Afternoon

Outside, the rays of the day were shining with an aged strength as the sun revolved towards his rest beyond the horizon. The side of the mountain, nevertheless, was bare against the brightness of the white circle of fire, as no clouds dared to cross the blue. A green carpet of trees were placed in the phase of the earth, bathing in the light, and were only interrupted in their fuzzy pattern of treetops by the course of the powerful river that fell though the slope in the form of a curtain of water.

"Come on!" Marxwell came out of the foliage. "You move like tortoises!"

"Slow down!" Tia groaned from far behind. "We're just fillies and you're almost galloping!"

     After him, downhill, the tired figures of Tia and her sister, who she had identified as Luna, were making an arduous ascent. Outside of the oppressive darkness of the cave, the two fillies and the stallion had came up with more dust on their fur and manes than if they'd had to dig their way out. Marxwell had dirt all over his black cloak and his leather plastron, lest to say that his grayish green fur had became enough tones whiter to make it look more like cream, and his platinum mane had been bleached almost to the point of looking like cloud white. I need a couple stitches, he sighed inside his mind, remembering the whole that the knife of Tia had opened through his clothes. What a way to ruin a good cape.

     The fillies weren't any better, Tia looking ghostly white in mane and fur, and Luna not falling far behind, although she still displayed her dark blue fur and mane under her layer of dust. Both fillies had displayed an eager will to follow the unicorn, but had quickly demonstrated that they couldn't keep the pace for much long. How could these be robbers of anything? Marxwell though from his advantageous position as he watched them fight with their exhaustion and the increased heat of the day to bring themselves uphill. They can't even outrun an angry goat! At this pace we'll be an easy target… Marxwell snorted in frustration at the thought, but it wasn't like if he could do anything. The two younglings took their time but in the end they reached the top, all under the vigilant gaze of the freelancer.

"Who'd say" he said when they got to him. "For a couple of bandits you're slow on your hooves."

"Shut up" replied Tia through her gasping. "You… already got us… whats the rush?"

"Are you worried, sir?" asked Luna, who didn't look as worn out, but still tired. "What's the problem?"

Marxwell took a look around for a moment before answering. "Nothing" he whispered, still gazing at the distance. Not good to worry them anymore… "But I'd better hurry."

"So eager to reclaim your payday…" complained Tia, more recovered. "Well, don't worry about us, sir. By sunset we'll be nothing more than just another job, and you'll be free to do as you please!"

"…That is if by sunset we reach the town" he responded.

"Are you implying that we don't know how to get there?" she asked, insulted. "Because by our way we'd already be at the town."

"Tia's right" continued Luna, imitating the movement of her taking flight. "We're faster on our own!"

Marxwell sighed again. Fillies after all… "Too bad its not the case, then" he snorted as he set way again. "Now come on, we still have to get to the other side of the mountain."

"Aaaawwww, why do we have to walk?" Luna whined. "I hate walking."

After a while the sun was stetting to decline. The heat of the day had lowered steadily with it, as well as a soft breeze had set flight at the sight of the king star lowering her course. This made the way more bearable, but didn't took out most of its awfulness, nevertheless. Marxwell was barely reaching his limit by then, having to drag the fillies along, complaining how their pace was slow, how the walk was tiering, or how their hooves hurt with the stones of the road…

     So. Many. Complains…

     Marxwell have had his doubts upon first finding them, but now he actually felt glad when he found the bridge. Before them, the only thing that hanged between their way and the road straight to town was suspended in the midst of the edges of the cliffs that the river had opened in the land, countless millennia ago, and that now was flowing below like a thunderous snake, raging its waters like a storm. At last! Marxwell bursted inside him. Our way out of here!

"Is that it?" asked Tia, reaching him.

"Almost" responded Marxwell. "We still have to go a mile to get to the settlement, and then we'll rest."

"AW WHY!?" appeared Luna, shuffling her hooves. "I… can't go… any further" she let herself fall down.

Marxwell looked with concern at Tia for a second, but immediately dropped it when he discovered her undeterred face. "Is this normal?"

"More than you think" she answered, apathetic.

Luna, on her way, was carrying on with the act just finely, and turned to the unicorn before stating her intentions. "Carry me!"

"What!?" he almost jumped back in surprise. "Are you crazy?"

