Final Fantasy: Warriors of the Crystal

Chapters

Prologus
Welcome to Cornelia
The Wild Rose
Eternal Wind
The Red Wings
Battle on the Big Bridge
Balance and Ruin
The Soldier

Prologus

When the tribes first met under the banner of peace and understanding, Equestria as a concept had barely been a spark in anypony's eyes. They were grateful enough to have survived the blizzard, and having a land to call their own went beyond anypony’s wildest dreams. It seemed like a new age had dawned upon them, one that would change the course of Equine history forever. In a way, they were mostly correct...

-=*=-

The cave's light was very dim, supported only by various luminescent fungi here and there. This did not deter the individual that was making his way through it, however. Despite wearing fairly heavy plate barding that covered most of his body, it, nor his hooves, made much sound as he picked his way towards his goal. It was not long before he set eyes upon that which he came here for.

"So, there it is," he intoned in a deep, baritone voice. A voice that spoke of age, of experience, of power. As he stepped forward, the ambient light in the cave began the grow, not from the cave moss or mushrooms about, but from the single, solitary, and quite sizable, crystal that floated before the armor-clad pony. It cast a warm, inviting glow, a light borne from the fire of passion, of life, of the zeal one experiences from happiness shared with friends, family, lovers, and glory.

"The time has come for this light,” the horn on the pony's head began to emit a dark, cold glow, “to be extinguished."

He lifted his forehoof to point the tip of his greave, as black as night as the rest of his armor, at the crystal. For but a few scant moments it seemed as if time itself was halted within the cave, for he did not move even an inch, and the luminescence from both his horn and the crystal seemed to simply hang in the air. This did not last, however, as a moment more saw a point of pure darkness spring into existence midway between the unicorn and the crystal. This mote of energy seemed to draw in the light of the crystal, as much as it fed on the magic being focused into it from the pony, and soon after, this siphoning began to spread a crack on the surface of the crystal itself. Before long, the strain of the spell the unicorn cast overwhelmed the crystal, the mote having long since become a ball of cold, lightless void, and the crystal shattered into innumerable shards, most of which crumbled to dust as soon as they touched ground, and the fire within vanished into the ether.

"Soon," the unicorn mused, "all will know of the coming darkness, of the unbridled fury of everlasting chaos, and then they will know of His reign."

With that, the pony turned back to whence he came, and as he walked by, bit by bit, it seemed the cave became far more darker than it was before he made his presence known.

-=*=-

Azure Vessel had spent most of his youth hearing of the tales of old about unicorn mages of such power, they were christened as if gods, of pegasus fliers whose command of the sky was like unto an artist painting upon their canvas, a masterpiece, and of the earthborne warriors under whose hooves the very ground trembled in fear and whose paths few animals and monsters dared to cross. He had heard of the legendary exploits of such heroes as Commander Hurricane, Chancellor Puddinghead, and Princess Platinum, but the stories that truly had him captivated were the discoveries made by Star Swirl the Bearded. His research into the various mysteries of magic had made the past decade far easier for the three tribes together than they had ever had apart.

Azure was but a foal when his parents had picked up their lives and moved to a new land called Equestria. It had recently been found by the three leaders and their scouting bands. He did not remember much about his previous home, but there was not much to remember that was worthy of doing so from what his parents always told him. He always saw a grave look of sadness and pain in their eyes whenever they spoke of their homeland, so he became determined that the best way to see them happy, and in doing so ensure his own happiness, was to enjoy all that this new land, this Equestria, had to offer, and to study and learn about what new discoveries were being made here. As a unicorn, that also meant that Azure was always interested in what new advances in magic had to offer.

It was this drive to learn that caught the eye of one of Star Swirl the Bearded's pupils, Clover the Clever, as Azure Vessel practiced various basic spells he had heard about, one afternoon. It was on the outskirts of the newly and hastily built shanty town known as Cornelia that his family lived in, where Azure had something of an unfortunate magical accident that resulted in a large explosion. The various ponies nearby, which happened to include the visiting Clover from Everfree Castle, rushed to the scene, only to find an unconscious, off-white unicorn with a vibrant blue mane and tail laying on his side, surrounded by the blue remnant energy of a spell gone awry. Clover had been visiting the town on an official inspection and hadn't been expecting any sort of magical or medical emergency to happen, but when he saw this unicorn amidst this energy, he knew something odd was happening. As the other ponies rushed Azure Vessel to the town's white mage for healing, Clover took note of the wisps of cobalt drifting through the air, all of it emanating from the young unicorn. It reminded him of something Star Swirl mentioned about a line of magic he had stumbled upon, almost by accident, but hadn't had the chance to pursue further for study. Perhaps, Clover thought, this might be the time to get a few answers of his own.

Clover the Clever spent the next several days talking with the young Azure Vessel, inquiring about the nature of the explosion, what Azure was doing, or rather hoping to attempt doing, and who he studied unicorn magic under. Azure and his parents informed Clover that they could not afford a proper tutor, nor could they send Azure to a class to learn, as what little wealth they had was spent to get them here. Azure had simply began trying to cast spells he heard about from what the bards and dancers spoke and sang of whenever they came through town. As his parents knew only the most basic of unicorn spells, they taught him what they could, but it was scarcely more than simple telekinesis- that which all unicorns are taught.

Clover saw within Azure potential, the potential to become something more than simply another face in the crowd, the potential to reach new heights of arcane power, and the potential to possibly prove one of Star Swirl's theories, or even found a new branch of magic altogether. However, Clover knew such potential had to first be forged into actual skill. It was this resolve that he offered to tutor Azure Vessel himself, in exchange for Azure's help in his own magical research for Star Swirl as his apprentice. Azure, and his parents, were thrilled beyond measure. They knew this was his chance to make something of himself.

Being something of an accomplished scholar himself, Clover was confident that he could teach the young Azure a good deal of magic, either white or black, whichever way his talents leaned. He could be a respectable white mage, or a skilled black mage. Clover had studied under the great sage Star Swirl, and his grimoire held many of his mentor's spells and theories, so he was confident his tutelage would help Azure learn what his skill was, and hopefully earn him his cutie mark in the process.

After helping him with basic magic theory, Clover began teaching him basic, easily learned white and black spells, seeing which spells Azure took to, which he couldn't grasp, and which he disdained. While Azure took easily enough to the theories and knowledge of magic itself, he did not seem to be capable of moving much beyond simple cure and fire spells. One skill Azure did pick up easily enough, surprisingly, was swordplay.

Clover found this out after observing Azure one afternoon as he took a break from lessons, and took to watching the guards drill in the courtyard of Everfree Castle with their swords, lances, and various other weapons. After but a few moments, Azure had begun swinging a nearby wooden sword in crude arcs with his magic, roughly imitating the guards' movements, but there was a hint of skill in how he handled the weapon. As Clover watched, Azure seemed to get better and better at handling the weapon, and then that's when the blue wisps of magical energy began to appear again. Intrigued, Clover continued to observe, and soon after, a number of the guards also noticed the young unicorn colt swinging the wooden sword around as if he were a practiced swordsman, wisps of cerulean smoke and energy trailing after the blade. What caught Clover's attention the most, however, were Azure Vessel's eyes. No longer were they the sapphire blue they normally were, but instead they glowed a pale, sky-blue light, wholly obscuring his actual eyes, giving him an otherworldly appearance. It seemed he moved as if possessed of some spirit, but a moment later he laid the sword to rest and his eyes returned to normal. Azure then turned to Clover, a smile on his face, and the mark of a sword wrapped in blue smoke upon his flank.

Welcome to Cornelia

It was a bright and sunny afternoon, the kind that was perfect for a relaxing afternoon nap, or perhaps a picnic. Taking a stroll through the park would not be out of the question, nor would taking one's pet out for exercise be unheard of. Azure Vessel, however, was not partaking in any of those diversions. He had other things on his mind, mainly the new spell he had learned recently on his latest outing on patrol.

He had been assigned that duty by his mentor, Clover the Clever, upon his return home to Cornelia, and was to train with the town guards while he continued his magical studies abroad. Star Swirl and Clover had determined that Azure Vessel's magic was a rare and unexplored variety that wasn't seen much before in the unicorn community, and as such, wanted to test it and see what it could do. They quickly found out that while Azure did indeed have magical talent, it was a talent that lent itself to copying the ambient magic that surrounded him and the world around him. He would only grow stronger as he experienced more of the world and of others within it. In time, Azure would learn to harness the energies that various creatures used when they attacked or defended, and he would learn to use these powers for himself. Star Swirl had said that such a talent, as rare as it was, could potentially unlock many secrets of the world, and thus named the new field of study blue magic, after Azure Vessel himself. As for Azure, he would be Equestria's first blue mage.

It was with this intent to give Azure the skills he needed to survive his studies that Clover asked his good friend Sergeant Pansy to help train him in the ways of the warrior, so that he may defend himself with blade while he armed himself with magic. Azure's talent with a sword had not gone unnoticed, and it was this talent that helped him defend against untimely misfortunes. Today's patrol in the wilderness around town had led to one such occurrence, and to Azure's discovery of how his particular brand of magic worked. It had been a painful experience, but it had also been enlightening as well. Azure's patrol had come across a group of diamond dog bandits accosting an earthborne merchant caravan, and moved to help the beleaguered ponies. Azure had followed Sergeant Pansy's advice and sought out an opponent he estimated was not much more powerful than himself. One thing that Azure was not keen on was biting off more than he could chew, at least, not until he had gained more of a mastery over his skills, magical or otherwise.

That fight had taught him that estimation was also a skill he needed work on, as the smaller diamond dog he had singled out turned out to be quick on his paws, as well as in possession of a strength that belied his small stature. Azure fought hard to keep up with the diamond dog's movements, but eventually the miniature brute found an opening in the unicorn's defenses, and charged up a punch that packed more kick than Azure thought possible from such a meager opponent. Just before the punch connected, Azure Vessel swore he could see leylines as small as cracks in a vase or pane of glass surrounding the fist of the diamond dog, being drug along with it as it added power to the hit. The fist, as it connected and began the process of giving Azure a solid black eye, transferred that energy, adding to the pain. More importantly, though, was the fact that at that moment, Azure's magic reacted to the punch on its own, drawing in that energy and making it a part of itself. Making it a part of him.

Azure Vessel quickly caught himself as the force of the punch sent him reeling a good several feet. He quickly tried to shake off the dizziness accompanying the assault, for he still had this diamond dog thief to deal with. As the rogue prepared for another attack, Azure felt an energy swelling up from deep within. It gave him pause, for he had never felt his magic act in this manner before, even when Clover had attempted to teach him various beginner black magics. It felt raw, wild, untamed, and aggressive. As it filled his being with the power, he noticed that the gem bags and caskets of the merchant's caravan begin to glow and become more noticeable, and he had the inexplicable need to hoard them, much like a... diamond dog... would.

As the diminutive diamond dog was about to reach his quarry and deliver another beating, Azure's hoof filled with the energy he had been building, and he reeled back, his eyes aglow with the same soft blue light Clover first saw in the courtyard of Everfree Castle a small hooffull of years ago. The diamond dog had but a moment to contemplate the unnerving and unusual scene before him before Azure's hoof shot forward, filled to the brim with the same energy the diamond dog had used in his prior punch. Unlike the bandit's punch, however, Azure's hoof had the same blue trailing of magic his sword sometimes emitted, and when the punch connected the diamond dog was sent flying a good several yards. The brigand collapsed on the ground upon his landing, and Azure studied him closely in case he would get up, prepared for more, but the dog did not stand. Azure had scarcely believed he had bested the mangy hound, and looked about to see if any others were ready to pounce on him to avenge their fallen comrade, but the scene around him was one he wasn't expecting. The rest of the patrol guards had already apprehended the other diamond dogs, and everypony: guard, merchant, and diamond dog alike, were all staring at Azure Vessel, unsure of what just happened.

The diamond dogs were the first to react, suddenly showing great fear of the young unicorn. Some of them began howling, others mumbling something about 'the soul eater is advent,' and most of the rest simply began crying. The earthborne merchants were unnerved by the racket more than they were of the unusual magic the unicorn with the sword displayed, although they remained wary of Azure all the same. The guards, to their credit, simply began the process of post-combat checkups for the wounded and to get the details of the attack before they arrived from the merchants. The white mage unicorn assigned to the patrol unit began bandaging what few wounds were present, while one of the earthborne, a large burgundy stallion, strode forward towards Azure Vessel.

"Well, howdy there, pardner," the stallion spoke, "I reckon that there magic of yours is might handy round these parts here. The name's Apple Mousse, and this here's mah family's caravan. We just happen to be passin' by on our way to the Cornelian market, when them thar blasted diamond dogs decided our gem caskets were just ripe for the pickin'. We were holdin' them off just fine until that small one you knocked out howled and brought in more of the varmints. We might not have made it out of here alive if it weren't fer the lot of you guards arriving when you did. We owe you our thanks, and our lives." As he said that, Apple Mousse tipped his large, straw hat towards Azure, and nodded his appreciation.

"So, what's your name there, haystack?"

"It's Azure Vessel, sir," Azure responded, "and I am glad that you all are fine. I am also glad that the fight is over. It was rather scary and -OWW- painful." Azure held a hoof up to his eye tenderly, seeking to assuage the pain throbbing from it that the diamond dog's punch had left for him.

-=*=-

Azure Vessel continued to drill in that afternoon sun just on the outskirts of town. While he only managed to scrape by with a black eye, he knew that if it were any more dangerous a foe than a diamond dog, he would fare far worse. He also trained here, for it was here that he and his friend Highwind often sparred with each other, or just simply hung out and shared tales of the day. Highwind was a pegasus that Azure met shortly after his return from his studies in Everfree Castle, and the two hit it off quickly. The sky-blue coated, sun-yellow maned pegasus with the cutie mark of a skyward pointing lance surrounded by the wings of a dragon, hailed from a newly founded city to the north that went by the name of Cloudsdale, a community that was mostly pegasi, but had integrated some unicorn and earthborne ponies in the spirit of the three tribes uniting. Cloudsdale had quickly amassed a small fortune due to the gem mines they had found with the help of the earthborne residents, and had opened some trade with a nearby dragon community. The dragons, in return for a steady food supply of gems, help from the pegasi controlling the local weather, and mutual protection between themselves and the ponies, shared knowledge of ancient history, dragon magics, and, most importantly, the skills of how to fight as a dragon. Only a few ponies were capable of learning these skills, but those that did became fearsome and unrelenting warriors that took to the skies in great leaps, regardless of whether the practitioner was pegasus, earthborne, or unicorn, striking down upon their foes with all the fury of a dragon, their lances like unto the claws of the great beasts themselves. Their breath held all of the elements of the dragon's very own, and the traditional armor that these warriors wore resembled the enormous wyrms from whom they learned such skills.

It was these fighting skills and this armor that the select warriors who managed to master the training necessary wore that led to them being known as Dragon Knights in noble circles, but they were simply known to the ponies at large as “dragoons”. It was Azure's friend, Highwind, that was among the few that managed to endure the many trials faced by hopefuls, and who now walked down the draconic path as a wyrmling, a title in the dragoon order for one who has just begun to earn the title of dragoon, and was still in training, but was worthy to hold their lance high alongside their brothers and sisters in arms. It was Highwind that Azure now waited for at their usual hangout spot, for he had quite a tale to tell today.

It was not long before the tell-tale sign of the dragoon made itself known. Azure heard the flapping of wings, and looked to the sky as he always did, spotting his friend coming in for a landing. His friend's armor, fashioned into the likeness of a purple dragon with green fringed highlights, clung tightly to his frame, allowing the pegasus the flexibility needed for his craft, while still providing substantial protection. His lance was strapped to his back, just out of the way of his wings, being neither in the way of his flight, nor too out of the way for a fight. Azure could tell by the slight sigh and bit of sag in his step Highwind gave as he touched ground that he had not only been out on patrol as well, but that he too had an encounter. More than likely Highwind had his own story to tell today.

"It is great to see you, Azure," Highwind sighed as the toll of the day finally began to catch up to him, "I have quite a story to tell today, and I would dare say you would be hard pressed to match it for a while." Highwind had a slight smirk upon his lips as he delivered the news. Azure had only a grin with which to respond to his friend's boast; it seemed that today's game of 'Can You Top This?' would be an epic one, indeed.

"Before I begin, however," Highwind continued, "it would seem that you fared a bit worse for wear by today's trials than I. Pray tell, have you been looked after by the healers?" Azure simply waved off his friend's concern.

"I'm fine, Highwind. It's nothing but a black eye. How I got it is part of the tale I have to share with you today, and that, my friend, is far more interesting than a bit of bruising and some bandages."

"Very well, if you say so. Now, shall I regale you with the entirety of the tale of our encounter with a manticore, or shall I simply jump straight to the part where I showed the beast who its better was?" Highwind had begun to puff himself up with a bit of pride at this point, but Azure knew it was mostly an act. Highwind at heart was a humble and loyal friend, but his admittance into the dragoons, along with his battle prowess, sometimes managed to get the better of him and go to his head. Azure, however, usually managed to reign him in and bring him back down to the ground, so to speak, before his ego got too large for his shoulders.

"Your name is Highwind, not Longwind. Just the short and sweet version, if you would. The sun continues on its course, and I doubt the solar magisters would hold it up long enough for your story to find its conclusion. I have to have enough time to manage to surmount your story with my own, as well." With that, Azure began the leisurely stroll towards Cornelia's inn, where most of the villagers would spend the late afternoons and evenings to relax after a day of toil. Highwind followed suit as he began his tale.

-=*=-

The manticore had various cuts and bruises along its hide, but none were too serious or life threatening, at least as long as they were looked after right away. The squad of guard ponies he was facing down, on the other hoof, weren't looking so well off. A couple of them were unconscious, knocked out cold from a swipe or two from the back of the great beat's paws, and most of the others were bleeding some, having gotten a bit too close to the fiend's claws for their own good. Highwind, among the guards, had managed to avoid the worst of the creature's attacks, but could not find an opening into which to focus his assault. His lance and his training did a good job of keeping the manticore at length, but it also let the beast fight defensively against him, using said distance to predict and block most of the pegasus' strikes. Highwind realized that this was getting him and his allies nowhere, and figured the beast would not expect an assault from above if he could get the others to get its attention long enough.

Highwind noticed three of the guards, Vicks, Wedge, and the sergeant in charge, Biggs, preparing a sneak attack from the manticore's blindside, and continued his parry and thrust routine with the beast, intent on keeping his attention long enough to let his allies succeed. The manticore flicked its ear at just the right moment, and turned to face the new threats right as Wedge charged forward with his sword clenched in his teeth. He lunged at the manticore, taking a swipe with his sword, and was met with the backside of the manticore's paw, tossing him off to the side and into the bark of a tree. Meanwhile, Vicks and Biggs had moved to the monstrosity's sides, working with each other to flank their opponent. The manticore's attention split between the two of them, the guards pressed forward, parrying and deflecting both claw and poisonously barbed tail as they worked to tire the beast out enough to find an opening. Just as they were about to press in for an attack, Vicks slipped on a piece of moss, losing his footing. Sensing this, the manticore lunged at him, catching Vicks off guard, and raked his claws across him, sending him flying and screaming as the pain of the wound took hold. Biggs, now no longer with the advantage of Vicks on the other side of the creature, gained the full attention of the beast, and took a single gulp as the manticore smiled a toothy grin at his soon-to-be lunch.

