Blood Legacy: Book 1: Darkness Rising

After leaving the town limits, we walked off into the forest, taking the path that Radiance had insisted on. We knew the second party would be leaving the town soon, so we would have to have our job done, by the time they got into position. As we walked along the small forest trail, my mind kept reflecting back to what Cross had said in the square. He seemed so calm, even as he revealed who he truly was, and threatened the Mayor.

As we walked for over a half-hour now, he had chosen to remain silent for the majority of our small trip, as I could see that he too was partially surprised by his actions. I sped up my pace to catch up to him, and then matched his, “Hey Cross Fire? About what you said back there. Did you really mean it?” I asked, in a nervous tone.

He looked down to me with a comforting smile, “Yes and No. As one of the highest ranking master’s in the order, each of us is given a particular job to oversee. My job is to manage and maintain the missions we send our agents out to do. Satchel’s job was to oversee the education of our youngest, which is why he was tasked with taking care of you! Anyway, my job is to make sure our missions go according to plan. To be completely honest, I am not authorized to declare our presence to the world, not without the Grand Master’s permission. ” He said as we walked along.

I looked at him with great interest as he told me more about the Order, to which I grew more and more curious. “Why? Why weren’t you authorized to do that?” I asked him as we slowly began to trail behind the group.

He glanced briefly at me and cleared his throat. “The Mayor was right when he said the Light Seeker’s only existed in history books, and that’s the way it should be! For many decades now, we’ve managed to remain a secret from the world, until we could mount a true comeback, and announce our presence once again! The Grand Master made it clear that we are not to reveal ourselves, until we get you there safely.” He said as we continued walking.

Before I could ask any other questions about the subject, Silver Heart dropped down and began hovering next to us as we walked, “Hate to cut in on your conversation, but were almost there.” He said as he flew back up. Despite all that, I shook off the feeling and turned ahead, as we crested a small hill, and looked down to see the remains of a once large community. It wasn’t quite the size of Van Hoover, but it definitely seemed to be an ideal community. Now the majority had been reduced to rubble, as only one part remained mostly intact.

A large palisade surrounded one portion of the city, where we saw multiple groups of bandits walking around. We all crouched on the hill, as Radiance pulled out a pair of binoculars, and peered through them, just as Silver Heart took off into the air.

“Hmm, the place doesn’t seem to be too heavily guarded. But I see some imperial soldier walking around as well. The rumors were true! Those bastards are selling some of their captive’s to bolster the military ranks!” She said as she passed the binoculars to me, her voice seething with anger.

I looked through them and scanned the area, being able to see much closer at the bandits. I focused my vision and looked around, until I saw a group of chained up ponies being led into a building. I focused in on them, as I gasped when my eyes fell on one particular stallion.

Fleet!

I felt a wave of happiness wash over me, as I say that he was still alive, but I quickly became frustrated, when I couldn't spot Violet. “There’s Fleet, he’s being led into a building I can't see from here. But, I can't seem to locate Violet.” I said as I passed the binocular’s to Cross, and turned toward Radiance. She sighed and then looked forward, narrowing her eyes in determination.

A few minutes passed as we readied everything we would need, just as we heard the flapping of Pegasus wings, as we all turned to see Silver Heart land by us. “Well…the good news is, there’s not many bandit’s at this camp! The bad news…there’s an awful lot of imperial soldiers walking about. There’s multiple squads walking around, which could mean they have a higher ranking officer down there as well. The prison is next to the wall, so we should be able to sneak along the perimeter of the wall, and hop over behind the building.” He said with a confident tone.

We all looked at each other and exchanged confident nods, as we all made our way down the hill, walking as quietly as we could.
________________________________________

After splitting up with the main group, our little posse carefully made our way along the perimeter of the wall. We made sure to hug along the wall, as to avoid the watchtowers above us, which occasionally shined spotlights in our direction. We had too many close calls to count, as we had to stay perfectly still as the lights passed near us. Even as we moved along the wall, I was still struggling with the idea of my actually being here! Here I was, about to break into a bandit camp, to rescue a stallion I hadn't even known a week!

I didn't have long to ponder the idea, as we quickly came up to the spot that Silver had pointed out. He landed in front and turned to us, “Okay! When I was scouting, I found a weak spot in the wall, and cut a hole big enough for us to squeeze through. But we have to be quick, the hole is within sight of a tower, and they'll alert the whole camp, if we get seen!” he whispered sharply at us. We all nodded as he flapped his wings, and drifted up to the top of the wall, clearly looking out for the spotlight.

I looked down and gathered around my friends and looked up, just as Silver reached out his hooves. After a few tense moment of silence, his eyes widened, and he urgently motioned for us to run through. I looked down to see Radiance kick the wall in, as she ducked in, and motioned for us to follow after. Cross moved to the side and let Crystal and I through first, and he ran in after us.

We all practically leaped to the wall, as Cross neatly placed the cover back on the hole as Silver landed next to me. “Keep to the wall! The spotlight doesn't have a large enough angle to see us back here.” He said as he leaned forward just enough to look at the tower. He gasped and leaned back, just as the light crossed over the wall where we just were, and hovered there for a few seconds. I could feel sweat drip down my forehead, as I covered my mouth with my hoof, to try and stifle any noises that I made.

After a moment, the light moved back, presumably to check another section of the wall. We all gave a heavy sigh of relief, and turned to Silver Heart, since he seemed to know the layout of the base better than we did. “Alright then! The gate control room is most likely in the chief’s office. Star Dust…I think it’s best if you call the shots.” He said to me with a confident expression. I stared up at him for a moment with a surprised expression, and turned back to see Crystal give me a confident nod, as well as Cross and Radiance.

