"Morning, Spike." Sunset walked out of the room dressed and hungry. It was a hassle not to have indoor plumbing but she had done without it before during the month she had to accommodate Applejack when she invited her camping. Not only was it far from any known camp sites. Sunset had only brought enough for herself plus a few extra snacks whereas A.J only carried some rope and an ax.

Needless to say, it was a disaster as A.J kept running off and leaving her alone to enjoy the outdoors. When they returned she confronted the rest of the girls about it and received a unified response that indicated it being an initiation of sorts. The only one that hadn't hated it was Pinkie but it was mainly due to her driving A.J insane within the third day. Regardless, not having indoor plumbing was an inconvenience but one she could certainly survive.

"Morning, how did you sleep?" he was opening a window curtain letting in the morning sun as he walked back to the table and collected several objects he'd been polishing.

"Decently. How about you?"

"Didn't sleep. Was too busy trying to take inventory and cleaning up. Once you think you're ready I made some soup. When you're done eating get ready to go shop and get you armor for the trip ahead among other things."

"Wait, you didn't sleep? Why's tha- Hey!" she yelled as he walked into the bedroom and closed the door.

"Later, I'll be washing before we leave. Hurry up and eat; we don't have all day."

Sunset was left frustrated at the table before getting up and pouring a serving. She realized that Spike wasn't in the mood to talk so she directed her energy to angrily eating. Spike was becoming distant and she didn't like it. Then again, it wasn't as if they had been close in the first place. Last night's talk replayed in her mind when she confronted him about his comment in the dungeon.

"He's right. I never really took the time to get to know him at all. It was only ever when he was around Twilight that I even bothered."

Everything he had said that night had rung true. They weren't friends and barely even acquaintances. Whatever reason she thought was valid for yelling at him to lie was pointless. Friends talk to each other and listen to one another but when you're practically strangers with a mutual friend it was different. She had spent the last few years learning the ins and outs of friendship with the paragon of friendship herself yet, she was still as inexperienced as the time spent being Celestia's protege.

The door opened and Spike stepped out dressed in a different white cloth shirt. He pulled the jerkin on his body and gathered the rest of the bags. Taking a peek inside the pot of soup he motioned towards it to see if Sunset wanted more. She shook her head and watched him down the rest in a series of gulps. He took the pot and headed into the room once more to clean it; stepping out once it was done and tying it to his pack.

"Let's go. Leave the plates, they're part of the room."

Sunset quickly adorned her pack and followed Spike through the maze of an Inn. It seemed longer than when they had first arrived and there were others moving about in front of them only to pass through doors and end up behind. She stopped at a door and opened it only to find a corridor that looked much like the rest. Finding herself drawn in she took a step inside and the door locked behind her. With there being only one other door she walked towards it and found the path warping slightly.

The door she had seen in front of her as she stepped inside was now on the ceiling above her. She turned around and saw a set of stairs that weren't there when she walked through and the entrance to this hallway on the right side. There was a knock on the door above which caused her to jump slightly before reaching for the handle. As the door opened she felt the full effects of gravity and started to fall upwards then downwards; landing into Spike's arms.

"Stop playing around and stay with me." he said putting her down and closing the door to his left.

"Right, sorry."

Sunset stayed close for the rest of the walk through the ups and downs of the hallway which seemed longer than the one they took to arrive at the room. As they reached the end of a particular twisting hall they were rewarded with a door too small for someone Spike's size. However, once he grabbed the handle and opened it Sunset felt a force pull her and they were immediately on the other side of the door and at the front desk.

"Damn it. I was hoping you'd get lost in there." the owner of the Inn said accepting the key Spike placed on the counter.

"Yea almost didn't make it thanks to her being curious. Better luck next time."

The duo walked out into the misty morning to the sounds of a bustling street of merchants and urchins. The road that was once filled with intricate designs was now in disrepair as the residents of the town walked or crawled through without concern. The buildings that hadn't matched the glamor of the road the first time through were now replaced with rather regal looking abodes and shops. Whoever was the in charge at the moment seemed to prefer the buildings looking better than anything else as the thugs and miscreants did not match the upper-class feeling of the place.