The manticore never got the chance, as Highwind came screaming out of the sky, a roar within his throat that shook both Biggs and the manticore down to their very cores in fear. The two of them looked up in time to see Highwind land on the manticore's back with a sickening crunch, lance plunged deeply into the beast's hide. Moments later, he jumped from his perch on the creature's back, wrenching his lance from the body of the beast. The manticore roared in pain as it took a swipe at Highwind. The pegasus managed to avoid it as he landed on the ground, turned, and let loose another roar of his own, this time accompanied by the fire of his fury at seeing his friends and allies laying strewn about like so many rag dolls. The gout of emerald flame that shot forth from his mouth pushed the manticore back and caught his fur on fire, scorching the beast even further. It tried to flee, but the combination of the wound from Highwind's assault from above, along with his fire, turned out to be too much, and the beast fell, overcome by the might of a dragon in pony form.

-=*=-

Azure Vessel stared at his friend in awe and wonderment. To confront a beast as great and powerful as a manticore and survive to tell the tale was indeed worthy of boast, but to be able to breathe as the dragons do, that was what set Highwind and the other dragoons apart, surely. However, one thing nagged at the back of his mind about his friend's tale.

"You tell of what the others did while you were in the sky," Azure began, "but tell me, how did you know what they did? Certainly, with the wounds they took that you described, they would be in no condition to tell you."

"You are aware," Highwind responded, "that pegasus eyesight is superior to that of unicorn or earthborne, but for the training needed to become a dragoon, we must be able to see as the dragon sees, hear as the dragon hears, and be as the dragon is. Everything my allies and my enemies do is but an open book to me, a play put on a stage that my actions narrate, and thus do I make my strike when and where I need to. The strain upon my body is great indeed, but the ability to strike as I please, and to command the fear of my opponents, is all but too well worth the cost."

"Indeed," Azure concluded, "it does seem as though the dragon knights have the prowess to leave a battlefield as broken and sundered as the dragons themselves do." The duo had arrived at the main square of the village, and the inn came into view as they continued their stroll through town, recanting their tales. "However, when you hear of what new magics I have discovered, you may just yet wish you had been born unicorn instead of pegasus, my high flying friend."

No sooner than that was said, and Highwind was about to give a response, than a scream of some mare shot out through the air of the village square. Azure Vessel and Highwind immediately perked up, sensing trouble on the way, and gathered what energy they had left for the day. It seemed that they weren't destined to share that drink just yet.

The Wild Rose

The Wild Rose

Azure Vessel and Highwind galloped towards the source of the scream, both readying their weapons just in case it was something that warranted intervention of the town guards. Not much happened in such a small town as Cornelia, and what little did wasn't something that required readied weapons, but the two youthful stallions were still on edge from the day, and neither had a chance to wind down much from their respective battles. Azure had sincerely hoped it was nothing more than some mare coming across a rat or dropping her basket into a puddle of mud or something equally silly, but the tone of the scream hinted at some form of actual danger in his ears. A quick glance over to Highwind seemed to show a similar thought forming in his mind, judging from the look on his face.

As the two ponies rounded the corner of the street, the sight they were greeted with gave them reason to pause, and quickly. Before them were two mares and a stallion, all three dressed exquisitely, all three unicorn, but that is where the similarities ended. Azure took the measure of the scene before him to gauge his next action, as Highwind did much the same. One of the mares and the stallion stood together on one side of the street, the mare standing behind the stallion, who was leading down slightly. He was favoring his front left leg, a thin line of red visible on his orange coat, slowly dripping a crimson fluid down his leg and onto his rather fancy looking jacket, which had a similar gash at the same location as the wound. He held in his magical aura a fencing rapier, pointed at the second mare, who stood across the street from him, facing him with a rapier of her own.

She held not some posh showpiece of a sword, but a rapier that was designed more for war than for quietly collecting dust over some mantle. Its blade held an auburn hue to it, while the cross guard incorporated the imagery of a rose and its thorny stem. The unicorn mare holding it aloft in her dark red magical aura was dressed in similar elegance. Draped across her withers was a short red cape, with a clasp and chain in a similar rose and thorns motif, all of which casually concealed a red jacket that had gold buttons down the front, a turnover collar, and a white kerchief tied as the neck piece. Upon her head rested a stylish red chapeau with a white feather featured prominently to one side. Her mane and tail, which were both combed smooth and seemingly had a shimmer to them, shared a similar crimson color, but it was of a somewhat lighter shade, and her coat bore a soft pink color. The cutie mark upon her flank was that of a rose whose thorny stem was wrapped around a wine glass half filled with a dark, reddish liquid of some sort. The mare held a smirk on her snout as her lavender eyes almost laughed merrily at the stallion before her.

"My, my," the sanguine mare started, "what a delightfully dreadful way to react to a jest. Do you always show mirth by drawing steel, or was that particular punchline just a tad bit closer to home than you'd like?" It seemed that she was taunting him, and the stallion responded in kind by lunging his rapier at the arrogant mare before him. The red-clad mare simply flicked her rapier a bit and deftly parried his clumsy thrust, while continuing with a verbal riposte.

"You know, Lord Byton, if you did not want such jokes making the rounds, then perhaps you might want to keep your dalliances out of the public eye, or at least learn to hold your liquor better than you're holding your sword now." With that, she parried a thrust from the stallion, turned the blade to the side, caught the cross guard of his sword, and flicked his rapier away behind her, plunging it blade first into the wood of a nearby building. The stallion, and the mare accompanying him, both had a look of shock across their faces, which shortly were replaced with angry glares as both of their horns lit up. The vermillion mare simply held a smile on her face in response.

"Ah, then if it is a duel of magics that you want," she said in an almost sing-song voice, “all you had to do was ask!"

The shock of coming across one duel ending and another immediately beginning wore off of both Azure Vessel and Highwind at about the same time, and the two stallions knew that they had to end this before it got much further out of hoof and got innocent bystanders hurt. Azure drew his sword while Highwind drew his lance, and they interposed themselves between the dueling parties, Highwind facing the stallion and mare duo, and Azure facing the red-clad mare.

"Be careful of that one, my friend," Highwind said in a low voice to Azure, while keeping the stallion and mare steadily in the focus of his jade eyes, "She bears the trappings of a red mage, skilled in sword and spells both white and black." Azure nodded as he produced the badge of the Cornelian Town Guard from his scabbard.

"We are of the Cornelian Town Guard," Azure spoke forcefully, "We must ask you to put away your weapons, discharge your spells, and do not put others at risk. Speak with us so that we may work out your problems together, or leave town and work out your grievances in the wilds." The red mage looked at Azure and once again took up a smirk on her lips.

"Aren't you a little young to be a town guard? I was unaware that Cornelia drafted colts to wash its streets clean of rabble such as this." She flicked her head, motioning to Byton and the mare with him. Byton's response was simply to growl and snort back at her while the mare with him continued to hold a look of horror at the whole affair. Azure, for his own part, wasn't sure how to respond to her insult, but he kept a steady eye on her all the same, looking for any sudden movements. After a few tense moments, the mare with Byton had calmed down enough to managed a hurried and scared whisper into his ear.

"Sugarplum, dear," she worriedly exclaimed while eying Highwind, "isn't that one of those so called dragon knights? The ones we hear about from the north? Do you really want to antagonize one of them? That uncouth mare is one thing, but I really don't want to be eaten by a dragon. Let's go, please?" She tugged at Byton's sleeve for slight emphasis, accidentally tearing it further at the cut from the red mage's blade. Byton took one annoyed look at the mare, then back to the junior guards ponies in front of him, and then finally to the red mage.

"It seems today is your lucky day, Vintessa," Byton taunted, "the town guards have arrived to save your sorry flank from the righteous beating it is due." Byton and his mare began a hasty retreat as he continued, "You won't be so fortunate the next we meet." As he made his way down the street, he momentarily tripped on a cobblestone, nearly falling flat on his face, before catching himself and disappearing around the nearest corner. Vintessa, as Byton had called the red mage, merely laughed a delightfully merry laugh, so full of life that is nearly made a tinkling sound as it rang through the air. Azure Vessel and Highwind looked on at her in confusion. After what seemed like a minute or so, Vintessa regained her composure.

"Oh dear, it seems Byton has once again gotten it into his head that he can simply lift a sword and assume he is a master bladespony." Vintessa looked towards Azure, "I doubt he could live twenty lifetimes and gather but a fraction of your skill. Hello, allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Vintessa LaRouge, red mage, master swordsmare, and connoisseur of the finest spirits and wines this side of Everfree. However," She paused, taking a moment to cast a critical eye over Azure, "I suppose a strapping young stallion such as yourself could oblige me and simply call me Vin for short." With that, Vin sheathed her sword with a flourish, and in the same maneuver, managed to take off her hat whilst giving Azure and Highwind an elaborate bow. After a moment, her hat found its way back to her head, and Vin turned to look about the place.

"So, where would be the best place around this quaint little town of yours to find a relaxing drink?" Azure, still not quite certain what to make of this unusual mare, shot a quick glance to Highwind, who was carefully hiding his bewilderment beneath the draconic face of his helm, and then returned to Vin, who wore a warm, if somewhat mischievous, smile upon her face, awaiting an answer. After fumbling for an moment, Azure managed to gain a hold of his voice.

"W-well, my lady, a good place around here would be the inn. My friend and I were actually o-on our way there, actually, and if you'd like, we would like- err, I would like- I MEAN... We could take you along with us. Perhaps you can explain why you were dueling Lord Byton in the middle of the road along the way?" Why was this mare making him so nervous, Azure thought. He really had no reason to be wary of her much more than any other armed adventurer that occasionally made their way through Cornelia. What made her so different?

For her part, Vin simply smiled at Azure and giggled a slight bit, "Perhaps I shall, although I can assure you anything pertaining to that oaf is certain to put you to sleep where you stand." Vin turned to follow Azure and Highwind as they made their way to the inn, "I hear there are actually some black mages that use tales of Byton as the verbal components to their Sleep spells, and swear it makes them more effective. I am fairly inclined to believe them, knowing the lout personally."

-=*=-

Evening had long since set, and the night had taken hold of the lands, yet Vin, Azure, and Highwind continued to travel down memory's lane. Vin related the latest tale of Byton's attempts to claim the title of master swordstallion by virtue of not stabbing himself, figuring out which end of a blade to hold, and him foalishly challenging her to a duel. Azure and Highwind, their stamina not quite the equal of Vin's, were rapidly beginning to feel as if she were casting Sleep upon them just by continuing to expound Byton's virtues, or lack thereof. It also did not help that Vin's speech was slightly slurred from all the connoisseuring she was doing of the inn's finest, stoutest ale.

Just as the need for rest was about to claim Azure in the heady fragrance of sleep, Vin asked him a question that managed to drag him back for the precipice of unconsciousness.

"Have either of the two of you ever heard tell of the Cave of Wishes?" At the mention of this, Azure and Highwind both perked up a bit, brought to wakefulness at Vin's asking of an old tale they both thought was just a local myth. The two stallions had lived in Cornelia for only a few years each, but they had been around long enough to almost be certain that Vin wasn't from around the area, so they were unsure as to how she came about such knowledge. After a moment's consideration, Azure spoke up.

"We have, indeed," he answered, "but we were not aware word of such a minor local story had spread much beyond the rocks and birds here. It is thought to be nothing more than a simple foal's game, meant to entertain the young as they waste time searching for something that isn't there." Azure held a slight blush as he told of his knowledge of the tale. If Highwind had any sort of reaction himself, the visage of the dragon upon his helm hid it, and wasn't going to tell. Vin chuckled a little before continuing.

"Oh, I assure you it is more than some foal's errand. Legends speak of a great treasure within the cave, hidden away only to be found by adventurers with the keenest of eyes and sharpest of minds. Nopony really knows what, exactly, this treasure consists of, but it is said to grant the wildest dreams of the pony that finds it. A treasure such as that, well, it would be worth quite a fortune, should it be found." Vin leaned back, her ale mug held firmly in the grasp of her magic, and imagined the vast wealth with which she would be bestowed upon finding the treasure. A small laugh escaped her lips as Azure and Highwind looked to each other.

"My lady," Highwind began, "while the Cave of Wishes would be worthy of searching for, I believe you've come here on time lost. Some have come before, as I am told by the elders, looking for this treasure you seek, and all have either left empty-hooved, never having found the cave, or not left at all, becoming as lost as the cave itself. While I would wish you luck, I would not hope to expect to find much in some dusty and half-forgotten hole in the ground, were I you." Azure gave a slight nod in agreement as Highwind finished.

"I would agree," she responded, "were it not for the fact that I have knowledge of a part of the tale that is not well known, even around here." Vin held a knowing smile upon her lips, her eyes on the two stallions. The two of them shot each other a quick glance before Azure spoke up.

"What knowledge would that be, that would grant you what the cave would deny others?" Azure couldn't imagine what Vin could know that would suddenly make the Cave of Wishes appear before her and no others.

"Ah ah!" Vin retorted with a laugh, as she set down her mug, "That is for me to know! I wouldn't do well to simply give away my secret. However," she continued to eye the two stallions before her, "I might be convinced to share it with you if you two were to be my personal guides as I search the area. While I am capable of taking care of myself, it would be a much faster process if I had the able help of someponies as obviously talented as the two of you." She held a smile and shared a wink as Azure and Highwind suddenly became rather self aware of themselves. Azure's blush deepened, and Highwind turn to the side slightly, scratching the back of his head under his helm. Having gotten the reaction she had hope, Vin let out a small, giddy laugh.

"I'll take that as a yes, then," she continued, "Lovely, excellent, then perhaps I shall turn in for the night. We have a full day's worth of exploring to do, and a mare needs her beauty sleep. Until the morn comes, my guides." With that, Vin stood from the table, carrying her drink with her as she made her way up the stairs of the inn towards her room. It was a minute before Azure and Highwind could bring themselves to even move, so rife with confusion over what just happened.

-=*=-

It was morning when Azure heard the news from Sergeant Pansy. Highwind's patrol suffered a major setback, with almost the whole unit laid up in the white mage's tents, unable to go on patrol for quite some time. Highwind and Sergeant Biggs were the only ones relatively unhurt, and the two of them were given some time off to rest and recover. However, that had left the town short a unit to do patrols, and so the rest were going to have to work harder to cover the shortfall. Azure wasn't too keen on the idea of extra shifts, but he knew it had to be done. Sergeant Pansy, to Azure's surprise, had a different assignment for him instead.

It seemed an adventurer had come into town recently, seeking the Cave of Wishes or some such, and the town elders weren't keen on having this one getting lost on them. Azure had a fairly good idea who it was, but he kept silent on the subject, letting Pansy carry on. He told Azure that he was assigned to be the guide of this adventurer, as he was one of the best fighters the town had. While Azure wasn't certain of that statement of his skills, he agreed to the assignment nonetheless. The spark of curiosity as to Vin's mystery knowledge had taken hold of him, to some degree. He was told to meet his charge in the town square in an hour, and to ready himself for a bit of a hike in the wilderness. Azure nodded, and was off.

Not long afterwards, Azure sat by the fountain in the center of town, his saddlebags packed for travel with rations, maps, a compass, some potions and other essentials for the road. He had also gathered his adventuring gear, which he didn't often use on patrols, but rather kept in storage for when really long or arduous journeys presented themselves. Upon his withers rested a blue cape, embroidered on the edges with gold filigree. The vest he wore across his chest and barrel was slightly loose and flowing, much as he liked it, and a sky blue color, matching his mane and tail. The sleeves were white and somewhat puffed, but not to so much a degree that it interfered with his movements. Upon his head rested a beret the same blue color as his cape, with a single white feather accenting it on the side, much like Vin's hat. Across his eyes rested a blue domino mask that Clover had given him, which he said Star Swirl enchanted to help him focus his blue magic so that he could see the leylines of magic a bit easier, helping him learn. To Azure's side rested the scabbard which held his favored sword, a scimitar that was forged for him that Clover and Star Swirl had found would resonate well with his form of magic. Azure rarely used this sword on his patrols, seeing that the standard stocks the Town Guard carried to be more than adequate for simply walking around, but he very much preferred his own personal blade for when he was out farther away from town. It simply felt right to him, in a way.

As Azure waited for his charge to arrive, all but knowing that it would be Vin, Highwind landed softly some distance away, his purple armor and lance at the ready, and his own saddlebags packed and upon his flanks. He walked towards Azure, giving a light greeting.

"Azure, I'm glad to see you have not yet left," Highwind started, "I was almost assured that I had missed your departure."

"Highwind? While I am glad to have you here to see me off, I was told you had been given time to rest and recover from your fight. Don't tell me you actually intend to come along on her foal's endeavor. I'm the only one that really needs to be sent on this ridiculous quest."

"I admit," the dragoon responded, "that there is much that leaves one to wonder whether or not this is the wisest course of action, but are you not the least bit curious as to what secrets she hides that gives her the confidence that this quest is all but assured success? I know I am, and I would like to find out. I do have the time given to me by the rather... unfortunate encounter yesterday, but this is how I choose to spend it. I would not be able to rest knowing you were out proving legends true while I sat on my haunches."

"Well then," came the laughing, sing-song voice of Vin from across the square, "I am most delighted that I have the two most dashing protectors of Cornelia at my side." She moved to join Azure and Highwind at the fountain, admiring Azure's manner of dress as she did so. "That is an unusual outfit for a guard to wear on a journey. Might you honor me with the privilege of knowing what manner of warrior you are?"

"I am a blue mage," Azure responded. The look of confusion on Vin's face revealed the need to explain more. "A mage capable of learning the magics of others by studying the leylines of magic as they use their abilities."

"Hmm," Vin pondered, "It almost sounds as though you were a red mage yourself, what with your sword to your side and magics at your command, but the way you describe it... Tell me, would you learn my magics if you were to watch me?"

"I'm afraid not, my lady. It seems my magic only responds to the abilities of the various monsters in the wilds. I am incapable of learning white or black magics." Vin's eyes went wide at the mention of this. She looked to Highwind for confirmation, as if Azure had outright lied to her about it, and looked back in complete shock as the dragoon gave the nod that she sought, verifying his friend's tale. She sputtered for a moment before finding her voice again.

"W-while it is odd and rare to find a unicorn such as I that can cast both white and black magics while wielding a sword, it is rarer still to find one that can't cast any such spells at all, even the simplest of cantrips. But to have it replaced entirely by such an ability..." Vin trailed off, looking at Azure, before coming to a conclusion. "Well then, it seems I have truly found something special here this day, and that might just be the kind of advantage we'll need on our journey. Perhaps you care to tell me more of how this... blue magic... works along the way?" Vin motioned for the two stallions to walk with her towards the edge of town, and Azure Vessel and Highwind agreed, taking the first steps of the long journey ahead of them.

Eternal Wind

The wind carried along with it the chirping of birds, leaves fallen from their trees, and the fresh scent of flowers as it rushed to greet the three adventurers who walked on the path that crested a rolling, green hill. The three ponies, Azure Vessel, Highwind, and Vintessa LaRouge, were chatting away, sometimes laughing, sometimes letting loose a surprised gasp, but always were they walking forward. It was a cool day, and the wind ushered in a few stray clouds that had gotten away from their handlers, but nothing that would mar the beauty of the skies. After a gentle breeze had passed, Vin looked up into the sky.

"Ahhh," she cooed, "Nothing beats a nice breeze complimenting a cool day. Highwind! I would expect you to have been in the skies by now. Not that I am ungrateful for the additional company, but would you not be more comfortable up there?" The red mage turned to the dragoon with a somewhat questioning look. He had been looking somewhat agitated, and had been somewhat taciturn, during most of the conversations the group had since leaving Cornelia, and Vin had assumed it was due to him remaining grounded for their sakes.