I turned back to him and thought it over for a moment. “I got it! Silver? You and Radiance make your way over to the armory, while the rest of us infiltrate the prison, and get Fleet and as many others as possible out! If everything goes according to plan, we'll meet up with you two there.” I said in a hushed tone.

I could immediately see the worried expression come over Crystal’s face, and I knew she was going to object. “What about you?” she asked in a concerned tone.

I took a deep breath and smiled at her, “After we rescue the prisoner’s, we'll take them to meet the others!” I said to her in a confident tone. I could already see the objections rise in her mind, as I spoke. But I was quickly surprised to see her sigh and nod at me.

“Okay, just make sure to stay safe, and don't get caught.” She said as I turned to Radiance and nodded. She nodded back and ran over to Silver, and they both leaned out as they waited for the right moment to make a break for it. They would have to make their way to the armory without being spotted by guards, but I had a feeling they could make it, I had every confidence in them.

Before they left, Silver looked back to me, “One last thing. Try to use as little magic as possible, the military had placed a few Magic Detectors around the camp. I saw a few of them, as I flew around. You should be able get away with some minor levitation, but don't use any offensive spells, or they’ll be on you like flies to rotting food!” He said as he returned to Radiance. In one quick burst, they bolted ahead and managed to dodge behind another building, just as a light past where they were, and focused back to our spot. Leaning back against the wall, I looked across and saw them, to which they nodded and continued on.

After the spotlight moved away again, I turned to my friends and nodded again. “Okay, we need to find a way inside…” I said as I looked up and saw an open window above us, with a light shining through. I looked at Crystal and nodded.

She smiled and I stepped right beneath the window, and leaned up, placing my front hooves on the wall. “Come on! I’ll boost you, and then you help me up.” I said to her, and nodded. She slowly began to climb on to my back, luckily for me, she wasn't very heavy for her age. As she scrambled into the window, I sighed when I heard the light clop of hooves inside.

I looked over to Cross Fire and motioned for him to do the same, but to my surprise, he simply shook his head and chuckled, “Me? Not a chance! I have my own way inside. Something less…cliché.” He said as Crystal reappeared in the window, and leaned forward, offering her hooves to me. I knew I wouldn't have time to question him, but I quickly grabbed Crystal’s hooves and she pulled me inside.

I groaned as I landed in the cramped room, and was surprised to see it was a simply broom closet, just big enough for us. After dusting myself off, and waiting to see if any guards had heard us, I sighed with relief as everything was quiet outside. “Hey! Where’s Cross?” Crystal asked, and I was about to shrug my shoulders, when I heard a slight humming sound, and we both turned to see a hoof stick through the wall behind us.

The hoof was transparent, and we watched with wonder as Cross himself, slowly walked through the wall, his entire body had turned transparent! Crystal and I simply stared at him in amazement, to which he simply smiled. “How in Equestria did you do that?” I found myself asking him.

He simply smiled at me, and flicked his horn, and his body returned to normal. “A transparency spell. Only high level unicorns can master it, but I can assure you…you learn this spell, and many like it when we reach the sanctuary. Now then…let’s make sure the coast is clear.”
________________________________________

After using a crafty spell, that allowed him to see through the door, Cross turned back to us. “Okay, I don't see any guards, so now will be our best chance to make a break for it.” He said as he moved to open the door. But before he could open the door even the slightest, Crystal spoke up.

“Wait a minute! It might be better for us to split up! Star and I will check the lower level, while you run through the upper level.” She said, and Cross and I looked to each other and nodded.

“She’s right! The quicker we cover more ground the better. Cross Fire, I think you'll be able to handle yourself alone, right?” I asked him with a calm expression. He nodded to me and checked the door again, to make sure there were no guards around us.

“I may be old, but I can do more than just handle myself against a few bandits! I don't think you need me to tell you to be careful, these bandits will be all too happy to kill you! If you can, incapacitate the guards, if they see you, they will alert the whole camp to our presence.

Good luck!” he said as he slowly opened the door, enough to poke his head out and look around.

We both watched as he expertly snuck along the hall, until he presumably turned up a flight of stairs and disappeared. I turned to Crystal and nodded to her, “You ready?” I asked her in a straight tone.

She smiled at me and gave me a confident nod, “I always got your back.” She said in a comforting tone, which caused me to smile back at her. With a quick nod, we began to slowly creep down the hall, hoping not to get caught.
________________________________________

Since neither of us had ever had any experience in sneaking, we were both greatly surprised to have not been caught by this point. We slowly snuck along the wall, being as quiet as we possibly could, until we came up to another hall.

“You hear something?” A deeper male voice cut through the air.

Crystal and I instantly seized up, and waited for a moment to see if the owner of the voice would come rushing around the corner and spot us.

“Forget about it! This building is one of the oldest in the camp, so it was probably just some leaky pipe down the hall. Anyway, what was it you were telling me about the Imperials?” a second male spoke out, and we both let out a deep sigh of relief.

We slowly snuck to the corner, and I quietly leaned out and looked to see two armored guards standing at the far end of the hall, facing away from us. They were dressed in regular bandit armor, and had swords strapped to their sides. I leaned back and turned to Crystal, and gave her a confident nod.

She simply gave me a confused look, as I turned back and in one quick swoop, I leaped across the hall, and landed quietly on the other side, to which I quickly leaned up against the wall, and looked back to her. When I didn't hear any particular reaction from the guards, I looked back to her, and saw her let out a silent groan of frustration at my lack of caution. Just as I leaned back to check on the guards, I heard them speak up again.

“Oh yeah! Look, all I know, is that some big higher up is visiting here, under the orders of the Emperor himself! Who knows, maybe we'll get an extra big payday if they like some of our prisoner’s.” the first one said as they continued talking amongst themselves.

