Ponies of Deltora: Monsters and Magic

by Samaru163

Rating: everyone
Tags: Human, Original Character, Spike, Adventure, Crossover, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 43281

The main six must struggle to complete a scavenger hunt in the land of Deltora.

While welcoming some new ponies to Ponyville, the main six and spike are challenged to a scavenger hunt. They all accept, but who said it had to take place in town, or even Equestria? As soon as the sealing words were said, they were whisped away, to a land of seven tribes and a great evil. A land once known as the Land of Dragons.

NOTE: My Little Pony is property of Hasbro and everything else belongs to Emily Rodda. If you have not read the Deltora books, don't worry this won't contain any major spoilers. This will include elements form all the books, including the companion ones.

If you have any criticism or ways I can improve, please tell me.

Published 2012-04-20 03:24:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-07-02 22:48:40 UTC

prologue: New Arrivals

Time, 6:00 A.M

As the sun rose over Ponyville one fine spring morning, a particular pink pony awoke with a look of unimaginable joy on her face. Quickly she rose from her bed and readied herself for a brand new day of making friends, having fun and of course smiles. She was so wrapped up in her excitement that she nearly ran into Mrs. Cake while zooming down the stairs. “Careful Pinkie.” The older blue mare called.

“Sorry Mrs. Cake.” Pinkie replied. “I’m just super exited about how unimaginably wonderful this day is going to be!”

Mrs. Cake chuckled to herself. “I know dearie. Just be sure you’re back for your shift.”

“Okie dokie lokie.” Pinkie said chipperly. Quick as a wink she rushed down to the main floor of Sugarcube Corner and was out the door. She would have kept going but was stopped by what she saw. Across the street two pegasus stallions were busy at work constructing some form of building. Upon further investigation Pinkie realized she had never met these two before. One of them was a nice brown colour with a long grey tail and small messy mane. His cutie mark was some sort of monument. The other was a golden colour with a small black tail and mane. His mark was a pickaxe stuck in an iron bar. Mustering up her biggest smile Pinkie headed over to greet the two newcomers.

“Hello there, how are you two?” Immediately the two of them stopped their work and landed next to Pinkie.

“Now what have we hear?” The brown one said. “Are you the one known as Pinkie Pie?”

“Yes I am! And you two are new here right?”
“Yes, but there’s no need for one of your welcome parties; we’ll be gone before sundown.”

A small frown appeared on Pinkies face. “Aww why?”

“Some friends of ours will be moving in later today, and they asked us if we could help build their new residence.” The gold one responded.

“Speaking of which, we should get back to work if we want to meet the deadline.” His companion said. Nodding the two of them prepared to take off again.

“Wait!” Pinkie called. The two stallions turned to look at her. “You never told me your names.”

The brown one laughed at his own foolishness. “My apologies ma’am, I am Constructor and this is Miner.”

“Those are some interesting names.” Pinkie replied.

“There more like nicknames, but we enjoy them. Now I don’t mean to be rude but we are on a schedule.” Constructor said kindly. “Come back around seven and this place should be finished. Then you can greet your new members. And they love parties, let me tell you.”

The moment he said that word, Pinkie let out a long gasp and shot into the air. Before either of the stallions had time to blink she took off across town while still suspended in midair. “How did she juts-never mind.” They both said in unison before returning to their work.

*****

Time, 6:50 P.M

Almost half of Ponyville had gathered outside of Sugarcube Corner to witness the unveiling of the town’s new building. Among the crowd were five ponies, to which trouble had a keen nose for. Along with them was an oddity in Equestria, a wingless baby dragon. They all waited eagerly for their good friend, who had been the one to call this gathering together. The young dragon looked to one of the ponies, a lavender unicorn. “So Twilight, what do you think this is all about anyway?”

“When it comes to Pinkie, anything is possible.” She replied. Twilight then looked up to a cyan pegasus nestled among some low clouds. “Do you see her Rainbow?”

“Not a single sighting.”

“Now you’re positive yah read that note correct Twi?” An orange earth pony asked.

“All it said was to meet her here at seven. It must be something really impressive for Pinkie to go through all this trouble.” Suddenly everypony’s attention was drawn to the covered building. A spotlight was thrown onto a pegasus mare whose coat was green as rolling field. When the light hit her, she sparkled like a gemstone. Her legs were decorated with silver bracelets, each with a different coloured stone fixed to it. Her eyes blazed a fiery red. Finally they noticed her cutie mark; a black die being tossed from a silver goblet.

“She’s pretty.” Spoke a timid yellow pegasus.

“Really Fluttershy you’re too kind. Her mane is so untidy, couldn’t she have the courtesy to at least straiten it.” Said a rather cynical unicorn.

The pegasus walked over to a makeshift stage and spoke in a mischievous and fun loving voice. “Greetings Ponyville, and a fine evening to you all. My name is Festivities, and I wish to express my gratitude for allowing us into your lovely town. We would show our thanks to you in the form of this new addition to an otherwise flawless community.”

Spike nudged Twilight’s side “Why did she say ‘we’?” Before Twilight could respond six pegasi descended from the sky and lifted the veil, revealing the building underneath. It was shaped like a deck of cards, with a checkerboard door. The door and window frames resembled Chess pieces. Bright golden letters on the front spelled out GM&F Games Shop.

Smiling Festivities stepped aside and said in a soft playful voice. “Enjoy.”

*****

The inside of the shop was lined with all forms of puzzles, models, board games, and other assorted items. There were tables in some corners with games of chess, checkers, and many others already set up. In the center of the room was a statue of pegasus preparing to take off. Its cutie mark was a chess king ridding in a charriot. While many of the other ponies were busy exploring the shop, Twilight and the others stood by the statue, waiting for Pinkie.

“It’s not like Pinkie to be this late for her own summon.” Twilight said. “What do you think is holding her up?”

“Maybe she’s filling out a big order?” Fluttershy suggested.

Rainbow Dash nearly facehoofed. “Sugarcube Corner is across the street.”

Fluttershy’s cheeks flushed red. “Oh, right.” Just then Festivities entered the shop. The moment her hoof was through the door confetti came out of the woodworks, followed by streamers and a large banner with the word WELCOME spelt it pink. As Festivities was wrapped up in all this, a pink pony with candy floss like mane jumped out from who knows where and began singing while music started playing.

Welcome, welcome, welcome
A fine welcome to you
Welcome, welcome, welcome
I say how do you do
Welcome, welcome, welcome
I say hip, hip, hooray
Welcome, welcome, welcome
To Ponyville today!

After the song there as another burst of confetti that completely buried the star struck pegasus. Suddenly there was a haughty laughter coming from behind the main six and Spike, who all turned in surprise. The statue was rolling on its back and laughing.

“Now th-that is h-how you w-welcome somepony!” Slowly it got to its hooves and whipped its face with a streamer. Soon staring back at them was another emerald green pegasus with eyes as blue as the sea. Her mane came down around her head like a lizards frill. She trotted over to the pile of confetti and pulled Festivities out. Both of them looked at each-other and started laughing. When they were finished they turned back to the others.

“Sorry for that.” Festivities said. “Allow me to introduce to you my twin, Games Mistress.”

“Games Master, mistress sounds too soft and formal.”

Festivities rolled her eyes. “Fine, ‘Games Master’, don’t you have a store to run?”

“Indeed, but first I’ll remove this makeup.” She said looking at her stone like body. As she walked past the ponies she quickly whispered in Twilights ear. “A word of warning with my twin, her blood runs hot with the rolling of dice and the playing of cards.” She then vanished before any questions could be raised.

“So what do we do now?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Well this is a game shop, so how about a game?” Festivities inquired.

Pinkie’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. “Ooooh that sound like fun! What game should we play? Pin the tail on the Pony? Hide and seek? Apple Bobbing? I Spy? Which one, which one?”

Festivities brought a hoof to her mouth as she considered the options. In her other hoof, which she had hidden behind her wings, she tossed a little black die. It landed on the number six. “I have an idea, how about a scavenger hunt?”

“Interesting suggestion, what do you all think?” Rarity asked.

One by one the others considered before all responding “Yes.”

Festivities clapped her hooves together, red eyes blazing with excitement. Quickly she flew up to one of the upper shelves and brought down a map of the store. It was divided into seven sections. “Excellent, now to make things interesting, you’ll start out separated in each different section of the playing area. In each one you’ll find a list that’ll tell you what you’re looking for. Is that fair?”

“Seams fair to me.” Applejack said, with the others all following suit. Festivities mouth was taken over by a sly grin as her seven contestants suddenly began staggering. They tried to speak but no words came from their mouths. Eventually exhaustion overtook them and they toppled over. They never hit the ground though, for they were swept away by a magical wind. At that moment Games Master returned, wearing golden bracelets with sapphires fixed to them. She glared down at her twin.

“Did you cause mischief with our guests?” She asked impatiently.

“Maybe.” Festivities giggled.

“And did you ask them to play a game?” Festivities hung her head in shame.

A playful grin spread across Games Masters face. “You really should have waited for me; you know how much I love to watch.” She flew over to the map of the store, which now contained a marker in each of the seven areas. She waved her hoof over the map and instantly the lines began rearranging themselves until the map now showed a distant land.

Prologue: Meanwhile In the Shadowlands

Time, 12:00 AM

The Shadow Lord looked out from its palace, gazing at the vile kingdom of darkness it ruled. The land was nothing but dead grey earth dotted with rocky outcrops as far as the eye could see. The stench of death hung heavily in the air. It looked towards its factory, which was busy belching smoke as the production of its newest minions and creations were well underway. It then turned its gaze towards its Shadow Arena, where morning cries of its prisoners could be heard upon the wind. Don’t worry soon your torment will be over. Finally it looked out to the plains once again, where it saw hundreds of the wild and deformed monstrosities that prowled the waste whimper and cower before its brand, flying high in the crimson sky like the sun.

Would anyone ever believe that this kingdom of darkness was once beautiful? That instead of death and smog, rolling green hills and sweet air dotted this landscape? That people laughed and played while sweet music flowed across the land ever morning, noon and night? The Shadow Lord smiled as it remembered that land. It was so long ago, back when the Shadow Lord could be called ‘he’. He had fled into the mountain from the land to the south and spent many years gathering followers and expanding his already dark powers. All while he studied both lands strengths and weaknesses. Opportunity knocked with the land to the north, then still called Pirra.

He had learned that the land was protected by a mystical object known as the Pirran Pipe. Three times each day the Piper would play the instrument and all evil were dispelled from the land. That is, until the Piper grew old and died. A contest was held to determine the next Piper, but it ended in a three way tie. The people tried again and again, but always no winner was declaired. The Pirrans were at each other’s throats, demanding that their contestant be named Piper! That’s when he had stepped in, and suggested that the Pipe be split in three, so they can all share the honor of holding it. Like fools they agreed and then went their separate ways. The next morning, he invaded and warped the beautiful land into the bastion of darkness it was today. He never found the Pirrans though, as they used their magic to have the earth swallow them whole.

It cast its gaze south, to the land beyond the Barrier Mountains. One day, it would have that land. It would dominate its people, crush its cities, mine its earth and launch ships of war from its shores. But like its sister land before it, this one was also protected by old and ancient magic. Just like Pirra however, it had figured out the lands weakness. It would take many years, hundreds possibly, but it could wait. To its anger and envy a thousand years was like the blink of an eye.

Suddenly something caught the Shadow Lords attention in the southern land. It was a foreign presence, the likes of which it had never felt before. It sensed that, whatever the presence was, contained great magic that could assist in the conquest of the south. It turned from the land it coveted and instead focused on a glass table. Fixed into the center was a crystal that swirled with grey smoke rimmed with red. It spoke into the crystal with a slow hissing voice. “Drumm.”

Not a moment later the red smoke parted and in its center was the snivelling face of its servant. “Yes master, I am here.” He said in a high, whining voice. He was not the most impressive of the Shadow Lords creations, but even a worm such as him has its uses. “I have good news my lord, that idiot king Lucan has begun to grow ‘ill’, giving you even more power within the palace.”

“That is not why I come to you slave.”

Drumm quivered before the hissing whisper. “Forgive me master.”

“You do not deserve it, but I still have some use for you.” It paused for a moment before continuing. “I sense something in Deltora, the likes of which I have never seen.”

Drumm’s eyes suddenly grew with fear. “My lord, could this possibly threaten your plans?”

“Nothing can threaten my plans Drumm. They are so interwoven and intertwined that you can’t avoid one without being caught in the web of another.” It hissed. “I want you to keep an eye out for whatever this presence is.”

“I’ll have my spies scour the kingdom for you master. I can assure you that this presence will be in your hands before the next full moon.”

“I can be sure of nothing from you Drumm. Perhaps I should replace you early?”

Drumm whimpered at the thought. “Pleas master, allow me to prove myself to you. Just give me another chance!”

It considered for a moment before speaking again. “Very well Drumm. We shall see if you’re eyes are as good as you make them.” With that the grey smoke covered the crystals surface again. The Shadow Lord had little faith in Drumm’s resources, so it called for its eyes and ears. They would find this foreign magic infinitely faster than he would.

The Shadow Lord wasn’t the only being who had sensed the anomaly though. The lands guardians had also felt it and while most were asleep now, those who were awake observed from afar. They didn’t know if these new arrivals were friend of foe yet, so they observed attentively.

*****

With the party over and their guests all gone home, Games Master and Festivities sat down at one of their tables and placed the map on it. It shone more brightly than before, and along with the seven markers there was now a large black marker in the area marked Shadowlands. The two mares grinned at this, everything was going well. The pieces were in place, the players were ready, and rules were stated. Soon the main event would begin.

Festivities brought up two silver goblets filled with grape juice and handed one to her twin. “Let the games begin.” She said

“May the festivities commence.” Her twin responded.

A Walk in the Hills

The six ponies and dragon tumbled down through darkness itself for what felt like eons. They felt the force of it crushing down upon them like the pressure in the deepest oceans. Every twist and turn they were met by icy winds that battered and chilled them to the bone! They tried to call to each other, but the words were stolen from their throats. Hanging in-between consciousness by a thread they clung to each other desperately, but the wind howled on and they slipped farther and farther away from the awake world. Finally the darkness let out a great moan and the icy winds turned into a blizzard that battered their very minds with its chill. Unable to hold on anymore, the seven friends lost each other to the black void and were swept away.

Day one, Time 7:07 AM

Twilight shot up, a cold sweat gathering on her brow and her breaths coming short and fast. That nightmare was like nothing she had ever experienced before. It actually felt like it was real and she and her friends were there. Calm yourself Twilight, it was only a dream. She told herself. You probably just had too much excitement at Pinkie’s party. At least, that’s what she thought she had been doing. Yes Pinkie wanted us to meet her somewhere to host a party for-somepony.

The thought of Pinkie made Twilight worry for her friends. Quickly she swerved her head around to see if they were alright. To her shock, she discovered that not only was she alone, but she wasn’t even in Ponyville. She was lying in a small clearing of trees, with the first rays of sunlight spearing through the canopy and touching the floor like golden columns. Small grey birds flew all around the trees, busily weaving vines together to make elaborate and wonderful nests. Sadly, there was no a single sign of the others. Quickly Twilight go to her hooves and headed to a break in the clearing, so as to get her bearings. Had she taken the time to inspect the clearing a bit more, she would have noticed it was not naturally formed.

As Twilight headed further through the woods, she had the odd feeling like she was being watched. Turning around however, she could see nothing except birds and some large butter coloured moths. Smiling at her own sketchiness she continued along her way. When she finally parted from the trees she was blown away by what she saw. Before her eyes were dozens of large, rocky hills, covered with thick green forests and tranquil valleys. Small streams flowed among them like veins.

Now Twilight was beginning to worry, where was she? These hills were not on any Equestria maps, and surely somepony would have discovered them. What if I’m not even in Equestria anymore? Twilight brushed that thought out of her mind. This was most likely an area close to the Griffon’s mountains. Intrigued by this area, she decided to head down into one of the valleys. As she descended, Twilight noticed a large flock of birds taking off in desperation. It was almost like they were fleeing from something, but Twilight couldn’t see anything from where she was.

Suddenly her hoof brushed against something soft. Looking down she was shocked to find a golden saddlebag with her Cutie Mark stitched to it. Attached to the bag was a piece of paper that read Twilight Sparkle. Opening the bag, Twilight discovered a full water bottle, some dried apples, several bags of biscuits and a note. On the note were a black die and a chess king. Where have I seen those before? She wondered to herself. With no other option available, Twilight opened the note and began reading.

Twilight Sparkle

You begin the game in the Os-Mine Hills, located in the northern section of Topaz territory. Travel east to an area known locally as the Forest of Silence. Go to the middle forest (Mid Wood) and you will find a thick dome of vines known as The Dark. Collect one of the vines to receive more help.

Best of Luck!

Twilight looked over the note several times but couldn’t recall ever hearing of these locations, and she had read every geographical book in the Canterlot library twelve times! Whatever the case, it seemed she had no choice but to follow the instructions. At best it would lead her to her friends, and at worst she could at least find out more about where she was. Still, the thought of going to some place called the Forest of Silence didn’t sound comforting. It sounded every bit as fierce as the Everfree Forest, and she dreaded to think what creatures prowled within it. Looking into the saddlebag again she found a rolled up piece of parchment. Spreading it out, she discovered is was a map fragment.

Twilight studied the map for a bit and plotted the fastest course to Mid Wood. Quickly she gathered everything into the saddle bag and prepared to head off. Before she even took a step however, she once again got the feeling that something was watching her. Twilight spun around, horn glowing with magic and found herself face to face with two yellow reptilian eyes. “Spike?” She asked hopefully.

Slowly the figure revealed itself not to be Spike, but some form of large lizard. Its body was a beautiful gold colour and it looked slightly draconic. Quickly Twilight gathered her magic in her horn again and readied herself. The lizard hissed at her but didn’t stay and fight. It just slowly lumbered around the unicorn and into the grove of trees. Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Well that could have ended worse.”

“It speaks?”

Suddenly Twilight felt long bony hand spring out of the ground and grab at her back legs. Instinctively she bucked and not a second later howls of pain echoed around the hills. She readied her teleportation spell but more hands sprung out and grabbed her around the neck. Quickly she focused her magic on the hands, and was soon met with a confused and enraged grunt.

“Magic, it uses magic!”

Before Twilight could do anything else something hard impacted with her head, and the lavender unicorn fell to the ground as her assailants cackled with delight.

*****

Time, 7:49 AM

The great hall of the Palace in Del was empty. Not even the palace workers were present to performing their daily duties. Two guards stood at attention by all doors, and whenever they were questioned they responded. “By orders of Chief Adviser Drumm.” Inside the room the guars could hear him speaking to a group of people, but they didn’t delve any deeper. It wasn’t their place to get involved in such things. One thing that they heard often however was “find it by any means” so they assumed it was a cure for the illness that was plaguing the king. One thing’s for sure about Drumm. One guard thought to himself. He may be a snivelling sour man, but he is devoted to his King.

Ponies on the Plains

Day one, Time 6:13 AM

In a small ravine, just a few minutes’ walk from a sheltering grove; lay a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane. Rainbow Dash slept soundly, and dreamt pleasant dreams. She was a member of the Wonderbolts at last, and this was her first show. Her friends had all gathered to wish her luck. Just looking at their smiling faces was enough for her to perform twenty shows today. The Princesses themselves had decided to come to the event, looking ever as regale and majestic. Nothing could even hope to describe the joy that Rainbow was feeling. Every single one of her hopes and dreams had come true, and it could't have been on a better day.

Finally they took off, wowing everypony with amazing areal feats and maneuvers. When the sun was in the middle of the sky, Rainbow Dash flew up high to end the event with her signature move, a Sonic Rainboom. She got as high into the sky as possible and readied herself for the dive. Before she descended however, something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. She turned her head until she was face to face with the sun. Only it wasn’t the sun, but a large gem shinning with rainbow fire.

Rainbow stared at the gem, transfixed by its light, and drawn to its power. It was like it was a part of her, so long forgotten. She was so focused on it that she forgot to flap her wings, and soon the young pegasus was falling down through the sky! She tried to open her wings, but they refused to listen. All she could do was wait for the ground to rush up and greet her.

*****

“What as tas cratara?”
“Ay da nat knaw, bat Ay hard at spak.”

The strange voices were like a tap on the pegasus’s shoulder, partially waking her up. Had she been more awake (or anypony besides Rainbow Dash) she would have wondered what these voices were. But instead she simply brushed them off and slowly went back to sleep.

“Haw can at spak? At as a harsa.”
“Ay knaw at can spak, and lak, at as na harsa. Harsas dan’t hava wangs.”

Now the voices were quickly becoming a nuisance to the sleeping mare. She let out a grunt of annoyance and slowly opened her eyes. She was going to give these ponies a piece of her mind for being so disruptive. As her eyes fully opened she let out a gasp of fright. Crowded around her were two bipedal creatures clad in brightly coloured garments. They both had long arms that ended in five digits, which she had heard a certain unicorn call “hands.” But the most shocking thing about these creatures was their heads. The taller of the two had the head of some kind of water bird, and its companion the head of an otter. “What in the name of Celesta are you?”

The water birds eyes widened with shock and amazement. “By the heavens, it does speak!” Quickly he turned to his companion (at least it sounded like a he). “Wa mast shaw Bena!”

Not liking the sound of that, Dash decided it was time for her to leave. Quickly she got to her hooves while the two creatures discussed this Bena person. After taking a quick look to make sure they weren’t watching her, Dash spread her wings. Or at least she would if there wasn’t an entire length of rope around them. She tried to walk away, but was stopped by another rope around her neck, causing her to gag. Quickly the two creatures swerved their animal heads towards her.

“This creature seems eager to move on.” The Otter said. “I say we honor its wishes.”

The water bird nodded and strode over to the tree Rainbow was tied to. Quickly he began to untie it. The otter picked up another length that branched off of the one around her neck. As soon as she was freed however, Rainbow quickly bolted for the nearby forest. The two tried their best to hold onto her, but the ropes were snatched from their hands. “See you later weirdoes!” She called over her shoulders. She barely made it past the first ten trees however, when she heard a spitting sound. Quickly she came to a halt, which saved her from a sizzling liquid quickly burning away at the grass it touched.

Looking up, Dash saw that the trees were covered in thousands of white moths. The wings of the one that had spat at Dash were glowing scarlet. Suddenly all the moths next to it began glowing scarlet also, and soon they were spitting. Quickly Dash ran away from the moths, which didn’t follow and soon stopped their attack. The pegasus continued to tear through the forest, but everywhere she was met by more moths. She ran on, dodging their dangerous spit and didn’t stop for anything.

Finally she found herself out of the woods and in a secluded grove. A large campfire blazed in its center, with a banner hanging high above it strung between two trees. In the corner there were dozens of large wooden wagons and twice as many grey horses. And all around were more of the animal headed creatures. Quickly she could spy some with the heads of a wolf, frog, newt, squirrel, mouse, and a mocking jay, as well as a team of furry animals forming a pyramid and three herons dancing with flaming torches. “What are these creatures?” Dash said to herself.

“We could ask you the same thing, spy.”

Before Dash even had the chance to fight back, something dropped onto her back and a sack was placed over her head. A club then made contact with her head and she remembered no more.

*****

Time, 7:27 AM

Pinkie Pie woke up in the middle of a large parry that stretched in every direction. Immediately the fun loving mare was captivated by the area. The entire plain looked like it had been painted over with all sorts of exotic and eye catching colours. And if that wasn’t enough, then there was the wildlife. There were large deer with long curled antlers grazing among small funny looking rodents and short black birds that looked too heavy to fly. Sweet smelling purple plumbs dotted the ground, and to Pinkies delight they tasted as good as they smelt.

“What a super spectacular place I’ve found!” Pinkie exclaimed excitedly. “Everypony, you have got to see this!” When she received no replay, the pink pony swerved her head perfectly around her neck to confirm her suspicion, she was alone. Pinkie tried to remember where her friends may be, but everything was blurry. She could remember throwing a party and something cold, but that was it. She remembered her friend’s voices during this, but then they vanished. It was making her sad to think about.

During her recollection, her hoof ended up brushing something soft. Looking over, Pinkie was surprised to see a lush, blood red saddle bag with her cutie mark sown to it. Quickly she opened the bag and searched through its contents. There was some water, a cupcake, dried apples, and a note with both a black die and a chess king on the front. Quickly Pinkie opened it and found a letter and a rolled up piece of parchment.

Pinkemena "Pinkie" Diane Pie

You begin on the Painted Plains, far to the east of Ruby territory. Further east is the Sea of Serpents, named for the mighty sea serpents that dwell in its depts. Go there and retrieve a fang from a serpent and you shall receive more help.