"I am fine where I am," he responded, "While I do enjoy taking wing, the strain that my training takes on my body sometimes requires me to rest, and to refrain for flight. It shall pass momentarily, and I shall take to the skies soon enough. Thank you for your concern." Highwind gave a small smile to Vin as he finished his answer, and turned to scan the horizon. The group had begun to diverge from the path, following Vin's lead. She had said the cave they were looking for would be somewhere in these wooded areas, and that, oddly enough, they were to use the winds as their guide. He had no clue what she meant, as the wind was gentle and calming in this area, and had remained so for many a year. It made for great flying, to be sure, and headwinds were gentle and easy enough for even beginning fliers to take to the skies, but nothing that suggested that it was anything more.

"I had meant to ask you, if you don't mind me prying," Vin continued, "Why did you take up the lance of the dragon knights? It seems to wear you down, taking its toll on your body, and seems to keep you from the skies. I would imagine one such as yourself would take every opportunity they would to take wing." She had a look of genuine confusion over the subject, the same one she expressed when Azure Vessel explained his blue magic to her. Vin took note that she had managed to find the strangest pair of ponies in her travels yet.

"It is an odd choice, and one not made often by a pegasus, or anypony for that matter. I certainly did not expect to become as the dragons are when I was but a colt. However, when I saw them in flight, how majestic they were, how they exude power, it entranced me. I became enamored with them, spending almost every waking moment thinking of them, of wanting to be them. When I heard of training given by them that allowed ponies to mimic some of their traits, I knew what I wanted to do. It was not easy, and the injuries I've sustained sometimes still act up, but I would not trade it for the world. I do it because I wish to push myself to my limits and beyond, because it is who I am." As he finished, Highwind stretched his wings, preparing for flight.

"I should take this opportunity to do a little stretching, and look about above the forest canopy before we are beneath it. It will be a while before I can take wing again once the trees block my way." With that, the dragoon took to the skies, circling and flying about, looking in various directions. Vin and Azure found a cool spot to sit at the nearest tree and took a rest until Highwind returned. A gentle breeze greeted them as Azure took out a water canteen for a drink while Vin looked about at the woods they were at the edge of. She had heard from some of the other inn patrons in Cornelia that they had been known as White Tail Woods, due to the tribe of deer that lived in them at one point. They traded occasionally with Cornelia and other nearby settlements once, but nopony had seen them in years, and after searching for months, had given up looking, assuming they had moved on. While she had never personally seen a deer, she had seen evidence of their craft. Elegant bows and arrows, lightweight armor that barely had any more presence than a tunic or cape, yet protected with the sturdiness of a suit of full plate barding, and techniques that had passed on to the ponies of the surrounding area in how they interacted with their environment. Vin saw how the ponies used plants and trees as part of their buildings, growing them into it, as opposed to just simply chopping them down and using them as materials.

After taking his drink, Azure returned his canteen to his saddlebags and turned to Vin. "So," he began, "White Tail, is it? I've spent many a year exploring this place in my youth, and patrolling it as a guard, and I don't ever recall a cave of any sort hiding out in here. Are you sure your information is correct, or is some wild goose leading us on a merry chase?" Vin's only response was a confident smirk as Highwind returned from his flight. The dragoon landed softly, and trotted up to his companions, a somewhat concerned look on his face.

"We should not tarry much longer here," he informed the others, "I believe we are being followed. I saw some of the tell-tale signs, but I could not find the culprit. Who- or whatever they are, they know what they are doing, and have at least enough skill to hide from my eyes." Highwind looked about, eyes alert for any sign of danger, as Azure and Vin packed up and began to get ready to be on the move again.

"Who would follow us out here?" Azure asked, "There is nothing to be had." Highwind turned back to his friend, before looking towards Vin.

"Our pursuer may not know that," he responded, "or they may believe we are what's valuable. Who knows? Our guide here wasn't exactly the most quiet speaker last night when sharing her tale." Vin gained a slight blush at Highwind's mention, and quickly added her own two bits.

"Regardless, we should probably get moving. I do believe we should be going this way." She stepped onward, with Highwind and Azure following behind. Vin took a moment to listen to the wind as it wound its way through the trees, and after a moment's hesitation, started to follow a path that took them deeper into the woods. The three ponies pressed on, slowly leaving behind their resting spot. Soon, all was quiet as their voices no longer carried this far.

A flash of green and white soon made its way past the spot, following the trio.

-=*=-

The three adventurers had made some progress after a few mishaps involving mixed directions, a landslide, and some tree sap, and soon stood before a dense copse of trees as Vin continued her habit of listening to the wind. Azure and Highwind were beginning to think that she may be a bit touched in the head when she turned to them, a happy expression on her face.

"We are getting close," she said in a sing-song voice, "The wind is picking up here. Can you hear it?" Upon her prompting, Azure and Highwind turned their ears towards where Vin was motioning, and a moment later, a look of shock crept across their faces. Indeed, coming from the direction of the cluster of trees was a wind that was slightly stronger than the surrounding area, and most definitely coming from one direction consistently. It gave a low, almost imperceptible groan as it whipped through the trees and branches. Without it having been pointed out to them, the two Cornelians easily understood they would have missed this, and most likely had in the past few years. It was something one would not have noticed if they knew not to look for it.

"How-?" Highwind started.

"Where did you say you got this knowledge again?" Azure asked. The two stallions looked on at the mare as if she had summoned pure gold before them and told them they need not ever worry about money again. Vin, for her part, simply held her smile, and her secrets, for now.

"That, my friends, is a tale for another time. For now, we should see to finding this cave. It is nearby, through those trees. I can feel it." The red mage made to push her way through the trees, with the blue mage and dragoon following. As the three ponies made their way past trees and bushes, they could indeed hear the wind gaining speed, strength, and sound as they got closer to some unseen source. As the whipping of the wind began to be problematic, Vin and Azure held onto their hats as the three of them pressed into a clearing in the woods. As they did so, the wind calmed down to a more manageable, gentle breeze. The three looked up, and the sight before them stole their breath.

Ahead of the clearing, the forest opened up to a small cliffside, one that barely grazed the top of the canopy of trees. Surrounding the entrance of a cave in one side of the cliff was a multitude of clouds, giving the area a feeling of being in a dense fog. Liquid rainbows flowed like miniature waterfalls down the clouds, pooling into a river that flowed off into the woods. Flowers of many different varieties and colors grew along the banks, and the gentle wind carried each of the scents upon it, a sweet perfume tickling each of the ponies' noses. Birds chirped in the trees surrounding the clearing, their notes carrying a soothing lullaby on the wind.

Vin was the first to collect her wits about her, as she strode forward, her eyes on her goal. Azure Vessel and Highwind followed soon after, the shock of finding so beautiful a place in the woods finally wearing off. The three walked up to the bank of the river made of rainbows. Vin and Azure looked closely at it, while Highwind stood back. As Azure made to take a drink from it, the dragoon spoke up.

"I would not drink from it, were I you," Highwind warned, "Rainbows aren't known for their taste, nor friendliness to one's tongue." Azure quickly backed away from the liquid, eying it precariously now. Vin had a small giggle upon seeing Azure's face, and turned to the clouds that produced the pretty, yet painful concoction.

"It is as if we walk in the sky here," she said idly, almost half to herself, "Whatever this treasure is, it must be truly wondrous to reside in such a place." She and the others made their way through the embankment of clouds, careful to be wary of any sudden pitfalls or other obstacles that would jump out at one in the low visibility of the fog. They eventually made their way to the cliff's side, and found there a cave. Vin's eye lit up at the discovery.

"Oooh, OOOH! Is this it?" She practically squealed in delight. "This must be it! The Cave of Wishes!" Vin trotted in place with giddiness as she turned to her companions, "Hurry, hurry! This way! We're so close!" As Azure and Highwind closed to follow, Vin turned back towards the cave and hurriedly began to enter. Just as she was about to cross the threshold of the entrance, Highwind jumped forward and held his hoof up before her, blocking her way.

"I understand your eagerness," he warned, "however, do not forget that danger may lie in wait within. We've no clue of what manner of creatures my call this place home. Be on your guard." As Highwind lowered his hoof, Vin's expression deflated a little, yet she retained an eager smile upon her lips.

"Yes, yes, I apologize for my outburst, but this is so exciting! Who knows what treasures and artifacts might be hidden in there? It will be well worth it to see." With that, the group entered the cave, curiosity piqued, and eyes wary of hidden dangers.

-=*=-

In a bush some distance away from the cave, a rustling gave away the position of something hidden away in there. After a moment, a pair of lavender eyes peered out from within. They looked about for a few seconds before retreating to the depths of the foliage.

"Now where did they go?" a feminine voice was heard asking.

-=*=-

The cave was lit with the soft glow of cave moss, which had taken on the various hues of the rainbow that had made its way into the cave over the years. A constant wind was felt throughout the tunnels, giving off a soft whistle as it blew out from some deeper part of the cavern. The group of ponies made their way to the deeper parts of the cave while exploring, taking note of dead ends and sudden drop offs. One such sudden fall would have ended disastrously for Azure had Highwind not been able to react in time to leap down and catch him. Slightly shaken, Azure nonetheless pressed on with the others.

It was some time later when the three of them found a large room that had a large cloud bank in the middle, not moving despite the presence of wind moving through. Across from the trio, on the far side of the room, was, inexplicably, a closed door, carved from stone. Etched upon the door was a relief of a cloud, bolts of thunder emanating from it, while it poured rain down below. Images of gusts of wind surrounded it at all angles. That sight caught Vin and Azure's attention more than the stationary clouds in the middle of the room, and they moved to inspect the door. Highwind, on the other hoof, was staring nervously at the clouds.

"I mean not to concern you with needless worry," he stated, "but I do not trust these clouds. Something about them is wrong." He moved to ready his lance in case it was needed, but Azure and Vin seemed to not see any danger. Azure turned to look at the clouds, and trotted up to them.

"I don't see what you're worried about, Highwind," he gestured tot he clouds, "They seem to be more of the same kinds of clouds that are out front of the cave. Harmless," he tapped his hoof against the nearest cloud, "decorative," gave it a little push, "insubstantial... err..." Azure turned to look at the suddenly substantial cloud he was moving with his hoof. "Umm, Highwind... shouldn't only pegasi be able to touch and move clouds?" Vin slowly turned to look at Azure as Highwind's only response was to rush forward and tackle Azure away from the clouds.

A moment later, right where Azure was standing, a large, draconic claw made of cloudstuff slammed down, the sharp ends digging gouges into the rock. Vin jumped back in surprise and drew her rapier, while Azure and Highwind gathered themselves off the ground and drew their weapons as well. All three ponies looked up in shock as the claw withdrew back into the clouds, which at this point had begun to shift form. After a few seconds, the clouds looked less like a roiling bank of rainclouds and more like a dragon. The dragon-clouds let loose a roar that shook the cave and the ponies to their cores.

"Be careful!" Highwind warned, "I've heard tales of such a beast. It is a mist dragon, and its kind are rarely seen, and only in the highest altitudes in the skies."

"Then why is it here, in an underground cave?" Azure asked as he readied his scimitar.

"I think it matters less how it got here," Vin quickly mentioned, "and more in how we are going to get by it to get into that room." As she said this, she focused a bit of magic into her horn, and shortly after, the white glow of the spell shone over the three of them. "There, that should provide at least a little protection from those claws." Shortly after she finished, another claw swipe slammed down in the middle of the group. They scattered as each of them jumped out of the way to dodge, and the mist dragon let loose another roar. Azure took the opportunity while he was near a part of its body to slice at it with his scimitar. The beast almost seemed as insubstantial as he first described it, but a moment's glance showed him that a cut had indeed been made. However, he felt a slight gust of wind, and he saw the wound being carried away on said wind, disappearing into the void.

"The- the wind just healed it!" Azure said with a slight bit of panic in his voice, "How do we fight such a creature?" He dodged to the side as a tendril of cloud that looked like the creature's tail swiped at him. Unlike the arm that the claw that he swiped at, he felt the weight of this part of the cloud, and knew that he'd be in a world of hurt should it make contact with him.

"It seems swordplay will not win this day," Vin chimed in, "so we must try with magic. Let us see if this fog can be burned away." Vin gathered her magic in her horn, and pointed it at the mist dragon. "Fire!" she yelled, and from the tip of her horn sprang a gout of flame. It formed into a small comet of heat and destruction as it launched itself at the beast before it. Upon contact with the cloudy hide of the creature, the flames licked and consumed the mist around it, and the great foe gave a pained, shrill roar as the spell concluded its destructive cycle and winked out of existence. The mist dragon then focused the entirety of its attention on the red mage.

"I do not believe it liked that," she said. Vin tried to dodge out of the way of the dragon's counter attack with a claw, but she was a tad slow, and the dragon managed to nick her with one of the sharp appendages. Her protection spell bore the brunt of the attack, but still she suffered some of the damage, and a bruise quickly appeared on her right foreleg. She yelped in pain as she hopped back a few more paces, slightly favoring her wounded leg. Azure rushed to her side, while Highwind opened his wings and took to what little open air there was in the room. He flew to the back of the dragon's head while it looked at his companions.

"Then let us see how it likes this!" he exclaimed as he drew in a deep breath. The mist dragon, hearing something behind its head, turned just in time to see a pony exhale a sizable gout of flame from his mouth, leaving the dragon's face awash in flame. The beast let loose another howling roar, and Azure noticed something this time. He saw leylines form about the beast, near the areas where Vin's fire spell and Highwind's flame breath attacks connected. He saw them mend the wounds of the creature, and as they did so, some of the cloudstuff melted away. He saw them carry the wounds away, and, most importantly, he saw the mist dragon shrink in size as it did so. The dragon was indeed using the winds to heal itself, but in doing so, the winds were slowly tearing it apart as well.

Vin turned to look at Azure, noticing a slight blue glow coming from him, and noticed that the source of the glow was his eyes as he stared at the dragon. She raised a hoof to poke him, but a moment later his eyes returned to normal, and he had a grin on his face. He turned to her and looked at her leg, and shortly after, a blue glow surrounded his horn. Vin felt a gust of wind as a faint, translucent ribbon of light, as multicolored as the rainbows and cave moss in the cave, wrapped around her and made its way to her wounded leg. As it washed over her bruise, it slowly disappeared, as did the pain. After the wind had passed, she felt as if the wound had never happened at all. Vin looked up at Azure, surprise evident upon her face.

"I didn't know you knew healing magics as well," she said somewhat breathlessly.

"I didn't," Azure responded, "until just now. I also think I know how to beat this thing." Azure stood up from tending to Vin's wound and turned to Highwind, who was flying circle around the dragon's head, occasionally swiping at it with his lance. He was keeping its attention, but not doing much else. Azure yelled out to the dragoon.

"Highwind! Can you use your breath any more? That seems to be the most effective!" The dragoon pulled a short dive to duck under a claw that came his way, and responded to his friend while avoiding an attempt by the mist dragon to snap its jaws around the offending pony.

"I can, but each attempt draws a lot out of me, and the dragon just heals the damage away with the wind."

"That's the idea, actually," Azure smirked as he put his plan into action. He then turned to Vin, "Help Highwind keep the heat on the dragon, if you would." Vin gathered a smirk of her own as she also gathered the energy for another fire spell. She blasted it off at the dragon's face, which caused it to pause and shake its head. That gave Highwind the chance he needed to build up another deep breath of flame, and let loose the fire's fury. The dragon writhed in pain shortly before the wind picked up again. This time, however, Azure added to it with his own magic, as the same rainbow light that accompanied his spell surrounded the wounds of the dragon at the same time as the wind caught the clouds. The wounds on the mist dragon were healed quickly, but much larger chunks of cloudstuff was ripped from the dragon as well, causing the beast to visibly shrink significantly in the process. Highwind and Vin looked on in shock and surprise.

"Azure, what are you doing!?" Vin yelled, "You're healing the thing trying to kill us-"

"-and in the process," Highwind interrupted, "tearing chunks of it away, killing it in the process. Look!" As he said that, the mist dragon began to gather the clouds around it tightly into itself, becoming more solid and looking more like an actual dragon, as opposed to a mass of clouds and fog.

"It's taking a solid form to prevent itself from being killed by that healing breeze," Highwind continued, "and by doing so, making it vulnerable to our weapons, and making it harder to heal itself." As he said this, the dragoon readied his lance for an attack, and kicked off of the ceiling of the cave, diving into the dragon's back with deadly force. At the same time Azure and Vin both swing their swords with their magic at the beast, both scoring solid hits as the creature now had to contend with being physically assaulted from three directions. Not one to put up with such affronts, the dragon turned to the two grounded unicorns and let loose with a breath of its own, a wave of icy cold wind and blasts of snow. Azure and Vin dove for cover behind nearby rocks as the area surrounding them was plunged into a sudden and instant winter, snow left behind as evidence of the mist dragon's rage.

Highwind jumped off the back of the dragon and took to the air once again, circling around for another strike, while Vin peeked out from behind her cover, charging up another fire spell. Azure, however, leapt out from behind his cover and started charging the dragon's position, his magic aglow in his horn, and energy gathering in his hooves. The dragon turned to the galloping pony, only to catch yet another eye full of flames from Vin's fire spell. It reared up, ready to roar its frustration, when Highwind saw the opening and dove for another attack, this time to the back of the creature's head. He connected square on, and the dragon was knocked off balance, tilting towards the still closing blue mage. Just as the dragon's head was about to crush the blue pony, Azure turned on the spot, raised his back hooves, and discharged the energy of his diamond dog punch into the side of the dragon's face through his kick. The dragon was sent reeling back across the room, slamming its face against the far wall, and slowly fell into a heap, dissipating into clouds before the wind in the cave slowly carried the fog away.

It was almost a full minute before any of the three moved from where they were, on edge and weapons and spells ready for a surprise attack. None came, and there was nothing but the wind to greet their ears. It was Azure that first spoke after the shock of what just happened wore off.

"We... we won..." Azure looked at the other two, and exclaimed again with a smile on his face, "WE WON!!! HAHA!!" Vin joined in on his laughter, as Highwind slowly glided down to them and relaxed, putting his lance away for the time being. After a few moments, the group gathered their wits about themselves and started to proceed to the door. Vin turned to Azure with a questioning look on her face.

"How did you know the dragon would react like that?" she asked. Azure turned to look at her, and simply shrugged.

"I didn't," he replied, "but I saw the energies of his healing making it shrink and taking pieces of it away each time it did so. I don't think it knew it was hurting itself overall every time it did that. I had no clue it'd change forms, though."

"We are lucky it did, though," Highwind added, "Otherwise, we may still be fighting it, or worse, by now." The other two ponies nodded their agreement as they reached the stone door. With a push, the three of them managed to get it to open up, and in the next room, something they didn't expect to see greeted their eyes.

It was a large, open room, much like the previous one, but not as expansive as the last. There was no cave moss within, or liquid rainbow, or clouds, or anything, but a small dias in the center of the room. Floating above this dias was a large crystal, spinning in place, and providing the only light in the entire room. The shimmering of its light cast a soft, faintly green glow about the room, and the trio could feel the wind emanating from the object. The three ponies slowly walked up the steps leading up to the crystal, their eyes latched upon the softly glowing object. After a bit, Vin looked away and examined the room.