As they did so, I looked back across at Crystal and nodded at her. “Anyway, I have to make another round. So I'll catch up with you later for drinks!” the first one said again, as he said goodbye to his fellow guard. Crystal quickly looked at me with a panicked expression, but I simply raised my hoof to her and looked around the corner. My eyes widened, as I saw one of the guards turn and walk down the hall toward us, while the second went in the opposite direction and vanished around a corner further up the hall.

As I watched the one bandit guard make his way toward us, I quickly remembered my sword and looked down at it. I took a deep breath and gripped the hilt with my magic, and slowly unsheathed it and looked across at Crystal. I saw her eyes widen at the sight, as she began to mouth words at me. Even though I couldn't fully understand them, I was pretty sure, she was begging me not to kill him.

Before I could react, the guard turned the corner in her direction, and I stepped into view of the hall. “Hey! How did you ge-“ he tried to say, as his eyes fell on Crystal, but he didn't get the chance to finish, as I bashed him over the head with the hilt of my sword. The blow knocked him out cold, as he crumpled to the floor at Crystal’s hooves. I took a deep breath, and looked up at her as I sheathed my sword, and began to grab the stallion’s hooves.

“What are you doing?” she asked me, as she began to calm down from that moment of shock.

“We can't let them find the body, or they'll definitely known we were here. Are you going to help me or not?” I asked her in a calm fashion. She looked at me and groaned, clearly not liking the idea of dragging an unconsciousness stallion around, but she knew I was right.

It took a few moments, but we managed to drag the stallion’s body back to the broom closet, and push him inside. We both quickly made our back to the hall, and began to slowly sneak along the next wall, until we made it to the next corner. After doing so, I held my hoof back to her, and leaned around the corner to see, but sighed with relief when I didn't see any guards walking down toward us.

I looked back to her and motioned for her to follow as we turned and walked at a fast pace, until we came across a row of cells, all kept shut by heavy metal bars. As we came up to the first cell, we saw a small group of stallions and mares, of varying ages and some of them in worse conditions, but they all looked disheveled.

One of the stallions in the first cell, looked up at us and gave us a confused expression. “Huh? Who are you?” he asked in a weak tone.

I walked up to the bars and looked at the lock, to check if it had any weakened spots, but they were brand new locks. “It’s going to be okay! My friend and I are here to break you all out, but you have to be quiet!” I hissed at them. Just as I began to shake the bars in frustration, I heard a gasp from the next cell, and somepony run up to the bars.

“Star! Crystal! I'm over here!” I heard a familiar male voice call out to us in a hushed tone.

Fleet! Thank Celestia he's okay!

I felt a surprising wave of relief wash over me as I ran over to the cell he was in, “Fleet! We're so glad to have found you!” I said to him as I stood in front of him. He looked a little beat up, as he had a few bruises on his body, and a small cut on his forehead, but it was already in the process of healing.

He had a disbelieving smile on his face, as if he was believing that we were nothing more than his imagination, but I could also tell that he knew his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

“I’m glad to see you both as well! But…what are you doing here? How did you get in here?” he asked as I walked over to the cell door and began to fiddle with the lock.

“Everything is going to be fine. We're here to break you and the other prisoners out! We've brought a few friends as well! We're going to make sure these bandits never mess with Van Hoover again!” I said as I frustratingly kicked the gate, which gave off a louder squeak than I intended, as the sound vibrated through the hall.

I instantly froze, as I heard a pony call out in the distance, and the approaching sound of hooves. Both Crystal and I turned to see a guard pony run up from the hall we just came up from, and turn to us.

“Hey! What are you two doing he-“ he tried to say, before a hooded pony jumped from the hall and slammed the pony into the wall, with enough force to knock him unconscious. Both Crystal and I simply stared with wide eyes, as the pony turned to us and removed their hood, revealing to be none other than Cross.

“I can't even leave you two alone for a few minutes, without you nearly getting caught!” he said in a louder voice than I had hoped.

“Cross! We have to be quiet, there still might be guards around!” I hissed at him urgently, but he simply smiled at me, and reached into his bag, and threw a ring of keys to my hooves.

“You don't have to worry about them. I've incapacitated all the guards upstairs, and this guard was the last one. I found those keys in a supply closet, and freed the prisoner’s upstairs, so we have to be quick! I discovered where the back door was, so we all wouldn't have to fit through the broom closet window.” he said to me as he moved back to the hall.

I immediately went to work, and fiddled with the keys until I found the key to the cell, and opened it for them. I stepped forward and tossed the keys to Crystal, who went to unlock the cell by her, but as I turned back, I was quickly caught up in a hug from Fleet. I immediately felt my face light up on fire, as he cleared his throat, and pushed away from me, his face bright red as well. “Umm…thanks for saving me. But…why are you here? Is it just you three?” he asked, while looking past me as Crystal opened the other cell, letting the other prisoner’s out.

I shook myself out of the previous moment of embarrassment, and cleared my throat, “N-no! There are others with us, but we need to meet up with them near the gate. I’ll explain it later, but we managed to get out of the town with a force big enough to beat these bandits, and make sure they never hurt the ponies of Van Hoover! Let’s get you all out of here!” I said, as we all turned to leave. I couldn't help but feel amused, as they were all too happy to leave.
________________________________________

We quickly followed Cross to the supposed back door, we came up to a different part of the building, and saw another small mass of ponies by the door, but as we walked up to them, Fleet slowed and looked at all of them with a concerned expression. I noticed him slowing, and turned to him, “What’s wrong?” I asked him as I moved to place a hoof on his shoulder.

