I have no idea how my luck is holding out as well as it was though the second emerald I was after had gotten lodged into the side of a plateau. No one had seemed to notice it yet thinking it was best not to try and fly up their with my tails since, well it was at least twenty feet off the ground. So, tightening up my short I began my hour long climb up the plateau. I was thanking god that my sister wasn't here she would be laughing at my very slow pace and awkward footing. I could swear I was close to doing the splits once or twice.

It took nearly an hour before I had made my way to the emerald, looking at the emerald trying to think of how I could keep myself held in place while pulling it out. Then I let out a knowing smile, I remember my tails should be strong enough to hold me in place. Moving one tail to each side of me before striking them into the cliff side to hold me in place, before gripping onto the little exposed part of the emerald. With a few minutes of grunting and pulling on it with a loud pop it came out of the cliff.

Looking back at the spot it was pulled from it have a perfect form to the emerald. I saw the shadows of the day were getting longer with a string of silent curses, I had slipped the emerald into my pocket before gripping back onto the wall pulling my tails out of the two newly formed holes in the cliff-side.

It luckily didn't take me as long to get down though I may have panicked a bit when I lost grip and there is now about five or a dozen new holes in that cliff side. Once back on the ground I stretched popping my back some before starting to make my way back to the town. Right, now I am on stage one of three in the plans I have made so far for my new world.

Stage one, was gathering the emeralds while gathering the money and resources to start my own business. Stage two, work to upgrading the technology to the modern era while seeing if I can find a way of copying Eggman's plan of using the emeralds as a power source. The last stage, would me not only establishing a permanent base and some how prolonging my life without having to giving up something like my soul or my new intelligent.

Though I know it will most definitely take more steps than that but it was the general idea of what I was going to do. Well I do know how to understand how to stretch the most out of little money. Since being in college with a small part time job does that to people. The streets were basically empty at this point as I had finally made my way back into the town having slowed down to a reasonable speed when I was nearing the view of it. I still would rather keep my speed as my trump card if I really needed it along with also needing to practice my flight skills.

I had made my way back to the blacksmith to stash my second emerald, making my way into the building before locking it up behind myself. I made my way upstairs going into the room before slipping the emerald under the bed with the other. For now I would have to get use to being the blacksmith apprentice till I had worked my way up along with using half my pay to feed myself while saving the other.

Though as the days started seemed like they were flying by from doing the same things each day. For now I was more of an assistant only doing any hammering when my boss needed to do anything. Even know he said I was a natural I think he wanted to test my patience. Though if there was one thing I was it was patient, I remember I use to beat the principle to my school in high school the only people their were me and the janitors.

While the days seemed easy for me the days for the newly establish Equeastra were anything but easy. The newly crowned princesses were having to deal with the land settlements for the nobles, who would be paying for the new towns to be settled. They were also having to deal with the Crystal Empire who were refusing to become part of it, Princess Platinum was refusing to let go of the power of her kingdom to ones who had no idea what they were doing.

Though the Pegasus and earth ponies were happy enough to enter the fold of equality along with a good third of the unicorns from the Empire. The princesses were relying heavily on their old mentor for how to run things having gotten thousands of ponies but not sure where to settle them. StarSwirl was a bit stuck in his ways being in his later years, even know he hide it well from his students. He had help split up the large groups into well organized though he had a good amount of the unicorns settle with him in the castle, for as he said 'help his research'.

As the groups matched out to their appointed lands they started settling on the grasslands while staying away from the plains, seeing them as unexplored areas. With their subjects settling and the nobles satisfied for the time being it had took almost a month for them to get their country into a semi-stable position. Though it was time for them to start visiting one of the few world known countries, the Griffin Empire.

The month for me had went by easily I had learned most of the names of regulars and have even learned that while they have chain-mail they rarely make it as it takes too long to make each ring for it. The main troubles I have been having was keeping the two emeralds I had hidden even if the griffins didn't know what it was, better safe than sorry. I would rather not be a target for have such a large gem on my person.

Over the month I have been able to save up a decent sum of bits I was a few bits short of three hundred. I was walking around with a my small bit bag that I had attached to my tool belt. I notice a small crowd around the usually area I looked over to the post border. Oh, so today is a small tournament for chess. I could try it that was always a nice pastime for me before all this and I have played it a few times with Sharpen even if he wasn't too good at it. There was a small entry fee which was only five bits along with a five hundred bit prize.

I was a bit surprised after entering when I walked over to the five places set up for the tournament. There were nineteen other competitors four ponies, three minotaurs, three dragon clans, and the rest are griffins. The thing was one of this ponies really stood out mostly because he was dressed up like the stereotypical wizard with the hat, cape and even the long white beard! It took every ounce of my will power not to laugh at the ridiculousness of his hat since it even had it's own little bell.