"Pleaaaase?" she looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"No!" he snapped. "No way!" Luna's look became even more pleading, and her eyes seemed to grow brighter by some unknown cuteness mechanism. Marxwell looked at it with some mix between interest and embarrassment, but with attention nonetheless. His definite sign to his death sentence. "That-that is not going to work!" he exclaimed, backing away. Luna's expression persisted. "I-I said no! I… Said…"

Some minutes later…

"Aren't you a complete coltly stallion?" Tia giggled as she walked. "You know, confronting little fillies and stuff."

"Shut up" Marxwell sighed, his head hanged frustratingly low. "I only did it so we could continue our way. Nothing more."

Tia laughed. "Yeah, right. Tell me when you have the will to turn her down."

     Marxwell glared at her for this, but he didn't keep it for long. At his back, the cuddled figure of Luna was lying free as her breathing was inhaling and exhaling at a steady rate, proving that she had already abandoned the plane of the awakened. Amazing, thought Marxwell for a second. How quickly she'd fall asleep… Not that he cared about that. Or did he? At his back Luna revolved a little, and he could swear that he felt a smile growing in her face. Aaaarrggghhh! B'zekre, why!? What did I do to deserve this?

"Please, strike me down."

"What?" Tia turned.

"Nothing!" he rose his head, keeping the end of the bridge at sight. "Come on, we must hurry."

"You know? For a mercenary, you're not so coldhearted" she looked up to him. "Who knows, if Luna already trusts you, perhaps we can end up liking you after all."

"I'm not a mercenary. I'm a freelancer" he responded, changing his mood as he looked away to the heights. "And besides, what do you know about me?"

This seemed to set Tia a little back. "Well… for starters I know you don't hurt little fillies."

     A slight grin appeared in his face, and he was about to speak when suddenly halted, his ears stood up completely. Have he heard…? But Tia didn't.

"I wonder what kind of stallion goes around, taking jobs like this for money?"

"T-Tia…" he called.

"Because I can't begin to wonder the kind of life this should be."

"Tia" he called again, with more insistence, but she was nearly at the end of the bridge.

"…Exposed to nature, exploring the world, having adventures…"

     There it was again! A sound like the twitching of branches, but lighter. Marxwell had hoped that it wasn't what he thought, but this time there was no mistake. At the other end of the bridge what he feared was gazing at them with predatory eyes. Marxwell's eyes began to perceive everything with devilish speed. Another twitch announced the presence of the spotter, and the bushes in the roadside beyond the bridge moved with the soft swinging of a very well concealed breeze. There were too many. For a moment he didn't knew what made his heart froze more in fear: the fact that they were walking straight into it, or that he had just recognized the characteristic sound of a wooden body at bending.

And the worst part was that Tia hadn't even noticed. "…It would be wonderful-"

A last twitch. Whoever was behind that arrow would certainly have his target… Aw screw subtleness! "TIA, WATCH OUT!" Marxwell pushed her out of the way at the time he heard the string loose tension.

     The next succession of things occurred so quickly that Marxwell began to comprehend what had happened just a few seconds after. At the moment of pushing the filly away, a loud screech filled the air around them, and half second later something pushed him backwards. His cape was ripped apart by the brilliant point of the missile, and Luna, at his back, startled by the sudden movement, gave a loud scream as she fell to the wooden planks. Marxwell tried to get to them, but the arrow had just stuck him to the pole. Tia turned upon acknowledging, but couldn't do anything else. As soon as she took her eyes off the way, a rope jumped from nowhere and laced her neck with the speed of a blink. Luna tried to get up, but in less she had met the same fate as her sister's. Both tried to run, but there was no use now. They were already caught.

"Gotcha!" someone shouted from behind his cover. "Come on boys, we got some yokels coming by!"

     Next thing they knew was that a pegasus who had been hiding in the bushes came up followed by the rest of the party. Two earth ponies and a unicorn suddenly appeared from where the ambushed had came from, teleported into the scene, and behind another set of brushwood, a griffon accompanied by another unicorn stallion went out of cover. All of them were wrapped in the attires of their barbaric profession, and all of their weapons were kept in leather sheaths. They were nothing like Marxwell, who in comparison looked like if he were even royalty. The grins on their faces were anything but comforting, and the look int their eyes was as cold as the steel of their arms. Marxwell seemed confused at first, but everything changed when he set eyes on the griffon. Venor, he thought with concern. Great! As if this day wouldn't be the same without competence.