Best of Luck!

All these locations and words sailed completely over the silly mares head. Instead she decided to unfold the parchment. To her delight, it was a map fragment.

This was just the boost Pinkie needed. Now she could begin to search for her friends, and they could all go home. She didn’t like the sound of these “sea serpents” much though. Ah, they can’t be any worse than anything else we’ve faced before. And so with a new spring in her step, the pink pony gathered up the saddle bag and bounced off towards the east.

The Spring

Day one, Time, 7:30 AM

Far in Deltora’s north, the last storm of winter had gathered. It howled like a mad wolf in the early morning, and chilling rain pounded the ground like stones. Even the most resilient of the northerners didn’t venture outside during a day like this. Some of the oldest would tell their grandchildren of this storm, calling it “Winters Last Breath.” The only beings who dared the winds were the lands guardians, for they could fly above the storm clouds and still observe their domain.

Far below them however, a yellow pegasus struggled through the storm. Her pink mane was tossed and tangled by the wind, blinding what precious little sight she had. Her legs were numb with cold and her energy reserves were nearly depleted, and yet she moved on with fiery determination. She hadn’t any memory of where she was, or where she had been. All she knew was her friends were missing, and she was far from home.

Normally those thoughts alone would be enough to send the mare into a hysterical panic, but she had no time for that now. She could feel her wings loose feeling from the icy rain, but she clung to the thoughts of her friends, both pony and non pony. They would help her get through this. Somehow they would all go home together, and then she could panic.

The wind picked up to a ghostly roar, and the rain came down harder and colder than before. Grass was pinned down under its force, and trees bent and cracked. Fluttershy got some relief from this in the form of a large, pale rock. It offered a sliver of protection from the storm, but it was enough for Fluttershy to regain her precious sight, and not a moment too soon. Behind the rock was a hidden grove of trees that seamed somewhat sheltered from the storm.

Gathering all her remaining strength together, Fluttershy charged once more onto the brink. It felt like days passed but eventually she made it to the grove. It wasn’t fully protected from the storm, but it was safer than where she had been. Fluttershy quickly walked towards the trees, and immediately started gagging on water. Due to the blinding wind of the storm, she hadn’t noticed the large spring in the center of the grove, and fell right in.

Quickly she clambered out and dashed for the trees, where the winds were calmer. Shivering from cold and exhaustion, the yellow pegasus made her way towards the nearest tree and collapsed by its base.

*****

Time, 9:00 AM

The first thing Fluttershy heard was screams of pain and fright. She looked around desperately for the source, which didn’t take long. On the ground was some form of bipedal creature, clad in leather armor. Its hair was braided and came down to its midsection. She moved over to the injured creature cautiously, having also noticed the knife held tightly in its appendages known as “hands.” The creature didn’t bother to look at her, instead staring off towards some large rocks. Odd. Fluttershy thought. I don’t remember the grove being this barren.

Two other creatures were by the rocks, a long length of rope in their hands. By the looks on their faces, they were struggling with something.

“This one’s a fighter!” One of them said.
“Yeah, it’ll fetch us a nice price in Rithmere.” His companion replied.
“Yah sure that’s such a good idea? Look what the little devil did to Fairfax. I’d hate to see what’ll happen if it gets out in Rithmere.”
“Which is why we sell it and disappear as soon as possible Farley. Honestly sometimes you are so-“

Before he could finish his sentence however, the rope was thruster from both of them and dragged in-between the rocks before either creature could grab it. Not a moment later the rope came flying back and ensnared the one called Farley. As soon as he was down, something large came and tackled the last creature to the ground. Fluttershy’s heard nearly leapt from her chest when she saw who it was. “Applejack!”

The orange mare made no response to Fluttershy, not even bothering to look up from the pinned creature. It desperately reached for its knife but AJ swatted it away. “Now wha' in tarnation gives ya’ll the right to attack me?”

“I’m not afraid of a talking mule.” He spat. Applejack looked directly into his eyes while hers blazed with anger. This was the last thing he saw before she brought her hoof down on his head.

“Call me a mule will yah?” She muttered to herself as she headed back over to the rocks. Fluttershy dashed in front of her. There was no way Applejack could miss her now. But again the orange pony simply ignored Fluttershy, and walked right through her!

*****

Time: 7:00 PM

Fluttershy shot up from the ground, clasping her chest. The storm seemed to have dies down and the grove seemed much more pleasant and peaceful. Too bad that was all ruined by Fluttershy’s turmoil. Was that all just a dream? No it couldn’t bee, it felt so real. Like I was actually there!

Suddenly Fluttershy’s ears picked up the distanced sound of laughter coming from the center of the clearing. Slowly she crept to the tree line and observed. Next to the spring were two more of the creatures she had seen in her dream. Fluttershy could just tell that these two were not friendly in the least. Slowly she began creeping towards a large circle of rocks, until she heard a moan of pain. Turning around she could see a third creature gagged and blindfolded. His right arm was bleeding. Suddenly forgetting her fears, Fluttershy headed back to the trees just as the two by the spring finished filling their flasks.

“What good fortune that we find this spring, wouldn’t you say?” One of the creatures asked. Fluttershy could see he had a long cut going down the right side of his face.

“Yeah, we can make the trek to the cost in no time now.” His companion said. “You hear that mate, soon you’ll be rid of us and be free as a bird.”

“Well, as free as you can be on a foreign slave ship.”

That got some laughter from the two of them before they downed the water they had. Fluttershy watched them and was suddenly filled with her most feared emotion, RAGE! How could any creature be this cruel to another and laugh about it? It made her sick. Slowly she snuck down from the trees and began advancing on the captive creature while the others still had their backs turned. When she got next to him she lightly tapped his shoulder. The creature stirred a little, but did nothing else. “Don’t worry, I’m here to help.”

Immediately the creatures head turned towards her and after a moment nodded in agreement. Quick as she could Fluttershy undid the bonds around his arms and began work on his legs. Once his hands were free, the creature took off his blindfold. When he saw that his saviour was a taking winged horse however, he let out a grunt of shock.

The two by the spring swerved around and immediately drew their swords. A look of anger was plastered onto their faces. The prisoner tried to run but ended up falling over from the ropes around his legs. Fluttershy was suddenly filled with fright, and clasped her hooves over her head, waiting for this nightmare to end! Instead of the sound of metal hitting flesh however, her ears were met by grunts and cries of pain and fear. Confused and intrigued, Fluttershy partially opened her eyes.

The two creatures had dropped their swords and had gone ridged. All they could do was scream as their bodies stretched upwards and their legs merged together. Roots bound them to their spots and buds appeared on their faces and fingers. Until finally the screaming stopped and in their places were two identical looking pale trees.

In the West

Day one, Time, 9:03 AM

Having just woken up in a strange land and survived an attack by hairless apes in dreads, an orange Earth pony searched for her favorite hat. A cold wind was blowing, reminding her of chilling dreams, and cutting into her like a knife. Overall, not the best morning for Applejack.“Could this day get any worse?” Immediately after she finished the wind picked up and a small stone the size of a cork was swept up and impacted with her face. “Ah just had t’ ask?”

After taking a moment for the spots to disappear from her eyes, AJ went back to searching for her hat. After a minute or so, she discovered it lodged between the rocks. Carefully she balanced herself on the uneven terrain and pulled it out, flipping it onto her head in the process. Smiling Applejack headed back to the three creatures that had attacked her. While two of them were out of commission she could at least get some information from the bound one. As she approached them however, something caught her eye. Slowly she sifted her head towards the rocks again and found the source. It was a beautiful midnight blue saddle bad dotted with pinpoints of silver. This made it look like it had been cut from the night sky itself. Sewn onto the bag were the unmistakable three apples that were AJ’s cutie mark.

Deciding that the bag is for her, Applejack walked towards the bag and opened it. Inside she found some dried apples, a water flask, a strong length of rope, and a letter. The insignia on it was a black die and a chess king. Quickly she opened the letter, revealing a note as well as a rolled up map fragment.

Applejack

You begin the game in the south of Lapis Lazuli territory, close to the fork in Adin’s Ride. Head far north to the place known as the Shifting Sands. There you shall find creatures known as Terriocti, Sand Beasts. Collect the head of one and you shall receive more help.

Best of Luck
P.S try not to hurt any more Mere will you?

Applejack read the note several times to make sure she was reading it right. Never in her life had the orange mare heard of these places and creatures. What’s more, she had to kill one of these Sand Beasts! She’d never killed anything before, and she didn’t want to start. Still, it seemed that whoever was behind all this would only help if she complied. So with no other option available, Applejack placed the bag into her back and walked over to the lassoed creature, which the note had identified as a Mere. “Do yah know of any place called The Shiftin’ Sands perchance?”

The Mere’s eyes widened with what seemed to be fear. “What do you know of that place?” It asked.

Applejack smiled. “So yah do know of it then?” He nodded. “Yah wouldn’t mind takin’ me there would yah?”

The Mere was now genuinely afraid. Sweat was appearing on his face and his eyes were as big as hers. “Pleas have mercy on me! I didn’t even want to capture you! It was their idea! Don’t bring me to the sands! Surely there are more merciful ways to-.”

Applejack grabbed him by the middle and lifted him up to eye level. “Now listen here mister. In just ten minutes Ah’ve been separated from mah friends, transported to some foreign land, and attacked by the likes of ya’ll! Ah don’t care what’s so scary about these here Shiftin’ Sands, but like it or not, you’re takin’ me their! Got it?” The Mere rapidly nodded in agreement. “Yah can conceder it you’re apology gift t’ me.” She said with a smile.

Slowly Applejack helped him to his feat, but left the rope intact. “So which way is it to these sands?”

"About a day’s ride north of Rithmere, which is a day and a half’s journey from here on foot.” He begrudgingly replied. “By the way, since we’ll be traveling together, I am Farley of Orak.”

“Applejack of Ponyville.” She said tipping her hat. “Now we’d best not waste any more time.” With that she grabbed the other end of the rope in her mouth and the two of them were off.

*****

Time, 9:14 AM

Rarity awoke to the calming sound of the sea lapping against the shore. She was on a rock next to the sandy beach of the ocean. In the distance she could see two islands coming from the sea connected by a small and fragile looking stone bridge. One appeared scarlet, and the other like a diamond. Everywhere silver fish where leaping from the ocean with perfect synch and unity. If she had discovered this place under another circumstance, she may have been more relaxed. But given that the young unicorn had just had suffered a horrid dream and seemed to be all alone, she was in quite a stressful state. To make things worse, her mane was coarse with salt and foam.

The sound of hearty laughter was soon carried to the white pony. Moving around the rocks she could see a small brown hut, easily concealed among the stones. The area was full of tall, bipedal creatures. From the looks of their attires, Rarity guessed that they were sailors. Most of them were hauling cargo from their ship and taking it to horse drawn wagons. Others were heading into the hut and coming out with bags of fresh water, medicine, and strong smelling fish chowder.

Without any other option available to her, Rarity cautiously stepped out from the rocks and walked towards one of the sailors. He looked like he’d seen many trips to sea. “Um excuse me sir, do you have a minute?”

The old sailor paused for a moment and stared at the pony. After a minute he let out a joyful laugh. “A-a talking pony? My years must finally be catching up to me.” He took a moment to catch his breath. “Now, what can I do for you?”

“Well, can you tell me where I am sir?”

The sailor raised his hand as if to stop her. “No need for the ‘sir’, just call me Farnese. And you’re currently standing on The Finger, Deltora’s most western port.”

So this area is called Deltora. Rarity thought to herself. “And can you tell me if you’ve seen any other ponies around?”

Farnese shook his head. “You’re the first I’ve seen, and we just made port so I doubt the others have." he then tilted his head curiously and pointed next to Rarity. "Say, is that yours?”

Looking in the direction of his finger, Rarity was shocked to discover a marvellous saddlebag; pure white and shinning like a diamond! Her own three diamonds that made up her cutie mark were stitched onto the side. “Where did this come from?” Rarity questioned.

“In my experience, it’s always best to take advantage of a good turn of events.” The old sailor said with a smile. Deciding to take his advice, Rarity opened the bag.

*****

Time, 9:17 AM

Spike’s eyes shot open with fear, his blood felt like ice in his veins. That was the most realistic dream he had ever had. He turned his head around, and his heart sank. He was sitting by a calm lake, all alone. Spike held his head in his claws. Where in Equestria am I, and where are the others? He thought to himself. I hope their safe.

Spike’s thoughts were interrupted by a strange presence. It was like something was tugging at him, beckoning him to come. Without even thinking he got to his feet and nearly jumped out of his scales. Directly in front o him was a beautiful white city made entirely of marble. It was perfect in every definition of the word. Not a single crack or chip could be seen in its rising pillars and long white walls. The only way into the city was a large beckoning archway that leads into a deep tunnel.

Once again Spike felt the pull on his body, forcing him towards the arch. Now it was getting annoying. “Ok Ok, I’ll come.” To his relief he felt the tug loosen. He looked up at the arch, and shivered with fright. Whatever this city was, it emanated with magic. “Well here it goes.” The young dragon said as he took the first step into the tunnel.

Captive

Day one, Time, 7:40 AM

Like a feather flying freely in the wind, Rainbow Dash zipped across the skies above Ponyville. The speed she was going at was enough to strip entire forests of their leaves, and whip up water in snake like waves. If somepony could actually look at her face, they’d see an incomprehensible smile. And why shouldn’t’ they? The young mare was finally home!

After her thirtieths circle, the rainbow mare landed in the center of town. Ponies gathered around and began cheering. Many familiar faces were in the crowd, such as the Mayor, the clumsy mail mare Derpy, that unicorn who told her about “hands” and her pink and blue haired best friend. Despite all the praises and celebration, something felt wrong to Dash, like something was missing. Quickly she scanned through the crowd until she discovered it. “Has anypony seen my friends?”

An eerie silence fell over the crown. “Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Spike. Those names ring any bells?” The crowd remained as silent as a grave. Anger and frustration quickly built up inside of the rainbow pegasus. “Where are my FRIENDS!?” She screamed with as much emotion she could. While the gathering of ponies remained silent, one of the front ones looked directly up. As soon as it did, all the others followed suit. Confused and infuriated, Dash decided to follow their line of sight. She shifted her head to the sky, and was face to face with a blazing rainbow gem!

She tried to move but her hooves were frozen in place. She tried to scream but her voice was gone. All she could do is watch as flames leapt from the gem and sail towards her like whips of fire. As the flames were about to lick at her skin a soft, kind voice entered her mind.

Wake Up

*****

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes, and was met by a throbbing pain in her head. Slowly her memories about the animal headed creatures returned to her. She rose to her hooves and tried to take off, but ropes still bound her wings. She tried to move, but eight lengths of rope tied her to four strong trees. Despite this, Dash tried valiantly to break free. “This one’s determined, I’ll give it that.” Dash swerved her head in the direction of the voice, and was met by the entire camps worth of animal headed creatures.

After a full five minute of trying to escape, Dash lowered herself in defeat. “What are you going to do to me?” She asked.

“We’ll let our troop leader decide your fate spy.” Spoke one with an eagles head.

Dash raised her head in confusion, before letting out a small laugh. “I’m not a spy.”

The eagle headed one sneered at her. “Of course you don’t expect a spy to reveal what they are.”

Dash was about to retaliate, but the gathering of creatures suddenly parted to reveal another creature that she assumed was female. She was tall and had long brown hair decorated with many coloured feathers. Her arms were covered in bracelets of all sizes. She was dresses in a deep purple uniform adorned with golden markings. Her head was that of an owl.

The eagle headed creature walked towards her. “Bena, haw shald wa panash tas spy?”

The owl women looked at Dash and observed her prisoner, taking every little detail of the pegasus. After a moment she turned back to the eagle man. “Haw da ya knaw sha as a spy?”

“For the last time I’m not a spy!” Dash nearly screamed. “And if you’re going to talk about me in front of my face, don’t go changing around letters to make me thing it’s another language.”

Every one of the creatures was shocked by the pegasus, even the eagle. The only one not was the owl women, whose eyes seemed impressed. “Well done child, I don’t believe we have been properly introduced. I am Bena, troop leader of the Masked Ones.”

Those last words made Dash nearly faint. Masks! Quickly she looked at her captors. Their heads looked so real, no wonder she had been fooled. Bena smiled at the pegasus. “Never heard of us before, have you?”

“Of course the spy won’t say it has. Let us just kill it now!” The eagle man pleaded.

“Be calm Oren, I wish to hear what she has to say.” She turned back to Rainbow Dash. “I told you of us, now who are you and why are you here? And do not dare try and lie to me!”

Dash swallowed hard. “My name is Rainbow Dash; I’m a pegasus from the land of Equestria. I don’t know how I got to wherever here is.”

Oren let out a sour laugh. “This one is a good story teller; perhaps we should keep it to entertain the children!”

Bena shot him a look that would make even Celestia pause. “I will not give you another chance Oren, be silent!” Cursing under his breath, he moved towards the back of the crowd. “I apologies for his behavior, he always was mistrusting of newcomers.” She smiled, and Dash finally noticed her mouth beneath the mask. “Now then you may ask a question now, and if I am able I shall answer it.”

Dash thought for a moment before asking her question. “What are you?”

Bena smiled “As I said, we are the Masked Ones. Our race is human; our professions are traveling entertainers and performers. We are widely looked forward to in Deltora’s northern towns.”

“And where is Deltora?”

“That’s a new question my dear.” She said before turning back to the rest of the troop. “The Inner circle and I will now decide on the prisoners fate.” With that she and about five other members, including Oren, headed over to the wagons. Slowly the other members of the troop broke off and went back to their performing, until only one was left leaning against one of the trees Dash was bound to. Unlike the others, he was dressed entirely in black. His mask was a raven.

“Why are you still here? Making sure I don’t escape?”

“Yes, and I’m trying to figure out why my mother has taken an interest in you.”

This caught her completely on a left field. “Your Bena’s son?”

“Indeed I am.” He said extending a black gloved hand. “Name’s Ransford.”

Dash looked at him questioningly. “So what do you do around here?”

“I look after the horses mostly, although I can tame any animal I meet.”

Dash looked at him as if insulted. “So, what, are you thinking of taming me?”

Ransford laughed a little. “No, I don’t think I could even if I wanted to. You seem a bit out of my league.”

Dash smiled. “You don’t seam that bad, for a mask wearing performer who kidnaps ponies on the grounds of spying.”

“You have to understand, were not a very trusting family.” He said. “We don’t let many people join our troop, shame if you ask me.”

“Why? You don’t like it here or something?”

Ransford seemed shocked by this. “Heavens no, I love being a part of the Masked Ones, I just wish others were allowed to share in our family. We only take in orphaned infants and children no older than ten. To me, it feels unfair that only they get to join us, while so many others are left behind.”

Dash was now getting interested. “So then why is it you only accept little kids?”

“I shouldn't be telling you all this.” He sighed “We’re not supposed to reveal our secrets to outsiders.” He turned his head towards the camp and kicked off the tree. ‘The Inner Circle’s returning.”

Sure enough, Bena and the other members were coming back. She smiled when she noticed her son. “Ah Ransford, there you are.”

“I should probably leave.” He whispered.

“No, you’ll stay. You need to hear this as well.” His mother replied. Ransford stood at attention while his mother spoke. “After discussing the situation over, we have decided that we lack enough proper evidence to pass sentence on the ‘pegasus.’ Therefore, we have decided to keep her here-”

“WHAT!” Dash shouted.

“-until we can come to a solid conclusion.” She looked at her son. “Ransford, you’ll watch over her.”

“What? But mother, I have a new act I’ve been working on. Pleas if you let me perfect it I can play when we reach Happy Vale!”

“I need your sharp eyes to watch her, my strong raven.” She said calmly. “You can start by showing her around the camp.”

Ransford was about to protest, but the Inner Circle shot him authorative looks, so he swallowed his tong. Satisfied, Bena looked at Rainbow Dash. “I hope this won’t take too long, my dear.” Before Dash could reply, the members were all walking back towards the camp.

Ransford looked back at Dash and made a ghost of a smile. “Well looks like we’ll be seeing lots of each other from now on.” Quickly he moved over to the trees and began untying the ropes. “Welcome to the Masked Ones.”

Broom

Day one, Time 4:47 PM

The painted plains looked beautiful with the afternoon light bathing it. The explosion of colours was captivation to any creature who dared look at it. Although, they’d most likely be watching the pink pony frolicking and skipping amongst the tall flowers and grass with a smile larger than anything imaginable. She had been walking all day without a single exiting thing, so to her tired eyes this was like the greatest gift anypony could give. Currently she was having a race with two of the funny looking deer. Sadly her fun had to come to an end when she approached rolling hills, described as the Capricon Hills on the map. She took one last look to the beautiful plains, and the funny wildlife, before heading into the hills. When she reached the top she stopped for a moment to look back at the funny deer. Yet when she did the deer had seemingly vanished into the air.

Pinkie shrugged the disappointment off and whipped out her map fragment and studied it carefully. Apparently there was a town called Broom not too far from the hills. Maybe they have boats I can use! Pinkie thought to herself. And fisherponies to help! “Hoooray, New Friends!” Pinkie bounced across the hills for about twenty minutes until she found a decent. At the bottom of the hills she could see the golden reflection of the sun on the sea. “WOW, the sun is moving by ITSELF!”

After a moment of watching the sun, the party mare looked a bit closer to shore. To her delight there stood a large walled city of square white towers and sturdy looking buildings. Boats were docking at the ports with nets filled with silver fish. What got Pinkie most exited was the sound of music flying on the wind. Unable to contain herself any more, the pink pony tore down the hills and headed to the front gate of the city.

“Stop right there!”

Obeying the authoritive voice, Pinkie froze partially in the air. She shifted her eyes towards the source. Standing in front of the gate was a bipedal creature that resembles some form of ape or monkey, except it lacked hair on its body, with the exception of its head and face. He was dressed in basic leather armor, and armed with a spear. He looked up at the pink pony with a slightly confused look. “State your business, pink...horse?”

“Kam Ih hove yep?” Pinkie struggled to say without moving her lips.

The guard looked at the flask of ale in his other hand for a moment before tossing it away. “Um, yes of course.”

Smiling Pinkie moved towards the guard. “So, what is it?”

“As I said, state your name and business for coming to Broom at such an hour. You do know there’s only an hour or so worth of sunlight left.”

“Sorry I didn’t know there was a curfew.” Pinkie said. “My name is Pinkie Pie, and I just wanted to know if I could come inside.”

“It is customary for first time visitors to present the city with a gift.” The guard said.

“Oh I have just the thing!” Pinkie said excitingly. Quickly she dug into her blood red saddle bag and took out the cupcake and handed it to the guard. “Sorry there’s only one. Do you think the town can share?”

The guard smiled and accepted the gift from the silly pony. “You may be the strangest thing I’ve ever seen, but you’re a generous soul. The gates of Broom are open to you. Please head straight in and take the first right. That will take you to the guesthouse.”

With that he stepped aside and signalled for the gates to open. Once they were open Pinkie shot the guard a thank you smile. She was about to head into the city, until she had the weirdest feeling something was behind her. She turned around to discover dozens of individuals gathering on top of the Capricon Hills. She could just barely make out some of their features; bipedal and possessing the upper body of the guard, but the legs of a goat. They seemed to just gather on top of the hill and sit, as if waiting for something. “Mr. Guard, what are they?”

The guard looked at the pony and gave her a look of pity and remorse. “They are the Capricons. Every night they gather on top of those hills to stare at a phantom of Capra; their ancient city. This is why we get inside before sunset.”

Pinkies smile quickly faded. “Can we help them?”

“We have tried, but they refuse.” The guard said, and Pinkie could sense the frustration in his voice. “They consider themselves above everyone, especially the people of Broom, who ‘dance upon the bones of Capra.’” He could see that Pinkie was getting upset and gave her a comforting smile. “Do not pity them, they chose this fate willingly. Now go inside and enjoy the city.” Pinkie gave the guard one last smile before bouncing inside the gates. Before they shut closed again, she gave one last remorseful look to the Capricons.

The inside of Broom was just as nice as it looked from atop the hills. The buildings were all evenly spaced, and everywhere the citizens had happy looks on their faces. Pinkie was especially astounded by what she assumed to be the mares of this species. All of them had the hair on their heads completely shaved off, and replaced with colourful and beautiful patterns. The clothing of all the citizens was interesting to look at, very bright and colourful. This, combined with the sound of music from further in the town, made Pinkie feel right at home.

