Author's Note

Hello, Fellow Readers! I sincerely apologize for being away for such a long time, but i had fallen out of my writing inspiration, and was dealing with my college semester finals as well. It took a few weeks, but i have finally found the inspiration to write more, so i've written another chapter for this story.

I'm sure you all know what i'm going to say, but i'll say it anyway!

Hope you all enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 8: Taking a Stand

A heavy silence fell between all of us, as I stared up at Cross Fire with a stern expression, determination shining in my eyes. He simply stared blankly at me for a few moments, before he quickly looked down and began to chuckle to himself. I remained as stoic as possible, even as he laughed and gestured to me, to which both Crystal and I remained silent.

He stopped laughing and looked down at me from the top of the ramp, “Wow! That has got to be the funniest thing I've ever heard you say! It’s a noble gesture and all, but we don't have time to be playing games, now come on!” he said as he motioned for us to follow. I simply stood there with a stern expression on my face, and holding my position firm.

When he realized that I wasn't joking, his smile quickly disappeared, “Star…I know this may mean more to you, but we can’t solve the problems of everypony we run in to. You've had plenty of time to enjoy yourself here, now it’s time we move on. I had to reiterate myself, but we have a mission to complete, and that means getting you and your friend as far ahead of the imperials as possible.” He said in an equally stern tone.

I simply stood there, my expression staying the same, as I took a step back, and stared his down, “This isn’t about helping everypony we meet. This is about helping a friend, a friend who saved my life, now I’m not leaving until we help Fleet.” I said in a calm, yet deadly serious tone.

I was momentarily surprised to see Crystal walk off the ramp and stand next to me, a stern expression on her face as well. “Yeah! If Star’s not going then neither am I!” she said with a stomp on the ground to add more emphasis.

We watched a Cross took on a more angry tone as he stepped down the ramp slightly, and glared at us, and we could both tell that he wasn't in a gaming mood. But he was quickly about to find out, that we weren't either.

“Need I remind you, that we have a large number of imperial soldiers tracking us down? My job is to get you to the Light Seeker Sanctuary in one piece, and that’s what I intend to do! Now get on this ship!” he said in a threatening voice, which would normally make us nervous, but we both stood firm.

This time Radiance stepped up and looked toward him with pleading eyes, “Please! I’m not asking you to do this for me, but I’m begging you…as a mother! Please! Help me find my children! I already lost my husband to those bastards, and I can’t lose them too!” she said with a pleading tone.

“Hey gramps, we need to get this ship in the air! You coming or what?” the pony operating the ramp said to him.

I looked back at Radiance and gave a comforting nod, and then turned back to Cross, “We never asked you to escort us there. You want to get on this ship so bad, you’re missing your chance, but Crystal and I are staying. That’s final!” I said with a stomp of my own hoof. Crystal nodded in favor of my comment, as Cross Fire slowly widened his eyes in surprise.

He looked between the two of us with wide eyes of shock, “You…you two are serious about this….aren't you?” he said with a quieter tone.

Crystal and I looked at each other with confident expression and nodded, before turning up to glare at him again. He stared at us with surprised expression, one that neither of us had seen on him before, he brought his hoof up to his chin and thought, directing his attention at me, as if he was studying me closely, for the first time. He closed his eyes in thought for a moment, and then looked up to us with his trademark dignified expression, and he took a deep breath and walked down the ramp to us.

The pony operating the ramp shrugged his shoulders and walked up, picking up a radio and pressing a button, “Alright then Captain, were ready for takeoff. Start the engines and let’s get in the air!” he said as he pulled the lever and the ramp slowly began to rise up.

Cross Fire walked past me, and regarded me with a concerned eye, “I truly hope you know what you're doing. That was our ride out of here, and we'll be lucky if we can get another chance.” He said in a worried tone, to which I gave him a comforting smile.

“Don't worry, as soon as we help Fleet and Violet, we'll find a new way to get to Las Pegasus.” I said as I quickly turned to Radiance. “Alright then, let’s get back to the inn!” I said, and she gave a relieved and thankful nod, as we both ran back into town.

