Equestrian Madness

Barristan, also known as the Man-at-Arms, was sitting in one of many tables of the tavern. The only place in Hamlet to relax, and have a pint of rum, or maybe enjoy some company with a number of beautiful ladies. Few even prefer to try their luck on some gambling. But not for this old man, Barristan was just there, no drink in his hands or a pretty girl by his side. The only company he has tonight is the ever so silent Bounty Hunter, Tardif.

Now that Barristan thinks about it, Tardif's silence is strangely deafening, as if the whole world was mute. He now noticed the lack of music or the usual shouting and talking. Barristan was not going insane, the tavern was indeed quiet with the occasional thump of a man's mug against the table. He suspected that the disappearance of Reynauld and his group was the cause. The Crusader and the Highwayman were honestly the ones that lasted the longest. Both were present when the Heir had taken their first step into Hamlet.

They set an example to everyone. Reynauld with his persistence and faith, and Dismas with his cunning techniques. Both stood side by side, even though they were the polar opposites. When Dismas wanted to drink, Reynauld would simply scoff at the thief's direction. A man of God and a man who had given up on the heavens. And now, they along with the Vestal and the Doctor are gone.

Many had expected for Dismas to kick open the doors and continue building his debt, but when the Occultist returned with the thief's belongings as well as the rest, they feared for the worst. Alhazred was his name. And the man who speaks with the unknown was currently in one of the many rooms of the tavern, speaking with the Heir in private. Far from unwanted attention.

Barristan had been waiting for an hour now, Tardif was also. Waiting for the Occultist to step out of the room with whatever news he would bring. And when he finally did exit out and into the scene, every living human who was sober enough had focused on Alhazred. They followed him as he descended the stairs, then he silently moved towards Barristan and Tardif. Once he was seated, Alhazred's shoulders sagged and the onlookers would return to their drinks. Both warriors could only watch as the Occultist swiped another man's drink from the neighboring table and downed it in one gulp, none dared to complain after the fact that they could possibly be mourning for those who are lost.

The Occultist slammed the mug on the table once it was empty. "They want us to go back, search the farm." He spoke, tired, it was obvious.

"I expected this..." Barristan eyed his surroundings. "I knew they wouldn't just simply let go without any evidence."

"But there was nothing else on the farm," Alhazred explained. "all I could find is the bags, food, and private belongings."

"But where would we even start?" Barristan questioned.

"I don't know, but we should split off and-"

The Occultist was cut off by Tardif who raised a hand just to speak his thoughts. "That would be unwise," His voice was monotonous, as if he had no emotion at all. "the brigands are starting to be a pest, especially when winter is near."

Barristan dipped his head. "He's right, our troops are spread out too thinly. Half of us are patrolling the main road, few are out scouting for any signs of the blasted Fanatic, and the rest are guarding the town. Even then, we are outnumbered."

Alhazred frowned. "Then what must we do? The Heir is intent on finding Reynauld and his team, or whatever remains... No doubt they will spend our resources looking for them, especially for the thief and that knight, so we must make haste. I also believe that we must form a party, at least a total of four."

"Then we shall send out anyone who can help. Or else Hamlet will suffer in the near future." Barristan spoke, but he paused for a second. "But where do we start?"

"The farm, obviously, I will volunteer to form and lead the group."

Barristan nodded. "Then hurry Alhazred, we must not falter in these trying times."

With that, the three separated, there was much to be done. And they needed to hurry or else history would repeat itself.

Dismas was bored, there was nothing that really interested him. He was already tired of seeing green. Everything around him was practically the same color. The trees, the tall grass, the bushes. Everything. He had been trudging through the forest with Reynauld at the lead while the ladies were just behind him. And throughout the whole thing, Dismas was bored.

He had no idea how long they have been walking, but it sure has been hours since they left their camp. The four had one destination in mind, it was the road Junia had discovered in one of her scouting runs the night before. And hopefully the four would find a way back to Hamlet, they would rather not lose their pays just because of some obelisk under someone's farm. Really unlucky.

