began to shift and move, filling the air with the cracking and snapping of bones. Amber watched on in disgust as a pair of thin limbs dug into the dirt and started to push the little green creature up and out of the dirt. Much like the gnome she had met earlier, this being was small, but covered in a green leathery skin. Through the soot and ash on its face, she could make out a pair of beady red eyes and long pointed ears that rose a shifted about like an animal’s. The little monster was clad in dark and dirty clothes that boasted quite a few pockets and pouches. Its head though, was what truly drew her attention: It looked to be twice the size of what a tiny body like that should have and shaped like a football. Amber soon found out why when its eyes went wide at the sight of her. A massive maw that stretched from one side of the head to the other opened wide revealing rows of tiny ill-kept pointy teeth as the little monster let out a high-pitched screech.

“Horse monster!” it shouted at the top of its tiny lungs while scrambling away from her. “Will step on heads an’ stompy gobs!”

Amber stood frozen and wide eyed as she watched the little green beast scramble about in panic and shouting curses in her direction. “Um, hi there, I… guess.” She said with no shortage of discomfort.

“Don’t mind, Winky,” Alistair told her. “Goblins have a kind of fear of horses.”

“I’m not a horse,” Amber was quick to correct. “I’m a-"

“Where is that fetid little goblin!?” The angry female voice caused the little goblin to freeze in his tracks and forget his fear.

Winky’s ears drooped low as true, unbridled fear filled his tiny eyes. The little goblin scurried past Amber, quickly huddling behind Alistair. Shivering in terror, he tried to use the fabric of the knight’s pants to hide himself as his pursuer came storming out of the front door.

Standing at least a head taller than Alistair, a female – or so Amber assumed from the curves and shapely form of the body – approached. She had pale pink skin that only served to make the solid blue pools of her almond-shaped eyes stand out all the more. Atop her head was a mane of bright red hair that had been pulled back into a ponytail. From either side of her forehead sprouted a pair of horns that curved up her head and curved back around like a pair of ram’s horns to frame her face. Swishing behind her back in anger was a long tail of the same pinkish hue as her skin while at the end of her long legs were a pair of cloven hooves. Her slender form was clad in brightly-colored yet utilitarian clothing that showed off her form surprisingly well.

“Alistair, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll hand that little eating machine over, right now!” she snarled as she stomped her way towards them. Her anger subsided, however when she laid eyes on Amber. “Is that a tiny horse?”

“I am not a horse!” Amber snapped at her.

“And she talks too,” the horned woman sighed. “By the gods, what did Elwick do to this poor creature?”

“Perhaps we should not argue in the streets,” a strained and raspy voice, thick with a strange accent said from the doorway. “The neighbors complain about us enough as it is.”

Standing there was another one like Alistair… or at least she thought he was. His body was covered from head to toe with a deep hood hanging over his head and a strip of cloth wrapped about the lower half of his face. Amber’s keen eyes could pick out the bright blue eyes that stared at her from the shade, as well as the hints of a large number of scars that peeked their way past his mask. His body was tall and lean and tired glare in his eyes made him appear sickly and broken. The longer she stared at him, the more it made her fur stand on end.

“Why did Elwick fuse a pony and a bat?” the sickly man asked.

“At least he didn’t call me a horse….” Amber muttered in annoyance. “So these are the people you work with?” She asked Alistair with a bemused grin.

“One big happy family,” he said with a big smile. “Go ahead and introduce yourself.”

Amber took a few steps forward and bowed her head to them. “Hello everypony, my name is Amber Shine,” she boldly addressed them. “And before you start asking, I’m not a horse and I’m not some magical pet. Up until some recent magical hoopla, I was a member of the Equestrian Night Guard. Now I guess I’m stuck here for the time being.”

“Since it may or may not have been Elwick’s fault, I’ve offered her a room here until we can fix this.” Alistair added.

“Don’t think I’ll be here as a freeloader either!” Amber quickly interjected with no shortage of pride. “I’m a fully trained member of the Guard and I intend to pull my own weight.”

“Thank the gods, there’s finally another woman in the house!” The horned woman happily stated. “I’m Larisa Vajra Saldaris, team’s healer and potion expert.”

The tall sickly fellow bowed his head to her. “I am Volf Rathgar, hunter.”

“Am Winky,” the little goblin chirped from behind Alistair’s leg. “I find shinies an’ like cookies.” He narrowed his eyes tightly on Amber and traced every inch of her. “You is strange horse monster, have gobby parts, why dat?”

“Gobby parts,” Amber asked.

Winky quickly nodded his head as he took a few brave steps out from his hiding spot to approach her. “Yeah, you gots ears like gobs,” he tugged on his own to give emphasis. “An’ you has teeths like gobs!” his wide, gaping mouth opened to its full disturbing width to show her a mouth full of pointy little teeth. “Horse monsters no have gobby parts. Why you has, you take’em?” his beady little eyes became suspicions pin pricks as they focused on her.

Amber fought very hard to hold back the urge to snicker at the goblin’s outlandish and impossible accusations. “No, this is just how I was born.” She unfurled her wings for her sides to their full span. “I’m what you’d call a bat pony.”

The little goblin circled around her a few times as he continued his examination of her. “Hmmmmm, suppose you ain’t like horse monsters. But Winky still gonna keep eyes on you.”

Her new room in the guild hall was rather sparsely furnished. The walls bore the same drab look as the outside of the building with a hardwood floor. A sizable bed sat in the far corner of the room with simple white sheets and a pillow while a stand up dresser and writing desk occupied the other corners of her lodging. With a tired sigh she began to remove her armor while sloppily trotting to the rather inviting bed.

Thought the mattress was long since past its prime it still felt like soft puffy cloud to the somewhat exhausted guardsmare. With her face buried into the soft embrace of the pillow, she began to break down her current situation. This “Le’Ratte” was clearly a city that played host to a vast number of strange and alien races, most of which were far removed from anything Amber had ever seen. A tired smirk began to move over her snout as she tried to imagine just what other wonders this place had in store for her.

Her mind happily buzzed with all the grand and amazing stories she would have to tell everypony if she got back. For now though, her mind and body demanded sleep. The iron weights that had become her eyelids slammed shut and closed off the world around her for a time. For the first time ever, she didn’t dream of living out the excitement of stories she’d read as a filly. Instead her dreams wrote her own story, in a land far removed from Equestria.

Her rest did not last long, a sweet and alluring scent drifted through the crack under her door and filled her nostrils. Drawing in the smells caused her stomach to growl and ache in protest of her current choice to sleep. Grunting in frustration, she forced herself to sit up on the bed and force feeling back into her limbs. Food sounded far better than sleep now anyways.

Following her nose, Amber Shine sluggishly trotted through the building until she found the dining hall. It had clearly been built with the same intentions as the rest of this building, meant for far more people than were currently present. Three long, heavy wooden tables and benches took up a great deal of floor space and could probably seat a full platoon. A row of stained windows along the wall allowed traces of the dying sunlight to enter the room. In the far wall sat a sizable fireplace that roared with life and flooded the room with its glow.

Sitting on the center table sat a large steaming pot. Now closer to it, Amber was treated to the wonderful smell of simmering vegetables and the thick smattering of spices that had boiled with them. She could feel her stomach gnawing at her insides all the more as she stared at the pot of stew. Beside that and adding to her mounting hunger was a tray of piping hot biscuits that glistened with their fragrant honey glaze. The sharp scent of fermented fruit tickled her all too keen senses as it wafted up from a large ceramic jug.

“I was hoping the smell of food would lure you out,” the ragged voice of Volf chimed.

“How long was I out?” She asked from her sleepy haze.

“A few hours,”

Amber looked over the modest spread once again. “Did you make all this?”

“One of my other jobs, I cook.” He told her plainly before taking a seat. “Sit, the others will come shortly.”

The pair sat in a somewhat comfortable silence, though it brought a touch of unease to the back of Amber’s mind. “Soooooo, you don’t talk much do you?”

“No.”

“Can I ask about the hood and mask?”

“It is not much of a story. I was mauled by a bear.” His tone on the subject was oddly even and calm about the subject. “Most find my scars disturbing, so I keep myself covered.”

Amber bit down on her lower lip in an attempt to stifle the urge to flinch at this news. “Ah, was wondering about the mask is all….”

She had nearly resigned herself to another bout of quiet contemplation when sounds of footsteps and idle conversation came from down the hall. Inwardly, Amber gave a sigh of relief when the other members of the Dependable Blades came marching in for their supper.

“Smells wonderful as always, Volf,” Elwick happily praised him. “What’s on the menu tonight?”

“Vegetable soup and honeyed biscuits,” he replied. “I assumed our new guest’s diet was similar to any other equine, as such, meat would be most disagreeable for her.”

“No meats,” Winky loudly complained. The angry little goblin shot Amber a rueful stare before begrudgingly pulling himself onto one of the benches.

“Stop pouting, Winky.” Larissa chastised him. “With the lack of work lately, we might all have to get used to a lack of meat in our diets.”

“What ‘bout cookies,” he asked with eyes wide in terror.

“Cookies too, I’m afraid.”

With a pained groan the goblin plopped his face roughly into the table and quietly sobbed to himself. “Winky can eats dirt food, but how’s he gonna live with no cookies?”

“I wouldn’t resign myself to certain demise just yet,” Elwick informed his green comrade. “I paid a visit to the bounty board today.”

A collection of groans rose up from the table at this news. “I don’t understand, the bounty board is a bad thing?” Amber asked.

“It is mostly frequented by either the unguilded or the inexperienced.” Alistair replied. “And we are neither of these, Elwick. The other guilds already look down on us as it is, taking jobs from the bounty board makes us look all the more weak.”

“Yes, but at least we’ll be fed.” The gnome counterpointed. “I couldn’t give a damn what the other guilds think of us for it. We’re broke as it is.”

The entire room became filled with an uneasy quiet until Amber spoke up. “So, what’s the job?”

“That would be guild business.” Elwick quickly answered her. “You’re a guest here, but you’re not a member of this guild.”

“And what do you expect me to do, just sit around here and take up knitting?” Amber growled in annoyance.

“Besides, I think we could use someone like her.” Alistair brought up. “She’s resourceful and good in a fight; I can vouch for her skills.”

“We’ve only known her a day,” Elwick scoffed. “We know next to nothing about her. For all we know all that talk about royal guards and such is nothing but a ruse. She could have been some kind of war criminal headed for the block and then we accidently brought her here.”

“I dunno, Alistair does have a point.” Larissa added. “Besides, ever since Frank quit we’ve been lacking some muscle on the team.”

“I don’t believe this,” Elwick grumbled. “She could kill all of us in our sleep and you want to make her a member of this team?”

“Winky with the gnome: never trust horse monsters.” The goblin stated with a sagely nod.

“Alistair told me about her fight with the orc,” Volf added. “I say we give her a shot.”

“Is this really happening, the only one in the room seeing reason is the damned goblin?” Elwick grumbled as he looked around the room with an annoyed glare before pouring himself a large tankard of ale and quickly downing it. “Trail period,” he announced. “And if she turns out to be some bloodthirsty baby-eater, I’m going to expect an eloquent, handwritten apology from each of you.”

“Since we’re all Dependable Blades here, what’s this job you found us?” Larissa pressed.

“A very simple job and probably a good test of our new member’s skills,” he said while pouring another tall glass. “We’re going on a bandit hunt.”

The Bandit Hunt

Mornings- there wasn’t anything Amber Shine hated more than them; then again, being a nocturnal creature by nature led to her ruing any point in time the sun was up to begin with. This, however, was a new kind of torture for the mare: Here she was, trapped on a cart in the middle of a wide open field with the new day’s sun slowly rising into the sky.

At the start of this long journey, Amber had attempted to get some kind of shuteye, only to find far too many factors compounding against her. Catching up on lost sleep was hard to do between the jostling of the cart and the lack of any cover to hide from the sun. In an effort to combat this, she had used her wings to create a makeshift hood. Glancing around the cart, she began taking stock of her comrades.

Firstly was Larisa. The self-proclaimed healer and potions expert was certainly geared to live up to her claims. A bandolier was slung from shoulder to hip and carried a wide variety of veils and bottles of liquids and mysterious concoctions. Slung over the opposite shoulder hung a bag heavily laden with various apothecarycial supplies. A long coat of faded red cloth with small metal plates worked into the fabric was worn over her usual clothing to provide some form of protection. What drew the mare’s attention, though, was the strange clockwork device that was strapped to the demonling’s wrist.

She sat close beside the ragged man known as Volf. The scar-covered hunter still kept the majority of his features hidden beneath his hood and mask. A dull green cloak hung about his frail form. For protection, he wore a shirt of dulled and tarnished chainmail that blended with his dark and dulled clothes. Armed with a long yew bow and a well stocked quiver of arrows, he certainly looked the part of a hunter in Amber’s eyes.

Alistair’s finely-tailored clothes had been replaced with a mixture of what looked to be lightweight armor and robes of an equally sterling quality. It struck the mare as funny; he had been introduced to her as a knight and yet he wore so little protection and carried just a sword. She was able to get a better look at the weapon in question when he cleaned and examined the blade. A slightly curved blade that grew wider towards the tip. Amber had heard stories of gryphon raiders in the north that used a similar weapon. She was actually quite eager to see the curved sword in action with the way her superior had talked so highly of the weapon. Hanging from his hip were a few other weapons as well as a small metal bound book that bore odd runic symbols.