Following the guards instructions, Pinkie made her way to the guesthouse. It wasn’t much inside, just a few benches, which were currently empty, and a table where a city official sat flanked on both sides by guards. Pinkie walked chipperly up to the official who had to do a double take to make sure he was sane. “And what, pray tell, is this?” He said in a slow, but intelligent voice.

“My name is Pinkie Pike, and I’m an Earth Pony. The nice guard by the gate told me to come in here after I gave him a cupcake. I would have given one to you, but I don’t have any more. But I could make some if you have the ingredients. Oh wait, silly me, I don’t have any money. But I could work for money, and then I can make cupcakes for the whole city! Then we could-“

“I’m sorry, what was your name?” the official asked.

The party mare let out a small giggle. “It’s Pinkie Pie, silly.”

The official quickly wrote down her name in one of his registration books. “And you're sure one of our guards allowed you access?”

“Yep!”

The official smiled at her. “Well it may be the strangest case I’ve ever had, but everything works out. You are now free to come and go as you pleas. Welcome to Broom and enjoy your stay. Just don’t cause any problems.”

Pinkie thanked the official, smiled at the two guards and headed out of the building. Immediately she followed the sound of music until she was in the center of the city. Everywhere male and female citizens were dancing, laughing, singing and playing instruments. Unable to contain her excitement any longer, Pinkie jumped in among the dancers. Instantly the music stopped and everyone stared at the pink pony. “Aww don’t stop the music, I just got here.”

One of the women approached Pinkie. Her skin was slightly darker than everyone’s and her eyes were bright grey. From the smell of oils on her garments, Pinkie assumed she was a fishermare. “You can speak?”

“Yep!” Pinkie said.

The women turned to her fellow citizens with a confused look on her face. “Well, were is the music? A talking pink pony has come to Broom. This is as much a reason to celebrate as any!” The crowed began speaking amongst themselves and most of them smiled. Cheers then erupted from some members and soon the celebration was back in full swing! Pinkie was swept away by the women, who identified herself as Lanette. Everyone was having so much fun with their new visitor and each other, that none of them noticed the strange women observing Pinkie. Her body was concealed by a green cloak, but one thing was certain about her. Her eyes were as blue as the sea.

Kindness

Day one, Time, 7:09 PM

Fear and panic gripped at the yellow pegasus, binding her to the earth she stood on. Her nerves were frozen, forcing her so stare at the two pale trees that had seconds ago been wicked and evil creatures. All that remained of them now were their scattered possession. Even though they meant to do her harm, Fluttershy still felt great remorse for them.

Fluttershy was brought out of her trance like state by the moans of pain behind her. Quickly she moved over to the injured creature, still tangled in the ropes. He had fallen on his bad arm, and it was bleeding even worse than before. Tossing aside her fears, Fluttershy flew over to the pale trees and picked up the remaining scraps of clothing around them. She then made a crude sling and tied it over the creatures arm. He opened his eyes partially, which seemed to say thank you.

Fluttershy smiled. “Don’t worry mister; I’ll have you fit as a fiddle in no time.” Slowly she assisted the creature to one of the large rocks and rested him next to it. “My name is Fluttershy”

The creature looked at her and gave a weak smile. He pointed to himself and softly said. “Tamer...of...Del.”

“Shhh, don’t try and speak.” She said wetting a cloth and placing it over his wounded arm. He cringed at the stinging feeling it brought, but didn’t struggle. “It’s nice to meet you Tamer, even if the circumstances weren’t that great.” She looked back over at the trees. “What do you think happened to them?”

Tamer shook his head in confusion, although Fluttershy could tell from his face he didn’t care in the slightest. Well they did have him captured. She thought to herself. “I was just wondering because earlier today I fell into that spring and swallowed some water, but I didn’t become a tree.” It would be interesting though.

“My dear, did you read the sign?”

Both Fluttershy and Tamer looked around for the source of the voice. Suddenly the rock Tamer was resting beside began to shift and uncurl itself. Looking around Fluttershy could see many of the other large rocks doing the same. Normally she would be frightened, but the voice was soft, and gave off a feeling of kindness.

Soon the grove was filed with creatures bigger than a Manticore reared on its hind legs. They all had soft tan fur, large dark eyes and plump bodies supported on two short legs. Fluttershy also noticed they had velvety wings folded on their backs, and many of them possessed pouches like a Kangaroo. In-between their legs, smaller young looked at the newcomers with wide eyed optimism and curiosity. The oldest of the creatures stood in front of the others and raised its paw like hand. “My name is Sen, and we are the Kin. Normally we don’t reveal ourselves to others, but you seem trustworthy.”

Tamer’s eyes seemed too widened with amazement. He was about to speak but Fluttershy stopped him with a quick look. She then felt a slight pull on her left wing. She turned her head and was eye to eye with one of the young Kin. “Look mommy, this one is a flying horse. See, she has wings!”

“That is no way to treat guests, Little One.” Her mother responded.

Fluttershy looked at the young Kin and smiled. “It’s alright, I don’t mind.” She turned back to face Sen. “So what were you saying about a sign on the spring.”

The old Kin smiled and pointed to one of the rocks next to the spring. Fluttershy could see a brass plate was fixed to the stone. “I don’t blame you for missing it. Truthfully I was most shocked that you made it here at all in a storm like that.”

Fluttershy flew over to the rock and inspected the plate up close. Despite the plate being ancient as it was, the words were still clearly visible.
Dreaming Spring
Drink gentle strangers, and welcome
All of evil will beware.

“So this spring turns wicked people into trees.”

“Indeed.” The old Kin said softly. “We Kin can identify every one of the trees that we observed transform. It is an awful fate truly. They are forever trapped in-between the realms of life and death, with no hope of ever escaping.”

Fluttershy felt like she was about to break down in tears. “That’s awful.”

“They made their choices in life, and every action has a reaction.” He gave a kind smile to the pegasus. “Best not to think of them as nothing more than the trees they now are.”

Fluttershy nodded. “So what does the spring do to those who are kind?”

Sen chuckled at her question. “You already know, my dear. You experienced it while you slept.”

The yellow pegasus’s eyes widened with realization. “My dream about Applejack?”

“Yes, though I don’t know who that is.” Sen replied. “The spring allows you to visit a person or place in your dreams as if you were physically there. You can’t interact with them at all in this state, but it can bring comfort, as I’m sure you found.”

Never had Fluttershy heard of such a magic that could take you places when you dreamed. Even Twilight, who lived to study magic, had never come across this in any of her books or scrolls. Eager to hear more, she asked the Kin what they dreamed of.

“We dream of our home on Dread Mountain, far to the north.” One mother said. “This place is our winter home, but soon it will be time for us to return.”

Fluttershy shuddered at the name. “Sounds like a scary place.”

“Not at all, so long as you know how to get around its actually quite nice. The Dread Gnomes who live on the mountain hunt us however, but their arrows are nothing more than thorns to us. Truly our greatest threats come from the Vraal beasts that escape from the Shadowlands.”

“Well if it’s alright with you. I don’t think I’ll be coming to your mountain.” Fluttershy said timidly. “I’ve had bad experiences on them in the past.”

“Awww, you’ll be staying with us until we leave wont you?” One of the young asked.

Fluttershy gave one of her friendly smiles. “Of course I will. I mean, I still have to take care of poor Tamer, and he needs at least two or three days before he can walk again.” The young Kin cheered with glee. “That remands me, I’d better check on him.” She said her goodbyes to the Kin and flew to the forest. Tamer was sleeping soundly next to a tree. His arm no longer bled and his breaths were normal. Softly Fluttershy added more bandages to his arm and felt his forehead with her hoof.

Satisfied, Fluttershy was about to head back to the Kin when something caught her attention. Turning around, she was shocked to discover a beautiful emerald green saddlebag sitting next to Tamer. Embodied onto its sides were three butterflies, the same as her cutie mark. Slowly she lifted the bag open and peered inside. It contained a flask of water, some dried apples, a roll of bandages, and a sealed envelope. Quickly she opened the note, not even bothering to look at the symbols of a die and chess king on the front. Inside was a note, and a rolled up map fragment. As the yellow mare read both of them, her heart sand deeper and deeper into her chest.

Fluttershy

You begin the game at the border of Emerald territory. Far to the north lies Dread Mountain, the stronghold of the Dread Gnome tribe. On the mountain is a species of tree called the Boolong Tree, found only in that region. Collect a cone from the trees to receive more help.

Best of luck.

Along the Roads

Day one, Time 3:00 PM

Applejack and Farley had been traveling along the road for many hours without seeing a single sign of life. No settlements to provide shelter, and no people for services. Southern Lapis Lazuli territory was quite bleak and barren. Despite this, the two continued on towards their forbidding destination, much to the Meresman’s charge. How ironic for a rider to be lead by a horse to battle. He looked at his captor, who was busy inspecting her map. “If you have a map, why do you need a guide?” The orange pony turned to him and let the rope drop from her mouth in an almost challenging manner. He looked at the mare and his eyes seemed to whispered No thank you my dear.

“Ah may have a map of the area, but Ah’m still a stranger. Ah need somepony who knows this land.”

Farley smiled at the orange pony. “Smart answer, on one hand I can tell you how many people I’ve met who would say that.”

Applejack gave him a confused look. “Ya’ll are taking this pretty well aren’t yah?”

The man simply shrugged his shoulders. “Lady Luck had dealt me a hand, and I’ve decided to play it. Even a bad hand can still win you the pot.”

“Gamblin’s a vile thing. Best t’ just avoid it if yah asked me.”

Farley laughed when she was finished. “Welcome to Lapis Lazuli territory, home of the Mere tribe and gambling hub of Deltora. Which reminds me; how far are we from the Broad River?”

Applejack looked back at the map. “If we keep at this here pace, we’ll be there before tomorrow noon.”

“Well then let us be off.” He said coldly. “I don’t wish to keep the sands waiting for too long.” Obliging, Applejack picked up the rope in her mouth again and they headed off. For over two hours they traveled along the road, and while the countryside began to grow livelier, they still didn’t see anybody. All this time they traveled in silence, each one lost in their own thoughts.

Applejacks thoughts were currently on her family back home in Ponyville and how much they must miss her. She could just imagine Applebloom and Big Macintosh going out to search for her, only to come out empty hoofed and heartbroken. Could they even pull on, after what happened to their parents? Her thoughts then drifted to her friends, lost and scattered who knows where. For all she knew they could be in this territory, over sea, underground, or they could still be in Ponyville. Who knows what dangers they were facing right this moment? These thoughts made Applejack feel even worse than when she had deliberately run away from everypony because of her pride. Is this karmas way of paying me back?

“Does something trouble you Applejack?” Farley asked, snapping her back from her thoughts.

“It’s nothing.”

“Those eyes don’t look like they are troubled by ‘nothing’. They look like they worry for things they cannot see. And they fear what will happen to those they love.”

Applejack looked at him bafflingly. “Yah sure are a strange one. One minute yah attack me, now yah comfort me.”

“I told you earlier I didn’t want to take you, but desperate men do desperate things.”

“How desperate we talkin’?”

“I’d prefer if we didn’t speak of it now” He said calmly. Suddenly he looked towards the road and listened. Applejack quickly followed suit, and soon they could hear the sound of horse’s coming from farther along the road. Quickly they dashed for the rocks and remained hidden until a grey covered wagon pulled by a single black horse came into view. Sitting at the rains was a human concealed in an emerald cloak. Swiftly the rider pulled the reins and beckoned the horse to stop. It then lowered itself from the wagon and looked at the rocks the two companions were hiding in. Applejack tried to look at the riders face, but all she could make out were two eyes that blazed like fire.

*****

Time, 5:00 PM

A cloudless day greeted travelers along the Costal Road, and the winds blew soft and cool from the Ocean of the South. To some it would be a perfect day for traveling, but not for a particular white unicorn. Rarity had been traveling along the road for almost the entire day, and it was beginning to leave its mark on her. Her mane, still stiff with salt from the coast, was an atrocity, and her neatly cared for hooves were going to need a good weeks care to repair the damage from this poor excuse road.

Rarity’s thought went back to the old sailor from The Finger. The white unicorn wished she could have remained with him for a bit, but she had been given a mission of great importance. It seemed that diamond bag was indeed meant for her, for upon opening it she found water, food, a letter and map fragment.

Rarity

You begin the game at The Finger, far west of Diamond territory. Head north to the main city of Jaladin, home of the warrior Jalis. Convince one of their knights to surrender his helmet and you shall receive more help.

Best of Luck (You’ll need it)

Whoever had sent it obviously knew of the situation she and her friends were in. She especially didn’t like that part about a “game”. Was that all this was to somepony? And more importantly, who could do this and why? This caused something to flash inside of Rarity’s memories. For a spit second an image appeared in her mind. She tried to make sense of it, but the memory was too fuzzy.

Suddenly the wind picked up, scattering the mares already tangled mane into an abomination. She didn’t have any time to worry over it however, for the wind also brought something that caught Rarity attention. Traveling along was the distinct scent of fire and smoke mixed with blood.

Fearing for her friends, or any other creature that may be in trouble, Rarity headed off in the direction of the smoke. It didn’t take long to find it, but she wished that it did. She was standing in the middle of a large field of tall grass with bushes growing sparsely among it. The plants and rocks were all red with fresh blood, and everything was burning. Finally, lying bloodied and butchered in the center was a vast glittering mass.

Something had happened here, something terrible.

The White City

Day one, Time, 9:20 AM

It felt like eons passes as the young dragon walked through the tunnel into the white city. Every step he could feel immense magic pulling and prodding at him. Instinctively he swapped at these nuisances, but touched nothing. Fear began to grip at the young dragon; not only of this place, but once again of his friends. Did this magic exist wherever they were? Was it tormenting them as well?

Spike’s thoughts were interrupted when he felt a cold tingle wash over him like a wave. For a moment, time stood still, and Spike seemed to forget where he was and what he was doing. Quickly he regained himself, shivering from the experience and thoughts of turning back entering his mind. Before these ideas could even bloom, he spotted light at the end of the tunnel. The pull of magic returned, this time more eager and annoying than before. “Fine, I’ll go on just stop pulling me.” He said to no one. He made his way to the end of the tunnel, and the explosion of light was so great he had to shield his eyes.

He had exited the tunnel only to end up in a pure white plaza, surrounded by perfect white buildings. Upon closer examination, Spike realized that, like the outside, these were all made of marble perfectly cut and sculpted. “This is impossible. How can you make these marvels without damage?” Spike’s scales then began to tingle with magic once again. Instinctively he began heading further into the white city, towards its heart. When he finally reached in his pupils shrank to tiny black dots.

Directly in its center was huge slab of marble flickering with a cold green flame. The magic emanating from this stone was greater than anything the young dragon had ever experienced. Cautiously he approached it, his scales feeling like they were going to leap off his skin from all this magic. In all of Twilight's books there had been no mention of an artifacts that caused the same affects as this one. Finally he reached the stones base and gazed at it. The green flames danced on the surface of the stone like a painting, and seemed to direct the dragon to text carved into its base. Spike leaned closer to read it.

We, the people of Tora, swear loyalty to Adin, King of Deltora and all of his blood who follow him. If ever this vow is broken, may this rock, our city’s heart, break also and may we be swept away, forever to regret our dishonour.

“Breathtaking isn’t it.” A kind voice spoke in the young dragons ear.

Spike nearly leapt from his scales in fright. Quickly he spun around and was met with thousands of black hared bipedal creatures dressed in elegant robes. Each of them wore kind and friendly smiles on their faces. One of them stepped forward towards the young dragon. Spike guessed that this creature was female and in her golden years.

“Welcome to Tora stranger.” she said in the same voice from before. “I am Zentha, leader of the Torans. We are most honored to be visited by a foreigner.”

“Umm, thanks.” he said, slowly taking in everything. “My name’s Spike.”

Zentha gave a small bow. “Hello then Spike. Pardon my curiosity, but are you a dragon?”

“I sure am.” Spike said, proudly pointing to himself.

The crowd began murmuring excitingly amongst itself. “I’m sure you must be weary from your travels, pleas follow me.” Zentha said, gesturing to the young dragon. Spike followed her through the town as the citizens dispersed and went along with their daily lives. “I’m sure you must have many questions about where you are.” The old Toran asked as they headed towards what Spike assumed was the city hall.

“Well, yeah I do. Like what’s up with all the magic here?”

“We Torans are the most skilled mages in all of Deltora, young dragon. Why Tora herself was carved from a single slab of marble using magic.”

Spikes eyes widened with shock. “Wow, Twilight would love to learn something like that!”

The old woman smiled. “That is not even the fullest extent of our power. We can also unite our wills together to banish wicked creatures form our land, or speed friends along great distances.”

Spike stopped suddenly. “Wait, so were you the ones pulling me here?”

“Indeed,” Zentha said. “We sensed your presence but didn’t know what to make of it. We decided it would be best to bring you here so we could judge you personally.”

Finally they reached the city hall and entered through its perfect white doors. Inside was a large circular room with seven elegant seats encircling it. Six of these seats were occupied by Torans around Zentha’s age. Each of them rose upon their entrance. “Is this the newcomer Zentha?” One of the men asked.

“Yes. His name is Spike and he says he is a dragon.”

The elders seemed shocked by this, but remained standing. Zentha beckoned Spike to the center of the room while she took her seat among her fellow elders. Spike was begging to worry about the situation. What were these mages going to do to him? He felt like panicking, but strangely he didn’t. Once they were all seated, the first elder spoke again. “Now then ‘Spike’ is it?” he nodded. “Spike, you came to our land from the sky itself. How is that?”

Spike swallowed hard. “I-I don’t know. I just remember something cold, and the voices of my friend. Then I woke up by the lake outside your city, and you beckoned me inside.”

“You say you were with your friends. Are they dragons as well?” Another member asked.

”No, they’re ponies. Did they come here to?”

The elder’s all looked at each other and seemed to be debating the young dragon’s story. Now Spike really wanted to panic, but still he felt no such emotion. Finally the elders looked back down at him. “No we have not sensed any other foreign presence in our land besides you. If your friends are on Deltora, they are in another territory.” Zentha then stood up, with the other elders following suite.

“We thank you for your time young dragon. It seems you have quite the journey ahead of you, so we shall allow you permission to remain in Tora for one day.”

“Wow, thanks.” Spike said. He suddenly began wondering what he’d do for an entire day. “So what is there to do here?”

“For visitors sadly, there is very little. You are more than welcome to go through our library though, so long as you don’t damage anything.”

“Ok thanks.” he replied. While the young dragon didn’t like the idea of reading for a whole day, it was at least a way for him to occupy himself. It would also allow him to learn more about this new land and whatever else may inhabit it. Maybe he could even find something hinting to the location of Twilight and the others.

Smiling, Zentha led the way from the city hall towards the library. It was much like the one in The Royal Palace, with rows upon rows of scrolls, parchment and books. Two Torans were busy sorting through a large pile of documents in the far corner. They immediately lifted their heads when the two entered. “Zentha, what can we do for you today?”

“Our young guest wishes to browse through our knowledge. Pleas assist him with any questions he may have.” She then turned towards the young dragon. “I must return to the elders now; best of luck in your search.” She then turned and headed back to the elders chamber.

“Excuse me, but is that yours?” One of the librarians asked pointing next to the dragon. Spike followed his finger and to his amazement discovered a deep violate Bindle with a lavender egg stitched to it. Opening the sack, Spike found a flask of water, some freshly cut Quarts, an empty bottle and a sealed envelope. Opening it, Spike found a letter and a torn up map fragment.

Spike

You will begin the game outside of Tora, no matter where you were intended to. Far to the south of Amethyst territory are many rolling sand dunes, commonly called the Dreaming Dunes. Fill the bottle with some of their sand to receive more help.

Best of Luck

Escape

Day one, Time, 8:25 AM

“A flower!” Twilight exclaimed. The forest was soon met with the howls and whimpers of defeat from the Granous. They had asked her twelve questions already, and still the unicorn hadn’t gotten a single one wrong. They cursed her in their minds and stamped the ground in frustration. No creature had ever lasted this long against them without fumbling. The lead Granous brought his long, bony fingers to his chin and pondered. He was going to need the most challenging riddles at his disposal to trump this one. After a moment he turned to his captive and smiled.

“Well unicorn, I must congratulate you. You have lasted longer than any of our previous captives. I’ll be sure to tell the other packs about your intelligence. That is, after we’ve picked you clean.” The other Granous cackled with delight. They knew well what their leader was planning. He approached the unicorn and spoke the next question.

I cannot be other than what I am
Until the women who made me dies
Power and glory will fall to me finally
Only when she last closes her eyes

Twilight stared right at the leader without fear. If she had lasted this long, she could beat these creatures. All she had to do was hold out a bit longer. The leader moved away from Twilight just as the others began counting. “Twenty...Nineteen...Eighteen...Seventeen”

Twilight concentrated hard on her memories in the library. She was sure that she’d stumbled upon a book of riddles somewhere. This one sounded so familiar. “Sixteen...Fifteen...Fourteen...Thirteen”

Was it the Ponyville library? No, Pinkie ruined our copy.

“Twelve...Eleven...Ten...Nine”

It must have been during my stays with the-“Princess!”

Twilight was rewarded with another round of whimpers and moans. The leader approached her, his black eyes alive with pure fury! Had it not been for their sworn rules he would have torn her throat out then and there. So he expelled his rage by biting a thick log in half without any effort. “Your luck will only get you so far, and when it runs out you will suffer!”

Twilight knew that now the time was right. She looked at the leader and smiled. “Sorry boys, but I don’t think so.” Her horn then illuminated with magic, and all eight Granous were pinned to individual trees. Effortlessly she instructed her magic to untie the vines around her legs and turned the tables on her captors. Her head still stung a little from her capture, but at least she was free. She trotted over to their leader, whose face was now the epitome of rage! “I thank you for your hospitalities, but I must be going now.”

“Not so sorceress!”

Suddenly the ground behind Twilight exploded in a shower of earth and grass. Two more Granous emerged from a hidden tunnel and lunged for the unicorn mare! Swiftly Twilight dodged their grasping hands and delivered a powerful kick to the closest ones head. This broke her concentration sadly, freeing the other eight. They all turned towards the unicorn with fury in their eyes.

Not wanting to waste any time Twilight took off immediately through the trees. She could tell form the howls of rage that her pursuers were easily keeping pace with her. She swerved around a fallen tree, narrowly avoiding the teeth of a waiting Granous, before leaping away from the arms of three others. Using her magic she lifted up several large stones and used them to barricade the pathway. Her pursuers howled with frustration and cursed at the unicorn with all their might. Knowing that this would only be a temporary setback, Twilight made sure to put as much distance from herself and the pack as possible. She didn’t make it far however, before she discovered two more of the grey furred devils crawl from the ground and block the path in front of her.

Twilight made a hard left as the Granous finished pulling themselves from the earth. She tore through the foliage until it simply vanished. Looking around, Twilight was shocked to discover that the chase had led her to a rare un-forested patch of the valley. All other ways out were either to steep to climb, or offered no room to maneuver. Without another option available to her, Twilight illuminated her horn and turned towards the forest. Sure enough, all ten Granous came bounding out of the trees, yellow teeth gnashing and eyes blazing with triumph.

Lowering her head, Twilight fired beam of purple magic at the pack. They quickly dodged the blast, but weren’t so fortunate with the second. With one shot Twilight was able to knock one Granous into two others, sending them sprawling in a furry grey heap. As she was about to fire again her head throbbed with pain, causing her to miss. The lead Granous then charged forward and clamped his fingers around her throat. “Die now creature!”

Twilight looked towards the sky, gagging for what precious air she could swallow. The Granous then brought her to face him and opened its mouth wide, his yellow teeth gleaming off of dripping black gums. Suddenly, all the birds in the trees scattered without warning. The sky darkened, and there was a thunderous roar as something huge shot down from the sky.

The Granous dropped Twilight and screamed in fear at the heavens. The rest of the pack tore back towards the woods with their hands over their heads. She caught a glimpse of something gold as thunderous winds pinned her to the ground. And she watched as the lead Granous was plucked screaming into the sky.

Author's Note

Sorry this one is so short. I’ll be releasing another Twilight chapter after this to make up.

The Golden Rule

Day one, Time 8:32 AM

Twilight clung to the earth under her hooves, paralyzed with shock and fear. The world seemed to be spinning as she processed the events that had just transpired. She silently hoped in her mind that this was all a trick, and that she’d awaken with her friends. Sadly those hopes were dashed by the screams of terror flying along the wind from the captive Granous. To Twilight’s relief though, the sound soon died away, and a sickening chewing sound replaced it.

