Amy let out a sigh of relief as she cleared the last step of the stairs. The carved steps had been a welcome relief when they had appeared, as the rough dirt before had been awful on her ankles every time her fancy boots had landed on an irregularity.

Then she learned that the Cure line did nothing for fatuige, and her thighs were killing her after trudging up so many steps. She wanted the rough, less-steep ground back. Injury was preferable.

At the top of the cliff was the ruins of some kind of village, or maybe an incredibly worn larger structure like a castle. Chunks of masonry and the remains of walls stuck out of the grass at even intervals, none higher than her waist, save for a single prominent tower not twenty meters away. She sat down on one of the larger chunks of stone to rest as Zach joined her.

"D'you... hoo!" Zach gasped, hands on his knees, before continuing, "D'you think that's it?"

Amy felt an eyebrow go up, and she stared silently at him until Zach noticed.

"What?"

"I don't know, there's so many towers to choose from around here. Could be any of them." Amy said, planting her walking stick and pulling herself up. "Do we wait for the others, or keep on going? I mean, they might get lost without-"

"Ok, I get it, stupid question." Zach grumbled. "Let's keep going, if I stop I'm not gonna start again."

She nodded, listening for the other two and hearing nothing, then starting after Zack as he clanked ahead of her. He looked slightly bottom-heavy with his waist-down encased in chrome, and Amy bet his legs were far worse off.

She was actually kind of impressed how little any of the boys were complaining. Brian she expected it from, she'd heard it for the whole week after his camping trip with the Boy Scouts, but he had stayed oddly stoic the whole time. Carl had simply kept finding better ways to cool off and seemed to be taking everything in stride a little too well, and while Zach was clearly suffering he was simply too enthused to be anything but positive.

Amy made up her mind right there that the only thing she would complain about was things she was fixing right then and there. I may be the youngest, but I'm the one Mom and Dad always trusted. I have to be responsible.

An exhausted cheer came from ahead of her, and she stepped over the last crumbled wall to see Zach with one hand planted on the wall of the lone tower, sinking to his knees. She quickly took note of the rough pile of twigs and tinder on a broken wooden beam set beside the entrance to the tower, guessing their talking pegasus guide had arranged it for them, and started picking out spots of mossy ground that would make good resting spots.

"Well, it's not the state park, but I guess it works." Amy unclasped the cape over her robe and the ties on her belt, dropping them unceremoniously on a patch of tall grass. She patted Zach on the head as he rolled into a sitting position, shrugging off his pack. "You hurt anywhere on the way?"

Zach shook his head before speaking raspily. "Bit of chafing, nothing worth a magic."

Amy rolled her eyes. "We have to figure out my per-days somehow. Let me at it."

She helped him get the remainder of the plate armor off, revealing a thick pair of quilted trousers and leather boots, and he pointed out where the armor had pressed against the side of his knees and rubbed it raw. Amy held her hands out toward his legs and took a deep breath. If I did it before, I can do it again. it already happened. It's already healed... I just need to feel that.

"Cure Light Wounds!"

Amy felt the not-unpleasant sensation of the skin on her hands vibrate as the magic flowed into them and out toward her charge, accompanied by a faint ringing and the golden light. The other two boys staggered up as Zach gave a thumbs up. Brian leaned heavily on the much thinner Carl, who somehow seemed to be supporting the much bigger boy's weight.

"Ok, I'm good. Guys?" Zach pointed questioning between them and Amy, effectively volunteering her.

Carl wordlessly waved her off while Brian collapsed against a low wall, both breathing deeply. Amy stood up, brushing dust off of her robe. "Alright. I'll try to get the fire going, then."

She knew the theory, at least. A ring of stones, a pile of the tinder, one bigger chunk of wood, and a straight stick. Rub stick between hands on wood until fire.

Eight minutes later she handed it off to Zach, hands blistering, arms sore and nothing gained but more practice self-healing. Zach didn't even last that long, and Carl even less. Brian used a different approach, holding the stick tight and rubbing along a slot in the wood, and managed to get the wood and stick to darken and smell burnt, but not a puff of smoke rose from their efforts.

"Sun's gone." Carl pointed out unnecessarily, taking off his glasses. Amy rolled her eyes at him.

