Tales of the Wanderers

Chapters

Chapter 1- Brace for Impact
Chapter 2- Cloak and Dagger
Chapter 3- Warrior of the Night
Chapter 4- Trashed and Scattered
Chapter 5- Divine Hate

Chapter 1- Brace for Impact

Tales of the Wanderers- Brace for Impact

It was a calm and peaceful morning in the land of Altera. Everything seemed quite normal in the small town of Carderock pass. The merchants were preparing to sell their goods, the children enjoyed the warm rays of the sun as they played in the fields and the sounds of the forge came alive with the loud clanging of iron against hammer. The blacksmith Korin had only just opened his shop moments ago and he had two customers up bright and early that needed his services. “Why hello there youngsters,” he cheerfully greeted them. One was a small young girl with white hair that looked too young to be an adventurer while the other looked to be in his teenaged years, had black hair that drifted on the sides of his face and also wore a long scarf to go with his oriental like clothing. “What can I help you with?” “We wanted to make sure to repair our equipment before we head out of town.” The young girl responded as they handed the elderly smith a few clothes and some weapons along with payment for his services. Korin agreed and had repaired the armor and weapons for both of them. “Thank you,” He cheerfully told them. “Have a nice day, kids.” For a moment, the girl stopped walking. Her ears twitched a little at the remark she just heard. “What did you call me-?” “Janelle, we've got things to do.” The young man told her. “But Raistlin, he insulted me! You know I hate it when I’m called a kid!” Janelle pouted as they went across to the other side of town. “If you could’ve let me have at that old geezer, I would show you just what this Alchemist is capable of!” “Yes, and last time that happened, we had to pay the innkeeper in Ironwood Village for the property damage you caused.” He reminded her. Both Raistlin and Janelle were good friends, even though they both had different classes and skills. Raistlin was what people called an Assassin. A shinobi. But he preferred the term Chaser. He focused his skills on his weapons and powers that he could control using his form of energy called Chakra. Janelle though; was different. She was an Alchemist. A tinkerer of science. Her abilities required a lot of careful planning, but she was always fascinated by the result. Especially when she was able to see how much destruction it would cause. The two of them knew quite a few friends that also had different skills in their respected field. Six to be exact. But now, they just focused on each other since the others were probably somewhere else in the huge continent that was Altera. Raistlin thought that maybe something on the commissions board could distract the fuming Janelle and had her come have a look. Not many jobs were on the board given that today was a Wednesday. Jobs mostly appeared either at the start of the week or at the end of one, but not in the middle. But, something did catch the young Alchemist’s eye “Hey Raistlin, look up at the top of the board real quick.” The Chaser did so and saw a piece of parchment with a golden seal on it. “Does that seem like a new job?” “Yeah, and given what it looks like, it looks very professional.” He smirked before taking it down so the two of them could read what was on the paper. The slip looked brand new and was from the Free Adventurer’s League. It was kind of surprising to see a notice from them all the way out in this town because their main headquarters was back in Saint’s Haven; the capital city of Altera where the royal family and the king would live. Still, both the Chaser and the Alchemist weren’t people who would pass up on opportunity. “Well, this looks very interesting.” Raistlin said as his eyes scanned the parchment. “A research group from the Free Adventurer’s League is looking for two individuals who can help them on an upcoming expedition. Participants will be paid in advanced.” “Paid in advanced?” Janelle looked at her friend, a little bit unconvinced. “How much?” “Let me look…” The Shinobi replied back, looking farther down on the flyer before having a look at himself. “Oh man, that can’t be right…” “What is it?” “The payment is five thousand gold each.” Raistlin told her. “But something tells me that whoever wrote this might’ve messed up on writing it.” “Maybe. But still, that’s a good payment if it isn’t a mistake. Is there a name of the person asking for the the help?” They looked back at the request to find the name of Captain Edwin, the man that requested the assistance. Both of them also learned that he was by the Airship named The Endurance that was now tied down at the air docks. Raistlin thought that they should take a moment to go see this “captain” first before they decide to help out or now. Obtaining the information needed before making a decision was very important. Especially when it came to doing jobs from the commission board. Janelle also thought the same thing as the two of them began to walk towards the air docks. “So, what do you think the job is?” “Well, my guess is maybe a hunting or collection job. Either that or some kind of bodyguard request.” The Chaser replied to his friends question. “Ehh, I hate bodyguard requests.” Janelle heavily sighed in defiance. “Anyone who wants one of those are either so stuck up and disrespectful or just plain rude around every person they meet. Of course, there's also the stupid people who try to play hero only to cower in fear at the sight of a goblin.” Raistlin understood what the young Alchemist meant. The two of them and their friend Reign had to do a request once where they had to escort a noble through Argent Pass from the mountain town of Mana Ridge. Though he was talking a lot about how he use to be a knight when he was there age and what not; when a pack of goblins attacked the group, the escort’s first action was to cower behind a bush. Fortunately, Reign; the Crusader in the group, was able to build up enough mana to eliminate the pack with a burst of holy light from his one handed mace. Soon, the two of them arrived at the air docks and were greeted by a lot of workers trying to load a lot of research equipment on board an Airship that was in port. A man in a Leather Musketeer hat with a small feather quill was taking inventory of all the items being brought inside the colossal ship. Most of the passengers were the crewmen doing the heavy lifting while there were a couple of others that looked like sorceresses and priests. Raistlin was now thinking that they would somehow get involved in a show of crazy people with the people that he was seeing. “Excuse me, sir?” The young shinobi asked the crew member in the musketeer hat as they approached him. They showed him the notice from the commission board. “We’re here to talk with Captain Edwin about the job he posted on the commission board?” “Follow me please,” The man sighed as he had the two journeymen follow him on board the ship. He had Raistlin and Janelle follow him below deck to the Captains chambers and knocked on the front door. “Ed, you have two lackeys here for the notice you put up yesterday in town.” “Good, good! Send them in, Louis.” A voice inside the room called out as the man in the hat opened the door and motioned the Chaser and Alchemist inside. The captains room was pretty huge and there were treasures on the wall. Heirlooms of many previous adventures. Theres was a oak desk in the middle and the Hazel hair male captain. He reminded Raistlin of a few of the other figures in town, but had a long coat over his sailor like clothes. He even kept a rapier on his waist that had a gold hilt. It reminded the Chasers of his own scimitar that was on his back. “Ahh, nice to meet you.” The captain greeted. He was personally surprised by the appearance of the two adventurers that responded to the job offer he placed in town. It almost looked like a young teen and his little sister were applying for it, but he kept that thought to himself out of courtesy. “Please, come over. Sit down. It’s been a long time since I’ve last had guests.” Raistlin and Janelle took up the captain on his offer and sat down in the leather chairs that were in front of him. “Now, I’m sure that you two would want to ask me some question you might have. But first, I want to ask you something.” He said as he put his hands together in a teepee like gesture. “What are your names and your occupations? I know that the Royal Court in Saint’s Haven would classify you as adventurers, but I see every one of you as unique. So, what kind of skills are you two capable of?” “Well, My name is Raistlin Revaan. I’m a Chaser who specializes in martial arts and weaponry. Even if they try to disarm me, I always have something hidden up my sleeve.” To show what he meant, the shinobi unsheathed a hidden weapon of his. Two arm blades that were hidden underneath his gloves. “I see. You seem to put a lot of hard work into your craft.” “I put a lot of effort into training both my body and my mind. That way, I’m calm and focused no matter what the situation is.” “Very impressive, I have to admit.” Captain Edwin turned to look at Raistlin’s smaller companion. “And what skills do you have miss……” “Janelle,” she cut off the captain before he could say anything else. “Janelle Ryan. I’m an Alchemist.” “An… Alchemist? Excuse me for being blunt, but I have only met a few adventurers myself. Some Gladiators, Sorceresses, Clerics and what not. But I’ve never met anyone with a title like yours.” The captain leaned a little bit forward in his chair as he looked at Janelle. “What exactly is an Alchemist?” Janelle grinned to herself as she hopped out of her chair and moved to the center of the room. Her bubble blaster and powerglove weapons at the ready. “I believe this calls for a little “demonstration” if I do say so myself!”‘Oh goddess no…’ Raistlin mentally sighed as he facepalmed himself. Janelle just happily prepared herself. With a hand on her weapon and the other one on the ground, a rune circle glowed around the young girl in a blue color as Janelle formed a hand made out of Ice. Seconds later, she dismissed it on her own and then used her blaster to summon a white doughy like creature before sacrificing it to restore her energy. “Alchemists are what many would consider as the warriors of science. My blaster can summon slimes to help me in battle; heal my teammates and also lethally poison anyone that tries to harm me. Additionally, I can transmute Ice and Magma based attacks through the runes inscribed on my powerglove.” Janelle explained carefully as she showed the surprised captain what she exactly meant. The glove that was seen on her arm has alchemy runes inscribed on it so transmutation can be easier for someone around her age. Most older alchemists would have to take the time into inscribing the rune circles by hand, but Janelle inscribed it on her gauntlet so she could spend less time fiddling around with the symbols and more time fighting. “Well, that was quite intriguing if I do say so myself.” Edwin complimented her. “Such raw talent at such a young age. Makes me wonder what was I was doing with my childhood?” “Uhh, I’m only 13.” Janelle told her. “And Raistlin is only 15.” “Really? Well, I guess I learn something new everyday.” “Well, enough talk about us. We should talk though about the job.” interjected Raistlin as Janelle sat back down. “Ah yes. We should.” Edwin agreed as he leaned back in his chair. “I believe you're a bit familiar with the job based on the information presented in the notice on the commission.” “Yes, it said that a research group needed two adventurers for an expedition.” Raistlin recalled. “I have a question to start off. What kind of research is your crew needing journeymen like us for?” Edwin sighed as he got up. “Well, that might take a bit to explain. Recently, some of our top engineers in the league have invented a machine that can detect mana. The magical flow of energy that Sorceresses, Clerics, Archers, and many other travelers commonly use. They only meant to scan Altera on its own to see if enemy forces were trying to go towards the capital. But what we found was something completely different.” The Captain pulled down a projection screen and used a old contraption to present the sheet that contained the results from the test that was performed. It showed the scan of the Continent, color coded by different shades of purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. But to the left of the continent seemed like another set of colors. But it was hard to tell. “This is the test we did. At this size, it only shows our home of Altera. But if you shrink it down… You get this.” Another image came up. The size of Altera was now half it’s original dimensions, but what was really eye catching this time was that another colorful shape almost twice the size of Altera was now present. “Okay, I’m a little bit confused.” Raistlin asked. “What are all the colors suppose to represent?” “They represent the density in magic. Where it’s strongest and where it’s weaker.” “And what about the second one to the left?” “That’s the purpose of the trip.” Edwin explained as he returned to his desk. “The Free Adventurers League believes it’s a continent like ours. Another nation where other individuals might have settled and expanded civilization as we know it. The purpose of the expedition is to discover what this continent is and see if we can connect both nations together.” Now that was a lot to take in. It was commonly known for Altera to be a big continent in it’s own right. But to have another country just like them? It was a lot to take in. Raistlin turned his head behind him to see the map of Altera behind him. “So what are we required for?” Janelle asked. “And is the payment on the paper correct?” “Indeed, I’m paying you both five thousand gold up front.” Edwin calmly expressed his intentions. “Normally, commissions are paid for one time jobs that happen on one day. But this isn’t a one day job. Going to and from this continent may take a few days, maybe weeks. So I’m paying you for each day that that the expedition is planning to last. Plus, I was looking for young, adventurous souls like yourself that would want a taste of adventure.” “But what kind of job is it? Is it a hunting job? Collection? Protection?” “Consider it as… an exploration job. I’m providing you two with the opportunity with traveling to an exciting new world filled with new potential and possibilities. Something no one would normally pass up on. You help out with the crew’s research, travel through the lands of this new world and help bring back findings. Nothing as problematic as having to protect a scaredy cat prince who can talk the talk, but not back up his actions.” The comment made Janelle chuckle and remember the scolding She and Reign gave the nobleman they were protecting on the last protection job they were commissioned for. She was starting to like this captain and so was her partner. They were getting really comfortable about this. “So, what do you say? Are you two up for it?” The Captain asked as he brought out a quill and ink to go with a contract that he had just put on his desk. Both the Chaser and the Alchemist looked at each other for a few minutes, thinking through the choice they had to make. Then, they made their decision. “We’ll take the job.” The two friends said in unison.

A few days later, Another sunrise came this morning as the light of the bright orb in the sky penetrated through the side of the ship into the Shinobi’s room. His eyes calmly opened as he looked up at the ceiling. The one that he threw a few kunai at to cure his boredom and practice his throwing skills. It had been about four days… maybe five? He was too tired right now to even think straight as he got up from his bed. Then he looked at the picture frame that was on the nearby shelf that he put on the first day of the trip. It was a photograph of him, Janelle and the rest of his friends back in Altera. Soraya; the Spirit Dancer with a habit of using her “Talents” in more than one area to get what she wants. Fei; the Sharpshooter who has the best aim of any elf the human had met in the kingdom. Edana; the Pyromancer with an anger management problem that had gotten them in trouble a few times. Lyall; the Lunar Knight who believes that no one gets left behind (and is seen by Janelle as a huggable teddy bear.) Elisa; the Valkyrie who always had a cheerful heart and a reason to celebrate any occasion. Reign; the Crusader who always stands by your side to help you whenever you’re in need. And of course, there was Janelle. The Alchemist who was Raistlin’s companion. very smart for her age, but hates it when she is called a kid or treated like a child. The eight of them once formed a guild a long time ago, just so they could spend time with each other and have fun. However, they decided to disband when they ran short on funds to support the guild and pay the dues. The eight of them still meet with each other every once in a while, but it just wasn’t like the good old days. Janelle was mostly affected by it. Someone that young losing something they all worked together for as a team… It’s heartbreaking. Speaking of Janelle, he needed to make sure that she was awake. The Alchemist had a bad habit of oversleeping when she laid down to go to bed. At times, she woke up from going to bed around eight o’clock at night to sometimes wake up at ten o’clock the next morning. Getting up from his bed and getting himself dressed in his clothes, Raistlin quietly used his skills as a Chaser to not disturb Janelle as he softly tried to wake her from the nearby bed that was on the other end of the room that was by the shelf with the picture frame. “Janelle, it’s time to wake up.” “Mmm…… Five more minutes dad…” Raistlin sighed a little. This… was common for the young girl. So, he proceeded to plan B. Open up the blinds that were covering the windows on the side of the ship. When the light reached Janelle’s eyes, she squirmed a little before giving in and opening her eyes. “T-too bright!!” The Alchemist squealed as she tried to hide her face underneath the sheets. “You say that almost every morning I have to wake you up.” “Oh shut up, early bird. W-what time is it anyway?” She asked, yawning a little. Raistlin turned his head to see the grandfather clock on the wall as the second hand rotated around in circles. “Twenty minutes after Seven.” Raistlin said as he slowly got up and walked to the door. “Come on, any longer we’re here and we’ll miss breakfast. Plus, I heard today they have pancakes, scrambled eggs and chocolate chip muffins-.” Hearing about “muffins” caught Janelle’s attention and had her bolt out of the room and towards the mess hall like a jackrabbit. She was hungry, but muffins to her were like a rare delicacy. A special treat in a way. Raistlin was lucky enough that his agility training allowed him to catch up to her by the time she reached the dining hall. Breakfast on the menu today was pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and also muffins. Mostly chocolate chip, but also blueberry and other varieties were available to have as well. Not many other crew members were in the dining hall today, so Raistlin just sat across from a happy Janelle as she devoured her plate of food and began to savour the first of three muffins that she had on an extra plate. “Slow down there, Janelle. You’re going to get sick like that.” “Oh please.” The Alchemist blew off the Shinobi’s remarks. “We’ve been on this boat for how long now? I haven’t got sick one time since this trip started.” Then a new question popped up in her head as Raistlin began to calmly finish his food. “While we’re on the subject, how long do you think it would be until the ship reaches land?” “I thought you were suppose to be the scientist out of the two of us?” He chuckled a little. “Wouldn’t you already know how much longer we need to travel?” “I’m an Alchemist, not a navigator! Besides, anything at this point would just be guesses at this rate.” “So what is your guess then?” Raistlin asked, trying to stay on point with the topic. “At this rate, since we’ve had clear skies and no storms coming our way… Maybe a day. A few hours if were lucky. We’re unsure on how far this place is and how fast The Endurance can move.” All these things she mentioned were valet points. It felt like moving blind in a field of war. But right now, it felt very good to be cruising along the open skyline like this. It’s not like something’s going to blast them out of the sky right?