"Well, well, well, look who we got now" said the griffon when he saw how his band had submitted their preys. "I didn't know you had fillies, Marx. What happened? Did you broke the water and you didn't tell me?" the other thugs broke to laughter, but Venor continued. "It should be hard for you to take care of them alone, but don't worry! You're lucky you have such good friends here who can offer themselves to do it for you" he grabbed Tia by the face and examined it. "Good breed. I'm sure in town they must be wondering where did all of their crops go. Glad to see they weren't so badly wasted" he laughed with malevolence as well as his crew.

"Leave them alone Ven, they're mine!" Marxwell shouted, but a sword stuck to his throat. Now, where have I seen this before?

"Oh, Marx" he snapped his fingers and the sword got away from his neck, as well as all the other brigands, letting him fall to the ground . "Marx, Marx, Marx, Marx…" he closed his face to his' and smiled rascally. "All is fair in love and business, and this, as much as I like you, isn't the first."

"Let us go, moron!" screamed Tia behind the griffon as she struggled with the rope on her neck. Behind her, Luna stood dumbstruck, trembling under the grasp of the rope with the characteristic eyes of a shocked mind. Tia, fighting and squirming like a fish out of the water, was giving the hell of a show. "Marx, don't let them-"

"Shut your mug, kiddo!" exclaimed one of the earth colts as a hoof stomped agains Tia's belly, making her bend and gasp as the air in her lungs violently bursted out her body. Tia fell down to the floor, and remained there with her eyes wide open as she struggled for breath.

Luna, who hadn't moved a single muscle, suddenly reacted. "Tia!" she screeched in despair while holding her sister.

"Step away from the fillies!" shouted Marxwell too. "Why don't you do that to me if you dare!"

"Granted!" Somepony exclaimed. Instantly, two hooves graved him and pushed him against the post. Marxwell resisted, but before he could move more swords were drawn agains his guts, and even an arrow was eagerly looking at his forehead.

"STOP!" ordered Venor. "Let him be, guys, he's not our job… Yet."

     The weapons retreated from him again, and Marxwell was thrown into the ground. Venor, watching nonchalantly, had just taken the unicorn's sword from Luna and now was examining it.

"Hey that's mine!" cried the filly, but the griffon just ignored her.

"Such a good design, and sharpened blade too. No wonder why you do so good these days without us" Venor leaned towards Marxwell as the unicorn simply frowned at him. "I tell you what. You tell me where can I get one of these and I'll let you be."

Marxwell seemed to think about it for a second, but almost immediately refused. "Bite me!"

"Too bad you're a terrible negotiator" he sighed, backing away as he grabed something beneath his wing. "But, as everything, its not a problem that cannot be solved…" Marxwell tensed at his movements, as well as the fillies, all expecting the worst, but Venor, again, took them by surprise. "Here!" he took out a little cloth bag. "There you go, Marx, for your trouble" he tossed it to the unicorn.

Marxwell nearly dodged the bag as if he had thrown a knife in his direction, but caught it in the last second and reluctantly peeked inside. When he opened it, the sound of coins tinkled inside, and something yellow appeared in the reflexion of his eyes. "What does this mean?" he inquired, between puzzled and outraged.

Venor's smile returned. "As I told you, you're a bad negotiator. That in your hooves is only what you were going to earn by yourself" he reached inside his other wing. "…This, on the contrary, is our our half in advance" he took out a bag of gold at least three times the size of the first one and opened it for all to see. "See, Marx? Freelancing is something that's out of fashion. Why hiring a single sword when you can smash you problems with another ten?"

That is if anypony here can handle a sword, he thought. Behind the prepotent form of Venor, Tia and Luna had curled agains each other, and were looking back at him with pleading eyes. Marxwell looked to their faces for a moment before speaking. "I guess you will invite me now to resign."

"You have no more reasons to carry with this burden anymore" the griffon shrugged. "You're not bound by your contract, and isn't that what freelancers do? Terminate your missions so you can spend what little you earn?" another smile, wither. "Come on, its fair and square! An honest job for an honest earn!"

     Marxwell frowned at him again, but this time he didn't say anything. This time he didn't find anything left to say to him. He looked back at the fillies. Both Tia and Luna were looking with a mix of pleading and fear, the ropes on her necks fastened tightly. Understandable, but yet too naive. Over the toe of his hoof, the money tinkled again with its characteristic metallic sound. To take the money and go, simple enough… But somehow difficult. Isn't this why you came here for? Something seemed to question within him. Isn't this worth all of your trouble? And It wasn't that he didn't had any heart too, but even he needed to pay his bills.