He seemed to staring at me in either disbelief written all over his face along with a hint of curiosity. I might have been a bit lucky that me and him seemed to be in different brackets of the tournament. The first competitor, a teen griffin who the only way she could be more cocky was if she was part rooster, I was up against busted out laughing seeming to think she thought she got the luckiest person to go up against to the kid. Though after five minutes I called out checkmate and the female griffin's jaw looked as if it was about to hit the ground.

"Next, time miss it might not be a good idea to underestimate your opponent just because of their age or appearance." I said lightly before walking over shutting her mouth as my name was moved up higher on. The wizard had finished his match not too long after myself seem he had been almost bored and teasing the griffin who he was playing against. He had looked a bit surprised when he saw I had finished before him they had called him Starswirl.

Once, the first rounds were done all but one of the dragon clan members were knocked out along with all of the minotaurs though they seemed to shrug it off before heading over to the audience seeming to have just want to give it a try. I also saw that Hardened Wing was in the tournament he seemed to at least know what he was doing as he made it through the first rounds.

Within the first hour the first round had came to a close there were only two ponies left counting Starswirl and the other looking to be a guard of some kind though seemed to be a pegasus. My next victim, um I mean opponent was the guard pony I will give him this much to his credit he was trying his best to counter my moves. The problem was he didn't pay attention to the layout I was putting my pieces in and about about ten minute of back and forth I called checkmate. With only taking four of his pieces, took both his knights and his two mages, which is what they called the bishop.

The guard strolled over to waiting in the crowd which I could swear I heard a string of what I was guessing was pony curse words being spilled under his breath. This time I saw that the wizard was having to focus much harder as he was up against Hardened, who was in charge of the garrison that was in town. I've had many conversation with him while helping or waiting for Sharpen Claw to finish a new project for him. He was in his early thirties having been not only the captain but the as he likes to call himself the motivation that the guards do the jobs right and make no mistakes.

Though I was sad to see he was out maneuvered Hardened I was a bit excited this could be a nice change since it was a bit hard to not get cocky since Tails' mind is impressive. I have been having to drift off some so I don't beat the regular people in five moves. I mean over the first week I had to force myself to not list off things I could have done to improve the forge, so it would burn hotter and had to stop my hands from trying to use my boss' metal to make my own inventions.

While I could most likely will do this when I have my own business and enough Bits saved up that I will not have to worry about my inventions breaking the bank. I wanted to keep just how good my mind was till I had established my own business, whether from getting the shop from my boss or buying my own building. I was finally snapped out of my thoughts when they called out saying round two was done we're down to five people. The ones left were myself, the wizard pony, the dragon clan woman, and two griffins who looked to be in their sixties.

We all had took a seat as the people running the tournament saying how that the last stage is a sudden death round they will pick two names at random of the last five and the last person left is the winner. I wondered who would be going first as the griffin judge reached into a helmet pulling out two names. "Oh first two competitors are, Starswirl vs Grey Feather." The announcer called out as the wizard pony and one of the elder griffins walked up to the now one table.

While us, the other competitors, watched as the two took a staggering two goddamn hours to play the game mostly because the old man took so long to do his move, but come on! They could have have just disqualified him for taking so long though I guess those rules hadn't been added yet. We were all blessing our god or goddess when Starswirl finished the other old griffin dropped out to go and hang out with his grand chicks since it was taking too long.

So by default they had choose to have me go up against the female dragon clan member, whose name I found out was Cloudy Onyx. She had proven much more of a challenge then the other opponents, she had scanned the board making sure to do her best to counter my plans. Though luckily that she had seemed to pay no mind to the pawns seeming to see them as more as distractions than really threats. That was her largest mistake as she got sloppy and even more when I surprised her by taking her queen with a pawn making her go into almost a rage of plays, which shortly after it began I declared checkmate.

With a large growl she bowed her head before standing out and heading out to the crowd sitting down glaring at me as the board was being reset Starswirl walked over sitting across from me. "Well little Miles, it seems it is down to me and you though one thing I won't be going easy on you even if you are a foal." Starswirl said his gaze hardened as he looked down at me.

I was wondering if this was his attempting to scare me or was he just like this when he was serious, so I choose to push back. "Well Mr. Starswirl, since it is down to us I will make sure not to go easy on an old man like yourself. I'll be sure to finish you off fast so you can get back to your grand kits." I replied with a wide toothy grin almost getting a flinch out of the old man with my large canines showing. This was most likely going to me my hardest challenge so far though I am not going to go down without a fight if I lose, oh well if I win I will more than double my money so let the final round begin.

Author's Note

Well I finally might have a job for a while so will be a bit slower. Though I am looking for someone who has the time if they want to be either a proofreader or editor for either of my stories. If you see any mistakes please leave a comment and I'll fix it as soon as possible, other than that enjoy!