Meanwhile, Patrolling through the open skies above Cloudsdale may seem boring to young fillies & colts who are still learning how to use their wings. But many other ponies knew it’s importance. Cloudchaser and her twin sister Flitter knew this better than anypony right now. If things were back to the way they were, both siblings would be flying with their friends and using their wings as part of the Wonderbolts flight team. That was… until war began. It had been five years since the “Tirek Incident”, but an old enemy rose from the ashes of her previous defeat and now had the troops and the power to clash with the Royal guard of Canterlot. Princess Luna and Twilight Sparkle were in charge of the guard and aerial recon units because Princess Celestia had gone missing days before the assaults began. The assaults from the Changelings that ravaged cities like Manehattan and Baltimare. Ponyville, Canterlot, and the Crystal Empire were just a few of the few safe havens that had enhanced barrier spells that prevented anything from getting in that could harm the refugees and civilians that are inside. Cloudsdale was used as an aerial refuge and base of operations to pay attention to Changeling forces from above in the skies. “Anything new on your end sis?” Flitter asked as the two pegasi equipped a specially enchanted pair of goggles that not only allowed them to see through a changelings disguise, but to also use like a pair of binoculars so they could see far out into the distance. So far, there wasn’t any unusual activity. “Nope. Nothing… Just seeing clouds… clouds… and more clouds. Thought I saw a ship out in the distance, but maybe my specs are a bit blurry.” Cloudchaser chuckled a little as she picked up a small cloud to use it to clean her goggles. However, despite it making her vision clearer, it did nothing to help the pegasus with seeing the flying ship. In fact, it looked like it was coming… closer. “Flitter, are you seeing what I’m seeing?” The other pegasus looked up and turned around, her jaw dropping a few inches. The two twins were now looking at a flying ship! Nopony had seen anything like this before, but it now posed a new question. Could it be a possible threat? “Sis, patch us into Spitfire right now!” Flitter told her sister as they fiddled with the miniature radio’s on their hooves. “She needs to hear about this!!”

Back at Wonderbolt Academy, many ponies were busy with different tasks and jobs. Thunderlane was helping teach new recruits in the Wonderbolt Aerial Recon squad, while Fleetfoot was working on helping with some of the refugees that a team had rescued recently from a changeling swarm squad. Inside the main office of Spitfire though, the mare was talking with somepony else. Soarin and Spitfire were having an important discussion about improved safety precautions. That was… Until they got a radio signal from the Twins.“Captain Spitfire, this is Flitter and Cloudchaser. I repeat... this is Flitter and Cloudchaser. Do you read me!!?” Spitfire and Soarin looked at each other in confusion when they heard the pony on the other end of the line. Something sounded wrong. REALLY wrong. “We hear you, Flitter. What’s wrong?”“You are not going to believe what we are seeing right now. I bet you can see this as far as Wonderbolt Academy!!” “See what-?”“A flying ship!! There’s a flying ship in the flipping sky!!!” Both Pegasi turned towards each other before Soarin looked out the nearby window. His eyes widened at what he was seeing. Spitfire soon turned around and was stunned as well. Flitter was right. They could see the flying ship that they were seeing. Something nopony has ever seen or encountered before. Could it be something new the changelings constructed? Is it or is it not a threat? The Captain of the Wonderbolts did not want to take any chances. “Flitter, Cloudchaser. Go dark and stay out of sight from that vessel! Soarin, prepare to send a message to Princess Twilight for approval of using the Charge Cannon. I’m not allowing the possibility of that thing getting any closer to here!” Soarin didn’t waste any time in preparing the message. Right now, the entire base was going Code Red because of the current situation. It needed to be resolved as soon as possible.

Inside the crystalline palace that was the castle of friendship, Princess Twilight Sparkle was with her friend Rainbow Dash and also Princess Luna. They were calmly enjoying each others company. That was… until Twilight’s assistant came rushing into the throne room. “Twilight!! We got a letter from Captain Spitfire! There’s an emergency at Wonderbolt Academy!!” The three ponies all looked at each other in utter shock and confusion before responding to the dragon. “Spike, what kind of emergency? Read us the letter.” Clearing his throat, Spike began to read the words from the scroll of parchment that was sent. He too, was surprised at the message.Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,This is an urgent letter from the Wonderbolts Aerial Recon Squad leader; Captain Spitfire. About a few moments ago, two of our best recon fliers spotted an unknown vessel approaching our skyline. It is a flying ship the size of a trading vessel found in the port of Seaddle. It is moving in quickly and we believe that it may be part of a changeling ambush swarm that’s coming for Cloudsdale. We are requesting your verification on the use of the Charge Cannon, Cloudsdale’s Aerial Defenses, to shoot down the vessel before it gets too close to the city.Sincerely,Captain Spitfire All three ponies in the room were left speechless. “Is she serious!? A flying ship?!” “From the sounds of it and requesting to use the Charge Cannon, yes.” Twilight replied to Rainbow’s brash comment. “What do you think about the situation, Luna?” “It does seem like an urgent request.” The Lunar princess retorted. “Plus, Spitfire’s never one to joke around with her position. The Wonderbolt Academy is the first line of defense and if anything gets past it, it could bring devastating consequences to the rest of Equestria.” “Ugh…… If Celestia we’re here right now, what do you think she would do-?” “Twilight, stop worrying about her!” Rainbow snapped. “She’ll be fine! We just need to focus on what's happening right now and we can’t do that if we’re worrying about her every five seconds.” “Okay then, what do you think we should do?” Twilight asked, seeing how her friend seemed so confident. Rainbow crossed her front hooves as she floated above her friend. “We should shoot down the “ship” and then sent a scouting crew to investigate the wreckage once it crashes. Heck, I’ll even go and help out Spitfire. It would take too long to try and cause a ship at that speed to turn around. We don’t even know if it has weapons or not that could harm the citizens in Cloudsdale. So we shouldn’t take any chances and shoot it down while we still can.” It sounded like a risk, but it seemed like the best option for having to handle this. This situation had to be dealt with ASAP, and Rainbow just came up with a plan that could work. “I like it. Luna, your thoughts?” “I agree with you. I like this plan as well.” Luna told them. “Spike, prepare a letter to send back to the captain.” “Already one step ahead of you.” The dragon told Princess Luna, holding a scroll of Parchment and a quill at the ready.

It had been about five minutes since the original letter Spitfire had sent to the princess disappeared in Dragonfire and around now was when they received a letter back. “Spitfire, we got a response.” “What does it say?” Soarin cleared his throat as he began to read the return letter.Dear Captain Spitfire,I have received your request and indeed believe that this ship you speak of is a major security concern. Therefore, your request for use of the Charge Cannon has been approved. However, I am ordering that afterwards, you send a scouting party to investigate the ship after it crashes. Bring back anything that could tell us what the ship’s intentions were for and any salvage that would allow us to see what kind of technology it possesses. If that ship is able to fly, then there has to be something to support it. Sincerely,Princess Twilight SparkleP.S. Rainbow Dash is heading your direction as I speak to assist you with the scouting party. Be expecting her arrival soon. Spitfire sighed as she heard the letter. “You know what to do. Take the shot.”

Back on the Endurance, Inside their room, Raistlin and Janelle were both doing different things. The Chaser was trying to focus. He was deep in meditation in the Lotus Position as he tried to focus his Chakra. However, one thing was affecting his concentration. That would be Janelle playing around by trying to practice her alchemy in the small room that they were in. Going as far as to try a Ice Transmutation that caused the room to partially freeze. “Janelle, what are you trying to do? Turn our room into a freezer?” “No, I was trying to practice making snowmen with alchemy again!” “Don’t you need actual snow for that?” The Chaser told her. “It’s the middle of spring for Goddesses sake.” “Who really cares? It’s not like anyone is complaining.” The Alchemist pouted as she made a frozen fist that was trying to poke Raistlin in the head and disturb his concentration. All the Chaser did was ignore her. But then, he began to feel a strange surge of energy. One that wasn’t his, Janelle’s or anyone else’s on board the Endurance. “Janelle… Something’s wrong.” “Yeah, your attitude is what’s wrong-.” “No, not that.” The Chaser told her as he got up from the lotus position and began to walk out the door. “Something feels like it’s coming at the ship.” “What the heck are you talking about?” The young girl asked as the two of them began to walk up the stairs to the deck. “Remember how I told you before that I can feel surges of energy?” “Yeah, you told me that two days ago when I tried to scare you, but instead knew I was hiding in the closet.” “Well, I’m feeling a dense powerful source of energy in the distance. Almost like we’re walking into a storm.” The Shinobi warned. But he wasn’t able to explain anything else with what came next. For a split second, he saw a small surge of lightning. Then, a powerful blast of magic struck the ship and tore a big hole in the center through the Endurance’s engine compartment. The vessel had been hit and now, they were on a downward spiral and going to crash. Raistlin quickly pulled Janelle close as the resulting explosions followed, consuming the vessel in explosions and fire. Quickly, he somersaulted forward, using his hook to yank off a parachute from a nearby rack. “Hang on!!” Raistlin yelled to his companion. Janelle just held onto the Chaser tightly as he pulled off a risky maneuver. Jumping off the edge of the ship and falling down as breakneck speeds. Behind them, the Endurance was descending downward fast. The explosion from the hit destroyed a huge fraction of the entire ship. Now, nothing ceased to remain as it crashed into the shoreline off the rocky coast. Now Raistlin pulled the strap on the parachute as it was released from the bag. Allowing him to navigate himself and Janelle to safety. They soon landed, Janelle hopped onto the ground softly. Raistlin though, got the parachute stuck into a tree.‘Really now?’ Raistlin cursed his timing as he let go and dropped from around 14 feet onto the ground. Turning towards Janelle, he walked on over to her. “Are you okay?” “Y-yeah. Still in one piece, that’s for sure. What about you?” “I’m fine. Everything just happened so fast though… What did you think that was?” “I honestly have no idea… And I don’t think we can ask anyone else either. The ship looks trashed.” The alchemist pointed to the wreckage behind them as bits and pieces of wood, steel and blood washed up onto the shore. Bodies of the crew members either drowned or died in the explosion. Raistlin and Janelle were grimly reminded on how they were the only survivors of the events that just unfolded. “Well, what do we do now?” “I… have no idea, Janelle.” Raistlin replied as he looked at her. “Do you have all the equipment you need?” The Alchemist nodded and asked the same question to the Chaser, which he replied as a yes. His weapons were at the ready and he had enough food in his backpack to last him and Janelle three days at most. “Well, I guess the only thing to do now is to find shelter or a town.” He said before noticing a nearby sign. It looked dirty. Covered in soot and ash. Using the dark grey sleeve that was attached to his glove, he wiped the ash off the sign, hoping that something could possibly help him.Fillydelphia- 1 mile It seems like they were getting somewhere now. But something else was catching the Chaser’s attention. He felt the Chakra signatures of a group of individuals coming this way. They were closing in fast and coming in from above. “Janelle, hide!!” The Alchemist didn’t have to think twice before hiding in a nearby bush while the Chaser jumped up into the tree. They felt four things fly past them so fast that they couldn’t see anything. It was a complete blur. “Well, you're right on the fact that we should find a town. Something tells me we can’t stay here.” Raistlin hated it when Janelle was right. Both of them now had to move quickly if they wanted to survive in a new world that they were unfamiliar with. Hopefully, they would be able to find someone in town that could help them. But before they could move anywhere, the Chaser whispered the Alchemist and told her to stay where she was with a hand signal. “Ssshh! Be quiet.” Janelle wasn’t sure what her friend was talking about, but soon found out for herself when she heard a pair of voices talking. “What’s the matter Rookie? The crash came from over here.” “I know Captain… But I thought we passed something just now. Either that or the wind is just messing with my head again.” “Well come on. The Twins are probably waiting for us and you know how impatient Cloudchaser gets when you make her wait.” Both voices faded away seconds later with a gush of wind blowing in the background. Janelle couldn’t see anything, but she had a hunch that Raistlin did. Waiting for the Chaser to hop back down, she saved her question for when the Alchemist was seeing her friends face again. “Were you able to see who was talking?” “Yeah. But I don’t think you would think I’m crazy.” “Oh come on, Raistlin. They were speaking perfect Alteran. What else could it be?” “Would you believe me if I told you that the voices belonged to a pair of Pegasus?” Janelle’s face went blank. Talking… Pegasi? That did not make any sense at all! They were freaking ponies, not people!! “Okay, you said crazy. Not completely insane!” “I’m telling you the truth! I saw them talk to each other right in front of me!!” “And I’ll start to believe that when I see shape shifting bug creatures that control magic!!” She retorted sarcastically. That’s when they noticed a couple of squirrels walking onto the path as they slowly approached the city. But right before the two human’s eyes, these squirrels transformed in a green glow; turning into the form of black bug like creatures with turquoise eyes, insect like wings, and horns that channeled magic. Raistlin smirked a little as the two adventurers looked at the small swarm. “Hey Janelle, look. Shape shifting bug creatures.” “Dammit Raistlin. I did not ask for an ‘I told you so’.” The Alchemist glared at her companion as she shot back the remark. One of the changelings soon noticed the pair of them and caught the attention of all the other changelings in the group. They soon became very aggressive. Snarling, growling there teeth, and channeling their magic in their horns. “By the hive, what are these freaks?” One of them spoke as they began to spread out a little. “Wow… who knew they could speak clearly.” Janelle whispered. But her words did not go on deaf ears. “These freaks can speak Equish!? What the hell are they?!” “Who cares? Queen Chrysalis told us to leave no survivors!! Kill them!!!” Raistlin sighed. He moved his body to the side as he adopted a fighting crouch. preparing himself to draw any of his weapons at the ready. Janelle prepared herself as she held her weapon in her hands and the marks on her powerglove began to glow. Whoever they were, these insects were asking a fight… and the two adventurers were going to make sure and give them one. Their lives depended on it.End Chapter 1