Then why was it so difficult?

     Common bandits. Nothing more than burglars of crops and vandals. They had been the nuisance of farmers from some months ago, and no matter how much they'd guarded their orchards, those slippery creatures had'd the craftiness of getting away with it, leaving behind nothing else other than disorder and half eaten prizes. Searching parties had been called, but apparently the robbers hadn't left any trace. Marxwell wouldn't have mattered bringing them to justice… If they weren't just a pair of orphans, trying not to starve.

Unlike somepony he knew…

     Doubts started to hoard inside his conscience until they formed a towering pile above his thoughts. Perhaps… It wasn't entirely a fair trade.

"What's the matter, Marx?" asked Venor. "If you wanted more you could've just joined us. I never turn down a good swordscolt."

"The girls" Marx said, not taking the sight away from the money. "What'll happen with them?"

The griffon shrugged. "Its nothing that'd concern you."

He lowered his sight for a moment. "Perhaps it is…"

     Something drew their attention in that moment. A mercenary was trying to take Luna away, but was encountering resistance from her sister.

"Get off of her!" exclaimed Tia as she pulled her sister's rope agains her opponent. The stallion pulled in the other direction harder, taking the rope off of Tia's teeth and making Luna whine in pain for the force. As soon as her sister's cry if pain reached her ears Tia's eyes opened wide, and her horn began to glow in a threatening way; a magical aura that both displayed power and wrath. Though Venor seemed to watch everything nonchalantly, Marx's eyes narrowed. A unicorn that young with that kind of magic- "I. Said. LEAVE HER ALONE!"

     Before anyone could explain what was happening, a source of light as powerful as the sun suddenly took over her figure, irradiating from her horn, and occluded everything around. Everypony backed off, and even Venor and Marxwell didn't know wether to cover their eyes or stare into that mass of brightness as it grew in size and luminosity towards them. Perhaps for the griffon that display of power was supposed to be the source of doubt and insecurity, but Marxwell hadn't been born yesterday, and what his eyes could witness his mind just snapped at the blink of a memory. Something that he had seen too many years ago, from the first of his lives…

     Something made out of red rage and blackness.

     His jaw dropped when he realized what was it, such as everyone's else… No, it couldn't be!

     In bare land, Tia and her sister were standing defiant as her outburst of magic was releasing its last accords. The other stallion was in the ground, not moving anymore. Everything around their figures had being scorched or half burned, a mark of soot perfectly circling them that stretched several feet away. All eyes withered by equal, both in surprise and in terror, but what caused bewilderment wasn't the fact that, in a single blow, a filly had bashed a gown up stallion, or even the fact that she'd displayed such a colossal amount of energy for an unicorn that young. It were the wings, the white and deep blue sets of wings that showed at the backs of the fillies, and that now were fully stretched so everypony could see and horrify. The first of their kind to appear in a thousand years… And the last reason Marxwell needed to act agains his behalf.

"A… A… ALICORN!" at the sound of the scream, all the presents either jumped back in fear or drew their weapons. Only Tia and Luna showed between startled and collected at the same time, like if they'd knew what was happening, and at the same time didn't. "Children of Astaroth! Kill them!"

     Dammit!

     Venor was taking the lead, his sword bare on his claws, but before he could reach the sisters something run past him, tacling him in the way, and swung something bright in his general direction. For a moment it looked as if Marx would behead him, but the sword that he had clinched in his mouth wasn't meant to kill him, and just disarmed him with a powerful bash instead.

     Venor was tossed to the ground by the sudden attack, and Marx pushed him out of the way in the blink of an eye, drawing the looks of the rest of the party like metal to a magnet while doing so. It really didn't took much cleverness to know that he had now stepped in for the fray.

"Don't stay looking like that, get him!" ordered Venor from the ground.

     All mercenaries immediately changed their objective, but Marxwell had already taken action. As soon as he reached the fillies, his horn glowed with a purple flash, and all of them disappeared, teleported back to the middle of the bridge, outside of their reach. It didn't took much for his attackers to realize the move, though, and when they turned they found him standing over the wooden planks, his sword still unsheathed and en-garde.