"Duh. It's called night, and knowing our luck, see those clouds up there? The ones reflecting a bit of red?" Amy pointed them out. "Ever heard the sailor saying? Red sky at... umm..."

She chewed her lip, trying to remember the exact wording until a gust of cold wind played across the ruins around them, and she shivered. "P-point is, it might rain. Those clouds look a bad time."

Brian stood up, hands on his knees to steady his still-shaky legs. "We better get inside and huddle up, we could get hypothermia."

"You got it, Boy Scout." Amy grabbed up the fire-making supplies and her walking stick.

"Yeah, yeah. Look for a dry spot, and we can use the capes as blankets... Dammit, it is dark in here. " Brian stumbled, lowering himself to the ground to feel around.

Amy dropped the tinder unceremoniously, a small smile coming to her as she held her finger to the top of her walking stick. "Well... I bet I can solve that at least. Light!"

The result nearly blinded them, but the end of her stick instantly lit up with clean white light. Amy felt her chest swell with pride.

"Ok, cool." Brian said, looking around. He plopped down on spot where the dust had piled up in a corner. "Not a Best Western, but get comfy and try to get some sleep."

Amy unclasped her thin cape, throwing it out for everyone to lay across, as Carl unbundled his clothes to use at his larger, thicker wizard robe as a blanket. Zach laced the collar of his thick doublet back up, awkwardly settling down next to Brian. Amy lay down on the end, putting her brother in the middle as Carl sat on the far side, propping open his new spellbook and squinting at the words.

Brian threw his arm over both her and Zach's shoulders for a second, grinning mischievously as Amy pulled Carl's robe over all four of them. "No homo. Night, fucksticks."

"Please don't make this weirder than it is, man." Zach said. Brian took his arm back. Carl grunted in annoyance he tried to read.

Amy found herself staring out at the fading light through the door of the tower. A distant cloud moved, and revealed the first stars glimmering into existence. Her eyes shifted to the old stonework of the doorframe, examining the moss and pits on the rock.

It wasn't... right. She finally put her finger on what had been bothering her about the environment. She knew she had to be dreaming, but she always used to dream very lucidly, in control...

She wasn't. This felt too real. She'd never been cold, or hungry or tired in a dream. She'd never rolled an ankle. She could accept seeing some strange sort of aliens in reality, maybe, at a stretch. So now, only one thing worked like in her dreams.

Amy wriggled her hand out from under the robe and held it in front of her face. The fancy silver polish she had done instead of her usual black was already starting to chip from the surprise day af abuse. A callus from her fire-starting attempt had escaped her healing spell. She considered it for a moment. A deep breath and moment of focus called a golden aura to dance around her fingers.

She hesitated, just watching how the light moved, interested in how clearly-defined the field of energy was. Magic worked like in Amy's dreams. Believe, and it worked powered on faith alone. And she was starting to believe this was actually happening. The magic shimmered, ready for her will, gathered around the blister on her palm. She could just erase it. It would all be over, if she wanted. Right?

With a frown, the light winked out, and Amy clenched her fist and closed her eyes. No, she thought, pushing herself closer to her brother's warmth, the boys need every bit of safety I can give them. I can't waste it on myself.

As the light on the end of Amy's staff slowly faded to nothing, they huddled together in the night.

***

Amy woke with something hard and dusty touching her mouth. He eyes snapped open to see Daring Do, the tower room behind her lit by nothing but starlight, with her hoof pressed to her mouth and a glare on her muzzle. She made a very slow "ssh" motion with her free hoof, and Amy, sensing the tension, nodded slowly, blinking away her tiredness as quickly as she could.

"No time to explain." Daring Do whispered, taking her hoof back. "Get your friends to the top of the tower. Ahuizotl's lackeys are on their way. I shoulda seen this coming."

"Ahui-what?" Amy whispered back, rising.

"Bad guys. Move!"

Daring gave a flap and flew up to a high window, perching in the frame like some four-hooved bird-of-prey, then slipped out of sight into the sky. She rolled to her feet and quickly covered both Brain and Zach mouths and gave a shake.

The boy's eyes flew open in a panic and Amy quickly shushed them, leaning in over them. "Not. A. Word. Get upstairs. Ambush."