Winky, whose complaints had finally been silenced with a mouthful of cookies, was still clad in the same dirt smeared clothes he’d worn the day before, and from the smell, Amber suspected he’d worn them for much longer than that. Now the excitable creature was armed and that gave her a bit of a shiver. Small, rusty, jagged chips of metal had been sheathed about his person. Strapped to Winky’s back was a short blade of far better quality, though on his small frame looked like a great sword and. Its thick leaf shaped blade sharply curved in on itself at the center giving it a very odd and exotic appearance. It was rather unsettling to think that they actually trusted that thing with weaponry.

Elwick sat at the front of the cart trying to carry on a conversation of some kind with the elderly driver. Sitting beside him was a shoulder bag that had been stuffed to the bursting point. Scrolls, papers and other various supplies threatened to spill out of the bag. If this gnome was anything like the mages she’d known back in Canterlot, Amber knew there was more to those documents. On his lap sat an argentine staff that curved at the top into a crescent moon with a gem of dulled violet cradled at the center.

Finally, she cast her gaze down at her own gear: the standard barding of a Night Guard. Maybe this job would net her enough with her share to improve on it. Perhaps spikes added to her forelimb guards to add a bit more punch to her unarmed strikes or maybe even some sort of lightweight blading for her wings. With the way the sun continued to irritate her, a cloak was certainly at the top of her mental shopping list. This bit of daydreaming gave her something to look forward to at least.

In the midst of her thoughts she’d barely noticed their cart come to a lurching stop. “This is as far as I’m gonna takes ye,” their elderly driver said. “Y’all’re on ye’r own as far as Black Oak Woods is concerned.”

“You’ve done more than enough,” Elwick commented as he handed the old man a handful of coins before disembarking.

Amber looked on towards the thick foreboding wilderness with a wide smile. “Oh thank Celestia, shade!” she happily declared before hoping out of the cart.

“Shade and who knows what else,” Larisa was quick to remind her.

“If all goes well, our bandits,” Elwick said. “Volf, Winky, you both know what to do.”

This was his element, where he truly belonged.

Volf Rothgar quietly stalked his way through the thick undergrowth and foliage. He moved with unwavering confidence and purpose as he made care to avoid walking on the actual road. His bow was kept constantly at the ready while his eyes scanned every inch of ground and forest around him.

He could feel the tiny red eyes of his companion staring down at him from somewhere in the trees. While the goblin was not his most ideal partner for this hunt, the creature had his uses. Right now it was proving to be quite adept at going unnoticed; if it wasn’t for the occasional falling leaves or dead limb being knocked loose, Volf might not even notice that Winky was there.

The woods around him spoke volumes to the ragged man’s keen eyes. Kneeling down, he ran a hand over a patch of soft loam that had been pushed down. He gauged the size and weight of his prey before moving to the next track in the line. Every footprint and broken twig silently told him everything he needed to know.

“Psssssssssst,” the goblin quietly hissed from overhead. “Is peoples ahead.”

Drawing an arrow from his quiver, Volf silently inched forward through the brush. He could make out the shapes of men just beyond his camouflage.

“C’mon you lot, hurry up an’ get the last of these goods loaded up,” a gruff voice demanded. “I wanna get back to camp before dark.”

Nearing the wall of leaves, Volf was able to make out a clearing that had been turned into a warzone; several carts and carriages had been smashed, flipped over and even a few set on fire. Bodies of merchants and their bodyguards littered the blood-stained dirt, some still clutching weapons in their hands; more than a few of them had arrows littering their backs. He watched as several of them picked over the bodies, snatching valuables, weapons, even going so far as to take the boots off one corpse.

“Hurry up you lot,” the largest of the group shouted. “We need to get this place cleared out before another caravan comes through!”

Volf melted back into the shadows; there were far too many of them for him and Winky to deal with. Moving one of the leather strips from his left wrist, there was a small mirror attached to the bracer. Quietly, he began tapping away on the surface of the mirror, all the while keeping his gaze fixed on the bandits ahead of him.

Elwick watched as ripples cascaded from the center of a tiny mirror that had been affixed to a chain. “Volf says he’s found some of them, around ten of them in total.”

“And the goofy patterns in the glass tell you that?” Amber asked.

“It’s a rather fascinating but simple enchantment I learned from a traveling hedge wizard,” Elwick told her. “You turn a piece of glass into rather useful communication device. All members of the guild are given one.”

“Oh, neat! When do I get mine?” the mare inquired, now intrigued by the object.

“I said members,” Elwick reminded her. “You’re still on a trial run.”

Behind his back Amber mimicked the gnome with over-exaggerated gestures. While unnoticed by Elwick, her other two companions had caught sight of her and fought back a fit of giggles. Alerted to something being amiss, he quickly looked over his shoulder to find the bat pony simply looking off in the other direction.

“Volf and Winky are going to set up an ambush,” he informed them. “Alistair, you and the rookie will move in and engage after the trap is sprung. Larisa and I shall provide support for the four of you.”

“Rookie,” Amber Shine scoffed. “Back home I’m a full-fledged member of the Night Guard. I think - no, I know I’m beyond rookie status!”

“Good, then you’ll have no problem proving your worth.” Elwick snapped at her.

“Speaking of,” Alistair interjected as he offered the mare his dagger once more. “You might want this again.”

Amber regarded the blade for a moment before a confident smirk etched across her lips. “Keep it. If your little friend wants a show, then I won’t hold back this time.”

“By the hells, would you lot hurry up an’ clear this place!” The largest of the bandits shouted as he stalked about the clearing-turned-warzone. “The boss wanted this area cleared out hours ago!”

All around him, other lightly armed and ragged thugs were busy checking and dragging bodies out of the road. A pair of hulking humanoids, bursting with muscles and standing heads above all the others, hoisted the broken remains of carts and horses alike and forced them out of the way and into the woods. Every now and then one of the brigands would triumphantly cheer out above the grunts and grumbles after finding a shiny trinket or two.

“Did ya see when dis’ one ‘ere tried ta run for it?” one thug asked his partner as they hauled a body towards the overgrowth.

“Yeah, kept cry’in ‘bout his wife an’ kid or some spit,” his fellow bandit complained.

“Hah, yeah, he bled out real good that one!” the first bandit laughed happily as they tossed the body into the shrubs.

As the cutthroats busied themselves around the clearing, none of them were even aware of the pair of red dots that followed their every movement. Winky was by no stretch of the imagination the smartest goblin, though perhaps smarter than the average, at least. Furthermore his tiny frame and small muscles kept him from ever being the strongest outside of his species. All in all, for one of his kind, Winky could best be described as average, save for one particular quality which he excelled at. What he had though, was cunning and the uncanny talent to go unnoticed by most.

Quietly the little goblin stalked around the clearing, as placed himself opposite of his partner. A cruel grin stretched across his face as he placed a hand on the kukri strapped to his back. Every tendon in his body tightened like a spring by the second. He was ready and eager to leap from the foliage and dig his blade deep into someone’s back, but the longer he was forced to wait the less he cared what back he was going to stab. His happy thoughts were interrupted, however, as a body fell through the brush, smashing through his hiding place.

Winky found himself staring up at a pair of bandits with no place to hide. Panic began to grip his heart as he stared up at them wide eyed and ready to attack.

“Oi, green skin, what ya do’in away from the camp?” one of the thugs asked him angrily.

The little goblin’s sword arm started to relax as a devious glint shimmered in his eyes. “Winky come look for shinies!”

The pair shared an amused look before regarding the goblin. “You lot know the rules, the ‘shinies’ get shared out after the boss looks over it all. Scurry back to camp would ya, we’ll try ‘an forget ya snuck out.”

“Okay, Winky do that then,” the goblinoid happily chirped. “Thanks!”

As the two started to turn and walk away, one of them stopped mid stride. “Hold up a tick, since when does a goblin say thank you?”

He wasn’t given long to think on this oddity, however: From deep within the woodlands an arrow screamed from the trees and pierced him through the chest, burying itself to the fletching. The cutthroat barely stumbled backwards from this before another projectile struck him through the neck.

As his companion’s body limply fell backwards, the bandit reached for his weapon, but before he could draw the blade he found himself the victim of a vicious goblin attack. Winky ran forward from the brush and leapt upon the man’s back. Roughly grabbing him by the back of the shirt to keep himself hoisted up, he aggressively drove his blade into his target’s back. A spray of crimson filled the air as he drew the blade out and drove it home again and again in violent succession. The bandit was barely able to gurgle out an alarm as blood filled his throat and spilled from his mouth before he fell uselessly to his knees.

“AMBUSH!!!”was the cry that went up from the rest of the bandits whom all quickly drew out their weapons.

As chaos began to ripple through the collection of brigands, Amber Shine and Alistair Crown charged their way through the brush. The bat mare was quick to overtake the first man in her line of sight, as her metal clasped hooves tearing through the dirt road beneath her. Alistair likewise crashed blade-to-blade the closest enemy to where he had been hidden.

The guardsmare could feel her body slip back into the second nature of her years of training. She slipped and dodged about the wild swings of the startled thug before her, one or two lucky hits only managing to graze her barding. Finally, the opening she had been waiting for appeared as his sword swung far too wide and left his left side completely open. Like a flash she quickly buried her hoof into his exposed side with all the force she could afford. Her overly developed ears were treated to the pained cry of her opponent coupled with the oddly satisfying crack of his ribs.

Before she could engage him further, a blade pierced through his chest with a spray of blood. As he fell she was able to catch sight of the wide, excited grin of Winky. The tiny ball of green had been painted with a thick shade of red and gore.

“Amber, get down!” Larisa shouted at her.

Not one to argue in the middle of fight, the mare quickly flattened herself against the dirt. She then heard the most curious sound, thoomp, like air being forced through a tube. It was then followed by the painful screech of one of the brigands. Venturing her gaze upwards she could see Larisa’s strange arm mounted device leveled with a bandit. His skin and clothing were smoking and smoldering as they began to dissolve under thick green ooze that had splattered him.

With no intention of wasting her companion’s momentum, her wings once more played the part of impromptu hands. She grasped the bandit overtop of her tightly about the legs with her surprisingly powerful appendages and leapt forwards with all her might. His legs yanked from under him, the bandit toppled to the ground, still burning alive as the acid ate away at him. This suffering did not last, as the goblin’s sword was driven through him during this moment of helplessness.

Crude and poorly kept steel crashed and bit at the well maintained and keenly sharpened edge of Alistair’s blade. Nimbly, he stepped and dodged about the sloppy attacks of the poorly trained highwayman. His scimitar sliced through the air with honed precision to make quick work of the ragged leather armor and bit deeply into the skin and muscle just beneath. With a quick pull of the sword across the man’s midsection, blood poured out onto the dirt, taking the man’s life with it.

Glancing up, Alistair managed to catch sight of a malformed brute thundering towards him with a wild and guttural battle cry. Alistair barely had time to mutter the words before bringing his hand up in the path of the gargantuan fist that was rocketing towards him. However the ogre’s fist found resistance that it had not expected. In its way was now a thin layer of translucent white energy halted the attack’s full damage but not the force of the blow.

Alistair was sent backwards several yards from the sheer kinetic force that struck his magical shield. Meeting the gaze of the hulking monster, he watched its dumfounded look quickly shift into blind rage. Narrowing his eyes on the ogre, he spoke the arcane words once more and touched the blade of his sword. Crackling blue energy engulfed the weapon’s edge.

From his vantage point over the battle, Volf was able to rain arrow after arrow onto the brigands. His sharpened eyes and cunning helping him drive every projectile home. The scarred hunter then found himself meeting eye to eye from across the battlefield with the bandit’s “leader.” The head cutthroat began to shout and point in the hunter’s direction: he’d been spotted and was now seen as a real threat. This point was driven home when one of the hulking ogres grabbed a fist full of debris.

Panic aided and drove his reflexes as Volf threw himself from the tree he’d been hiding in. The crash of wood and stone striking all around him seemed to amplify the pain that shot through his frail body. As if jumping from a tree and landing flat on his stomach from the fall wasn’t bad enough, pieces of the ogre’s impromptu flechette rained down upon him adding to the pain he was already in.

As the ogre let out a roar of victory a streak of blue and gold struck it across the face. Shaking off the shock of the attack, the monster found itself eye-to-eye with a scowling mare. It curiously glared at the mare hovering in midair until a sharp sting in the back of its leg yanked its attention elsewhere. Reeling around, the hulking brute found a tiny green speck of a creature looking up at him with a toothy grin and a blade jammed into the blubbery layers of his ankle.

Winky’s ears drooped as he braced himself for the coming pain. A large sweaty back hand struck the goblin with a powerful swat that sent him through the air. His rapid egress was only halted by the remains of a nearby coach. Coughing and whimpering through the hurt, the little green monster curled up into a ball on the ground as injury tore through every inch of his body. The ground shook under the ogre’s approach and Winky resigned himself to the fate that all goblins hope for, a quick death.