I really do hope I know what I'm doing!
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After returning to the inn with radiance, we all gathered around a table, while one of the inn’s helper’s brought us so drinks. As we sat down, Radiance began to tell us what she knew, according to the late night desk manager, Fleet and Violet never came home the entire time he was on duty, and since they had a guard at the backdoor, he never reported seeing them either.

“In this town, it’s very common for the bandits to prowl the streets at night and kidnap any foals they can find, and haul them off to their work camp. I fear that they must have gone after Violet, but Fleet intervened, and they took him as well.” She said as she quietly sipped her drink, her hooves shaking with nervousness.

Cross had seemed content with leaning against the wall near the door, but after she spoke, he walked over and cleared his throat. “With all due respect Mrs. Radiance, I really do understand your fears, and Fleet and Violet seemed like great children. But what makes you think we can help?” he asked in a serious tone, while Crystal and I simply listened.

She looked up to him and then down, “I can only hope you can help me. I didn't know who else to turn to. I knew you would still be in town, so I rushed to the airfield, and caught up with you. I'm truly sorry for disrupting any plans you have made, but…I'm desperate!” she said in a sorrowful tone, she pushed her drink away and began to weep again.

I quickly got up and walked over to her, wrapping one of my hooves around her shoulder, “No! You don't have anything to feel sorry for, we're more than happy to help. Now, do you know where it is they might have taken him?” I asked in a calming tone.

She sighed sadly and wiped the tears from her cheeks, “The most likely option, would be that they took them to their base in Tall Tale. It used to be a thriving community, but the bandits took over and made it their Base of Operations in the north. They take their prisoner’s there, and they eventually ship them off to their other camps across the country. Why?” She said with a sad tone, as she reached for her drink again.

I stood up and stared down at her with a serious expression, still contemplating if this truly was the right thing to do. I turned to see the other’s staring at me with impatient expressions, so I sighed and looked back down at her. “You asked for our help. We'll help you get Fleet and Violet back, and not just them, but any other ponies they might have kidnapped.” I said in a determined tone, while all the ponies in the room turned to me with shocked expressions.

The next thing I heard was the sound of Cross Fire’s chuckling, as he walked over and faced me. “You know, I never thought I could hear of a plan that ridiculous! Planning on rescuing your captive friend’s is one thing, but you're talking about infiltrating an actual bandit camp! That idea alone is the very definition of crazy!” he said to me with an angered tone.

I simply looked back at him and narrowed my eyes slightly, but I remained as calm as I needed to. “Maybe it is, but who’s to say it can't be done? If we do it right, we can get them all out safely. I would like to think that a Master of the Light Seeker Order, would have been taught not to abandon innocent ponies and leave them to suffer, or are you ponies not as high and mighty as you claim to be?” I asked him with a mock tone.

He seemed shocked by my retort, but instead of calling me an ‘insolent child’ or something along those lines as I had expected him to, he simply looked away and sighed sadly. After he remained quiet, I turned back to Radiance, “I promise you, we will get them back…tonight!” I said to her as I turned to Crystal, and looked to her with hopeful eyes.

She looked around and smiled at me, “you know I’m in! You think I'd let you get all the fun?” she said to me as we heard the front door open.

“You can count me in too kid!” we heard a male voice say.

We all turned to see none other than Silver Heart walk over to us with a mischievous smile on his lips. I couldn't resist the smile that spread on my face, as I stepped toward him. “Silver Heart! You want to join us too? There wouldn't be much pay in it.” I asked with a happy expression.

He turned to me and gave a confident nod, but I could see a hint of sorrow in his eyes. “That may be true! But I’ve been waiting nearly ten years for a chance at revenge against those sons of bitches! So I wouldn't miss this for the world! Plus, I told you that Radiance is a friend of mine, and I'm always willing to help a friend out” he said with a confident smile towards her.

Despite his motive’s, I knew it would be a good thing to have him on our side, and then I turned back to radiance and smiled, “There you have it! We'll help you get them back, and stop those bandits once and for all!” I said with a confident glare.