My voice seemed to shake him out of his trance, as he looked at me, and then to the crowd of ponies. “I…I don't see Violet. Where is she?” he asked, pushing past me and walking up to Cross Fire. The older stallion tuned to Fleet, and frowned slightly, “I’m sorry Mr. Fleet, but your sister wasn't in any of the cells upstairs.” He said in a calm tone, but he did show concern for Fleet and Violet.

Fleet seemed to freeze in shock when he heard the news, but he kept still, the expression frozen on his face. I sighed and looked away for a moment, but I took a deep breath and turned to them all. “Crystal? Cross? Take these ponies to the rendezvous point. I'll meet you there.” I said as I turned and began walking down the hall.

“Wait! Where are you going?” I heard Crystal ask after me, which caused me to stop momentarily, and turn back to her.

I knew she would immediately disagree with my plan, but I knew I had to do it. “I’m going to go further into the base and find Violet, and as many as I possibly can! I can't just leave her here.” I said in a stern tone, but before Crystal could object, Cross Fire beat her to it.

“Listen to me Star Dust. I know you want to help as many ponies as possible, and that’s a noble gesture. But if Miss Violet isn't here, then the most likely option, is that she was already sold, or she was sent to a different camp. Don't waste the time we have now to escape, considering you were the one that devised the plan. Besides, it will be far too dangerous for you to run around a bandit camp alone!” He said to me in his calm demeanor.

Now it was my turn to be cut off as Fleet sighed and spoke up, “She won't be alone…I'll go with her. She’s my sister, and I refuse to just leave her behind! I promised I would protect her, and I won't just run away!” he claimed in a stubborn tone. I looked at him with a shocked expression, and I was about to refuse, but then I stopped myself. I looked up, and saw the sheer determination in his eyes, and I saw the determination to protect his younger sibling at all costs. I knew I could never hope to understand that desire, since I was an only child, but I knew it would be wrong of me to deny him that.

I took a deep breath and looked up at him, “Okay, Fleet and I will make our way across the camp and find Violet and the other young foals! You two have to meet with Radiance and Silver Heart, and get that gate open! If we're not back in 10 minutes…start the attack.” I said to them, but Crystal quickly stepped forward.

I was prepared for her to slap me, trying to knock the sense back into me, but she simply smiled and placed a hoof on my shoulder. “Alright, but this doesn't mean I approve! We'll wait as long as we can, just…make sure you all get out safely.” She said as she wrapped me in a big hug, which greatly surprised me, and even made me blush slightly, since she rarely ever did anything like that before. We have given each other plenty of hugs in the past, but this one seemed to have much more emotion put into it.

She quickly pushed away and gave me a confident smile, to which I smiled back and then nodded to Cross, who looked as if he was about to protest in his own way. He quickly stopped himself, as if he was used to my brash antics. I smiled to him and he nodded back, and they all turned and made their way out of the building, while I turned to Fleet and he simply nodded, and we followed them out the door, slipping off in the other direction.
________________________________________

After splitting off from the others, Fleet and I made our way across the camp, via moving along the inside of the outer wall. Fleet had told me that he had overheard some of the guards talking about, the younger prisoner’s being held in the basement of the old sheriff’s office, which looked like many of the buildings in the camp, only it was well guarded, since it was the chief’s office as well. Fleet and I came up alongside the building, and snuck over to a small basement window, as to where we could look inside.

Wiping the window clear so I could peer inside, he kept an eye out for any guards. From what I could see, the basement had definitely be rearranged as a prison, and I scanned the room until I laid eyes a cell in the far corner, and I saw her, and not just her, I could see a small group of fillies and colts huddled together in the cell.

Violet! Thank Celestia she’s okay!

I sighed with relief, and turned to Fleet, “I see her! She’s in the basement, but…how do we get inside to get her?” I asked him. He looked back at me with a concerned expression, but before he could answer me, I saw one of the spotlight’s shine on him. A blaring alarm soon followed, as more spotlights quickly shined on him as well, he quickly turned to me with a panicked look, “You have to get out of here! They’ve only see me! GO!” he said in a panic.

“Hey! You there! Stop!” we heard a guard voice cut through the air.

I felt panic rise in me, as I thought of a way to get inside while I had the chance, before the guards could capture me as well. My mind raced with a thousand options, but I settled with the quickest one, by wrapping my hoof in part of my cloak, and quickly smashing through the window. Luckily, the sound of the alarm masked the shattering glass, and I quickly slid in. just as I did, I heard Fleet cry out in agony, as he was most likely tackled to the ground, or worse. I couldn’t help but feel a guilty pang in my heart, at leaving him to such a fate, but I promised I would get him out.
________________________________________
(Tall Tale Bandit Camp, outside the armory)

As Crystal and Cross Fire made their way alongside the outer wall, they saw Radiance and Silver waiting for them, on the opposite side of the wall from the armory, with Silver cutting a hole in the wall near them.. As they ran up, Radiance sighed with relief and trotted up to them, but slowed, when she didn’t see a sign of Fleet or Violet. “Wait a minute…where’s Fleet? And Violet?” she asked in a concerned tone.

Crystal came to a stop in front of her, and took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to explain the new development. “We…got to the prison, and freed the captives. But…according to Cross Fire, there was no sign of Violet, or any other younger prisoners. Star and Fleet split from us to look around the rest of the camp. They said they would join us soon, we just have to have faith with them.” She said with a confident tone.

Radiance stared at her for a moment, and was about to say something, but was quickly cut off by the sound of a blaring alarm. Our heads all snapped to the center of the camp, where we saw multiple spotlights, fixate on one specific location. Crystal stepped forward and looked on with a worried expression, “Damn! They’ve been caught! We have to go rescue them!” she said in a sorrowful tone.