Finally feeling came back to Twilight’s legs and she rose to her hooves. Quickly she scanned the skies desperately, but found nothing. Not wanting to wait around and thank her saviour in person, Twilight made her way towards a rocky path leading out of the hills. The uneven terrain slowed her down something fierce, but it was either that or going back to the forest.

As she traversed the rocks, her hoof brushed something soft. Looking down, her eyes widened with amazement. The golden saddlebag with her cutie mark on it had somehow appeared by her side. Resting on the bag was another note with a chess queen on it. Opening the note with her magic, Twilight found several chess pieces arranged to spell out. Just this once.

As Twilight was contemplating this, she failed to notice the chewing sound had stopped. It wasn’t until she felt the powerful winds pin her to the rocks that she looked up. Dust and debris were whipped around her, but she could clearly make out the descending shape.

Its underbelly was a pale blue, matching perfectly with the morning sky. It landed in the valley, completely filling it up with a sea of gold as if Celestia herself had commanded the sun to land. It folded its great wings onto its body and turned a massive head to stare at the small unicorn. Fear gripped at her instantly. Foreign land or not, she still knew a dragon when she saw one.

The dragon looked at her and the young mare found herself facing a flat golden eye. Her image was reflected perfectly from its surface, and she found herself unable to look away. She was lost, all thoughts draining from her mind until she was all but mesmerized by the sea of gold. It wasn't until the dragon blinked that the spell was broken. She gasped and staggered back, but didn’t dare look away from the dragon. She readied herself for the worst, but nothing happened. Curious as to why, Twilight observed the dragon, which she realized seemed to be analyzing her.

“You are a ponderous creature," It said suddenly. "There is great magic about you, the likes of which I have never seen. Tell me, what land do you hale from?”

Twilight looked to the dragon in amazement. “You can speak, and quite well actually?”

“Indeed I can, as can all dragons.” It said flatly. “Does this surprise you?”

“Well, yes actually. You see where I come from dragons don’t exhibit a great level of intelligence. The smartest I’ve seen amount to a teenage pony’s intelligence.”

The dragon gave an annoyed snort. “Then I pity your race, for you shall never know the true wonders of dragons.” It then flicked out its black forked tongue and licked some dark liquid off its teeth. “I must thank you for luring my prey out of hiding. You saved me half a day’s work.”

Twilight swallowed a sickening feeling that had been rising in her stomach. “Glad to...help.”

“So tell me ‘unicorn’ I believe the Granous called you.” Twilight nodded. “What brings you to these hills?”

“Well I woke up here, separated from my friends, and with a note telling me to go to The Forest of Silence.” She explained. “Do you happen to know of it?”

The dragon let out a small, booming laugh. “Indeed I do. It is not far from here, less than a day’s march for you.” It then looked curiously at the mare. “What business do you have you there?”

“Well I need to retrieve a vine from some place called the Dark.”

A small rumble escaped the dragon’s mouth. “That place is vile and inhabited by an ancient evil. If you truly are a smart creature, you will abandon your quest.”

Twilight shook her head. “I can’t, it could be the only way I can locate my friends.”

The dragon sighed. “Very well then, since you helped me I shall tell you this much. Never go into the Forest at night. Wait until the sun is well in the sky and the beasts have retreated back to their dens.”

Twilight smiled and politely bowed to the dragon. “Thank you...sir, for your help and for saving me.”

“Farewell young unicorn and best of luck with your journey. May the light of the full moon guide you through the darkness to come.” With that it spread its massive wings and took off into the sky. Twilight’s gaze followed it for as long as she was able to before continuing her trek out of the hills.

The sun was high in the sky when Twilight finally found the path down from the hills. She whipped out her map fragment and made her course. The words of the golden dragon still floated in her mind, but she had no choice in this matter. She double checked her supplies, made mental notes, and left the Os-Mine Hills behind her.

Eye for an Eye

Day one, Time, 3:12 PM

The liveliness inside the camp of the Masked Ones had all but picked up since the morning. No longer were they simply practicing simple tricks, but performances worthy of grand audiences. All around jugglers were tossing fire and blades while the acrobats formed huge living pyramids. Magicians were trying out their powers of deception, creating cloth and flowers from seemingly nothing. A fire eater even formed a long whip like tongue that sailed and licked at the sky. Even the children were practicing basic tricks, under the careful eye of their caretaker. The only two individuals not partaking the festivities were a rainbow manned pegasus and a young man wearing a raven mask.

They remained by the horses and wagons, observing the show. Even with her wings tied down, Dash was amazed by the tricks these performers were capable of. The Wonderbolts were the only ponies she knew that matched them. Despite the fact that she was their prisoner, Dash still found herself giving them a round of applause.

“Quite a show isn’t it?” Her companion said in an uncaring voice. Dash turned to him wild-eyed and nodded. “This is just a warm up, Tomorrow we ride for Happy Vale, and then you’ll see a real show.”

The rainbow pegasus shot him an odd look. “You don’t sound too excited about it.”

“As horse master, I get left out of the major shows.” She could feel the bitterness oozing from those words.

“But you’re the son of the troop leader. Surely you get to perform something.”

Ransford turned his head away from her and picked up a bag of apples. Reaching inside he pulled out a handful and began distributing them to the horses. “You want one?” Dash got the hint and nodded. He swiftly tossed her an apple before taking a bite out of one himself.

“Don’t you ever take your masks off?”

“Nope” he said as he took another bite of the apple.

“Does it ever get uncomfortable?”

“You know, for someone claiming not to be a spy, you like to ask allot of questions.” He said with a smile. “If you’re so interested in learning our ways, how about a deal? I’ll tell you something, if I’m able, and you tell me something, if you’re able.” He extended a black gloved hand. “Deal?”

Dash placed her hoof in his hand and shook “Deal, so tell me, do you really never remove those masks?”

Ransford smiled. “Well there is only one time in our lives when we do.” He raised his hand to his raven mask’s beak. “This is a lovely mask isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but what does that have to do with my question?”

“When we turn eighteen, we trade in these masks for our true ones. These Masks of Adulthood are our true initiation into the troop. Only when we done them, are we worthy to be called Masked Ones.” Every word was spoken with genuine pride and faith.

Dash shook her head. “Wow, that’s pretty intense, now what’s your question?”

Ransford considered for a moment before answering. “Tell me a bit about the land you hale form, namely your society.” Despite not being the best pony for this job, Rainbow Dash did her best to explain the three pony types and how they worked together. She also explained about the Princesses and how they could control the sun and the moon. All during this Ransford seemed to glow from excitement. “You have a very blissful land from the sounds of it.”

Dash cocked him an eyebrow. “Is that good or bad?”

Ransford raised his hands in alarm. “Nothing, I was just commenting. I hear so much of the dangers around the kingdom, so listening to your land made me wonder.”

A large smile appeared on the pegasus’s face and a small laugh escaped her lips. “I was just messing with you.”

“I see your getting along well with your new horse.” A cynical voice said behind them. Turning around, the two of them were face to face with the eagle headed man Bena had called Oren.

“What do you want Oren?” Ransford asked with much distain in his voice.

“I just wanted to see how our two little hangers on were fairing together.” He said sarcastically. “Also, Bena wishes that the pegasus be shown where she’ll be staying while with us.”

Ransford cocked his head in confusion. “And why would my mother send you instead of speaking to me?”

“It’s not your place to question, Horse Master.” He said authoritatively.

Ransford distainfully made a mock bow to the eagle man and took Dash further into the wagon area. Finally they stopped on front of one and he opened the back, revealing the inside to be full of some animal skin rugs, silver whistles, and lots of books. “This is my wagon; you can stay here since my mother seems to want me to watch you.” He helped her up into the back. “I’ll be back in a moment so we may continue our exchange.” With that he closed the wagon doors and headed back over to Oren. “There she is gone, now what do you really want to say?”

“Whatever do you mean Horse Master?” he said sarcastically.

“Don’t play dumb with me Oren. I’ve known you my whole life, and never have you treated me as one of the troop!”

Oren let out a little laugh. “You, one of us, now that is a funny thought.” He leaned close to the Ransford and whispered in his ear. “I heard that touching conversation you had with our spy. Quite a punishable act to the troop you oh so love.”

“I told her nothing of importance, and I’m sure she is not a spy.”

Oren looked at him with eyes of pity. “How desperate are you that you believe the words of a talking horse?”

Ransford stood tall against the eagle man. “I am the son of the Troop Leader, and you will treat me with the respect I deserve.”

Oren’s eyes suddenly shifted from pity to loathing. “You do not give orders to the Inner Circle, boy. I’ll be sure to tell your mother of this.”

“I hope you do.” He responded before turning back to the wagons. Oren grabbed his arm before he could leave and gave him one last whisper.

“A barefaced son like you will never be one of us.”

Enraged Ransford tore his arm free and was about to reach for something around his waist. However, he restrained himself and continued his walk back to the wagons. When he got to his he opened the doors and looked inside. Rainbow Dash was sitting in the corner and seemed to be inspecting something. Upon further investigation, he saw it was a rainbow coloured saddlebag with the mark on her flank embroider onto its sides. “Where did you get that?”

Dash turned to look at him. “I don’t know, it was just here when I got in.” He climbed inside as well and the two of them inspected the mysterious bag. Its contents were nothing more than some water and food, as well as a sealed envelope with the images of a chess king and a die on it. Ransford opened the envelope and a torn map fragment fell out as well as a note. Dash scooped up the note and began reading.

Rainbow Dash

You begin the game on the border of Opal territory, far to the north. Throughout the area there is a rare root called the Purebond Root. Collect one of these roots to receive more help

Best of Luck!

A Pinkie Plan

Day one, Time, 7:00 PM

“Wait, what?” Lynette laughed. She and Pinkie Pie had moved their conversation inside, and were now sitting in one of Broom’s many taverns.

“It’s true, but that’s not even the best part! Instead or water, they let out chocolate rain!”

The drinking halls were filled with cheers of laughter and the clanging of mugs. For the past few hours Pinkie had been swapping stories with the good people of Broom. They all seemed particularly interested in the many adventures she and her friends had partaken in. In-between stories Pinkie was having a blast sampling this beverage called ale. It had such a sweet, fuzzy taste to it that reminded her of cider, except even better! She especially liked the bubbly feeling it gave to her head.

She continued telling stories through the night, until only Lynette and a few others were left. “Your land sounds like a riveting place.” Lynette said, slapping Pinkie on the shoulder. This ended up spilling over their drinks and letting loose another round of laughter from the pink mare.

“Hey Lynette, can I ask you something?” she asked after calming down.

“Of course my friend, ask away.”

“Why do you have such funny patterns on your head?”

Lynette looked at Pinkie as if the pony had said something offensive. At first Pinkie thought she had insulted her new friend, but she soon let out a small chuckle. “Forgive me; I forget that you’re new.” She then ran her fingers across her painted skull. “It is custom for the women of Broom to shave their heads to repel dragons.”

At the mention of that word Pinkie let out a small gulp. “D-D-Dragons?”

“Indeed, I’ve seen quite a few in my time. Around here their scales shine red as blood. They’re usually at the coast fishing, although I’ve seen them all through Ruby territory.”

“So how does shaving your head keep them away?” Not that the pink mare would ever think of trading away her candy floss mane.

“Dragons take human hair to line their nests. Since we shave ours off, they go looking elsewhere and leave us alone.” She said proudly. “It’s a tradition that has worked since our ancestors built this city.”

Pinkie giggled at this. “Your dragons are silly wily. Why do they need hair?”

Lynette shrugged. “I haven’t the slightest fathom. Perhaps the next time I see a dragon I shall ask.” This got a bit of laughter from the two and some nearby taverners.

“So Pinkie, why did you decide to visit Broom at such hours?”

“Well I got a letter and a cupcake that told me to head east, or was it weast? Anyway, so I followed the instructions and came here. I was hoping that maybe there was a fisherpony I could get to lend me a boat.”

“Well you came to the right place my friend.” Lynette smiled. “Broom is the largest fishery in all of Deltora. Why I myself am a fisherman’s daughter.”

Pinkies face lit up like a beacon. “So you’ll help me?”

Lynette considered for a moment before she responded. “Sure, you’ve some good stories to tell, and being next to you is the most fun I’ve had in years.” She brought her mug up to her mouth. “But I must ask in advance, what do you need a ship for?”

“Well the note said I need to go out to the Sea of Serpents and find the tooth of a Sea Serpent.”

Lynette nearly choking on her ale as Pinkie spoke. “You never said anything about serpents!”

Pinkie’s face let out a guilty smile. “You never asked.”

“Well I am sorry to disappoint you, but I can’t help.”

Quickly the smile was replaced by a large frown. “But why?”

“This is too much of a risk Pinkie; I’ve only a single one man fishing boat. To go after a serpent you’d need a proper boat and a crew at least forty strong. And all of this cost’s money, which I do not believe you have.” She said flatly. “Plus there are the risks. Sea Serpents are not to be trifled with. Only the best can face them and live.” Pinkie saw sadness beginning to form in her eyes. “Many brave fishermen have been lost to the jaws of those devils, my father among them.”

All cheerfulness was suddenly sucked out of the party mare. Sympathetically she placed a hoof on her friends shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“It’s alright, you didn’t know.” She said, taking a sip from her mug. "It's not like pretending it didn't happen will bring him back, so I just move on with my life."

Pinkie pondered for a moment before responding. “If I could get my hooves on a ship and crew, would you come with me?”

Lynette turned to her and Pinkie could see a fire ignite in her grey eyes. “I’d gladly take any chance at evening the scored with those serpents. But like I said, you don’t have the money for it.”

“I do believe I can help in that matter.” Said a calm, friendly voice. Both of them swerved their heads around and were met by a women wearing a flowing emerald cloak with eyes as blue as the ocean. “May I?” she asked gesturing to the table. Lynette nodded and the stranger took her seat.

“Hello.” Pinkie said cheerfully to the stranger. While she didn’t say hello back, she did smile at the mare.

“And what may your business be stranger?” Lynette asked. She had an analytical look about her.

“I overheard your interesting conversation about Sea Serpents, and if I’m right, you’d like to hunt one.” Both of them nodded. “Good, because I would like to financially assist you.”

“Really and why may that be stranger?” Lynette inquired.

The women removed her hood, revealing spiky hair which came down around her head like a lizards frill. “Let’s just say I have a liking for these sorts of things. Besides, if we succeed, then I’ll have made quite a profit. Sea serpent bones and scales are prized crafting materials you know.”

“So I’ve heard, but how will you be paying for this?”

The women reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a handful of gold coins which glistened in the candlelight. They were so shiny that Pinkie could see her own reflection, and began to play with it by rocking back and forth. “This is just a small amount of a fortune built from smart business ventures, like this one.”

“I say we let her in.” Pinkie chirped when the women removed the coins from sight. “The more the merrier I always say!”

Lynette sighed and extended her hand to the stranger. “Well it seems you’ve just been roped in to the stupidest mission of our lives.” She said with a grin.

The woman took her hand and shook it. “Oh trust me, I’ve done stupider. Now I’ll go find us a good crew worth their salt.”

“Not yet you won’t missy.” Lynette said festively. With a quick beckon three more mugs of ale were passed to their table. The three took them in hand, or in Pinkies case hoof, and lifted them high in the air. “Tomorrow we ride with the wind and tide, but tonight we celebrate what may be our last day.”

“I’ll drink to that!” The stranger said happily.

“And if we do survive, which I hope we do, I’ll throw us a party!” Pinkie nearly screamed.

“Then here’s to a good hunt!” Lynette declared. All three of them then tapped their mugs together and drank.

Author's Note

Authors Note: Sadly there will be no more Flutterhsy chapters until day two, which will be coming soon.

Shock

Day one, Time, 5:00 PM

Applejack and Farley held their breath as the fiery eyed stranger continued to advance towards the rocks they hid behind. The Meresman ran several strategies through his mind while Applejack readied herself for a fight. Her muscles tensed with anticipation as the figure placed its hand on the rock’s surface. Farley gave her an eye signal, and shifted himself slightly. Just as the two were ready to make their move, a small chuckling entered their ears.

“I know where your hiding and I don’t want to fight.” From the voice Applejack assumed the stranger was female. “I’ve traveled long and hard, and a little companionship would be nice.” As a show of good faith, she lifted her hands to her head and moved away from the rock.

Farley shot Applejack a look of caution and slowly revealed himself from behind the rock. “What business do you offer me, peddler?”

The women looked at the rope ties around his waist. “Got yourself a little tied up now did we?” She giggled. “What a tale that must be.”

“That it is, but I’m sure you’d understand if I don’t wish to indulge in it with a traveling merchant.”

She flashed Farley a quick smile. “Would you care to do business with me Meresman? I’m sure you could use some more gold in your pocket to lose at Rithmere.”

“And what makes you assume I’m going there?” He inquired.

Applejack peeped out from behind the rock and saw the women toss her hood back, revealing a friendly yet deceptive face. Her brown hair was tattered and came slightly over her eyes. “Every Meresman makes his way to Rithmere eventually.” Her right eye then flicked over to the rock, so subtly that only someone who was looking for it would notice. “You have a lovely little horse with you, good sir.”

Farley looked over to the rock and noticed the very tip of Applejack’s nose sticking out. “Yes she is, sadly for you she is not for sale.”

The women shrugged her shoulders and went to the back of her wagon. Applejack trotted over to Farley’s side as she opened the doors. The orange mare’s mouth dropped as she looked inside. The wagon was filled with exotic clothing and glittering jewelry Rarity would kill to have. There were also piles of weapons and stacks of food piled with barrels of water. “Anything here peak your fancy?”

“Don’t speak or do anything to show intelligence. I’ll handle this.” Farley whispered in the pony’s ear. She subtly nodded and he went off to browse amongst the peddlers wares. He made sure to inspect everything carefully and thoroughly. He particularly examined the jewelry items; Applejack stared at him oddly for that. Finally he picked up a small silver pendant with a star carved from a topaz. “How much for this and two flasks of water?”

“You have very good taste sir.” She said with her eyes even more alive. “The star is six gold coins, and the water is one silver coin each.”

“Do you accept the barter system by chance?”

“Indeed I do good sir. What do you wish to trade?”

Farley considered for a moment before responding. “In my pony’s saddlebag, you’ll find four daggers. They’re all yours in exchange for the items I’ve asked for.”

The peddler moved over to Applejack, who stared at her inquiringly. The peddler dug into the bag and pulled out the knives. She inspected each of them, testing the grip and the metal. Finally she nodded and turned back to Farley. “These are good blades; together I can give you about ten gold coins for all of them.”

The two of them finished their transaction, leaving Applejack and Farley with a nice handful of coins left over. The peddler remounted her wagon and headed off, waving the two goodbyes as she did. About an hour later, the two of them made it to the reed infested banks of the Broad River. “This seems like a good place to make camp.” Farley said. Quickly they cleared a patch in the reeds and settled down.

“So why did yah purchase that there pendant?” Applejack asked.

“Actually, it’s for you, if you’d like.” He said sincerely.

The farm pony was shocked by this. “Me, but why?”

“Let’s just say it’s a token of good faith, and a way to bury the past so we can move on to the future.” He then shifted over to her and tied it around her neck. “May it bring you good fortune.”

Applejack’s cheeks slightly turned red as she moved over to untie the rope around his waist. The two smiled at each other for a moment, before starring off at the banks of the river, turned gold by the setting sun.

*****

Time, 5:10 PM

Rarity stared at the glittering mass in the center of the burning field for almost twenty minutes, completely dumfounded by what she was witnessing. Despite its body being butchered, she could still make out the distanced details. The broad, powerful wings now reduced to bloody ribbons, the mighty talons stained red, the ferocious head that now lay lifeless, and its diamond like body now crisscrossed with crimson. Rarity was looking at a dead dragon.

She examined the deep wounds on the dragon’s neck and underbelly, her curiosity growing. Everywhere there were deep gashes, as if somepony had jabbed swords into its belly and torn downwards. The ones on its neck were much larger and uglier. They almost resembled the injuries Opalescence sometimes got when she picked a fight with nests of birds, just on a grander scale. “Birds can’t kill dragons.” She said to no one.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she looked at the dragons front talons. Clutched in its claws was a single large feather. Rarity picked it up in her magic and examined it. The feather was greyish brown and very sickly looking. A foul odour hung around it, causing Rarity to drop the feather in repulsion. With that she decided to remove herself from the area, giving one last look at the diamond like dragon before departing.

She walked along the road for some time, her brain still baffled by what she has seen. Desperately she looked to her surroundings for anything to take her mind of that image. Sadly the road had no comfort but barren fields and the never ending road. So with nothing else to occupy her thoughts, the white mare pondered about the possible locations of her friends. Were they in this Jaladin, or were they somewhere she couldn’t even get access to? “It doesn’t matter, I’ll find them wherever they are.” She said reassuringly to herself.

Finally Rarity’s spirit was brightened when she noticed something green on the path. Some form of large green broad leafed weed was growing in the center of the road. It wasn’t exactly Canterlot worthy, but it was something new. With a new spring in her step Rarity almost skipped like Pinkie would into the leaves.

Instantly she let out a gasp of pain. She looked towards the ground and let out a terrified scream. The green leaves had parted as her hoof came down, revealing a large flabby lipped mouth that sank deep into the earth. It sucked and pulled at her leg despite the unicorns attempts at freeing herself. She pulled her leg out with all her might, but a stinging pain soon shot through her. Looking down she was sickened to see the plants throat was full of downward pointing teeth, and that she had impaled herself on one. Her perfectly white coat was now pink with fresh blood.

Rarity tried to use her magic to free herself, grabbing hold of the plants leaves and ripping them off. It recoiled a little at this counterattack, but held firmly onto its catch. Fire engulfed her eyes as she tore and kicked up more of the plants leaves. She was so caught up in this that her back legs ended up slipping down the throat of another plant. Again she felt the stinging pain and the sucking feeling as the plants tried to swallow her whole. Desperately she screamed for help and continued to tear apart the leaves. In her mind however, she knew it was hopeless. After several minutes of fighting, she began to feel the effects of blood loss and finally passed out.

The Dark

Day two, Time 8:37 AM

The cool morning breeze came like a whisper from the east, bathing the warm countryside in a blissful chill. To some it was a nice feeling; the warm morning sun mixing with the sweet wind. The resulting creation was a crisp current that many locals looked forward to in their mornings. To others however, it was an annoyance. One such figure was the lavender unicorn Twilight Sparkle.

After leaving the Os-Mine Hills, she had walked for as long as she could before resting under a lone Birch tree she had found a safe distance from the road. She had no idea how long it took her to fall asleep, but her patience was rewarded greatly. She had dreamed she was back in Ponyville, surrounded by her friends and celebrating. They were all smiling, laughing and having a good time. Princess Celestia herself had even arrived, warming everypony’s hearts with her presence. It was perfect.

And now she had been rudely awoken.

Twilight tried in vain to return to her happy dream, but the wind nipped at her vigorously. She tried using her saddlebag as a shield, but the wind wisped over it to torment her more. If the lavender unicorn didn’t know better, she would have sworn the wind was being directed at her. After several more failed attempts she let out a great sigh of defeat and rolled herself onto her hooves. “There I’m up, happy?” she asked the sky with heavy sarcasm. Almost instantaneously, the wind lessened itself a little. Twilight was about to drop her jaw in amazement, but quickly brushed it off to how tired she was.

Quickly she rummaged through her golden saddlebag and looked over her remaining food supplies. She still had quite a good supply of biscuits, but the apples were almost gone. Her water flask was also only at the halfway point. Quickly she preformed some calculations in her head, and came to the conclusion that if she continues at half rations she’s last for a few more days.

With those comforting thoughts she nibbled a small breakfast before setting off. Since she stayed off the main roads to avoid attention, her journey was quite long and uneventful. She did get some joy however, when she spotted another golden dragon circling in the sky. It quickly took notice of the unicorn, but didn’t speak to her as the other one had. It did however circle her for a bit, which got Twilight’s nerves on edge.

After some more boring hours of travel, she finally found herself in front of a dark, eerie looking forest. It was every bit as forbidding as the Everfree Forest, if not more so. It was if a blanked of dread coated the woods, penetrating into the unicorn's very soul. Secretly she hoped this was the wrong woods, but the corner of her eye spotted an old wooden road sign that read Forest of Silence, Mid Wood

Hopes dashed, Twilight turned back to the forest. Gathering her courage she headed into the dark woods. The forest was so thick with trees Twilight found herself almost tripping on many occasions over their roots and branches. Despite it being a sunny morning, the thick canopy of trees prevented the forest from being anything but dim. The mare’s eyes were constantly darting around, expecting some monster to jump out and attack her. At best she would see a flock of small birds feeding amongst the low branches, and some funny looking furry critters that Fluttershy would just kill to have. She decided to observe them for a bit, as a way of taking her mind away from where she was headed. They were mouse like in appearance, with intelligent looking eyes and cute little paws. Two of them rested on a bush eagerly nibbling at the berries growing on it.