She looked around at us and smiled happily, fresh tears began spilling down her cheeks, but I had a feeling these were tears of joy. “Thank you! Thank you all! But, you won't be able to defeat the bandits with so few. As I'm sure you've heard, I'm one of the more respected members of this community, I know some friends who will gladly help us with this. You're welcome to stay for the night again, I have to go around and do some recruiting!” she said as she stood up quickly and made her way to the door. As she opened it, she looked back at us and gave a happy smile, as she walked out the door.
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We had all returned to the rooms we had just stayed in, earlier in the day, as we knew it would be best to get some rest before we head out. I set my things on the table, and quickly got ready for bed, knowing that I would need to save my energy. I climbed into bed, and despite it being just the afternoon, I managed to drift off into sleep.
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Star Dust…time to wake up now.

I felt the strange voice whisper in my ears, as my eyes slowly began to drift open, and I felt a chilling breeze grace my coat.
You have to get up now, you sure are a lazy bum.

I groaned as the nagging voice, kept me from falling asleep again, and my eyes began to focus better. My eyes began to focus on a gray, hazy looking sky, which felt strange, as I was sure I fell asleep in the bedroom I was staying in. My eyes widened more, as I looked to my left, and saw a white-coated mare standing above me, looking down at me with a gentle smile.

My eyes instantly snapped open and I dodged back and scrambled to my hooves and turned to face the newcomer. My eyes widened again, when I recognized the mare as the one from my previous dream.

The mare with no Cutie Mark!

I looked around and found myself standing in the clearing of a forest, but the entire tree line was engulfed in the same haunting fog as the last time. The only thing that remained visible of the tree’s, were the twisting limbs of the vines.

She kept her calm gaze on me, even as I placed a hoof over my heart and tried to relax, to which she simply chuckled and smiled again, “Wow! You truly are an easy scare! I told you before, there’s nothing to fear here. So…I see you've managed to find your way back to me.” She said with a smug smile. I felt my heart slowly began to relax, as I composed myself better and looked at her, even as she stared me down with that uneasy stare.

“You? You're the pony from my last dream! What do you want? How did I get here?” I spat my questions at her, with an admittedly rude tone, but she didn't seem fazed in the slightest.

She smiled wider and clapped her hooves on the ground in a congratulatory manner, “Very good! It’s nice to know that you actually remember me! Most ponies seem to forget about me when I visit them, but oh well! As for your first question, as I've said before, I'm here to help you.

But for your second question, the answer is more…challenging. You see, this is my world!” she said with a chuckle, as she looked around with a happy smile.

I looked around me again, and then turned to her with a frown, she still smile and spoke up again, “I can see you are confused, which is understandable. So…what do you think? Of my world?” she asked me again, as I thought of the best way to answer.

I quickly decided to go with the answer, that would finally get a different reaction from her, “well…to be honest, it’s not all that great, it’s just seems like a foggy forest clearing! Nothing really special about that!” I said to her, with a slightly cocky tone.

She simply laughed at my false sense of security, which immediately shattered, “Oh dear! You actually think you can actually get me to react in the way you want? That’s quite amusing, but it will take a lot more than that. Now then, I must ask…what are you doing here?” she asked with a more curious look on her face, but the smile still remained.

I looked around nervously, trying to think of the best way to answer the question, I smiled to myself and turned to face her again. “If you truly are as good as you say you are, then I think you already know why I'm here, don't you?” I asked her in a confident tone.

She chuckled to herself, and then looked up at me, her eyes glistening with amusement. “Very good! You are learning from your past experiences! You are correct, I am fully aware of why you are here. You’re here to answer a simple question, or maybe it won't seem so simple to you. There’s one thing I'm not so sure of. This stallion…the one you are trying to rescue, what makes him so special? You've barely known him for a few days, and yet you are willing to risk your own life to save his. Why is that?” she asked me in a calmer tone, as her smile turned into a curious one.

As soon as the question left her lips, I knew what my answer would be, so I took a deep breath, and looked into her bright eyes. “I’m sure you already know why…he saved my life. I think it’s only fair to repay that debt.” I said to her in a confident tone.