The group came to a stop, Junia gasped and pointed out that the road was just a few more steps ahead. Dismas peered over Reynauld's shoulder and could see a light in the distance. With their goal just an arm's reach, the four hurried through the thicket as quick as they could. Being extremely bored, Dismas had decided to run at a faster pace. He tapped Reynauld's shoulder as he ran past the knight and dared him to a race.

Reynauld would usually ignore Dismas' silly challenges since he had better things to do, but today was different. The knight lifted up his sword as well as his banner with one hand and leaned both of it against his shoulder, then he ran after the thief. Paracelsus groaned loudly, obviously displeased by their actions. Junia only gasped when both men had decided to bolt away. She attempted to run as well, but the doctor held her back.

Dismas did not wear armor, which meant he was faster than most mercenaries back in Hamlet, but Reynauld was another subject. The knight was slower thanks to his gear, sure, but he lugged his armor like it was made of lighter materials. He was slowly shortening the distance between him and the thief. Dismas grinned under his scarf and quickened himself even more. But the knight did not relent, he too increased his own speed. But it was useless, he was just too slow.

Then from out of nowhere, Reynauld started to close the gap with new-found resolve, Dismas was unaware of this, his eyes were glued towards the clearing just up ahead. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder, when he looked over, he was met with a ghoul wearing Reynauld's armor, his disfigured face glared at the thief with a burning hatred.

"Gah!" Dismas yelped in shock as he stumbled on his own foot. Before he even knew it his world started spinning, what was once green was now replaced with blue. He laid sprawled out on this new environment, his heart pounded in his chest both due to the race and that sudden scare. He was seeing things, Dismas feared for his sanity, the thief needed to keep calm and hope that it would be the last time he'd see things. He did not move, even after Reynauld had eclipsed over him.

"What was that?" The knight asked as he planted down his banner.

"N-nothing..." Dismas hissed as the pain on his back hits him just now. "God, both my head and back ache..."

"Well you had a nasty fall, so it wouldn't be a surprise." Paracelsus commented as she and Junia entered the scene. "Honestly, I feel like your brain is the size of a walnut and it bounced around that empty skull of yours."

"Yeah, whatever, but it feels like I'm sleeping on a rock."

"That would be the poor animal you've crushed under you." Junia pointed out.

Hearing this, Dismas quickly accepted the hand Reynauld had offered and pulled himself back up. Now that he was no longer obstructing the picture, the group finally could see what Dismas had landed on. And much to Reynauld's disgust, and Paracelsus' curiosity, it was an odd looking equine. A monstrosity of a horse. The head was much bigger than the body itself, the color was not natural that's for sure. The eyes were also oversized, giving Paracelsus the idea that this creature had a very small brain. This thing was an abomination, and Reynauld wanted to help the world and rid it of this beast.

Then it stirred, the plum like colored horse was beginning to recover. The raspberry pink mane on this equine shifted as it rose its head. Dismas was honestly glad that he didn't accidentally kill it, but he did not let his guard down, he took Reynauld's example and drew out his dagger. Junia followed suit and prepared her mace, Paracelsus was too occupied to even notice her companions reaction to this creature. She was completely intrigued by this equine that she herself brought out a notebook and a pen. The group kept their distance, there was no way of knowing if this beast truly is an ordinary but deformed horse.

"Oh... my head..." It spoke, Reynauld wanted to pierce it with his blade, but the fact that it spoke prevented him from doing so. And what's worse, it had a woman's voice. The horse then glanced over to them and stared. From the angle, Dismas couldn't help but notice how this horse was human-like, the horse wore a face of confusion as it stared at them which sent a shiver down Dismas' spine. "Woah... Am I still drunk?" She asked the obvious, it was clear with the way she spoke and the way she smelled.

