Mayhem On The Mountain

Chapters

An Ace In The Hole
Tending Wounds
Problems On The Peak
The Grand Tour
Monastery Mystery
Tunnel Visions
Secrets Of The Caverns
From Bad To Worse
Home Invasion
Light And Shadows
Loose Ends
Going Down The Mountain
How Silas Got His Groove Back
The Journey Of A Thousand Steps

An Ace In The Hole

Three months later...

It was a fine morning in the city of Canterlot, as captain of the Royal Guard and a member of the RDL (Royal Defense Legion) Fletcher Ulysses was busy at home. While not one to take days off, Fletcher decided to take this one in particular to help his wife Dove set up a nursery for their upcoming foal.

And as with everything, Fletcher was very meticulous in making sure everything was perfect.

“Hmm…” Fletcher looked over their bedroom, walking back and forth, eyeing the area from different angles, as he then suddenly pointed to a spot, “...We should put the crib right here.”

"Right next to our bed?" Dove asked.

“Of course.” Fletcher nodded, “It’ll make midnight feedings more efficient, and since the foal’s wails will wake us anyways, it will be less ground to cover when we have to soothe our child.”

“Well, that does make sense.” Dove admitted, “But-”

“Now we’ve established the crib’s location, we should consider where we to baby supplies.” Fletcher declared, as he then pulled out a tape measure, and began measuring the chest of drawers against the wall.

“Um, honey, you already measured that.” Dove frowned.

“I know, but it doesn’t hurt to check again.” Fletcher rebutted, as he glanced at the tape, and frowned. “Hmm, it seems big enough… but we might have to allocate a space for milk bottles, somewhere over…” He glanced around the room… and then pointed to the bedside dresser. ”Here.”

“Fletcher, love, I appreciate all the thought you’re putting into this.” Dove cringed, “But don’t you think you’re getting a little too into the details?”

“Well, I have to be, Dove.” Fletcher defended, “Even the slightest of details could make all the difference. This is going to be our first foal, and I want to ensure that we can care for it with the utmost efficiency and efficacy.”

“And that’s good and all, but it is not like the child is coming right now. We still have around six months.” Dove explained, “You’re going to wear yourself out sweating over the little things.”

“I realize that.” Fletcher grimaced, “I just…” He sighed, “I want just to make sure we’re ready for this, to be parents, I mean.”

“Oh, Fletchy.” Dove soothingly put a hoof on his cheek, “Nopony’s ever truly ready to be a parent. You can only prepare to raise a foal so much, and even then, it might not go to plan. When that little bundle of joy is here, we'll learn how to care of it just like everypony else does: one day at a time."

"You really think so?" Fletcher asked, still worried.

"I know so." Dove kissed him. "We'll do just fine... Even without the tape measure."

“Thanks, honey.” Fletcher kissed her back. As he pulled away, he frowned at the tape measure, “Well, I guess this is a bit of overkill.” He tossed it aside, as he hugged his wife, “How about we take a break? You must be craving something by now.”

“Well, since you mentioned it, honey does sound very good.” Dove smiled, “Oh, and maybe some peanut butter.”

“Coming right up.” Fletcher pledged, eager to attend to his wife's every need.

Dove rolled her eyes as her over-attentive husband raced to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Fletcher's partner Caboose Napoleon (who also happened to be second-in-command of the Royal Guard) was giving his daughter, Hurricane (a junior guardspony in training), a training session in the courtyard of Canterlot Castle. Technically, he was supposed to be handling his partner's duties as acting Captain. But Canterlot had been so quiet lately that he barely had anything to do, so he decided to take the opportunity to help Hurricane with her own efforts.

"That's it, kiddo." Caboose declared, as he parried a forceful strike. "Give it your all."

"That's the plan." Hurricane nodded, throwing out another punch, which was also blocked.

"Good." Caboose nodded. "Again."

Hurricane repeated the strike, albeit a little harder this time.

"Ooh, my hoof almost went numb there." Caboose waved his appendage. "Nice one, Hurri."

"Thanks, dad." Hurricane grinned, hiding the fact that her own hoof had almost gone numb from the attack.

“Hi, Hurricane!”

Caboose and Nyx glanced up, and saw Nyx, the newest member of the royal family, waved from a balcony. The filly was the subject of a Forefather’s project, headed by Somnus Nabudis and Sacred Dysley (Secret Dysley’s father), a reincarnation of Nightmare Moon, and had recently been freed from the purpose planned for her. As of now, she was happily adopted by Princess Luna and her husband Gothic.

“Oh, hey, Nyxie!” Hurricane waved.

“How are you doing?” Nyx called out.

“Doing great, thanks for asking!” Hurricane shouted back.

"You wanna hang out after lunch?" Nyx asked.

"Sorry, can't." Hurricane shook her head. "Got more Junior Guardspony training!"

"That's okay." Nyx smiled. "We can always hang out tomorrow!"

"That's the spirit, kiddo!" Hurricane grinned.

"Later!" Nyx waved, before going back into the castle.

"...So, looks like Nyx is really doing well for herself after the whole 'almost made into a living fear gas machine by the Forefathers' thing." Caboose noted. "Not many ponies can say that, you know..."