As Twilight continued her observations, the bush shifted ever so slightly. Suddenly without warning something crimson burst from the leaves. It was a long snake with slimy red scales that made it look almost like flesh. Quickly it scooped up one of the small animal in its mouth and began to coil its body around it as the other fled. Twilight watched with both curiosity and repulsion as the snake’s powerful muscles ended the struggling critters life. With that the unicorn decided to take her leave and departed deeper into the dark trees.

The forest seemed to just get darker and darker as she made her way towards the center. A shiver of fear crept up Twilight’s spine as she got the feeling of unseen eyes analysing her. Suddenly a horrific face launched itself from the darkness in front of the unicorn’s path. She sprang back in fear, magic illuminating her horn as she faced her attacker.

When she did, Twilight let out a small laugh. By the light of her horn the horrific figure tuned out to be nothing more than a withered old tree. This scenario reminded her greatly of her strongly of the first time she and her friends ventured into the Everfree Forest. The memory caused her to laugh even harder.

Suddenly her horn began tingling, and a faint golden trail began forming at its tip. Twilight stared in shock; she had read about this once in her studies. Unicorns that were so in tuned with magic had the potential to sense nearby areas of high concentration. Quickly Twilight shook her head around until the light on her horn began to grow even brighter. The lavender mare contemplated if she should go searching for it, or continuing the search for her friends. Sadly her horn didn’t give her lots of time to decide before tugging her forward. Partially against her will, and partially for, Twilight trotted off in the direction of the magic. With every step the light grew and grew.

After about twenty minutes, the light mysteriously vanished from her horn like a candle being capped. Twilight was at first annoyed by the loss, but that soon shifted when she noticed her surroundings. Directly in front of her was a small clearing of trees, all of whom were entrapped in long, black, spider web infested vines. They snaked up the tree like the tentacles of some deep sea monstrosity, only to meet at the canopy and form a dome. Directly in front of the unicorn was a gaping opening in the dome. Peering inside, Twilight could see nothing but utter darkness. She knew that this was The Dark.

Well this is a relief. The young mare thought. Now I can just get one of these vines and get out of this creepy forest. Slowly she approached the nearest tree and looked at it curiously. The vines growing around it were thick and strong, almost like they had been grown intentionally. There was no way she was going to be able to cut them. She walked around the area, thinking of something she could do. Suddenly, her horn began to glow again, and the golden trail led into the dome.

Twilight was very hesitant to venture into The Dark, but just like before her horn began to tug at her. Cautiously she approached the opening and before she knew it she was inside. It was as if she was plunged into the realm of pure darkness. If it wasn’t for the light coming from her horn she would be utterly lost. As she ventured deeper into The Dark, her hoof touched something hard. Looking down Twilight let out a small shriek. Her hoof had touched a bipedal skeleton, its skull locked in an eternal scream. This sudden shock caused the light to go out again, but strangely Twilight could still see. In the center of the dome was a faint glow of some kind.

Her curiosity growing to breaking point, Twilight approached the light. As she was about to near it however, something hard hit her head. After a moment to regain herself, Twilight opened her eyes and beheld a massive sword sticking into the ground. Her heart was in her throat as her gaze turned skyward. Standing above the sword was some form of six foot bipedal creature, clad entirely in golden armour. Its helmet shifted downward to stare at the unicorn, freezing her with fear.

Warm Welcomes

Day two, Time, 7:00 AM

Rainbow Dash was flying in the sky, her back to the sun as the cool west wind whipped at her mane and tail. She felt so alive after having been tied down for a whole day. She decided to try out some of her moves to make sure she hadn’t gone rusty. She dashed across the sky, fixing several clouds into a long, curved line of rings. The agile mare quickly flew high above the first ring and shot down like a missile.

She banked a hard left before swerving right, narrowly avoiding the rings side. She increased her speed as the winding tunnel suddenly became a complete drop. She pressed her wings tightly to her side to maximize her speed. The ring of clouds continued with its downward spiral, until it was only a few feet from the ground.

In a flash the cyan pegasus opened her wings and spiralled away from the hard ground. She flew in circles towards the sky, before haling directly in front of it. The bright light against her coat sent a brilliant cyan glow all over the area. Dash smiled wide at this and began her decent. A she neared the ground however; something hot was tickling the air around her neck. She turned around quick and let out a quick scream as rainbow fire leapt at her.

*****

Dash shot up from her makeshift bed, cold sweat running down her neck. She clutched at her sides, brushing her hoofs against the ropes that bound her wings. It was just a dream. She reassured herself. Just a dream. She suddenly began shivering, and started running her hooves up and down her sides. The wagon was freezing compared to the flames in her dream.

The door to the wagon suddenly flung open, flooding it with daylight and forcing Dash to cover her face. The light didn’t trouble her for long however, for a figure blocked the entrance. Lowering her hooves, Rainbow let out a sigh of relief.

“Are you alright? I heard you scream.” Ransford asked.

“What? You think I can’t handle myself?” Dash responded definitively.

Ransford laughed a little. “Not at all, I was just making sure the prisoner I’m supposed to be watching doesn’t get harmed. Do you know how bad I would look?”

Dash flipped her mane at him and got to her hooves. Quickly she exited the wagon and looked around the camp. Instead of celebrating or performing, all of the Masked Ones were busy taking down the giant banner, dousing their fire, and performing other jobs. “What’s going on?”

“We’re cleaning up for the journey too Happy Vale.” Ransford replied. “It’s one of our most expected towns.”

Dash remembered Ransford mentioning that town before. Before she could ask any more of it, her attention was drawn by several Masked Ones carrying big red boxes. They were being instructed by another one with the beautiful head of a dog. Dash remembered him as a member of the Inner circle. “Who’s that?”

“That’s Roc. He’s our master magician.” Ransford noticed the crates they were moving. “We’d better get behind the wagon.”

Dash looked at him curiously. “Why?”

“Trust me, let’s move.”

Dash held back the urge to ask more and followed him behind their wagon. Once they got there, a loud ear piercing shriek covered the camp. Luckily for her ears it only lasted a moment. “What the heck was that?”

“I told you to trust me.” Ransford laughed. Dash gave him a slight nudge in the side for that. “Careful Rainbow Dash, I may enjoy your company, but I’m still your jailor.”

“Aw, you wouldn’t do anything bad to me.” she said in a slight tone of innocence. This got a chuckle form Ransford. “Hey, remember that note from yesterday?”

As Ransford was about to respond, his gaze went past Dash. Turning around, she noticed the figure of Bena moving quickly towards them. Dash saw her friend go slightly stiff with anticipation, or was it fear?

“Ah Ransford, there you are.” Bena said kindly. “Shouldn’t you be preparing the horses?”

“Yes mother, but I must also watch our guest, like you-.”

“Tend to your duties Ransford.” She said authoritatively.

Ransford made a small bowing motion to his mother and whispered into Dash’s ear. “We’ll speak later.” He then headed off towards the far wagons. Bena watched her son walk away and then turned to the bound pegasus.

“You seem to be getting along well with my son.”

“He is a lot nicer than most others around here.” Dash replied with heavy emphasis. “Why do you just shut him away?"

“That is not your place to speak.” She said softly. “His place in the troop is based on his abilities, not wishes.” A curious look appeared in her eyes. “You seem to be growing fond of him aren’t you?”

“I’m bound against my will and being dragged around by a group of masked wearing performers on the grounds that you assume I am a spy!” Dash said angrily. “And out of all of you he is the only one willing to treat me equally. So yes, I am growing to like him.”

Bena’s eyes flashed a hidden smile. “You should be grateful for the hospitality you have been given. Most other accused of spying don’t even last the night.” She then moved closer to the pegasus and whispered into her ear. “It would be best if you held that tongue of your in the future. As troop leader I hold the power of life and death for the entire troop in my hands, including its guests.” She got up and began walking over to the center of the camp where the Inner Circle was meeting.

*****

Time 6:30 AM

Pinkie Pie rose from the ground and let out an early morning yawn. After the meeting in the Tavern, Lynette had offered to let the party mare stay at her house. And Pinkie, not being one to pass up an invitation, happily accepted.

She got up and began looking around the house. It wasn’t overly decorative, with the exceptions of a few fish mounted on the walls. Lynette was still asleep in her bed, so Pinkie was extra quiet to allow her peace. This was extremely straining on the party mare.

As she inspected one of the trophies, something caught the Earth Pony’s attention. It was a soft, whispery voice that flew along the wind. She couldn’t make out what it was saying, but it seemed to be singing. This got Pinkies curiosity boiling, and she began creating vivid thoughts of what the singer was doing. Her imagination eventually broke into frenzy and she found herself bounding out of the house in the direction of the whisper.

Her travel took her to the gates of the city, where she waved to the guard from yesterday. When she got out of the city the singing got a bit louder. Straining her hears against the coastal winds, she could tell that the singer had a deep, friendly voice. She followed this voice all the way into the Capricon Hills, and finally she could make sense of the words.

Burning symbols,
Ralad fire.
Third dragon flies,
Every scale blazing.

Pinkie sat down and scratched her head in confusion. “That is the strangest song I’ve ever heard.”

“Devil’s song is what it is.”

Pinkie rotated her head completely around her body to look at the figure behind her. It looked like a man, with tan skin and kind blue eyes. A mob of curly brown hair rested on his head. But from the waist down he possessed the legs of a goat.

“I know you, you’re a Capricon!” Pinkie said excitedly, spinning her body around to the same angle as her head. The Capricon looked at her with great distain, but she didn’t seem to notice. “So what did you mean by devil song?

The Capricon pointed to the sky, eyes burning with furry. Following its finger, Pinkie noticed that the sky seemed to be shifting in certain areas. It was only for a second, but the pink pony was very good at paying attention to tiny details. “Do you see it, little horse?”

“Yeah, what is it?” she asked curiously.

“A Ruby Dragon.” The Capricon spat.

Pinkie’s gaze froze for a second. “D-d-d-dragon?”

“Yes, a dragon. Devils, each and every one of them.” He said angrily. “Did you know that we Capricon’s used to live in a magnificent city? Capra was the grandest city in the land, until her destruction.”

Pinkie nodded her head vigorously. “If you don’t mind me asking, how was Capra destroyed?”

“The dragons took her from us. They were jealous of what we had created, of the beauty we lived in. So they came again and again until Capra was no more.”

All of Pinkie’s fun loving energy seeped out of her like water in a drain. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“I do not need your pity.” He said disdainfully. Suddenly his attention was drawn to the base of the hills. Coming up the slopes was a figure wearing colourful fishing garments and wielding a spear. Pinkie simply smiled at the figure and waved as they climbed the hill.

“Oh, hey Lynette.” Pinkie said she was finally standing next to them.

“Pinkie, you shouldn’t go wandering off like that, you ha-“She stopped herself when she noticed the Capricon. “Greetings.” She said politely.

The Capricon’s eyes were overflowing with malice and loathing. “Do not come near me, witch of Broom!”

“Believe me, I would like nothing better. I’m simply looking for my friend who just so happens to be in your company.”

As if on cue Pinkie skipped over to Lynette with a silly grin on her face. “Goodbye mister.” She said to the Capricon.

“Do not speak to me, friend of demons!” He spat. Pinkie has taken back by this, but Lynette intervened before the party mare could do the Capricon harm. Instead they simply walked back the way they had come.

“What’s got him all cranky lanky?” Pinkie asked as they entered the city gates.

“The Capricon’s loath all who are not their own, especially we of Broom.” Lynette said. “Don’t focus on him and instead worry about the task at hand.”

After ten minutes they made their way to the harbor. The small of fish and salt was almost overpowering to the pink mare. Everywhere fishing boats were entering with nets brimming with silver fish, spiny crabs and huge lobsters. There were shacks everywhere, serving stews and fish fillets by the bucket loads. And the chorus of seabirds was almost defining.

“Ah, I see you’ve found our little run away.” Said a voice from Pinkie’s left. Turning she was glad to see it was none other than the woman from last night. She had her emerald hood on tightly around her head. “You weren’t getting cold feet, er hooves now were you?”

“No, she was just taking a morning stroll.” Lynette said. “So did you find us a decent ship?”

“Indeed I did. She’s called The Serpent’s Spine. Fitting don’t you think?”

“All I care about is how well the crew preforms.”

“Well I can safely say that they are just as crazy as we are.”

“Ain’t nopony as crazy as we are.” Pinkie Pie smiled, bringing the two women close for a group hug.

After a moment all three of them let out a small fit of laughter. “All right then.” Lynette said after a moment or two. “Let’s go see this crew of yours.”

Takeoff

Day two, Time, 7:10 AM

“My friends, it is my greatest pleasure to introduce the good Captain Jerome Mercer.” The mystery women said gesturing to an olive coloured man in well dressed fishermen’s uniformed. The four of them were standing on the deck of the Serpents Spine, currently docked in the Broom harbour. All around them men and women were busy loading crates of supplies, checking nets and sails, and counting harpoons. Pinkie, who had never been on a boat before, was really amazed and distracted by all this. As she was wrapped up in all this, she couldn’t help but feel that she was being watched by unseen eyes. Her companions didn’t seem to notice however and continued their discussion.

“So Mr. Mercer, why did you accept such a potentially dangerous and life threatening venture?” Lynette asked suspiciously. “If you don’t mind me inquiring, of course.”

“Not at all, such an answer is a bit hard to believe.” He replied in a stern voice with an underlying tone of authority. “Truthfully I was a bit doubtful, but after speaking of the ‘benefits’ with our mutual friend here, I believe the rewards are worth the risk. Plus how often dos such an opportunity sow itself in a lifetime?”

Lynette stared at the captain form a moment and processed his response. Finally she shot him a smile. “Well I’m just glad to see that you’re just as eager to die as the rest of us. And how fare’s your crew?”

“They’re not the best looking crew around, but every one of them is a loyal soul.”

“I’ve met many a captain who have all said the same thing.” Lynette said cynically. “And out of all of them, only two were correct.”

“Well I’ll be sure to make it three by the end of this.” He said jokingly.

The women in the emerald cloak smiled and placed her hands on the two. “I knew I’d made the right choices with you all. Now what say you to setting off so we can get this business venture underway?” The captain nodded and began ordering his crew to quicken their passes. Lynette decided to make herself useful and did what she could to help out. The women in the emerald cloak leaned against the ships sides playfully and turned towards their resident Earth Pony. “You seem distracted; is this your first time on a ship?”

“It sure is!” Pinkie replied, slightly leaping into the air. She didn’t last too long however, and soon came back down with a sick look on her face.

“Best to keep your hooves firmly on the boat, my friend.” She flashed the party mare a silly smiled. “Tell me, do you hate boredom?”

“Oh I can always find something fun to do, so I never get bored.”

The women hummed to herself and pulled over two empty barrels and a wooden crate. She flipped all three things onto their flat sides and sat down on one barrel. Pinkie was quick to do so also. “I envy you my dear; not all of us are as fortunate as you.”

She then reached into her cloak and pulled out a wooden rectangle with black and white patterned squared on it. “Would like to play a game while we wait for our prey?”

Pinkie’s eye widened to the size of an average serving plate. “Oh boy would I!”

Smiling the women set the board down on the overturned crate and pulled out thirty two small, beautifully crafted black and white pieces. The two set their respective pieces up on the board and began the game. All while invisible eyes watched them for as long as they were able.

*****

Time, 7:18 AM

Fluttershy awoke from her sleep, tears of joy formin in her eyes. She had drunk water from the Dreaming Spring to visit her friends once again. It had been hard to choose which to visit tonight, but after careful thought she decided that she needed to see Pinkie’s smiling face. To her relief, no harm seemed to have befallen the party mare at all. She brought her hooves around herself as tears began to trickle down from her eyes.

“Troublesome dreams?” Said an intellectual voice to the pegasus’s left. Moving her head in the direction, she saw the man of Del propped against a tree. His good arm had a book in it, which he was deeply reading. He quickly closed it when he noticed the pegasus’s gaze.

“You seem to be faring better.” Fluttershy said while whipping away her tears.

“All thanks to you, my dear.” He said extending a hand to the pony and helping her to her hooves.

“Thank you, sir.”

The man lifted his hand to silence her. “It is I who should give thanks. You saved me twice in one day.”

Fluttershy’s cheeks flushed red. “Oh it was nothing, you were injured and I just had to help you.”

The man was silent for a moment before responding. “Such kindness is hard to find in the world. Ah but I forget myself, we haven’t had proper introductions yet. My name is Tamer; I am a scholar at the Palace Library in Del.”

“My name is Fluttershy; I am a pegasus in charge of woodland creatures in Ponyville.”

“Ah, naturalists are we?” Tamer smiled. “Personally I preferred my books to nature. But even that has its downsides. Take this place for example. You’d never find something this beautiful in the Palace Library.”

He began to walk towards the spring and crouched down to fill his water flask. He winched in pain as his right arm shifted slightly. Fluttershy moved over to him and did her best to help. “So, what did those mean creatures want with you?”

“They were slavers; men who make their living by selling away other men and women like we are common meat.” He said with much distain. “I was ambushed while traveling from Del to the city of Hira, on behalf of Palace Librarian Romis.”

“I’m so sorry this happened to you.” Fluttershy said sympathetically.

“There is nothing for you to be sorry for. Besides, they got what they deserved.” Tamer then shifted his gaze towards the trees as the old Kin Sen came towards them.

“Ah hello my dear.” He greeted to the young pegasus.

“Hello there.” She replied happily. “Is there something you need?”

“Yes. In regard to our discussion yesterday, do you still planning to accompany us to the Mountain?”

“Umm, yes sir. That is if it’s not a problem.” She responded meekly.

“Not at all, in fact I’m sure the young ones will be most thrilled. But if you are coming with us we’d best leave now.” He turned his head to the sky and let the wind blew over his thin fur.

Fluttershy let out a small sigh, and then went to help Tamer to his feet. The two of them gathered their belongings and followed the Kin to a small hill next to the spring. All the Kin had gathered in a straight line and were eagerly readying themselves for the journey home. Many of the young were already discussing new games to try with their new friends.

With assistance, Tamer was placed inside one of the female’s pouch. The Kin had a meeting when Fluttershy had said she would leave with them and asked if she could bring him along. In the end they decided that it was wrong to leave the man to die and conceded. Fluttershy watched him with both a look of relief and worry.

Suddenly the wind shifted and each Kin unveiled its great wings, letting the air pass under them. Then without warning they took off down the hill as fast as they could run. Fluttershy flew after them and let out a gasp of fear. At the bottom of the hill was a large drop that couldn't be seen form the top.

As the Kin neared the cliff they began beating their wings furiously, and soon all of them were taking off. Relived by this, Fluttershy took her place among the flock as they traveled to their northern destination.

Rithmere

Day one, Time, 10:18 PM

The south of Lapis Lazuli territory was as barren as ever. The farmers had all been forced to abandon the south when the King ceased to send help after a terrible drought. Now the only life you could spot were large lizards scrambling among the rocks, and if you were lucky, the lands guardians sailing high above the clouds like shooting stars. As with any night they watched their land, enjoying its beauty and watching for any that wished to do harm.

Tonight their night would be more interesting, for something was coming along the road. It was a large covered wagon pulled by an intimidating black horse. At the head of the wagon was a woman in a green hood with fiery red eyes. Anybody could tell that she was a peddler, for the look on her face was that of the salesperson.

She looked over the merchandise she had purchased from the north and smiled. These daggers were fine ones indeed, especially since she had the chance to test them behind the Meresman’s back. He’ll most likely be mad when he discovers, but oh well. She hummed in her mind. That’s what you get for believing in luck and not being me. She continued to hum to herself as a grey fog covered the wagon.

The guardians watched with great curiosity as the fog completely blanketed her. And just as soon as it had appeared, it promptly lifted. But when it did, the cart and its driver were gone.

*****

Day two, Time 7:29 AM

The banks of the Broad River were shinning in the morning sun. The reeds swayed in rhythm to the wind, creating a peaceful and tranquilizing dance. Beneath the surface fish danced in the cool water and leapt to pluck insects from the wing. It was the kind of setting usually found only in vivid imagination. At least that’s what a down on his luck Meresman who had just been dragged into the most dangerous mission of his life thought.

Farley got up and admired the scenery for a bit. He rarely visited the Lapis Lazuli north, on account of it being the most populated area of the territory. Still even he missed seeing some real beauty from the land sometimes. He moved over to the river, filled his flask, and then placed it on the remains of his and Applejack’s fire.

At that moment the orange Earth Pony began to stir and lifted her head to stare at the Meresman. “Morning Farley, what are yah up to?”

“I’m preparing for the next step in our little adventure.” He lifted the flask off of the embers and drank a little. “We still have quite a ways to walk and just barely enough food.” He then picked up his boots and tipped them upside-down. A small trickle of sand poured out.

Applejack looked curiously at him. “Why is sand in yer boot?”

“Ah I forgot you are new to this land. Placing sand in your boot before you sleep is an old Mere superstition that ensures sound sleep.”

“Ah never took you fer the superstitious type.”

“All Mere are superstitious, does that bother you?” Applejack shook her head vigorously, causing him to smile. “No need to be like that my dear. Now let’s clear everything up.”

The orange pony nodded in agreement, and the two of them began packing up their campsite. During this time, all the orange mare could think of where her missing friends and what hand fate had dealt them, as Farley would say. She looked down at her necklace and hoped they were all safe and sound.

Suddenly a cry of frustration came from behind the orange pony. Turning around she saw Farley standing over his bag and examining the large hole in it. “All our food was in this bag.” He said grimly.

Applejack came over to examine it herself. The hole was quite large, almost like it had been slashed open. “What do yah think happened?”

“Most likely we were robbed in the night.” He looked towards Applejack. “What do you have in your bag?” The orange mare opened up the midnight blue saddlebag, revealing their rope, water flasks, a few dried apples, the map fragment and instructions. The Meresman let out a grunt of annoyance. “Well this changes thing for the worst. Now we need to make a little stop”

Applejack didn't bother to answer, she knew where he was speaking of.

*****

The two of them quickly finished cleaning up and rejoined the road and crossed the Broad River. They walked in silence for about thirty minutes before Farley beckoned Applejack to stop. They were coming to the area where the road widened. Everywhere there were horse drawn carts, wagons, and people on foot. All of them were standing in front of the gates of a large wooden wall. Looking up, Applejack could see buildings on the other side. The winds brought the sound of strong music and haughty laughter over the wall.

“Remember, no speaking or any other form of intelligence.” Farley whispered in the orange mare’s ear. She flicked her ear slightly in signal as they took their places in line. Luckily the line moved surprisingly quickly, much to Farley’s distain. Every step towards the walls seemed to tense the Meresman up even more.

Finally they made it to the gates. Waiting there was a man dressed entirely in fancy black leather armour who Applejack assumed was a guard. Farley walked up to him casually and extended his hand. “Head straight into the city to the Star House, where you shall be given a permit.” The guard said as he handed Farley a small silver star. “If you are caught without a permit after thirty minutes of your arrival you will be escorted out of the city. Welcome to Rithmere.” Farley thanked the man and the two headed into the gates.

The Inside of the city was something else entirely. It was a tight network of with narrow streets, all crammed tightly with shops and stalls. Everywhere people were crowded around the many performers hard at work for their evening meals. Looking around the orange pony could see a women with trained animals dancing, a man lifting huge barrels over his head, and a team of acrobats performing complex and awe inspiring routines. As they continued on, she spied a long line of people waiting to get their fortunes read. And the music; by Celestia was it defining. Applejack silently wondered how Farley was able to walk so casually through all this noise.

Eventually they arrived at a large square building in the town’s center, surrounded by more of the black leathered guards. Farley approached one of them and held out the silver star he had received at the gate. The guard took it and gestured to one of the doors. It was then he noticed the orange pony. “Is this beast with you?”

Applejack had half a mind to smack the guard for that, but held herself back. Farley briefly shot her a concerned look before answering the guard. “Yes, she is my show pony.”

“Very well, you may proceed, but leave her outside.”

Farley brought Applejack over to one of the nearby building and tied her to a pole with one of their ropes. “Sorry for this, but it has to look believable.”