As the ogre loomed over the beaten goblin and rose his foot to crush the annoying speck, a sharp pain entered the back of his head. Rage taking over once again, he swung his bulbous arm around in a wide arc that connected only with air. Amber’s smaller size and the natural fleetness of her breed let her glide around the blind angry swings of the monster. Swiftly, she dove directly at the ogre’s face and plunged the sharpened ends of her horse shoes into the beast’s eyes. A mixture of blood and ichor coated her forelimbs as the orbs popped like over-ripened fruits under the blow.

With a flap of her wings she kicked herself off the beast’s chest and took to the sky yet again. Her opponent stumbled about the battlefield blindly and screaming in agony while his massive limbs swung about wildly in hopes of striking her. The only thing the monster managed to hit, however were its own allies, all of whom crumpled under the powerful swings. With the aid of her leathery wings she swooped down and grabbed the broken goblin below and carried him off before a thick foot nearly smashed him.

Her fur stood on end and her ears rang with a loud crackle as a bolt of lightning arced through the air past her. It cut through the air and struck the ogre squarely in the chest, sending it toppling over with a final roar. Following the path of the freak lightning bolt, Amber could see sparks of residual magic still danced around Elwick’s outstretched hand.

One of the few surviving bandits came running towards the gnome, his weapon high over his head with an angry battle cry. The gnome made no motion to get out of the way of this assault; instead, he withdrew a fist full of multicolored sand from his robes and blew them into the path of the oncoming thug. The highwayman stumbled out of the thick rainbow cloud in a daze and unceremoniously fell to the ground unconscious.

“Well, that leaves us one for questioning,” he casually pointed out.

The only outlaw still standing was the last towering ogre. Alistair charged forwards at the beast, magical energies crackling and dancing along the blade of his sword. A massive fist came down hard on the ground in front of him, cracking and smashing the earth under the blow, but the young knight’s agile fighting style allowed him to avoid the worst of the impact and turn it to his advantage. He leapt over the impact and dashed past the burly fist.

Alistair’s scimitar struck the ogre across the exposed stomach. The moment the magically enhanced blade made contact, the spell was triggered. Lightning leapt through the wound and snaked its way through the ogre’s body, scorching him from the inside out. The massive brute was now covered in patches of smoldering, blackened skin while smoke wafted from his body. Growling in pain, it fell to one knee and glared at the human that had hurt him.

Before it could bring its heavy limb to bear against him, an arrowhead forced its way through the monster’s forehead. All tension and life left the bulging muscles of the ogre as it slumped onto its knees with its limbs hanging uselessly at its sides. Looking towards the tree line, Alistair saw Volf limping his way forward, his bow acting as a walking stick.

“Waiting for the most opportune moment to save me again?” Alistair asked with a jovial tone.

“I know how much you love theatrics,” Volf chided him with the faintest hint of a smile beneath his mask.

Amber was gliding blind over the battlefield, Winky’s limp body hanging from her mouth. She’d snagged the goblin’s shirt and wretched him into the sky just before his monstrous opponent could strike a killing blow. But as the tiny green creature hung unmoving in the air, she began to fear the damage had already been done.

Dropping back below the trees and into the blessed shade they provided, she could see the form of Larisa rapidly approaching her. The mare quickly landed into a fast trot to catch up to the tiefling healer and laid the green skin’s body at her hooves.

“Larisa, Winky, he, I…” she said sadly, her ears drooping low while she avoided her gaze. “…I wasn’t fast enough to save him - I’m so sorry.”

Larisa knelt beside the goblin and set to work examining the damage done to him in full. “I wouldn’t count him out just yet, Amber. This goblin is still alive.”

The mare’s head quickly peeked at this exclamation. “You mean that?”

“Yes,” she said, fishing around inside her satchel. “I’ve got just the thing right here. It’s guaranteed to save our little goblin friend, no problem!”

“Oh, thank the goddesses,” Amber sighed in relief. “So, what is it, some kind of spell, one of those potions you talked about before, or maybe some kind of magical device?”

From deep within the massive bag of various supplies, Larisa produced a small, neatly wrapped package. “I brought these for him, just in case. It’s made from a secret family recipe that’s been passed down through the ages.”

Amber watched with bated breath as the small parcel was unwrapped. Her eyes grew wide with curiosity as the twine that held it together was removed and the paper surrounding it was pulled aside. Larisa pulled Winky’s head onto her lap and brought the opened package beneath his nose. She moved it back and forth trying to coax the scent to waft up to his nostrils. With no warning, his beady red eyes sprang open and his tiny body launched forwards. Crying out for joy, the goblin attacked the supposed medicine with a ferocity that made Amber cringe away.

“What the hay is that stuff?” Amber asked.

“The one thing that will motivate Winky no matter what,” Larisa informed her happily. “Cookies.”

Finishing the Job

A collection of five cutthroats trudged their way through the thick wilderness. Each one armed to the relative teeth with any number of cheap and rusted weapons that he could carry. They moved with about as much grace and subtlety of angry bulls, blindly clomping about and pushing through the forest.

“Why do we gots ta go lookin’ fer ‘em though?” a squat, round, bandit complained from the back of the line.

“Maybe ‘cause they been gone for way too long,” the brigand at the head of the formation snarled back at him, “or maybe, it’s ‘cause the boss said we had to!”

“Just don’t see why we ‘ad ta leave the trail ta do this,” the stockiest of the group continued to complain.

“So’s we c’n get the drop on whoever might’a gotten ‘em,” their leader explained. “Now cut your belly achin’, Spoons, or so help me-” His threat was cut short when a powerful wind swept through, nearly toppling them all. “What in th’ ‘ells was that?” Looking back over his shoulder he noticed something off about his team. “The hell did Spoons go?”

The entire group began looking around calling out for their suddenly missing comrade. “Spoons, I swear if you’re hidin’ in one’a these bushes, I’m gonna crush yer skull with m’ bare hands!”

Seemingly from thin air, a high-pitched yell sounded from above them, quickly followed by a loud crash. Something round and heavy smashed its way through the canopy and every branch that got in its way before the ground violently stopped it. The four of them slowly approached the fallen object and froze dead in their tracks at what they saw.

“By the gods, Spoons,” one of them muttered fearfully. “What ‘appened t’ ‘im?”

Sure enough, the bandit they all knew as Spoons laid there in upon a pile of debris from his return to solid ground. “S-something grabbed me from behind,” he muttered out through the pain.

“Forest sprites,” another breathed out. “I told you lot, I told all of you, these lands’re cursed.”

“Cursed might not be the right word for it,” a feminine voice chuckled from overhead. All eyes looked up to find the strangest creature any of them had ever seen, a small horse with large bat wings and a wide fanged grin. “But I’d say your luck has certainly run out.”

“Its one’a the sprites!” gasped one of the bandits.

A malicious grin came across Amber’s snout. “That’s right, I’m one of the spirits that watches over this forest!” she hissed at them, taking more than a little pleasure in how they all flinched in terror. “If you want to leave my woods alive, you’ll throw down your weapons and get out!”

Bowing their heads in fear, there was a loud clanking and clanging as they discarded their equipment and weapons into a rusty pile. A few of them stopped long enough to grab Spoons off the ground before they started to scramble towards the main road.

“And don’t ever come back!” she roared at them as they disappeared. Through all her laughing and snorting, Amber was barely able to land with any kind of dignity. Landing beside her compatriots on the other side of the tree line, she flashed them a wide, happy grin. “Wow, I can’t believe that actually worked!”

“That’s certainly one way to deal with their patrol,” Larisa said with a giggle.

“If what our friend from the clearing said was true, we should be nearing their camp,” Alistair added.

“Good, I’m very much looking forward to going home and having a tall glass of Cassinary wine,” Elwick grumbled before trudging onward. “I’ll be happy to get out of this damnable forest.”

“Pleeeeeeeeease, this place is nothing,” Amber snorted as she fell in line. “Back home, there’s this place called the Everfree Forest. It’s practically one of the most dangerous places in all of Equestria.”

“And what makes this place you speak of so dangerous?” Volf asked her.

“It’s probably a place full of irate teddy bears,” Elwick quipped.

The batmare shot him a glare before she continued her story, “If it was, then they’ve probably all been run off or eaten by the monsters and wild animals that live in there.”

“Monsters?” Clearly she had garnered the hunter’s attention.

“Oh yeah,” Amber replied nodding sagely. “There are all kinds of freaky creatures living in there: living plant monsters called Timber Wolves that’ll run you down and tear you apart, big nasty Hydras that chomp down on anything they can get their jaws on, cockatrices that’ll turn you to stone before you know what’s going on. Heck, I’ve even heard rumors of weird bipedal things wandering out of there and trying to make off with mares from the local village.”

“Interesting,” Volf commented with a gleam in his eye. “I would very much like to see this Everfree someday.”

“You guys find a way to send me home and it’ll be the first place we visit,” Amber assured him. “But that’s not even the weirdest part about the forest.”

“Multi-headed death lizards aren’t bad enough?” Larisa asked.

“Not even,” Amber said in a hushed tone. “See, there’s something wrong with the forest as a whole, some kind of weird freaky magic that’s at work and makes it not act like the rest of Equestria.”

“All right, you’ve got my interest now,” Elwick admitted. “What eldritch magic is at work in your dreaded Everfree Forest.”

“Well, for starters, the clouds all move on their own,” Amber said in a fearful tone. “And that’s only half of it. They say that nopony changes the seasons or weather, they just happen on their own,” It was then that she noticed the looks of confusion on the faces of all of her companions. “I know right, freakiest thing you’ve ever heard isn’t it, weather changing on its own without any help from the pegasus ponies.”

Everyone had expected Ewlick to be the one to break the silence, perhaps with some sort of heartless quip or snarky retort. Alistair being a close second with some slight form of kind word to point out the obvious about her new surroundings. Unfortunately instead of either of them, it was…

“Wow, for talky horse monster, you really stupid,” Winky flatly pointed out.

After some traveling and a long discussion on how the weather system is supposed to work naturally, the adventurers of Dependable Blades found exactly what they were looking for. In a large cleared out section of the forest sat the scrabbled-together war camp of the bandits they had been dealing with.

The encampment was a collection of various tents all in various stages of misuse or disrepair. All around the camp, small cooking fires had been lit and silhouetted the numerous trophies that had been strapped to tall wooden stakes. Tattered banners and even freshly peeled skulls were hung as reminders of the victories they had won and made it look all the more foreboding. Surrounding the camp as a whole were sharpened wooden poles with sheets of battered canvass filling the gaps in the fence.

Amber could feel a cold lump punch its way from her gut to her chest as she looked over the bandit encampment in the dying light. Her eyesight keened by the waning sun, she could clearly count the majority of the brigands. “Not to admit being scared or nothing, but, how are we going to take on that many bandits?”

“She is right,” Volf said with a heavy sigh. “Even with the patrols we’ve killed or chased off, they are still many and we are only six.”

Elwick leaned upon his staff as he examined the situation in silence. His brow furrowed while his mind picked every angle and idea apart piece by piece. The gnome muttered to himself calculations, plots and plans regardless of whether or not his companions took notice or felt any kind of alarm for the odd behavior. Running a hand through his thick green curls, his eyes lit up with an excited grin. “I have a plan!”

“Why always Winky’s job?” the little goblin complained in a harsh whisper.

As quietly as he could, he slinked his way through the shadows and tall grass, slowly making his way towards the canvass wall of the camp. With the aid of one of the many metallic shards strapped to his bandolier, he carefully began cutting a hole just large enough for him. Using every bit of his cunning, he slipped inside the camp and made for an unoccupied corner.

His eyes darted about while his ears scanned for anyone or anything that might be lurking nearby. Reaching into a belt pouch, he pulled out a piece of glass and held it near his maw. “Is Winky, am inside now,” he quietly said.

“Excellent,” Elwick’s voice said from the shard. “Miss Shine should be overhead now and ready for fast extraction if needed.” Casting his gaze upwards, Winky could barely the gleam of her barding against the rising moon. “We already know they have goblins in their troupe, meaning you should be able to wander about freely for the most part. You remember the next part of the plan.”

“Yup yup,” Winky chirped. “Find where weapons are then set up boom balls.”

Carefully, Winky slipped out from his hiding spot and began wandering about the camp. To his surprise, none of the humanoid races paid him any heed beyond acting as though he was a vermin underfoot, some even trying to kick him while shouting curses. Scurrying about, he was able to start counting how many they were dealing with. Sadly, he could only count to ten, a rather high number for a goblin to count to. But he did get to ten four times; four wasn’t a big number but he was sure getting there four times was really high.

Slipping inside one of the largest tents, within it was wall-to-wall boxes and crates filled with weapons. Winky quietly reached into one of his many pouches and pulled out a clay orb nearly the size of his head with a length of wick jutting from the top. With a delighted grin, he proceeded to subtly place the bomb in what he deemed the best hiding spot. He then proceeded to place another and another with a happy giggle.

“No can fight when weapons explode,” he quietly sang to himself.

As he slipped out of the tent, Winky had bumped headlong into something solid and green, “What puny gob do’in in stabby tent?”