"Stay close this time. I don't know how and when the town is going to shift so it's best to keep within view of each other in case it happens. We'll be going to one of the few shops I know doesn't shift."

"Right."

The pair traversed the streets filled with miscreants. Sunset watched as gecklings and humans mingled together despite what she'd learned the creatures do to any they caught. She noticed more urchins running here and there stealing or accompanying those that they were trying to steal from. There were even some races that she'd never seen such as one that looked like regular ducks wearing clothing and tall badger looking beings who wore cloaks and hid their eyes behind a dark veil. She would have noticed more if not for Spike's claw turning her head forward.

"Don't stare. If they catch you looking or paying attention then you'll get caught up in their mess. Whether it's because they feel it rude or they feel you're an easy target it's best to just mind your own. Besides, we're here."

"This place?" Sunset noticed the small building they were standing in front of for the first time.

It had a canopy situated in front of its door with tables holding all different kinds of plants and meats. It wasn't exactly bustling with activity as everyone that seemed to pass by ignored it entirely. As they stepped closer she heard a bell ring to her left and a goat walk out chewing some grass. It watched them enter the building through the door with a blank stare. The inside of the shop was lit only with a few candles and the few rays of sunlight that crept in from the doorway and a small window.

A gruff voice from the back called out which was given form as a tall, tanned and bearded man with scars all over his bald head walked out from behind a wall of rugs. Spike signaled Sunset to stay quiet as he spoke to who could only be the shop owner. He pointed a claw towards her and the man nodded before saying a few more words in the language of Discordian, at least that's what Sunset thought it was at the moment. The man disappeared once more behind the wall of rugs and the two were once again left alone.

"What were you two talking about?"

"I asked him to get any sturdy and light armors that he had so we could haggle."

"He seemed upset for a second while you two were talking. Did something happen between the two of you?"

"No, I just asked how he was doing. He was only upset because of a fight he had with his wife a week before. They haven't talked since but I told him I could fix it for a discount."

"I thought you didn't care for helping anyone out."

"If it's to save money we need for traveling then I'll do at least this much. Besides, it's easy enough if you already know who his wife is." Spike smiled before handing reaching into his pack and pulling out the book Bix had given him the day before. "Here, I've already translated the spell for you last night. It's the same one Bix used in order to talk to you."

"So the payment for the job was the book to help me understand?" A nod gave her the confirmation she needed as she took the book and opened it to the spell in question. "Thanks, Spike."

"Don't thank me yet. Since you're new to the spell it'll only last for six hours at most and you can't cast it again for the rest of the day. You also need to keep it close to you in order to have the effects stay active until you can easily cast it without the book. Plan accordingly because there might be situations that even I can't be of any help. Now, stay here and wait for the guy while I talk to his wife."

Sunset watched him walk outside and out of sight before hearing his voice call out to someone. She invoked the spell and tried to listen in only to hear the bleating of a goat and second voice slightly over it. A groan came from behind her and she found the man back with a large chest in his arms. He slammed it onto a counter and motioned for her to join as he laid out three different armors.

"Pick da one ya want girly. I'll be nice today let ya have a discount thanks to your pal smoothing things out with the wife."

The first one was made of what felt like silk and looked more like a short robe than armor. The whole thing was white with tiny threads of black making a design of a serpent's tail coiling around the front. It had a hood that bore a different design made from the same black threads. It was folded so she couldn't actually make out what it actually was so she tried to pick it up.

"Hold on there. If that's what you want then go ahead and pick it up but ya should know that when you do it'll be bound to ya regardless and you'll have to pay for it. You can touch but don't pick it up unless you truly want it."

"What do you mean it'll be bound?"