Chapter 2- Cloak and Dagger

Tales of the Wanderers- Cloak and Dagger

Moments after shooting down the unknown vessel that was going through the sky, Spitfire called an emergency meeting. Everypony that was part of her battalion had to be informed of the present situation. Fortunately, Rainbow Dash had arrived around the same time as she gathered everypony outside. “Attention everypony. What I’m about to tell you is only for your ears to hear. Moments ago, a flying ship was spotted a few moments ago along the skyline. With approval from Princess Twilight, we took the liberty of shooting down the vessel before it got too close to Cloudsdale’s perimeter.” Many murmurs from the small crowd arose as some ponies were scared and confused. “We are still unsure of a lot of important details. Like how this ship was able to get so close to our border or for that matter, how in the world it was able to fly. I am personally going with a scouting crew to investigate the wreckage. For the time being, Soarin and Fleetfoot will remain in charge until I come back. If you have any questions, ask them and they will be sure to answer for you.” With that, Spitfire equipped her goggles and turned to an eager and waiting Rainbow Dash. “Come on, The Twins are waiting.” From there, both Pegasi took off and began to glide with the breezy winds. Using the radio device on her hoof, Spitfire was able to get Flitter and Cloudchaser location along Cloudsky Ridge below the Fillydelphia coastline. Rainbow herself felt good with flying in the open air and the breeze in her mane. But something was bothering her, and Spitfire could tell. “What’s wrong?” She asked calmly. “I’m… just not sure about something.” “Not sure about what?” Spitfire asked. It was honestly the first time she had seen the Element of Loyalty doubt something. “Well, the reason why Twilight verified your request on using the charge cannon was because I thought that this ship was something the changelings made and used it as a weapon against our aerial forces. But what if… What if I made the wrong decision? What if I was wrong and there wasn’t any changelings on board that ship?” “Hey, it was a tough call. But we had to make it.” Spitfire told her as they got closer to the twins. “Queen Chrysalis never showed mercy to the citizens of Baltimare. She ordered her troops to kill every last one of the citizens in cold blood and had the remaining refugees flee on hoof to the next town over. We need to do what we think is right.” Rainbow nodded, but gulped a little. She still had doubts about herself. If she did the right thing. Even though Spitfire said so, something made the mare uncomfortable and feel like her stomach was churning inside out. Now as they were a group of four, they began to fly down and look at the wreckage. At one point, Rainbow stopped in her flight when she heard something shift in the trees. Turning around, she looked around. Seeing prints in the dirt was one thing, but there wasn’t the sign of anything that could tell that changelings were here. “What’s the matter Rookie?” Spitfire asked as she turned around. “The crash came from over here.” “I know Captain… But I thought we passed something just now. Either that or the wind is just messing with my head again.” “Well come on. The Twins are probably waiting for us and you know how impatient Cloudchaser gets when you make her wait.” Both Pegasi soon caught up with Cloudchaser and Flitter as they looked at the sight of the wreckage. Small fires were seen from pieces of wood and metal debris from the ship and the water was tainted. The ship had a big hole near the back end of the boat and the craft itself was on an edgy slope of rock that was on the shoreline. Broken crates and barrels carrying food and supplies were scattered everywhere and littered the beach. “Oh dear Celestia.” Rainbow cursed. It was worse than she had originally thought. However though, Spitfire just stood there, unmoved by what was in front of her. “Rainbow, Cloudchaser, Flitter. Check the inside of the ship before it breaks apart. We’re lucky it’s low tide right now so let’s see what you can find in the new few minutes.” “Wait, what about you?” “I have some other business to attend to.” The Wonderbolt captain remarked as she flew off. The Element of Loyalty looked back at the two sisters before going inside the gaping hole. They were just as confused as she was. Normally, Spitfire wouldn’t ignore her duties to take care of something else. It was unlike her. As they investigated the ship, the three pegasi soon began to find some things. A place that looked like a mess hall, sleeping quarters and even other bits and things here and there. But as they were coming across to a supposed “Captains Room”, The Cyan Pegasus now noticed something on the floor and floated down to pick it up. It was a broken picture frame. It held a photograph though that was undamaged of eight… creatures that looked a lot like hairless apes. They looked happy. Like the time before the war occurred. Where the only things that threatened peace were Nightmare Moon, King Sombra, and Lord Tirek. She snapped back to attention when Cloudchaser called her name. “What did you find?” Instead of saying anything, Rainbow just used her wing to hand the pegasus the photograph. “I think some of the creatures in the picture were on board-.” “Oh my!!” Flitter gasped. She was looking at a journal that she had uncovered from a broken oak desk. “Girls, have a look at this.” “What is it?” “It looks like the Captain’s log.” Both Cloudchaser and Rainbow looked at each other before looking back at Flitter with surprised expressions. “Well, what does it say?” Flitter cleared her throat before she began to try and read the words that were on the page.Captain Edwin’s Log: Entry 72Our expedition has finally begun! Our crew is ready, we have all the supplies we need and now, the Free Adventurers League is ready to set forth from our home of Altera and explore the new world. With us are two brave Adventurers who I commissioned for this job and also remind me of myself and my sister Marcy when I was there age. Hopefully, this new continent to the northwest of Altera holds as much promise as all the other voyages that myself and all twenty members of my crew have been on before. I just hope that we can arrive in one piece. May the goddesses look over us while were out on the open skies.Captain Edwin Ranze Now the three ponies eyes widened immensely at the last statement. Rainbow began to feel sick as she noticed the color of the small pools of water below. Just what… have they really done?

Meanwhile, “Kill them!!!” All the changelings that was in a small squad on the path to Fillydelphia charged at both Raistlin and Janelle. Raistlin’s first move was jumping backwards and have three Kunai enter his hands. Throwing them swiftly in front of him. It struck down one of the changelings and had them burst in a small poof of sparks, but had three more chasing him. When the Chaser landed back on his feet, his next move was to pull out two hidden chains that was in his arm that had small blades attached to the end. “You’re done… IRON APPLAUSE!!! ” Using the chains and a lot of brute force, both weapons struck the three changelings from the left and right in an attack from two fronts. They were destroyed almost in the same way that their previous companion did. They popped and disappear in a poof of sparks. Janelle was able to handle the enemies she had with a simple Magma Punch transmutation that launched the rest of the changelings into the distance with a Lava fist. “Yeah!! That’s what I’m talking about.” Raistlin just sighed and facepalmed himself. Janelle heard him and turned around, confused. “What?” “I was trying to make sure we capture one so we could interrogate it, but these… bugs died on me like if you popped a balloon with a needle. But you just sent our chance to find out some answers flying away.” “Well sorry. I didn’t know that we had a plan to deal with them.” Janelle retorted sarcastically. “So, now what do we do?” “Well, there is a town here. why don’t we go investigate and see if someone here can help tell us what is going on.” Janelle likes the plan as they soon approached the entrance to Fillydelphia. The place looked like it could take a beating and almost felt lifeless. Then again, Raistlin wasn’t able to feel the energy of the insects that he just fought. Maybe they used a different energy source or had some kind of barrier spell that could affect his chakra sense. Minutes after first entering the town, Raistlin and Janelle agreed to split up so they could cover more ground on foot. Plus, something felt off to him. He felt a weak source of energy somewhere in the city. One that had been subjected to a lot of suffering. The Chaser stuck to the alleyways as he tried to head towards it. But something new now caused him to take a few steps back and his heart to race. Another energy source just landed. Peaking around the corner, The Shinobi saw one of the two talking Pegasi that was talking earlier. But she wasn’t with the other pony. This time, she was alone. Something made the shinobi think that her behavior was off as she saw her eyes glow a small tint of green before walking towards a building labeled “Fillydelphia County Jail”.‘Now why would she be going there?’ Raistlin wondered. Being as quick as he was, the Chaser ran up the wall and quietly snuck through the wooden window seal. He was balancing the support beams that held the top of the building together as he saw the Pegasus walk inside and towards the back of the room. She flipped on a light switch and what was hiding in the darkness stunned Raistlin. It was the same pony. Just beaten and bruised with chains nailing to her floor. “Good afternoon, Spitfire.” The other pony outside the cell chuckled as green fire formed around her and it showed another one of those insects. Just with a Fire like mane and tail. “Cinder Tail…” The mare in the cage spoke weakly, but with a edge of anger in her voice. “Aww come on. Aren’t you happy to see me?” “Happy? You stabbed me in the back and robbed me of my identity!!! Just what the hell are you here for and I know it’s not to be cheerful.” “Oh I just thought I wanted to tell you what I did while I posed as you. Did you know that a flying ship was coming into Cloudsdale?” The one named Spitfire stared at Cinder Tail in shock and horror. “What… did you… do?” She demanded. “Oh nothing… Just used my eyes and I was able to sense around twenty or so souls on the vessel, So I ordered your friend Soarin to open fire on it with the charge cannon. Now we don’t need to worry about any outsiders intruding with equestrian affairs.” “You LIAR!!!” Spitfire yelled, trying to lash out at the changeling, but couldn’t due to the chains bound on her hooves. “The Princess wouldn’t allow for anything like that to happen!!” “Oh you mean Princess Twilight? She approved of it after I sent her a letter. I might’ve lied to her thought that it was probably an attempt by the hive to ambush Cloudsdale. Hell, I was even able to make your favorite rookie, Rainbow Dork, break under pressure as well. She must’ve trusted the words that came from her mentor.” Cinder Tail proved her point by showing a letter from earlier that had some kind of seal on it. Spitfire now was terrified and beyond pissed at the copy of herself. “You… murderer!!! How DARE YOU USE MY POSITION AND MY TEAMMATES LIKE THAT!! When I get my hooves on you, I’ll-!” “You’ll do what? Flee? Prove your innocence? You’re screwed six ways from Sunday, Spitzy. Didn’t I have to teach you the hard way with your fiance?” “Don’t… you… dare talk about Firestreak like that!” Spitfire snarled, glaring at the fake version of her with eyes of pain, fury, and anger. “I cared for him!! I loved him!” “And loved ones get stuck in the crosshairs once war breaks out. Too bad you still haven’t learned your lesson. Love… hurts.” An evil cowl of laughter filled the room as the changeling left the hallway, returning to her disguise as she went outside.. Spitfire herself now broke down because of her emotions. The pain of seeing her fiance, who had just proposed to marry her, dying in front of her the next day. She had been in this cell for four long months. Four months that felt like two years. She had been broken emotionally. But was still strong enough to try everyday to break free of the cell that held her. However, previous attempts had left her unsuccessful. This time though, an observer was watching. An observer who felt like he needed to do something. Quietly, Raistlin leapt down from the arches in which he was hiding and on the opposite side of Spitfire’s cage. The move startled the pony. She was now looking at a tall hairless ape that wore clothes and had a weapon on his back. It had a weird black mane and some kind of ponytail along with a long scarf. “W-who or what are you?” She asked, a little scared by the appearance of the intimidating figure. “A survivor from the crash.” Raistlin told the Pegasus, drawing a hidden blade from his gauntlet to break the lock on the cage. “And I’m here to help.”