Hesitantly, his gaze shifted upwards and found the glaring eyes of a much larger goblin. Standing at least a head taller than Winky, its surprisingly buffed and built form caused the normally violent green-skin to reconsider his first thought of drawing a weapon. Furthermore, just beyond his antagonist’s broad shoulders was a collection of sneering goblins.

With little to no warning, the “hulking” goblinoid cracked Winky across the face; the force of the blow sent him to the ground. A loud wave of snickering and jeering went from the collection of goblins behind the brute.

“Stupid gob, you get us in troubles with metal boss,” he grumbled with his fist raised over his head.

In the blink of an eye, Amber dropped from the sky right behind Winky. Her wings spread wide from her sides as she glared daggers at the frightened group of goblins. Bearing her fangs with a loud hiss she grabbed her companion by his collar and yanked him into the night sky.

Every goblin present stood dumbfounded for a moment until finally, “Wingie horse monsters!” one finally screamed in terror. “The prophecy has come true!” At this revelation, absolute chaos was unleashed through the local goblin community.

Amber could barely suppress her laughter as she pulled the squirming little green form high into the night sky. With a quick, well-practiced maneuver she tossed the goblin onto the open air before swiftly catching him on her back. She could feel him scramble to find a good grip around her neck. Her ears were filled with the glorious sound of rushing wind and the fearful shouts from Winky.

“That makes two you owe me!” she happily called back to him.

“Not asking for helps!” Winky snarled back.

“Suuuuuuuuure, you had the whole thing under control.”

Winky began grumbling something under his breath in a language that Amber couldn’t even begin to place. Taking the glass shard from his pocket he began to frantically tap the surface of it, sending ripples across the surface, “You just keeps flyings above dummy bandit camp, when sparkly gnome give signal is when fun really starts.”

“Nopony’s told me yet what this signal is,” she complained while trying to keep a holding pattern above their target. “What exactly are we looking for?”

The moment the words left her mouth a loud roar echoed across the forest and sent a shiver through her entire body. She knew what made a noise like that and it sent fear through her entire body.

“Ain’t this’a fine mess,” he grumbled as he kicked yet another panicking goblin out of his path. He was quite clearly a human, the lines and scars on his face spoke loudly about his advancing age. Long, thinning raven hair was pulled back into a ponytail making it easier for his dark brown eyes to glare at the tiny greenskins that ran about screaming. He stood at an average height and clad in leather armor over his patched together clothing and his solid athletic build. At his sides hung both a rapier and a dagger while the tattered remains of a red strip of cloth bearing the emblem of a black bird holding a crown in its talons was tucked into his belt.

“M’lord, we ‘ave a problem!” he shouted as he came to the front of large ornate looking tent.

Through the tent flaps strode a tall man that stood heads above the rest. His powerful, broad-shouldered body was clad completely in dark armor. Even his face had been hidden behind a full helmet that offered little no weaknesses beyond the eye slits. “This had better be important, Roberts,” his voice boomed from behind the metal shell.

“Aye, sir,” Roberts said and motioned to the scurrying and fleeing goblins. “Well, as ye can see, we’ve gots a bit of’a mutiny on our ‘ands. Some’in spooked the goblins, now they’s run’in abouts, scream’in about some damned prophecy or some such.”

“I swear to Asmodeus that if one of your men tried to give them books again,” the armor-clad man snarled at Roberts.

“No sir, ain’t one’a my boys, not after the examples ye made last time. But sum’in has ‘em mighty spooked. Do we just let’em go or do ye want us to wrangle them in?”

“Let the greenskins run back to their dens and nests,” his leader replied. “They were nothing but cannon fodder and will be easily replaced. Has there been any word from your cleanup crew or the patrol you sent to find them?”

“No sir, nary a word from any of them. Sum’in’s clearly ‘appened t’ them.” As a loud roar split the night and rose above the sounds of goblin screams, Robert turned his gaze upwards. He then added, “Probably like that.”

Amber Shine could scarcely believe what she was seeing. A pair of massive leathery wings extended out from the foliage rose into the air blocking out the moon and stars. Eyes of fiery coals the size of houses burned with unparalleled rage and fury. Solid red scales shimmered and long sharpened teeth glinted in the light of the full moon. When it had finally risen up to its full height, she knew without a doubt what this monster was.

“Dragon…” she barely managed to breath out.

She could scarcely hear the sound of Winky’s voice over the throbbing and pounding of her own heart. A cold sweat began to soak her fur and the inside of her armor as she stared into the eyes of the monster emerging from the forest. Her natural instinct told her to fly away and to do so as fast as she could. Despite this pleading, all she could do was hover in place, staring in frightful wonder. If it hadn’t been for at least some small part of her mind keeping the need for self preservation going, her wings might have seized up along with the rest of her body.

The next moment it opened its mouth, a ball of roiling fire hurtled forth and struck near the center of the camp. Heat and screams filled the air when the fireball hit the centermost tent and a massive explosion was set off. Short, panicked breaths kept her lungs constricted as she stared in disbelief at the creature illuminated by the flames.

Fear began to quickly lose ground to a swelling fire deep within her gut when her mind traveled back to that particular section of the woodlands. The other members of her team had been right where that monster had emerged. Her gaze narrowed to a razor’s edge as she glared at the roaring beast beginning to take flight. That thing had more than likely just killed the only friends she had thus far in this messed up reality.

“How dare you,” she hissed out in a low rumble.

“What horsey monster say,” Winky inquired.

“How dare you!” she cried out at the top of her lungs before taking off at full speed, straight for the dragon. The rush of wind and her own blinding rage made it hard for her to hear Winky’s shouting.

An explosion from the center of the camp sent Roberts reeling and tumbling behind a thick barrel. He could hear the sounds of tiny impacts hitting the sturdy wooden planks that made up his cover over the sounds of men screaming in terror and pain. Venturing a look, he could see scores of their forces running and screaming in terror, many knocking one another to the ground in hopes of a better escape. More than a few of his fellow bandits laid bleeding and some even screaming while burning shards of metal jutted from cauterizing wounds. What truly grabbed his attention though was the smoldering pile before him.

“Bloody hells, the damned thing hit the weapons tent!” he roared before turning his attention back to his employer. “What do we do m’lord? We’ve no weapons an’ the bulk of our rabble’s run off!”

“Idiots and cowards,” his master bellowed over the chaos. “Gather what men are left and prepare for a counterattack!”

“Beggin’ your pardon m’lord, but you want us to fight a dragon?”

A heavy, metal-clad hand clasped tightly around his shirt collar and yanked Roberts in the air until he was eye level with the helmet’s visor. “You are as big a fool as those useless whoresons if you truly believe that dragon to be real!”

With a loud war-cry, Amber Shine flew straight towards the soaring dragon. In her mind she tried to talk herself out of this - she knew it was suicide! One pony couldn’t stand up to a dragon in any way shape or form, and even if Winky turned out to be some kind of legendary goblin warrior, she had her doubts that the little green monster could hold his own against this thing either. Despite the fear, rage demanded and pushed her to do the clearly impossible.

She braced herself for impact as she zeroed in on the monster’s snout. Perhaps she could do enough damage to send it off course. But it never came, in fact the moment she touched the dragon she felt absolutely nothing. She stared wide eyed in surprise as she passed straight through completely unharmed. It wasn’t until she caught the sound of familiar giggling coming from her companion that she started to come back to her senses.

“You have ten seconds to explain what just happened before I buck you off,” she snarled at the laughing goblin on her back.

“Was illusion magics,” Winky told her through his fits of laughter. “Sparkle gnome said not tell you, want see how you react to huge big thing.”

“It was a what?” Amber asked in a low growl.

“And you complained when I bought this scroll,” Elwick laughed happily.

In the gnome’s hand was a length of parchment that he held stretched out between both arms. Strange runic symbols adorned the scroll and gave off a dull violet glow of magical energy.

“I still say we could have spent that money on more supplies,” Larisa huffed as she tapped her hoof on the ground.

Beside her, Alistair swished and flicked a thin wooden rod in his hand. From the tip a bright orange flash produced a large swirling ball of flame. The burning projectile hurtled through the air in an arc that placed it well within the camp. “Fireball wand is spent,” he informed his companions.

“The bulk of their numbers have fled,” Volf announced from his vantage point on a thick tree branch. “We should move in and find the leader of this horde.”

“That does sound like a novel idea to m-,” Elwick was cut short when a blur of gold and blue slammed into him.

Amber stood over top of the gnome, her hoof pressed into his chest as she glared down at him. “A dragon, you threw a freaking dragon at me!”

“It was just an illusion,” Elwick coughed out through the building pressure she was putting on his chest. “There was never any real danger.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that was part of the plan?!” she shouted at him. “I just tried to pick a fight with that thing when I thought you were all dead!”

“You were about to charge headlong towards your own death, over us?” Elwick sounded absolutely surprised by this.

Taking a steadying breath, Amber lifted her hoof off the gnome’s chest. “Friendship is very important to Equestrians,” she explained to them all. “You guys so far have been the only ones to show me any kind of kindness. You’re pretty much the only friends I have right now. So you’re freaking right I was about to start a fight with a dragon for you guys, even a little jerk like you!”

“That’s very touching,” Elwick replied dryly. “However, we still have a camp of brigands to fully disperse or else this entire trip will have been for nothing.”

“To me, ye damnedable cowards,” Roberts roared over the chaos and screaming. “Stop runnin’ an’ hold yer ground!”

“Against a dragon?” one of the frightened cutthroats asked in disbelief. “We won’t last ten seconds against that monster!”

“No gold’s worth this!” another screamed to his comrades. “We need to get away from here!”

Losing his temper, Roberts drew his rapier and struck the nearest man with the pommel of the weapon. “I said hold yer bloody ground!” he bellowed. “Yer runnin’ from a damned shadow, look!” All eyes turned to the sky just as the visage of the circling red scaled beast began to shimmer and fade away. “Now draw yer damned swords before the real attack hits us!”

Out of the hundreds that had been in the camp, he managed to rally twelve; smaller than the force he’d prefer against an unknown number of enemies but he’d done more with less before. With only his handful of fighters, he rallied them towards the center of the camp, weapons at the ready for whatever may come.

What they hadn’t expected was for the first attack to come from the air.

Through the thick black smoke, Amber Shine came swooping down from the sky and slammed her forehooves first into the chest of a cutthroat. After a loud crack from the blow, he toppled backwards in a heap before she rocketed skyward again.

“The bloody hell was that thing?” one of them screamed out.

“Our latest recruit of course,” Larisa happily announced as she fired an acid blast from her wrist launcher and struck a particularly unlucky bandit in the chest. From over her shoulder a pair of arrows struck their targets true sending another two highwaymen to the ground.

Volf strode forth as he nocked another arrow and drew back the string. “Your camp is in flames and forces retreating. It would be wise to surrender.”

It wasn’t long before the remaining nine bandits found that they were now surrounded. On one side were Larisa and Volf, both clearly ready to let loose another volley of their projectiles. From the rear was Winky, his already blood-stained kukri in hand and a murderous glint in his eyes. Alistair stood at the ready from another angle, his sword in one hand while magical energy leapt about the other. Swooping down, Amber cut off yet another avenue of escape with a confident smirk on her muzzle.

“For the love of Nethys, must we go through these dramatics?” Elwick huffed as he entered the standoff. With a word and a wave of his staff, a soft blue light drifted forth and draped over the remaining bandits. Every man that was touched by the spell suddenly dropped his weapon and fell to the ground snoring loudly.

“Well, that was rather anticlimactic,” Amber said with no shortage of disappointment.

“Wizards, they love to ruin fun,” Larisa told her.

“I’m sorry that the rest of you can’t be as efficient as me,” Elwick boasted with a prideful grin. “After all, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to become a master spellcaster like yours truly.”

“I wouldn’t celebrate too soon,” Alistair cautioned before pointing towards the last man standing. “You missed one, Master Spellcaster.”

“Check again boy, ‘cause I ain’t the only one the peck missed,” Roberts chided him with a smirk.

Attentions began to shift towards the sounds of heavy footfalls and the clank of metal. Through a wall of flame strode the tall broad form of the metal clad warrior, a massive great sword resting on his shoulder. His dark empty visor scanned the collection of warriors that stood before him. “These are the fools that burnt my camp and scattered my men?”

“You bet we did,” Amber proudly announced with a grin. “What’re ya gonna do about it, Tin Can?”

To answer her question, the dark knight hoisted his heavy blade high into the air and then brought it down in Amber’s direction. The batmare was stunned by heavily armored human’s speed and found she barely had time to dodge. The weapon struck the earth with such force it shattered the ground, sending chunks of rock and dirt into the air. Amber tumbled head over flank as she was hit with the shockwave and debris of the attack.

“You just had to antagonize him didn’t you,” Larisa quipped.

“Well I thought it was funny,” Amber replied with a cheeky grin.

“Stay focused,” Elwick ordered. “We have them outnumbered three to one. We can make this fast and decisive.”

“Two’a us is more than enough for you lot, peck,” Roberts sneered as he drew his dagger with his free hand.