Cross Fire stepped over to the others, “Alright, we have to accelerate the plan! Let’s get inside and open the gate for the others, hopefully that will buy them the time to escape. Come on!” he said as they all made their way inside.
________________________________________
(Tall Tale Bandit Camp, old sheriff’s station)

The camp chief sat behind his desk, talking with the Emperor’s newest arrival, over the reason as to why he was here.

“While I am honored to know that the Emperor has sent one of his best agents to stay with us for the time being, I can’t help but remain curious, as to why? We have already sent out our last shipment of prisoner’s to your boot camp. Our next shipment isn’t set to go out until next month.” He said in a calm fashion.

He watched as a stallion dressed in sleek black armor stepped from the shadows, his helmet was removed, and he had a calm expression on his face. “I can assure you chief, that I’m not here to collect a shipment. The Emperor has ordered me to locate and capture a wanted criminal, who’s been hiding out in Van Hoover. Once I have said criminal in my custody, my troops and I will leave you to your business.” He said in an equally calm fashion.

Before the chief could say anything back, he looked to see the door fly open, and two of his guard’s dash in with a young stallion they dragged between them. “What is this about? I thought I said I wasn’t to be disturbed? And why is the alarm going off?” the chief asked in a raised voice, but the guards simply threw the young stallion in front of us.

“Sorry chief, but we found this stallion sneaking around outside the station. He’s one of the prisoner’s, but somehow he’s managed to escape. When we captured him, we saw the window to the basement was shattered, so it’s likely he had some help escaping. We sent a guard to check the prison, to see if any other’s got out.” One of the guards said.

The chief simply got up and made his way around the desk, just as the young stallion pushed himself up with a groan. The young stallion had a grey coat, and a striped blue mane, and it looked as if the guards had done a number on him, as he was bleeding lightly from the lip, and had a darkened spot around his left eye. The chief leaned down and motioned to his guards to hoist him up to eye level.

“So…you thought you could escape my camp? Tell me, who else is with you, and where they are hiding.” He said to the young stallion. The young stallion simply groaned as he was forced up into a sitting position.

“You’re wrong! I was trying to break into the basement to get my sister! I didn’t have any help!” the young stallion said with a determined look on his face.

Before the chief could react, the stallion in the black armor stepped forward, and cleared his throat. “Clearly you can see that he’s lying to you. If your security is as good as you say it is, then he’s clearly had some help getting out. I suggest you get your bandits together and handle the situation.” He said in a calm tone, as he suddenly gasped out, his eyes widening in shock, as if the realization had suddenly hit him.

The chief looked up at the black armored stallion and then fully stood up and looked to his guards. “Increase the security by the gate, and check the prison for the others! Take this one back to his cell. Move!” he said to them, and they nodded before turning to run off. But before they could leave the room, they watched as another guard ran into the room out of breath.

“Chief! The prisoners are gone! Some pony knocked out all the guards and freed the prisoner’s!” he said in a panicked tone. The Chief looked at him with a shocked expression, as he turned to the Emperor’s agent, who simply stared blankly for a moment. The stallion shook himself out of his daze and looked back at the Chief.

“I think I might know the leader of this little insurrection. Call your bandits together and prepare to fight. This might be an act from the town’s citizens! Lock down the camp!” he yelled as he turned to his lieutenant and nodded, before putting his helmet back on and making his way out of the room.

The chief stood momentarily frozen, but he quickly looked back down the young stallion. “Throw him in the basement! We’ll deal with him when this is over! Go!” he yelled as the two stallions grabbed the young stallion and dragged him out of the room.
________________________________________

I cried out in pain as some of the remaining glass shards in the frame cut through my coat, resulting in some minor cuts, as I slid through. I groaned as I landed on the floor, and scrambled to slide against the wall, as some of the guards above me ran past the window, shining lights into the basement to look for me.

After they went away, I sighed to myself, and immediately ran over to the cell where the young fillies and colts were being held. They all immediately ran over to the cell bars, and began asking me a flurry of questions.

“Who are you?

“Can you please help us?”

“I want my Mommy and Daddy!”

I rushed over to them, and began fiddling with the lock on the cell, and cried out in frustration at it being locked. “It’s okay children, I’m here to get you out! Violet! Violet are you here?” I asked into the small crowd. Since I never really got the chance to study the details of her body, it made it hard for me to see if she was here.

In a few short seconds, a young familiar filly stepped forward. “Miss Dust! I’m right here! Where’s my brother?” she asked in a worried tone. I was surprised to see her not crying like many others, but she seemed to be a stronger filly than most.

“Your brother is fine. We’ll be meeting up with him and your mother shortly, but right now I have to get you all out of here.” I said as I turned and looked around the room for something to force the cell open. It took me a minute, but I quickly saw a ring hook by the stairs, and saw a small key right dangling from it. I groaned in annoyance and mentally slapped myself, as I ran over and grabbed the keys and unlocked the cell. As I opened the cell, I heard the door to the upstairs open, and two guards drag some pony down with them.

I looked up toward the stairs in a panic, and turned to shush the foals, and closed the door again, quickly racing under the stairs as they came down. “Come on already! Let’s just throw him down there and get going! Why do we have to throw him in with the little brats?” one of the guards said, as they came down I saw the pony they were dragging and recognized him as Fleet!

“The Chief wants to deal with him later. Let’s just drop him and go!” the second one said, as they went over to the cell. I took a deep breath, and slowly looked down and grasped the hilt of my sword once again with my magic.

“Wait a minute, why is the cell unlocked?” the first one asked, and I took the moment to unsheathe my sword, and flip it to the blunt side.