"Do you suppose," she asked, almost to herself, "that this is the treasure the legends spoke of? I don't see any riches or anything like that around here." Highwind looked around as well at her prompting, and agreed that there was nothing in this room but this crystal. Azure Vessel, however, did not stop looking at the crystal. Instead, he began to reach a hoof out to it.

"Hey guys," he said, almost mumbling, "Don't you see this? It's amazing how all the energy goes to and flows from this..." Highwind and Vin turned to Azure, confusion and concern on their faces. A moment later, all three of them heard a voice in the room with them, seemingly emanating from the crystal itself.

Warriors chosen by the crystals,

Heed my plea,

Darkness consumes the lands,

And it comes for thee.

Together you must fight,

Together you must stand,

Together your might,

Shall save the land.

Sun and moon,

Shall stand by your side,

Your harmony must be true,

For it is within it they reside.

Chaos will divide,

Your love, the cost,

You must overcome,

Or all is lost.

After that, the winds died down and the crystal slowed its spinning. After it had stopped completely, the soft glow gathered in intensity until it became a blinding light, and just as suddenly as it shone, it stopped, becoming nothing more than a mote of light hovering in front of Azure. As soon as he regained his sight, Azure looked before him, and saw that the crystal had shrunk in size, and was small enough that he could pick it up and hold it within his hoof. Hesitating a moment, he looked to Highwind and Vin, who both motioned for him to take it. He gathered it up with his magic, and placed it delicately within his saddle bags. He then turned to his two companions, a question etched across his face.

"Just what in the hay was that all about?"

The Red Wings

The trio of ponies were picking their way back through White Tail Woods towards Cornelia. Azure had felt that, in light of recent events, a visit to his mentor Clover the Clever was in order, a decision Highwind and Vin both felt was prudent. They needed to know what this crystal was, and what portent was held within the cryptic rhymes of which it spoke. They were not sure if it was the favor of fortune or just coincidence that they had the wind to their backs, but it helped to speed them along on their journey nonetheless.

"This gem," Vin spoke, "as beauteous as it is, seemed a tad out of place under the ground in a cave, did it not? With such gusts of wind, it felt as if it should have belonged in the sky..."

"Judging from what it said," Highwind answered, "it would seem that it was hiding from something. From what, I do not know, but if its pursuer knows anything of their prey, then to hide something related to the sky underground would seem to be a solid bit of misdirection."

"That's part of what has me worried," Azure added in, "Why did this crystal feel the need to hide, and from what."

The three adventurers pressed on, unanswered questions hanging in the air as they made their way forward, seeking the answers. So absorbed into their discussion were they, that they did not notice the blur of green and white that trailed them.

-=*=-

Finally! she thought Where in the hay did these guys go? The pegasus mare had been trailing her marks for a while through the woods, and was doing a fairly good job of it, too. The pegasus stallion taking to the skies slowed her down a bit, as she tried to avoid notice, but apparently he didn't see her. How he could fly wearing all that armor was beyond her, but it didn't matter. She knew she could out maneuver and out fly him if need be. It was the pair of unicorns that had her worried. The mare in red seemed to be a red mage; she had seen enough of their kind to know that they were tough to handle on their own if you couldn't get the drop on them. The stallion in blue, however, was some new type of mage she'd never seen. He used a sword like a red mage, but he never cast any of the spells that she normally saw most mages use. He didn't seem to be a warrior of any kind; most unicorns tended to shy away from the more physical walks of life. It always got on her nerves how they always had it a bit easier, never having to lift a hoof to do any actual work, simply due to those horns.

Regardless, the red mage seemed to be the one in charge, and she was leading her group deep into White Tail Woods. As the mare skulking in the shadows had overheard in the inn back in Cornelia, the three of them were searching for some sort of treasure out here, however unlikely such a discovery would be. Many ponies had come through here, picking clean the bones of the lost deer civilization, and she was no exception. She had made a small fortune selling relics she'd found occasionally here, but nothing on the level of what that mare from out of town was talking about. That piqued her curiosity; the unicorn spoke of some secret that foretold riches beyond their wildest dreams, and she seemed to know what she was talking about. That got the attention of this sneak-thief, and explained why now she stalked them through the woods, hoping to swoop in and claim the prize for herself.

However, swooping would prove problematic. First off, them having a pegasus of their own along made it impossible for her to hide in the clouds; he would see her all too easily, and as a pegasus, would be expecting threats from the skies as well as along the ground. Secondly, the winds snaking its way through the woods were unstable, and shifted quickly and easily. Flying through them would be hazardous, even more so if one was trying to hide as well. One sudden change in the winds and one would be introduced, face first, into the bark of a tree or worse. Not exactly the best possible thing to happen when one is trying to be stealthy and unscathed. The last thing that made swooping difficult would have been the fact that she somehow lost them after they stepped through a somewhat thicker bough of trees where the wind was at its strongest. That part had perplexed her greatly, as she felt herself a somewhat accomplished tracker. She would later blame it on the fog that suddenly rolled through as she got closer to the copse of trees.

It was several hours later into the afternoon when she once again spotted them. They were seemingly tired and drained from some ordeal, most likely wandering aimlessly through the woods no doubt. However, the blue unicorn seemed to have a slight spring in his step, and was talking about something they had found in a cave somewhere. In all the time she spent looking for these three, the mare in hiding never once saw any evidence of a cave. Perhaps the delirium of exhaustion and the let down of not actually finding anything got the the young stallion, she wasn't sure, but she was fairly certain no cave was to be found here. Regardless, she would simply slip into their camp tonight, silently rummage through their saddlebags, and be off with whatever loot they might have found with nary a peep. As the thief she was trained to be.

Oddly, she did note one thing that her pegasus instincts pointed out to her; the wind had calmed greatly, and always seemed to follow these three...

-=*=-

The campfire felt nice on a cool night such as this. Azure Vessel always enjoyed relaxing under the stars at night, and camping out in the open was something he looked forward to often. Camping in the woods, however, seemed likely to cause troubles, as it was all too easy to be ambushed by some hungry predator, or to accidentally catch the trees on fire from a stray ember. However, this night, Azure didn't worry, as the crystal he held in his saddlebags seemingly held all worries, doubts, and fears at bay for the time being. Vin had settled down to some light drinking from a wine pouch she had brought along, while Highwind paced around the camp, looking out into the woods so often. He seemed to be agitated, glancing hither and yon, looking for something. After a few minutes more of this, Azure spoke up.

"What has you worried, my friend?" the blue unicorn asked. It was a few seconds before the dragoon responded.

"I wasn't certain before," he said while still looking out into the forest, "but I'm all too certain now that we are once again being followed. Whether or not it is the same one that was following us before, or some new threat, I cannot tell, but it would be wise to have at least one of us on watch tonight."

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic," Vin said with a giggle in her voice, "These woods are tame, and hold little danger. What danger it did have, we took care of it, did we not?" She took another drink from her pouch, and was already enjoying a bit of a buzz from its contents. She wasn't too keen on letting the overly paranoid pegasus put a damper on that.

"Well, if it is all the same to you," Highwind continued, "I'll stand watch tonight. The wind carries a warning, and I'll not so foolishly ignore it." With that, the dragoon turned to walk towards the edge of camp. Azure watched him for a little bit, then turned back to Vin.

"You know," he started, "He was only looking out for us. You didn't have to dismiss his concerns like that."

"He needs to learn to relax a bit," the mare responded. She seemed a bit more drunk than the last time she spoke, which was a mere minute ago. "Loosen up a little, be positive, take a load off, have some fun."

"I believe he has his fun when he isn't worried about being followed by some unknown threat." Azure looked to his saddlebags before continuing, "I wasn't sure until he said something, but I think the Wind Crystal was trying to tell me something as well. I felt this urge in the back of my mind, telling me to be on the lookout for something, but I could never pinpoint what it was trying to tell me to find."

Vin simply rolled her eyes as she took one last swig from her drink. "So now we have glowing rocks foretelling even more doom and gloom to go along with the paranoia. You know what I think? I think we just need to sleep it all off, and then see your Clover the Clever about your gem in the morning. Perhaps afterwards, going to the markets and seeing what we can get for it." At that, Azure simply looked at her with a flat expression. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

"I would hope so," he said, "This is certainly no mere bauble to be sold for coin."

"Indeed," Vin responded, and under her breath, added, "besides, no sane merchant would buy a glowing piece of glass that spoke only in archaic doom riddles..."

-=*=-

It was later into the night when she came upon their camp. The mare had followed them to a small clearing, where they settled down for the night. She could only see the two unicorns; the pegasus was nowhere to be seen. The two of them had been asleep for a little while, enough to where she felt she could perform her tasks and be gone before she was noticed. She saw the mare had a wine flask with her as she slept. Good, all the easier to sneak past her. The blue one, however, was tossing and turning in his sleep a little, and that made her a bit nervous. What made her a lot nervous was that she still did not see where the pegasus was, nor where he had gone. That meant she would have to be quick as well as stealthy to do what she came here to do. That didn't matter much to her, though.

I can steal anything that's not on fire or nailed down, the thief thought to herself, or my name isn't Tricky Bit!

She sneaked into their camp silently, on the tips of her hooves, a difficult feat, but one most thieves learned early if they wish to have any luck in their chosen career. As she made her way around the two slumbering ponies, she began to dig through their saddlebags. She didn't find much of value other than more wine and a small pouch of bits in the mare's bags. She then turned to the stallion's bag, and when she opened it up, the glow caught her eyes.

Now, what have we here...

-=*=-

Highwind had enough of his patrolling. Whatever threat lurked out in the woods had made itself scarce, either out of boredom, finding some other prey to follow, or the realization that he and his allies would make a very poor target to pursue. It didn't matter much to him, as he was heading back to camp to try to catch some rest this night. He had chosen to ignore Vin's snide remark as a side effect of her drinking, but he would talk with her later about how dangerous doing so when they were out in the open was. As he made his way back to camp, he caught sight of the glow of the Wind Crystal amid the light of the campfire, and it seemed to be moving. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't moving on its own so much as it was being moved by something. Highwind moved closer to get a better look, and as he did so, he stepped on a twig. The snap was loud, and caught not only his attention, but the attention of what was moving the crystal.

By the light of the crystal, he saw a mare slinking through the camp. She had a gray coat of fur, over which she wore a white, light shirt that had holes cut for her wings. Underneath a green bandanna that was tied into a hood over the top of her head was a mane of light brown, with a tail of matching color. Upon her flank was a symbol of a small green cloak, under which hid an even smaller dagger. Her lavender eyes were set squarely upon him, a mix of surprise and fear in them, and in her hoof was the Wind Crystal. As soon as the shock of discovery wore off, both the thief and dragoon spread their wings, and made to bolt into the sky.

"THIEF!" Highwind yelled, "Return here at once, and I might go easy on you!" He pumped his wings to gain altitude and speed to chase her down, thankful that his training had given him the ability to handle flying with armor with ease. It still slowed him down a little, and if he did not corner and catch her soon, he might not catch her at all. The rogue, for her part, had other plans.

"Sorry," the mare said, "but I have my treasure, and somewhere I need to be, so I'll have to take a rain check on that easy going of yours. Catch ya later, slowpoke!" She turned to glance back at her pursuer, and was shocked to find that he was keeping pace with her, despite his wearing armor that should be slowing him down a lot more than it was. She decided to test to see if he was as maneuverable in that armor as he was speedy, and dived down into the canopy of the trees to try to shake him.

Highwind followed the thief, knowing that she was trying to lose him in the twists and turns of the trees. He had a plan though, and soon turned and veered off course. Tricky Bit turned back to see if she had lost the pegasus following her, and when she saw that he was nowhere to be found, turned to race out of the woods. She remained below the canopy, as that cave her cover from being spotted before she was too far away, but it also slowed her down. She was quite maneuverable, however, and so she wasn't concerned about being caught. The shortest path out of the woods took her near the camp a little, but she believed she had enough distance and time on her side to outpace that stallion. What she didn't expect, however, was to almost fly face first into a gout of dragon fire.

"HORSEFEATHERS," she yelped as she banked sharply, just barely being roasted alive, as well as nearly ramming into a tree nearby. The near collision made her panic, and her vision was still stinging from the sudden blast of heat and light. She saw a large blur of movement sweep to her left, and the glint of claws flashed near her. She never expected to find her end in the belly of a dragon, and she wasn't about to let this one have an easy meal. She bucked wildly as she tried to make her escape, but then she thought she heard some chanting that sounded to be some distance away, and suddenly she felt her body begin to lose feeling and slow down, as if it were made of lead, and before long, the cold embrace of paralysis swept through her being, leaving her helpless upon the ground, easy prey for the scaly beast.

She had heard that dragons were powerful, but she hadn't heard that they could also cast magic. Regardless, she would never get the chance to let others know, she thought, as she would spend the rest of her very short life touring the digestive tract of such a beast. She then heard the hooffalls of the creature making their way to her, readying themselves to tear into her flesh, as she began to resign herself to her fate, tears forming into her eyes. Mother, Father, little sister, I'm sorry...

Wait. Hooffalls? Tricky Bit thought, Dragons don't have hooves...

-=*=-

Highwind reached the mare laying prone on the ground, and moved to pick up the crystal. As he did so, he saw the tears formed in her eyes, as she seemed to register that he wasn't a dragon, but a pony. He looked back at her shortly before turning to the pair of unicorns that were galloping up to him. As Azure made his way to him, Highwind passed him the Wind Crystal before he spoke.

"I'm glad the two of you woke up when you did. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to keep her from escaping if you hadn't caught her with that paralysis spell, Vin." He then turned back to the thief still laying on the ground. "Let's get you tied up, and perhaps loosen your tongue enough to have you tell us what you planned to do with our crystal."

After getting her body back to camp, the trio tressed up her wings to keep her from flying, and bound her hooves to prevent any other movements and attempts to escape. Some time later, Vin's paralysis spell wore off, and the thief was more than a bit agitated, as was evidenced by her pointed tongue as she spoke.

"So what are you all going to do to me now that you have me tied up?" the thief spat out, "A march to the guards and the gallows, or are you just gonna leave me here like this, food for whatever beast takes a fancy for pony?"

"We haven't decided yet," Highwind spoke, "however since my friend Azure and I are members of the Town Guards of Cornelia, it would not be that long a march to reach them."

"First," Vin spoke up, "some introductions seem to be in order. You would do us the kindness of at least letting us know who our assailant is, wouldn't you? Allow me go first. I am Vintessa LaRouge. The purple-clad pony that looks so much like a dragon it's scary is Highwind, and our blue friend here is Azure Vessel. So," Vin turned back to the captive rogue, "Who might you be?"

"Hmmmph," the tied up pegasus huffed, "It's not like it matters much. I've never once come across a mark that cared to know the name of who robbed them, only that they got back their trinkets. For all it's worth, the name's Tricky Bit. Don't think that makes us buddies all of a sudden, because it doesn't." She turned her head away from the others, her anger evident in her tone and poise. Azure stepped up and pressed with a question of his own.

"What did you hope to find, sneaking around in our camp like that?"

"Well, loot, duh," Tricky snapped back, "What else would I look for? Meet many thieves who don't steal, do you? That'd be an interesting lot to see." Azure took a step back, before moving forward again, undeterred by the bound pegasus' prickly attitude.

"What I meant to ask, was why were you following us, when you could have simply cut the purse of some unsuspecting villager and be on your way?"

"I've been asking myself that every step of the way while I was following you. I haven't a clue why, but I felt something drawing me to all of you. Probably all the talk of treasure that drunkard over there was spouting off at the inn." Vin shot her a glare that Tricky promptly ignored.

"So you figured to help yourself to our treasure while we slept, is that it?" Highwind asked.

"Only a bit of it," Tricky Bit responded, "Only what you wouldn't miss. How was I supposed to know you lot were empty hooved after all this time, with nothing that that shard of glass for the taking? Probably wouldn't have sold for enough for me to... er, nevermind." She quickly quieted herself down, seemingly cutting off whatever train of thought she had.

"Enough for you to what?" Azure asked.

"None of your business, that's what," the thief responded. After a few minutes more of prodding, it became clear to the three that the mare wasn't one much more for talk, and so decided that it was time to catch more rest before the morning. They tied her up to a nearby tree, and took turns watching her in case she tried to escape again, but it seemed she was trying to catch just as much rest as they were, and so the rest night passed without incident.

-=*=-

The next morning, Azure, Vin, and Highwind packed up camp, and released Tricky Bit from the tree, and although they untied her hooves so she could walk, they kept her wings tied so she couldn't fly. It was evident they weren't going to simply release her. As the group made their way out of the woods and began to return to the path back to town, Highwind's ears perked up.

"Wait," he said, "Why do I still get the feeling we're being watched? We have our shadow here with us..." As soon as he said that, unknown to the group, Tricky's blood nearly froze in the icy grip of fear. She quickly and quietly looked to the skies around them.

"Hmmm," Azure mused, "it seems the Wind Crystal would share your worries. It seems to be trying to tell me something, but I can't quite make out what it's trying to say." He was holding the Wind Crystal close to his ear, trying to make out the plea the crystal was making. Tricky was fearfully scanning the skies by this point, frantically looking for the source of the crystal's worry. After a moment, her fears were given form as a score of pegasi of various colors swooped down from the clouds, all of them bearing some sort of red paint or coloring on their wings. Azure, Vin, and Highwind all took on a defensive posture, warily eying the newcomers. As they all landed, the trio noticed that the group of flyers had the look of brigands and scavengers about them. One of them, a green-coated stallion with a purple mane stepped forward and spoke, he apparently being the leader.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't our little Tricky Bit herself, all trussed up like a turkey and being led to the guards. Tsk, tsk, that won't do. That won't do at all. What's your mom and pops gonna do if you get all locked up in the slammer, eh? How's your little sister gonna pay off that bounty? I'm sure we can find something for her to do while you rot in a cell." He and the other pegasi laughed at that comment, while Azure, Vin, and Highwind held looks of confusion. Tricky Bit, however, held nothing but a scowl on her face.

"I- I'll get that money, don't you worry none!" Tricky choked out through her teeth, "You just hold up your end of the promise!"

"Well I can see you're right on that," the leader of the gang said, "In the meantime, why don't I have a little speak with your gracious hosts here?" He turned to the trio of adventurers that had Tricky bound.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Enkidu, and I'm the second in command of the Red Wings mercenary group. That little tart you have in ropes there has been avoiding us for the past several months, and we're so glad you could track her down for us. She owes us a lot of bits, and she's been shirking her duty to pay up," a grin slipped across Enkidu's face, "so we've been so gracious enough to host her family in our camp after their house had an... unfortunate accident. Being out on the streets is such a harsh life for a family this time of year, but helping the homeless costs us money, money this ungrateful whelp seems to be intent on not paying us back." Enkidu and the rest of the Red Wings stepped forward.

"So we tracked her down to here, and now we see that she's gone and got herself captured by some upstanding citizens such as yourselves. So, we'd appreciate it if you'd give her to us. We could make it worth your while." With that, Enkidu reached back into his saddle bag and pulled out a pouch and set it down on the ground in front of him. In it could be seen some bits, as well as a few gems of various types. Azure and Highwind looked to each other, before Azure looked back to Enkidu and spoke.

"While we are grateful for your generous offer to take this thief off our hooves," he began, "I somehow doubt that you have the best interest of her or her family in mind." Azure glanced to Vin, who gave a slight nod. "I don't believe we'll be giving her over to you."