“We do not have time for games,” snarled the dark knight. “Roberts, take our prize as planned. I will buy you time.”

The highwayman hesitated a moment before reluctantly sheathing his dagger, “Aye m’lord.”

Before he could take a step however, Alistair interrupted the exchange, his eyes fixed on strip of cloth Roberts paraded on his belt, “Hold a moment: That standard on your belt, where did you get it?”

“Same place I get most my trophies” off a dead man,” Roberts replied with a teasing grin.

Rage filled the face of the young spellsword as he tried to close the gap between him and the brigand. Before he could get close however, another shockwave of earth and debris tore a small trench through the ground right in his path. Stumbling away from his prey, Alistair had only a glimpse of Roberts before he tossed a small pellet to the ground. In a loud bang, thick grey smoke filled the air and hid his retreat from the party of adventurers.

Coughing a cursing, Alistair barely noticed the hulking shape the split the fog in front of him with a swing of his heavy sword. With another curse and quick spell, the dim energy of his shield spell was thrown up just in the nick of time. The impossibly huge sword struck the field of magical energy and sent a ripple through the air. Through the spell, Alistair could still feel a portion of the impact as it cascaded through his body and sent him to his knees.

“Alistair!” Amber cried out as she took the sky in hopes of saving her friend. With a quick flap of her wings she went into a steep dive and zeroed in on the metal clad warrior. Her hooves struck his breast plate with all the power her muscles and gravity could afford. Yet despite past victories, all this attack managed was to cause him to take half a step backwards from the pony.

A twinge of fear ran through Amber’s spine as she locked eyes with the black empty visor of her opponent. In a painful flash, her vision became blurry and the world around her toppled crown over flank with a loud metal clang. When she finally came to stop, she could taste the coppery flavor of blood in her mouth while a dull hurt started to grow along with the welt left behind by the metal backhand she had taken.

In response to the brutal display all other members of the team launched into their own assaults. Volf let fly a pair of arrows that clanked uselessly against the metal shell, both missing just shy of the eye slit. Winky darted between his thick legs and landed several ineffectual slashes into the chain and plate. Larisa loaded a fresh vial into her gauntlet launcher before sending another blast of acid down range that splashed against the foe. This too simply rolled off the deep ebony material.

“I’m calling it,” Larisa spoke up. “That stuff’s gotta be adamantine.”

“Right, changing tactics then,” Alistair replied as he squared off with the enemy. With a swift motion he ducked and danced out of the way of the heavy blade’s swings. His sword was slid back into its sheath and with a striking motion he drew a metal topped cudgel from his belt. The air was filled with a dull metal thunk as it struck the side of the knight’s helmet followed by a roar of anger from the dark knight.

Shaking her head clear, Amber forced herself to stand back up and willed the world to stop spinning around. She watched Alistair slip around and dodge the furious blows of the much larger knight. His mace scored several hits upon the heavy armor but left nary a dent or even a scratch in the thick plates.

“Good, you’re up,” Elwick stated before helping to dust her off. “Now, before you rush off into the jaws of certain death again, I have something that might help you.”

The gnome took her by the forehooves and spoke his strange arcane words. A dull glow of crackling energy formed around her hooves and made her fur stand on end. Amber quickly caught on and couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear as the spell filled her with a strong sense of self-belief. With a flap of her wings, she launched herself high into the air once more.

Through the chaos of the exchange, Volf’s keen eyes caught sight of the fleeing brigand that the knight had sent off. Over his shoulder was slung a heavy leather sack, weighed down by the mysterious contents. Drawing back on his bow and whispering a prayer to his gods, he let fly a shaft that pierced the air and struck his target without fail. The arrowhead drove through the material of the bag and pinned it to a tree. He had already nocked another arrow as Roberts locked eyes with the hunter. The pair shared a silent standoff for a moment before Roberts let out a stream of curses and vanished into the woods, leaving his treasure behind.

Alistair had the dark knight beaten in terms of speed but he was on the losing end as far as strength and power were concerned. His movements had to be well-timed and perfect in order to stay ahead of the surprisingly swift blade of the man he fought. This could not last forever and of course it did not. His foot landed upon a loose rock and he toppled backwards to the ashy dirt. His vision was filled with the heavy greatsword of the dark knight as it came crashing down on him.

Under his breath, Alistair prayed that his shield spell would hold up against the coming assault, but hope was quickly restored to him. Over his attacker’s shoulder he could see the sparking meteor of gold-and-blue crashing towards the knight’s exposed back. As Amber’s hooves crashed into the back of her opponent, there was a flash of energy as the spell released a burst of electricity. Bolts of energy leapt about the heavy ebony plate armor and crackled loudly, drowning out the pained scream of the man beneath the shell. Not wanting to let this initiative slip away, Alistair charged the same spell into his mace and cracked it across the helmet of the knight.

As bolt after bolt of conjured electricity leapt from one end of the armor to the next, the hulking knight finally dropped his sword and fell to his knees. His shoulders slumped and smoke rose from the eye slit of his helmet. They all eyed him with a great deal of apprehension, expecting him to rise up again. With a touch of bravery, Alistair nudged the helmet with his mace, only to have it topple off the knight’s shoulders. To their surprise, they all beheld an empty suit of armor that still smoldered and smoked.

Little Talks

With a tired sigh, Amber plopped herself onto her haunches at the edge of the small campfire alongside her new companions. She watched the flames that danced across the crackling and popping surface of the wood while a stout metal pot simmered at the center of the conflagration. The dull hurt in the side of her face had finally reached the point of becoming a constant feeling of numbness. Larisa had assured her that swelling would go down, leaving little to no mark.

It was agreed that resting anywhere near the decimated bandit camp would be foolish, even suicidal, so the young adventurers chose to move on. They had traveled as far as they could in the growing night, mostly with the aid of the bat mare’s keen eyes. After some time, they had cleared the forest and returned to the open fields that covered the lands towards Le’Ratte. From here they could rest for the night with little chance of ambush and reprisal for their earlier actions. What Amber truly cared about though was the hungry groans coming from her stomach as she sniffed the slowly cooking stew.

Though the acrid smell of the burning bandit camp still clung tightly to her coat, the scent of Volf’s cooking managed to push past and into her nostrils. She let out a relaxed sigh at the aroma of root vegetables, strange new spices, a touch of sweet ale and something he’d called cured beef.

“Ooooooooh, goddesses that smells so goooooood,” Amber chimed happily as she licked her chops.

“I apologize for the addition of meat to this stew,” Volf told her as he added a few more potatoes to the mix.

“Don’t worry about it, been way too long since I got to eat some meat anyways,” Amber said with a wide grin that showed off her pointed fangs. All around her she saw the shocked and slightly disturbed looks on her friend’s faces. “What?”

“Sorry, it’s just that we thought you were a herbivore,” Alistair pointed out.

“Nope, omnivore,” she said before flashing her fangs once again. “Fact is, most ponies are omnivores at their core, but when most creatures are capable of carrying on a conversation with you, it tends to push most towards being vegetarian. Bat ponies are probably the only tribe that still practices it. Just little things like birds, rabbits and whatever you might find scurrying around the forest floor - nothing significant.”

“Told you no trust horsey monsters,” Winky grumbled. “Bet she try eat us first chance.”

“Here’s hoping she eats you first then,” Elwick snorted as he looked over the handful of prizes they had found in their raid.

“Not a chance - have you smelled him?” Amber asked, wrinkling up her snout in disgust. Laughter erupted from the rest of her companions while Winky grumbled something in goblin under his breath. With a touch of apprehension, she eyed the now-lifeless pile of armor that they had brought with them. “You sure it’s safe to bring that thing with us?”

“Completely,” Elwick replied as he continued to examine the spoils of their adventure. “The spell that had been animating it is no longer present and I’ve even taken the time to dispel any remaining magic from the armor. Considering how much we could sell a full set of adamantine armor for, I’m more than willing to risk any hidden enchantments.”

“And after this trip, I’d say we earned every coin,” Larisa happily declared. With a smirk, she fished around inside her heavily laden bag and produced a tall green tinted bottle. “I think we earned a little celebration as well!”

A happy cheer went up from the group as the bottle of ale was uncorked and passed around the fire. Every spirit quickly lifted with the addition of the sweetened concoction distilled from fragrant summer fruits.

“Volf, will you do us an honor,” Alistair happily asked him. “Treat us to a song of the old times.”

With a smile beneath his mask, Volf began to sing:

“Heed well the words of my song this night;

Long ago our people were slaves.

My song sings of a war set us free

From working from birth to our graves.

The dragons, the giants, they chose to fight,

So armies of slaves fought and died.

The war went on, for ages it did seem;

While mothers of soldiers, they cried.

The dragons, they set off their magic

To destroy the giants for good.

The giants, they died in great numbers;

The people, they did what they could.

And now the land, it’s turned into glass,

And nothing grows, not even grass.

For the sowing of war, you only kill more

And destroy the thing you would grasp

Heed well the words of my song tonight

That history need not repeat

For peace is the treasure of ages

And comes only with war’s true defeat.”

Amber listened intently to the sad song of war and loss, an ache starting to grow in her barrel at the somber words. “That’s a pretty sad story.”

“They say it is the prehistory of Domhan,” Elwick told her as he continued to work. “Thousands of years ago the world was lorded over by dragons and giants. The dragons ruled all that was touched by the sky and those who dwelt beneath it, while the giants ruled the mountains and all that lived beneath them. One day, the dragons decided they wanted the giants’ gold and gems, and the giants wanted the dragons’ lands. And so, they went to war.”

“What happened?” she asked him.

“No one really knows for certain,” Alistair continued. “Most believe it was a weapon created by the dragons, others think it was the wrath of some god. Whatever it was, a once-breathtaking lay of land was turned into crater of glass that stretches for hundreds of miles. In a flash of arcane fire the war was ended and both sides lost. Soon after, the races they once ruled began to rebel. The dragons fled into hiding; and the giants tried to stand their ground to regain their empire, and were killed to the last.”

“All that remains now are old relics and ruins,” Larisa added. “The grand wall of Le’Ratte for example was built by the dragons to stop the advance of the giants. The blasted crater after all these centuries has since become Shimmer Bottom Lake. There’s also the grand mountain hall of Grom Khaz, they say it used to be the capital city of the giants’ empire.”

“And where they made their last stand,” Elwick casually pointed out. “Bloody nasty business what those dwarves did to them. They still sing about that slaughter as if it was a great victory.”

“That’s horrible,” Amber said.

“That’s war,” Elwick replied with a shrug. “Is your home so perfect that they’ve never raised a hand against another?”

“No,” she admitted with a touch of reluctance. “But to my knowledge we’ve never wiped out an entire people, tyrants or not.”

“To your knowledge,” Elwick was quick to point out with a knowing grin.

The mare and the gnome squared off from across the flames of the campfire. Amber glared daggers at the tiny spellcaster, his words cutting her deeper than she’d expected. Elwick, however, sat, smugly content with what he viewed as their higher standing in the argument.

“How about a happier subject,” Larisa pleaded with a hopeful smile.

“I agree,” chimed Alistair. “There is no reason to fight over the sins of long dead men.”

With some reluctance the mare relented and pulled her gaze away from the smug gnome across from her. “Fine,” she huffed. “So Alistair, what was with you and that sword guy?”

His demeanor seemed to change quickly at the mention of this. “And here I thought we were going to talk about happier things,” he said sullenly.

“You can’t blame her for prying,” Elwick pointed out. “You were ready to rush off and face him alone the moment you laid eyes on that tattered standard of his.”

“Because it’s not his standard,” Alistair snapped at the gnome. “I am...sorry...for my outburst,” he quickly apologized. “That standard he was wearing belongs to the Crowns of the western lands, my uncle’s house.”

“You were close with him?” Amber carefully asked, fearing reprisal.

“Aye,” Alistair said, his eyes transfixed upon the flames. “When my parents died, he took me in and made me his apprentice. The Crown family line has always carried a latent talent for magic, and Uncle Roland taught me to harness it as well as how to swing a sword. When I came of age I was inducted into the order and made a Mage Knight. Shortly after, he sailed off to help an old friend that had been having problems with pirates. The wreckage of his ship was found off the coast; it had been flying that standard when it left port.”

Amber’s ears drooped lowly as she found eye contact with him much more difficult. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been nosy.”

“Considering he nearly left us to fend that living armor off on our own, I see very little to apologize for,” Elwick was quick to point out.

The bat mare’s fangs came to bear as her glare narrowed in on the gnome once again. Her wings unfurled and she gave a low, challenging snarl at the tiny spellcaster.

“He’s right,” Alistair’s words caused her to pause and look at him in shock. “I nearly let my thirst for revenge drive me and put my friends at risk,” he admitted. “For that, I am sorry. Today I failed to bring justice to my uncle’s killer, but I succeeded in keeping my companions safe.” His hand came to rest on the hilt of his sword as he added, “Besides, now that I know his face, I will not rest until he is made to pay for his crimes.”

For a time there was silence until finally Larisa spoke, “Well, I guess since we’re sharing things I can go next,” she said with a warm smile. “Obviously it wasn’t easy growing up as the offspring of a demoness and a human, especially after my deadbeat mother left me with my father. It didn’t help me all that much that my father was a well known scientist and alchemist.”