"Yeah, she's doing great." Hurricane smiled. "You'd be surprised how much happy a filly can be when she's with a loving family, and not inciting horrific nightmares in everypony whenever she gets stressed..."

"Getting raised right does make a lot of difference." Caboose grinned. "Look at the great job my parents did with me."

"And you with me." Hurricane chuckled.

"Just a chuckle of regular, normal, well-adjusted ponies." Caboose agreed. "Right, readers?"

A passing Guard gave Caboose a funny look as he glanced straight up into the sky. But as Caboose was his superior, he wisely chose to say nothing.

"Okay, back to business." Caboose declared. "Give me your best shot."

"Okay, you asked for it!" Hurricane delivered a set of kicks, followed by a punch combo. Caboose managed to block all but the last strike, which he took advantage of to grab and restrain her. "Oh, come on? Really?" She protested.

"Sorry, kiddo." Caboose chuckled as he released her. "But I had to test your reaction to a sudden turnaround in battle. Guess this student ain't gonna surpass the teacher any time soon."

"Definitely not." Hurricane sighed as she rubbed her hoof.

"What's wrong, Hurri?" Caboose asked. "I didn't think it was that big a burn..."

"It's not that." Hurricane admitted. "It's just... what if I never get any better? What if this is the best I can do? If I can't even put up a decent fight against my old timer dad, how can I possibly defend Equestria from bad guys?"

"Ouch." Caboose said under his breath, stung by the 'old timer' comment. "Don't sell yourself short sweetie. You're still a young filly. You're not done growin' yet, remember?"

"Yeah, sure." Hurricane scoffed. "It'd be a real plot convenience if that were all there was to it."

"You're a Napoleon." Caboose reminded her. "And Napoleons are a cut above the rest. Always have been. Always will be. And don’t forget, your mom was a top notch explorer and flank kicker that makes Lyra Croft blush. This kinda thing is in your blood, kiddo! It's who you are!"

"I guess you have a point there..." Hurricane frowned. "But still..."

Caboose, his fatherly instincts spurred by his daughter's sudden downswing in coincidence, racked his brains, trying to think of a way to help her. In seconds, he hit upon an idea.

"Let me show you something new." Caboose grinned. "A move that's been passed down through the Napoleon family for generations, guaranteed to take down almost any opponent, and definitely not something I didn’t make up on the spot: The Napoleon Knockout!"

"Ooh, nice alliteration." Hurricane said appreciatively. "How does it go?"

"I'd be happy to show you." Caboose smiled. "First, let's get us some targets..."

They moved over to the training grounds, where Caboose set up some wooden dummies.

"Okay, here we go." He took a few steps back. "Watch closely, kiddo."

"Like a hawk." Hurricane nodded. "Or a peregrine falcon. Whichever is better at lookin' at stuff."

Caboose charged at the dummies, leapt into the air, and spun in mid-dive. He stuck out all his limbs at once, making himself like an oversized pinwheel. As ridiculous as it looked, the results couldn't be argued with; the dummies were all knocked down, and Caboose landed perfectly on his hooves.

"Ta-da!" Caboose whooped.

"Wow!" Hurricane clapped her hooves together. "Awesome!"

"Thanks." Caboose nodded, using his horn to put the dummies back in place. "Okay, your turn."

"Are you sure I'm ready?" Hurricane asked nervously.

"Sure you are." Caboose nodded. "You're not that much older than me when I learned the move that I totally did not make up. Just remember to go loose as you spin, and you should be fine."

"Okay, here goes..." Hurricane took a deep breath, then went for it.

The young Napoleon leapt into the air as her father did, and spun. But instead of taking down the dummies, she fell flat on the ground.

"Ow." She grunted.

"Okay, that could've been better." Caboose winced. "Give it another shot, champ."

Hurricane got up, dusted herself off, and tried again. Alas, the second time ended the same as the first.

"I knew it." Hurricane groaned. "I knew I wasn't any good."

"Don't sell yourself short." Caboose told her. "I didn't get it the first or second time either. Give it another shot. I know you can do it."

Hurricane tried a third time. She managed to stay on course, but crashed into them.

"You've almost got it, kid." Caboose encouraged her, resetting the dummies.

"That's not how I see it." Hurricane frowned. "I can't do it. Not like you can."

"Then don't do it like me." Caboose smiled. "Do it your own way."

"My own way..." Hurricane glanced at herself. "I think I know what you're getting at..."

Hurricane once again into the air. But this time, she used her wings to help her stay on course. This time, she managed to knock down all but one of the dummies, and stumbled as she landed, almost losing her balance.

"That's my girl!" Caboose grinned, racing over and giving her a hug. "You think just anypony could pull that off? Nuh-uh!"

"Thanks, dad." Hurricane beamed.

"You keep that up, and maybe one day, the RDL'll snap you up just like they did me." Caboose chuckled.

“Yeah, about that…” Hurricane mused, “What exactly do you do at the RDL?”

“...Um, whatever do you mean, Hurri?” Caboose grew nervous, “You know that me and the captain have been working as consultants in these past months.”

“I get that, but what exactly does being a consultant entail?” Hurricane frowned.