A few moments earlier, Janelle was walking through the grassy streets of the town as her feet sometimes kicked over small chucks of timber or roof tiling. She always got excited when it came to exploring around town. Hence, the reason why she was very interested in wanting to take Captain Edwin’s job once she found out it was an exploration assignment. New places to visit meant new species to see, new materials, and possibly; new transmutations. There were many different fields that alchemy ranged from, including nature, metal, earth, wood and so on. But Alchemists always take different things into account, including various pieces of information needed for a transmutation. Size, mass, quantity, materials and other things came into effect as well that made the science sound a lot like cooking. In fact, it was once believed that Alchemy actually started in the kitchen. As she looked around for another few minutes, the young girl happen to notice a feather lying on the ground. It was a cyan feather that was about the size of an eagle feather. But why was it that color? It’s… unnatural. Janelle soon thought that it was some kind of special dye that colored the feather that way. Matter of fact, where did it come from? She looked upward to see what exactly Raistlin was telling her earlier. Talking Pegasi. There were three of them. Two that almost looked Identical and one that matched the feathers color and had a rainbow color mane and tail. It didn’t take long for them to notice her though when she put the feather in her hair by her ear. “Hey you!” She heard the cyan pony speak as they swooped down in front of her. They were just as tall as the Alchemist when they were on all fours and probably up to Raistlin’s chest if they were on their back legs. “Who or what the hay are you?” “Uhh… A human? Also, I have a name. It’s Janelle.” The alchemist narrowed her eyes as she looked at the three pegasi. “Who are you guys suppose to be?” “I’m Rainbow Dash. This is Cloudchaser and that’s her sister Flitter.” The element of loyalty introduced everypony to her. She now noticed her powerglove and pointed a hoof at it. “Hey, what is that suppose to be?” “Oh this? It’s my powerglove. My weapon that allows me to perform Alchemy.” “Alche-what?” “Alchemy. You know… equivalent exchange? Transmutation? Any of that ring a bell?” All the ponies just shook their heads in confusion as the little girl sighed. She pouted a little. Despite the fact that she was conversing with talking ponies, Janelle thought it was a pain on the fact that none of them knew what Alchemy was. Even though it was so common back in Altera. “What are you suppose to be then, some kind of baker?” Cloudchaser asked. “Actually, I’m an alchemist.” “And what the hay is that suppose to be, kid?” Rainbow was next to ask a question. However, she did not get a calm response. The Pegasus saw the girls ears twitch and her gritting her teeth. She was going to reach for her weapon, until a beeping sound from Cloudchaser went off, distracting her and catching the attention of her companions. “Buck! We got Changelings nearby!!” Cloudchaser cursed. “Sorry for interrupting the conversation, Janelle, but we got to hide like right now!” The three Pegasus and the human hide in a nearby alleyway as they peaked around the corner. It had a good view of downtown Fillydelphia and the courtyard in front of the most noticeable buildings. Including the commons story and the County Jailhouse. Right on cue, Janelle saw a small swarm of the same bug creatures her and Raistlin saw earlier that day. There was about ten to fifteen now unlike the six she encountered earlier in the day and each one had a different appearance and either wore armor or didn’t wear any clothes. The one that seemed like the leader of the pack looked very impatient. He was always gritting his teeth and growling a little to himself. “Grr… Where is she? Cinder Tail should be around here right now.” “Cinder Tail?” Janelle asked, looking up at the rainbow colored mare that was above her. “Who’s that?” “Don’t look at me. I have no idea who they are talking about.” “Dark Edge... What an very unexpected surprise.” The familiar voice was instantly recognizable by the three Wonderbolts that were with the Alchemist as they saw their captain walk out of a nearby building. As she walked, the pony was covered in a green glow and soon revealed her true form. Rainbow Dash personally could not believe what she was seeing. One of her idols… was an enemy. “Cinder… You seriously spend too much time with that captured Wonderbolt you have. It’s been four months now and you still visit her like she’s your pet.” The other changeling told Cinder Tail as she trotted over to the small army. “Have you even focused on the assignment Chrysalis gave you?” “I have been. This is just an added bonus. Putting the aerial forces of Cloudsdale out of commission would benefit the queen greatly. Especially if they can’t find a way to explain them firing their defenses on a ship filled with innocent souls.” “So she’s the one who fired on us. That B*tch!” Janelle softly cursed. All four of them got back to hiding in the alley again as Flitter looked at the young girl. “Wait a second. What do you mean “fired on us?”” She asked. “My friend Raistlin and I were on an airship expedition before our ship got blasted out of the sky.” The pieces were now coming together. The twins and the element of loyalty now realized that the ship that they hit with the charge cannon was the ship she was on. Oh dear Celestia, it made Rainbow Dash feel sick. Especially with what they heard the changeling named Dark Edge say next. “You were suppose to stick to the mission. The queen ordered you to assassinate one of the elements of harmony and you’re making Chrysalis very impatient.” “Calm yourself. You’re acting like a filly with their tail in between her hind legs.” Cinder Tail cooed. “The deed will be done soon enough. After all, I was playing as Spitfire to get close to Rainbow Dash. That’s why I kidnapped her and stole her love when I killed that Stallion that she was in love with. Too bad the night I did the deed was the night Firestreak proposed to her. She’s right now beaten and broken inside the jailhouse. Go look if you’re not convinced.” “Oh really?” All the Changelings heads turned as they were shocked by what they were now seeing. At the doorway was the Wonderbolt Captain that Cinder Tail was trying to impersonate. In the flesh. Cinder Tail was furious and began demanding for an explanation. But instead, she turned her head towards the door. That’s when someone else came out with her. Someone Janelle knew. “You must be a real idiot to be talking like that and think that no one else would hear you. After all, loose lips sink ships. No pun intended of course.” “And just who the hell are you?” “A survivor from the airship you shot down. Spitfire filled me on everything after I mostly heard everything you said when you were inside earlier.” “You overheard our conversation!?!” The Changeling gasped. “Why of course. I was above the two of you the whole time you were talking.” He said. Janelle chuckled at the sight of her companion and the words he said. “Heh… Typical of him to do something like that.” “Wait… You know him?” “Of course,” The Alchemist replied to Cloudchasers question. “He’s my friend.” Before anypony else could say anything, they saw the Chaser walk forward. “Spitfire, take a moment to rest. The Health and Mana potions I gave you need to take their time in order for the effects to kick in. Let me deal with them.” “Are you sure? These changelings are a problem to fight in swarms. You’re outnumbered seventeen to one-!” “Seventeen to two.” He corrected the Pegasus. “I have a partner and she’s nearby along with three others. I can feel them with my Chakra.” “He knows were here!?” Rainbow Dash questioned. “How? We’re completely out of sight.” “Raistlin can feel the energy of all living things around him.” Janelle explain. “Now, if you would excuse me, I have some more bugs to squish.” Now Janelle walked out of the alleyway that she was hiding from and was on the opposite side of the Changeling Swarm, facing the back side of Cinder Tail while Raistlin faced the group in from of her. They were going to attack from two fronts and their enemies (as well as the Pegasi watching) had no idea what the two were capable of. They were going to find out first-hoof. “Raistlin, mind if I go first? I have some steam that I want to burn off.” “Suit yourself,” The Chaser said as he crouched into a fighting stance. “If we learned anything from the last group that attacked us, it’s that these guys aren’t very smart.” This caught Dark Edge’s attention. His squad arrived here because they felt a disturbance and discovered that Squad Abraxis, the changeling squad that was assigned to patrol around Fillydelphia, was missing. Now, he knew what happened to them. But his attention was immediately focused elsewhere when he felt a rising source of heat from directly underneath them. Followed by the fact that there was a red circle underneath the little girl and her fist on the ground. She was smiling a devilish smile. Like there was hell to pay. Then, he felt the ground beneath him begin to rumble. By the time he realized what was going on, it was too late. “Every-ling move!! NOW!!!” By the time the order was given, a volcanic eruption went off in the middle of the swarm. A eruption created by Janelle’s “Ground Zero” ability. Three drones burned to a crisp while all the other sustained minor injuries. Cinder Tail though, was ticked. Not only did she have her plans foiled, but now these two hairless apes were taking out their fellow brethren one by one. In a mad rage, she fired off a volley of magic at Raistlin. But all he did was just stand there. Stand there and… grin? The attack made contact and a huge cloud of dust appeared. Rainbow Dash and the twins, during the time that this was going on, made their way towards the porch that Spitfire was on to see if they could help her. However, seeing Cinder Tail’s attack made the four of them worried for the Chaser’s safety. However, when the dust faded, something else was standing there instead of Raistlin. It was a wooden dummy with the note “You Suck…” attached to the front of it. “What the-!? Where did he even go?” That question was answered when the Shinobi leaped down from the nearby rooftop and threw a Kunai that struck the Drone next to Cinder Tail, popping with a magic spark. Landing it the middle of the group had all the drones scatter outward. But it also had their backs turned to an alchemist that was waiting for a few unlucky changelings to fall right into the trap she was preparing for them. Janelle had about three slimes by her side, but they would be needed for what she had planned for the changelings. A huge purple like circle glowed around her and the targets that were caught in her trap.“ICICLE EXPRESSION” Without warning, Spikes of Cold Ice spawned from the floor and also overhead, striking the five drones that were in her way and having them all dissipate. Dark Edge couldn’t believe it. Nine members out of the fifteen in his squad had been crushed like toys. There were only eight of them left and right now, all of them felt like they could be able to take on the two opponents that were minimizing their forces. It was either death on the battlefield or disappointing the queen and showing her that you don’t have what it takes to be a changeling anymore and have her either punish you or kill you. During the whole time though, Cinder Tail was beginning to learn a grim lesson as she and four other drones were combatting Raistlin. Never let your guard down for even a second. The first two that attacked the human had themselves knocked back with roundhouse kick and receive the full force of his counter attack. He moved his right fist above his head and had his chakra flow into it. after a few seconds, his arm moved forward.“SHADOW FIST!” The attack released a violent shock wave, knocking the two of them backwards into their companions. The Changeling drones couldn’t believe the amount of force and power that was put into just one simple attack. It felt like they were hit by a cannonball at close range, even causing their armor to crack and fall apart. But Raistlin didn’t stop there as he formed a five blade shuriken about his head and threw it with full force at his five opponents.“PIERCING STAR!!” The spinning spiral spun forward like a Glaive, curving and moving with the wind that destroyed the first two drones that it made contact with. Cinder Tail and the remaining three tried to rush the Shinobi head on. They planned to grab his arms since that’s where his Chakra was channeled from with his last few abilities. Using their front legs, the two drones prevented the Shinobi from using his powers by holding him down. But the one thing they should’ve known was that when it comes to fighting a Chaser, they always keep their weapons out of sight. With a swift push, both hidden blades from his gloves shot forth and pierced the chests of the two changelings on his arms before disintegrating like the rest of the changelings he had already faced. Cinder Tail, now in a blind rage, channeled her power to strike the Shinobi with a big ball of fire and ash. Raistlin was lucky to dodge it by a fraction of an inch. But was caught off guard when the fireball turned around and struck him from behind. “Cheap trick.” He spat as he coughed up some smoke. “Says the one with the blades in your armor.” “Touché.” Raistlin said as he crossed his arms. “But you should be worrying less about me and more on your comrades behind you. Because it seems like there is only one left.” Hearing this, Cinder Tail was stunned to see that the Chaser was right. Dark Edge was the only one left since Janelle's last few attacks inflicted lethal poisons into the bodies of the drones that were already down for the count. It was now 2v2 and Cinder Tail felt like she was outclassed by what she had seen these two fighters do against their allies. But she wasn’t about to give up. Not until she completed her mission. Assassinate the Element of Loyalty. With a blinding flash, Cinder blinked out of the area and charged after Rainbow Dash. Dark Edge was against the move because it left him to fend for himself against two unknown opponents. But in an unlikely move, Janelle used her Alchemy to conjure a Ice Punch that grabbed the changeling in midair as she pulled her back towards her opponent. In a Finishing move by Raistlin, he leaped in the air before the two changelings could get up and channeled a black green aura around his hands before moving them forward in a throwing motion.“RAIN OF DEATH!!!” With that, black feathers from a murder of crows pinned the two of them down and then destroyed that like the rest of their comrades. No more changelings remained after both Raistlin and Janelle were done with them. However, their focus wasn’t on that anymore and on somepony else. Raistlin was really concerned about Spitfire. Despite her health and energy being restored and her looking as good as new, the mare was still weak from being in captivity for so long. As they went over, the Chaser saw her trying to stand on all fours, but was struggling to do so. “Easy there. You’ve been through a lot.” “Y-yeah, thank you… for everything.” Spitfire said weekly before turning towards Rainbow Dash and the Twins. “Sorry for being gone so long, rookie.” “I’m just glad that we have our captain back,” The Element of Loyalty replied, looking at both Raistlin and Janelle. “And it was thanks to you two.” “You’re welcome. I’m still a bit on edge with the whole “getting blown out of the sky” thing, but that’s what those bug freaks did, not you guys.” Janelle told them. “Same. But right now, we got more bigger issues to worry about.” The Chaser said as he scanned around the area. “There’s a possibility that reinforcements might show up and also, your captain should be looked at by a doctor. Even though she looks healthy, we don’t know what was done to her during the time she was stuck inside that forsaken prison cell.” “Good point, but there is one slight problem. The nearest hospital is all the way back in Ponyville and that’s miles away. How do you suppose we get there?” That’s when the group saw Cloudchaser turn around a corner like she was looking for something and cheered with success. “Bingo!! Hey girls, over here!” “Not so loud, Cloudchaser.” Her sister reminded her. “What did you find?” “Our way out of here.” Cloudchaser was right on that part. What she found was an unused carriage that would be normally assigned to the royal guard. It was in mint condition and looked like it could be used properly if handled by the right ponies. It also looked sturdy enough to carry the weight of two ponies and two humans. “Flitter, you and Cloudchaser hook yourselves up and prepare for takeoff.” Spitfire told them as they made their way over. The Wonderbolt captain was on Raistlin’s back as he carried the mare to the transport. “We need to hurry as fast as we can.” “Roger that, Captain.”

It took the crew about twenty minutes to reach the quiet town and upon landing nearby the hospital, everyone rushed towards the hospital to get Spitfire checked into the emergency room. Nurse Redheart herself was surprised to see them, but was almost startled when she saw Raistlin and Janelle. She was wanting to call the guard, but when Rainbow told her how they saved Spitfire’s and her life, the earth pony was a bit relieved. “What happened?” She asked, wanting to know what happened with the Wonderbolt so she could take the best course of action. “Spitfire has been held in captivity for four months. The one who we were working for turned out to be a changeling toying with us.” “But wouldn’t your equipment detect her if?” Redheart then asked. “She must’ve found a way to mess with our scanners so it wouldn’t detect her even if we tried. The only way we found out that the Spitfire we were listening to wasn’t the right one was because she was meeting with a swarm of changelings and our scanners picked them up.” “I see. Would Ms. Spitfire please follow me?” “I’m not sure if that’s possible,” Raistlin told them as he continued to carry her. “She passed out on the way here. Do you have a bed that I can set her on?” “Right this way Mr… What’s your name?” “Raistlin.” “Okay then. Over here in room Nineteen, Mr. Raistlin.” The Nurse told him. The Chaser carried the Wonderbolt Captain over into the room and set her down gently on the bed. The mare was sore and needed to rest her aching bones. Cloudchaser and Flitter left the hospital to return to the academy and inform everypony else on the events that happened, leaving Rainbow Dash to talk with Janelle and Raistlin as they waited for the doctors to run a few tests on Spitfire. Nurse Redheart and her partner, Nurse Sweetheart, wanted to make sure that the Pegasus did not sustain any major injuries that would be of concern and affect her recovery. Moments after the twins left though, a new face entered. “Rainbow! Are you okay!?” The mare in the waiting room turned around and recognized who it was. “Soarin? What are you doing here?!” “Cloudchaser and Flitter told us everything that happened. I just honestly can’t believe that a Changeling was able to infiltrate our ranks and mess with our gear so easily.” The Stallion told her as she noticed Raistlin and Janelle. “Would these two happen to be the ones who saved you and Spitfire?” “Indeed we are. I’m Raistlin and this is my friend, Janelle.” “I was also told that you were on board the ship that we shot down.” Both of them nodded their heads as Soarin cursed to himself. He felt like the orders he heard from Spitfire were odd and not like her, but he didn’t want to protest. He regretted being the stallion taking the shot and destroying the ship filled with innocent lives. “On behalf of the Wonderbolts, I would like to deeply apologize for my actions. We were deceived and taking orders from an enemy that infiltrated our ranks.” Raistlin didn’t know what to say. He had mixed feelings on the subject. He didn’t know if he should forgive or-. “It’s alright.” The Chaser was honestly caught off guard by the reply from Janelle. “You guys weren’t yourselves and taking orders from a deceptive, two faced jerk. If I were in your position, I would feel the same way. Plus, meeting talking ponies isn’t a thing you would normally see everyday.” “Wait, so you don’t have ponies where you're from?” Rainbow asked out of curiosity. “We do, but they don’t talk and most people use them as transportation since they’re a lot bigger in size. Not in a weird way though if you know what I mean.” Raistlin just facepalmed himself at the last comment as he tried to remove the disturbing thoughts from his brain. Soarin himself thought that the topic had definitely gone on long enough. “Okay… moving on. I was told that you two had powers of your own that were similar to magic. Would you care to explain?” “Well,” Raistlin started to respond as he conjured a small sphere of chakra in his palms “My abilities rely on my Chakra, or the energy that flows through my body. I learn how to control it and channel it in different forms for when I’m up against multiple foes. As for Janelle, she’s an alchemist and relies on the properties of Equivalent Exchange. Which means that in order to create something, you must give up something in exchange. Her transmutations focus on Ice and Magma based properties and also heal others with her powers. She was doing some healing earlier with both myself and Spitfire since I got hurt during the fight against the changelings and we wanted to make sure that your captain was okay.” “Well, I’m glad that you were able to save her life.” Soarin bowed towards the two of them. “However, this makes me concerned about something else. She had a colt friend that was with her, but hasn’t reported back in quite some time. Would she happen to know where he is?” That’s when Raistlin swallowed a lump in his throat and looked back at the Pegasus. “Would his name happen to be Firestreak?” Soarin nodded his head, not knowing what to expect. Raistlin knew though, that this was going to be hard to explain to him. “I’m sorry to inform you of this, but your friend and comrade Firestreak is dead. He was killed the day after he asked Spitfire for her… Hoof… in marriage. The one who killed him was the same changeling that impersonated Spitfire and tried to go after Rainbow.” “Dear sweet Celestia… That’s just awful.” Moments after telling him this, Nurse Redheart soon came out and noticed that Soarin was now in the waiting room with the two humans and Rainbow Dash. Turning towards him, she asked a question. “Excuse me, but would anypony happen to know if Spitfire had a colt friend?” Again, the Chaser sighed as he explained it to her. The same feeling of shock began to set in on the earth pony, but tried her best not to let it affect her. “I’m sorry for your loss.” “It’s okay.” Soarin said. “How’s the captain?” “Well, from what we can tell, she has a clean bill of health and nothing really that would be of concern. We’re restoring the nutrients that she might’ve lost while in captivity, but there is one thing that would prevent her from taking part in any vigorous activities for the next five months.” “Five months!?” Rainbow Dash reacted to the response in utter shock. “Why? Is her wings broken?” “No, it’s something else.” Nurse Redheart explained as she let out a big sigh. “Remember when I asked about if she had a colt friend?” Everyone in the room nodded their heads. What came next though was sure to shock everypony. “Theres a reason why I asked… She’s pregnant.”End Chapter 2