She stared at me for a moment with quizzical eyes and then smiled again, as she lowered her head slightly. “Or…is it something else? Something you don't fully understand yourself. Regardless of your reasons, a pony like you wouldn't simply throw herself in harm’s way, unless she felt a genuine connection to the one in need. Doing something like this for your friend Crystal is understandable, but for Fleet…I think it’s something different.” She said in a mocking tone.

It took me a moment to realize what she was hinting at, but when it clicked in my mind, I felt my face heat up slightly. She was teasing me in the same manner as Crystal was a few days ago, and it was already irritating from her. I looked away for a moment and cleared my throat and turned to see, a sly smile spreading across her face.

“If you're implying that I have feelings for Fleet…you're wrong! Like I said, he saved my life, and I think it’s only fair to save his. In the time I've known him, I found out that we are similar, and I think we could use his help on our journey. Nothing more than that! Now then…if you're done playing twenty questions, I have a battle to prepare for! Now let me go!” I yelled at her, but she didn't even move a muscle.

She smiled yet again and stared me in the eyes. “If you wish to leave, you have every option to do so. I have nothing to keep you here, but…before you go…” she said as the smile finally fully fell from her face, and she looked at me with a serious expression.

I felt my heart rate increase slightly, and even though I had been wanting her to drop that disturbing smile, her serious expression made it all the more eerie. “This isn't your first battle, and it certainly won't be your last. You think you've had a true taste of fear, but you’ll be proven wrong in time. Normally I don't do this, but…your case is…special. You can go into this fight, but I must warn you…your friend isn't the only thing you will find. Something dark and powerful awaits you there, and you will have to face it.” She said to me as stared at me dead in the eyes.

I felt a nervous sweat trickle down my face, as she spoke to me, and I felt a sense of fear rise up in me. Not necessarily at her words, but the way she spoke them, and what she meant by them. “What is that supposed to mean? What’s dark and powerful? And why is my case so ‘Special’?” I asked her.

She simply lowered her head and the eerier smile returned to her face, only this one made me feel even more uncomfortable than the other smile’s she had shown me. “You’ll find out in time. I’m afraid our time is coming to an end again. Rest assured, I’ll be keeping an eye on you, and even though you won’t be able to see me, I’ll be watching…always. I wish you luck on your future endeavors…until we meet again!” She said as she gave a slight bow.

My eyes widened and I watched in awe, as she quickly faded into a cloud of fog, and drifted off into the trees. I was about to call after and run, but I quickly found myself being dragged to the ground by a heavy force, and then everything went black around me.
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My eyes began to flutter open, as I found myself, lying on my back, staring right into the ceiling. The strange mare’s parting words, still echoing off into my mind, as I slowly began to sit up. I looked over to the window, and saw that it was nearly night.

I have to stop being surprised by all this

I climbed out of bed, and made my way over to the bathroom to freshen up. It seemed so trivial to be worrying about my dental hygiene, on the eve of what could be a battle, but I ended doing everything I always did after waking up. Just as I finished tying my hair back, I heard a knock on the door, and walked into the room.

As I did, the door opened and Crystal stepped into the doorway, a solemn expression on her face.

“Everypony’s ready downstairs, are you?” she asked with a more concerned tone, but it was something I couldn't blame her for. I walked up to her and smiled, giving her a comforting nod, as we both left the room, and headed for the main hall.
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Walking down the stairs, we saw that a large group of ponies was gathered around a table, with a detailed map of the region. As we walked down, we saw Radiance at the head of the table, and she smiled as she saw up walk up. “Good, you two are here. Now then, since none of us have actually been inside the bandit’s base, somepony will have to scout, and map out the camp for us.” She said looking between all the ponies. Many of which I recognized as some of the shopkeepers from the market, all of which were wearing cloak’s and had visible bulge’s at their side. Indicating that they had brought weapons with them.

We all watched as Silver Heart walked up and looked at everypony, “Don't you worry about that! I've done plenty of scouting mission’s before, I’ll map out the area, and they won't even know I was there!” he said proudly, as he puffed out his chest.

Radiance smiled at him, and then turned to the other ponies, “All of you shall stand by, and wait for our signal. We'll try to open the gate from the inside, and then we'll finish them off for good! Now then, we'll have to be quiet sneaking out, and Mayor Brick will easily notice a large number of ponies leaving, armed with weapons, and try to stop us.” She said turning to my friends and I. she pointed at me, Crystal, Cross Fire, and Silver Heart.