After a moment, the smile slid off Enkidu's face, as he reached down and retrieved the bag. As he finished putting the bag back into the saddlebags, he had a resigned sigh on his lips.

"I was hoping to simply pay you off and be done with this, but it seems the stubborn lass has found equally stubborn foals to pal around with. No matter, we'll take her and dump your bodies in the woods for the worms to chew through," and with that, Enkidu reared up and let loose a battle cry.

"RED WINGS! ATTACK!!!"

Battle on the Big Bridge

Battle on the Big Bridge

Azure Vessel wasn't certain what to expect when he woke up that day. Maybe more verbal venom and an escape attempt from Tricky Bit, perhaps a laugh at one of Vin's jokes or stories, or perhaps even some training with Highwind once they got back to town. He was even eager to get back to his mentor, Clover the Clever, to ask about the Wind Crystal and what it had to say. It sounded rather important, and he might know more about it. If not, then maybe Clover could even ask his mentor, Star Swirl the Bearded. If Star Swirl didn't know, then it was either a new discovery or not worth knowing. Azure really felt that this crystal couldn't be in the latter category.

What he didn't expect was to be set upon by a mercenary gang. He also didn't expect to be fighting for his life against said mercenary gang, either. He quickly learned that one's expectations and the reality of the world rarely see eye to eye.

He twirled his scimitar to deflect yet another attack from a pegasus that had charged him with a short sword, and had to jump out of the way to dodge a follow up attack from another pegasus that came at him with a knife. Meanwhile, two more pegasi were attempting to dive bomb him occasionally, taking swipes at him when they thought his guard was down or he was distracted by their companions. While he was doing well, Azure knew he couldn't keep this up forever, and that that was the most likely strategy these thugs were attempting to pull on him. He decided that the time to start evening out the odds was now or never, and so he started to gather his magic into his hooves, biding his time for the perfect chance to strike with his diamond dog punch.

Meanwhile, Highwind was attempting to clear the skies of enemies, but was having a bit of a time with it, being outnumbered four pegasi to one. His armor absorbed or deflected the brunt of the few hits he received, but he knew they would take their toll eventually, or one of the mercenaries would clip his wings and ground him, probably while he was still flying. He took care to try to avoid that, but at least one of the scoundrels was trying hard to accomplish just that goal. The fact that Highwind was wielding a lance versus the other four pegasi wielding nothing longer than a short sword helped him keep his distance from the majority of their attacks, but it also meant that they were playing the waiting game with him. Having his enemy in the air with him also kept him from using his jumping and diving attacks, as they would simply follow him up, and keep him from targeting any of them or their allies still on the ground. However, that did leave him one other option, but he needed to gather them into a group for it, otherwise he would wear out too quickly, as he nearly did against the Mist Dragon.

For her part, Tricky Bit fared a bit better than one could expect somepony tied up to do. Her thief training helped her agility, which was already naturally high being a pegasus, and that boost was keeping her alive for the time being as three of the Red Wings were focused on her at the moment. 'If only these ropes weren't tying me up,' she thought as she dodged yet another clumsy attack from one of the mercs. She wished she would have at least brought her knife with her, but keeping up with Azure, Highwind, and Vin required her to travel light, and had she not gotten caught, she would have made her way back to her saddlebags that she had stashed away, knife and all. However, that would have to wait, as she needed to get away from the Red Wings, and Enkidu specifically, to be able to get that far. As she dodged yet another slashing attack, she noticed that that one was a bit closer than the rest. The big guy must've been training them lately, she mused, these guys are better than the last bunch.

If they had been training, then one wouldn't notice it by the way Vin was laughing as the two pegasi facing her stumbled around blindly and swung their swords at each other, yelling randomly as if their vocabulary simply decided to leave their mouths and not care for what order they did so. Enkidu, standing a bit behind them and opposite of Vin, fumed with anger at their antics.

"Simpletons!" he exclaimed, "Can't even resist simple Blind and Confuse spells. Bah! Looks like I'll have to do this myself, YET AGAIN!" His temper was not helped in the least when one of the spellstruck ponies took a swing at him, thinking he was the enemy. Enkidu simply brought up his front two hooves and caught his subordinate's blade between them, the crafted punching claws he wore on them catching the sharp edge. He twisted the blade as to take it from his underling and tossed it to the side, and then, as he dropped down from his higher standing position, swiped a hoof at the pegasus' face, rattling his head and shifting him off to the side. Not even bothering to look to see his minion's status, Enkidu charged forward towards Vin, who had begun to cast another spell. He soon closed with her, and spun on his front hooves to aim his back ones at her, letting loose a buck that caught Vin on her side, interrupting her spell and flinging her several yards away. She yelped in pain as she landed in a heap. She staggered as she rose to her feet, drawing her rapier from its sheath with the her magic. Vin gathered her wits about her as she focused on Enkidu, a fierce look etched upon her face.

"Oh, it. Is. ON!!" she growled, and she and Enkidu charged at each other.

Just a little more, Highwind thought to himself, Come on, you can do it, you know you want to. He had managed to get three of the four following him in a tight formation as he began moving to the skies above his allies. He made to pretend that he had disregarded them, and was feigning to move to help his friends so he could gather the ones attacking him into a tight enough group. The last one seemed to be hanging back a little, though. 'A little closer,' he mentally said to himself. He turned in the air and adopted a flight path that intentionally left him open to attack, and the fourth pegasus took the bait and dived. 'Perfect,' Highwind thought as he suddenly and sharply rose, faster than any of his pursuers could blink. As he passed the diving Red Wing, he smacked the blunt end of his lance against the head of the enemy pony, causing him to veer wildly off course and crash into one of the three following pegasi. Highwind then turned in midair, took a deep breath, and unleashed his dragon fire. The blast caught all four Red Wings, setting parts of their clothing, manes, and feathers on fire, and the shock wave of the blast sent them crashing into the two fliers that were harassing Azure.

Azure had just taken a swipe at one of the pegasi that had just over reached on his attack, when a flash of light above him caught the corner of his eye. He glanced up for a split second, and then returned to look at the other pegasus, who had foalishly taken the opportunity to actually look up at what caused the flash. The first pegasus, staggered by Azure's attack, stumbled into the second one, catching his attention and distracting him enough for Azure to move into position. The four pegasi caught in Highwind's dragon fire were getting closer, and Azure wanted to time his punch for maximum effect. The unharmed pegasus then turned back to where Azure was, and after not seeing him there, quickly looked about to find him, only to see a blue-clothed unicorn rearing up on his hind hooves, with a bright blue shining light focused on one of his front hooves. The pegasus could feel the heat of the fireball behind him intensify greatly as the unicorn in front of him brought his hoof down and forward. The blast from the magic, combined with the fireball from Highwind's breath attack, knocked Azure back several yards, but the diamond dog punch connected with the pegasus caught in the middle, and the resulting explosion sent all eight of the hapless Red Wing pegasi barreling straight at Tricky Bit and the three pegasi still fighting her.

Tricky Bit had been dodging their attacks, not having a weapon of her own to use to defend herself with, and was quickly running out of energy and ideas on how to get out of this, when she saw the mass of ponies barreling her way. She feinted to her left, tricking one of the brigands into reaching on his attack, and got him off balance. She then quickly took a swipe at one of the other pegasus' front hooves, tripping him up, if only momentarily. She intentionally hesitated for a moment, luring the last pegasus to attack. At the last second, Tricky then jumped back and out of the way, as the quickly moving group of pegasi practicing uncontrolled mass flight slammed into the three mercenaries caught in their way, scooping them up into their chaos, their flight path leading them to a crash site that was centered squarely on Enkidu and Vin.

Vin had managed to parry or dodge most of Enkidu's attacks, and she was very glad she did, as the few attacks that did connect hurt like she had been trampled by a herd of buffalo. However, he also attacked constantly, and never let her have any openings to cast, keeping her purely on the defensive. She did manage to get a few swipes and thrusts of her own in, but Enkidu either blocked or dodged most of them. The two of them were quickly getting into a stalemate, and the only determination of who won would be who tired out first. It was looking to be in Enkidu's favor on that front, as he seemed to have vastly superior stamina than Vin. Just as she was running out of ideas on how to turn this around, Vin glanced over Enkidu's shoulder, and then gathered a sly smirk on her lips.

"Enkidu, darling," Vin chimed wryly, "What has many wings, but cannot fly, many hooves, but cannot stand, and many heads, but not a brain amongst them all?" She batted her eyelashes at him as a look of confusion spread across his face.

"Riddles? Now? Here?" Enkidu questioned, "Ha! You cannot win this bout with such frivolities! I'll have your answer now, and then your head!"

"Oh, my answer you most certainly will have," Vin responded, as she pointed the tip of her rapier over Enkidu's shoulder, pointing behind him. Vin jumped out of the way as Enkidu turned to look at what was causing so much ruckus behind him. His pupils and irises shrunk to pinpoint size as the mass of pegasi caught in the earlier explosion crashed into him, knocking him into the last two remaining ponies, and burying him under a pile of hooves and wings. As he worked to untangle himself from his underlings, Vin managed to cast a fire spell over the lot of them, and they were once again on fire. Panic set in amongst the Red Wings, and as soon as they were free of the crash site, they bolted. Enkidu was following close behind, but not without yelling back at the adventurers.

"Don't think you've won this!" he yelled, "We'll be back, and next time, there won't be any mercy!" At that, he and the rest of his group took off and were out of sight within minutes.

"I suggest we get moving from this place," Highwind said as the mercenary group vanished into the sky, "I scarce want to be here if they return soon." The other three agreed, and the group were quickly on their way.

-=*=-

As they crested the hill in front of them, Cornelia came into view of the four ponies. A look of relief washed over Azure, Highwind, and Vin, but Tricky Bit wasn't enjoying the prospect of being out of one fire and in another. Before the group got much farther, though, Azure Vessel and the others turned to her and stopped.

"Your attempted thievery aside," Azure began, "I cannot overlook the fact that those... mercenaries... mentioned your family, and made a move to capture you. They most decidedly weren't the most friendly of ponies, and I doubt they had any good intentions for any of you. We have business with the town guard, but not to turn you in. If you'd like to tell us, we'd like to help." Highwind and Vin nodded in agreement. Tricky Bit looked at them as if they'd just taken leave of their senses, and then slowly spoke up.

"What? Like the town guard cares what happens to the family of a thief..."

"Then we ask, not as town guard, but as simply concerned ponies," Highwind answered as he stepped towards her. Tricky stepped back at first, but Highwind pointed at the ropes still binding her, then stepped forward again. After a minute, he had the ropes loosened and off of her, freeing her wings. "If you care not to tell us, then you are free to go. You have worries enough, it would seem, and we'll not keep you from working to solve them." Highwind then stepped back to rejoin the others. Tricky Bit looked at the three of them once more, then took another step back. A moment later, she turned and fled, leaving the trio behind with nary a word. Seconds later, she was out of sight, having made for a nearby treeline.

Vin sighed as she lost sight of the thief. "I sincerely hope you two know what you are doing."

"Doing the best thing we can do to help her and her family at the moment," Highwind replied as he took one last look at where Tricky Bit disappeared. Shortly after, the three turned to make their way to the guard station.

-=*=-

They are foals to let me go, Tricky Bit thought to herself, but at least now I can try to figure out how to spring my folks and my sis. Enkidu is hurt, and it'll be a while before they get back to his base... Her thoughts trailed off as she made her way to where she stashed her gear. She didn't carry much, just enough to survive with, but it counted for all she had to her name, and it served her well in the time she had it. Her dagger, a pouch of bits that she'd gained through various legal and illegal means, a deck of playing cards she'd used in various games of chance, and a map she was working on. The map had slowly been put together over the last few months by Tricky as she gathered information from the various settlements and travelers on bandit raids and Red Wing sightings, trying to narrow down where their base of operations were. She had no intention to pay those thugs a single bit, but was going to do everything in her power to find where they were hiding, and spring her family.

This last attack was a mistake Enkidu had made. Such a large group of them, and with the second-in-command to lead them, meant that they were nearby. As she studied her map, there was only one possible location they could have come from, and she knew she would find them this time. She packed up her map and everything else into her saddlebag, and made to leave, but something in the back of her mind made her look back at the village of Cornelia nearby. She had no clue why anypony would give her such a chance, especially after she just tried to steal from them, and furthermore, they even asked to help her. How naive are they?

As she turned back again to leave, one more thought struck her. She knew she was way out matched when the Red Wings attacked, and they had also gotten the drop on her. Even if she hadn't been tied, she knew she'd have been a goner without the help of those three. They didn't even have to fight against them, they could have just taken the bag of bits and gems and sell her to her fate. Why didn't they? If they wanted anything from her, they certainly weren't going to get it by letting her go. So why did they fight for her? And what was so important about that crystal they carried? She had heard the blue-clad unicorn speaking as if he was talking with it at one point, and they had mentioned taking it to somepony to see it. Clavicle? Custard the Clover? Something like that, she wasn't sure.

Those thoughts continued to nag at her as her hooves slowly carried her towards Cornelia.

-=*=-

Azure Vessel, Highwind, and Vintessa LaRouge made their way to the town guard station in Cornelia. The two stallions needed to report the attack to the others so they could be on alert, and they also needed to let Sergeant Pansy know they needed to go to Everfree Castle to speak with Clover the Clever. Pansy, while reluctant to let two of his junior guards go on such a long journey, even with the help of Vin, he nevertheless agreed that they needed to take the Wind Crystal to Clover when Azure told him about it. It was not long when Azure and Highwind were ready to leave on the trip when Vin brought their attention to the lone pegasus mare that was slowly making her way to them.

"It would seem our tricky thief has not yet slunk off into the mists," Vin mused. Azure and Highwind looked over to the approaching mare, who stopped a few feet from the group. Tricky Bit looked at the three of them, a look of confusion on her face, with but a tinge of sadness mixed in.

"Why?" she asked.

"Pardon?" Vin responded.

"Why did you let me go? Why did you fight for me, when you could have simply washed your hooves of me altogether?"

"As my friend said," Azure answered, "You've problems enough without us adding to them. Our offer still stands, if you would have it." He stepped forward and lifted his front right hoof, extending it to Tricky. She looked at it, then to him, then Vin, Highwind, then back to Azure. He held a warm smile, whilst Vin had her signature smirk that was always on the verge of spilling over into a laugh, while Highwind simply nodded when Tricky looked at him. After a small while, Tricky slowly raised her hoof to meet Azure's, shaking it once they met. After their hooves parted, the group turned to head to the path out of town. As they moved down the road, Tricky spoke up.

"My folks," she began, "they ran a bakery that was quite successful some time ago. Real great place, always had fresh bread for everypony all the time. My little sister and I would always help our mother bake in the morning, and then we'd help our father sell the bread in the afternoon. He would always send me with a basket of it to the local orphanage. There were always a few foals there that had lost parents to bandit raids, or sickness, or a wild beast attack. The bread always seemed to cheer them up."

"A few years ago, some ponies came to the shop, demanding bits from my father. He staunchly refused, and always drove them out. They were the Red Wings, trying to stronghoof their way into the various shops in town. Then, one day, they simply decided that they had enough of him and a few of the others refusing to give them the bits they asked for, and attacked the town. We didn't have any guards, we weren't large enough to have them, and they took away a lot of ponies. They left a few behind, demanding ransoms if we wanted to ever see them again. They took both my parents, and my little sister."

"I've been tracking them ever since. What few ransoms that the remnants of the town paid never saw any of the ponies returned, and I doubt they ever will, unless somepony does something about it. I plan on finding them, and taking down their leader. Without him, the Red Wings won't hold together, and I can rescue my family and all the rest of the villagers." As she finished, Tricky held a look of determination on her face.

Azure was the first to speak up as the group made their way along the road. "Who is this leader, then? Not Enkidu, I hope?"

"No, Tricky responded, "Enkidu is just his right hoof lackey. No, the leader of the Red Wings is a pony that goes by the name Gilgamesh."

"Gilgamesh?" Vin asked in surprise, "You mean, Gilgamesh of the Red Hood? Gilgamesh of the Eight Winds? Alleyway Jack? THAT Gilgamesh?"

"I take it you've heard of him, then?" Tricky asked with some trepidation.

"Aye, I have," the red mage responded, "and if what you say is true, then we've quite the task ahead of us. At least tell us you have an idea of where to find them. The less time we let them ambush us, the quicker we can be rid of them. Gilgamesh is no pony to take lightly."

"I do have a map here," the thief said as she pulled out a rolled parchment, "that I've been working on for some time, trying to pinpoint their hideout. With that last attack, I've managed to narrow it down to somewhere near a ravine at the base of a nearby mountain." Vin grasped the map with her magic and pulled it out in front of the group so they could all see it. Tricky pointed out the location she thought would be most likely to be their hideout.

"Hmmm," Vin mused as she studied the map, "That would take us over Ghastly Gorge, and the bridge there. That would make sense for a hideout. It's also along the way to Everfree Castle. We can catch two birds with one net with that, so to speak." She passed the map back to Tricky, who rolled it up and put it back in her saddlebag.

"Then it's settled," Azure said with determination, "We'll locate this hideout, find your family and any other prisoners we can find, try to sneak them out, and make our way to Everfree as quickly as possible if the Red Wings catch unto us. At least we'll be able to let Clover the Clever know what's going on there, and he could send word to the guards." The other three nodded in approval as they continued down the road.

-=*=-

The road had turned rocky and desolate as they entered the foothills of the mountains surrounding Ghastly Gorge. Highwind and Tricky Bit took turns flying over the group to keep a lookout, while Azure and Vin kept the group going with healing when needed. While monsters tended to avoid the roads, some were brave or hungry enough to think a group of ponies was worth attacking occasionally. The four adventurers didn't have too much trouble with the few that dared show their faces, dealing with them as they came and moving on. One particular monster, a treant, a walking tree hoping to find its next meal among the band of ponies, even taught Azure Vessel a new magic spell via an exploding pinecone. A useful, if unusual, spell, to be sure.

It was not long before the group made it to the edge of Ghastly Gorge. The drop off at various parts of the edge was steep and unforgiving, and the bottom did not grant much kindness to those who weren't gifted with flight. Fortunately, Tricky had found a path leading down into the gorge that wasn't too difficult for the unicorns of the party to navigate. It also helped that the other half of the group was made up of pegasi, in case something bad did happen to anypony. As they made their way down, Tricky pointed out a route that led to a small camp she spied while looking for the pathway. The group soon found their way to an outcropping overlooking the camp, and hid behind some rocks while observing what was going on below.

They noticed that the camp was well hidden, and wouldn't be found easily if nopony knew to look for it here, or even knew what to look for. Fortunately, Tricky had enough run ins with the Red Wings to know how they operated, so it wasn't too hard to find them. No, the hard part, as they saw, was trying to find where they hid the prisoners, and how to get past all the guards in the camp unseen. There were a lot more ponies here than there were at Enkidu's attack. The one advantage the group seemed to have, however, was the fact that none of the pegasi in the camp were all that alert or attentive at the moment.

"Enkidu must not have gotten back yet," Tricky whispered to the others, "otherwise the camp would be at much higher alert than this."

"Even if he had," Highwind whispered back, "would they know to expect us at their doorstep?"

"Maybe, maybe not," she replied, "I don't know. But I do know that they've been tracking me for a while, so there's a good chance they would know that I've been looking for them. If they do, then Enkidu coming back beaten and burned as he is so soon after he left might tip them off. We'll have to hurry while we seem to have the element of surprise." The others nodded as Tricky crept out from hiding to sneak up to one of the tents on the edge of the camp. As soon as a passing patrol of guards was out of sight, she motioned to the others to move up to her. The group moved stealthily through the camp in that manner, Tricky moving up and hiding, looking if the coast was clear, then having the rest move up to her. It wasn't long when the group had found one of the larger tents guarded by several Red Wings pegasi at the entrance harassing an earthborne colt.