"Oh, you know... This and that." Caboose’s eyes shifted back and forth, not wanting his young daughter to know exactly what kind of dangerous and unseemly elements he had encountered while on the job… that, and he knew Fletcher, Elite, and the others would have his flank for divulging sensitive RDL material. "Nothing too memorable. Pretty much off-screen and out of focus."

“Really?” Hurricane said skeptically. "So you spend the last three stories doing nothing but ‘off-screen and out of focus’ stuff?"

"Yep." Caboose said, sweating profusely. "I wouldn't wanna bore ya with the full details."

“Uh-huh.” Hurricane murmured, before shrugging, “Well, I do hate being bored. Okay, let’s set up the dummies, so I can try again.”

"You got it, Hurri." Caboose grinned, convinced that he had successfully misled his daughter. "Practice makes perfect. You wouldn't believe how many times I messed up before I got it right."

“This trick you certainly did not make up on the spot?” Hurricane teased, “I dunno, I might have an idea…”

Caboose rolled his eyes at Hurricane's lighthearted jab.

'She's one spirited kid.' He acknowledged. 'Still, I really hope by the time she’s grown up, we will have taken care of the Forefathers and wrapped up that arc. I would hate for her to get wrapped up in her old man’s fight./

He then snorted to himself.

’What am I worried about? Me and the guys have already taken on a lot of big baddies. Nalik, Killsquad, Solomon, Broker… and we didn’t even have to worry about Black Thorn, Gridlock, and Harlhooves…’ Caboose frowned, ’Yikes, we’re kinda breezing through our villains, aren’t we? The writers are gonna have to write us a couple of new ones lest the readers get bored-’

“Um, dad? Are you doing an inner monologue right now?” Hurricane asked, having watched her father stand in place, a dummy in his magical grasp.

“Oh, sorry, sweetheart.” Caboose cringed, as he finished setting up the dummies, and stood aside as Hurricane prepared another go at the technique.

’Well, if there’s an upside to a shortage of villains, it just means there’s nothing the Forefathers could throw at us that we can’t handle.’ Caboose smirked proudly, ’I don’t wanna jinx it, but we really hit our stride. And absolutely, positively nothing is going to happen in this chapter to change all that…’ He then pondered, ’Speaking of, I wonder what the others are up to…’

Later that evening...

Just outside Applewood was an airship port situated on a cliffside, multiple docks littered with ships hanging over the edge.

A group of Forefathers agents were going about their business (the business in question being a clandestine weapon and chemical running operation). Most of their work had been done for the day, leaving cleanup and admin work to be done for a few, and a little downtime for the others.

In one corner of the open area, towards the entrance, two agents by the names of Runner and Gunner were drinking from tankards and having a discussion.

"You gonna check out that new Power Ponies movie?" Runner asked.

"I'm not sure yet." Gunner shrugged. "The setup doesn't sound like my cup of oats. It's taking place way in the future, with all these new characters."

"So?" Runner shrugged. "As long as it stays true to the spirit of the original stories, I got no problem with that."

"I wish I had your confidence." Gunner rolled his eyes.

As they talked, a number of carriages were speeding towards the docks.

"So how long do you think this gig is gonna last?" Runner inquired.

"Soon, I hope." Gunner groaned. "We've been loading and unloading crates for weeks now. I didn't join this outfit thinking it'd be a delivery company."

"I'm sure all this stuff we're sendin' out is gonna be important down the road." Runner declared. "Why else would the higher-ups have us bustin' our humps getting it all where it needs to go?"

"It's probably something to take down those RDL guys." Gunner surmised. "I hear they've really been messing up the bosses' plans lately."

"Lousy do-gooders." Runner snarled. "I wish they were here right now, so I could show 'em what's what!"

Suddenly, the gates to the docks were blown open, as a motorized steam carriage plowed through, with two like it following suit.

"What the buck?!" The supervisor yelped.

The carriages barreled through the opening area, sending workers and agents alike scattering, before screeching to a halt.

Almost immediately, the carriages opened up, as a group of RDL agents, armed with crossbows and other weaponry, disembarked.

“Oh, buck, it’s a raid!” Gunner yelped.

The workers and Forefather agents all began to panic, dashing about to either grab their weapons or simply to hide as the RDL agents started spreading out.

Two stood out amongst their rank, as a tan stallion in a leather jacket with an intricate sword and a big stallion in a unique suit of powered armor were leading the charge. They were Sterling Cross and Black Knight Paladin.

“Crap, it’s Cross and that tin pony!” Runner cursed.

“This is the RDL!” Black roared, his voice distorted by his visor via modulator, “You are all under arrest for affiliation with the Forefathers!”

“So drop your weapons, get on your knees and hooves or other appendages on your heads.” Sterling ordered, drawing and pointing his sword to the mass of shocked agents, “Do not make this any more painful than it has to be.”

“We ain’t goin’ down that easy!” Runner snarled, “Let’s get them!”

“Maximum pain it is, then.” Sterling shook his head, “Guess it was too much to ask for a quick and easy resolution.”

“Oh, this will be quick and easy.” Black said determinedly, “...For us at least.”

The two forces collided, exchanging punches, knives, swords and crossbow bolts. The RDL agents, possessed of keen military training, managed to take down more than a few Forefather flunkies. But it was Black and Sterling who were the real MVPs of the battle.