Chapter 3- Warrior of the Night

Tales of the Wanderers- Warrior of the Night

“She’s…… What?” “I’m being serious.” Nurse Redheart told the group as she showed scans that she conducted from an ultrasound machine that she had in the hospital room. It clearly showed that Spitfire was indeed pregnant and that she would soon be a mother. Soarin was really mixed with his feelings. He felt proud for her since she was now going to be a mother, but he also wished that Firestreak was actually here to see this. He would’ve been the child’s father after all. “Where is she right now?” Raistlin asked. “She’s awake in her room and resting now.” The Chaser nodded his head as he turned towards Soarin. He sighed heavily. “I should break the news to her. She trusts me and we’re good friends. Would you mind if you guys waited here for a moment?” Raistlin nodded his head and watched as the stallion followed the nurse into the back room. He wondered how Spitfire was going to react to this and how she would take it. He stepped outside around the back of the building for a minute and took out a canteen of water that he kept on him and a small towel. Soaking the cloth, he used it to clean his face and also his arms from the dust of the battle in Fillydelphia. However, only moments afterwards did he hear Janelle yell from inside and he rushed back into the building through an open window. “Put me down, you winged unicorn!” “The proper term is Alicorn. And just what are you suppose to be?” Raistlin could see that the “Alicorn” was holding Janelle upside down in a telekinetic grip of sorts, causing her blaster and her bag to fall to the floor. “Excuse me, but what are you doing with my friend-?” Before he could finish, a freeze coolant slipped into Janelle’s hand from her pockets and the Alchemist chucked it at Twilight. It bursted in her face and caused her to lose focus, dropping the girl to the ground with a THUD! Raistlin smacked himself in the face. Did Janelle seriously had to resort to that move instead of just asking for her to be set down? Talk about being impulsive. “What the hay was that for?” Twilight said as she tried to remove the ice off of her face. “That was for you holding me upside down with goddess knows what!” “Okay, can everyone just calm down? Rainbow, mind helping me out here?” The moment the chaser turned around though, Rainbow Dash was gone. Now he was stuck in a room between two girls who each were arguing with each other like there was no end in sight. It felt exactly like when Edana got in an argument with Janelle every time the Sorceress called her a child. However, Twilight right now was a little more… reasonable. “Okay, let’s try this again. I’m Twilight Sparkle. Who and What are you?” “I’m Raistlin Revaan and this is my friend Janelle. We’re humans.” “Interesting name you have.” Twilight told the Chaser, pulling out a book and flipping through the pages. “In the dragon language, your last name means ‘wander’.” “Wait… this continent has dragons?” He asked as Spike entered the hospital room and be by Twilight’s side. “Yes… is something wrong?” A concerned Alicorn asked as she looked back at Raistlin. She didn’t notice the young dragonling by his side. “Not really. It’s just that back where were from, dragons are very powerful beings and possess magic that far exceeds what humans like us are capable of. They use to be the protectors of our race during it’s early history. But when a goddess named Vestinal created the Beyond Dragon; it launched an all out assault against humanity during a time we call “The War of the Ancients.” The Ancient and Chaos dragon that stood to protect us killed the Beyond dragon, but this also caused the Chaos dragon to become corrupted and forced the Ancient Dragon to kill him before he could go on an all out rampage. The death of the Chaos dragon though caused it’s essence to scatter and now, the few dragons that came after it were all spawns of that Essence. But they’re now just history…” “Are… they all that bad where you're from?” Twilight turned around to notice that Spike had been listening to their conversation this whole time. Janelle though, was surprised to see him. “Who’s he?” “Oh this is Spike, my assistant. He’s a dragon-.” Both Raistlin and Janelle tensed up at that statement, both of them preparing themselves for if they were to get in a fight. “A young dragon.” Twilight clarified, easing up the tension that was in the room. “He wouldn’t hurt anyone. Besides, he’s only about 8 years old.” “Well, that’s a relief.” Janelle said. “Sorry for scaring you, little guy.” When Janelle was patting the dragon on the shoulder, Twilight noticed the runes and inscriptions on her Powerglove. They seemed a bit familiar and almost represented runes that you would use to make a new spell. Calmly and trying not to go overboard on her eagerness to satisfy her curiosity, Twilight asked Janelle a new question. “What’s those markings on your… tool?” “You mean my Powerglove? They’re alchemy runes.” The young girl told her. “I’m an alchemist.” “So you make potions?” “No no… not that kind of alchemist.” She told the pony as she placed her hand on the ground and had a runic circle appear around her glove. “THIS kind of Alchemist!” Moments later, a hand of ice emerged from overhead that was half the size of the entire waiting room. Both Twilight’s and Spike’s eyes widened. They’ve never seen anything like this before. “B-but how though?” Twilight questioned. “My Alchemy revolves around the fundamentals in nature. Transmutations of Ice, Magma and Poison are elements I exceed at and also follow the rule of Equivalent Exchange.” “Uhh, Equish please?” Spike asked, confused by what the human was saying. “To make something, you give something up from the same category.” Raistlin helped translate for the youngling. “Like if you want to make something fire based, you have to give up a fire based element.” “Are you an Alchemist as well, Mr. Revaan?” The Alicorn asked. He shook his head for a moment before speaking to her. “I’m a Chaser.” “And what’s that?” “He’s a flipping ninja, that’s what he is!” Everyone’s attention was now on Rainbow Dash as the mare returned to the waiting room. “You should've seen them Twilight. They kicked some serious changeling tail!” “Where were you a few minutes ago?” “Had to excuse myself for a moment to take care of something.” “Right……” Raistlin sighed. “Should we take this to a place where we may conversate in private? I have a feeling that someone might walk in here uninvited.” “Sure thing, just follow me.”

Both of the humans followed Princess Twilight as they walked across town towards the crystalline castle of friendship. A lot of ponies were giving them odd looks and one mint colored pony was trying to stalk them at the fascination of seeing beings with “hands”. Once they were safely behind closed doors, Twilight had a talk with both Alterans and her friend Rainbow Dash. She couldn’t be more shocked than she was when the Alicorn discovered that they were on the ship at the time they shot it and that there were people on board at the time. Not to mention the fact that the one who gave the order was a changeling in disguise. Twilight tried her best to be apologetic with what happened, but Raistlin himself was unconvinced. This wasn’t an incident that you would say sorry for amd forget. This was deception and murder. He understood that it wasn’t done by these ponies, but he still couldn’t forgive them for the lives that were taken too early on board The Endurance. “May I please excuse myself for a moment, I need to change clothes.” “Certainly.” Twilight told him as he walked into a back room to change. The Princess redirected her focus back to Janelle as he heard the door close behind him. “Is your friend always like that?” “He has a bit of a split personality. Raistlin’s had some bad experiences and doesn’t really forgive easily. Especially when it’s something that cost people their lives.” “Does he have family?” “His parents were killed a long time ago when he was little.” “Oh. I’m sorry if I-.” “It’s alright. We get that a lot. Some of our friends also have parents who died on the field of battle. Our friend Lyall lost his mom and his dad had been gone for a long time and he’s one of the best Lunar Knights we know. And probably the only one.” “Lunar Knights?” Twilight raised her eyebrow and asked. “Is that a kind of Night Guard?” “No, not quite. Lunar Knights are like warriors that fight with weapons and magic instead of relying a lot on brute strength.” The alchemist explained. “One of many kinds of warriors back home in Altera.” “Altera?” “That’s the name of our home and where our friends are. Now, if I only had that photograph I left on the boat. I could show you our friends from back home.” The comment made Rainbow Dash realize about the picture that she came across at the crash site and set her saddlebag on the floor so she could pull it out. “Would this be the photograph you are referring to?” “Oh my goddess! Where did you find this!?” “Cloudchaser, Flitter and I were looking through the wreckage of your ship and I happen to find it while looking through the halls. The frame for it was broken though, so I only managed to bring this back.” “Thank you so much!” Janelle hugged the Pegasus, almost like how Pinkie Pie would do so. “This really means a lot to me!!” “Y-you’re… c-choking me.” “Sorry… I sometimes get a little too excited.” Rainbow just looked at the alchemist in disbelief. That was WAY more than just a little bit excited. That felt like Pinkie Pie when she met a new pony that came to Ponyville. Speaking of which, where was she right around now? The Pegasus turned around at the sound of hooves, thinking it was the Party Pony bouncing in here. But, as it turns out, it was something else. “Why hello dears. I came by just to-. Oh my…” “I assume she’s a friend of yours, Twilight?” Janelle asked as she sat down on the floor. “Yes she is actually. Janelle, this is Rarity. Rarity, this is Janelle. She and her friend are from another continent.” Before Rarity could say anything though, Raistlin walked in. He had a new pair of clothes on that were lighter and more relaxing than his last pair of clothes. “Twilight, is there anywhere where I can possibly set my belongings?” “Yes, you can just set them down over there.” Twilight told him, pointing a hoof in the direction of where she wanted them as he walked on over and put his belongings on the floor as well as his scimitar. Rarity was mesmerized by his choice in clothing. So elegant, yes so striking. She was really spellbound by his scarf. It’s powerful choice in color really brought the outfit to life. “Would that happen to be Janelle’s friend?” She asked out of curiosity. “Yes. That’s Raistlin.” “Well, I must say. He looks quite handsome if I do say so myself.” “Yeah. I wouldn’t try to touch his arm sleeves though. He might have his hidden blades inside there.” Janelle teased a little as Raistlin turned around. “Very funny, Janelle…” The Chaser sarcastically replied. “Need I remind you that I took them off and set them with my other weapons and my bag.” Raistlin saw this as a safe place in which they would not get attacked. Twilight mentioned on the way to the castle that there was a barrier that protected the town from intruders and aerial assaults from Changeling Catapults. He definitely saw this place as mostly secure because he allowed for the possibility that one of those bugs can sneak into these ponies ranks like how Cinder Tail did. Now though was when Raistlin noticed Rarity. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t quite notice you there, madam. Twilight, would this pony happen to be a friend of yours?” “Why yes Raistlin,” The Alicorn replied. “This is Rarity.” "Well, I’ll be. I’m quite surprised to see that somepony from another continent such as you has such delightful manners." “Why thank you.” The Chaser said. “I always make sure to treat everyone I meet with respect. Even though sometimes my emotions get the better of me in some instances.” “It’s alright. That happens to me as well.” Rarity retorted. She was reminded of how Prince Blueblood treated her during the Grand Galloping Gala so many years ago because of the Shinobi’s comment. A very unforgivable way to treat a lady. No one should ever use a fair maiden such as myself to be a living shield! The thought of hers was interrupted when Twilight soon explained everything that happened so far to Rarity from the shooting of The Endurance to the events that took place in Fillydelphia. She was mostly shocked to find out about what happened to Spitfire and Firestreak. Where he proposed to her and they had the night of their lives only to have the stallion die the next day and then end up as a foul prisoner to a changeling. Rarity couldn’t even begin to think how those animals would possibly have treated the poor pegasus. Then there was both Raistlin and Janelle. She was shocked to find out about how their ship was shot down and all the crew members on board were killed. Especially when Raistlin mentioned that he wanted to make sure the souls of the lost were avenged since they had families of their own or people that cared for them back home. The Unicorn had no idea that he felt that way. Especially since he wouldn’t exactly forgive such an atrocity as this. To change the topic though, Twilight decided to have both humans and her friends head to the outdoor quarters that were around back. That way, both of them could have an opportunity to present and demonstrate their powers. Janelle was eager for the opportunity while Raistlin just needed the opportunity to calmly meditate so he could collect his senses. The Alchemist immediately got to work and began showing off numerous transmutations she could perform. Ice and Magma were to start, but she soon added on with summoning her slimes and using them for medical purposes as well as her lethal poison abilities. Rarity really loved her “Icicle Expression” transmutation because of all the marvelously colored ice crystals that took form inside the range of the transmutation. “Hey, Raistlin. Want to give some of your combat moves a try?” She asked the Chaser as he opened his eyes and got up from his state of focus. “Are you asking if we could… Spar?” “Nah, not like that. I can transmute a wood dummy for you and you can beat it up to your hearts content.” “Well, that definitely sounds better.” Raistlin replied back. He took up a fighting crouch and prepared himself as his friend transmuted the dummy using a few twigs and a tree branch. The Assassin stood firmly and poised. Like a Cobra waiting for the right moment to unsheath his fangs. Then, he lashed out. Moving forward in a leap, he struck the dummy with a two part attack that ended with an ability named Flame Locust. It was a skill where Raistlin focused his chakra into the soles of his feet and have it turn into fire as the human performed a roundhouse kick. After the attack, he focused on hand-to-hand combat as he threw a few punches towards the dummy’s midsection. The Chaser’s hands were a little red from the bruises, but he didn’t really care. He could just apply some bandages on them later when he was done. Of course, Raistlin practiced more than just his martial arts. He also practiced his throwing skills by usings his kunai knives. Twilight was personally surprised to see how straight these blades were thrown. Almost like he was throwing darts. Normally, when somepony tried to throw a knife or a blade, it would spin around in circles. Then again, he was from another land and was two legged with a pair of claws similar to Spike, but not as pointy or sharp. Then, the human pulled out his pair of chain blades that he had used before. Swinging them overhead, he struck the wooden dummy before pulling himself towards it in a blitz of fury. the ability was named Chain Chaser and it allowed Raistlin to pull himself towards enemies to get up close & personal or go straight for the kill. This time though, he just did it to practice the technique for when he needed it. “Wow… that was amazing!” Twilight said in awe after the Chaser was done with his techniques. “That must’ve taken months or years of practice to perform those skills.” “Actually, it wasn’t that hard.” Raistlin told the Alicorn. “I don’t use mana like how Sorceresses would. I use chakra.” “Chakra? What’s that?” “It’s the body’s flow of natural energy. During certain attacks, I focus different amounts of chakra in different areas of my body’s nervous system. For example, I channel Chakra into my feet to execute this!” He explained what he meant by performing the Flame Locust skill again for demonstration purposes. When he landed back on the ground, he noticed that the Alicorn was writing on a notepad using a levitation spell with her horn. The Princess looked like she was jotting down some notes based on what he told her. “Chakra… Natural Energy… Nervous System… Anything else?” “Yeah, but what exactly are you doing?” “Well, how you control your abilities is unlike anything anypony could do, so I’m writing down some things based on my observations for future reference.” The Alicorn explained. “Can I ask a question.” Rarity asked. “Go ahead. Ask away.” Raistlin replied kindly. “Do you really have to fight in those garments? They look a little too valuable and it would be a shame if they got torn.” “Actually, others who are in the same field as I am always rely on light leather armor. Unlike Warriors, who would rely on chainmail or plate armor for it’s strength, power, and protection; I would rely on my clothes since it affects my speed, dexterity, and my vitality. In my own words, being lighter means being a better fighter.” Moments after saying that, he could faintly hear giggles from behind the nearby door. He didn’t have time to think before a pink blur rapidly bursted through the door and went straight for him. Instincts kicked in for the Chaser as he hopped out of the way. Unfortunately for Janelle though, her reactions were a bit slower and she ended up colliding with the newfound guest that had just entered. It was a pink earth pony with a poofy pink mane and tail, blue eyes and a mark of three balloons on her flank. “Hi!! I’m Pinkie Pie!!! Ponyville’s party planning pony!!! What’s your name?” “Uh, Janelle-.” Before the Alchemist could even introduce herself, Pinkie already had her eyes lock on to her bubble blaster. “Hey, is that a party cannon you’re holding?” “A what?” Raistlin asked at the mention of the word “cannon”. He thought for a minute that the earth pony was armed until he saw her bring out her cannon from out of nowhere to fire confetti. “Don’t mind my friend. She does this to every new pony that comes to Ponyville.” “Ponyville? Is that the name of this place?” The Chaser asked the princess as she replied with a nod. She explained that Pinkie is always cheerful and that’s why she helps keep the children happy during times of war and crisis. The pony even held games and parties in locations where they had the young fillies and foals evacuate to in order to encourage them to be brave and strong. “She always is wanting to make friends with anypony new she meets. Speaking of friends, there are some ponies I would like to introduce you too.” Raistlin personally sighed as he, Janelle and Twilight's friends followed the Lavender Alicorn. Everything seemed peaceful enough as the sun was beginning to set. Besides, what’s the worst thing that could happen?