"Hopefully I am as well, and right now, I wish the beer was talking instead." Dismas wanted nothing more than to drown in some rum, maybe some good old fashioned ale.

"Mutant." Reynauld hissed.

"Woah, now I must be super drunk!" She chuckled softly. "Because I wouldn't think that some monsters are staring at me if I'm sober."

"I am afraid that this is real." Paracelsus told her truthfully as she scribbled down on her notes.

"You sure?" The mutant paused for a second, her head swiveled left to right before stopping once her eyes landed on a bottle just a few feet away, just right next to Dismas' foot. It must've fallen out of her hoof when she crashed down. Dismas followed her eyes and noticed the bottle as well. He was cautious, but against his own self preservation, he decided to pick up the bottle with his free hand and took a whiff. It smelled like ale, the scent that reminded Dismas of vinegar was apparent. Then he did the predictable, he drank from the bottle much to Reynauld's disgust as well as the horse's disapproval. "Hey, that's mine!"

"If you know what's good for you, then it would be better if you just let go." Dismas warned her, he waved his dagger in front of him to show that he was armed.

"Hay no!" She cursed, now standing on all four of her hooves, she glared at the thief. But she swayed a bit to the side, her balance was certainly off. "I bought t-that bottle fair and square! Give it back or else!"

Reynauld scoffed. "Honestly, the sun is barely up in the sky and you two already decided to drown yourselves." He did not lower his guard, his hand was still holding his sword in case the beast would finally show her true colors.

Junia was unsure what to think, she simply waited for a battle that might come, while Paracelsus was still on her notes with this newly discovered abomination. It spoke and acted like a person, Paracelsus wanted nothing more than to open the horse up and see the inside. "A possible horse and human chimera..." She muttered aloud, which earned her a glare coming from the beast

"I'm a pony you weird looking griffin!" The beast corrected. If Paracelsus was paying attention, she herself would also correct the pony.

"Pony, horse, either way, you are an abomination!" Reynauld said with his blade raised towards her.

"You want a p-piece of me?" She hiccuped. "Then let's go tin can!"

Dismas sighed. "Easy Reynauld, I think this thing is really drunk. Probably been drinking since sunrise. Especially with that smell on her."

"You think I smell? Well buster, you got another thing coming to y-you! Prepare to-" With that, the pony emptied her stomach onto the dirt road. Reynauld stared with greater disgust than before, Paracelsus waited for the pony to finish so she could take samples for science. Junia looked away after feeling her own stomach churn. Dismas, he simply chuckled as he watched, he found it entertaining. And once the pony was done, she collapsed over to the side, thankfully missing the off colored puddle besides her.

"Now what?" Dismas asked the others as he took another swig of ale. In truth, the thief would rather have some rum right now, but the bottle in his hand would do.

"We need her alive." Junia said before tending to the pony. She moved her away from the mess and brought the pony over to the grass just next to the dirt road. "She could perhaps lead us towards town."

Paracelsus agreed. "She's right, she must've come from a settlement. Where else would this equine acquire a bottle of alcohol?"

"I'm on board with that idea if I can get my hands on more drinks!" Dismas was eager to go. Reynauld would have voiced his opinions, but it would seem the group unanimously decided for everyone. So he opted to remain silent instead. There was no point in arguing, so it was better to follow their lead.

"But first we would need her to be sober." Junia said as she eyed the pony. "But I believe that she won't be waking up any time soon."

"Allow me!" Paracelsus chimed in, she fished into her satchel for a second then produced a bottle of a mysterious grey liquid. "Seeing as many of us are always drinking their own brains away and suffering because of it. I had been trying my best to create something to cure hangovers. Sadly this is merely a trial run, and I cannot predict the outcome when this bottle is used on a creature that is not human. If that does not work, perhaps some leeches will."

"Very well," Reynauld took a step closer in case the situation turns sour. "proceed. The quicker we find a settlement, the quicker we return to Hamlet."