"Eat this, G-stallion!" Runner charged at Sterling, brandishing a butterfly knife.

"Try and make me, punk!" Sterling evaded the slashes, then kicked the knife out of his opponent's hoof.

Undeterred, Runner charged at Sterling, striking him in the face. He briefly smirked in triumph... Then gaped in horror as Sterling shrugged off the blow.

"My turn." Sterling growled.

"Give it your bes-Ugh!" Runner was cut off mid-taunt by Sterling, who punched him across the room.

At the same time, Gunner jumped Black from behind, wrapping his hooves around his neck.

"I'm gonna open you up like a can of succotash!" He threatened.

"I don't think so!" Black grabbed Gunner and threw him at a trio of advancing Forefather agents, leaving them as a pile of bruised ponies.

As the bout raged on, a new wave of Forefathers agents came onto the scene. In lieu of crossbows and other weapons, they brandished staves.

“Staves?” Sterling snorted, “Isn’t it usually a bad idea to send mages out onto the frontlines?”

The villains wordlessly aimed the points of their weapons at their attackers, emitting a reddish glow from the crystals near said points.

Black barely took a moment to glance at the newcomers before recognizing the kind of weapons they were.

“Oh, buck! Everypony, heads up!” Black yelled.

Bolts of magic fired outwards, as RDL agents scattered to evade the assault. Unfortunately, a few of them were unable to dodge in time, and were struck by the blasts head-on.

"Arrgh!"

"Urrgh!"

The two dropped to the ground, badly injured at best, and dead at worst.

“Oh crap, aren’t those like those gizmos that Grunt had back on the island?” Sterling gasped.

“More like the Sepulchre Sceptre Sacred used in our fight all those years ago.” Black growled, “Should have known they’d find a way to mass produce those things. But they’re going down ALL THE SAME!”

With a roar, Black charged forth, flicking his left hoof as a built-in crossbow popped out of the gauntlet. He opened fire on the crowd.

The agents, shocked by the armored pony’s sudden charge and open firing, scattered, but as with the RDL agents, a few agents were unlucky. One of the agents (one who had landed a hit earlier) got a bolt stuck in his leg.

"Gahh!" The agent screamed as he collapsed.

"Nice shot!" Sterling smiled. "Okay, guys, steer clear of those oversized butter knives!" He said as he charged the nearest agent. He stared the blast, getting in close enough to grab the stave, then used his free hoof to knock him out. "Nighty-night!"

Emboldened by their leaders' efforts, the RDL troops moved onwards, retaliating with crossbow shots, weapon swings, and punches.

"Okay, time to get serious..." Sterling drew his sword. As more agents attacked, his used his sword to block swings of the the staves, even slicing a couple of them in half. As one agent stared at his broken weapon in shock, Sterling his free hoof to knock him out.

At the same time, Runner and Gunner stared down Black, having obtained their own staves to join the fight.

"That tin can won't save you from these." Runner mockingly waved his stave.

"You're gonna fry inside that thing!" Gunner added.

"We'll see about that..." Black growled.

Runner and Gunner's staves unleashed magic blasts. Black charged at them, banking on his suit to protect him. He could feel the heat from each hit, and knew he couldn't risk too many hits. So he moved fast. Reaching Gunner first, he kicked the stave out of his hooves, and knocked him out with a headbutt.

"One down..." He smirked.

A blast of magic narrowly missed his head, and he found himself facing Runner, who was pointing his stave right at him.

"Game over." Runner snarled.

In the blink of an eye, Black brandished his "Homer" (a grappling dart pistol) and fired. The dart embedded itself in the wall directly behind Runner.

"You missed." Runner needed.

"Wrong." Black pulled, causing a chunk of wall to break off and hit Runner in the back of the head, knocking him out. "I was right on target."

Ultimately, all the Forefather agents were rounded up and caught. They were restrained and placed in a circle formation, sore and seething.

“Good work, guys.” Black declared, “Tend to the wounded and deceased. Me and Cross will handle interrogation.”

“Of course, Dreadnaught.” The head of the squad nodded, using his codename.

Black and Sterling shared a glance and stepped forward, intent on interrogating the captive agents.

“Well, I bet you guys are really regretting your latest decisions right about now, huh?” Sterling taunted.

“Go to hell, traitor!” One agent roared.

“You’re out of your damn mind if you think we’re gonna talk.” The supervisor grunted.

“Look, we already have you all for weapon and drug smuggling, on top of, you know, being a Forefather associate.” Black growled, “We’re not looking for confessions. We need information. Information about the ‘supply tunnels’.”

The captured agents shared confused looks.

“Supply tunnels?” The supervisor frowned, “What are you talking about?”

"Don't play dumb." Black glared.

“Dude, all we do is load stuff on airships.” One agent deadpanned, “Why would we be using tunnels if we have airships?”

"Yeah, why is that?" Gunner asked.

"Maybe pilot licenses aren't easy to come by?" Runner suggested.

"Or maybe they just wanna save fuel?" Another agent mused.

"Why would they want to save fuel?" A further agent asked.

"All those ancient buildings don't come cheap, y'know." Another agent shrugged.

Grimacing, Sterling and Black stepped back for a moment.

“Well, what do you think? They’re telling the truth?" Black asked.