With a sigh, she took a long draw off the bottle before she continued the story. “I was always expected to become some great thinker just like Daddy. But when I started my schooling, I found I had a knack for potions and concoctions. On top of that, I genuinely love that my medicines heal the sick and injured. I wanted to help people, not spend my time in a lab mixing chemicals! Obviously, Daddy wasn’t very keen on me becoming just a doctor, so he cut me off from the family fortune.”

“That was rather cold of him,” Volf commented.

“Not as bad as you’d think,” she said happily. “I still love my dad and I know he still cares about me. For one thing, I know it was just part of some lesson in responsibility. On top of that, if I hadn’t been looking for a job that day, I wouldn’t have met any of you or joined the Dependable Blades!”

“Before I came to Le’Ratte, I lived in a small village far to the north,” Volf said as he took his turn on the spot. “Life was simple, but it was good. I was a hunter of a different sort in those days: deer, birds, rabbits, simple prey compared to the monsters and cut throats I stalk and kill now. Not long after my run-in with the bear, our village was attacked by a group of bandits. We fought them off, but they still killed many and destroyed much. My friends and family placed me in a cart and we rode south, eventually coming to the city. The moment I was well enough to move on my own again, I joined our guild. I kill monsters so they do not kill others.”

“Lots’a bright times ago, Winky lived with Master,” the goblin chimed while collecting a pot of trail stew. “Master was nice old man, him really smart too. Always give Winky things needs doing. Master tell Winky open special boxes and when Winky do, he get cookies! Master nice old man. Always give Winky jobs and then be giving him cookies for doing good. Sneaking into rooms, get cookie. Open locked doors, get cookie. Open locked box and find lots of shinies for Master, gets lots of cookies. Life good for Winky. Then one day, not nice people came to Master’s tall house, say all kinds of mean stuffs about what Master do there. They fights him but master have sparklies so he hurts them lots. But they still kills him. Other goblins try and fight them, they get dead too. Winky smart goblin though, he hides and not get finded!”

The goblin pauses in his story only long enough to quickly slurp down his bowl of food and lap his chops clean. “With Master dead, Winky need new home and find more cookies, so him come to city. Lots of hiding places, lots of shinies, also Winky learn new tricks. Winky learn stabbies. Winky also learn that some people in city are mean. They say Winky steal their money, but Winky only steal little bag, not know it have monies in it! Then they beat Winky and leave for dead in alleyway. But then horn girl find him and make all healeded! And so, Winky not havings home, he stay and work for guild and get cookies again!”

“Well, you guys already know my story as far as how I got here,” Amber said. “But, before I got switched with a piece of cauliflower and before I joined the Night Guard, I was just any other mare. See, all my life I’ve always wanted to live out this life of adventure, just like in my stories. Thing is, when you grow up near Canterlot, the biggest heroes for you to look up to are royal guards. The second I was old enough, I enlisted with the Night Guard, my folks were so proud of me. Let me tell ya though, it is nothing compared to what we just did. Back home, all I did was patrols and the occasional guard duty - soooooooooo boring. As far as I can see, there are only really two reasons I’d like to go home, I mean, besides the heartfelt ones like family and all that mushy junk. One, I am going to be getting so much freaking back pay for this, not to mention probably some kind of hazard pay to boot. And I guess number two would be to ask out that stallion at that doughnut shop I always thought was cute.”

“Fine, I suppose since we absolutely mustpour out our souls,” Elwick huffed as he turned his attention back to his companions. “Believe it not, gnomes do not have it easy when it comes to being taken seriously in the magical community. We are labeled fools, mischief makers and devious, as well as any and all other misconceptions and assumptions one might have for a fey. My family has worked hard to break away from these stereotypes and I have chosen to rise higher than any. After years of hard work and intense study, I am now the apprentice of the Arch Mage of Le’Ratte, a position that can only be held by one out of hundreds. As for the reason why I adventure, well, the guild was an investment of mine: When the original Guild Master squandered his funding and never gave me a return on my investments, I fired him and took over.”

With a childish grin, Larisa leaned over and nudged Amber in the side. “So, tell us about this boy you’ve got back home.”

A touch of red forced its way through her fur at the question and she quickly shied away from the tiefling. Much to her dismay, many of her companions joined in as they happily chided her and egged the mare on to spill the information. All save for one.

Removed from the laughter and happy chatter of the team, Elwick had something else to occupy his attention. Pouring the contents of the sack rescued by Volf’s arrow, the vertically-challenged spellcaster was staring in slight awe at what laid before him: a large jewel about the size of his head and deep red in color. It shined and pulsed with a dim red glow that grew stronger the closer he drew to it. He soon found himself unable to tear his eyes from the gem as he stared entranced by it. The closer his hand drew to the surface of the gem he could feel the tingle of the arcane energies it gave off shooting up his arm and standing his hairs on end. No longer could he hear the happy conversations of his friends but instead there was a low whisper that clawed its way into the back of his head begging him to touch it. Closer and closer his hand inched towards the blood red surface of the glowing bobble.

A surge of force shot through his entire body the moment his bare hand touched it. Pain beyond anything he had ever felt shot through his entire body tearing him apart from the core. It burned and ripped its way through his arm and into his chest. Elwick could feel the arcane energies tearing him apart from the inside. Everything began to spin around him, the world turned into a blur of agony and chaos before finally the world became black.

From the blackness, his world began to shift and stir until he found himself standing before a massive ancient city that sat within the darkness. Its high strong walls had been blasted and eroded by the endless desert that surrounded it. The sands began to shift and stir until a ragged withered hand reached its way through the sand until it reached high enough to grasp the moon within its massive hand. The world around him began to tremble as the sky and land began decaying all around him still there was nothing left but the endless black again.

Elwick quickly sat himself up with a gasp, looking around he realized he was no longer in the forest but his room back at the tower. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he tried to make sense of everything in his head. A warm summer breeze drew his attention to the open window where his comrade Alistair sat quietly reading a book.

“How many times have I told you not to touch my things,” the gnome groaned.

“I’ll put it back when I’m done,” Alistair assured him as he continued to read.

Elwick rubbed his sore temples in an attempt to force the world back into proper focus. “Try to put it in its right place this time. What happened to me?”

“Not really sure, there was a bright flash then you were laying on the ground out cold.”

“How long was I out?”

“Two days,” Alistair told him. “Whatever that gemstone is, it really did a number on you. We brought you back to the tower the moment we entered the city.”

“Did anyone else touch it?”

“Not after what happened to you,” Alistair told him. “You were lit up like a winter’s hearth. Larisa was surprised you were still breathing after that kind of arcane backlash.”

Through the open window, a sudden gust of wind brought with it a leather winged equine carrying a simple brown paper bag in her mouth. With a wide smile, Amber set the parcel aside. “Glad to see you’re awake; you had everypony worried.”

“Everypony,” Elwick asked with a raised brow. “Everypony, everypony, everypony...no, no matter how many times I say it, it still sounds odd.”

“You use your colloquialisms and I’ll use mine,” Amber deadpanned as she took a seat near the window. “Sorry I didn’t grab you any lunch, Elwick, didn’t know you’d be awake yet.”

“He won’t have time to eat,” Alistair said, finally closing the book. “The Arch Mage said to send you to him the moment you’re awake.”

The small feet of the gnome echoed surprisingly loud through the halls of the tower as he made his accent. His simplistic robes were replaced with far more ornate garb to reflect his place in the school’s ranks: primarily a robe of dark grey, with a stole of red and gold trim hanging about his shoulders down his chest and a neatly tied sash around his waist that held his dagger. All around him, various humanoids cleared his path, some whispering under their breath to each other as he strode past them. Elwick paid them little attention beyond the occasional glare which sent them scurrying away from the gnome’s wrath.

Upon reaching the large pair of double doors at the furthest end of the hall, he began to lose the cool confidence and composure he had when scaring the initiates. Taking a deep breath he pushed open the doors and entered the massive room. It appeared ten times larger than the structure of the tower itself should allow. Polished marble floors and walls reached far and high till they came around into a sunlit dome overhead that filled the room with a dull golden light. Rows and rows of fully stocked bookshelves, bobbles and various artifacts lined the walls and seemed to go on for eternity. At the epicenter of it all, sat the lord of the mage tower himself.

He was human and despite the wrinkles of old age, still maintained rather gaunt features to his face. Sharp teal eyes regarded Elwick sternly accompanied by a frown, a look that always reminded Elwick of a disappointed father just before he gave some lecture. His hair had been neatly combed back revealing that as time marched on so had his receding hairline. He was dressed in white and gold robes that held an unearthly glow to them.

“Apprentice VonFrook,” he greeted him with zero emotion in his voice.

Elwick couldn’t stop himself from wincing at the use of his title and last night. “Master Mikhail,” he greeted him in turn while bowing his head.

“Tell me, apprentice, what was one of your first lessons when dealing with magical objects of an unknown origin?” Mikhail asked him.

“To devote a portion of time to ascertaining the make up their enchantments and thus unravel their purpose?”Elwick replied with a hopeful smile.

“What else?” There was a slight raise in his voice.

“Not to touch the object in question.”

“And what did you do?”

“I touched the object in question,” Elwick admitted lowering his head in shame. “But it wasn’t my fault, there were extenuating circumstances!”

“You are my apprentice,” Mikhail snapped back at him. “I expect mistakes like this from learners, not the man who is to one day take my place as master of the tower.” He then exhaled a long-withheld breath before relenting a bit. “However, you are correct,” the master spellcaster admitted. “There is powerful magic at work within this gemstone.”

Elwick followed his master’s motion and saw the blood red gem sitting upon a small pillow in a metallic box. His eyes went wide and heart raced upon seeing it once more. In the back of his mind he could feel that scratching. He could feel the pain it caused him running through his arm yet again, gnawing and cutting into him.

“Do we know what it is?” Elwick inquired.

“No,” Mikhail grumbled. “The magic at work here is from the prehistoric era. It is not draconic in nature and the giants lacked any major spell crafting abilities.”

“That we know of.”

“Indeed,” the aged human responded. With a wave of his hand the box shut itself with the loud click of a locking mechanism. “For the time being, it would be prudent to keep this dreadful thing locked away in the archives until I can decipher a way to fix what has been done to you.”

“Done to me?” Elwick asked. “Master, I feel fine. A bit groggy and sore from the ordeal as a whole, but all together fine.”

“Is that so?” Mikhail asked with a raised brow. Reaching into his robe, he produced a dull glowing crystal. “Tell me, apprentice, do you know what this is?”

Elwick snorted and chuckled at the question. “That would be what the juveniles call a Soul Stone, Master: A cute little enchantment that’s very easy to cast and almost always placed upon simple cheap pieces of crystal or glass. It reflects the inner nature of your soul in the form of a color where in the youths seek out a supposed suitable partner on the-”

“That is enough, Elwick,” Mikhail interrupted him. The arch mage tossed the glowing bobble to his apprentice, the blue shine fading after leaving his grasp. Upon catching the rock out of the air, Elwick’s look of boredom quickly melted away to confusion; looking upon the stone, he found that it bore no color at all in his hands. Believing this to be a flaw in the enchantment, he quickly began examining the lay of the magic at work. He found no flaws in the toy.

“I don’t understand,” he said despondently.

“When you were brought here from the fields, I immediately sent for the Voice of the Gods herself,” Mikhail told him. “No matter what healing spell the high cleric cast, she could not heal your wounds; your body rejected all forms of holy magic. Upon closer inspection, she and I came to a rather frightful conclusion: Elwick, this gem that you touched has ripped your soul from your body.”

Elwick stared for a moment at the bobble in his hand. The weight of his master’s words crushed down on him. His soul was gone; he was an empty shell, less than he was. “And yet, like I said, I feel just fine,” Elwick snorted before tossing it aside.

“Most would find this to be rather earth-shattering news to receive.”

“I am not most people,” Elwick pointed out. “I am the apprentice of one of the most respected arch mages in the world. I am trying to run my own guild and dealing with a mutant talking horse from an alternate reality. If that isn’t making me spew maggots and speaking in demonic chants, then this isn’t a major problem to me.”

“Well put, apprentice,” Mikhail said with a touch a pride in his voice. “One day you will make a truly dangerous wizard. In the meantime, however, I have a job for you and your comrades.”

“I do hope this mission turns out to be more profitable than stopping some brigands.” Elwick voiced.

“Oh, I think this particular job will be a bit more exciting for you all,” the aged human said with a wicked grin.

The Castle Ambrose: A New Adventure

Light, blinding light filled Elwick’s vision as it bathed him with seemingly endless and glorious splendor. Bringing his hand up to his eyes, he managed to force his vision to clear and shapes to form from the brilliance. He found himself standing in a city that was far and beyond the grandiose scale of even Le’Ratte.

It was a city that sat within the clouds themselves, in every direction he looked was an endless blue sky and wisps of white clouds. Pillars of polished stone that gave off a glow from deep within the masonry stretched far into the endless blue sky until their tops faded from view. All around him, he could see vast structures carved from this gleaming material. Beyond this, there was a strange sense of peace that this place radiated; it traveled through the air and seeped into his bones with a calmness that he’d never felt before.