With the rest of her party waiting, Paracelsus kneeled down next to the unconscious pony and brought out a syringe to use. Once she had the pony ready for injection, Paracelsus began her test run of her project. Then she took a step back and waited with Reynauld. Dagger in hand. The pony's eyes snapped open, she gasped and inhaled some air as if she was suffocating then she began coughing shortly after. Once she was done, she groggily pushed herself back up with half lidded eyes, someone feeling both fatigue and out of breath. Yet she had enough energy to go through her day, even though she had a mild headache.

"Ugh..." She moaned. "Why do I feel like I'm dying?"

"It worked! She lived, I mean... I honestly expected her to have a seizure and die!" Paracelsus smiled under her mask, the results were far better than she expected.

"Gah! Please shut up, your shrilly voice is beating my brain with a bat..."

"Shrilly!?" The doctor shrieked, offended by the pony's basic observation.

"Ah! I'm sorry, just shut up!" The beast pleaded as she cupped her ears. "Why am I feeling this killer hangover?"

Junia hummed. "Perhaps some more of your strange potion would be helpful, isn't that the purpose, to help them recover?"

"That was simply a trial run my friend, we are lucky that she is breathing. But I'm willing to give her another shot." Paracelsus brandished another syringe with the potion ready for injection.

"What are you guys talki-" The pony was cut off as she felt a sting on her rear. She yelped in surprise as the pain lingered. "What the hay was that!?"

"Progress." The doctor said ominously.

Before the pony could give the beaked human a piece of her mind, she noticed that her headache was gone. And plus, she felt better, hungry, but still much better. "Woah, what happened? I feel like I just woke up nice and fresh!"

"Enough, beast!" Reynauld boomed.

"W-woah, what in Equestria are you guys!?" She finally saw who she was dealing with, her mind was cleared of her hangover and the pain faded away in a blink of an eye.

"Lost," Reynauld answered. "we are in need of assistance!"

The pony couldn't help but gawk at them, never in her life had she seen anything like these four. Armor, scratched and dented, a sign that it had seen combat. Their clothes, stained and damaged, faces with light scars that told a story. But the thing that really caught her attention were those who wore no masks, something about their faces was sending chill down her spine.

"Oh... Sure, why not?" The pony shrugged her shoulders as she rose to her full height. "Names Berry Punch, you guys are?"

"Heh, friendly aren't ya?" Dismas was amused with her arrogance and lack of self preservation, if it was him surrounded by strangers then he would make sure that they don't get his name just yet. But since he isn't, then there was no harm in introducing himself. "They call me Dismas, nice to meet you."

"Junia, it is a pleasure." The Vestal bowed.

"I am Doctor Paracelsus, you may address me as Doctor if you wish."

"Reynauld." The Crusader followed their examples. "Now that is out of the way, we wish that you lead us to your town so we can gather our bearings and find a way back home."

"Oh, sure, I can do that..." Berry paused for a second as she scanned her surroundings. "But first, I need to remember where I came from..."

"You are lost?" Reynauld feared for the worst.

"Hey, I honestly have no idea where I am, I just woke up here!"

"And she did not question everything?" Dismas tried not to laugh, but it was just so hilarious. "How about a drink? Maybe that'll jog your memory."

"No thank you, I don't... Wait, I think I know where I am!" She raised a hoof towards a mountain in the far distance. What really surprised the four humans was the castle on the side of it. "That's Canterlot! Which means that Ponyville is just that way!" With that, she trotted towards town.

"Ponyville?" Dismas repeated to the others. They could only share his confusion before accepting it, and then chasing after the pony.

But something else was bugging Dismas as he and his group followed the strange creature. Why was his eyes tricking him, where did this horse creature come from? And why does this place feel so weird? All of these, yet there were no answers. He could only hope that they find a way back to Hamlet. And perhaps they could get a proper rest after reaching town. The Lord above knows that they deserved it.