Brian's eyes widened in panic, but he pulled himself up and shook Carl awake. Zach's eyes, meanwhile, lit up, and clambered to his feet, clinking faintly as he lunged for his armor pieces.

Amy winced. "Quiet, you idiot!"

That was the moment Daring Do came rocketing back inside in a gust of wind as they went about gathering their things. "Forget quiet, they know we're here! Top of the tower, NOW! I'll hold them off!"

Amy gaped, fumbling for her walking stick as Daring Do shot off again with a battle cry and was met by a feline yowl. Brian grabbed her by the arm and drug her toward the half-crumbled stairs, yelling orders. "Up! Everyone up! Don't put it on, Zach, just carry it! Up!"

Amy nearly tripped on the shadowy stones again, gasping in pain as her shin hit the top step and falling into the wall of the second floor of the tower. Biting back the pain, she shoved her staff up into the air and focused. "Light!"

The tower lit up, this time much more muted but still bright in the deep of night. Brian tested the rotting ladder leading up to the roof, waving them up. A clash of steel rang out below, and the sounds of a pitched battle broke out just outside.

Amy held her magical torch high as she reached the rain-worn stone at the very top of the tower. Zach, Carl then finally Brian climbed up behind her, then Brian dragged the ladder up with a grunt.

"There." Brain sat down hard, rubbing the small of his back. "That oughta hold 'em. Zach! Lore check!"

"Daring called him Owi-zotil?" Amy said.

Zach jammed his arm through the pieces of his shoulder armor, and Amy helped tie the leather cords at the shoulder to keep it on as he yanked on the glove and fumbled for the other pieces. "Ahuizotl. Cat-monkey with hands, and megalomania usually seen in cartoon villains but actually kinda vicious. He has a bunch of-" Zach cut off, dropping his chestplate and snatching up his longsword, eyes locked on whatever was behind Amy.

Amy turned to see a black panther, standing on it's hind legs. Unhooking a spiked club from its belt. Snarling.

"Those. Big anthro cats. Mercenary-types." Zach stepped around in front of her and shaking off the half-assembled right arm save the leather glove, sword pointed at the cat-creature. A second cat, jaguar in appearance, leapt cleanly up through the hole in the floor, brandishing a rusty-looking curved sword.

Amy put her hand on Zach's shoulder, speaking to everyone. "Hold on. Let them come to us."

"Yeah, wasn't planning on charging this time." Zach shifted his weapon into a two-handed guard. "I'm a little exposed here. We should stall until Daring-"

Daring Do flew up over the edge of the roof gracelessly, landing on her side to their right with a pained "Oof!" They watched her struggle to her hooves and Zach groaned. "Well, there goes the DPS."

Brian tugged on her sleeve, drawing her and Zach toward the fallen pegasus. His voice was taunt and raspy with nerves. "Amy, get Adventure Horse topped off. Zach, tank. Carl, watch the flank. Pike formation. Healer stays up at all costs."

Carl accepted the dagger Brian offered him, coolly flicking open his spellbook to an early page with the blade. "Copy that, bro."

Amy and Zach kept their eyes trained on the slowly approaching cats as they walked in formation to Daring's position. Amy ran all the spells she thought were in the first few levels through her head, trying to pick the most optimal for a real-world fight before kneeling by the injured pegasus.

"So, on a scale of one to ten..." Amy asked, trailing off as she channeled her golden glow over Daring's wings and the shallow slice on her side.

Daring snorted as the magic even straightened her feathers. "This is barely a five. I've been hurt way worse before, the Sapphire Stone incident was probably a seven-"

"I was gonna ask how dead we all are, seeing as we don't have any training it's basically two armed on one unarmed, then two armed on four worthless." Amy said bitterly. The fact that Daring Do still had blood on her made her stomach turn, but she gritted her teeth and focused on staying sarcastic.

"Oh. Cheery at this hour, aren't you? Well, keep that magic flowing and the cats' pretty much in the bag, so long as the ones outside don't have a way to climb-"

With a clank, a grapnel and rope flew up over the outer edge of the roof, and three more feline forms scrambled over... a wildcat, a tiger and a hulking lioness with a log-club nearly as big as Brian.