Carderock Pass, Altera Night was falling across the land of Altera as very few travelers wandered the roads at night. The possibility of monsters ambushing travelers was more than likely during the night if they came unprepared. This went for both adventurers and mere commoners & merchants that passed through these roads to be able to reside in the mountain town nearby. Some ignored the warning while others took their advice and waited for daybreak to come again. Then there was the swordsman that was out in the Ashen Ruins. He was on a commission to hunt down monsters in the place called “Prayer’s Retreat”, where it had been said that a fearsome Manticore lived at the peak of the temple and had brought demise to many unfortunate souls. The Warrior though, saw it as a challenge and had slain the beast by the time the sun went down. He was right now just sitting under a tree to rest his achy bones for a moment before getting up and heading into town. But before he could continue on his journey back to Carderock Pass, the knight stopped and looked around. There was something about this evening that seemed… off. There wasn’t anyone in the vicinity, but the swordsman could see a glow that almost resembled firelight. Curious, he crept closer. There wasn’t any camps set up nearby or any remains of one, that was for sure. Maybe it was someone holding a lantern to guide their way through the darkened ruins or a cleric using holy magic. Turns out, the light was of a huge bonfire that was being held by one of the local monster tribes. But there was something really off about what was going on. There were Kobolds, Goblins, Poochums, and Ogres in the main field of the camp. But in one of the cages nearby the major tents, a creature that looked like a unicorn was there. It was as white as snow and it had a pair of folded wings along its sides. Mane and tail were a vibrant mixture of teal, white and pink and they flowed like curtains in the wind. Such a majestic beast was captured by Ruffians like these? How was such a thing possible? Then the Adventurer noticed the ring along it’s horn. He had heard of devices like these before. Mana Rings that could cut off a unicorn from its source of magic. Such a diabolical device that was banned by the Cassius Palace for the cruel mistreatment of these animals. Dear Goddess, the poor beast must be in pain right now. The knight really felt sorry for her and really wanted to just sneak on over there and help it. *SNAP!* He looked down to see that his foot broke a fallen twig from a nearby tree. The sound alerted every creature in the camp of his presence nearby. There looked to be almost thirty of them in total. All armed to the teeth with weapons and shields. The Knight had no choice now as he took a deep breath and drew his two handed sword, it’s edge glowing with the light of the moon. As so he leaped forward into battle, charging at the first kobold he laid his eyes on and slamming it with his shoulder. This was followed by a heavy slash across the middle and another attack that took down a few poochums and goblins as they dissipated into fading shadows. “Who’s next!?!” The warrior taunted as more monsters rushed towards him. The mistake of a fool. If they knew that this warrior was a Lunar Knight, then they would’ve known that they should’ve kept their distance. “CRESCENT… CLEAVE!!!” Five beams of light tore through the ground like blades as it sent more foes flying. The Ogres grabbed shields from their fallen companions to try and defend themselves from their attackers strikes. However, there was one problem with this. Their defenses were made out of a strong oak wood while the blade of the Warrior was an enchanted titanium metal. It would only take a few strikes to turn them into a pile of splinters. But there was one thing affecting the warrior as he slashed through his opponents. His focus wasn’t at its peak due to him being exhausted from his previous endeavours at Prayers Reach. He needed to finish this fight now before he passed out in the middle of the camp. Holding his Two-handed blade above his head, the Lunar Knight raised his blade above his head as he prepared his attack. “CYCLONE…… SLASH!!!” The rapid series of swings caused the surrounding winds to whip up a tornado that carried his sharp slashes inside the vortex. It ripped through the camp, eliminating the monsters one by one as the bonfire was scattered with the wind. The Blaze began to burn down the nearby tents as the swordsman rushed over to the cage to pry it open with his weapon. “Come on, dammit. Budge!!” After multiple unsucessful attempts, the cage door finally busted open as the boy removed the ring around the majestic creatures horn. His eyes began to close though as he soon passed out on the ground, face first.

Princess Celestia was stunned by what she just witnessed. A young child, almost the same age as her student, just annihilated all the monsters that have held her captive for the past few months within a matter of minutes. The Alicorn was indeed grateful for the child’s bravery, but wasn’t able to express it since the youngling passed out. She wasn’t sure if the creature was a foal or a filly, but she did know that it wasn’t safe here and that she needed to move before of those mongrels show up. Using her levitation spell, the princess placed the swordsman on her back as she galloped out of the enemy camp towards the Ashen Ruins. The Alicorn would fly over, but the weight of the armor that the youngling was wearing affected her since the childs body was so close to her wings. Teleportation was another idea, but she had just regained her magic and felt like she needed to recover before performing any major spells. Especially those that would involve more than one individual. Celestia soon arrived at the ruins of the former town as the light of the moon shined overhead. The Pony set the Lunar Knight down on the ground by a nearby tree trunk as she stretched out her cramped wings. She used her levitation spell again to remove the human’s helm so she could see if it was hurt anywhere. Levitation did not require that much concentration or mana, so it was a simple spell that the alicorn could use for the time being. But seconds after doing so, something swiftly went past her as she turned to see an arrow stuck in the same tree where she was. Turning around, Celestia laid eyes on who fired the arrow. She saw this kind of creature before. But the ones she did see before were darker in skin and had long claws. In fact, they were the reason why she was cut off from her magic because of how fast they ambushed her when she originally came to this place. This one though, was different. She had sand like skin and yellow mane that matched the same color as Applejack’s. It wasn’t long until this figure spoke. “Back away from my friend, beast!”‘Friend? This one must know the youngling.’ Celestia thought to herself as she turned towards the Archer. “Calm yourself. I mean no harm-.” The Ranger hesitated a little and gasped a bit, pulling an arrow from her quiver as she clipped it on her weapon. “You can speak-!?” “Of course I can.” Celestia replied. “As I was saying, I mean no harm. Your friend here was the one who saved me from a life of captivity by the foul beasts in the camp west of here.” The Elf turned her head in that direction, seeing the smoke that rose in the distance. “Lyall saved you?” “I beg your pardon?” The alicorn asked out of confusion. “Lyall.” The Elf said as she pointed at the unconscious Warrior. “That’s his name; Lyall Vahlok.” “Indeed he did. Would you care to tell me who you are though?” “Only if you tell me your name first.” The Archer said as she put the arrow back in her quiver and put her bow along her left shoulder. “Very well. I am Celestia. Princess of the Sun and ruler of the Land Equestria.” “Princess? How long have you been ruling your kingdom? And Don't you mean Queen-?” “I can explain everything later. You said that you were going to tell me your name?” “Ah yes, my apologies. My name is Fei; Fei Breezerunner.” “It is very nice to meet you, Ms. Breezerunner.” Celestia replied as she looked back at the one named Lyall. “Would you happen to know a place where we can talk in private?” Fei nodded as she walked over to one of the abandoned buildings and kicked the door down. Celestia at first questioned the Elf’s methods, but was soon told that it would be a while before the sun would rise and that since these buildings were abandoned, no one would think about going near them since they would think that the place was haunted by the spirits of the dead. The two of them soon entered the stone house as they made their way towards the living room. Setting Lyall down by the window, Fei began to hear this “Princess” talk about the land where she was from. Where ponykind lived in peace for thousands of years. Until recently, where a species of insect like creatures called changelings declared war against ponykind. The Elf was told everything that Celestia could possibly explain given her current state, but one question still lingered on her mind as calmly spoke the question that she was thinking inside her head. “Princess, If I may ask… Why did you come to Altera?” “Altera? Is that the name of this place?” Fei nodded to respond to the Alicorns question as Celestia took a deep breath. “Well, a few months ago, I felt a strange magical presence inside an ancient forest inside Equestria named the White Tail Woods. My personal guard told me that I should stay behind and send some soldiers to investigate in my place, but I refused and went anyways. When I got there, a strange vortex like portal was there and when I stepped through, I ended up in this place and was ambushed by creatures that were like you, but had darker skin and white manes.” “You must’ve run into some Dark Elves.” “Dark Elves?” “Elves who have succumbed to the darkness and let it possess them.” She explained. “Anyways, if what you were saying is true, then something about that concerns me.” “What do you mean?” “What if the monsters from Altera…… started invading your country?” The thought in itself seemed horrible. But It was only a possibility. Fei felt that no one would just have a portal lying around for no reason. There was a reason for everything. But also, there was another thought that came into her head. What if someone was leading them? Could they be possibly working for this “Queen Chrysalis” that Celestia had mentioned before. Right now though, the two of them needed to rest their tired souls. They could think more on the subject once morning came.End Chapter 3

Chapter 4- Trashed and Scattered

Tales of the Wanderers- Trashed and Scattered

Over the time that the moon had first illuminated the night skies over Equestria, Raistlin grew restless. He wasn’t always one to relax. Especially if he was in a situation where he needed to keep his guard up if he wanted to live. Even though he was told that Ponyville was safe, he personally had his doubts and kept a mental list inside his head of all the things that could go wrong. Right now, the Chaser was alone. He needed some time to himself and away from Janelle and the ponies she was with. Despite the nice and calm personalities of Twilight Sparkle, her five friends, her dragon assistant Spike, and the Night Princess named Luna; it seemed unsettling to him. It seemed that they were completely ignoring the fact that they were in a war with another species. These ponies were a peaceful race, he understood that. But the tactics they did have relied too much on trust and if he knew one thing about that, it can lead to someone playing with them like a puppet master pulling their strings. He and Janelle earlier were asked if they could help them reclaim their home and help them win this war. Janelle herself was eager and said yes, but Raistlin himself was unsure. He left the Castle of Friendship without making a decision. Too many things had occurred and he needed a moment to just breathe. A walk would help him calm himself. Even if he were attacked, he still had his arm blades carefully hidden in his armbands and had enough chakra to use a technique or two. The Shinobi was walking down the winding path that led to the hospital. His intentions were to casually pass through it, but something else actually happened. Around the time the human was passing by the door, Spitfire herself walked out the door of the clinic. Raistlin was the first thing her eyes laid on once she was outside the door. “H-hey!” Raistlin soon turned towards the sound of where he heard the voice come from. Surprised, the adventurer tried to speak calmly. “Oh, hello there. You’re Spitfire, right?” She nodded her head, which in turn caused Raistlin to sigh in relief. He couldn’t exactly remember what her name was and was mostly taking a guess so he was relieved to know that he didn’t screw up. “Yes, that’s right. Thanks for rescuing me earlier Mister… I’m sorry, but I believe I don’t know your name.” “My name? It’s Raistlin.” “Raistlin… That’s an interesting name. What are you doing out here this late though?” “I was going for a walk. Needed to clear my head.” Raistlin replied, following up with a question. “What are you doing out here though? I thought you were recovering in the hospital.” “Doctor’s say I’m free to go. But to not do anything crazy for the next few months due to certain…” The Pegasus paused for a minute, lowered her head to her side before bringing it back up again and finished her sentence. “circumstances.” “You mean what Soarin told you?” Raistlin asked. The mare nodded, almost looking a bit emotional in her eyes. “Do you want to talk about it?” “It’s okay… Maybe later. Right now, I just want to go to my home.” “I can walk you home if you want to.” The Chaser offered. With it being this late, it would be best to keep the lone mare company for if she was attacked by Changelings or the Monsters that lurked in the nearby Everfree forest. Still though, with being a pegasus, he presumed that she lived up in the clouds in a city called Cloudsdale that Rainbow mentioned earlier once or twice. “Well, I usually live at the Wonderbolt Academy with all the other members of the team. But since the doctors told me to take it easy and not fly around so much for the next five months, I have a home in Ponyville that I stay in whenever I’m here.” “Okay, lead the way.” The Chaser told her. The Wonderbolt nodded as the two made their way to the mares house. It took some time to make their way across. Mostly so Raistlin could keep an eye on his surroundings as well as the Pegasus right next to him. But soon, they made it to the front of her home after about ten minutes of walking. Before the pegasus walked up to the door though, Spitfire asked her companion a question that had just recently been on her mind. “Hey, do you happen to have a place to stay?” It was a valid question. “No, I don’t believe the subject ever came up when I was talking with Princess Sparkle a few moments ago.” The Chaser replied honestly. “Why do you ask?” “Well, I was thinking since you’ve saved my life, helped me reunite with part of my team, and killed the Changeling snitch that was impersonating me; I would return the favor.” By now, Spitfire used her wing feathers to fiddle with a key that she had hidden under the floor mat by the door. It was a spare key since she left her other keys in Firestreak’s old apartment. The mare ignored those thoughts though and soon got the front door open. “Please, come on in. Make yourself at home.” Something about the saying make yourself at home made Raistlin cringed internally as he entered the small home. Despite it’s appearance on the outside, the home was a lot nicer once you entered through the front door. The furniture looked brand new as mostly everything seemed fresh. Well, not everything was exactly fresh. Spitfire had to take some time to throw away all the food that had gone bad that was in her refrigerator. Which was basically everything. Well, except for a few apples that she had picked up at Sweet Apple Acres a few days before ending up in the Prison Cell because of Cinder Tail. “Would you like an Apple? It’s the only thing I have in here besides a few bottles of cider.” Raistlin nodded his head, catching the fruit that Spitfire had tossed her way. Using a hidden arm blade, he peeled the skin off and then bit into the juicy apple. Immediately, he was amazed by the taste. There wasn’t any fruit that could even compare to this back home. As he took a seat on a nearby couch, Spitfire soon sat down next to him. Around now though was when the Chaser noticed a picture frame on the mantle of the fireplace of her with somepony else. “Your friend… Firestreak. Would that be the one that you're with in the photo up there?” Raistlin asked out of curiosity. Spitfire’s smile from before though tilted downward. She nodded her head. “Yes… Yes it is…” “Is something wrong?” “No, nothings wrong… It’s just…… This place…… was where he wanted us to live after we got married. Firestreak wanted to start a family here… With me… But now, he’s gone…” Tears began to drift down Spitfire’s face as she tensed up. The mare felt like that she was back inside that tight prison cell and stuck in a corner with no way out. “It’s okay. I’ve lost people I’ve cared for too.” The comment from the Chaser had Spitfire look at him in disbelief. “Y-you have? Who?” “My parents. They were murdered as well. But for me, it was a little bit more painful... and personal.” “Why?” Spitfire asked. Not knowing what Raistlin was going to say. The human sighed a little. “Because someone I cared for and who cared for me was the one who killed them. He wanted to obtain great power to avenge the killers who took away the love of his life. But that power corrupted his mind and in order for him to obtain great control over it, blood had to be shed. Blood that was of the same kin as his. He use to be a warrior, but now, he is what some call a Dark Avenger. Some even call him Death because that’s the only outcome that will happen if you go up against him.” The two of them continued to talk for a little bit more. But as the night continued on, a eerie feeling could be felt across the town and possibly… across Equestria.