She placed a hoof on the map, but kept her eyes on us, “We'll be the ones to sneak out first, and we'll make our way there. It’s about an hour’s walk, maybe a little longer, since we'll be staying off the roads. From there, we'll sneak our way around and find where they hold the prisoner’s, and then we'll infiltrate the control room and open the gate’s.” she said with a serious look in her eyes.

Everypony quickly voiced their approval of the plan, and started breaking apart, just as Radiance walked over to us. “Are you sure you want to come Radiance? No offense, but you're not exactly young and spry.” Crystal said with a slightly amused tone.

Instead of taking offense to the comment, Radiance quickly chuckled, and pushed her cloak aside, and unsheathed her sword, and swung it a few quick times. “That may be true, I’m not as young as I once was! No doubt Fleet has told you about my history as a mercenary for hire. My late husband and I were known as two of the best ponies for hire, one could buy! It’s been quite some time, but knowing how to fight, is something you never forget.” She said with a large smile, as she sheathed her sword.

I couldn't help but snicker at Crystal’s shock, but I quickly stopped as she walked away and Cross Fire walked up in her place, a straight expression. I kept a calm expression, “What now? Here to try and talk me out of this? I told you before, we are going to rescue Fleet. You're welcome to join us.” I said with a slight irritation in my voice.

He stared at me for a moment, before sighing and looking down. “Actually, I wanted to apologize for my rude behavior. I know you're trying to do the right thing, and I highly respect that. Plus your right, as a Light Seeker, it is my duty to help those in need of it. I gave my word to the other master’s, that I would bring you to the sanctuary, but if we need to forgo that plan to help those in need…so be it. But…this doesn't mean I think you're any less crazy! Aside from that, you'll need this!” he said the last part with an amused tone, as he smiled and levitated my special sword over to me.

I couldn't help but smile back as I hitched it to my side, and followed my friends out the door.
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As we made our way across the square, we quickly noticed that all the ponies had abandoned the street, even though this was about the time they would close up their shops. Not a single pony inhabited the street, as we all made our way across. Even the lights that kept the square lit up, had been put out.

We kept a watchful eye out for any of the Mayor’s police force, knowing that they would make their move any second. I walked in between Radiance and Crystal, as we made our way to the city gate. “Keep an eye out, Mayor Brick isn't just going to let us walk out.” Radiance said as we neared the gate.

FLASH

Two bright lights blinded our vision, and we heard the thundering of hooves around us, as we all huddled together in a circle. We instantly heard the cocking of rifle’s, as the light’s quickly dimmed down. I lowered my hoof, and looked around with a shocked expression, as I saw that we had quickly become surrounded by Mayor Brick’s police force. Each of them had rifles pointed at us, some grasped in levitation, others held by hooves or in mouths.

Just as I was about to reach for my weapon, I felt a hoof touch the hilt, and I looked up to see Cross look down at me and shake his head. I sighed and released it, as we all turned to see the Mayor himself step out of the row of officer’s and stand before us.

“If you honestly thought that you could sneak out of my city undetected, you're all dumber than you look!” he said with a stern expression, but he held a certain professionalism to him, that sent a chill of nervousness through me.

We remained silent at first, until Radiance stepped forward and stared him down. “We are leaving Brick! There’s nothing you can do to stop us!” she yelled out with fierce determination. As we all looked at her with surprise, as even the ponies who had known her for years widened their eyes in shock. For years, they had known her as the quiet, kindly inn keeper, but now they got see a different side to her.

The Mayor frowned at her and sighed, “As far as I'm concerned, the disobeying of the town law, makes you all criminals! Should I even begin to list your offenses?” he asked her in a mocking tone.

Radiance scowled again as she planted her hooves firmly, “Laws that you put into place, without the consent of the citizen’s! For years we have lived under constant fear from these bandits, forced to give in to their whims! But, since that’s not enough, they see fit to kidnap our children too? No! This has gone on long enough! We are getting our children back!” she yelled at him, as some of the ponies in our group cheered her on.