"Eh. Let's call it an even fight." Daring Do shrugged as the first few drops of rain fell out of the starless sky.

"Well shit." Brian growled. "Any tips?"

"Yeah." Daring Do spread her wings, scuffing her hoof on the stone. "Stop tempting fate. Try not to die. Dibs on the big one."

With that, Daring Do left a blast of wind behind her as she vanished from the formation, reappearing with her hind hoof firmly planted in the lionesses jaw, and the whole thing went to hell.

Zach gave a panicked shout, and Amy turned her attention back to their front just in time to see the panther complete an incredible fifteen-foot leap toward them, club crashing down on Zach's sword as he raised it to meet the attack. Amy gasped, hand bracing Zach from behind as his knees nearly buckled. The panther's lips pulled back in a vicious smile.

"Boss only wanted the pony. Looks like we get to eat well tonight!" The cat licked it's lips menacingly as it pushed harder against the sword, trying to force Zach's own weapon into his exposed face.

"Why does... Everything... In Equestria... RRAH!" Zach heaved and twisted his sword, causing the club to slide off to the side. He kicked out with his armored legs, clipping the cat's shin with the toe of his boot. "Why does everything want to eat us?"

"Let's not be Meow Mix tonight, please. I got your back so long as you keep them away. Bless!" Amy channeled her magic, and was shocked as it filled her own mind, demanding her attention to maintain.

Which was a problem, seeing as the battle really wanted her attention. She glanced back to see Daring Do grab the wildcat in a chokehold and judo-throw it across the tower, something she never thought was even possible until after that moment. There was a clang, and she whipped back to see Zach make space between them and their own opponents with a wide sweep of his sword. Amy firmly directed her concentration that way.

She watched Zach's shoulders rise and fall as he took a deep breath, lowering himself into a steady stance, sword braced in front of him. The club-wielding panther lunged again, aiming to beat Zach's weapon out of the way. Zach raised his hilt to meet it and had his guard smashed aside, and Amy's heart leapt into her throat. She lunged past him as the club looped around for an overhead blow, and Amy swung her stick like a baseball-bat and swatted the attack aside. Zach gave a primal roar and dove forward, driving his armored shoulder into the cat's ribs.

Amy hopped back as the jaguar lunged in, driving her attention back to maintaining her Bless spell on Zach. It was just in time as he blocked the scimitar with the metal over his forearm and swung his sword wildly with one hand, driving both cats back. They circled just out of his reach as Amy put an extra few feet between herself and the fight.

"Amy, down!" Brian yelled. Amy turned to see what the fuss was, only to dive flat as both Daring Do and the tiger flew just over her head, Daring smashing the beast bodily into the floor. Her Bless spell fizzled, and Zach gave a cry of pain behind her, staggering back toward her as he was double-teamed, bleeding from his unarmored arm.

Amy staggered to her feet, twisting her ankle in her boot again, but gritting her teeth and charging the cats attacking Zach. With a scream, she swung her stick only to have it easily blocked by the jaguar's sword. The rusty metal bit into the birch branch, and Amy had a second to consider the terrible mistakes she had made in her life that let to that moment as the panther leapt at her from the side, Zach moving back into the fight too slow to stop it.

"Scin-tillula!"

At Carl's cry, a tiny burst of bright sparkles appeared mid-air. It would have been utterly pathetic, and in any other situation would have cause Amy to burst into laughter at the letdown save for where the light occurred.

The panther snarled and closed it's eyes as the sparks flew directly at its face, and Amy stepped just far enough to the side to avoid the club as it whistled blindly through the air. She yanked her staff free from the jaguar's sword and swung mightily at the panther, catching the bottom of its jaw. With a crack, the cat went limp and thudded to the rooftop with a wet crunch. Amy, Zach and the jaguar hesitated in surprise. Amy and Zach looked at the jaguar. The jaguar looked back, face falling as Amy smirked.

"And 'round the table it goes." Amy widened her stance, focusing on casting Cure on herself and Zach as Carl and Brian stepped up beside her. "Let's rumble, fuzzball!"

The jaguar gave a nervous smile. "Aah... maybe later."