“I’m not a psych major like Survival, but I think they know less than we do.” Sterling cringed, “Besides, I doubt they’d bother with an illegal airship transportation operation if they had access to a tunnel.”

“In that case, this is another dead end.” Black groaned, “How many operations does this make?”

“Lost count.” Sterling frowned, “We’ve been at this for three months now, doing raids and infiltrations on Forefather compounds and operations. Collared a lot of agents on the way.”

“And yet, they either knew nothing, or won’t say a damn thing.” Black sighed, as he turned to Sterling, “I don’t mean to doubt Elite or your old comrade, but are you sure Nabudis wasn’t mistaken about these ‘tunnels’, or Faust forbid, lying to us?”

“No.” Sterling shook his head, “Nabudis would have had nothing to gain from lying to us, especially after how he left things with them.” He then brought a hoof to his chin, his eyes closed in thought, “Although I can understand your doubts… all these years I’ve been a Forefather agent, an Ouroboros even, and not once have I ever heard of these ‘supply tunnels’ let alone seen one. I was shocked when Elite told me about it.”

He gave a small chuckle.

“Machine-made portals that connects Infinity to the rest of the world.” Sterling mused, “I swear, if it wasn’t for that mirror back at the Crystal Empire, these things would be right at home in a sci-fi movie.”

“Well, sci-fi or not, it’s currently our best shot at finding the Forefathers’ base and stopping them and Father once and for all.” Black grimaced, “The worst part is, if by some miracle we did find one, there’s that bullcrap with those ‘keys’.”

“Yeah, those pendants.” Sterling reminisced, referring to the pendants that were given to Forefather agents upon initiation, bearing the Forefathers emblem (an eagle with two slanted Fs), “Didn’t think they would actually be used to open one of these tunnels.”

“Only problem is, if what Nabudis said anything to go by, the moment an owner of a pendant gets caught, killed, or somewhere inbetween, the pendant, through some mystic mumbo-jumbo, becomes useless.” Black frowned.

“Hate the paranoia all you want, you gotta admire all the contingencies Father has thought up.” Sterling admitted.

“I rather not.” Black growled, “I can’t even begin to think of how we’re gonna get a working pendant.”

“Well, I can bet you by now, the pendants on these guys are worthless.” Sterling gestured to the prisoners.

"So we're back to square one." Black sighed. "Terrific."

"There's got to be something we can do." Sterling frowned. "Some angle we haven't considered yet..."

"Maybe..." Black mused.

As the two discussed matters further, Runner sidled over to Gunner.

“Psst, Gunner.” Runner whispered.

“Runner? What are you doing?” Gunner gaped, nervously glancing at Sterling and Black, still talking and paying them no mind.

“Look, there’s no time. In my back pocket, I still have my mirror.” Runner explained, “I need you to reach in and call him!”

“What?!” Gunner gaped, “No way!”

“Shh!” Runner hissed, before glaring, “What do you mean, no way?!”

“Look, I don’t think we should make things worse than they already are.” Gunner grimaced.

“We won’t have to worry about that, because he can get us outta this.” Runner rebutted.

“Well, I don’t wanna call him!” Gunner refused petulantly.

“Why not?!” Runner demanded, keeping his voice low as possible.

“Have you met the guy?!” Gunner quivered, “He’s a monster! And he scares the living daylight out of me!”

“Oh, and you think what the RDL gonna do to us isn’t going to be much scarier?” Runner glared, “Come on, man, he’s our only shot at avoiding whatever hole they’re gonna throw us in.”

"That's your opinion." Gunner said stubbornly.

"Call him!" Runner demanded.

"No!" Gunner retorted.

"Now!" Runner snarled.

"Never!" Gunner shook his head.

"Do it!" Another agent yelled.

"Come on!" One urged.

"Whattaya waitin' for?" A thuggish agent spat.

"Never!" Gunner refused to budge.

“Oh for the love of- just call him, you brainless plough horse!” Runner roared.

“Call who exactly?”

Runner cursed under his breath as Sterling and Black were eyeing them intently, the group’s argument finally catching their attention, Sterling being the one to ask the question.

“Way to go, asshole.” Runner glared darkly at Gunner, who looked like a deer in a headlight.

“Come on, fellas, don't leave us in suspense." Black said mockingly, “Who is it you wanted your friend to call?”

“Well, if you must know, we have an ace up our sleeves.” Runner sneered, putting a bravado, “You see, the Forefathers got a brand new bad boy in their corner, and this guy, hoo boy, he’s been cleaning house these past three months.”

“...Is that right?” Black’s mocking tone faded, turning to concern.

“That’s right. And I’m telling you now, if you don’t let us go right now, he’s gonna buck you both up!” Runner taunted.

“Oh, really?” Sterling scoffed, as he then approached Runner, and patting him down, pulled out his mirror… then holding it out to Runner, “Care to test that theory?”

“Sterling? What are you doing?” Black asked.

“If this guy is bad as they say, I say they should call him. I want to meet this so-called ‘housecleaner’.” Sterling declared.

“Seriously?” Gunner gaped, “Do you got a death-wish, man?” He was quickly elbowed by Runner.