Badlands In the Badlands, six guards that were a part of the night guard were on a late night scouting patrol. Due to the patrol mostly consisting of bat-ponies, they had a few traits that made them the perfect ponies for this assignment. One was that they had night vision, allowing them to see in the dark. The other reason was because their hearing was top notch and a lot better than normal ponies. They were ordered to find a few soldiers that had gone missing a few hours ago after they were trying to scout the Badlands for the potential presence of Changelings. The patrol consisted of four stallions and two mares. Blackwing (Bat Pony), Crescent Moon (Bat Pony), Arrowhead (Unicorn), Bramblethorn (Bat Pony), Broadsword (Earth Pony), and Earthshaker (Earth pony). Each one of them were higher than the rank of Private and had skills that were essential to the team. But tonight, they would encounter something that nopony ever expected or prepared themselves for. “Hold.” Captain Blackwing ordered the rest of his troops in his squad. The six of them have come across a strange pool of what appeared to be water in the middle of the Badlands. Which was strange because this place almost was a barren wasteland. Uninhabitable for miles. Blackwing himself carefully touched the liquid with his hoof and brought it up to his nose. The smell was one he recognized immediately. It was blood. Pony blood. “Captain!! Look over here!” The Batpony turned to the sound of one of his other companions. His eyes widened at the sight of what they found. It was a pile of corpses of the same soldiers that they were looking for. They were mangled and covered in deep gashes. A gruesome sight that could only be seen from the horrors of war. “Who could’ve done something like this?” “Was it Changelings?” “No, this looks different. Their isn’t any signs of Changelings bites.” Broadsword grunted as the stallion pointed at their wounds. Normally, a changeling would use it’s fangs to drain a victim of their emotions before going in for the kill since they needed love in order to survive. “Whoever attacked them must’ve had excellent swordsmanship to break their armor and tear them apart to a million pieces.” “Okay, but that still doesn’t leave us with any valid conclusions. What could’ve possibly-.” Before the Stallion named Earthshaker could ask his superior officer anything, a powerful blast of magic struck the ground below them, scattering the search party. The force of the impact sent the stallion into the air, leaving him helplessly open to what came next“VENGEANCE STORM!!” Thousands of sword slices could be heard as the pony was helplessly cut down by a demonic bipedal figure that had black demon wings sprout from it’s back, horns on it’s head, a spiked collar around it’s neck and had demonic magic radiate from the cracks in it’s skin. It held a sword that seemed too big to hold with one hoof and could only be held by an earth pony given it’s size. Soon, this figure saw the five other ponies in the small squadron and looked upon them with a demonic gaze that sent shivers down everypony’s spine. “Hmmph… Pathetic.” It mumbled. This angered the pony named Broadsword. His best friend was killed right in front of the earth pony by this monster and it had the nerve to offend him and call his friends “Pathetic”. Anger coursed through him as he drew his own sword that glowed with the light of the moon that reflected off of the blade.“I'LL SHOW YOU PATHETIC!!!” “Broadsword, NO!!” It was already too late. Blackwing’s pleas had fallen on Deaf ears as the bat pony blindly charged in. Broadsword lunged forward in an overhead strike, aiming for the figures head. But when he brought the sword down, the demonic creature just lifted up his right arm that had his gauntlet and blocked it without moving an inch. However, the collision between blade and bracer had unforeseen consequences for Broadsword. Because the more he tried to push forward, the more cracks that began to appear in his weapon. Soon, his opponent had enough and with a quick swipe of the hand with the gauntlet, he broke the weapon and caused shards of metal to impale the earth pony. The metal fist had also hit Broadsword across the face and he hit the ground with a loud SNAP! Bramblethorn tried to rush over to the Earth pony to help him, but there was nothing that could be done. His neck was broken and blood now began to pour from the pieces of shattered sword that were impaled into his body. Broadsword was dead. “Who’s next?!” The Figure screeched. His voice reminding the other ponies of when Lord Tirek broke free of his prison. Blackwing himself gritted his teeth as he looked at his fellow companions. This monster had to be stopped. It has taken too many lives for it to be let loose in Equestria. Blackwing gave the order to eliminate the demon at all costs. A fool’s mistake. As Blackwing drew his own sword and charged forth with Bramblethorn and Crescent Moon by his side, their opponent slammed his sword into the ground and the blood of the fallen surged towards it. Blades of Crimson emerged from the crater the weapon created, injuring a few of them and catching the bat ponies off guard. Shards of earth slowly fell down after being flown around in the air helplessly from the force of the downward strike. Arrowhead herself just stayed back, in fear for her life. The Monster’s next move was to jump into the air and combat the Bat ponies head on. He saw them floating in the air with their wings and thought it would be easier if he was on the same level as them. Swinging his sword in an upward motion, a blade of blood emerged from the ground, distracting his prey as he leaped into the air with his sword above his head. The next few swings from his weapon sent crescent shockwaves of his blood that swarmed Blackwing and the two other bat ponies in the air. His first victim was Bramblethorn. Striking so fast that the bat pony could not see the sword pierce through his heart. As he dropped to the ground with a thud, Crescent Moon and Blackwing tried to attack from both sides in a rage to avenge their fallen comrade and to force the monster to make a mistake. Instead, the demonic warrior let out a piercing cry as he swung his blade upward. “COUNTER BLADE!!” Again, more blades of blood emerged from the ground. But this time, in a defensive tactic as they blocked the swords of the Two bat ponies as the creature leaped backwards. He now had both of them in his sights. “STEP BLADE!!” Another small blood shockwave raged forth from the sword that struck Crescent Moon. But this time, she did not expect that the ability allowed the demon to teleport right in front of her until after it’s sword sliced her across the belly. “Two down… One to go.” It’s voice cracked as it looked at Blackwing. The figure thought that one other creature was with the last Bat pony, but ignored it to focus on him. “Who… or what… the hell… are you?” Blackwing coughed as he tried to remain standing on all four of his hooves. “Many names I have been given. Soul taker… Life stealer… Death… The Grim Reaper… But I only have one true name.” “Which is?” “ …Kylar Revaan.”SHNNK!! What happened went by so fast that Blackwing never saw his opponent rush forward and shove his entire sword through him. The Batpony struggled to move, but soon found it hopeless. The monster he was fighting soon put a finger to it’s mouth and shushed him as he drove the broadsword further into him. “Hush now… Quiet now… It’s time for you to go to sleep…… say hello to the goddess for me in the afterlife.” Blackwing hacked and coughed on his own blood as his eyes had rolled to the back of his head. Kylar sighed as he used the white cloth he looted from one of the guards he found to wipe the blood from his blade clean as he dismissed his wings and horns. His normal form had pale tan skin and black hair matching the trousers he wore and the limited amount of armor that was on his chest and arms. Looking at each of his fallen enemies, he searched each one of their saddlebags for anything that could help the human. He did happen to come across something while going through the bags of the pony he thought was in charge. A journal and a map of Equestria. The Dark Avenger studied each item as he used the light of the moon for him to read the passage of the captain's journal. He grinned a devious smile upon reading something that intrigued him. That was the location of a place called Tartarus. It seemed to be a mega prison with some very vicious creatures locked up inside. Closing up the journal, the human was going to be on his way until he felt something linger behind him. “Who dares to try and disturb me?” His words echoed with a vicious tone. But to his dismay, nothing lurked in the shadows. Sighing, he pulled out a stone in his hands that had a crimson hue to it as it glowed in it’s hands. What he was using was a new kind of magic artifact called a Tele-stone. It allowed for communication between two individuals using a pair of magic shards that were linked to one another. Soon, a distorted image of a head was shown. “Malaju… It’s Kylar.” “Good riddance did you pick the wrong time to use your Tele-Stone.” The voice on the other end snarled. Malaju was one of two dark elves who wanted to become the successor to her race after their queen Elena died. Unlike the other candidate named Teleju, Malaju was like other dark elves who had a major hatred towards humans and elves. Kylar to her though was different. “I was in the middle of negotiations with a new ally that wanted to help our cause.” “Oh?” The human asked. “Who would that be?” “She is on the same continent as you are and was the one who opened the gateway for us so we could come over. Her name is Chrysalis and she believes that with our forces, your skills and the forces she could provide; we could take over this continent, the dark elf kingdom and Altera.” “Look, the only reason why I decided to help you was so that way I find someone who could finally stand a chance against my power. But so far, every opponent I have faced in this new land now lays dead at my feet.” “Oh come on now Kyly.” Malaju teased him. “There must be something good that you obtained out of that.” “Actually, now that you mention it… There might be something useful that I uncovered a few seconds ago. Has that friend of yours mentioned a place called Tartarus? It seems to be a sprawling prison where these ponies lock up the most powerful and vicious of criminals. I don’t know about you, but I believe some of those cell mates would provide us some much needed support if you know what I mean.” The image of Malaju’s head grinned menacingly as she heard the details. “Splendid. Come on back and you can share the details of what you uncovered.” The magical connection between the two was cut off as Kylar sighed. “And just when I thought I was going to cure myself of my boredom.” The Dark Avenger left without a trace. But he did make one fatal mistake. Behind a huge boulder was Arrowhead, the Unicorn mare that had watched her fellow comrades get mercilessly killed one by one. She remembered every last detail of what happened and now had only one thought on her mind as the moon began to slowly lower itself. She needed to get back to the Princesses at once. They must know of what happened.

Next Morning… Raistlin’s vision was foggy the moment he began to wake up. He couldn’t remember much of what happened last night after he fell asleep. The Chaser was sitting on the floor against a wall as the first thing he saw was the vintage clock on the opposite side of the room. The time was about five thirty in the morning as he quietly yawned to himself. He wondered two things. One, where was Spitfire this morning… and two, what was the weight that he felt on his lap? Looking down at his lap answered both of those questions. On his lap, he found Spitfire curled up in a ball like a cat as she was sleeping. It reminded him of a memory back home when Soraya thought that she could take care of a poochum as a pet, but it soon ended up being more carnivorous than cute. But a new problem arose for the Chaser. How was he suppose to get up without waking up the Pegasus? He couldn’t just pick her up and move her because from experiences back home, these creatures were really sensitive on where you placed your hands. That problem soon dispersed once he heard the Pegasus groan and open her eyes, which immediately looked at Raistlin. The pupils in her eyes shrank as her eyes widened and her cheeks lit up in bright red. “Uhh… Good morning?” “What are you doing on my lap?” Raistlin asked her, confused. “I must’ve been either really tired or a bit drunk. I originally thought I was on a pillow.” Spitfire said before coughing a bit. The mare got up from her position by carefully using her wings to get off of her lap and onto her hooves. “Would you happen to be hungry? I think I got something in the pantry that could work for breakfast.” “I thought you had to toss out most of your food last night.” “That was because they were perishable. Mostly everything in here is alright. Plus, I still need to check the freezer.” “Freezer?” Raistlin asked. He had not heard of something like that before. “It allows you to freeze foods like meats or frozen items and have them last longer.” Spitfire explained as she opened the freezer door using a small rope contraption with her teeth. “Well, seems like the only thing that’s in here is Ice Cream and Salmon. Not what I had in mind honestly. Plus the market doesn’t open for another couple of hours so that’s not an option. Guess we’re going to have to make a trip to Sugarcube Corner.” “Sugarcube corner? What’s that?” “It’s a bakery run by the Cake family that opens early in the morning… Have you met somepony by the name of Pinkie Pie?” “You mean Ms. Party Cannon?” The Chaser commented, remembering his encounter with her yesterday. “Seems like you have.” The Pegasus said. “Well, she works there and always prepares to open the bakery early for anypony who comes by early. I can pay for you if you want.” “Thanks, but you don’t need too.” The Shinobi followed up to the mares offer, taking out his coin sack. He got out some of the gold, silver, and copper coins that were used as currency back in Altera. “Do you think these would be acceptable forms of currency?” “I don’t think so, but maybe the princesses can have them traded out for bits if we talk to them later.” “Bits? Is that the name of your coins?” Spitfire smiled and nodded. “Yeah, what do you call yours?” “Gold, Silver and Copper.” “You seriously call them names based off their materials? That sounds vague.” “Hey, I’m not the one who came up with the banking system back where I’m from.” Raistlin retorted, putting the pouch back in his trousers. “Anyways, are you ready to go?” “Almost.” Spitfire told the human as she got her leather jacket off of the coat rack and put it on over her body. “Okay, now I’m ready.” The two of them walked out of Spitfire’s home and soon made their way across town as the sun began to rise. Despite the sun’s warm rays though, the morning air was cool and moist. It didn’t bother Raistlin though since he was use to this kind of weather and Spitfire had her jacket to keep her warm. As they were walking though, they received many stares from other ponies that they passed. Most of them being at Raistlin. He ignored it to the best of his ability though as both him and Spitfire soon came across Sugarcube Corner. Seeing the building gave Raistlin another case of Deja vu. Around Christmas time last year, Janelle said that she wanted to create a huge gingerbread house to celebrate them and their friends getting back together for the holidays. Looking at the building right now, he was thinking that the Alchemist somehow found a way to make her wish come true. Months after the holiday had passed. As they entered the store, a yellow earth pony stallion greeted the two of them. “Hello there. How can I-.” He stopped speaking the moment he laid eyes on Raistlin. Almost liked he just realized something. “Oh, sweet Celestia. Another one.” “Excuse me, sir, but what do you mean by that?” “Pinkie Pie came in here last night with a little girl last night and almost kept us awake all night while they kept the twins busy and “Entertained”.” All Raistlin did in response to this was facepalm. “Would her name happen to be Janelle by any chance?” The Stallion nodded, causing the Chaser to sigh. “Sorry Carrot for that, but my friend Raistlin and I just wanted to pick up some breakfast before going to the marketplace.-” “Excuse me sir.” The sound of the new voice caused the two of them to turn around. A orange pegasus in royal guard attire stood in front of them. Assuming that the pony was talking to him, Raistlin replied to him. “Yes? How can I help you?” “Princess Twilight requests your immediate presence at the Castle of Friendship. I was requested to escort you over there. Please, the matter is urgent.” Both Spitfire and Raistlin looked at each other in confusion. It seemed like they would have to have breakfast after they met with the Princess.