“Ah know Ah know, just hurry up so we can go.” Applejack was never one for big cities.

“Believe me, I’d like nothing better.” He said with a smile before heading back to the Star House. It was just as boring as the first time he’d visited Rithmere. Wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible, Farley headed over to one of the town officials. He wore a look of great boredom on his face. He looked up from the papers he was working on and faced his visitor. “Name.” He spoke in an almost commanding voice.

“Farley of Orak.” He said calmly.

“From what direction did you come to the city?”

“South, along Adin’s way.”

“And how long do you intend to stay in the city?”

“Preferably no more than a day.” Farley actually wanted to be out before night, but in Rithmere, anything can happen. So it’s best to be prepared.

The official wrote down all the information on a small piece of paper and handed in to Farley. “Everything’s filled out; enjoy your stay in Rithmere.”

Nodding in thanks, Farley took the permit and exited the star house as fast as he could. So quick did he leave that the normally very observant Mere failed to notice the pair of eyes watching him.

*****

Applejack stood around as she waited for Farley to return. By now the initial shock of the city was wearing off, and the orange mare was beginning to grow sick of the noise and crowds. As she sat their tied to a post, her thought once again drifted to her home. Had anypony noticed their disappearance yet? Were they searching? Was there even a home to return to by now? She was soon so caught up in questions that she didn’t notice the ball flying at her until it hit her head.

Applejack’s head was spinning, and there were colored splotches in her vision. Slowly the orange mare raised a hoof to hold throbbing impact site, easing it slightly. She looked around in the direction it had flown in, but couldn’t see anything. “Are you alright?”

Dazed, Applejack looked up at Farley. “What took yah so long?”

He quickly gestured to her to quiet before looking around to make sure they had not been overheard. “Believe me, it wasn’t by choice.” Smiling he untied Applejack and the two headed off to the food markets.

*****

unknown to the two, a small orphaned boy looked out from the wagon he was hiding under and waited. Once the man and his orange horse were a ways away he dashed out and headed down an alleyway. He paused for a moment before letting out a soft whistle. Soon the sound was mimicked, and man dressed in silver garments came from the shadows.

“So was it him?” The boy nodded in response. Smiling the man pulled out a small bag of gold. The boy began to reach for it, but the man pulled it away before he could. “Was there anybody with him?”

“No, just some weird orange horse he was talking to.” The boy said scratching his head. “I tossed a ball at it, and it scratched its head.”

The man’s eyes suddenly sparked to life upon hearing this. For a moment he just stood there, taking in this information. Finally his eyes shifted and he tossed the boy his gold, which he took happily into the streets.

Journey On

Cold winds swarmed and hot ones rushed around the white unicorn as she struggled for her life in a sea of black. Her eyes were stung shut in the darkness as her skin was nipped by flames and frost all at once. Wherever she turned was another blast waiting to happen. The mare struggled as hard and as bravely as could, but it only seemed to edge the things on. She tried to let out a desperate scream, but instead she ended up choking on the never ending darkness.

It seems you’ve taken a bit of a tumble, may we offer you a hoof?

The voice was like a knife cutting into the endless night. Desperately the white unicorn searched around for its source, but her eyes still refused to open. She could tell thought that whoever was speaking, they sounded friendly.

Do you want your help early perhaps? It means you won’t get it later though.

The white mare couldn’t make out what the voice was saying, but if it was some way out of this torment she’d gladly take it.

So what will it be; now or later?

The unicorn screamed in her mind, praying for the voice to hear her. She waited on edge while the symphony of frost and flames played all around her. It had picked up its rhythm vigorously since the voice had appeared. It was driving the unicorn over the edge. Softly in her mind she prayed it would end.

Suddenly, the orchestra of hot and cold began to died down, and she could feel the crushing darkness lift. Silently she thanked whatever was responsible for this positive change of events. She didn’t have long to though, before what felt like some form of tether began to drag her off to who knows where. She didn't try and fight this force, instead embracing it willingly. As she was brought to what felt like a wall of light, the playful voice popped by one last time.

Aww too bad, we’ll have to talk some more later. Just remember; if you ever need some early help, don’t be afraid to give us a yelp.

*****

Day two, Time, 12:00 PM

Rarity shot the front half of her body into the air, sweat coursing through the untainted sections of her mane and coat. She was in a small candlelit room, in what appeared to be a simple wooden and straw bed. Her hooves and sides were all freshly bandaged and smeared with some form of gray paste. Her bag was even resting by the bedside.

It was then that she noticed the other figure in the room. Sleeping soundly in a chair was another of the bipedal “humans.” Rarity guessed from its posture and hair length that this one was female. Immediately Rarity spotted how messy she presented herself; her dark brown mane was scattered wildly, and the simple clothing she wore was simply atrocious. She was even more un-kept then Applejack.

The human lifted her head and let out a small yawn, opening her eyelids to reveal sparkling blue eyes. She stretched herself for a moment before taking notice of her guest.

“Ah good your awake.” She said after another yawn. “I was beginning to think the Grippers had claimed you.”

Rarity tried to speak but found her throat was bone dry, letting for nothing more than a dry grunt. Her hostess smiled and lifted a bowl of water from the bedside table. Gently she lifted it to the mares face. Rarity drank it feverously and nodded in thanks.

“Now that you’re awake, do you mind telling me what you are?”

Rarity waited a moment for her throat to loosen before responding. “My name is Rarity, and I am a unicorn.”

“Brianna of the Jalis.” She replied placing her hand over her chest. “I have never heard of a unicorn before, are you a foreigner?”

“Yes, I come from the land of Equestria. You wouldn’t have heard of it by chance?” Rarity asked, shifted to a more comfortable position.

“I have not.” She said a little flatly. “Can you stand?”

The white unicorn shifted herself off the bed and delicately placed her hooves on the ground. It felt a little straining and her wounds stung, but these feelings soon passed. Cautiously she took a few steps and made it across the room. Brianna watched the whole time with a look of pride on her face.

After a moment she spoke again. “If you don’t mind me asking, why have you come to Deltora?”

Rarity rested herself against the bedside and brought a hoof to her chin. “I don’t quite know the specific details, but I believe I was transported here somehow. The only clue I have is this note.” She reached into her bag and pulled the note out. She handed it to Brianna who looked it over before letting out a small laugh.

“I hate to tell you this my friend, but your quest is futile.”

“Why would you say that?” Rarity asked.

“You’re mission is to take the helmet of a Jalis knight. However, seeing as how easily you fell victim to the Grippers, I can easily assume you are not a fighter.” There was a grin on her face as she said this. “Let me guess, you are the type who solves problems with words.”

“Well I could always persuade him to-“

“The only way to remove his helmet is to pry it from his head.” Brianna interrupted. “And you will not do that unless you can fight.”

Rarity cocked an eyebrow. “And you are willing to teach me?”

“Of course, I am not allowing you to wander across Jalis territory without showing you how to defend yourself.” She strode towards the door and walked through. “Rest up, we begin at sunset.” With that she closed the door, not even bothering to wait for Rarity’s reply.

*****

Time: 12:24 PM

Spike hiked his way along the banks of the River Tor, making sure to stay concealed in the tree line. It had been three hours since he had left Tora and already the little dragon was missing the beautiful city. He was more upset about leaving the friendly people than the city itself. But he had a mission to do and he was determined to find his friends. The only thing he had on him of the Toran’s was a small bag of gold they had traded him for one of the Quarts he had found in the Bindle.

Before his departure, Zentha had dictated the dragon to head to a village known as Where Waters Meet. Spike remembered reading of the city in the Toran’s library; it was a busy trading settlement located where the River Broad met with the Tor on its way to the sea. Apparently the town had ferry boats for hire that the young dragon could use.

As Spike walked on, he would occasionally pear from the tree line and observe the activities around the riverbank. Beautiful lavenders grew in huge bunches along the riverside, and Spike just had to collect some for when he found Rarity. As he did, throngs of water birds swarmed in the shallows. One by one they joined their calls in harmonious symphony. And then there were the boats; the area was filled with wooden rowboats manned by one or two humans at a time. All of them were busy casting lines and nets into the crystal river, and pulling out heaps of glistening silver fish.

It was hard to do, but the young dragon forced himself to continue on. Eventually he found himself on the outskirts of large swollen vegetable farms. There were many paths through the busy fields, and to the dragons luck the farmers were too busy to notice his passing through. Once he was passed the gardens his eyes widened.

The village was filled with humans, most of whom were busy buying and selling goods at the many shops and stalls. Peering through the crowds, Spike could see the banks of the river again, only this time huge paddle boats were docked by them. Passengers were busy clambering off the ships, eager to starch their legs and get a fresh rest for wherever their journeys will take them.

As inconspicuously as possible Spike passed through the crowds and headed to the boats.

Gorl

Day two, Time, 2:14 PM

It felt like the entire city of Canterlot was tethered to Twilight’s legs, binding her to the vine covered earth. The fear was so strong that she couldn’t even think. All she could do was stare at the armoured creature in front of her, taking everything about his appearance. She could make out the formations in its torso to reflect its muscles, and two small horns on the top of its helmet. She could feel it emanate with an evil will. It did nothing but stare at the lavender pony and flex its gauntlets on the hilt of its sword.

“W-who are you?” Twilight strained with all her might to get the words out of her throat.

“I am Gorl, guardian of this place and keeper of its treasures.” The figure replied in a dark, hollow voice. “You are trespassing. Leave now and I shall allow you to live. Stay and you shall die like many before you.”

Twilight was slowly beginning to regain the use of her limbs but she dares not to look away from the armoured figure. “O-OK, Gorl. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I was just wondering if I could have a piece of one of these lovely vines so I could be on my way. See I need them to find my-”

Gorl’s helmet shifted slightly towards the unicorn mare. Peering through his visor Twilight could see nothing but blackness. “So not only do you come into my domain, but you lie to my face? Your decision has been made.” He pulled his sword form the ground and slowly raised his right gauntlet in a gesturing motion.

To her horror, Twilight found herself being pulled forward against her will. Her limps moved on their own accord, like somepony had her under a mind control spell. Desperately she tried to fight back, but the force tethering her was too strong. The golden figure led his opponent to the center of the Dark. This was the only are where light seeped through the cracks in the vines, allowing Twilight to view her surroundings. Immediately she wished she couldn’t.

The wall of vines stretched even farther than the unicorn had originally believed. They enclosed hundreds, maybe thousands of trees within their snakelike grasp. And scattered all around their base and bound tightly to the trees were the gleaming white bones of birds, beasts, and more of the bipedal creatures. It seemed that the golden figure was ever intent to protect his mysterious prise.

Once they were in the center Gorl raised his sword high while still holding his other hand to Twilight. “Now your blood shall feed my vines.” Without any hesitation he brought the sword down towards the unicorn’s neck.

“No!” Twilight screamed. She shut her eyes and channeled magic into her horn. Gorl gave a grunt of shock and annoyance and when she opened her eyes she saw why.

His sword was engulfed in a purple shimmer, just inches away from where her neck joined with the rest of her spine. Gorl was staring at the magic in wonder, and Twilight felt the binding force begin to wither and loosen. She quickly jumped to the side, her golden saddlebag falling of her back. This had the unfortunate consequence of severing her connection with the sword though. No longer distracted Gorl turned to face her, malice and evil practically seeping from his armour.

“You possess powerful magic thief.” His voice boomed. “But it shall not prevail you!” With that he charged forwards.

Twilight fired a blast or purple magic from her horn strait at his armoured chest. It made a direct impact but to her horror it achieved nothing in slow him down. He raised his gauntlet again and Twilight felt his iron like will around her again. But this time she was ready for it. As he approached she focused her magic and blasted Gorl at point blank range. He staggered back from the surprise attack, giving Twilight time to duck around him. He turned around equally fast and swung his sword. Luckily she was able to avoid it, save for a few inches of her tail.

Twilight flipped her body around and delivered a powerful kick to the Gorl’s leg. This achieved nothing more than a small clink and some backlash towards her. Gorl rose his sword again plunged it towards the staggered mare. She moved as best she could, but a stinging pain shot through her left flank. Craning her neck over she saw that her cutie mark was horribly abstracted by a long line of crimson going down its middle. Slowly Twilight tried to move, but only to discover that she had been backed towards the wall of vines.

Gorl advanced upon her and stuck his gauntlet out again. At the same moment Twilight channeled as much magic in her horn as possible. For a moment time seemed to stand still as the two beings were locked in a battle of willpower. Twilight put up a fierce resistance, but her wound and lack of energy from avoiding his attacks had drained her so. To add to her situation Gorl was beginning to raise his sword again.

An idea suddenly popped into Twilight’s mind. She kept up the surge of magic in her horn while watching the great sword intently. Once its wielder had raised it high enough he brought it down in a fast arching movement. As it was millimeters from impact Twilight unleashed the magic in her horn, teleporting behind Gorl as his sword was embedded deep into one of the old trees. There were several loud cracks and what sounded like moans of joy as a few severed pieces of black vine dropped to the ground.

Gorl gave out a roar of rage as he began to pull his sword free, but it refused to move. It was almost like the trees themselves were defying him. He would surely make them pay for this once his business with the unicorn was finished.

As he gripped his sword tighter Twilight levitated one of the severed vines and collected her golden saddlebag. Quickly she placed it inside and began to head for the opening. As she passed through the domes center however, her horn began to glow with golden magic again. “Not now!” She cried to her magical appendage. It paid her no mind however and directed her to the middle of the only ray of light.

Underneath it was a round patch of black mud. Despite not looking like much Twilight could defiantly sense a powerful amount of magic located underneath it. This must be his closely guarded treasure. She thought to herself. Whatever this magic was, she could tell right away that it was only in its infant stages. She stared in wonder at the mud, her mind an explosion of possibilities for what the magic was capable of when matured.

Suddenly a mighty tearing sound echoed around the dome. Looking up Twilight saw Gorl stagger back from the tree, which had now been torn in half. As he was turning around Twilight made a mad dash to the entrance. As she ran forward the unicorn shifted her head back to stare at the figure. He was not pursuing her, instead planting his sword in the ground and resuming the stance he had taken when she first saw him.

Not wanting to wait for his next move, Twilight ran from the Dark and tore through the Forest of Silence. She had no idea where she was going, but she didn’t care.

Happy Vale

Day two, Time, 1:00 PM

The caravan of the Masked Ones broke free of the tree lines and joined with the long, un-kept road that grazed the Barrier Mountains. They spoke in silence as they wandered along, concentration on nothing but getting to their destination. Even as they passed through small settlements and people came out to greet them. Some of the performers would play music or juggle a few balls, but that was it. They had no time to waste in small settlements like these.

The happy faces were a breath of fresh air for Rainbow Dash however. For the first time in over a day she could see emotional expressions. The sparkling in their eyes and the joy on their faces was like a fresh blast of sunlight to the pegasus. Sure it was only for a few moments, but it was at least something.

Most of the other Masked Ones made sure to keep their distance from the bound mare. Dash knew that they were watching her, even if they tried to hide it. The only one who remained by her was her jailer/friend Ransford. Even then he remained silent most of the time, lost in his own thoughts and dreams.

“So is out ‘question for a question’ thing still in affect?” Dash asked, desperate for a way to entertain herself. The raven masked man gave a small nod. “Good. So how long have you been with these guys?”

“I have been a Masked One my whole life.” He replied calmly. “Is that all or do you have more to add?”

Dash shook her head. “Then it is my turn, what do you aspire to do with your life?”

Dash immediately piped up upon hearing that. “Well I intend to one day join The Wonderbolts. The best aerial acrobatics group in all of Equestria.” A small laugh escaped the man’s lips. “What’s so funny?”

“It seems you are a bit more like us than you believe.” He replied. “While we may be two different races, you aspire to be a performer and entertain the masses.”

“Like you?”

Ransford didn’t reply. Instead he turned his head and walked slightly ahead of the cyan mare. There he once again went into the comfort and seclusion of his mind.

*****

Time, 5:00 PM

The chiming of a large bell rang thought the area. Immediately all the Masked Ones lifted their heads and began to murmur amongst themselves, especially the children. At first Dash wondered about is but upon looking down the road she could see why.

Ahead of them was a pleasant looking town of shops and buildings centered around a large fountain. A large clock tower rose from the other buildings, chiming the time away with its sweet melody. As the caravan headed through the town, throngs of people swarmed out to meet them. Like before the performers put on small shows, but these ones seemed more enthusiastic than before.

It’s because now it’s worth their while to. Dash thought to herself. She was then interrupted by a small group of children who came to marvel at the strange colored horse before them. She gave them each a nice smile, but to their sadness she was forced to go with the rest of the troop.

Soon they came to a large fiend behind the town. Immediately the masked children set off to collect firewood while their caretaker watched them attentively. Roc the dog headed one was overseeing and ordering the unloading of the red boxes. Rainbow Dash headed over to Ransford who was busy unhinging the horses and bringing them to a makeshift pen.

“So are you gonna perform tonight?” She asked eagerly.

“No, first we must set up before we can entertain.” He said. “And why would you assume I would be performing?”

“Well I remembered you told your mom that you had an act you were working on.”

He let out a small sigh. “Yes but she assigned me to you, remember? And at any rate it’s not finished.”

Dash leaned a little closer to her masked friend. “Well, do you think I can see it?”

Ransford dropped the bag of feed he had been moving and looked at the pegasus. “You would like to see my routine?” His voice was full of shock and surprise.

“Sure, I have nothing else to do.”

Ransford’s eyes were filled to the brim with excitement. Quickly he finished locking up the horses and beckoned Dash to follow him to the edge of the fiend. There was a long white fence around the area, covered with the same large moths dash had seen in the forest. She hesitated to go near them at first, but after some coaxing from Ransford she took a few steps. The moths paid the two no mind whatsoever and continued their vigilant post.

Finally Ransford stopped in the middle of a beautiful field of yellow flowers. The air was thick with black swarms of bees, all drunk on nectar. The raven headed man tossed his outer clothing off and reached for his belt. Dash saw him take two black rods from its side. With a quick flip of his wrists two long, black, leather roped tumbled off of them. He flexed the muscles in his back with anticipation.

“I haven’t had much time to practice for a few days, so this won’t be an amazing show.” He said calmly.

“Yeah, yeah, let’s get this started!” She said enthusiastically.

Ransford inhaled deeply and let the whips trail behind him. Slowly he walked in a carefully planned circle, which his whips traced accurately. Once it was finished he stood in its center and began to twirl his whips like ribbons. It started slow but soon picked up into a flurry of hypnotic movements. Dash was having a hard time looking away from the show. It was only by the buzzing in her ear that she was forced to look away. And what she saw next made her jaw drop.

All the bees in the field had risen in a black buzzing mass. Slowly they swayed back and forth in rhythm with the movements of his whips. When Ransford moved the whip in his left hand slower, the bees copied. When he flipped rotation they did the same.

Finally Ransford twirled both whips around his head like a transparent dome. Soon the bees were covering the area, one by one making a living dome out of their bodies. Rainbow Dash could only stare in wonder. Not even Fluttershy was this skilled at commanding animals.

As the last few bees were about to go in place Dash saw one of Ransford’s hands slip, and the whip go flying into the grass. Immediately the bees rose into the sky again and flew back to their flowers. The raven masked man stood there for a moment, breathing heavily. “I-I always-mess that part-up” he said between breaths.

The cyan pegasus could only stare into the sky as her brain processed what she had witnessed. “That was AMAZING!” She blurted out after a moment.

“You believe so?” He asked as he collected his whip and garments.

“Defiantly, why doesn’t your mother let you perform? Is she insane?”

Ransford let out a small sigh as he and Dash walked back to the camp. “No, but she has good reasons for it.”

Dash cocked her head in an are you kidding me kind of way. “And what might those be?”

“Didn’t you have something you wanted to ask me?” He said eager to change the subject. Dash was about to further protest but decided to drop it.

“Yeah, it’s about something called a Purebond Root. Do you-“Before she even knew what had happened Ransford had placed a black gloved hand over her mouth.

“Shhh, keep your voice low.” He said urgently. The two of them went back to Ransford’s wagon and closed the doors tightly. “Now where did you hear of that root?” There was a hint of concern in his voice.

“It was on that note from yesterday.” She replied, handing him the note from her rainbow saddlebag. Ransford scanned the note several times over, always with a concerned look in his eyes. “You know what it is don’t you?”

“Yes I do.” He said after a moment’s pause. “It is a very important root to us which is why you cannot speak of it in the open. Most members want you dead as it is, and this will just give them another reason to.”

He was getting up to leave when Dash grabbed him around the arm. “Pleas, it’s the only way I can find my friends.”

There was a sickening pause before the raven masked figure spoke again. “You are my friend Dash, and I don’t want to see you killed. I’m sorry.” With that opened the doors and left the cyan pegasus to herself.

Sea Serpent

Day two, Time 1: 19 PM

The crew of the Serpents Spine had gathered on the deck in full force to watch an intense game being played between two of their employers. For the last several hours they had been locked in an epic stalemate. No matter how hard one tried to break it the other would make a move that got the cycle started again. Currently the women in green had a Rook in place to take out the pink ponies black Bishop. And sure enough on her turn she did just that. The pink pony looked at the move and smiled. This gave her an opening to move a knight to an optimal check position.

Silently the crew made small wages with one another on who was going to win. They worked this way so as not to draw their captain’s attention. In truth Captain Mercer already knew what they were doing, but decided to allow it. After all, the men needed some way to keep themselves occupied.

Instead he took notice of their third employer, the fellow citizen of Broom Lynette. She was on her own staring out at the sea. Her face seemed to show deep thought and sorrow. He had seen this look before a thousand times.

“Is everything alright?” He asked her as friendly as possible.

“Just reminiscing.” She said, not bothering to look away from the endless blue.

He removed his hat and placed it at his chest. “You have the look of one who has lost something to the sea.”

This time she did shift her head to stare at him with watery grey eyes. “It was my father. Two years ago last month he rowed out and never came back. From what his fellow fishermen told me, his boat had been attacked by a Sea Serpent.”

“I am sorry to hear that.” Mercer said somberly.

“It’s alright; I have accepted that I can never get him back. But I still think of him every time I go to sea.”

He placed a hand carefully onto her back. “He sounded like just as brave a man as any who decide to live by the sea.”

Lynette turned to him and nodded him a thank you. The two of them stared out at the horizon for a bit, and watched a pair of Ruby dragons pluck silver fish from the clear waters. Suddenly there was a roar from the crowd behind them. Both bodies turned around to see the cause of the uproar. It seemed that both the women in green and Pinkie had pawns near the ends of the board and other pieces to prevent them from promoting. This left them both in very troublesome positions.

“Pinkie my dear, you have given me a fine game indeed.” The women in green said with a smile that rivaled the pink mare’s.

“Yeah, this is super doper fun! At the looks of things though, we may be here for a while.”

The women clasped her hands together and pondered her next move. Pinkie did the same with her hooves, not because she was thinking, but because she wanted to mimic her friend.

“How did you ever find such lovely company?” Mercer asked as he and Lynette made their way to the crowd.

“Honestly, they seem to just pop out from the ground.” She replied. Her voice still harbored some sorrow in it, but for the most part she was as lively as any of the others.

Suddenly the ship shook vigorously, and everyone was nearly thrown to the floor. The women in green made a dive to save her board, which nearly fell on the deck. When she caught it she stared intently at two of the pieces; the white king and the black queen. The fall had caused the two to slide dangerously close to one another. The women stared at these pieces and a small grin appeared on her face.

“Status report.” Mercer called to his men, who quickly got to their places and began thoroughly examining the ships sides.

“Seems we have hit some of the shallow rocks, sir!” One called.

“I think we’ve gone far enough, let’s get this over with.” Mercer called after a moment’s thought. Immediate the crew began to bring up large wooden crates and heavy weighted fishing nets. They also began arming themselves with harpoons, swords and any other weapon available.

Once everything was in position Mercer gave them a sharp nod. The crew opened the crates to reveal heaps of fresh red meat. Quickly they loaded the nets with their bloody cargo and dangled it over the water’s edge on the starboard side. Then they waited.

Pinkie was waiting over by Lynette and the women in green. This was all so exiting to the pink pony. If she were in Ponyville still she’d be busy planning all sorts of parties. Maybe once she found the girls she could introduce them to all her new friends. Then they could all celebrate together!

Suddenly the ship gave another shake. This one was different than the first though, it seemed more controlled. One of the crew members shouted something inaudible to the pink mare. And then he was suddenly gone.

Everyone turned to see an immensely long body covered in purple-black scales rise from the depts. Rows of razor sharp fins ran down its back like miniature sails. Its hideous head was adorned with whip like whiskers and barbed spines. The missing crewman screamed from between its needle like teeth before the beast disappeared back into the blue.