“Hold on, Sterling, we shouldn’t be rash.” Black put a hoof on his shoulder. “We don’t know who this guy is.” He eyed Gunner, “And from the sounds of it, he doesn’t seem pleasant.”

"Please." Sterling brushed off Black's concern, as well as his hoof. "If I’m right, there's no one left at the Forefathers who's a major threat to us. You guys already handled the worst of the lot in Solomon and Gridlock. Besides, considering our track record, whoever shows up, we can take them and leave no agents uncaptured.”

"Okay, there is that." Black acknowledged. "But still..."

“Come on, Dread. We got this.” Sterling smirked, as he then turned to Runner, still holding out the mirror, “Go on. Call him. Call your big hero.”

“Okay, I will.” Runner glared suspiciously, as he took the mirror in his cuffed hooves. With a tap, he activated it.

After buzzing a few times, a shadowed figure appeared in the glass.

“...What?” An irritated, distorted voice growled.

"We have a problem." Runner announced. "Our supply operation over in Applewood has been attacked by RDL agents, and we are kinda in a bind. So, we need you to come in and do your thing."

The figure gave no indication of acknowledging his words, albeit a frustrated sigh.

“...Um, didn’t you hear me?” Runner frowned, “We need you to-”

The mirror suddenly went blank, as the figure hung up.

“...He hung up on me.” Runner gaped.

"Hmph, figures." Sterling smirked. "Looks like 'ace' just turned tail and ran." He turned to the other RDL agents. "Take these clowns to the carriages.”

"Yes, sir." The lead agent nodded.

The RDL agents began taking the Forefather agents.

"Get offa me!" One of villainous agents struggled.

"Yeah, ya lousy punks!" Runner said defiantly. "You're gonna pay for this!"

Black looked on as they moved the criminals, as a sense of unease overcame him.

“Hey, Black?” Sterling asked, noticing his silence, “What’s up? You’re being quiet...I think. I can’t really tell with that armor of yours.”

“...Something doesn’t feel right.” Black admitted, as he began looking around, “I feel like something is…”

As he surveyed the area, his eyes caught a glimpse of something atop a warehouse on the far end of the docks: a black figure of some kind.

“What the-” Black stepped forth a bit, squinting under his visor, “What is…”

Suddenly, the flash of light appeared above the black figure. Black’s blood froze.

“Everypony, away from the carriages now!” Black roared to the RDL agents.

Before the RDL and their prisoners could react to his outburst, a beam of magic instantly sliced through the parked carriages, blowing them up, and narrowly avoiding the soldiers and their captives.

“What the buck?!” The head of the squad gaped.

The beam of magic continued to slice a deep gash in the ground, even searing off an overhanging dock, sending the whole thing falling to the ground far below.

Everypony was stupefied by the swift destruction.

“Whoa!” Sterling gasped.

“What the hell was that?!” An agent screeched.

Suddenly, a purple fog began to envelop the area, shrouding the docks in a violet haze.

“Huh? That’s weird, there was nothing in the forecast to suggest fog.” Another agent grimaced.

“Hold on… oh buck!” One RDL agent panicked, “Isn’t this that miasma stuff that came from that kid? You know, that stuff that killed those ponies from months ago.”

"I think it is!" A second agent cringed.

"Oh, buck, we're all gonna die!" A third screamed.

“Hey, get a hold of yourself!” Sterling was about to slap him with his left hoof.

“Uh, strong hoof, strong hoof!” The third agent flinched.

“Oh, thanks.” Sterling nodded sheepishly… as he then slaps him with his right, “Get a hold of yourself!”

"Nopony's dying today." Black declared fiercely. "Remember protocol: everypony put on your gas masks and try to keep on your guard."

As the agents quickly donned gas masks, Black passed Sterling his. Sterling made to take it, only to realize something.

"Wait..." He noticed the captured Forefather agents were perfectly calm. "Why aren't they panicking?" He approached them. "You know something we don't?"

"Only that it's not the miasma you should be worried about." Runner smirked.

Before Sterling could ask more, an evil laugh filled the air.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-hahhhh..."

Turning in the direction of the laughter, Black, Sterling and the other RDL agents stared in horror as, emerging through the flames of the wreckage... was Silas Necross, in his new form.

"What the buck is that horror show supposed to be?" Black gaped.

“I don’t know, but I think I’m getting that same bad feeling you did.” Sterling grimaced.

Silas slowly approached them. As he drew closer, he spotted Sterling, and greeted him with a wicked grin.

"Sterling." He said quietly. "So good to see you again."

“Huh? How do you know my-” Sterling frowned… before recognition developed, his confusion turning to shock, “Oh my Faust, Silas?!”

“Silas?” Black frowned, “As in Silas Necross?”

“Hmph, Silas…” Silas scoffed, “That was the name I had when I was merely a mortal, no different from the common, vulgar, weak, licentious crowd-”

“Oh, yeah, that’s definitely Silas to a T.” Sterling deadpanned.

“SILENCE!” Silas boomed, causing everyone to flinch. Taking a deep breath, he began circling his foes menacingly, “I simply go by ‘Necross’ now. A new name to befit the new pony I have become, to mark my ascension from a mere pony to the force of nature unto myself!”

“New name? All you’re doing now is going by your surname.” Black frowned.

Silas' eye twitched, but he otherwise showed no sign that he had heard Black.