The wall beside him exploded, filling the air with dust and debris, blinding the mage. Elwick’s eyes went wide in both fear and wonder when the dust settled. He was staring at a pair of figures that stood heads above even the most sturdy built man or orc. Their bodies were clad from head to toe in gleaming armor that seemed woven from the light itself. Massive wings of pure white plumage stretched out from their backs. Despite their furious and savage exchanges, he couldn’t help but find something graceful and perfect about these creatures.

Neither of these titans paid Elwick any mind as they continued to exchange blows. This was fine with the small mage, as it gave him the distraction he needed to run further down the marble streets. His escape came to a slow halt as he beheld the rest of the city laid out before him.

As far as his eyes could see, more of these winged beings fought one another. The towers of perfectly polished stone crumbled around them. Crestline structures shattered and littered the air with shards. Flames of pure white heat devoured everything they touched. All around him, paradise burned.

Elwick did the only thing that made sense to him at this point: he ran. He ran as far and fast as his tiny legs could carry him. All around him, these majestic creatures slaughtered one another with growing intensity while the city continued to burn and crumble around them. It wasn’t until he came to a wide opened atrium of polished stone and crystal that he finally came to a stop. It was there that he saw them.

A pair of winged warriors that stood tall even compared to their kinsmen squared off. On one side, stood a warrior clad in shimmering gold and armed with a long, ornate trident. His opponent had clad himself in pure silver and wielding a longsword of impeccable craftsmanship. The air itself around them became heavy and unmoving as creation itself waited with bated breath.

In a blink of an eye, the pair launched at each other. Elwick grabbed the wall with all his might when a shockwave resounded through the would-be arena. Looking up he could see the sword locked between the points of the trident while neither warrior seemed to give or lose even a fraction of an inch. With another ear shattering clash, the pair broke free and clashed with each other again and again. He watched in awe as these giants struck and blocked, countered and parried, it seemed unlikely either one could strike the blow needed.

It was not until the silver warrior let his guard drop by only a fraction that things changed. His golden adversary plunged his weapon with all his might deep into the shoulder of his enemy. White blood leaked from the shattered shoulder plate and pooled at his feet. But this victory would not last long. The silver warrior’s true intentions became very clear when his blade leapt into action. Piercing breast plate and mail alike, it slide with ease through the armor and the being beneath, white blood splattering against silver armor.

With a quick pull, the sword was taken from the golden knight’s side and he was sent toppling to his knees. Rising to his feet, the silver knight yanked the trident from his shoulder with a pained grunt and then tossed the offending weapon away. His opponent crawled away from the silver knight, holding his side in a feeble attempt to stop the blood from leaking out. Gripping the sword tightly, the silver warrior took his golden enemy roughly by the wings and placed a foot on the back of his head. With one swift cut, his wings were severed and thrown aside.

Beaten and broken, the silver knight did not seem done with his golden enemy. Grabbing him by the back of his armor, he hefted him over his head. With one loud cry that seemed to shatter the very air, the argent combatant threw his auric victim over the edge and into the endless abyss of sky below.

Cautiously, Elwick inched his way to the edge and looked over. What he saw he could not believe. The golden speck was falling, but as it fell, it broke an unseen barrier within the sky itself. He found himself unable to keep his balance as all around him creation itself seemed too trembled in pain. And so, Elwick fell. The golden knight falling just ahead of him and breaking through what seemed reality itself.

The deafening rush of wind fell away and was replaced by his screams as he sat up quickly in bed. Beads of sweat ran down his face and coated his entire body. Elwick fought and struggled with all his might to regain composure and slow his breathing back to normal. Quickly looking around, he found that was back in his room, back at the tower. Sighing in relief and exhaustion, the gnome fell back into the warm embrace of his mattress.

“A nightmare, nothing more…” Elwick assured himself and pulled his covers up around himself. “That’s all, just another nightmare.”

“Whoooooooo, on the road again,” Amber happily cheered while soaring over her comrade’s heads.

Once again, the adventurers of Dependable Blades were on assignment. Once more loaded into the back of an old wooden cart, all present seemed in good spirits after the success of their last mission. All save for one.

“I swear to the gods, if she keeps up this bubbly happy crap all the way to our destination, I’m going to make her think that her hoof is a delicious sandwich,” a very bedraggled Elwick grumbled in annoyance. Reaching up, he massaged the growing pain forming in his temples.

“Let her have her fun, Elwick,” Larisa countered. “She’s excited to play with her new toys.”

On cue, Amber Shine shot from the sky and landed in the center of her companions. She had clearly put her share of the loot to good use. No longer clad in the ornate armor of the Night guard, the batmare instead had taken up a shirt of lightweight interlocking chain links. Upon her chest, she still proudly displayed the sigil of her princess. Thick solid armor encased all four of her hooves while a pair of darkly tinted goggles sat over her eyes.

“You know, these cart rides aren’t so bad when you don’t have to squint to see everything,” Amber stated with a pleasant grin. “So, what’s our latest mission, anyways?” she asked with no shortage of excitement. “Stopping ogres, maybe punching out some trolls, or what about saving a prince or two?”

“Someone else tell her,” Elwick hissed as he brought the hood of his robe up over his head. “I don’t have the patience for this right now.”

“We’re on our way to the village of Chiuin’Cnoc,” Alistair told her. ”It’s a small fishing in the south along the coast. A few weeks ago, one of the locals dragged something up in his nets, a strange artifact. This is supposed to be a fairly simple task, we’re on our way to pick up the mystery item and transport it back to Le’Ratte. This mission comes from pretty high up, The Arch Magus Mikhail.”

“The Arch Mage, huh, guess that means we just moved up in the world,” Amber said with an excited grin.

“It also means there can be no margin for error,” the grouchy gnome was quick to point out.

“Tch, somepony’s in a good mood today,” Amber snarked.

“I didn’t sleep well,” Elwick retorted. “Or at all….” he added under his breath.

Nearing the village, they soon found themselves surrounded by a thick grey fog that choked visibility to nearly nothing. So much so that they very nearly missed that they had finally entered Chiuin’Cnoc. A quaint village nestled at the base of a steep hill that straddled the coastline. Anxiously, their driver dropped them off at the center of town and quickly drove his cart back the way he’d come, nearly leaving without his payment.

Looking all around them, it became very clear that this village showed little to no signs of life. The first thing they noticed was there was no sound save for the crashing of waves against the coastal cliffs. Secondly, there wasn’t a single light in any windows, not even the inn or tavern. This town was dead.

Stepping forward, Volf made his way towards the nearest building. Gently placing a hand upon the door, he gave it a soft push. The door slowly swung open with little to no resistance. Cautiously he peered inside. From the darkened entrance, he could make various supplies and foodstuffs that lined shelf after shelf. Taking a few more cautious steps into the establishment, he could now see that nothing in this shop looked out of place.

It was the same with every building they entered and examined. Empty, no signs of life but also no indication of any attack. Possessions and valuables were left to rest neatly and without any kind of disruption. There was no one in this town other than the six of them and yet it looked as though it looked as though it had been abandoned only a few minutes ago.

The deeper they traveled into the town, the more they found themselves looking over their shoulders. Dark shapes slipped through the shadows just out of the corners of their eyes, always just out of sight and just out of reach. Before long their dark pursuers had herded the team to the front gates of a sizable estate. Through the fog they could hear the heavy crash of waves against the steep cliffs that the castle sat atop.

“Soooooooooooo, anypony else feel like this is more than likely a trap,” Amber asked.

“Lured by shadows through a deserted town to an isolated castle, what could possibly seem untrustworthy about this,” Alistair said with a playful smirk.

“Who would set up a castle in a nowhere town like this,” Larisa asked.

“No one would,” Elwick replied while examining the front doors. “There is no money to be made out here in a podunk fishing town. Something is very off about all of this.”

“So what was your first clue,” Amber snarked.

The spellcaster merely rolled his eyes on the bat-mare’s snide comment. Instead he occupied himself with examining the large heavy wooden doors in their way.

“Looks like it only opens from the inside,” Alistair pointed out. “Maybe if we sent Winky and Amber over the wall and-“

Elwick muttered something in his arcane tongue and rapped his knuckles against the doors. A ripple of energy moved over the doors. From the other side a loud click sounded as they unbarred and began to creek open.

“Breaking in is always fun, but it’s rude not to at least knock first,” Elwick said with a smirk.

“Like I said,” Larisa chimed in. “Wizards always love to suck the fun out of things.”

The loud creak of heavy wooden doors echoed off the walls of the wide empty entry hall of the castle. A gust of wind pushed past the Dependable Blades and brushed through the tapestries that decorated the walls. They were sheets of finely woven fabric that each depicted great moments in the life of the still unknown lord of this palace. Candles flickered and pushed back the darkness that would otherwise consume the room.

Cautiously, they entered. Amber stopped just beneath one particular tapestry that showed a man holding what looked to be a crown over his head whilst people bowed their heads on either side of him. “Well, somepony thinks pretty highly of himself.”

“Could be a clue to all of this,” Elwick stated. “We need to find the lord of this manor, so stay on your guard.”

Winky curiously approached the first door to catch his eyes. Pushing it open and peering inside, the goblin called back to his friends. “Winky find some’in!”

Moving to the side room, they found it to be luxuriously furnished with plush chairs, polished tables, ornate rugs and other fine furniture. Said furniture however had been pushed back against the walls to make way for an impromptu boxing ring that had been set up at the center of the room.

In one corner of the ring stood a very tall heavily built person, his light grey skin and solid features however hinted at something far more. Standing heads above the entire team, he was a solid wall of muscle and toned form that was clad solely in a pair of red trunks. Upon seeing them enter, a smirk moved across his face and his fists lifted into a defensive stance.

Just outside of the ring, sitting upon a large wooden chest, sat a man of far more human quality. Wavy black hair that hung past his shoulders and a neatly trimmed beard, his bright blue eyes twinkled happily. He was clad in colorful silks, fancy lace and rich velvets with a wide brimmed hat, while at his side hung a jeweled rapier and a large ornate silver key that hung heavily from his belt. At either side of this man stood a pair of heavy suits of armor, both wielding long gleaming pole arms.

But the strangest thing off all about this room was the single plush chair that sat facing the ring. Well crafted from polished wood and lush fine fabrics, it sat empty save for a pair of floating eyes that hovered at what could be seen as head height. Slowly they turned to look at the newcomers, staring unblinkingly at them.

“Ah, welcome,” the finely dressed man greeted them. “My good friends and I were hoping that we’d receive some visitors.”

The group looked at each other with a touch of unease before Elwick spoke up. “Yes, well, we became lost in the dreadful fog outside and stumbled upon this place. I am Elwickshintzlefick Whizzlepop VonFrook, and these are my companions. Tell me friend, who is the lord of this castle?”

“Well met, master gnome,” he praised him with a low bow of his head a flourish for style. “I am John-Louis, and the strong silent fellow I have simply been calling Philippe. You, my friends, are in the home of Lord Ambrose of course. On behalf of the rest of the staff, I welcome you!”

“So what’s with the boxing ring?” Amber asked as she eyed the silent giant.

“Ah yes, his lordship enjoys a good scrap,” John-Louis told her while motioning to the floating eyes. “Philippe and I are in charge of finding fresh entertainment to fill this demand. You look like a capable lot; perhaps you’d like to try your luck and skill?”

“We really shouldn’t,” Alistair protested. “We actually need to find your master, if you could-“

“There’s a pot of six thousand gold coins for the winner.” John-Louis quickly interjected with a wry grin.

“Six thousand you say,” Elwick mused with a hungry expression.

“Granted, the only way to get the money is to beat Philippe in a fair fight. No weapons, no magic and of course no backup. Only one of you may enter the ring at one time to challenge him. Besides that, the master will be more inclined to speak with you should you prove yourself a strong and capable fighter.”

A wry smirk flashed across Amber’s face. “Oh really, is that all?” Before she could stride into the ring however, her path was blocked by the gnome. “What the hay?”

“Let Alistair go first,” he ordered her under his breath. “Trust me.”

Alistair gave Elwick and Amber both an uneasy look before sighing in annoyance. After removing all his gear, save for his slacks, he climbed into the ring. Compared to most humans, his build could be called average yet athletic, but standing in front of this grey wall of muscle however, he looked small and lithe. Muttering a few choice words about his current circumstances and the gnome who put him here, he took up a stance that mimicked that of his opponent’s.

Once squared off with him, Philippe let fly a heavy, powerful jab. Alistair’s lighter frame, however, let him duck under the blow and quickly close the gap. Over his shoulder he could hear the shouts and cheers of his comrades as he brought his fist in and up with a swift uppercut. Any hope of possible victory however shattered along with several bones in his hands, the punch did little but smash uselessly into the silent brawler’s chin.

Crying out in pain, the mage knight stumbled away while tightly gripping his hand. Alistair had barely noticed the heavy right that Philippe had sent flying towards the spellsword’s forehead. He barely managed to dance out of the way, the powerful fist brushing past his face. Alistair soon found himself on the defensive, using superior footwork to keep one step ahead of the rapid succession of punches. When he felt the corner post press into his back, he knew he’d run out of room to run.