Mercer shouted out to his men to take up position at the ships sides. Just then there was a loud groaning noise and the beast lunged itself from the sea again, water dripping between its teeth like waterfalls. With a quick lunge it slide over the deck and devouring another screaming sailor before diving over the opposite side. Not a moment later its horrible head appeared on the original side again, giving it a firm hold on the ship.

Harpoons flew through the air, and while most missed their marks some were able to penetrate the serpent’s scales. On the deck men and women were hacking at its coils. Everywhere they struck horrid sour smelling blood flowed.

The serpent gave a gurgling hiss and lunged at the people attacking it. Many were crushed beneath its great body, and those that weren’t were tossed aside by the impact. One man landed close to Pinkie Pie, his face horribly scarred from the beast’s whiskers and bleeding badly.

“All at once, aim for the eyes!” Mercer called to his men. He them hurried over to the two women and pony. “Get below deck and stay low.”

There was another round of cries as the serpents head slithered and writhed its way to the ships stern. Hissing menacingly it opened its vile mouth. A torrent of vile breath came forth like a hurricane. The four of them only just had time to evade before it slammed into the quarter deck. Mercer, Pinkie and the women in green landed by each-other and all turned to look at the serpent. Its hollow lidless eyes were fixed onto them.

The rest of the crew carved at the beast’s body, but it didn’t even bother to look. With a quick movement its spiny tail erupted from the sea and came crashing down onto the brave sailors. Many of them were given quick passings, others were not so fortunate.

Fear had taken a firm hold on the pink pony as she observed the carnage around her. She had never in her wildest imagination believed such carnage was even possible. Her normally optimistic and cheerful mind suddenly filled with hideous thoughts of despair. She shifted her gaze away from the wounded and back towards the serpent. It reared its head back and let out another gurgling hiss.

Suddenly the serpent began flailing its neck wildly and let out a horrible cry of rage. Squinting her eyes Pinkie could see a harpoon logged between its left eye and skull. She turned to see Lynette standing on the beast’s body; her teeth flashed a savage grin of triumph.

“Get down!” she called to the others as the serpent turned towards its attacker. With a horrid screech it flung its vile head through the air. Lynette jumped out of the way at the last second as it went sliding over the bowsprit.

Mercer jumped to his feet and hurried to the weal. “If we keep it at the front I can crush its ugly head.”

“Consider it done.” Lynette said confidently.

“I’m coming to.” Pinkie piped up.

“Pinkie this is no place for you. Stay here where you’re safest.”

“I’m coming and you can’t stop me.” Pinkie said defiantly. Lynette let out a low sigh before nodding in agreement.

The serpent thrashed around the ship’s bow, tossing everything in its path over the edges. Lynette grabbed up a long line of rope and tossed it to Pinkie. The two worked feverously to keep the beast down while Mercer began bringing them to a tall rock carved from the sea. All this time the women in green stayed low and inconspicuous. She wasn’t much of a fighter after all.

The serpent finally began to recover from its injuries and tried to raise its head. To its annoyance however it found that lengths of ropes and nets had been tossed around it. With a quick flex of its great muscles it tore free from these binds and turned to the two that had tried to subdue it.

A bubbling hiss escaped its needle like teeth as it came down upon them. This was bad, Pinkie though to herself. the serpent had moved itself from the optimal ramming position.

Lynette seemed to notice this as well and let out a groan of inconvenience. Quickly she jumped over the debris and reached for a large splinter of wood. With a cry of triumph she plunged it deep into the serpent’s body. A hideous cry pierced the heavens as the serpent swerved its head towards the women who had dared to harm it.

Everyone else could do nothing but watch as Lynette gave a small triumphant smile. As the serpent dived towards her, and then claimed her in its vile jaws.

At that moment something went off in Pinkie’s mind. It was a feeling she preferred not to show unless absolutely necessary, the feeling of rage.

“HEY YOU BIG, UGLY SERPENT!” She cried at the top of her lungs. The serpent paused for a moment and turned its head towards the pink mare. With a hiss it reared back and lunged forward. Pinkie could still see Lynette’s body between its teeth.

She waited until the serpent was seconds away from her before spinning her body around. Once it was upon her she pulled her back legs in and delivered the hardest kick she had ever preformed. There was a horrible shattering sound and a dripping roar of pain as the serpent recoiled its head, dropping Lynette’s body in the process. It thrashed madly in the air towards the ships front.

Triumphantly Pinkie turned towards Mercer, who had a savage grin of victory on his face.

“Everyone get down!”

CRACK-GERUNCH!

The entire front of the ship collided with the rock, with the serpent caught in the middle. It let loose one last scream of pain before its foul head slammed onto the ship.

For a while time seemed to stand still as the survivors looked over the area. They all expected something to happen but to their delight nothing did. Mercer and the women in green rushed down from the quarter deck and joined Pinkie in a moment of silence.

Suddenly a low moan caught all of their ears. Turning around they saw Lynette half buried in debris. “Did we win?” She asked weakly.

Immediately Pinkie rushed over to her injured friend and embraced her tightly, only stopping when she let out a cry of pain. Mercer and the women in green helped Lynette out of the rubble and lay her down. As they did she let out a grunt of pain while taking her hand from her leg. In her hand were two ling dagger like fangs. Smiling she tossed one to the party mare.

“Well Pinkie you were right, there is nobody as crazy as us.”

Aftermath

Day two, Time 7:17 PM

The dance halls of Broom were deafeningly loud with the pounding of feet and cheers of celebration. Every corner of the city shook from the force of their festivities. It truly was a night to remember, and why shouldn’t it be? There was much reason for celebration today.

Earlier that very day the brave crew of The Serpents Spine had sailed out from the harbour with a crew fifty strong. When the ship had returned its crew was reduced to a mere five injured and the entire bow was horribly disfigured. And tied firmly to it was the great, bleeding body of a massive Sea Serpent.

When the survivors made port they were greeted with heroic welcomes. This was a feet few members of the city had ever done, and fewer were still alive to speak of it. Even the Ruby Dragons who witnessed the battle gave silent credit to the sailors before soaring off to find their own sustenance in the deep blue.

Once they had landed the financer of the expedition began to divide the serpent up. She stoke claim to at least a sixth of its scales and bones and gave the rest to their willing captain. He split the spoils up between his surviving crew and the families of the deceased. The only ones left out of the deal were the injured fisherman’s daughter and a strange talking pink pony. Neither of them minded however; the two fangs each of them held were enough of a winning to see them through.

Once her wounds had been properly bandaged Lynette had the fang made into a wonderful pendant. She offered the same for Pinkie, but was turned down. The pink pony had other reasons for wanting her fang. A big smile spread across her face as she thought of them. Soon she would be able to see her friends.

Once all the claims had been made and repairs were begun on the damage ship the celebrations began if force. The first thing they did was serve up the serpent’s flaky meat. Despite the rest of them being foul, there flesh was a real delicacy.

Once the sun had set the people moved the victory celebration inside. While the rest of the town was busy partying and having fun, Pinkie, Lynette and the women in green sat in the corner. Each of them had a drink at hand (hoof) and were busy swapping some more stories with each-other. As before Pinkie’s were a real ear catcher.

“So you and your friends broke into your capitals archives to prevent a disaster that was never going to happen?” The women in green clarified.

“Yep, we got to be all sneaky and spy like!”

The women took a sip from her drink. “Well it sounded quite the riveting tale.”

“Oh it was!” Pinkie smiled happily. “So how about you-“Pinkie suddenly planted her face into her hoof. “-I just realized, I never learned your name, and I know the names of all my friends. Like Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Cheerilee, Zecora...”

“She has a point; we never did catch your name stranger.” Lynette said as Pinkie continued her listing off thousands of odd sounding names.

“That’s because I never threw it. See in my profession its best not to give ones identity to anyone.”

“Maybe so, but surely you can afford to tell us?”

The women lowered her glass and seemed to ponder for a moment before she spoke softly. “Gainell Masters.”

Suddenly her hand was being crushed between two hooves and being shaken vigorously. “Hello Gainell!” Pinkie cried happily. This got a bit of a laugh from Lynette. Suddenly she noticed something on the table and gestured to the others to look. It was a small piece of parchment with a wax seal in the shape of a chariot. Something was riding in it, but the object was too small to make out. Along both sides of the seal were words spelt out in bright red letters.

PINKIE PIE

Pinkie’s face lit up suddenly and she vigorously tore into the note. “Dear Pinkie, congratulations on completing your challenge. As promised you are to be given some help. Head to the west to End Wood; the last and smallest section of the Forest of Silence.”

“So it seems you have your next destination ready.” Lynette said sadly. She had grown quite fond of the pink mare in there short time together. And from the look on the pink mare’s face she was going through the same turmoil.

Gainell placed a hand on both of their shoulders and gave a small smile. “Let us not think of these thoughts now, but instead celebrate. This is a party after all.”

Both of them perked up a little and flashed each-other ghost smiles. They then spent the rest of the night laughing, smiling and celebrating the fun they had had in their short time.

*****

Time, 6:50 PM

The sun was just beginning to graze the horizon as the Kin began their decent back to the earth. Each of them circled the forest below them, searching for their yearly breaking spot. The fittingly named Kinrest.

Fluttershy was just grateful to finally be returning to the earth. So when the Kin announced that they had found the spot she was among the first to land among the sheltering trees.

It was a beautiful and tranquil spot indeed. A bubbling stream flowed through the area and the large trees were adorned with toadstools and wild plants. A large cave sat at the edge of the trees. There was the faint sound of a waterfall in the distance.

Fluttershy tore herself from the beautiful scenery to assts tamer to the ground. The man seemed just as excited as the pegasus by his surroundings.

“What an amazing place. You never see anything like this cramped up in the palace.”

“Oh you should see some of the places where I’m from.” Fluttershy said. “There are some truly breathtaking areas.”

“What is your land like, if you don’t mind my curiosity.” The scholar asked.

Fluttershy wasn’t the best at explaining history to ponies, but she decided to try. “Well it’s allot like this land, but Ponies, Minotaurs and Donkeys inhabit it instead of you humans. We are ruled by our two princesses Celesta and Luna who are Alicorns, ponies with both wings and horns. See ponies normally only have either wings, horns or nothing at all...”

Tamer listened inventively to the yellow mare and took a roll of paper and pencil from his bag. Quickly he began to jot down all she was saying. Such fascinating things came from the pegasus’s mouth. Detailed descriptions of the three pony tribes, the different surrounding regions, and even some of the wildlife. By the time the pegasus was finished the sun was nothing but a sliver coming from the land. Fluttershy noticed this with alien curiosity.

“Odd, seeing the sun move on its own?” Tamer asked. She responded with a small nod. “Well I don’t know what I can do to assist with that.”

“It’s alright, and thanks for caring.” She moved a bit closer to the scholar. “So umm, what is it like living at your palace?”

Tamer let out an amused huff. “It is like most other high class establishments. Everyone is so concerned with themselves and their reputations that they barely speak to each-other. Thankfully I am employed in the library or I would not stand it there. And things have gotten so much worse since the king got sick.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Yes it is a tragedy. Especially now that chief adviser Drumm is in charge.” Fluttershy could feel the distain in his voice when he spoke that name. “You will never find a viler man in the entire kingdom. How he got to his position is well beyond me.”

“You don’t like him I take it?”

“My dear you would have a hard time finding anyone in the palace who openly likes Drumm. Why just before I left for Hira I heard him arguing with Palace Librarian Romis about shutting down one of the libraries wings. Can you believe his nerve!?” He paused to vent his frustration. “I am sorry me dear.”

“It’s alright, I understand your frustration.” She said calmly before letting out a tiny yawn. Tamer smiled at the yellow mare and the two of them made their way to the cave with the Kin.

Deceit

Day two, Time, 5:49 PM

Applejack and Farley had been wandering around Rithmere for many hours. There searches for a good deal had sadly been coming up empty handed/hoofed. No matter where they went in this city greed and outrageous prices seemed to follow. So far they had seen food stands charging up to five silver coins for food that should normally cost one and weapon shops carrying highly un-kept products.

They didn’t stay in any part of the city for too long, and by midday they had covered over half of it. Everywhere they went people had turned a head to stare at the odd orange pony. Heeding Farley’s words Applejack made sure to ignore them as best she could, but it wasn’t easy. The thought of so many eyes watching her was unsettling the orange mare.

She turned to her companion for any assistance she could, but from the looks of things he was just as unsettled as she was. His alert eyes were always darting around as if he were expecting something. Seems practical for a place like this. Applejack thought to herself.

Finally they found a stand that had affordable prices for food. It was small and seemed to be in poor shape, but it was all they had to work with. As Farley searched through the wares Applejack decided to look around a bit. Most of the humans were busy entertaining themselves in any way they could, from gambling to watching the entertainers. However, something caught her attention in the crowd. In between some of the people were what appeared to be two fiery red eyes.

There was something oddly familiar about them that Applejack couldn’t put her hoof on. What’s more, they seemed to have shifted towards her. Applejack blinked suddenly and the flames disappeared. As she searched the area for them she saw Farley return with their supplies.

“What is it? Did you see something?” The orange pony nodded inconspicuously. “Alright, were going then.”

“Farley of Orak, is that you?”

Instantly Farley went ridged. Slowly he shifted himself to both turn around and cover Applejack. Even though he wanted her hidden Applejack poked her eyes between his arms. Approaching them quickly was a dark skinned human male wearing beautiful silver garments. He had his arms spread wide in an almost greeting fashion. His golden eyes were beacons of joy.

“It is you. I thought I recognized that outfit of yours.”

Farley didn’t say anything; he just stood there with an odd look on his face. Applejack couldn’t tell what it was, but it looked a bit like anticipation.

“Regan, how unexpected to see you here.” He finally said after a moment.

The man had an almost shocking look on his face. “Really? I am one of the wealthiest men in the city. How can you not expect me to be here?” His expression suddenly became friendly again. “Ah, but what does it matter? Come; let us share a drink or two and discus old affairs.”

“I would love to, but I really must be leaving. See I am heading north and-“

“Nonsense, we haven’t had a drink since your last visit. We have so much to catch up on since then.” He said insistently. “I’m sure your journey can wait a night.”

Farley let out a sigh of defeat and nodded. Soon they were following Regan to one of the nearby taverns. Farley made sure to trail behind him so he could speak to his orange friend.

“I’m sorry for this inconvenience. I’ll try and make it as short as possible.”
“Who is this here Regan anyway?”
“He is an old acquaintance of mine. I had hoped to be out of Rithmere before bumping into him.”
“And why is that?”
“For this reason.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of their destination. It was a rather lively tavern titled The Moon & Stars. Farley moved over to one of the banisters and begrudgingly tied Applejack to it. After that he and Regan headed inside.

The inside was fairly clear for a Rithmere tavern. It looked well kept and presentable, a good sign in Laps Lazuli territory. The innkeeper was at his station serving up a few men who were betting on some dice games. Upon noticing the two new arrivals they moved to one of the scattered tables. The two men took the now empty seats and were passed warm drinks. Regan immediately took his in hand and took a small sip.

“Ah, it’s been to long since we sat down, hasn’t it?” Farley gave a small nod and then took a sip from his own mug.

“So Farley, since you are showing your face here I assume you have my dues.” He asked, all friendliness evaporating from his voice.

“That depends, on what dues you are owed.” Farley replied softly. He reached for another sip but Regan placed his hand on the glass.

“You know well the ones I’m speaking of, or should I refresh your horrid memory?” He said threateningly.

Farley’s eyes briefly flash with fear. “Ah, those ones, well I don’t have them with me at the moment, but if you allowed me t-“Before he knew what hit him Regan had his hands on the Meresmans collar and pinned him against the wall. Fearfully he darted around the room and saw that none of the other patrons were paying any attention. They just continued on with their affairs as if the two men weren’t even in the room.

“Farley I am very disappointed in you.” Regan said in a mock sad tone. “I thought I made it very clear to you, you pay me back what you owe, or I will personally toss you into the Shifting Sands and leave you to your horrid fate. Now I assumed an intelligent man like yourself would have chosen the intelligent option.” His golden eyes narrowed. “It seems I was wrong.”

“That’s pretty ironic, ‘cause I was on my way to the Sands right now.” Farley said, mentally slapping himself in the process. That was perhaps the worst thing he had ever said to escape these situations. He cringed and awaited Regan’s response but it didn’t come as suddenly as he had expected. Instead the hands on his collar loosened and he was dropped to the floor.

“I know where you are headed, and I know why.” Regan said as he took his seat again. At first Farley was confused as to how he knew, but then he remembered who he was speaking to. He took a moment to gather himself and reluctantly took his seat as well.

Regan turned to him and a small smile graced his lips. “How would you like to be free of two burdens for the price of one?”

Farley eyed the man suspiciously. “What do you mean?”

*****

With Farley gone and nothing to do Applejack found herself just staring at the cool evening sky. The golden sun was getting close to the horizon. Applejack hadn’t noticed before that the sun and moon moved on their own accords. Now that she had it left her quite baffled as to how they did. Did this land’s ruler control them like the Princesses? This thought didn’t seem right, seeing as how none of the creatures so far had the ability to control magic.

Once again the thoughts of home came heavily to Applejack. She was going on the end of the second day without any knowledge of her friend’s locations or state of beings. Simmer down Applejack, their probably safe and sound right now. No sense worrying ‘bout what yah can’t control.

But where’s the fun in that?

Applejack shot her head from the sky and searched the area vigorously. That voice sounded so familiar to the orange mare, but she was having a hard time putting her hoof on where she'd heard it. To her dismay the streets were empty so her questions were left unfulfilled.

At that moment the doors to the tavern burst open and Farley strode out. ‘What took yah so long?”

“He had some offers to pitch to me.” He said calmly. “Now I don’t know about you, but I have had enough of this city.”

“Me to, let’s get goin’.”

The two of them walked along the streets on their way back to the main gates. With the majority of the people retired for the evening the city wasn’t even a fraction of how it was this morning. While Applejack was grateful for the gap in noise and commotion the silence made the empty streets forbidding. Every second she expected something to jump out and attack her. Farley also seemed to have the same fears as her. Luckily for the two of them the city gates soon came to greet them.

Applejack turned back to the city for one last look before she followed Farley out the gates. Once they were outside Farley gave her a ghostly smile. And this was the last thing she remembered before the crack of a club against a skull was heard.

*****

In no less than fifteen minutes the orange mare was tied, gagged and placed in the back of a stationed cart. Farley looked on calmly and without a word, even when Regan came to oversee the final preparations. Farley was quick to notice the look on the man’s face. It was almost a mixture of joy, and, relief.

“Why so glum all of a sudden, you should be happy. You got out of a surely suicidal mission to the Sands and we can bury the hatchet.”

Farley didn’t say anything; he just stared out aimlessly at the horizon.

“Well hopefully the next time you come around you’ll be in a better mood, and then we can share a proper drink.” Regan said. He then moved over to the wagon driver and whispered something into his ear. The driver nodded and beckoned his horse to move. As Regan headed back into the city Farley watched the wagon move on until it was almost out of sight. Then he left the gates of Rithmere as well.

In The South

Day two, Time 7:00 PM

Rarity awoke for the second time that day and let out a small yawn. These mid morning naps always helped out the unicorn mare when she was having a stressful time. She waited a moment for her eyes to fully open and then began to examined the room. The candle had withered down to a small nub by now, and there was little sunlight coming in through the door. Must be late evening. Rarity thought to herself.

Carefully she shifted herself from the bed and onto the cold floor. To her relief the pain in her legs had dimmed greatly since earlier. There was still a slight sting, but she brushed it aside. There were more urgent matters to attend to, like finding her friends along with a way home. But first she was meeting with Brianne for something, training, she thought.

Cautiously Rarity opened the door with her magic and headed into the main hallway. The interior looked very similar to Applejack’s home; very simple and homely. Sadly the pleasant atmosphere was ruined by the large amounts of clutter and farming equipment scattered everywhere. How can anypony live like this, it is simply atrocious.

Rarity made her way through the mess and opened the main door. Sure enough the sun was lowering in the horizon, giving the rolling fields in the area a beautiful golden hue. She took a moment to breath in the beautiful scenery in all its glory before spying Brianne. The Jalis woman was sitting on a stone sharpening a large steel object with a rock. As Rarity approached her she realized the object was a large sword.

She looked up from her work and smiled at the Unicorn. “Ah, good, you are awake. I was beginning to lose patience.”

“Are you sure we even have to go along with this?” Rarity asked hopefully. “You’ve already done so much for me.”

Brianne gave an amused snort before kicking herself off the rock. “Yes, I saved you from the Grippers so you are my responsibility. And I’m not letting you go unless you can defend yourself out there.”

“I can assure you that I am more than capable of handling myself.”

“Those bandages say differently.”

Rarity let out a small huff. “Well how was I supposed to know that the plants would try and eat me?”

“You didn’t and that is exactly why you should learn. It will teach you to always expect the worst and how to properly combat it.”

Rarity realized she was going to get nowhere with this one, so she sighed in defeat. “If it means I can be on my way, fine. What would you have me do?”

Brianne lifted her sword and casually inspected it. “Just charge at me for now, and make sure you don’t hold back.”

Rarity flashed her an odd look before complying. The woman did seem to know what she was doing after all. The unicorn lowered her head and then charged at her top speed towards the woman. As she was mere seconds away from colliding with her, Brianne sidestepped and hit rarity on the leg with the flat side of her blade, sending the unicorn stumbling forward.

“Care to try again?” She asked when Rarity had gathered herself. The fashion unicorn gave a small huff and tried to kick the woman. She easily deflected the attack with her blade and tapped Rarity on the head. The unicorn swerved around and tried to land at least one blow, but the Jalis women easily swerved aside. Rarity tried again, but was easily knocked aside by the women’s free arm.

“You have good spirit my dear, with some refining you might come close to a challenge.” She said jokingly. With one quick movement she tossed her sword aside and extending a hand to assist the unicorn.

“Like I said I’m more into fashion than violence.”

Brianne let out a friendly sigh. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“And what does that mean?”

“What it sounds like.” She replied with a grin. “But we’re getting off topic.” She picked up her sword and made a small gesture to the unicorn. “Whenever you are ready my dear.”

*****

Time, 2:00 PM

Swiftly and silently Spike moved between the citizens of Where Waters Meet on his way to the river. Always his eyes darted between their faces, waiting for one of them to look down and see him. Luckily this was not the case. The folks of the town were too busy buying, selling or stretching their legs to give the young dragon any notice. This worked perfectly for Spike. He figured the less people who noticed him the better.

Finally he broke free of the crowd and found himself at a large, two storied white paddleboat. It looked large enough to fit at least thirty ponies on it comfortably. A small crimson ramp led up to its main deck, being manned by a tanned skinned human wearing a white uniform and hat. He bore a long scar down the middle of his face. Spike assumed this man was the captain. Gathering himself the little dragon walked towards him.

The captain looked down at the dragon took a step back in shock. This was the exact reason Spike hadn’t wanted to draw attention to himself. The shock on the man’s face soon died away however, and was instead replaced with a curious grin.

“And what do we have here, a lizard boy?” The captain asked.

“You’re not so good looking yourself.” Spike retorted, which got a small smile from the captain.

“So you looking to head downriver?”

“If that’s where this boat is heading.”

“Then you’re in luck kid, so long as you can afford it that is.”

Spike reached into his bag and pulled out the bag of coins from the Toran’s and healed it out. The captain counted the coins quickly before taking them from the young dragon.

“Welcome aboard the River Runner, now here are a few rules we need to go over. First off, I’m the captain, not your personal bodyguard. So you have to look after your own well being and the safety of your belongings. The other is this, I want no trouble on my ship. Start any and I won’t hesitate to toss you overboard.”

“I don’t intend to do anything like that.” Spike said calmly.

“Then we won’t have any problems.” The captain said. “And don’t take it personally kid, I say the same thing to everybody. Believe it or not, you aren’t the weirdest thing to get on my ship.” With that he stepped aside and allowed Spike access to the ramp.

The main deck was quite plain, with the exception of a few scattered tables and benches. At some of these sat humans playing card games and others were eating food from their personal rations. In the center of the floor were three musicians playing flutes and piccolos to those who cared to dance. None of them paid any attention to the dragon and went about their business. Spike headed over to an inconspicuous corner and sat himself down.

A small chattering sound entered his ear not a moment later, causing him to spin in surprise. No sooner did he find himself face to face with a small red haired creature with a curious face and long, powerful arms. It eyed the dragon curiously for a moment before rushing off.