I quickly stepped out and raised the hilt, just as the second one turned to see me step behind his friend. “Look out!!!” he tried to say, but before the first could turn, I cracked him over the head and he fell to the ground. Before I could do the same to the second, he unsheathed his sword and charged at me. with one quick swipe ,he knocked my sword from my grip with one swipe, and reared back and delivered a hard kick to my chest. I cried out in pain, as I was knocked back, feeling the pain rack through my body. I felt an intense dizziness, as I looked up to see the second guard charge at me.

“STAR!!” I heard Fleet call out, and time seemed to slow as he tossed the unconscious guards’ pistol to me. I reached out with my hoof, and caught the pistol, quickly levitating the pistol and aiming it at the guard. I closed my eyes and quickly fired off the round, resulting in a loud boom, and a puff of smoke to erupt from the pistol.

Everything fell silent, as I opened my eyes to look to the results of my action. I looked to where the assaulting guard was, and my eyes widened in shock, as I looked toward his unmoving body, sprawled on the floor, a bleeding hole in his chest. I slowly looked over at the pistol, and saw the smoking barrel, and threw the gun away.

“FLEET!” I heard Violet call out, but it had a distant echo to it, as my eyes fell back on the lifeless corpse of my assailant. My heart racing at a million miles a second, at the thought of the action I just committed.

I killed him! I. Killed. Him!

It’s the natural order of things! how does it feel to have taken a life all on your own? to feel the weight of a pony's life, resting in your hooves!?

I looked up to see Fleet hug Violet, as all the other foals cautiously stepped out, and adjusted to the new situation. I felt a sickness rise up from my stomach, and I could feel a surge of vomit shot up through my throat. I rushed to the corner and coughed it all out, feeling that moment of disgust leave my body, I slowly stood up and felt a hoof on my shoulder.

“Star…I’m sorry…it’s my fault! I made you do that…I…shouldn’t have tossed the pistol to you.” I heard Fleet say to me in as comforting tone as I possibly could. I knew I couldn’t hold it against him, since he acted on instinct, just as I did in firing the round. I fully pushed myself up and wiped my mouth clean, and continued to try and calm my racing mind and heart.

After another few moments of making sure I had coughed it all up, I fully stood up and took a deep breath before turning to him. “It’s not your fault. You did what you could at the moment, and it saved my life. I should thank you…” I said to him as I looked him in the eyes, and walked past him to look up the stairs. He didn’t say anything back to me, but I could just feel the guilt emanating in the room. I calmly walked over and levitated up my sword, and sheathed it back into it’s scabbard.

“We should get going! If the alarm has been set off, then we need to get back to the others. Radiance is probably fearing the worst.” I said to him as I looked back to him. He shook the guilty look off his face, and then turned to see Violet walk over to him, and huddle next to his front hoof.

“Fleet? Are we going to see mommy?” she asked him with innocent eyes. I watched as he leaned down to be eye level with her.

“Yes, we are! But we have to go find her first! She’ll be on the other side of the camp, so you’ll need to follow Miss Dust and myself. Can you do that?” he asked her in as calm a tone as he could muster. Violet looked at him and nodded confidently, and he looked to me and nodded.

I nodded back and walked over to the children, “Okay children! We have to go now. We’re going to find your parents, they’re waiting for us on the other side of the camp. Just follow us, and we’ll get out safely.” I said to them and they all began to follow me, with Fleet tailing in the rear.

I kept a watch for guards as we descended on to the ground floor, “Hey Star, is it getting hot or is it just me?” Fleet asked from behind.

Normally, I would have considered that a joking question, but I couldn't detect any humor in his voice, not to mention I felt it to. As we came up the stairs, I felt an increasing level of heat encompass my body.

As we came to the ground floor, I saw the hall had become thicker with a layer of smoke forming close to the ceiling.

The building was on fire!

“We have to move! Come on children, we need to hurry!” I said to them all as I looked back to Fleet, to which he nodded back. I began to go down the hall, nearly running, when I looked back to see them running with me.

He’s here!

I quickly felt a strange sensation fall over me, one that I had never wished to feel again. It was the same feeling I had that night, the night I was in Satchel’s study. I felt an immense feeling of fear and dread wash over and it caused to stop in place, and freeze up. My muscle’s locked up and refused to move, and everything seemed to slow around me, as my eyes widened in a panic, and a cold sweat. I quickly felt a hoof on my shoulder and I looked over to see Fleet stare at me with a concerned expression.

“Star? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” he asked me, but it was strange to notice that his voice was distant to me. Instead of answering him, my gaze slowly shifted to the hall in front of us, where I quickly saw a group of imperial soldiers run down the hall, but then I saw…him!

The stallion in the black armor!

He slowly stepped into view of the hall, and time seemed to slow even more as he turned to look down the hall at us. I could clearly see that his gaze on me, as well as I could feel it burn into my soul. The unrelenting feeling of fear, made it so I couldn't take my eyes off him.

“Star! We have to go! NOW!” I heard Fleet yell at me, and I turned to him, and then back to the armored stallion.

“Get Them! Kill the others, but bring the girl to me alive!” he shouted, as he pointed down the hall at us.

I looked to Fleet in a panic, “We need to go! We can get out the front door a different way!” I said as I sprinted off in the direction of the way we just came. I quickly looked back to see Fleet and the foals following me, but I could also see the armored stallion following us further down the hall, and even through his helmet, I could see the intent to kill in his eyes.

After turning down another hall, we saw the entrance in our sight, and quickly ran for it, but I stopped to make sure they got through first. As they ran out the door first, I looked back to see the armored stallion turn down the hall we did, and look in my direction. Even though I couldn’t see his face, I could feel him narrow his eyes at me, to which I gulped nervously, and looked around me. I looked up at the ceiling above me, and saw that it was slowly beginning to weaken, and that it would break after much more exposure to the flames.