"Look here girl, when you deal with things in this town you have to know that all shops have countermeasures to thieves. If someone was to try and steal anything then they'll be bound to the item until they pay. Meaning you'll never be able to wear anything else as it'll take over what you're currently wearing as that's how clothing is bound. So I suggest you take your time and pay before picking anything up."

Her hand moved away and she took a look at the other sets with a nod. The second piece was much like Spike's jerkin and held no special insignia. It did, however, have studs that looked to be made of obsidian but they shone with an eerie dark glow. It came with a set of leg and arm guards with the same stones embedded into them. The final set was a deep crimson long sleeved chain mail coupled with arm guards and a strap located on the hip that seemed to be for any of the books that were seen in this world. It shone as light from the sun hit the metal links and seemed to hum the closer she got.

"They all seem good but I've never really had any sort of armor in my life. I can feel some magic on them too; what's that about?"

"Ah, a scholar then?" he said with a slight frown "We don't get many of you but judging by the book you have and the fact you seem sheltered I'd say go for the robe. It's made from depth spider silk and the scales of sky snakes. The scales protect you from strong gusts and keep the thing pretty clean as it lets things slide off easily. The silk is sturdy enough to stop a regular knife or claw before it gets to anything too important."

"And the other two?"

"The jerkin has obsidian cores sewn into it. Alone it's just a regular old jerking but with the cores, it'll let you blend into your surroundings as long as you don't move and it's relatively dark. It's great for cowards but not the best defense against anything. The chain mail is made with melted down parts of fire-fanged bats. Damn things are harder to use due to being so resistant but they are extremely useful as parts for armor. The thing will let you go take a round of fire head on for a time and makes for above average protection. The only thing that's a problem is the damn weight; the fact of the matter is that the bat parts make it twice as heavy as the other two."

"How much are they?" Spike asked coming back inside with the goat following close behind.

"You better not gouge them on the price or I swear to the Mad God that you'll be sleeping in the pen until I'm cooled off." a feminine voice called out from somewhere.

Sunset looked around to find who it was that talked only to witness as the man rushed past her to hug the goat.

"I won't, I swear it. I'm sorry about before I'll make sure not to cheat on ya again."

"You better not." answered the goat nuzzling the shopkeeper.

Spike put a hand on Sunset's shoulder before she could open her mouth. "Don't. I know you want to ask but right now is not the time to bring that up. I'll tell you later if you really want to know."

"Right, anyways, I'll do you lot a good turn and let you have one for the price of forty gold. They're usually at least a hundred or so, but you got us talking again and that means more than anything to me."

"Well, Sunset? Any idea on which you want?" Spike nudged her towards the sets. "Can you also let me get some trash gems and a couple loaves of bread with two bundles of vegetables?"

"Sure, Let me go get em."

"The robe sounds good. I'll take that one as I'm not exactly sure I'll be able to withstand the weight of the mail and the jerkin doesn't seem that good despite the effect."

"That's fine dear. I'll throw in some leg and arm guards free of charge. Nothing too fancy but they'll get the job done. In all, I'd say it'll come to no less than a hundred twenty gold. If you don't have that then I'll be willing to accept trades." The goat walked towards the sets and put the other two away before reaching for the bag Spike held out to her.

"I'm ten short but I got some dragon scales to sell in order to cover the rest."

"Dragon scales?" she shouted through the bag in her mouth. "How in the Domains did you get them?"

"Found them on a corpse."

"Ah, yea that'll do it. That'll be two hundred a piece; how many do you have?"

"Just two right now. I might need more gems though so throw in three more bags of them."

"That's fine. That makes brings it up to an even hundred for you. I'll go let him know so just leave the scales on the table." she turned to Sunset before leaving and gave a smile as best a goat could anyways. "You can go ahead and wear it now if you want. It won't be bound now that I have the money."

"Dragon scales?" Sunset asked holding the robe up to look at it better.

"I shed. It's not my fault they're pretty valuable just gives me something to look forward to each time one falls off."

"Won't they know it's yours once you hand them over?"