He barely caught Amber’s warning when a fist slammed into his gut. This was just the opening volley as Philippe begun unleashing a series of gut shots before bringing his fist back for one full-force blow. A gasp of pain and a bit of his lunch escaped the warrior as momentum took over for him. The force of the blow sent Alistair hurtling over the ropes and mentally he braced himself for what was sure to be the painful slam of solid stone. Instead he found himself hitting a firm wall of metal and fur as his egress from the ring was halted.

“Al, you alright?” Amber Shine asked him before gently lowering him onto the stone floor.

He coughed up what was left of the vomit stuck in his throat before replying, “Peachy,” in a raspy voice.

“My, that was less than sporting,” John-Louis said sadly. “I’m afraid I can’t even award you any kind of participation prize for that poor performance, my boy.”

Amber’s wings and fangs flared in rage, but once more her path was blocked by Elwick. “What say we make it more interesting then,” the gnome suggested. “Our best against your man here, no holds barred, double or nothing?”

John-Louis raised his brow curiously as he stroked his beard in thought. “Hmmmmm, I suppose we could take your little bet, master gnome, however there will be one extra stipulation.”

“And that is?”

“If Philippe wins and the match was a dreadful as the last one, you and your friends are to join the others in service to his Lordship.”

Elwick’s gaze narrowed on the well dressed man and a smirk curled his small lips upwards. “Deal,” looking over his shoulder at Amber he motioned towards the ring. “Now you can fight.”

“I’ll fix him up,” Larisa reassured her. “You go kick that big guy’s ass.”

She gave the gnome one last glare before removing her gear and armor, stripping all the way down to the cutie mark. Trotting her way to the edge of the ring, she entered with a flap of her wings and landed gracefully. Within seconds, Philippe was on her with a heavy blow aimed for her head. Ducking to the side, Amber let the blow sail past her and launched into her own attack. She began dancing and hopping around the larger opponent, avoiding his attacks while launching a series of rapid taps against anything he left exposed. She was constantly moving in and out of reach while keeping Philippe from standing his ground and digging in. Finally she spotted what she’d been waiting for, a stumble in his legwork.

With a strong flap of her wings she vaulted into the air, and with another she sent herself hurtling back towards the earth, forehooves first. She felt the satisfying crack of hoof against skin. Amber didn’t need to look to know that she hadn’t brought him down, but she had at least thrown him off balance, and that’s all she needed. With a swift buck of her hind legs, she knocked his feet out from under him and sent Philippe crashing to the mat. Scrambling to continue capitalizing on the momentum she’d gained, Amber proceeded to wrap her fore and hind legs with his to force the giant into a very painful leg lock.

“Had enough!?” the mare taunted the writhing Philippe whom still said nothing. To her joy, he finally relented and tapped the edge of the mat in submission. Amber released him and raised herself up, wings and forelimbs spread high over her head in triumph.

“My, my, that’s the first time I’ve ever seen Philippe bested,” John-Louis said with a touch of laughter. “Well fought, my dear!”

“Now, I believe a bargain was struck,” Elwick happily reminded their host.

Nodding in agreement, John-Louis stood up from the chest and knocked twice on the lid. “I just hope you have a way to carry it all, master gnome.” Lifting the lid, it was filled to the brim with coins of solid gold.

Taking a small bag from his belt, Elwick strode over and began dropping handfuls into the sack. And yet, no matter how many coins he added, it never seemed to change shape or show signs of getting full. “Oh, I don’t think that will be a problem.”

Amber shot her small comrade another dirty look before gliding from the ring back to her wounded team-mate. “How’s the gut, killer?”

“Doesn’t hurt as much as my pride,” Alistair replied with a smirk. He couldn’t help but wince as he tried to force down a long gulp of bright red liquid. “Ugh, Larisa, I am thankful for your healing talents as always, but I do wish these potions were more palpable.”

“I’d add honey to the mixture, but that would turn it into a volatile acid,” Larisa told him. “Those were some impressive moves, Amber. Where did you learn to fight like that?”

“You don’t get to protect the princesses of Equestria by being a slouch,” the bat-mare replied with a smug look on her face.

“My lady,” all eyes shifted back to John-Louis. “My master was quite impressed by your performance in the ring. He asks that you join him for dinner, to celebrate your impressive victory. Your companions are invited, of course.”

Amber and the other members of the Dependable Blades followed John-Louis as he led them to a pair of elegant oak doors. On the other side, she beheld a dining room to nearly rival even that of Canterlot Castle. The floors and walls were keenly-polished marble while long flowing tapestries like those in the main hall decorate the walls. At the center sat a long wooden table with ornate gold leaf designs worked into the surface. At the head of the table sat what looked to be a mass of shadows in the form of a man, andeep within the darkness was what Amber could only assume were dimly glowing eyes that sent a shiver down her spine. With a flourished bow, John-Louis stepped out of the room and closed the doors behind him.

Rising to greet them, their dark host motioned to them all, “So glad you could join me, my friends,” his voice seemed to ring out from the walls themselves rather than the figure. “ I am lord Ambrose, master of these lands and this castle. I welcome you.”

With a touch of reluctance they took their seats around the table. After a short time, twelve men and women in costly garb began filing into the room as well. The unsettling thing was, they entered through the solid wall at the end of the dining room. The newly arrived dinner guests all appeared to be a mixture of humans, elves and dwarves, all dressed in elegant finery, but the more Amber and the others stared at them the more they began to notice other details that were off about them. Their skin held an icy, pale color and their eyes looked to be empty and dulled while their entire bodies seemed to be translucent.

Soon, more ghostly beings shuffled into the room as well. Humanoid in appearance, they were dressed neatly in black suites and carried with them platters of food and jugs of wine. Soon the table was covered by an impressive spread while the air became awash with the smell fine cooking and lavished spirits. Bowls of onion soup topped with a layer of white cheese, warm and inviting loaves of freshly cooked bread, a large bowl of various vegetables mixed together in a salad drizzled with fragrant vinaigrette dressing, sweetly-scented ale of a deep amber hue and at the center of it all a succulently glistening roasted hog.

“Please, help yourselves,” the shadowy host insisted. “I’m sure you are all hungry and tired after the long journey to my humble estate.”

Before any kind of precautions could be made, Winky lunged forth and greedily snatched a fist full of the pig and bread. With no hesitation he began shoving the food into his maw with a hungry snarl. “Best foods is frees foods!”

They watched the goblin as he continued to gobble down fistfuls of food until it became clear that he wasn’t dying of any kind of poisons. Still airing on the side of caution, they began helping themselves to the presented meal.

As the meal progressed, the shadowy figure known as Lord Ambrose turned his attention to the bat-mare whom happily partook of his hospitality. “Young lady, I must know, who are you?”

Forcing a mouthful of roast and salad down she managed to cough out, “Amber Shine, uh, m’lord.”

“Amber Shine,” he gleefully repeated. “A fitting name I suppose. You know, I’ve seen a number of travelers pass through my halls but none of them gave Philippe such a sound beating like you did. A warrior with your skill would be most welcomed here on my estate.”

“That, uh, that would really great, but I’m afraid my friends and I are just passing through.”

“Oh, and what brings you out here?”

“We’re on an official guild mission, see we’re looking for this creepy artifact and-“

Before she could finish her sentence the shadowy Ambrose shot up from his seat, “THIEVES!” his bellowing voice echoed through the entire castle. Suddenly the ghostly diner guests all looked to them in unison. “You have come here to steal my treasure! I will see this castle become your tomb like all those who came before you!”

In a flash the shadow disappeared and the room drastically changed. No longer was the dining hall a thing of polished beauty, but rot. The wooden table looked to be in a state of decay, dirt and grime caked the walls and tapestries, the food they had been enjoying vanished from the plates and platters leaving them bare and covered in filth. A low wailing began to rise from the phantom guests as their visages began to rot and decay as well. It was then, that they turned on them.

“Everyone, down,” Larisa roared before leveling her mechanical gauntlet with the ghostly fiends. With a loud thump a small projectile fired out of it and into the center of their attackers. It burst open with a blinding light the caused them react in pain.

“Amber, the door,” Elwick ordered as they made a mad dash for the opposite end of the room.

The mare scraped her hooves against the stone floor before barreling forward into the heavy double doors. A small twinge of pain crawled through her body as she hit them with all the force her body could produce, smashing it to splinters. With a clatter of metal, she tumbled across the dirt and grass as well as the warm embrace of the sun. Quickly she was joined by the rest of her companions who took up a ready stance to face off against their ghoulish adversaries.

One of the undead that had recovered from the burst of light attempted to float forwards. It recoiled in pain with a loud hiss when the sunlight touched its translucent body causing it to quickly pull back.

“So, the sunlight harms you does it,” Elwick pointed out as a triumphant grin curled the edges of his mouth. Leveling his staff at the would-be pursuers, he began to trace an invisible pattern in the air. The gnome muttered words of arcane power drawing out the ambient glow of his spell. With a motion towards their attackers, a ball of bright light appeared behind them. It was a small sun. its brilliance more than they could withstand. Shrieks of pain and howls of agony spilled out of them as they sizzled and turned to pools of dust under the bright light. “You shall come out, no more!”

“Hey guys,” Amber called to them. “You might want to look at this.”

With the ghosts no longer an issue, they found themselves looking at what appeared to be an indoor forest. Scattered around the grounds were trees of various types, in the distance could be heard the sound of rushing water while strangely enough a cool breeze blew across their faces. They could see the stone walls of the rest of the palace rise up from the tree tops in the far distance while up above them was a series of high shimmering domes. The warm glowing image of the sun moved across it, bathing the room in soft natural light.

“This all looks quite lovely,” Volf commented. “But there is nothing natural about anything here. We should stay on guard.”

“Natural, that’s quite the understatement,” said a soft unknown voice.

Drawing their weapons and readying for another attack, the members of the Dependable Blades spun around to face this possible threat. What they saw however was something that gave them pause. Lounging beside the path, under the shade of a willow sat a woman of humanoid features. Her skin was of flawless alabaster; long golden tresses fell about her head and framed a perfectly sculpted face. Her delicate and shapely frame was draped in a long dress of daffodil yellow and a saffron cloak hung about her shoulders. Peering through the shade however were a pair of sharp golden eyes.

Amber however found her attention drawn to her companion. Lying beside this strange maiden was a unicorn, its size shape and form was unlike any unicorn pony she’d ever known. Its coat was of the same matching white as the woman’s skin, however this creature was leaps and bounds taller than any pony-bred unicorn she was familiar with. Looking into the creatures eyes her heart leapt with joy as she was greeted with the spark of intelligence she’d found lacking in every other equine she’d met thus far.

“Who are you?” Elwick asked.

“My friend and I are prisoners, just like yourselves.” she replied with a cool demeanor.

“I suppose you know what’s going on here then?”

“Indeed,” she replied with a soft smile while running a hand through the unicorn’s mane. “This entire castle is the paranoia and arrogance of one human. A simple fisherman found something at the bottom of the sea, rather than throwing the dreadful thing back in, he tapped into its power. He finally has the power to live the life he’s always dreamed of having, but in doing so has been driven mad by the overwhelming need to keep this power.”

“Hold up, how do you even know all this?” Amber chimed in.

“Because we came here to take it from him,” she replied. “We made a… small miscalculation of his newfound powers. Because of this minor error, he was able to subdue the both of us and imprisoned us here in this artificial forest.”

“Who are you?” Elwick asked.

“My companion was the guardian and protector of the local forest,” she informed them. “While I, well, I’m something completely different.” Her lips curled high into a smile that revealed the slight glint of long pointed teeth. For only a millisecond, her eyes shifted and became reptilian like. The air around her seemed to become heavy and laden with a power that could be felt with every breath. All of this melted away with her jovial laughter at how shaken everyone around her seemed to be. “Don’t worry though; in this place I’m mostly harmless. You see, he has bound my friend’s life to this new forest and then bound mine to his. We are trapped in a cell with unlocked doors.”

Alistair was the first to regain his composure long enough to say, “We were sent here by the Arch Mage of Le’Ratte to find the artifact that has stolen this Ambrose’s mind. All we have seen so far are shadows and phantoms, where is the real Lord Ambrose?”

“Now you’re asking the right questions,” the golden haired woman cooed. “I’m afraid he is far out of your reach, sadly. He has retreated into another plane to keep himself safe from any more of my kind. I don’t know where it is, but I know where the doorway lies. Deep in the belly of this cursed palace’s dungeon, you will find the silver gate that will lead you to where the coward hides. To pass through it, however, you will need to locate three silver keys.”

“Oooooh, you means like this!?” Winky asked excitedly as he produced a large ornate silver key from his pack.

The woman stared at the goblin in surprise before slowly regaining her senses. “Yes, just like those. Where did you find that little one?”

“Funny hat man had on belt, Winky grabsed it while horsey monster fight grey man.”

“Well then, your little friend has solved part of the puzzle for you,” the mysterious woman happily declared. “There are two more keys to find. I do hope you find them all and bring Ambrose to a most deserving end.”