"Hmph, filthy dirt farmer," one of the pegasi grunted as he pushed the colt to the ground, "Hurry and take that box to the boss, and if you get it dirty, we'll make sure you get your fill of dirt for your next meal!" The earthborne colt shakily stood up and picked up the box next to the pegasus, careful not to drop it, and quickly tried to make his way through the camp. Tricky Bit and the others had a scowl on their faces at the treatment they saw, and Tricky herself hissed under her breath.

"That no good- that was Rocky Road, one of the villagers they took! They're here, we've got to help them!" Tricky looked around, looking for a way to distract the guards or sneak into the tent somehow. As she did so, she spied a patrol heading their way that hadn't seen them yet. She motioned to the rest of the group, and they set up to ambush the patrol. As they passed, the group pounced on them, quickly knocking them out. They then quietly managed to put on the armor that the patrol was wearing, tucking their own clothes away into their packs. Fortunately the armors disguised them well enough that they looked like any other patrol. Well, except for the fact that two of them weren't pegasi.

"A simple illusion will cover that," Vin said as she masked her's and Azure's horns, and conjured up the illusion of wings for each of them, "but it won't last long, so we'll have to be quick." The others nodded as Tricky started to walk to the front of the tent.

"Follow my lead."

-=*=-

The four pegasi were joking around, passing crude jokes about earthborne and unicorns, when one of them spied an approaching guard patrol headed their way. He saw that one of them had a sergeant's badge, and quickly told the others to straighten up before they get a flank chewing from the ponies coming their way. It was not long until the sergeant, a gray-coated, brown-maned mare, made her way to them, when the leader of the tent guards spoke up.

"Ma'am, all is well with the prisoner tent," he stated as he snapped to attention, "Had some problems with them giving a little lip earlier, but we quickly quieted them right up!"

"Hmmph," the disguised Tricky Bit replied, "Well, round them up. We've got orders to move them."

"Ma'am?"

"You heard what I said. We're moving the prisoners. Boss pony's orders."

"We haven't heard anything about this," the guard replied. He wasn't too certain, but he was sure he hadn't seen this pony before.

"Well, now you have," Tricky answered, "Just came down, and we're here to let you know. Now, you gonna get the prisoners, or are we gonna have to let the boss know his prisoners aren't moving because of some guards that can't take orders?" With that, the lead guard turned to the others in front of the tent and told them to prepare the prisoners for moving. As he was busy with that, Tricky turned to Azure and Vin quickly and whispered to them.

"I'll need a distraction from the two of you when we get the prisoners moving. I saw some barrels off to the side that looked to be filled with oil." The two disguised unicorns nodded in understanding as they slowly worked up the magic within them to generate spells on the fly, quickly and silently. Azure looked around quickly to make sure nopony was watching him, and made a few pinecone bombs that he quickly tucked away next to some barrels nearby. He had his magic ready to make a few more if necessary. Vin could only create enough ready magic for a few fire spells; she was still trying to maintain the illusions on herself and Azure.

When the guards produced the prisoners, Tricky had to stifle a gasp. Among the group were her parents and her younger sister. They looked worse for the wear, but generally seemed okay. Well, as okay as one could be as a prisoner in a bandit camp. When they were all outside, the lead guard turned back to Tricky.

"Okay, they're out. Where are we taking them?" He looked at Tricky suspiciously. Something was off about this guard he was talking to.

"We're taking them to the front gates," Tricky answered, "We have transport ready to move them to a new location. Boss wants them moved, thinks some ponies might be closing in to find them or something." She tried to sound like a convincing guard, while simultaneously trying to not sweat a river from all her nervousness. The guard, however, started looking closer at her.

"Hmmm, you seem familiar. Have we met before?" he asked.

"Probably, some patrol or a raid or..." she trailed off. This isn't looking good, she thought. Tricky suddenly turned to the side, pointing off to the set of barrels next to a tent a little ways away. "You there! What are you doing," she shouted. Azure took that as his cue to detonate the pinecones, causing them and barrels they were next to to explode, sending a large gout of fire up and outwards, catching other barrels in the fire, and sending a chain reaction of explosions to spill out into the camp. The guards turned to the barrels, and then back to the disguised ponies that were in front of them, only to catch several fire spells and the shining of steel in their faces. They were quickly subdued by the surprise attack, although the group did not have much time. The adventurers shrugged off their disguises, Vin dropped her illusions, and Tricky ran up to her parents and her sister, hugging them.

"Mom, Dad, Flower," Tricky exclaimed through the tears, "I'm so glad to see you again, and I'm happy you're alright." Her family returned her sentiments, but she quickly gathered herself as explosions continued to rock the camp. She knew the confusion wouldn't last long, and they had to get the villagers to safety quickly. She bade them to follow the group, and they all made their way through the camp, taking down any Red Wings that got in their way that tried to stop them. Fortunately for them, most of the mercenaries were busy trying to quell the raging fires blowing through camp. It didn't help the guards that Vin and Azure added to the fires every chance they got with more fire and pinecone bomb spells.

It was not long until the group managed to make their way out of the camp, and were heading up the gorge. The majority of the villagers split off to try to make for Cornelia or other nearby settlements, to warn them of the Red Wings, and to try to make their way back to their loved ones. Tricky's family decided to stay with the party, as they were headed to Everfree Castle, and could let the guards there know what was going on. They also wanted to be back with Tricky herself, and she with them. It wasn't until sometime later that they made their way to the bridge that passed over Ghastly Gorge on the way to Everfree.

"Not long now!" Tricky exclaimed, "Once we get over this bridge and through the plains surrounding Everfree, the Red Wings won't be a problem ever again!" The seven ponies started to gallop across the bridge, Tricky holding her little sister Flower Basket to help her keep up. As they neared the halfway point of the bridge, however, Highwind happen to look back to see if they were being followed. Sure enough, there were several of the Red Wings closing in on them from the direction of the camp.

"We've got company!" he warned, and Tricky gave Flower to their mother to hold.

"Go, run, fly away!" she told her family, "Get to Everfree and don't stop until you get there! We'll hold them off as long as we can, and then we'll be right behind you!"

"Nooo! Sis, don't go!" Flower cried as her mother and father nodded to their older daughter and made to get away. As Tricky wiped a tear from her eyes and pulled her dagger, Highwind quickly flapped his wings and readied his lance, turning in mid air to meet the oncoming mercenaries. Azure and Vin also turned, both drawing their swords and readying their magic. Just as Tricky landed to get ready for battle, the group heard a high-pitched scream come from behind them. They quickly turned, and Tricky felt the blood in her veins run cold.

Her family was in the middle of another group of Red Wings that had somehow managed to sneak ahead of them. Her mother and little sister were huddling next to each other, as her father was being held down by Enkidu, who still bore the scorch marks of his last encounter with the group. Just as Tricky was about to charge, however, they all heard a voice come from up above them.

"Oh HO! So you are the ones that put my precious camp to the torch. You are quite brave to attack me within my own domicile, and that bravery shall be met with the proper and just reward!" A moment later, a much larger pegasus landed on the bridge in front of them, between the group and Enkidu and his prisoners. The group of Red Wings that were pursuing the group from behind moved to gather on that side of the bridge, while Enkidu's group closed off the other end, trapping them all on the bridge with the lone pegasus.

The pegasus in question was a large, intimidating beast of a pony, a red coat of fur covering him, wearing a black armor chest piece that had gold trim on the edges. His mane and tail were candy striped red and white, a coloring scheme he seemed to share with the face paint he wore. The majority of his head and neck were covered in a red silk hood, and to his side he carried a naginata, a large type of polearm with a wickedly curved blade at the end. His hooves all ended in gauntlets that were made of the same black-and-gold-trimmed material as his armor. Upon his flank was the mark of a large, wooden bridge. He shot a glare at the party as he spoke again.

"It took me quite some time to gather those supplies, and to have them all go up in smoke? That simply just will not do." He took a closer look at the group as they tensed up, weapons ready for a fight. "Well, well, Tricky Bit. We meet again." Tricky gave a scowl as he called her name out. "I was beginning to wonder if you weren't going to show," he continued, "I had believed you were resigned to leave your family to their fate, as you wandered the land, lost and alone. Alas, I see that you have finally come to this part in our play, and with more actors in tow as well."

"GILGAMESH!" Tricky Bit yelled, "Release my family at once, and I may just let you live to see another day!" She snorted and kicked her front hoof against the ground, readying a charge, as the rest of the party moved to position themselves to attack if needed.

Gilgamesh, for his part, simply laughed as he shrugged off Tricky's threat. "Tricky, my dear sweet deluded foal of a pegasus, I have been to many lands, fought countless strange foes, and seen much in my travels. A little pony like you with that toothpick for a weapon does not scare me. If you wish to dance the dance of ages with me, then we shall do so on so grand a stage as this bridge! We shall even have an audience!" With that, he kicked up his naginata into his hooves and charged the party, while Tricky and the others did the same towards him.

Tricky and Gilgamesh reached each other first, and he swung his polearm in a mighty arc, looking to cleave Tricky in twain and end the fight right there. Tricky was a bit more agile than he accounted for, and she managed to dodge just under the swing, coming in close with her dagger. She tried to slash against his neck, hoping to cut through the cloth and into his flesh, but she heard the distinctive clink of metal on metal, and saw a moment later chain barding under the hood. She quickly got out from under him before he could react to her presence there.

Gilgamesh wasn't as worried about Tricky Bit, though, as he was with Highwind at the moment, who had taken the opportunity to try a diving attack with his lance. Gilgamesh brought his naginata up to attempt to deflect the dragoon's lance, and the two met as Highwind came crashing down, the force of his attack pushing the giant pegasus back several feet. The red-hooded brute managed to avoid the brunt of the attack, but it still took a little out of him to do so, and he couldn't ready in time to try to send an attack of his own back at the dragoon before he backed away. As he began to charge Highwind, flashes of fire and thunder erupted in front of Gilgamesh.

Vin was tossing fire and thunder spells at Gilgamesh, while Azure readied a few of his pinecone bombs to toss. For the most part, the giant of a pony was shrugging the majority of the magic off, either quickly putting out the fires, or just powering through the pain, as he closed on Highwind. Azure lobbed a few of the pinecones at the leader of the Red Wings, but Gilgamesh managed to deflect or dodge most of them. Most he knocked over the sides of the bridge, where they exploded after some time. A few, however, landed on the bridge, and began to roll to the sides, the curve of the bridge leading them away from the fight. For whatever reason, they didn't detonate, but that wasn't something Azure was concerned with at the time. He was more worried about he and his companions surviving this fight.

Gilgamesh had managed to make his way to Highwind and engaged him in combat, swinging his polearm with enough strength that had Highwind not dodged or deflected most of the hits, there would be dragoon cutlets in short order. In order to get the giant to back off, he took in a deep breath and exhaled a flash of fire, bathing Gilgamesh in a momentary sea of green flames. He hopped back, attempting to escape the flames, when he felt a sudden, sharp pain in his back. He looked back, and saw Tricky Bit with her dagger plunged into his back. Gilgamesh bucked wildly, knocking the thief off his back, and rounded onto her, catching her squarely in his eyes.

"Hmmph, you wanna play dirty, eh?" Gilgamesh roared, "Then how's this for dirty? Have a taste of my Death Claw!" He reared up on his hind hooves, while his fore hooves glowed with an intense, purple energy. Tricky Bit was caught off guard, and so was stunned when she saw the purple bands of energy, shaped like the claws of a dragon, form to her sides. She had heard about this attack before, when trying to gather as much information on Gilgamesh and the Red Wings as she could some time ago. Apparently, not many ponies that have fallen victim of this attack live much past it, the few ponies that escaped the Red Wings being the only ones to be able to give testament to its deadliness. The very same attack that is now poised to claim her life as its next victim.

As the ethereal lavender claws began to snap shut, Tricky felt a sudden jolt in her chest, and she was suddenly flying across the bridge a short distance, before landing a little ways away from where she was standing. Momentarily stunned, she managed to look back to what happened, when she saw Highwind standing where she was, his hooves up from where he had pushed her out of the way. Unfortunately, it also left him standing directly in the way of the Death Claw attack, and the claws clamped around him, discharging the energy of the attack into him instead. Highwind screamed in intense pain as the energy coursed through his body, several slashing wounds opening across his body. His lance fell to the side as he lost his grip on his weapon, and he slumped to the ground as his vision went dark and his body went numb.

"Highwind!" Azure screamed. He had seen his friend leap to Tricky's rescue, only to be on the receiving end of the attack he rescued her from. He barely even noticed his magic drawing the leylines of the attack to him as he rushed over to his fallen friend. He summoned the magic for his healing breeze and washed the currents over Highwind's wounds, attempting to heal his friend and try to save him from death. The wounds began to close, but Azure didn't get much of a chance to see how effective the spell was, as Gilgamesh pressed his attack against him. Azure jumped back, sliding Highwind off to the side so he was out of the way, and he glared at the brute facing off against him. Little did anypony notice, as he did so, the pinecones scattered about the bridge began to glow blue.

Azure screamed as he charged Gilgamesh. Tricky, still somewhat stunned from what just happened, crawled up to Highwind, trying to see if there was anything she could do to help him. It seemed that whatever magic Azure was able to perform helped some, but the dragoon was still heavily wounded, and he needed more help if he was going to make it. She turned to see if Vin could help, but she saw that it was all she and Azure could do just to simply fight hoof-to-hoof with the Red Wings leader. All the while, the pinecones continued to glow.

After a few more moments of this, Gilgamesh gave a gruff yell. "Enough of this! Now it's time we fight like stallions! And mares! And mares who stab the backs of stallions! For Gilgamesh... it is morphing time!" As he said this, the giant pony surprisingly began to grow in mass and bulk even more so than before. Bolts of energy began to form around him, as he gave a battle cry that sent shivers down the spines of the three standing adventurers. He somehow managed to grow an extra pair of front and back hooves, and in each one he held a weapon. As he brandished these new weapons, various swords and axes and whatnot, Gilgamesh gave another boast.

"I am Gilgamesh of the Eight Winds, and your fate is sealed!" As the mammoth of a pony stepped forward, he stepped on one of the glowing pinecones. He heard a crunch under his hoof, and he looked down, as did everypony else. That's when they all, finally, noticed the numerous pinecones, all glowing blue, scattered about the bridge. Azure's eyes suddenly widened once he realized what was about to happen. Apparently, so did Gilgamesh.

"Noooo wayyyyyyy!!!" is all that Gilgamesh managed to say before multiple explosions rocked, and eventually collapsed, the bridge out from under them. Azure and Vin plummeted into the ravine, while Tricky, still stunned from the blast, tried to glide down with Highwind, but was having little luck. Gilgamesh was flailing about as he tried to correct himself enough to fly, but remnant pinecones kept falling near him, exploding and upsetting the winds around him. Very shortly after, the lot of them splashed into the river at the bottom, the current catching them. Azure desperately tried to get a hold of Vin, Highwind, or Tricky, but the last thing he could see before the darkness claimed his vision was the blue explosions of more of his pinecones.

Balance and Ruin

'What do you want in this world?'

The question was the only thing he heard, the only thing he knew in this vast expanse of nothingness.

'What do you mean?' The question confused him. It was vague and seemingly beyond his comprehension, but something about it was on the edge of his mind.

"What is it you want most to see? The most to do? The most that you want to happen for others?' The question seemed to sincerely want to know, but it was hesitant. It seemed to want to draw something out of him, some mote of knowledge he didn't know if he even had to give.

'What... I want? Well...'

'You don't have to answer just yet. See more, do more, learn more, then you will have the answer.'

'Then... how will I be able to tell you?' He felt the question leaving him, some presence he hadn't felt until now slowly slipping from him. He wanted it to stay, to feel it with him, but the more he wanted it, the farther away it got.

'You won't need to. The crystals will know your answer when the time is right. For now, it is time to wake up, my little pony...' He felt the presence slip away finally, only to be replaced with a burning sensation in his chest, in his lungs, some dire need to breath, to cough. Ahead, he saw the darkness burst open into piercing light, and then...

-=*=-

Azure's eye bolted open as he sprung up to cough out a lungful of water, eyes burning from the light shining down on him from high above the tree canopy. As he regained control over his breathing, he slowly slumped down to the ground, his legs suddenly weary from his apparent exhaustion. As he managed to calm down from possibly near drowning, the blue mage took the time to reflect on what he last knew and to take in his surroundings.

The last thing he remembered was fighting Gilgamesh on the bridge crossing Ghastly Gorge on the way to Everfree Castle. He remembered his pinecone bombs weren't working as they should have, otherwise he and the rest of his friends might not have been deposited into the river at the bottom of the gorge...

Wait! His friends! Azure sprung to his feet to look around for them. He was on the river bank in what appeared to be a forest of some sort, most likely downstream from the gorge, but he did not see his companions anywhere. He also did not see Gilgamesh, either. Panic mixed with slight relief as Azure began searching the immediate area for any sign of his friends. While he did so, he pondered the pegasus giant's ability to transform like he did. Eight hooves? A sudden gain in mass and muscle? He saw no horn on his head, no magic being drawn into him or leylines coursing over him for the transformation. So then what did Gilgamesh know or do to effect such change?

Such questions would have to remain unanswered for the time being, as Azure found a game trail leading into the woods from the river, and what caught his eyes about it was that relatively fresh hoofprints were embedded into the dirt. He studied them for a few moments, noting where they came from; they seemed to come from the water's edge. Could it have been one of his friends? Gilgamesh? Some other individual? Then why did they not see him? He looked back to where he was, and realized his errant thoughts carried him much farther than he initially thought. He could not see where he awoke from here, and knew that nopony else would that came here, either. Seeing no other clues or tracks leading in any other direction but the trail, the blue mage steeled himself for a journey into an unknown woods, eyes open for potential danger lurking in the brush.

-=*=-

It was some time later, once he had regained his energy enough to walk at a regular pace, that Azure Vessel began to wonder what this place was. He has seen a variety of plants and trees that he had never seen, nor heard of, before, all of which took on vibrant hues of all the colors of the rainbow. Not knowing what would be safe to eat, he had taken the opportunity to partake of what little he had of his trail rations that weren't waterlogged or lost. The various smaller creatures he had come across were also unusual in coloration, and mostly harmless. He had glimpsed a butterfly that had black wings with bright blue spots and stripes, which smelled of blueberries, and later, he spied a pink squirrel that had deep red horizontal stripes on its tail. It was all so unusual and different than anything he saw around Cornelia or Everfree.

The other unusual thing about this place was the energy. Everything around him seemed so alive, so much more than normal. Even the latent magic in the air was more pronounced here, as if every living thing around was a source of the stuff. It was all around him, bombarding him with sensations and feelings and power. After a while, he had to stop and take a minute to get himself used to this much energy flowing though him, take a few breaths to calm down and focus the magic into something productive. He had to drain away a bit of it every now and then, otherwise it could overwhelm him and cause serious harm. So it was with great relief when he found that summoning his healing breeze was a nice, cool way to drain off a little extra magic while having a nice breeze in this, apparently summer, atmosphere.