“What the hell happened to you?” Sterling asked, “Last time I saw you, you were pretty much dead!”

“Well, that is a story.” Silas… or as he prefers now, Necross began, “But to save you time, I was on the verge of death… but then came the miasma, the stuff that came from Dysley’s little pet project.” He gestured to himself, “As you see before you, it changed me. And thanks to this change, I was finally able to realize my dream of using dark magic to become the strongest being in all of Equestria! My power knows no rival!” He then chuckled, “Just look at what I did to your ride!”

“You did this?” Black gaped.

“Hold on… you’re the ace these guys were talking about?!” Sterling pointed to him in disbelief, “You?!”

“Why so surprised, Cross?” Silas sneered, “Shocked to see the pony you made a fool of becoming the Forefathers’ strongest asset? Your wretched organization’s reckoning?”

“Heh, ‘strongest’ is pushing it.” Gunner did a so-so gesture.

Necross glared at Gunner, who then instantly went quiet with fear.

“...Anyways.” Silas turned back to Sterling and Black, “Since I’m feeling merciful, I will gladly give you and your team a five minutes head-start. Though I doubt any of you will get very far.”

"Not a chance." Sterling snarled.

“Agreed.” Black grunted, “You’re still scum all the same. Now come along quietly, or we will use force.”

"Hmm, tempting... but allow me to make a counter-offer." Silas sneered.

Silas suddenly fired a bolt of magic, blasting a hole in one of the RDL agents' side.

"Urrrgh..." The agent gurgled as he collapsed, dead.

"Holy buck!" One of the other agents screamed.

"Sweet Faust!" Another yelped.

"He just..." A third trembled.

"Killed Fodder!" A fourth agent snarled.

"Let's make him pay!" The fifth spat.

“Guys, wait!” Black yelled.

The agents drew their crossbows, and opened fire on Silas... but the bolts went through him, like he was made of mist.

"What the-?" The second agent gaped.

"How did he?" The fifth cringed.

"My turn." Silas hissed.

Teleporting across the room, he appeared next to the fourth agent, and blasted him with a magical shockwave, right into the wall.

"Ugh!" The agent grunted.

Agents five and three charged at Silas. Agent #5 tackled Silas… only to fly through him, like the bolts did.

“The hell?!” The fifth agent gaped, as he turned to face Silas, “Are you a ghost or-”

He didn’t get a chance to finish, as Silas slammed a hoof into his jaw, breaking it effortlessly.

“Wait, hold on! How is it that we can’t hit you, yet you can hit us?” Agent #3 frowned, understandably confused, “That makes no sense!”

“That’s a good question.” Silas declared, “Here’s another one: what’s that on your chest?”

The third agent raised a brow.

“What’s what on my-”

“My hoof!” Silas slams another hoof, this time into his chest, breaking several ribs.

“Ow…” The agent whimpered, collapsing to the ground.

"Next." Silas grinned.

The first agent quivered as he raised his crossbow, barely holding back his fear. Instantly, without even a side glance, the miasma shedding off Silas flow across and envelop the agent, lifting him into the air like a tendril.

“AH! Let me go!” The first agent cried, terrified.

“What? You said ‘break your bones’?” Silas mockingly held up a hoof to his ear, “Okay!”

The miasma around the agent's rear left hoof tightened, with a horrific cracking sound filling the air.

"AHHH!" The agent screamed.

"Nice pitch." Silas sneered. "But I think we can do better..."

The miasma entwined the agent's entire body, slowly but surely breaking the bones in his limbs, one at a time.

"Gahhh! Yarrh!" The agent screamed.

"Now that's more like it!" Silas cackled. "Now we just to make sure the ponies in the back can hear."

Silas continued his twisted torture.

"Please..." The agent pleaded, tears in his eyes. "Please, just make it stop..."

"Ugh, whining." Silas scoffed, allowing the agent to drop to the ground. "You just ruined everything."

The first agent let out horrid sobs, being in unbearable pain.

“Feeling scared yet, gentlecolts?” Silas challenged the others.

“You son of a bitch.” Black snarled, as he turned to the head of the squad and the remaining soldiers, “You and the others fall back. Cross and I will take Necross on.”

“What?! We can’t leave you to fight this monster alone!” The head soldier growled.

“There’s no point in all of us getting hurt.” Sterling grunted, a hint of guilt in his voice, “Me and Dreadnaught will hold him back and try and find his weakpoints. Once we do, we’ll rush him.”

“But-”

“Go. That’s an order.” Black urged firmly.

“...Alright, kick his ass.” The head soldier growled in affirmation. He turned to the other standing soldiers, “You heard the stallions, fall back!”

As the soldiers made a tactical retreat, the shadowy stallion grinned wickedly.

“Oh, how noble of you.” Silas sneered, “...But at the very least, I do love a moving target!”

Instantly, he charged up another magical beam, intending to vaporize the retreating troops.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Black charged, attempting to clothesline Silas’s face.

However, as with the previous attempts, his hoof went through him. Silas’ charge faded, the sudden attack distracting him.

“Dammit!” Black cursed.

“Seriously?” Silas deadpanned, turning to face him, “Did you not just see everything that happened in the past five minutes? You can’t touch me! I’m pretty much MC Farmer, for Faust’s sake!”