The idea hit me like a brick, and I looked up, and took a deep breath and focused my magic. I felt my horn glow, as I narrowed my eyes and shot a powerful blast of magic at the ceiling. I smiled to myself, until the realization hit me, that I was still under it. I looked down at him to see charging at me, I scrambled toward the door, and jumped out of the doorway, just as the ceiling broke down, and blocked the main entrance.

I managed to evade the ceiling, but I neglected to mention that the entrance was on a wooden porch, and that I was quickly flying over it, and directly into the dirt. I cried out in pain, as I tumbled next to the floor, and did a roll, to minimize any further pain. I forced the numbing pain from my mind, as I pushed myself up, just as Fleet and the foals ran up to me.

Before either of us could say anything, we heard a loud explosion fill the air, and we all turned to see a shocked sight.

The Citizens. The imperial soldier’s. Fighting!

I was right to assume that Radiance, Silver, and Cross would continue on with the mission, but this turned out to be a bigger battle than I had imagined. Luckily, it looked like we were winning, since we had the advantage of surprise. I turned to look at Fleet, who had just as shocked as I did, “Alright, let’s go find the others! We have to get these foals out of the fighting!” I said to him, and he turned to me and nodded confidently. Just as we began to move, we heard a loud bang from behind us, and turned to see a powerful blast of magic, break through the rubble blocking the entrance to the sheriff’s station.

I felt the fear from earlier return, as I saw the pony in the black armor emerge from the burning building. He calmly stood there, and stepped down the stairs, simply staring at us. Without looking to Fleet, I grasped the hilt of my sword, “Get them out of here Fleet! I’ll hold him off!” I said to him in a calm fashion.

I didn’t need to turn to him to feel his eyes turn towards me in shock and concern. “What! You can’t stand up to him, he just walked out of a burning building, without a scratch on him! He’ll kill you!” he said in an urgent tone. I knew he was just concerned with my safety, and while I was thankful for that, but if anypony could even hope to stand up to him, it was me.

“We don’t have time to argue! Go! Find Crystal and Cross Fire, they’ll help get the foals out of here. Don’t worry about me…I can handle myself!” I said to him, and he just looked at me with concern. I saw the regret in his eyes, but he nodded, and quickly ran off, the foals not needing me to tell them to go, they quickly ran after him.

I took a deep breath, and quickly drew my sword out, and turned to him, just in time to see the building collapse from being engulfed in flames. He simply stood at the bottom of the stairs, and I heard him chuckle, as he unsheathed his own sword, to which I couldn’t help but grow more fearful.

The sword that killed Satchel!

You can do this Star! You just have to be quick!

NO! You have to run! He’ll kill you!

I refuse to keep running! I have to face him!

I took a deep breath and turned to him and raised my sword, to which I simply heard him chuckle. “Very brave of you to send your friend away, and face me yourself. But you've just made my job all that much easier! After I'm done with you, I’ll make sure to make your friends suffer!” he said as he got into a charging position, and burst forward.

Giving his sword a nice swing, I raised my sword to defend myself, and braced for the impact. His sword clashed with mine, and I looked to see our faces a mere inches apart, and I found his strength to be overwhelming, but I managed to barely hold my own. I looked up and could see through the slit of his helmet, and into his eyes.

Those eyes…

He laughed at my struggling, and began to taunt me. “Come on Girl! Where’s all that power you had! Show me what you can truly do!” he said as he broke away, and jumped back.

“It appears you have a blade made from Heart Stone as well! Both my sword and armor are made from the same material, my armor is impervious to any attack, but only a blade made of the same material could counter it affects! At least your former master, had a good taste in weapons. I'll make sure to give it to the Emperor, when I bring you to him.

Before I could even react from his momentary retreat, he launched forward, and swung his blade again, nearly knocked from my grip. After he gave another swing, I ducked under it, and used what moves Satchel had taught me in some of my fighting classes. I readied my sword, and did a quick swipe, to which he jumped back and dodged, as my blade cut a fine line in the dirt.

He laughed as he readied his sword for another attack, “There we go! Let me see what you’re truly capable of! I think Master Satchel would be ashamed of his prized student! I still remember the feeling of shoving my blade into his heart, and hearing his dying gasp!” he taunted me.

I clenched my teeth together in frustration, as the terrible memories resurfaced, and I felt a familiar anger rise in me.

You have no other choice! Just let your anger out! Don't let him taunt you like that!

No! I won’t give into that! Not again….

I felt tears begin to spill down my cheeks, but I managed to suppress them enough to see my foe, and I readied my sword for an attack. I swung my sword back, and cried out in anger as I charged forward.
________________________________________

Fleet led the foals through the fight, looking for signs of his mother, and came across a group of citizens fighting some imperial soldiers. He looked closely, and felt a wave of relief wash over him, as his eyes fell upon his mother.

“MOM!!!” he cried out, over the roars of the fight around them.

Radiance pushed back an attacking imperial soldier, when she heard a familiar voice, and she turned to see Fleet standing not far away, with Violet by his side. She felt tears of joy fill her eyes, and ran over to the, just as Silver and Cross Fire finished off the remaining soldiers.
Radiance ran over and hugged them both, with tears flowing from her eyes.

“Thank Celestia you two are safe! I was worried sick about you!” she said to them, as Fleet pushed away, but Violet remained, and climbed on to her mother’s back. Before Fleet could answer, Crystal, Silver, and Cross walked up to him.

“Wait a minute, where’s Star? I thought she was with you!” Crystal asked in a panicked mode, and Fleet turned to her with a concerned look.