I couldn't help but feel a nervous sweat trickle down my face, curious as to how this might play out. The Mayor simply looked at her with a calm expression, before sighing and removing his glasses. “Radiance…I understand where you’re coming from, truly I do. But, have you forgotten that for all these past decades, we have managed to co-exist with the bandits? If things were different, they would slaughter us all, easily! I have kept order in this city, and now you are threatening to unravel it!” he said gesturing to her.

Radiance scoffed at his claim, and didn't budge a muscle, “But at what cost? Our dignity? Your so called ‘Order’ is just a cover for us living in fear! We all know of the deal you made with the bandit clan leader! You are your family remain safe, while the rest of us are easy game! But no more! We're tired of living in fear of your rule! You can’t stop us!” she yelled at him, but he sighed again and put his glasses back on.

“Oh Radiance…I thought you would be more rational about this. As much as I consider you a friend, you give me no choice but to place you all under arrest! Take her!” he yelled as he stepped back, and signaled for his armed guards to step toward her.

I felt my heart rate increase, as four guards began to close in on her. I felt myself tense up as I reached for the hilt of my sword with my magic, but since Cross didn’t stop me, I gripped it and unsheathed it. I cried out as I rushed through the crowd, and instantly knocked back all the guards with a quick swipe of my sword, sending them all back, with little injury. The Mayor quickly looked at me with a shocked expression, as I stood up fully, just as the guards pushed themselves up, and looked back at him.

“You won’t go anywhere near her!” I said in a threatening tone.

Before anypony else could make a move, I watched as Cross Fire stepped up next to me, and reached into his pocket. I watched in amazement, as he pulled out a medallion from his pocket, and made sure all could see it. “If I may speak now Mayor Brick? My name is Cross Fire, and I am one of the head masters of the Order of the Light Seeker’s! This medallion proves my rank and status, and within the boundaries of that right, I am hereby claiming this mission to be fully sanctioned by the Order! That being said, you are free to try and stop us, but I must warn you…doing so will be considered an act of war on the Order, and we shall come with full force in retaliation!” he yelled across the crowd.

I turned back to see many of the ponies in the crowd gasp in shock, and begin to whisper amongst themselves. I looked over to Crystal, and saw the helpless expression on her face, as she shrugged at me. Even the police force, began to lower their weapons in hesitation, as they all looked to Brick for further orders.

He looked on with a shocked expression, as he looked between his police force, but quickly look back to Cross and narrowed his eyes. “And what if I were to call your bluff? What if I were to have you shot dead in the street? The Light Seekers have only existed in history books, how do I know if you're telling the truth?” The Mayor retorted back.

I watched with a confused expression, but Cross simply smiled and chuckled to himself, as this clearly wasn't the first time he faced the threat of death. “I can assure you that we are very real! But, whether you believe me or not is your choice! I've already laid out my warning, and if you do not let us pass, it will be considered an act of premeditated violence, and we will reign down on you! You seem like a stallion of logic and reason, so I'll leave it up to you! So long as this mission is under my command, if we are harmed now, during, or any time before our mission is complete, violence will be met with more violence. As a pony of reason, I trust we can be assured our safe return? I trust that none of these ponies will be harmed upon our return?” he asked in a more confident tone.

I couldn't help but watch in amazement, as he pulled a new trick from his sleeve. He looked back at me and winked, to which I looked back to Silver Heart and Crystal and nodded to them.

We all turned back to see the Mayor heavily contemplating his options, he glared angrily at Cross, and then toward me, and then toward Radiance. I couldn't help but smile in triumph, as he sighed in defeat and turned to the officer ponies. “Stand down! You are not to interfere with these ponies, or any job they might be performing. Upon their return, they shall be greeted back into the community. Is that understood!?” he yelled to all of them.

The armed ponies quickly sheathed their weapons, and pulled their rifles back, and saluted to him. All the ponies in our group cheered, as we saw the look of bitter defeat on Brick’s face. He glared angrily at all of us, as the gate opened, and we all quickly made our way out.

We knew we couldn't enjoy our success for too long. The hard part was just around the corner.