"Tia, Luna, behind me!" he called them without turning.

Luna immediately obeyed, curling behind his figure, but Tia didn't. "How dare you sell us like that!?" she reproached. "Have you any idea how-"

Agh! No time for that. "GET BEHIND ME NOW!" he ordered.

     Tia jumped back by the surprise, but obeyed in the act, completely taken by the commanding voice of the unicorn. In the other side of the bridge, the mercenary band had already regrouped and was standing at the end of it, looking upon the trio with dumbfounded eyes as well as readying for action.

"Marx has gone mad!" they said among themselves. "He has been bewitched by the demons!"

     Maxwell stood ready for combat as well, not lowering his sword before his person, and assuming a defensive position towards the fillies. The mercenaries had unsheathed their arms too and held them high, but didn't advanced. Not until Venor appeared amongst them, his own curbed sword recovered.

"Marx? What is the meaning of this?" he asked, not a single trace of his rascal attitude left in his features.

Marxwell hardened his grasp on his sword. "It's an honor thing, Ven. I promised them that they wouldn't be harmed. And here we are…"

"You shouldn't promise things that you're not gonna keep, then" Venor snorted. "Besides, really? Are you out of your freaking mind!?"

He glanced at the sisters for a second, and just so they could see him, winked, though in his actual stance it looked more like a threat than a reassurance gesture. "They may not be the best of leaseholders but I'm not stupid, Ven! What do you think that will happen to them if we bring them back to town?"

This time Venor actually frowned. "Yet you defend these two abominations. Who are you, and what happened to the colt that used to like to earn a good pay?"

"You want your payday?" he levitated the cloth bag and tossed it back to him. "There! Its not much, but that's what I can give to let this be."

Venor caught the money in his free claw and stared at it for a moment. Behind him the rest of his party had risen in an unison negative, and was grabbing tighter the handle of their weapons. "I'm sorry" he said staring back at Marxwell. "…But you're gonna need more if you want us to pass this by."

The mercenaries prepared themselves to charge, showing the sharp edges of their respective weapons pointed towards their enemy. Tia and Luna shrunk behind him in fright, knowing what did it mean, but Marxwell held his own, his horn glowing menacingly. "Then we're set" he sentenced, stepping in guard.

     Enough talking. Venor and his mercenaries readied for the charge, wings stirred and magic glowing bright in their horns. Marxwell didn't let himself intimidate, and opened a little more his stance. They had only one way to reach him, after all, and Venor should know it. Venor, on his side, was looking as if he were calculating Marxwell possibilities, but both surely knew how was it going to go down. There was only one way into each other… This would be solved the old style: with brute force.

     It started like an insinuation. Tension began to build between both sides until it seemed to fill the cliff upon where they were suspended. Marxwell remained still, letting a little breeze mess up his mane and cape, the rest of his body completely tensed, while his opponents had fixed their looks on his posture, not blinking or doing anything else rather than, perhaps subconsciously, sliding lightly towards their foe.

     The first step began everything. As if an invisible signal were casted out from the form of the unicorn Venor took the lead setting flight towards where Marxwell were waiting for them. To him followed the generalized charge of the other two unicorns and earth stallion that remained, and the pegasus set for the heights tensing the string of his bow with a projectile again. Marxwell watched the display of his opponents and followed every figure as closely as his periphereal vision allowed him to, never taking eyes out of Venor.

     The griffon gained a considerable height and began to soar at top speed in his direction, the sword at his claws ready to strike for his heart. Marxwell watched him straightly while holding his position and readying himself for the impact. At first it looked as if the stallion wouldn't move, but as soon as Venor entered his reach, another magic nova, like the one that had knocked out the sisters, suddenly bursted out of his horn. Venor realized what was he intending to do, but tried to dive too late, and his wings couldn't stop his acceleration. So, stunned by the power of his opponent, and blinded by the flash that followed, the griffon was set off course, and crashed against the planks of the bridge, breaking them after the impact and heading towards the void, unconscious.

     Tia and Luna looked impressed at what the unicorn had made, but Marxwell wasn't there anymore. With a hard breathing, and his sword held high, the freelancer charged towards the encounter with the rest of his opponents, who upon seeing how their chief had been defeated so easily had stopped their charge, and now were opened for the unicorn's attack.

     Marxwell didn't wait until they snapped and threw himself into battle, ready to vanquish his unprepared adversaries.