The breeze not only helped to keep him cool and focused, but it also began to attract a number of the small forest critters that were scampering about. As Azure continued to move down the trail, which was leading down into something of a valley, he noticed that one of the pink squirrels had hopped up on his back, while other small creatures were following him, or running and hopping beside him. When he came to a bit of a clearing overlooking a small cliff, he took the time to gain his bearings. It was here where he saw in the distance a small plume of smoke rising from a grove of trees off to his right. The smoke didn't seem to be from some wildfire, and a lot of the critters that were accompanying him began to make their way in its direction, so Azure decided that was as good as a direction to go as any.

It was only a few steps in when the wind went quiet, and the forest critters scattered suddenly. Azure was suddenly overcome with a sense of dread as he could feel the Wind Crystal chime in his saddlebags a warning. He wasn't sure what had changed, but the forest suddenly took on a much more sinister appearance and was doing its best to not welcome him any further. Not wanting to be caught off guard, especially since he was alone, he undid the strap holding his scimitar in its scabbard, and readied it for a quick draw if needed. He then began to make his way to the grove of trees quietly, staying low and keeping to any cliff walls or underbrush he could see to minimize his time out in the open.

It was when he was probably no more than one hundred yards from the grove when he first heard the pounding. Something heavy was moving through the forest, its steps shaking the ground beneath it with every movement it made. Azure could hear its breathing even before he could even determine from where the source of it was. As he looked out from around the corner he was hiding behind, he could see two long, wickedly curved horns pointing forward from the head of a great, purple beast. It had the head of a lion, with a muzzle full of sharp teeth to match, but instead of a great mane surrounding its head like the aforementioned feline, the mane this beast sported was a dark brown and covered the top of the head and neck, much like a pony's mane. However, about halfway down the neck, around the shoulders, the mane tapered off into a ridge of webbed spines that followed all the way down the creature's back, to the tip of its thick, powerfully muscled tail. Spikes lined the sides of the tail, and it moved to and fro, in time with its massive and powerful steps. Each of its four legs ended in paws that sported enormous, incredibly sharp claws, and the muscles that could be seen rippling throughout the beast's body had even more muscles on top of them.

Azure was frozen in place in sheer terror, barely capable of controlling his bladder or bowel movements from the enormity of the gargantuan predator as it prowled the area. He silently prayed to whatever deities or spirits that were out there that this thing would not see him and simply move on, as he shrank into as small a ball of terrified fluff as he could. The creature sniffed the air, and started digging around in random spots, shoveling great swaths of land up and over in random directions, some of which landed in Azure's general area. While he managed to avoid being completely buried in dirt, he did take advantage of the additional hiding spot granted to him by the beast. As he continued to hide, Azure observed the monster, only hoping something that wasn't him would catch its attention and drag it elsewhere.

As fate would have it, something did indeed catch the mammoth's attention, and soon enough, it bound into the forest, with such speed and alacrity that Azure could scarcely believe such a behemoth could move so quickly. The wake it left was surprisingly minimal, almost as if it weren't there to begin with, and none would be the wiser if they weren't there to observe it first hoof. After his hooves stopped shaking in fear, Azure took note of the beast and where it went, and quickly made for the grove of trees, hoping the beast wouldn't return soon. As he reached the gathering of trees, he could hear a piercing roar in the distance, the shock of it sending birds scattering into the skies in seek of solace from the beast's fury. It gave Azure plenty of motivation to make his way into the trees, where the rest of the forest seemed to be shut away.

-=*=-

After taking a few minutes to calm his breathing for the third time today, Azure began to wonder if this forest was just trying to make him die of a heart attack before starvation, thirst, or being made something's lunch did the job. However, the surroundings he found himself in was a relaxing change of pace as it seemed he stumbled upon what appeared to be a well maintained, if elaborate, garden. A small, bubbling brook slowly snaked its way through the grove, sending water down carefully gouged out tributaries to various flowers, fruits, and vegetables that were being grown. Several small forest critters were housed in nests and burrows that seemed to have been intentionally made just for them. The centerpiece of this garden, however, was the larger burrow from which the thin plume of smoke Azure spied earlier wafted from. It drifted up from a chimney that was poking up from one side, indicating that somepony lived here, and was most likely home now.

Azure carefully made his way up the barely perceptible path through the garden towards the larger burrow, and upon closer inspection, found that it had a door installed on one side, somewhat dug into the mound as to be unseen until you were almost upon it. As he approached, he could make out somepony humming a song, a soothing lullaby while they moved within. The smell of a vegetable stew seeped out from within, eliciting a grumble from Azure's stomach, which also gave his presence away to whomever it was inside. He heard a short gasp come from within the mound, before a feminine voice called out.

"Who's out there?" she called, "What are you doing in this place?" She asked in a manner that suggested that visitors were unwelcome, and that they had best remove themselves from the premises with a quickness. However, before Azure could answer, his stomach once again made its complaint heard, loudly. Azure decided to go with it, as he had no other place to go, and he would rather not risk a second run in with the roaming muscled beast of death. He braced himself for whatever may come, and greeted whoever was hidden within the burrow.

"I am Azure Vessel," he began wearily, "a traveler from the village of Cornelia, and I just happen to be very lost and very separated from my friends," and after a particularly loud grumble from his stomach, "and very hungry, as well."

"Indeed," she replied, still not opening the door, nor, from the sound of her voice, even moving closer to it at all, "you are very lost, and I've not ever heard of this Cornelia before. You must leave this forest at once, and find those of your own kind in your civilization," Azure could hear the venom with which she said that word, "There is nothing for you here. Begone." His heart sank as thoughts of a warm meal were swept away with the brutal rejection meted out by whatever she-devil lay hidden behind this door of wood and vine bindings. As he turned to leave, the Wind Crystal began to hum in Azure's saddlebags, littering the air with the sound of a wind chime, shortly before the various plants in the gardens began to move, all drawing to Azure himself. Before long, he found himself assaulted by various vines and leaves.

"Hey," Azure yelped in surprise, "I'm leaving already, I'm leaving! Call your plants off of me!" After a moment, the vines began to wrap themselves around his hooves and legs, trying to prevent him from moving at all. Azure's struggled seemed to be in vain as the plants paid him no heed and continued their obstructive assault. The commotion of the struggle seemed to carry into the hut, as moments later, the door flung itself open, and out stepped the owner of the voice from before. She was a faded lime green earthborne mare with a dark, forest green mane and tail, both of which had various flowers woven within. She had golden yellow eyes, and wore a simple cloak made of leaves and feathers of various colors and styles. On her flank rested a symbol of a pink heart surrounded by blooming flowers of all kinds, and upon her face rested a look of incredulity as she gaped at the scene before her.

"What in the name of the Earth Mother is going on out here?" she bellowed, "What are you doing to my garden? I swear, travelers these days have no respect for nature, thinking to simply traipse across it as they would a road." She continued to grumble as she stepped up to the now trapped Azure. As the plants continued to wrap around the poor unicorn, she slowly grew a smirk on her face before she tapped the ground with one of her front hooves once. As if heeding some unspoken command, the vines slowly unraveled themselves from around him, and retreated to their original places. The unicorn, for his part, simply collapsed on the ground, the exhaustion of the day, coupled with the chain of frightening events, finally overwhelming his senses. He stole one last glance at the mare before the sweet embrace of unconsciousness once again beheld him.

-=*=-

It was dark by the time he awoke once again, the weariness worn away by the rest his body desperately needed. The first thing Azure noticed was that he was no longer outside, and that he was upon a couch. To his side, on a table, was a bowl, the smell of vegetables wafting from it. From there, he continued to look around the inside of the room he was in. There were small burrows and nests and holes everywhere, and more of the forest denizens occupying them. What little furniture designed for a pony there was, was actually grown on the spots where they were needed, and formed from plants and wood worked into the shape without actually having to harvest any of the materials. The inside of the hut was just as alive with the energy of the forest as it was outside, and Azure could very much feel its power.

As Azure moved to get up, he heard somepony clearing her throat off to his side. He turned to face the owner of the voice, and was once again met with the hard, level stare of the earthborne mare.

"I would eat that soup before you do anything else," she intoned, "Whatever journey you've had, it was a long one, and you bear the markings of the stress of nearly drowning." She didn't seem to hold any friendliness in her voice or attitude, and it was very off-putting for Azure. He took a look at the bowl of soup, then looked back to the mare.

"Th-thank you for your hospitality..."

"Hmph, don't thank me," she replied in a curt manner, "thank my garden. It was they that did not wish for you to go. I would have no dealings with you were it my call." After a few gulps from the soup (which tasted very good, he noted), Azure looked up at the mare, confused.

"Your... garden? It asked me to stay?"

"You realize that soup will not eat itself while you fill the air with meaningless banter." She continued to cast a hard gaze at the stallion, who in turn was feeling more and more uncomfortable as time passed. He returned to eating the soup, if only to sate the raging hunger in his stomach, and to escape further scorn from the mare sitting across from him. Just as he was about to finish the meal, the tinkling sound of wind chimes was heard again, coming from his saddlebags. The mare turned her attention to them, and then back to the unicorn.

"What manner of magics do you carry in your bag? Answer me!" she demanded, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. Azure nervously looked from her to his bags and back again, unsure of what to say.

"J-just my travel provisions, or what's left of them, a-and an artifact I found on my travels," he shakily responded, "It calls itself the Wind Crystal, and we found it in a cave in White Tail Woods."

"We?" the mare asked, "You mean your companions you've been separated from?" Azure nodded his response, eager to deflect any more opportunities for her wrath to emerge. The mare looked back to his bags before returning her gaze to him. After a moment, she stood and made her way to them, opening them up to retrieve the crystal. As she pulled it out, its soft, ethereal light filled the room with a pale green glow, and a gentle breeze was suddenly felt throughout. She looked at him with a surprised expression.

"My garden," she started, much more quietly, and without as much venom, than before, "it told me one day, of a traveler that would come, bearing the wind at his back, and that I was to take him to meet the Earth Mother. It told me that he would be the one to sooth the pain in the land, to purify the rot that tainted the soil, and that I was to help him as I helped this grove." She looked up at Azure before she continued, "I... I apologize for earlier rude behavior. I don't get too many visitors out here, as one could imagine. That was the point, indeed. The few I have gotten treated the land as simply a tool, to be used up and tossed like garbage once it was no longer useful." She stood from where she sat next to the Wind Crystal, and walked over to the blue mage.

"Allow me to introduce myself, properly. I am Greenheart, geomancer and keeper of this grove. I serve the Earth Mother, and in return, she allows me to learn her secrets, and gives me the allegiance of the flora and fauna of the woods." Greenheart gave a short bow with her head, and rose up, a soft smile on her lips. The complete turnabout of her attitude threw Azure off for a moment, before he managed to gather his wits enough to respond.

"Ah- er, um, yeah... I'm Azure Vessel, uh, junior Town Guard member of the village of Cornelia. I uh, well, my mentor is Clover the Clever, and I'm what you'd call a blue mage." Azure noticed the look of confusion as he said that last part, something he had gotten used to over the years as nopony had ever heard of that type of magic before. Mainly because he was the first known practitioner of it, perhaps. "It's not exactly a well known form of magic, yet."

"And why would that be? Wouldn't other unicorn know of this magic extensively? That is what your clan does all day and night, is it not?"

"Er, well, kinda sorta, but not really," he mumbled out, "It's not really easy to study this magic, since I'm the first to ever use it."

"Hmm, interesting," she responded, "but ultimately, no different than any of the gifts we are granted by our lots in life. Come, finish eating your meal and relate to me the tale of how you came to be here."

-=*=-

It was later that evening when Azure and Greenheart finished their conversation about his blue magic, and what she did in that grove. She had a bit of a wistful look in her eye as she remembered the day she left her tribe to seek out her calling.

"It was only seven years ago," she recalled, "when I left my parents' tribe as I reached the time for my Earthseek. An Earthseek is that time when a filly or colt is on the verge of becoming an adult, and to usher in that adulthood, they search out where the Earth Mother leads them, to the land they will tend to. Once there, they are to make it prosper, and prosperous lands prove the pony worthy of being recognized as an adult amongst our clans. It becomes a new place for the tribe to go to, to flourish, and to welcome back the member to the herd."

"I found this place after months of searching, and have been working to grow the garden that you saw out there. With the help of King and the Earth Mother, I've managed to turn this wild jungle into a habitable woods for everypony to enjoy." Greenheart had a small smile upon her lips as she fondly strolled down memory lane. Azure, however, was a little worried by what she said.

"Er... King?" he hesitantly asked, "Who's King? I didn't see any other ponies out there..."

"Oh, King isn't a pony," she replied nonchalantly, "he's a behemoth."

"A behewhatsitsnow?"

"A behemoth. Large, purple, massive claws and fangs, even larger horns, and even yet larger mountains of muscles. He's been a great help clearing out some of the more nasty creatures that were too stubborn to want to live together and play nicely. He's also incredibly helpful when it comes to moving large objects like boulders and such. He helped me build the dam just over..." Azure didn't hear the rest of what Greenheart had to say, as his brain shut down at the memory of his close encounter with King. What little color he had on his coat drained away as the images of the creature returned unbidden to his mind once again.

It was several minutes before Greenheart noticed that Azure was still stuck in a fear-induced waking nightmare. It became readily apparent when she asked him a question about how he came into possession of the Wind Crystal, and he didn't respond at all. He hadn't even moved from the spot she last saw him in.

"Oh dear," she said, waving a hoof in front of his face to get his attention. "I take it you met King on the way in?" Azure snapped back to reality a moment later.

"Er, yeah, I guess you could say that, in a manner of speaking. It was more like him walking by, me quivering in fear from behind a rock around the corner of a cliff away from him." Nevermind me nearly soiling myself as well, Azure thought. He was pretty certain he was taking that part of the story to his grave.

"Ah, yes," Greenheart replied. If she suspected that there was any more of the story Azure wasn't telling, she didn't seem to show it, "he has that effect on ponies that aren't expecting him. Enough about him, however. I suspect you'd like to see the Earth Mother, seeing as she's the one that bade you stay in the first place." She was returning the soup bowls to her kitchen when Azure nodded his reply, and soon returned, setting out a small cot for him.

"We can go to see her in the morning. You'll need your energy for the hike. It's a bit of a path into the Macintosh Hills to where she is." After realizing it was so late, Azure felt the weight of his exhaustion once again upon his shoulders. While he would see this Earth Mother, whatever she was, in the morning, he still had his worries about the fate of the rest of his friends upon his mind as well.

There's nothing I can do about it now, he thought, so I might as well get some sleep so when the time comes I can do something about it, I'm rested enough to actually do it. With that, restful sleep finally claimed Azure Vessel.

-=*=-

The spell was deflected off the shield as he attempted to close in with his opponent. The earthborne wasn't going to let this unicorn get a single hoof past him if he could help it. He steadied himself as he waited for the perfect time to strike, when that perfect opening presented itself to unleash his righteous fury upon this knave.

"You who serve as a guardian," the dark armor-clad unicorn spoke, "you waste your breath upon the cold, heartless rock behind you, and for what? So that you may spend another day thinking your life has purpose, has meaning?"

"Your vile, twisted words hold no sway here, fallen one," the earthborne clad in white armor replied, "Begone from this place, or face the divine power of the crystal!"

The unicorn began to gather his dark energy to his horn, as a smile began to creep upon his face from beneath his cold, grim mask.

-=*=-

He couldn't quite explain it, but the morning brought Azure the refreshing feeling of having gained the best night of sleep he had ever had in his life, despite the normally uncomfortable prospect of spending it in a cot. His buoyant attitude sank a little, however, when he saw that Greenheart had been up for a while longer than he, and that her saddlebags were packed to see a journey that was leagues longer than she had previously let on. Upon seeing the worry on his face, she soothed his worries about her equipment.

"Worry not about it," she said, "I pack for the two of us, seeing as your provisions are in such short supply." Azure gathered his saddlebags, what little remained in them, his scimitar, and the Wind Crystal, and headed out the door, following Greenheart. Fortunately, his clothing had dried and came through the ordeal of having exploded off a bridge into a gorge relatively intact. What little damage there was, Greenheart had managed to repair in the course of the night.

The pair made their way through the woods relatively quickly, due to the combined power of Greenheart's knowledge of the terrain, and her ability to command it to make a path for the both of them when it stymied their progress. Azure continued to marvel at this particular ability.

"As I lived here," Greenheart explained, "I came to feel a connection to the land, as all of our tribe do when they complete their earthseek. It was in that time that I was drawn to the cave we are going to, called by the land to hear its voice. When I reached my destination, I found and met the Earth Mother. She and I forged a powerful connection that day, and ever since, she has shared with me her gift of geomancy. Now she bids the land to bow to my will, and I, in return, answer her call when she has need of me." Azure merely nodded as he absorbed this knowledge. Clover would assuredly wish to know of this unique style of magic, a sort tailored for use by the earthborne. While sages knew of the abilities of the earthborne to supplement the forces of nature on the ground with their own power, it was always suspected that such abilities could be developed to the point of it almost being on par with unicorn magic. Now Azure strode here next to such a pony.

It was when the sun was high into the sky, and the pair some ways into the Macintosh Hills, when the realization of something Greenheart said struck Azure. Something didn't quite add up.

"Greenheart," he began, "Something occurs to me."

"Yes?" she asked.

"You said that when a pony from your tribe makes a connection to the land they find, they complete their earthseek?" His query was met with a nod from her. "And that when that is over, the tribe goes to that place, and the pony returns to the tribe. Does the pony stay at that location when the tribe moves on, then? Or do some of them remain with the pony in their new home? I did not notice any signs of habitation beyond your hut and the animals..."

Greenheart froze in her tracks, Azure having caught on only after he noticed that she no longer walked with him. He turned to look back at her, and saw a forlorn look of profound sadness on her face. He was about to ask what was wrong when her head snapped up, the tears nearly forming in her eyes evaporating as a look of horror immediately covered her being. She stared off into the distance down the path they were taking. Azure was unnerved by the sudden shift she went through.

"If it's a touchy subject, then you don't-" He was cut off before he could get further.

"Do you hear that?" she asked in a barely perceptible whisper, moments before she bolted from her standing position, almost faster than Azure could see. Before she could run out of sight, Azure collected his wits enough to give chase. It was not long after they began galloping that Azure heard, and felt, what may have set Greenheart to a panic.

He was nearly knocked off of his hooves by the tremors of a minor earthquake.

"AHHH!!!" Azure yelled as he struggled to maintain his balance, while Greenheart continued to rush ahead. He managed to catch up to her when she had reached the opening of a cave that had been set into the side of one of the largest hills in the area. Greenheart was staring at the entrance, mouth wide open, a look of utter shock etched onto her face at the sight arrayed before her. As Azure took the time to look about, he saw the devastation that earthquake had wrought, but what damage was done suggested that a lot more was going on than just that.

The cave mouth had apparently been blasted open much farther than what would seem normal for such a formation, as if some explosive force sought to escape by any means necessary, and decided to take parts of the hill with it. All of the brush, trees, and grass had withered to a sickly brown color and died off, all of which seemed to have happened rather simultaneously. What appeared to have been patches of mud were now pits of sticky, bubbling tar, and the smell of sulfur permeated the area. Smoke, from the cave and the withered husks of the plant life, still arose as if a fire had only recently been put out, and it was coming from almost everywhere, from everything around the cave.

Azure had never seen such destruction on such a scale before, short of his accident when he first cast magic as a colt, and it made him weary. Greenheart, however, gave a gasp as she saw something move within the haze of the smoking ruins. She immediately bolted for the source of movement, Azure behind her a few moments later. When he broke through the smokescreen to where she was, he was greeted with yet another unexpected sight.