And with that the cat stepped backward and down through the hole in the roof.

"That was... stunningly anticlimactic." Carl noted.

Amy dusted off her hands, turning to see how Daring had handled the rest of her fight, just in the nick of time to see her kick the wildcat to the edge of the roof where it pinwheeled its arms, dropping its long dagger. Daring glanced back at them with a cocky grin.

The wildcat lunged out and grabbed her tail as it slipped off the roof. Amy saw the moment of regret clearly cross Daring's face before she was dragged over the edge.

"No!" Zach lunged toward where they fell, but Amy saw somthing else out of the corner of her eye. She grabbed him before he could get much farther.

"Guys?" Amy turned Zach to where the lioness was standing up, shaking it's head blearily. "I don't think that was the climax."

The lioness glared at them, hefting its club and rising to its full, towering height. The four teens instinctively stepped closer to each other as the beast let loose a roar unlike anything they had heard before.

"B-brian?" Carl whimpered. "I only have a Ray of Frost left..."

"What's the plan?" Zach growled, rolling his unarmored shoulder and twisting the grip of his sword in his hand. Brian just gaped as the lioness started toward them, growling like an engine.

"Brian!" Amy shouted, stepping up to the front with their swordsman.

Brian blinked, looking at all of them. Amy cocked her walking stick back over her shoulder like a bat again, Zach sweating furiously as he stood to body-block for her, Carl desperately speed-reading from his spellbook. Amy glanced back to see his eyes harden.

"Flank-n-spank, Amy, Zach, split. Carl, you and me range and aggro. Move!"

At Brian's command for a classic tabletop manuver, Amy turned and ran to the left as fast as her wedge-heeled boots would carry her. She knew she was out of spells, but she didn't need magic. She just needed to occupy the lionesses attention for the critical seconds Zach would need.

The lioness glanced between the three of them, settling on Zach as the biggest threat. Zach stopped well outside of its reach as Amy continued up behind. Amy jumped, yelling a war-cry as she swung for the back of the lionesses head.

The club came out of nowhere. Amy was practically wrapped around it as she heard, felt and she could swear smelled at least two ribs break. The lioness practically danced over her as she slammed into the ground, treelike club spinning in its paws like it was nothing as it dodged one of Brian's thrown knives. Zach bobbed and weaved, terribly out of reach with his sword.

Amy groaned, hauling herself to her knees. This is real. She gingerly touched her side, examing. Their was blood where sheer blunt force had torn her clothing and skin. They're all going to die. Zach can't fight like this. Brian and Carl don't stand a chance. I thought I could. Amy gasped in pain as she tried to stand, ears ringing. She couldn't hear anything but her own labored breathing. Why did I think I could do this?

"Rise, stranger."

The voice was loud. It sounded distant, feminine, the kind of voice that Amy would want to read her a bedtime story. The words, though, what they wanted, nearly made her cry. She couldn't. She couldn't stand up. She couldn't protect anyone.

"You can. Rise, stranger. I know not how you tapped my power, but you will always rise." The voice became firm, and the pain in Amy's side deadened. Her breathing was still labored, her vision blurry, but it was enough. Somthing hot was in her veins, ignoring the fatuige in her limbs. Amy planted her boots on the ground, standing, eyes locked on the lioness as it lunged past Zach's guard and sent him skidding across the rooftop. "Rise, stranger! Rise!"

Amy raised her staff, gathering, pushing every bit of the heat she felt into the end of the birch branch as the lioness started toward the remaining boys. Carl's spell fizzled in a shower of snowflakes. She could barely see, her vision was dimming, her ears roaring, but she didn't need to. She remembred a spell that could not miss.

She didn't know who's voice was speaking, her unknown patron or her own.

"O' Morning Light! Kiss of the New Sun! Seek and Banish the Dark! Rise! SACRED! FLAME!"

There was a burst of golden light, and then nothing.

Amy had just enough presence of mind left to know this was going to hurt in the morning.

To be continued in Chapter 4: Bump in the Night.

Author's Note

Things Mr. Welch Is No Longer Allowed To Do In RPGs #378. I can cannot give my character the moniker "Tim the Barbarian". Especially since he's the bard.

*Gasps for breath*