“I take it you’ve never seen a Polypan before?” Spoke a friendly, female voice above Spike. It belonged to a human wearing bright green garments and cloak, beneath which were fiery red eyes. “You’d better keep good track of your belongings. Polyopans are known for being master pickpockets.”

“Umm thanks.” Spike said rising to his feet. The women eyed him curiously.

“I’ve never seem one of you before, are you a dragon?”

“I sure am, although not from around here.” Spike made sure to keep his voice low as he spoke.

“Yeah, I could tell from the lack of wings.” The women said playfully. “So where are you off to?”

“I’m going downriver to the coast.” The women’s eyes sparked with interest.

“What a coincidence, I was heading that way also. Are you going to the Maze of the Beast to see the Glus as well?”

“No, I’m going to the Dreaming Dunes.”

“Oh, those are interesting to.” She said with less investment. “By the way, my name’s Fayola.”

“I’m Spike.” He responded. Just then the captain returned to the ship and headed to his quarters.

“It looks like we’re setting off. See you later Spike.” Fayola said with a wave before moving over to join a new game of cards.

And sure enough the boat gave a small jolt of life. The great paddles began turning, slowly at first but quickly gaining speed. Spike took one last look at the town before staring off at the calm waters. After a moment or two of tranquility the dragon was lulled into a joyful dream of reuniting with his friends. There smiling faces were like new life in his veins. He was especially strengthened by the presence of the two unicorns of the group.

So blissfully at peace was the young dragon that he never felt the unseen eyes watching him. He simply dreamed on as they vanished from existence back to the nothingness they came from.

*****

Time, 11:57 PM

Chief Advisor Drumm paced along the palace hallways, going over the happenings of the day in his mind. Everything was going according to his masters plans. The chief advisor now had the entire royal court in his hands. Like a puppet master he was pulling their strings, weakening this land piece by piece for his master’s grand plan. His master had said that it was nearly time for the next phase to be put into fruition. But that would have to wait until the dragons were dealt with.

Drumm suddenly stopped himself. All this thought about his master had made him realize that it was almost time for his report. Quickly he headed through the hallways, pushing aside any guards and palace folk in his way.

Finally Drumm reached the door that lead to his private chambers. Silently he slipped through the door and locked it behind him. The room itself wasn’t much to look upon, very dark and secretive. Fixed into the center of the room was a glass table with a well furnished wooden frame. In the center of the glass was a crystal that swirled with grey smoke rimmed with red. As Drumm approached the table the mist parted, and from it came a slow, hissing voice.

“Are you there Drumm?”

“I’m right here master.” He responded in a whining voice. “I am pleased to report that your plans regarding the palace are well under way. Once the dragons have been dealt with I will be ready to place them in their respected locations.”

“As I knew it would.” The voice said.

“Yes master, as usual your plans work out well. And on another good note my spies have just moved beyond Del’s borders. Soon I will have the presences for you.”

A low hissing laughter came from the crystal. “As I have said before Drumm, you can assure me nothing. I have already located the presences myself. As we speak one is being delivered to me.”

Drumm let out a small whimper. “I am sorry master, I did my best.”

“That is irrelevant, what matters is that I know what the presence now is. It seems they are a gathering of ponies.”

Drumm let out a whimpering laugh. “That is what we’ve been searching for? At least we know they aren’t a threat to-“

Before he could finish his thought he slumped to the ground and let out a cry of pain.

“Never underestimate magic Drumm, no matter how simple it appears.” The voice whispered with absolute authority. “Why the accursed belt is nothing more than gems and steel, and yet its power keeps me from the lands I covet.”

Drumm crawled towards the crystal. “Forgive my insolence master.” He pleaded to the voice. “What would you have me do about them?”

The voice paused for a moment before speaking again. “Keep your eyes opened, and report anything you hear.”

“Of course master, I shall deliver them to you when I learn their locations.”

The voice let out another laugh. “Oh no Drumm, I shall extend them my own ‘personal’ welcome.” And with that the smoke began to roll over the crystal's surface again. Before it was completely covered though, Drumm got a quick glimpse of something in the darkness. He saw seven sets of wings unveiling and seven horrid heads being raised. One by one they released seven mighty shrieks that echoed around their master’s vile domain.

Author's Note

Last of day two everypony.

Sweet and Silly

Day three, Time 6:49 AM

Twilight awoke to a rare ray of light shining through the closed canopy of The Forest of Silence. She hadn’t remembered falling asleep, or even moving at all. The farthest back she could go was tearing out of The Dark while shadows leapt and clawed at her. Silently Twilight thanked that she couldn’t remember what followed and shifted to her hooves.

The moment her fist leg was out from under her it shot straight down. Twilight let out a gasp of shock. She had been sleeping on a large tree branch several feet off the ground. Carefully Twilight moved her leg away from the edge and shifted towards the branches midsection. Slowly the unicorn got into a standing position and looked around in confusion. There was no way she could have just climbed up this tree.

“Is anypony there?” She called to the dark forest. A small swarm of birds flew from the trees at the sound of her voice, but no other life seemed present. I’ll figure this out later. The mare thought to herself. She averted her gaze from the trees and instead to the forest floor. There was no way she could just drop herself down. If the fall didn’t kill her, she’d be severely injured. Instead she focused on one of the closer branches and used her magic to pull it towards her.

Once the branch was close enough Twilight positioned herself carefully and launched herself onto it. It wasn’t her most graceful of landings, but nopony was around to comment. Once she had landed the unicorn set to capturing another branch in her magic and repeating the process. It was slow work, but she eventually made it to ground level.

At the base of the tree Twilight was surprised to find her golden saddle bag propped against the trunk. Curiously she opened it with her magic and rummaged through the contents. Everything was still as she had last checked, including the severed black vine.

“What’s so important about this thing anyway?” Twilight wondered to herself.

“It’s not your place to question the rules.”

Twilight shot around and scanned the area. The voice was playful and eerily familiar, although she couldn’t remember why.

“Who’s there?” Twilight called to the trees. Her reply was a round of giggling laughter.

“Who, little old me? Oh I’m here to help you.”

Twilight didn’t trust the voice at all, but the note had spoken of help when she got the vine. “Alright, do you mind showing yourself?”

“Wwwwwhhhyyyy?” The voice cooed.

“Because I want to see who you are, is that fair?”

“Hmm, good point.” The voice responded. Suddenly the air in front of Twilight was an explosion of crimson smoke. Its appearance was so sudden that Twilight couldn’t turn away in time. Her lavender eyes were soon full of the substance. Strangely though, the smoke didn’t sting. In fact it felt almost comforting. What’s more she could see perfectly well through it. But what really got Twilight’s attention was the figure rising from the smoke.

It was an emerald green pegasus mare with a tattered mane and tail the color of pine needles. Silver bracelets adorned her legs, decorated with red, black, pink and yellow gemstones. She turned to Twilight and looked at her with eyes that were like balls of fire and let out a round of giggles. When the mare was finished she grinned at Twilight, who had an odd look on her face.

The mare noticed this and her grin was replaced by a goofy frown. “What, no ‘oh I remember you?’ I’m heartbroken Twilight, and after all the good times we’ve had.” She said, giddily tracing the image of a broken heart across her chest.

It was like something clicked in Twilight’s head as the mare continued her silly antics. Something that brought back not too distant memories from the dark reaches of her mind. Twilight lowered her head and began channeling magic into her horn.

“I remember you now, Festivities.”

The pegasus’s eyes burned brighter at the mention of her name. “Ooohhhhh goodie, you do remember! I was afraid I’d have to do the introductions over again.”Twilight wasn’t sure if this was some form of trick, but she wasn’t really in the caring mood right now.

“What did you do to my friends?” She nearly demanded as more magic entered her horn. Festivities reply to this was a sly grin snaking its way along her mouth.

“Don’t worry TwiTwi, they’re fine.” She pulls two glasses from behind her back that instantly filled with water. “Want a drink? You look parched.”

Twilight eyed the pegasus cautiously, anticipating some form of trickery. Festivities shook her hooves invitingly, causing some of the water to spill over the lips of the glasses, but Twilight refused to accept. Seeing she wasn’t getting anywhere the emerald mare let out a disappointed sigh and dropped the glasses. The moment before they touched the ground the glass became a trail of sand that blew away in the wind.

“Right to the point then, ok, I can work with this.” She raised her hoof to her eye and a tiny ball of green fire materialized. The wind blew the flames away and in its place was a pure black die. Twilight stared at the die in confusion; there was an immense amount of magic being channeled into it. From where it was coming from though was an enigma to the unicorn.

“Ok Twilight, you preformed our task exceptionally well, so here is your reward. I’m going to help you find one of your friends. *giggle* How does that sound?”

Twilight eyed the mare cautiously. “How do I know I can trust you?”

“I never break a promise TwiTwi, not now, not ever.” She lifter her head and flashed a proud yet mischievous smile.

“What about all of this? This isn’t anything like how you described it.”

Festivities rolled onto her back while hovering in the ait and let out a fit of laughter. “R-R-Really, ‘cause it sure seems that way to me.” She waved her hoof and a script appeared in it. “If you recall my dear, I said that this scavenger hunt would take place in an area divided into seven sections. I never said it would be in the store, or even Equestria.” The script then became a swarm of butterflies that took off into the trees.

Twilight was momentarily shocked by this display before returning to the conversation. “But you showed us a map of your store back in Ponyville.”

Festivities brought a hoof to her mouth and let out another giggle. “Did I, oh how silly of me.” She then flashed Twilight a devilish smile. “Ah but we digress. So as I was saying earlier I’m going to help you find one of your friends.” She waves her hoof and a poorly drawn map materializes, which she begins to search while giggling vigorously. “Oooohhh. Lucky, lucky you, one of our friends is not too far from here.”

Before Twilight could even respond she suddenly found herself in the air. Looking down, the lavender unicorn was shocked to discover she and her saddlebag were in a fully assembled catapult. There was a sifting, creaking sound ahead of her, and to Twilight’s shock the trees were parting to make a clear path through the forest. Festivities then walked around the side of the catapult, this time wearing an executioner’s mask. She looked to Twilight and quickly flashed a playful wink before raising her die. Instantaneously it became a black ax.

“Bon voyage, madam.” She said with a salute. Then in one quick movement she severed the rope holding the catapult down and sending Twilight sailing through the pathway. Festivities let out a final giggle before vanishing.

*****

Twilight awoke to the sound of running water in a cool stream. She had no memory of ever hitting the ground. She had no idea how much time had passes; had it been an hour or a day? Was she still in the forest or someplace new? And where did Festivities get off to? All these questions tossed and turned inside the dazed unicorn’s head.

Slowly Twilight made her way to her hooves, taking twice as long as normal thanks to her sword wound. When she was finally standing the unicorn decided to observe her surroundings. She was by a shallow stream in a strangely clear patch of forest. Unlike the previous sections, sunlight broke through to the floor in large amounts. Colorful birds filled the trees with their music. The area was far less forbidding, and dare she say it, pleasant.

“So where am I now Festivities?” Twilight asked the sky. Unsurprisingly to her, there was no reply. Twilight let out a sigh, another one of her silly games.

“Alright fine, I’ll play along.” She said in defeat and headed off along the river. Frequently she’d scan the area for signs that could tell her where she is. To her dismay there were no such things.

Her hooves brushed against something smooth, tempting Twilight to look. She had brushed against a smooth stone in a neatly made pathway leading into a garden of ferns.

Curiously Twilight followed the pathway. The placing of the stones was far too orderly to be natural, so it was safe to assume it was a way out of the woods. As she trotted along the ferns gave way to trees so close they created an archway, sealing her off from the sun’s light. At first this worried the mare, but her spirits were lifted when she saw light at the end of the archway. And what she saw when she stepped out made her stop in amazement.

Before her was a beautiful grove of closely spaced green trees, all growing around a cool of crystal clear water. Adorning the trees were plump golden fruits shaped like pears. Against the green of the tree they looked like tiny suns. Twilight inhaled deeply; it was an indescribably sweet smell.

Against her better judgement Twilight took a step into the shallow pool. The water was blissfully warm and gave small ripples as she approached one of the trees. The fruits called out to her invitingly, and her stomach seemed to return the affection.

Twilight gave herself a mental slap. What are you doing? You have no idea if these fruit are harmful or not. Despite her best attempts to stop herself however however, the alluring aroma of the fruits was too tempting. As she struggled with herself a small grey bird landed on the tree and dug its beak into one of the fruit. With this Twilight’s struggle was lost and she plucked one of the fruits from the tree and bit into it.

The explosion of sweet, heavenly flavour in her mouth was overpowering to the lavender unicorn. Her chin was coated with sweet golden juice that fell into the water and shifted like gemstones. But something else was mingling with this otherworldly taste, something horrible.

Spitting out the chewed fruit Twilight was quick to find the cause of the horrid taste. While the flesh was heavenly sweet the skin was hard and horribly bitter. With this knowledge Twilight plucked another fruit with her magic and carefully peeled the skin off with her teeth. Soon she was moaning with delight as she feasted on the golden flesh.

Twenty Questions

Day one, Time, 8:20 AM

The morning choir of birds brought Twilight Sparkle back into the world of the awake. Her head was pounding where she had been struck, making it seem as if she possessed two hearts. As her mind became less groggy, she noticed she was deep inside one of the forests. Her golden pack was resting next to her. Slowly she tried to move her legs, but found that she was tied to a tree using long vines. She tried to free herself, but they were wound tightly and the vines themselves were very thick. Her head was throbbing too much to use magic. Eventually she let out a sigh of defeat.

“It’s awake!”

Suddenly the forest was filled with the sounds of wing beats as the birds took off. Then Twilight got to see the faces of her attackers. They looked an awful lot like Diamond Dogs, with wet black noses and bipedal bodies covered in mattered grey fur. They stood only slightly taller than Twilight, but were at least twice as bulky. Looking around, Twilight was able to count at least eight of the creatures. Their small black eyes were all fixed on her and they rubbed their long bony “fingers” together with glee. The largest of them, who she assumed was the leader, stepped forth and looked Twilight straight in the eyes.

“Hello, I think we may have gotten off on the wrong hoof. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I am a unicorn from the land of Equestria.” She said trying to sound as friendly as possible.

“Ah, a well spoken creature are we?” The leader chuckled. “Very well then, ‘Twilight Sparkle’, we are Granous, and you are trespassing in our hills.” The other members of the pack giggled with delight. “I must say, it’s been so long since a horse came into our territory, and we’ve never had the honor of meeting one who could use magic.” Is made a mock bow as it said this, causing the other Granous to laugh even louder.

“Look, I didn’t mean to trespass, I just woke up here.” Twilight pleaded. She didn’t like the attitude of these creatures one bit. If it weren’t for this wicked pounding in her brain, she would have encased them all in magic and been on her way.

“Oh, did you now?” The leader said. “Well we can hardly fault someone so ‘innocent’ now can we?”

The other Granous howled and clapped their hands. “Nooooo.”

The leader gave his pack a sly look before turning back to Twilight. “Since you seem a harmless traveler, we’ve decided to let you go.”

“Thank you, sir.” Twilight said happily.

“Provided you play a little game with us. I’m sure such a smart creature such as yourself can complete it in no time at all.” He grinned at the lavender unicorn, revealing massive yellow fangs. The rest of the pack let loose howls of wicked laughs.

Twilight was now getting annoyed by these creatures. “Look, I don’t have time for any games. I need to find my friends.”

“Oh, I’m sure they can wait.” The leader said. “Besides, from where I’m standing, it doesn't look like you have a choice.”

Twilight sighed in annoyance. “Fine, what’s this game?”

The lead Granous’s eyes lit up. “Oh, you’ll love it. It’s called Twenty Questions. We ask you a question and you have twenty seconds to answer it. Fair?”

Twilight could see the Granous were beginning to chatter among themselves. All of them had devilish looks in their eyes. “What happens if I get a question wrong?” She asked.

The leader smiled and slowly opened his mouth. He leaned so close to Twilight that she could feel his foul breath pouring down on her. Just then he snapped his yellow teeth together like a trap. Twilight would have leapt from her skin if she wasn’t bound. The other Granous howled with laughter as he retreated from the unicorns face.

Twilight recovered herself before asking her next question. “And if I get it right?”

“Then we proceed to the next one until all questions are asked. After which you are free to go,” It smiled evilly. “if you can.” The others giggled wickedly. “Shall we begin?”

Twilight didn’t like anything about these creatures or their game, but what could she do? They had her in their possession, and her head still hurt too much to use magic properly. She looked at the lead Granous with as intimidating a face she could produce and nodded. All eight Granous howled with delight and the leader brought out five sticks and laid them in front of Twilight. Another Granous came around and undid the binds on her left hoof.

“For your first task, you must make three from these five sticks without removing any.” The leader smiled. “Begin.”

The other Granous began clapping their hands together as they chanted. “Twenty... Nineteen... Eighteen...”

Twilight looked down at the sticks and pondered the answer. Make five into three. Five into three. Oh, go away pain in head!

“Sixteen... Fifteen... Fourteen... Thirteen...

Suddenly the answer showed itself to the young mare. Quickly she brought her hoof down and rearranged the sticks.

“Twelve... Eleven... Oh!”

The lead Granous pushed past his pack mates and looked down at Twilights answer.

Grunting in annoyance, he kicked the sticks away as the others tied Twilight back up. “Well played, unicorn. Now we go to round two, ready? What is something to everybody and nothing to everyone else?”

The Granous moved away from her and once again clapped their bony fingers together. “Twenty... Nineteen... Eighteen... Seventeen...”

Twilight closed her eyes and thought long and hard on the question. Curse this pounding; it was like a hammer on her mind. Mind? “Mind!”

The Granous let out whimpers of defeat, and their leader snarled with frustration. “You are a clever one aren’t you? Well it doesn’t matter; even the smartest always slip up at least once before it’s over. Next question,
I lack much reason, but often rhyme,
And require logic to pass the time,
To get the words to tell your kin,
Look for clues that lie within,
Though all are different, they act the same,
The answer is practically in the name.
What am I?

Before they even had the option to begin their chant, Twilight looked up defiantly at the leader. A cold smile crossed her face as she spoke. “A riddle.”

The others all cursed, howled and whimpered in anger and frustration at the speed of her answer. They didn’t dismay however, the game still had long to go.

The Rise of Adin, or, Exposition!

Day one, Time, 9:00 PM

The sun had set in the territories of the west, bathing the land of Deltora in a tranquil night. The water lapped slowly against the shore of the lake Tor. Beside the lake, the magnificent white city of Tora stood out like a pearl in the dark ocean. Inside the people were settling down for the night. They wished each other peaceful dreams, and shifted the weather in their city to that of the outside world. And far above the city, completely invisible to any looking into the sky, were the violate guardians of the land. They swerved through the sky, singing sweet songs before they to landed and drifted off into harmonious slumber.

By the light of a withering candle however, one being remained awake. The little dragon sat in the Toran library, a large stack of books in front of him. His light source had depleted from a burning white tree to nothing more than a flickering stump. He paid this no mind however, and dove deeper into the stories and histories before him. The only times he had broken this concentration was when the Toran Elders had asked for him. And being a generous guest he couldn’t refuse their hospitality. But now he was free to lose himself in tales that rivaled those of the founding of Equestria.

In just one day he had taken in so much about this land. He had studied the seven ancient tribes that inhabit it, each different yet at the same time similar. The land itself had given them each a great and powerful gem to symbolise their tribe and all that was unique about them. The tribes were weary of each other however, and waged war feverously against one another. The tales of some of these made the young dragon shiver. While it was true that the pony tribes had hated one another, they never took their aggression to this extreme. He felt his eyelids begin to drop, but he forced himself awake. He had to learn all he could.

Then things began to get even more extreme for him. The text he was currently reading was labeled The Rise of Adin. And even though the battles of the seven divided tribes had been a shocker to Spike, he quickly regarded them as mere filly’s play to what followed.

Long ago, during the last ages of the Land of Dragons, a terrible event befelled our land. A horrific army of men who were not men descended from the Barrier Mountains of the north. They were cruel in appearance and mind, for they had been created for the sole purpose of conquest.

Across the mountains, in the vile domain known as the Shadowlands, a powerful and wicked being had been growing in strength. His servants called him the Shadow Lord, a vile and wicked sorcerer whose dark powers were unrivalled. He had cased his vile gaze across our land, and after many years he was ready to take it.

His army swarmed the north, burning small settlements and slaying all in their path. Even the lands mighty guardians, the seven dragon tribes, were unable to even slow down the advancing force. Whenever they tried, their attention was drawn by the Enemies most loyal and wicked servants, the seven monstrous Ak-Baba, who slayed lone dragons and retreated when the numbers didn’t favour them.

Most of the northerners fled to their fortified cities, like Rithmere and Hira, or sought refuge in the lands of the south. Those poor fools were quickly killed once all information had been taken from them. Even thought the lands of the south were aware of the danger, they decided to ready their armies and wait for the tide to swallow their northern enemies. For surely the shadow army would best the north in no time at its current speed.

As luck would have it however, a terrible winter coated the land that year. The crude foot soldiers froze in their tens of thousands, and their wicked master was forced to abandon the attack until the frost reseated. The people praised the heavens for this blessing, but they knew that it was only temporary. If they were to survive they would need a miracle.

And from this despair, their miracle came. His name was Adin. He was a humble blacksmith of Del. One night he dreamt of a belt, a magnificent belt of steel with seven medallions. In each of them resided a great gem; Topaz, Diamond, Emerald, Lapis Lazuli, Amethyst, Ruby, and Opal. He knew then that he was destined to forge this belt, and unite the tribes behind it. So for months he fashioned the dream belt and set off to each of the seven tribes.

One by one he won their trust and one by one they added their gem to the belt, and with it swore themselves to Adin. Finally by the time the snow reseated and the Enemy returned Adin had the armies of all seven tribes at his back. And on the plains of Hira, at the center of our land, he drove the enemy back to its vile domain.

Adin was then crowed the first king of the land now called Deltora. He married the a Toran women named Zara. This connected our two great cities until the end of time. Adin ruled for many good years and was loved by the people, to whom he was just as willing to die for as they were for him.

He never forgot however that the enemy, though defeated, was not destroyed. He knew that the enemy was patent and clever, and to its anger and envy a thousand years was a blink of an eye.

So he wore the Belt of Deltora always, and never let it out of his site.

Spike was just barely able to finish those last words before fatigue finally won over the young dragon, and he toppled face first into the book. Just as he drifted off into the world of dreams, the tiny candle finally snuffed out.

*****

Spike was hovering above a walled city, much like Canterlot if it were on the ground. It sat in the middle of a barren plain. The young dragon knew he was looking at the city of Hira, the very heart of Deltora. Turning north he saw crimson mist poor over in great waves, and within the mist were hundreds of thousands of deformed creatures that resembled crude clay figures. They bore no intelligence in their eyes, and no mercy in their souls. All they knew was how to harm and destroy. And that is what they would do to the walled city and all who defended it. Screeching above them were seven monstrous beings that were too wrapped in the mist for Spike to make out. He could tell that, whatever they were, they had been bread to kill.

Suddenly the gates of the city burst opened wide, and a bright light that only Celestia could conger emitted from it. From the light stepped a single man with black hair and kind eyes. His face was a humble and trustful one, but it also bore great determination and spirit. He drew his sword and raised it high, tossing back his cloak and revealing a magnificent belt. “For the Land!”

And suddenly from the light came a grand and powerful army. Despite never seeing them before, Spike knew right away who these men and women were. He saw the people of the Del tribe, dressed in simple cloaks and armor. But what they lacked in defence they made up for in courage and spirit. He saw the pale skinned Ralads, who while not warriors themselves; could build master constructions and amazing traps. He saw the silver armoured warriors of the Plains fighting for their home alongside their bitter enemies; the savage black leather armoured Mere. In between the soldiers were the honorable Dread Gnomes. While no bigger than a pony, they each had an arrow notched, and each and every one would find its mark. Spike easily recognized the mages of Tora, who stayed near the back to assist with their magic. And finally he saw the mighty golden armoured knights of the Jalis, who moved with such sink and precision that it was like you were watching a machine.

All of them had put aside old hatred and beliefs to save their land. And all of them had pledged loyalty to Adin. Spike watched in awe as the seven tribes all charged from the city with determination and fire he had never seen. He watched as their forces met with the advancing shadow army. And he felt the wicked force that controlled it watch also, but not with rage or fear. Instead, Spike sensed something else.

Patience.

Author's Note

Good News Everyone, this is the last chapter for Day one!