“Thank you for coming.” Princess Twilight greeted the Chaser and the Wonderbolt as they stepped into the throne room of her castle. She was the only one there right now besides Princess Luna and the two of them wanted to talk in private. “We’re sorry for the late notice, but something happened just now that we needed to tell you about.” “Me?” Raistlin questioned. Both Princesses nodded. “A member of a search party we sent last night to find a patrol that never reported back to us had just come back with some terrifying news. She not only found the members of the patrol dead, but also saw the rest of her squad die in front of her. Killed by a bipedal demon with a broadsword and almost resembled you, Raistlin.” That shocked Raistlin a little. But to process everything, he needed more details. “What did the assailant look like?” “Black Mane, had a metal collar around it’s neck, demonic wings and gauntlets, used the blood of the fallen souls he killed to combat others who challenged him.” “What about a name?” “Arrowhead never mentioned a name-.” “Kylar.” The four individuals in the room turned to the right, seeing the light earthen colored Unicorn answer the question that Raistlin had. “He said that his name was Kylar Revaan before he killed Captain Blackwing.” Now The Chaser was alarmed. “Goddess, DAMN IT ALL!!!” “Raistlin, what’s wrong?” “That name… Is the name of my older brother… and the same monster who killed my mother and father. If he’s here, then no one is safe.”End Chapter 4

Chapter 5- Divine Hate

Tales of the Wanderers- Divine Hate

“Y-your brother?” was the only words that Twilight could form at this present moment in time. Her and Luna had called in the Chaser named Raistlin earlier to ask him about an attacker that killed most of a scouting patrol that was investigating the Badlands. Now though, they had found out that the assailant was the Shinobi’s Brother. Not to mention, the same one who killed his parents. The Alicorn wasn’t one that could tell different emotions, but she could tell that anger was coursing through Raistlin. But what caught her off guard was when Raistlin turned around and began to walk straight for the exit. “Hey, where are you going?” “I’m going to find him… and once I do… I’m going to do what I should’ve done a long time ago…… Kylar needs to die.” “Raistlin, calm down please-.” “CALM DOWN!!?!” The voice of the Chaser now boomed through the hallway, startling both Luna and Twilight as he looked towards them. “KYLAR GAVE UP HIS HUMANITY FOR POWER AND TURNED INTO A MONSTER!!! A MONSTER THAT I WASN’T ABLE TO STOP BEFORE AND THAT LEAD TO MANY OF MY OLD FRIENDS AND FAMILY GETTING KILLED BECAUSE OF HOW I FAILED!!!! EVERY NIGHT, I THINK THE GHOSTS OF MY PAST HAUNT ME BECAUSE OF MY GODDESS DAMNED FAILURES!!! NOW, I’M NOT GOING TO LET HIM KILL ANYMORE INNOCENT PEOPLE AS LONG AS I STILL LIVE!!!" As Raistlin stormed out, he slammed the doors behind him and began to run. He used his Chakra to try and pick up any signs, but was frustrated when he couldn’t find anything. Before deciding to press on, he took a piece of parchment from his bag and a quill. Biting down on his thumb, he used the blood that leaked out as ink in order to write a message. Once he was done, he used an animal call that Fei taught him to have a Raven appear next to him. Tying the parchment around it’s claw, Raistlin spoke to the majestic bird. “Make Haste to Carderock Pass. Deliver this to Fei Breezerunner as quickly as possible.” The Chaser used a little bit of his Chakra so that was the bird could understand it’s words before it took flight. Now, the boy returned to his trek. Searching on a mission of Justice and Vengeance.

Carderock Pass As the morning sun rose over Altera, Lyall and Fei made their way to the Golden Lion Inn along with a disguised Celestia. Using a simple illusion spell, the Alicorn Princess disguised herself to make herself look like a traveling priestess. A good disguise and an easy one for Lyall and Fei to say that she was part of an escort the Elf and Human were undertaking for a commision. Upon entering the inn, they got one of the biggest rooms that was available and began to momentarily rest. The other night, Fei had sent out a carrier bird to their friends so Celestia would have the chance to meet them and also explain the present situation to them as well. The first one to arrive was Elisa, the Valkyrie with a cheerful heart who really needed to be careful when doing tricks with her weapon. The girl reminded Celestia of Pinkie Pie, just with puffy golden hair instead of pink and a spear instead of a party cannon. The Second one to arrive about half an hour later was the Spirit Dancer, Soraya. The Princess in disguise saw the outfit of the dancer as a little exposing, but understood the choice once she realized that the attire was probably for her to have the most amount of mobility as possible when in combat. Plus, the spirits she could summon were just as deadly as she was. The next one to arrive was Reign, the Crusader. He personally had a habit of not being late for almost anything. It was a way for him to make sure that he could get as much time as possible to complete necessary tasks and help his friends. Celestia didn’t really think that he was a warrior of light like Lyall claimed he was because of his armor and gear along with the hood covering his face. But as she learned many times before, she couldn’t just judge anypony by appearance. Especially when he greeted her with a friendly gesture that was common amongst the human population known as a “Handshake”.

The last one that arrived was Edena, the Pyro Mage. She herself took the longest to try and return to Carderock Pass because of some requests she had to complete in the Capital city of Saint’s haven. Additionally, she had finished collecting enough Goddess Teardrops for her to exchange for a new spellbook and staff. One that worked well with his fire based magic and skills.

“Thank you everyone for coming.” Fei told her fellow adventurers as she took a seat on the bed that was by the window. “I’m glad all of you are here.” “Hey, where’s Raistlin and Janelle?” came the words of the Crusader as he folded his arms. “They would normally be the first one’s to show up besides you and Lyall.” “Maybe they’re busy doing a quest or something.” Soraya told everyone. “I heard that there was a huge commission on the request board earlier this week that paid up to five thousand gold in advance. Janelle wouldn’t even think about passing up on that opportunity.” “True, but what would the job be for?” Elisa asked. “If I remember correctly, it said something about an expedition being set up by the Free Adventurers League. But it didn’t quite explain the details about it.” “Alright, moving on…” Lyall interjected between them. “There’s a reason why we asked all of you to come here. There’s someone we need you to meet.” From there, Celestia took off the hood she had over her head, which dismissed the disguise that she had casted upon herself and revealed her true form to everyone in the room. The most surprising part for everyone was when she actually began to speak to them, because they never thought that a Unicorn with wings could actually talk. “Greetings. You must be the friends that Lyall and Fei had mentioned. My name is Celestia, Alicorn of Day and Princess of Equestria.” “Holy crap!! It talks!!!” “A pony of Royalty!?!” “I must be dreaming…” Lyall sighed a little before turning towards the Alicorn. “Don’t mind the girls. This is quite… Normal… for them.” “Indeed…” Celestia replied. “Hold on a minute… What’s this “Equestria” that you speak of?” Reign asked, adjusting his hair so it didn’t cover his eyes. “It is my home. My home continent. I’ve helped kept the peace there for thousands of years. But now, war has begun and I was brought here and captured against my will by the creatures you call “Dark Elves”. I’m just worried for my student and my sister. We’ve never experienced anything like this at all during the time I’ve ruled and I’m worried for the safety of my subjects.” Before Celestia could say anything else, Fei’s attention turned towards the open window as a familiar sound caught her by surprise. It was the sound of a Raven. Looking outside, she saw the bird holding a scroll and used her experience with animals to call the animal so she would be able to retrieve it. “A letter?” Lyall asked. “Who is that from?” Fei shrugged at first, but upon seeing the seal on the letter, her eyes widened. “Oh dear goddess. It’s from Raistlin.” “Well, open it!” Came Elisa’s cheerful reply. The elf did so, but her eyes widened by what she found. The Assassin must’ve used his own blood to write this because it still smelled fresh. Nevertheless, the ranger sighed as she began to read.Dear Fei, Please excuse me using my own blood in order to write this letter. I’m in a hurry and I need everyone’s help. Earlier in the week, Janelle and I accepted a commission to go on a expedition hosted by the Free Adventurers League. But since our departure, things have gone abruptly south. Our ship has been blown out of the sky, Janelle and I are the only survivors and we’re thrown onto a continent called Equestria where there is a war going on with the inhabitants. But, out of all of this, one major problem has surfaced. Kylar has been seen here. And if he is allied with the forces that are trying to destroy everything here, then we’re going to need all the help we can get. I placed an inscription rune on the bottom of the page to allow you to repeat the words and teleport yourself and the others to Janelle as soon as you can. As for me… well… Justice must be served. Raistlin Revaan Fei right now was completely speechless. For more than one reason. This wasn’t any ordinary letter. “What the heck did he mean by “Justice must be served”?” Elisa asked. “It means that he doesn’t care what happens to him.” Fei told her. “He plans to avenge his family even if it kills him. We have to hurry.” “Let me help.” Edena offered. “The inscription is probably in Runic and I know how to read it. All the spellbooks for a sorceress are inscribed in the same language.” “Alright, but maybe we should take a moment to make sure we’re ready.” Celestia told them. “I want to make sure all of you know what you’re getting into before offering to help me and my country.” Lyall took this as a cue for him to go to the bathroom for a moment while the Sun Princess was explaining to everyone about the current situation and what she had already told both him and Fei. He was changing his gear so he could be prepared for the fight ahead. Something lighter and more durable than the clothes that he was wearing before.

“Alright. Anything else before we get going?” “Yeah, one thing…” Soraya said. “Should we take into account the possibility that if the Dark elves were the ones that captured Celestia… then maybe somehow Malaju is involved as well?” “Who is Malaju?” Celestia asked. “She is one of two dark elves that are fighting each other for control over their kingdom after their previous leader was slain.” Reign began to explain while Elisa drew two figures and was holding them up like she was using Flash cards. “Malaju has a severe hatred towards Humans and Elves while Teleju actually befriends them since she believes that having good relations with all the people of Altera would be the best for her kind.” “It’s a possibility.” Fei continued. “Malaju is not one who gives up a chance to increase her chances of gaining control of what she claims as hers. If she is allies with this “Queen Chrysalis” that Celestia mentioned, then we are definitely in big trouble. Especially if she decides to bring monsters from Altera over to Equestria.” “The what are we waiting for?!! Let’s go!!” Edena rasped as she took the letter from Fei’s hands and began to read the runes. Soon, everyone in the room was encased in a bright glow as they disappeared seconds later.

Castle of Friendship “Raistlin did what!?” Right around now, Twilight was talking with Janelle and Spitfire. The two of them were both waiting on the Shinobi to return from when the Princess called him out a few minutes ago. However, What the Alicorn told them was not what they were expecting at all. “He ran out the door in a rage and left Ponyville.” “But why? We just got here!” “That’s the thing. Last night, a patrol got attacked by another human like yourself, but different. Come to find out, Raistlin knew that it was his older brother Kylar.” “Oh dear goddess, not now.” Janelle cursed. “In this state, he’ll get himself killed like this. And normally, he’s the one that always has a plan-.” Before the Alchemist was able to finish what she was saying, a bright flash occurred in the kitchen followed by the clashing of pots and pans with a huge cloud of flour blocking their vision. All three of them soon ran over to the room, thinking that Pinkie Pie had a small accident while making a cake. What they found was a LOT different. “Dear Goddess, where’s a warning when we needed it?” “R-Reign?” Janelle said, partially shocked. The Crusader soon shook off all the baking powder and looked at Janelle. “Janelle? Holy crap, it is you!! Guys, I found Janelle!” “Wait… Guys?” That’s when the Alchemist noticed what exactly he meant when she saw five other figures along with a Tall Alicorn. This… made her even more confused. “Okay… Explanation… NOW!!!! ”

Badlands Raistlin had been searching for hours. Looking for signs of where the culprit of the lives stolen in the badlands would be. However, his search so far had lead to no avail. No signs of the dead… or the living. No new sources of Chakra. He couldn’t even tell if Fei received his letter or not. But, after a little while, he heard a familiar sound. The barking of Poochums and the grunts and growls of Orcs. Why would they be here though? These are only monsters that can be found in Altera. What made this different? Still, it was his only chance for a lead. Even if he had to get his hands dirty, it was the only chance he had. Catching the opponent by surprise, the Chaser first threw a few kunai knives to take out the Poochums that could be picking up on his scent. Besides that though, he had other problems to deal with. Ten goblins and five orcs to be exact, one which happened to be a commander. “Looks like you’re not going to make this easy are you?” The Shinobi responded as he unsheathed his scimitar. The Monsters that were in front of him let out numerous warcry’s as they charged towards their opponent. Raistlin himself, fueled with his anger and strength, let his Chakra and his weapons take care of the rest while he prepared himself. “It’s your funeral.”End Chapter 5