"Not really." He took a bundle of cloth out and handed it to her.

She undid the wrapping and found two large red scales. "I thought you said these were yours."

"They are mine. I don't know whether it's because of this place or the fact I'm tainted but they change color when they fall off. I don't question it since it doesn't bother me what happens to them once I shed."

The owners came back with the goods requested as Sunset placed the scales down. She took her jacket off and put the robe on. It felt like wearing a hoodie as it only stretched a bit past the top of her jeans and clung to her body. The material was light and she could feel the air slightly pass through it but still keep her warm. Strapping on the arm and leg-guards while Spike haggled; she felt a surge of magic run through her body as the last strap tightened around the bite the Mad God's agent gave her.

"Are you alright?" Spike asked with a worried look.

"Y-yea. Sorry, did you say something?" she held a hand to her forehead trying to keep her vision steady.

"I asked if there was something here you want. I figure you're curious about some of the stuff here so pick something out."

She nodded and walked around taking in the sights of drugs, herbs, meats and other various goods. She walked past a stand full of some kind leather and noticed a small chair with books stacked on top of them. As she reached for them another surge of magic ran through her causing the books to fall over as she stumbled. She held up a hand to stop Spike from rushing over and got up only to hear a thud as the rock still in the jacket she held fell onto one of the books. It hummed slightly and seemed to make the book glow slightly. Sunset put it away noting it pulsed slightly in her hand and reached for the book. The symbol of a leaf was on the cover and was closed with a small lock.

"Is that what you want?"

"Huh?" She turned to see Spike looking over her shoulder. "Y-yea. I might not be able to read it but it might help me learn faster if I have something other than spells as examples."

"Looks like it's locked up tight." he said grabbing the book. "You wouldn't happen to have the key for this would ya?"

The shopkeeper looked at the book handed to him only shake his head. "Nah, I traded it for some food but it didn't come with the key. I suppose they thought it would only stay here for a while but it's been a couple months. If you want it then I'll let it go for one piece."

"It doesn't have the key and you're still charging a piece? How's about you throw in a jar of honey and it's a deal."

"Yea, sure. I might as well since ya'll have been fair."

They bid farewell to the odd couple and Sunset followed close to Spike as he stopped to buy several bottles from a stand outside a bar. The duo continued through the maze of a town and arrived at the entrance as the sun hit midday. Spike ran a thorough check on both their bags before opening the door into the jungle of the Domains. It seemed to be even more overgrown than when they had first traveled through it.

"Can I have the book now?" Sunset asked before the two were too far from the town.

"Oh, right." Spike took it out and turned it over before focusing an intense fire on the lock. It melted off but left the cover slightly burnt and some of the page edges charred. "It's not perfect but this way you'll at least be able to use it." he said handing the book over to the girl.

Sunset took a moment to look through the pages and only to find nothing she could actually read. "Spike, what do you make of this?"

"Let me take a look." He scanned a few of the pages only to stop in the middle. "Huh, well would you look at that."

"What?"

"Well, this book is perfect for someone like you."

"Why do you say that?" she took it back as it was handed over to her once more.

"It's a book on the history of The Domains. Looks to be an account of several people throughout the ages. When we get some time I'll go ahead and translate the first couple of pages for you and write down some of the letters to have you get used to them."

"Thanks, Spike."

"It's no problem. Now, let's pick up the pace. I want to get to the border within the next two weeks. Hopefully, nothing happens along the way that'll cost us time." He said as he tore down some vegetation in the way with his claws and stamped out any of the encroaching vines to make a path for the two.

He was betting on the path to the border to be the same despite the years that had been stolen from him. If everything went according to his memory they'd reach the place well within the amount of time. However, there was no telling what had changed and what remained the same as the two traveled through the thick jungle landscape.

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait on a new chapter. I have other things going on which I guess isn't much of an excuse but rest assured I'm not dropping anything.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story. Please leave a comment or critique below as it helps me grow as a writer. I apologize for the delay and hope you have a great day!