Laying in front of the entrance to the cave, struggling to crawl forward, was an earthborne stallion. Bruises, cuts, and blood marred his light tan coat, silver gray mane, and white armor. Barely perceptible through the blood and bruises upon his flank was the sign of a white kite shield, on top of which overlay two crossed longswords, a golden crown resting above the top of the shield. Next to the stallion rested on one side a shield with the image of a golden crown on it similar in design to his mark, and on the other, a sword of similar make to the same. He squinted his blood red eyes to see who it was that made their way to him.

"Wh- who *cough* who goes th-there..." he managed to hack out between bouts of coughing up his own blood. Greenheart gave a bit of a cry as she rushed to his side.

"Bulwark! No! What happened?" she cried. Azure took another look at the surrounding area, and then back to the earthborne stallion known as Bulwark, wondering how he even managed to survive... whatever it was that happened here.

"The Earth Mother," Bulwark barely managed to cough out, "the crystal... Gar... he... it's- it's gone..."

And with that, Bulwark slipped away into unconsciousness.

The Soldier

Azure Vessel and Greenheart were set up in camp that evening, around a small fire they had managed to scrape enough tinder for. They were able to bring Bulwark with them, but the going was slow, for he was larger than both the unicorn stallion and earthborne mare, and care had to be taken for his wounds. The duo set camp on the spot that Greenheart felt her connection to the land grow strong once more. The damage the pair saw at the cave extended far deeper than just what was evident on the surface, for the land itself was in pain, and could not respond to the geomancer's calls well. Azure had spent most of his magic on summoning his healing breeze to tend to the unconscious pony's wounds, so extensive the damage was.

As the night wore on, Greenheart took to watching over Bulwark as he slept, applying fresh bandages as gently as she could, while Azure regained his energy to begin a new round of casting. After resting a bit, the blue mage made his way back to his patient.

"So," he said, "this pony, you said his name is Bulwark? I take it you know him?"

"Yes," Greenheart replied, "I met him on my travels before I came to this place. I was passing a village on my way to a forest I had seen from a distance when I was beset by a group of highwayponies..."

-=*=-

She was excited, to say the least, to have seen such a beautiful forest from the ridge of the hill she just crested. The young earthborne mare was merely two months into her Earthseek, yet the prospect of having already found a place that could potentially be her tribe's new home had filled her heart with glee. So overcome with happiness was she, that she did not notice the small village just down the road, nor the group of three pegasi that were making their way towards her from a group of clouds up above.

It was not but when she was a mere twenty yards from the dirt road when the pegasi landed around her, snapping her from her reverie. The sudden appearance of the three stallions startled the young mare, and the intimidating presence of them was not helped in the least bit by the red tint painted upon their wings, the scruffiness of their clothing, or the daggers they bore in their mouths. One of the pegasi, apparently the leader of the trio, stepped forward and addressed the mare.

"Well, well, boys," he managed to say around the handle of his knife, "it looks like we have some dirt farming mare using our road. Perhaps she doesn't know this, but we charge a tax to use our road, and right now, we're here to collect. That'll be ten bits, if you please, then you can be on your way to roll in the mud or whatever it is you rock herders do," he said with a sneer, and thrust his hoof out towards the mare expectantly. The young earthborne shied back, not expecting to be confronted with such a hostile group of ponies. Perhaps word of the unification of the three tribes hadn't spread to this remote village? It was entirely possible.

The lead bandit once again thrust his hoof out, expecting the mare to simply give up the bits and flee, but she did nothing of the sort. Instead, she looked up into his eyes and held steadfast.

"This road is free for all to travel," she calmly protested, "and I'll pay not a single coin to use it." The bandit was none too impressed, and returned his hoof to his side. The other two stallions began to move to flank the mare, their daggers eagerly awaiting use, while the leader of the trio continued, a slight bit of mock disappointment tinging his words.

"Oh, well, that's too bad. Y'see, this here's pegasus territory, and we're not too keen on having you mud rollers come on through here, mucking things up. Especially when you have bits on you that would be better put to use in a pegasus' pocket. Now, we can do this one of two ways. We can do this nice and easy," he grinned as he clinched up on his knife, "or we can do this the hard way. Personally, I like the hard way. It's more fun. For me, at least." He stepped towards the mare as the others moved to close in. Before they got much further, however, a loud, commanding voice rung out from the direction of the road.

"Thou shall not proceed any further, cur!" The three pegasi and one earthborne turned to see who issued such a command, and their eyes were met with a large earthborne stallion. The tan-coated, gray-maned stallion wore a white breastplate with gold and silver trim, and chain barding surrounding his barrel and the top half of his forelegs. All four of his hooves bore greaves wrought in the same manner as the main piece of his armor, gold and silver trim and all. He wore a shield strapped to his left side shoulder and withers, while in one of his forehooves, he held a sword designed to match the armor and shield. He held a righteous fury in his eyes as he regarded the bandits.

"Thy depravities cease here, knave, and thou shall return with me henceforth to the authorities. Thine preying upon the ponies of this village and these roads is at an end!" He stepped forth, bringing his shield to bear, "Or, if thou wish, we can settle this in glorious combat, and let the fates decide who shall leave this field today!" He brandished his sword as the three pegasi shared a round of confused looks before busting out laughing. The knight took a moment to take the measure of his foes, and then, with a somewhat flat look on his muzzle, trotted up to one of the goons and bonked him on the head with his shield, knocking him out. The other two quickly snapped out of their laughter to engage the earthborne stallion, but were quickly brought to ground when the very grass beneath their hooves writhed up and wrapped itself around them. Their struggles were quickly put to rest with two more shield bops on the head.

-=*=-

"Bulwark and I then took them to the village, where the guards there put the bandits under lock and key," Greenheart concluded, "Afterwards, we introduced ourselves to each other, and have been friends ever since." She looked kindly upon his sleeping form as the campfire shed its bouncing light around the three ponies. Azure Vessel looked to the sleeping knight, then back to Greenheart. He then gazed out into the night sky, the moon and stars already marking their path across the great vault. For what felt like a moment, he almost felt as if they gazed back upon him.

"To have your friends by your side," he signed, "and to have your hearth by which to hang your cape. These things I envy you, as mine have gone missing. I wonder if the others look upon the same sky as I do this evening."

"Your friends will find a way to return to you once again," Greenheart offered, "The fates have a way of connecting friends to one another, even should they be separated by misfortune." She lay a bowl of soup the two had been preparing down next to Azure, before taking a bowl for herself. She had a bowl ready in case Bulwark awoke. "Where did you say you got separated from your friends again?"

"The bridge overlooking Ghastly Gorge, on the way to Everfree Castle. The last I saw of them, we had plunged into the river at the bottom. I awoke alone, sometime later, on the outskirts of your forest."

"Ah!" the geomancer exclaimed, "I know that river. It leads south below a mountain range that splits the San Palomino Grasslands in two. If your friends traveled further down stream, they would be there." A few moments after saying this, Greenheart heard some mumblings coming from Bulwark, "It looks like he returns to the realm of the awake."

Bulwark began to stir, first holding some one-sided conversation with himself under his breath, then shaking back and forth, whatever nightmare he was in slowly being torn asunder. Suddenly, he woke with a sudden shout, as he struggled to get to his hooves.

"HAVE AT THEE, JACKAL!" Bulwark was on his hooves, looking every which way, until it dawned on him that he was no longer in the cave. Greenheart was the first to speak up and meet his gaze, in an attempt to calm him down.

"Be at ease, Sir Bulwark," she cooed, "It is only my friend and I here, and we are safe in our camp now." Bulwark calmed a little, taking in the scene, and looked to the white unicorn with a blue mane, tail, and outfit. Greenheart continued, offering the startled paladin the bowl of soup she prepared, "You have been out for a while. Here, have this soup and tell us what happened to the Earth Mother. I cannot feel a strong connection to her any more, and the land was befouled when we found you." She had a look of concern as Bulwark considered the soup.

"Tis nary a boon tale, Lady Greenheart," Bulwark said, "and one which time doth not favor a full recounting of. A fiend of most unscrupulous intent moves against the crystals, and I fear the Earth Mother mayhap fallen to his vile clutches." The paladin looked to Azure, only now noticing his presence, "Pray tell, who might thou be, whom keeps Lady Greenheart company whilst I recover?" The sudden attention startled Azure.

"Oh, my apologies," Greenheart answered, "I forgot to introduce my friend. This is Azure Vessel, a blue mage from the village of Cornelia. He had stumbled into my grove after taking a recreational dive off a bridge really high up." She giggled as she teased the still mentally stunned unicorn.

"It, er, wasn't so much of a dive," Azure reached a forehoof up to the back of his head to scratch his mane, "as it was me being exploded off of it. Then there was another explosion, I passed out, and I awoke some time later to meet Greenheart here." He sheepishly grinned as he pointed to the mare. Bulwark had a bit of a disbelieving look on his face as he regarded the mage's tale.

"Thou... exploded? Twice?" the paladin asked, confused.

"Um, apparently, I guess. It could have been more than twice, I'm not sure. There was a lot of loud noises, screaming, and blue everywhere..." Azure limply kicked at a loose rock he found on the ground.

"How is that even..." Bulwark looked to Greenheart, who could only offer a shrug as an answer. The large stallion shook his head and continued on, "Nevermind that. Azure Vessel, it is to the ministrations of Lady Greenheart and thyself that I remain upon this mortal coil. Therefore thou hath my thanks, and I pledge to do my best to repay thy favor as is necessary and just. I am Bulwark, paladin of the Order of Saint Ajora, and sworn protector of the Earth Mother and her sisters."

"However," he continued, his eyes downcast from a bit of depression, "it seems I have failed in some regard to that last claim. As I said earlier, the Earth Mother hath come under attack by a fallen brother of the Order, a dark knight by the name of Garland. He had been cast out for dabbling in the forbidden arts of Chaos magic, and was to be sentenced to death for his profane arts, but the fiend made a pact with his foul god. He was swept away from us, his mocking laughter the only trace of his presence remaining, and the Order hath been hunting him since."

"I only recently had caught wind of rumor he was in the area, and I had not ascertained his motives until it was too late. Now the Earth Mother lay rent by his hoof, and I fear the other crystals might be next." Bulwark's voice held a mixture of fury and regret as he brought his tale to a close. Greenheart moved next to him to provide a comforting hoof upon his shoulder, when Azure reached into his saddlebags and produced the Wind Crystal. Its soothing glow washed the encampment in its pale green light.

"You mean, this?" Azure asked. Bulwarks eyes widened in shock as he beheld the crystal, shrunk in size, but otherwise perfectly intact. He turned to the unicorn, disbelief clearly scrawled across his muzzle.

"Thou art a pony of many surprises, it seems," the paladin mused, "How dist thou come across the Wind Mother, and what pact hath been made to have her come with thee?" Azure put the Wind Crystal back into his bags, then turned to the earthborne with some slight confusion etched across his muzzle.

"Finding it was the work of Vin, a friend of mine," he looked up, a forehoof brought up to his chin in thought, "As to making a pact, I can't say we made any pact with it, in so much as it told us a riddle, then started tagging along with us. I've had it ever since. It sometimes tries to speak to me, or warns me of something sometimes, but I have a hard time hearing it. Sometimes I just have to listen to, and feel, the winds to try to catch what it's trying to tell me." Azure brought his hoof and his gaze back down to regard his two companions once again.

"Ah, then a true pact has yet to been made," Greenheart said, "If a pony makes a pact with one of the Mother Crystals, that pony can hear what she wishes to convey, and can feel her through her medium. There are four Mother Crystals, one each for Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind, and to make a pact with one of them is to be connected to her, and to feel her power flow through you," her voice dropped to a sad hush, "but now, I can barely feel hear the Earth Mother, I can already feel her slipping away, and I know not what to do..." She broke down into a sob, Bulwark providing a shoulder into which to cry.

"There is yet hope, if you act quickly..."

The gentlest zephyr brushed against Azure's ears, snapping him to attention as a whisper on the wind called to him. He looked around, wondering from where the missive came from.

"Hey guys, did you hear that?" he asked. The two earthborne simply gave him a shake of the head, not hearing anything but Greenheart's quiet cry, and the crackle of the campfire. A moment later, Azure pulled out the Wind Crystal again, looking into its depths to see if it was the culprit. Another breeze, accompanied by a slight pulse of light from deep within the center of the crystal, was its response.

"The cave of my sister... the land becomes infested... free her from Chaos..." The breeze departed, and the glow softened once more to its cool radiance. Azure looked up to the two earthborne.

"I think we need to go into the cave. I think we can still save the Earth Mother."

-=*=-

The trio decided to enter the cave in the morning, after they had gotten some rest. Bulwark's wounds healed nicely thanks to the combined efforts of the geomancer and the blue mage, and the three set off to determine the cause of the land rot that centered around the cave. They had entered the cave, and were appalled at the condition it had been in. While Azure had never been to the cave, he was fairly certain that the walls and ceiling originally didn't drip a thick, gummy ooze, and that the cave floor felt as if it had once been more solid rock than the slimy mud it had become. The looks of revulsion Greenheart and Bulwark were giving seemed to confirm his theories. Worse yet was the smell; something vile had taken up residence in the cave, and hygiene wasn't on the top of its 'to do' list apparently.

The cave descended several floors, and the smell got worse and worse. So, too, did the deterioration of the land the further down they got, as several sink holes and tar pits began to open up. The three had to be careful where they stepped, lest they get caught in some pool of muck and get dragged to their doom. Greenheart was visibly shaken by the horror of what had become of the Earth Mother's home, while Bulwark seemingly seethed with some unexpressed fury.

"Garland..." the mare whispered, "why would he do something like this? What possible goal could he be after?" The paladin merely shook his head.

"Making sense of his twisted plans," the knight offered, "will surely lead one down the path of madness. The knave only babbled on about bringing the advent of chaos and discord upon the land, and that his master will reward him. Whatever mind he hath left to him, it was too far into the clutches of insanity to make any manner of sense out of." Bulwark looked on ahead as they continued to draw closer to the chamber of the Earth Mother.

"Whatever it was he was researching when he was banished, it gave him power, that I can attest to. I fought him as best as I could, but the madpony, his lust for power had somehow granted him abilities far beyond any I have seen in my life, and it allowed him to shatter the Earth Mother as if it were mere glass. Something... unholy guides his hoof, and it means to make a move against Equestria. I cannot allow that."

The three adventurers came to a chamber that opened up somewhat from the tunnels they had been traveling in. On the far side from where they entered lay a stone door, engraved with the carving of a mountain peak in its center. The expanse of floor between there and the trio was covered in that same viscous, putrid slime they had been slogging through. The smell was almost unbearable by this point, the ponies having to fight to keep themselves from evacuating the contents of their stomachs due to it alone.

"Let us make haste to the Earth Mother's chamber," Bulwark said as he moved towards the door, "so that we may yet be away from this wretchedness." No sooner than he said that, than the ground between him and the door rumbled and erupted in a fountain of muck and grease. He quickly withdrew from the falling debris, hoping to not get buried alive under it, and when he and the others looked to the cause of the eruption, their surprise turned to horror. Laying in the center of the room was the skeleton of a dragon, one about a third the size the room they were in, and it was moving under its own power! In its skull, in the place where the dragon's eyes would have been, were but two baleful red glowing points of light, seeking out lives to extinguish.

Stunned by the sight, the ponies were almost caught off guard when the skeletal dragon swiped forward with one of its bony claws. Bulwark was the first to respond when he charged forward with his shield, intercepting the attack as it made its way towards Greenheart, who snapped out of her bewilderment at the sound of bone clanging against metal. She shied away from the fray as Azure began to gather his magic to lob a pinecomb bomb at the creature. The blast caught the dragon in its side, but it barely had much more effect than to rattle a few bones loose, of which soon returned to their spots on the dragon's side. Greenheart attempted to draw some of the power of the land to her to help her friends defeat this monstrosity, but her pleas went mostly unanswered. All she managed to do was to ease a few of the wounds Bulwark sustained as he drew the attention of the beast.

It was not long before Azure realized something was wrong. After having landed a solid blow from his diamond dog punch to little effect, he had began to wonder what manner of monster this was. It recovered from blow after blow of both his and Bulwark's swords, and Azure's magic wasn't having much effect, either. Greenheart was starting to tire from keeping the group healthy, and this dragon was showing no signs of slowing down.

"What is this thing?" Azure yelled out as he dodged yet another claw swipe. Bulwark suddenly appeared at his far side, raising his shield just in time to take the brunt of the tail slam that was about to hit Azure's blind side. The blue mage yelped as he leaped back, his heart pounding a mile a minute.

"It is an undead, the remnants of some poor soul bound to a decaying body via the power of necromancy," the paladin replied, "Garland most likely awoke it to guard this place when he left, but for what reason is beyond me. It has an unending spring of power, stemming from the realm of the dead, and it will not stop until we are slain by its claws."

"Then how do we stop it?" Greenheart worriedly cried out as she barely avoided being sliced to ribbons as a claw passed by her by mere inches. She did not know if she would be capable of dodging many more of those.

"Give life to unlife, and let it rest in peace..."

Azure once again heard a whisper on the wind, and the memory of the fight against the Mist Dragon popped into his head. While he wasn't sure that the same strategy could possibly work again, he gave trust to the words carried on the winds, and summoned up his healing breeze. This time, however, instead of directing it to one of his allies, he turned it against the vile abomination before him. As the rainbow colored winds beat against the bones of the skeletal dragon, it gave out an echoing moan as the bones began to disintegrate into dust. The last of the skeleton, the skull, faded from view as the winds swept away any trace of the creature. The three ponies breathed heavily as the skeletal dragon was defeated.

"How dist thou know to do that?" Bulwark asked Azure, his breath ragged. For his part, Azure merely nodded as he stood and began to make his way to the mountain-engraved door.

"The winds, they whispered the creature's weakness to me," the blue mage managed to gasp out between heavy breaths, "and once again, it is the healing breeze that I learned that seemed to work. I'm beginning to wonder if there isn't more to this Wind Crystal than even it's letting on." The two earthborne and the unicorn made their way to the door, the slime slowly beginning to recede. As they pushed it open, another large chamber greeted their eyes.

However, unlike the chamber of the Wind Crystal, Azure saw that this chamber had a far more earthy feel to it. Whereas the Wind Crystal's room had clouds within it, and a windswept look, this room had various rocks, stones, boulders, and gems scattered about, with stalactites hanging from the ceiling. In the center of the room was a dias, upon which would have rested the Earth Crystal. It was empty now, and about the room were the remnants of a battle, with pock and scorch marks here and there testament to the power witnessed by this room. All about were shards of crystal, shattered by some unknown force.

Greenheart, after seeing this, broke down and started crying, Bulwark once again being the shoulder into which she cried. Azure moved to the dias, examining it for any evidence of what they came for. After a few minutes of looking, he was about to turn back when the Wind Crystal floated out of his saddlebags, glowing it's ethereal light about the room. As the light touched each of the crystal shards scattered about, they slowly gathered in the center of the dias. Once all of the shards recombined, a small crystal, the same size as the Wind Crystal, floated before the group, glowing a soft, earthy yellow color. The three ponies gasped as it floated towards Greenheart and Bulwark.

"Thank you for freeing me from the grasp of madness and discord, my little ponies," the crystal said, "I am the Earth Mother, and I have grave news to tell of the darkness that stalks this world."