“We managed to free all the young ones, but we were pursued by this stallion in black armor. I guess he’s one of the imperial’s general’s. She stayed behind, to give us the chance to get to you!” he said in a slightly sad tone. Crystal’s eyes widened, at the mention of the stallion in black armor, and looked back to Cross. He matched her expression, and looked over to Radiance.

“Miss Radiance, get these children out of here! Silver, you come with us!” he said as he charged forward, and Crystal and Silver Heart quickly followed after him.
________________________________________

As I sung my sword at him, he simply dodged and turned around, and delivered a hard kick to my chest, which sent me flying a few feet away. I groaned as the pain racked my body, but the adrenaline let me stand up quickly, as he ran toward me, and swiped his sword at me. I raised my sword up, and he proceeded to swipe at me a few times, but I managed to block each of them.

I could feel my endurance slowly slipping, but it looked as if he was just barely getting warmed up. He cried out in anger, and swung his sword up, with enough force to knock me on to my back. I hit the ground with a thud, and looked up to see him thrust his sword down at me, but I managed to roll to the side.

Damn! He’s stronger than I remember! I can’t beat him with my sword, but I do have him in a vulnerable position!

If you won’t run, remember your blade! It can be a powerful ally!

My eyes widened, as I remembered what Cross Fire had said to me about my blade, or as it should be called…The Aura Blade. I remember him telling me, that I could use my own magic to amplify it’s abilities, so I knew what to do next.

I looked over to him, and saw the stallion struggling to remove the blade, even as it was firmly planted into the ground. Instead of taking the chance to swipe at him, I looked down to my blade, and saw my reflection in my eyes. I smiled to myself, and slowly closed my eyes, and took a deep breath, letting my magical aura envelope not just the hilt, but the blade as well. The blade began to glow brightly, and I looked over at him and frowned.

I swung it back and then cried out in anger as I swung it toward him, and much to my surprise and his, a slash of magic energy flew from the blade and at him. He looked toward me with a shocked expression, as he pulled the blade out, and turned to block the attack, but was too late. The energy slash, crashed into him, and knocked him back a few feet, and surprisingly sent his helmet flying off his head.

He crashed to the ground, and didn't move for a few moments, as the blow did a big number on him. After letting the energy off, I felt a sensation flow through m, that made my vision blurry, and my muscles ache, but it strangely passed, as I looked toward him. I saw him trying to push himself up, and I decided to take the chance to attack him again.

Swinging my sword to my side, I cried out and charged at him, he managed to push himself up. Just as I was in the motion to swing my sword, he pushed himself up and looked to me, giving me a full view of his face. His face seemed strangely familiar, but I couldn't place from where, and the result made me slow to a stop, and stare at him with wide eyes.

Those eyes! That Face!

His coat was a solid blue, and his mane was chestnut brown, and he simply stared at me with a shocked expression as well. “I…I know you! Your face….who are you!?” I asked him with a shocked expression, nearly dropping my sword from my grip. Instead of answering, he simply growled and his horn glowed, brightly, shooting a powerful blast at me. Too shocked to react in time, I cried out in pain and flew a few feet away, and skidded on my back.

I groaned as I tried to sit up, but I was quickly blocked by him pointing his sword at me. He didn't take the time to put his helmet back on, but he stared at me, with a confused expression on his face. It wasn't fear that filled, but it was a feeling I quite couldn’t explain.

I looked past the blade and at him, and he simply stared me down as well, but it wasn't anger in his eyes, but something akin to sadness and regret. “I…know those eyes! How? How is that possible?” I asked for to myself than to him, but he quickly looked me dead in the eyes, and I saw the look of somepony who recognized me, even though I didn't recognize him. His sad frown turned to one of anger, and he pulled the sword back to thrust it at me, but a blast of magic came out of nowhere, and he quickly jumped back.

He jumped back and levitated his helmet to him, and put it back on. I looked over and saw Crystal, Fleet, and Silver run over to me, and help me up. Crystal had tears of happiness in her eyes as she pulled me into a hug, but I was still in a state of shock, too much to hug her back. “Oh Star! Thank Luna we got here in time. Are you okay?” she asked me, and her questions brought me back to reality.

I looked over to her and groaned as the pain finally hit my body at full force, “yeah…I'm fine.” I said in a distant tone. We all looked over to see Cross Fire turn to face the armored stallion, and draw his sword, who simply stared at him.

“I had a feeling the Emperor would send his personal lapdog, to do his dirty work! I suggest you give up, you're no match for me!” Cross said in the most threatening tone I had ever heard him say.

The stallion simply stared at him blankly for a moment, but refused to draw his sword. “Have you forgotten that I killed your friend in battle, what makes you think you can best me?” he asked in a strangely calm tone.

Cross seemed to tense at that reminder, but he remained calm and dignified, even when facing such a deadly opponent. “That may be true, but Satchel was out of practice. I can assure you, I’ll be a much more worthy opponent!” he said to him with anger in his eyes.

The armored stallion simply frowned and then stepped back, “No. I know when I'm in a battle I can’t win. You have this round, but next time…you won't be able to save her!” he said as he teleported away in a flash. I watched as Cross sighed and sheathed his sword before turning back to me.

“Glad to see you're okay. The rest of the imperials and bandits have retreated into the woods, so…it looks like we won.” He said looking around with a small smile. I tried my best to smile, but I felt an overwhelming sleepiness come over me, and I began to tilt forward. I could see Crystal and Fleet rush over to catch me, but I hit the ground with a thud, and darkness began to encompass my vision.

With the last of my energy, I managed to mutter one last thing.

“Night…Gale…”