" And yet, we'll be the one getting the hits today!" Sterling swung his sword at Silas, which once again passed through him.

"Yawn." Silas scoffed.

"Your new powers are nothing but a smokescreen." Black scowled. "Everypony, no matter how powerful, has their weakpoints, and we'll find yours!"

Black and Sterling attacked Silas from all sides, swinging at every possible angle, ultimately to no avail.

“It’s no good. His body is like a brooding black cloud.” Sterling groaned in frustration, “Everything just phases through him.”

“Yes, yes, I think that has been established by now.” Silas snarled, growing visibly annoyed, “Now that you two have taken time to let that sink in, are you ready to give up and die?”

“Never!” Black roared, refusing to show fear, “I don’t care what you say, you’re not invincible! We will defeat you like everyone else before you!”

“Wanna bet?” Silas scoffed, his horn glowing.

Black found himself being lifted off the ground, trapped in Silas' magic.

“Whoa, hey!” Black struggled, “Put me down and fight like a stallion!”

“Hmm, hmm, another tempting offer…” Silas fake-pondered, “How about no?”

With vicious speed, Silas swung his horn, in turn slamming the levitated armored stallion into the side of the nearby warehouse with enough force to make a dent in it, as well as Black’s armor.

"Guhh!" He grunted, spitting up a bit of blood in his visor. The armored stallion fell to the ground, his visor cracking a bit, bruised and dazed.

“Dreadnaught!” Sterling gasped.

“One down… one to go…” Silas turned to Sterling, eying him as a lion would a gazelle, “Oh ho, you know, ever since my transformation, I’ve been hoping, praying that I would see you again. So I could finish what I’ve started that night in the warehouse. And this time, no one is going to ruin this for me.”

’Crap, Sterling, think!’ Sterling gritted his teeth in panic, as he then eyed his sword, ’Hold on, if what Silas said was true, then this is the same kind of miasma Nyx had. And Nyx is Nightmare Moon. And Nightmare Moon was Luna’s darkness enhanced by Sombra’s dark magic. Ergo, the miasma itself must be dark magic. And I have just the thing for that.’

“You’re done, Sterling.” Silas approached him menacingly.

"You're the one who's gonna be done..." Sterling growled. Pulling a lever on his sword, the DAMP (Dark Anti-Magic Pulse) generator began to activate, a small purple orb glowing on it. “Thanks to someone close to me, I’m gonna level the playing field and put an end to your dark magic! Take this!”

Gripping the throttle, he revved the generator, till it roared to life, the purple orb bursting in a wave of purple light, spreading throughout the dock…

However, the wave passed through Silas, the shadowy stallion staring at him in confusion and annoyance.

“...Was something supposed to happen just now?” Silas growled, “Or did you just give me a light show just for fun?”

"No way..." Sterling stared, his face shot through with sheer horror, “This can’t be.”

“Oh, it can be. And it is.” Silas chuckled… before he swung his right hoof. Sterling’s sword was knocked out of his hoof, and sent flying, embedding itself into a side of a wooden post at the corner of the nearby dock.

Before Sterling could get another word in, Silas sucker punched him, sending him to the ground.

“Gah!” Sterling gasped, his snout bleeding as he tried to get up… only for Silas to slam a hoof down on his back, “Grr!”

“You cannot comprehend the sheer pleasure I’m experiencing right now.” Silas crooned, his eyes alight with madness, “After all this time, I’m finally going to put you in the ground for everything you have done to me!”

“Shut up!” Sterling snapped, as he rose to his hooves and swung his hooves at Silas… only to grab nothing but mist.

“I swear, goldfishes have better pattern recognitions than you two.” Silas grimaced, “Face it, dumbass, you’re outclassed!”

“Never!” Sterling spat.

Sterling lunged at Silas, but rather than letting him phase through, the villain dodged his strike. Silas struck him hard in the stomach, then the side of his head, and finally, slammed both hooves on top of his head.

"Urrgh..." Sterling dropped to his knees.

"Don't tucker out just yet." Silas sneered. "The fun's just gettin' started."

Silas kicked Sterling in the stomach once again.

"Urrk!" Sterling grunted. Reacting quickly, he grabbed Silas' hoof, trying to twist it and throw his opponent off-balance. But Silas didn't budge.

"Nice try!" Silas snarled, delivering a miasma-coated chop to Sterling's neck.

"Huhhh!" Sterling wheezed, one hoof, clutching his throat. With the other hoof, he tried to punch Silas, but was once again evaded. Silas responded with a flurry of punches to Sterling's face. "Guhhh!" Sterling groaned, the assault sending him to the ground once again.

Silas, unwilling to leave his battered foe, grabbed Sterling by the neck and lifted him up. His horn lit up, as he prepared for a point blank blast.

“Wanna know what death tastes like?” Silas taunted, Sterling too weak to struggle, “The answer might surprise you…”

Unbeknownst to both of them, Black struggled back to his hooves. Through his cracked visor, he saw his ally in danger.

“No…” Black groaned, “Gotta stop him…”

Looking around, he spotted one of the magic shooting staves used by the Forefather agents. Moving as fast as his wounded body would allow, he leapt over and grabbed it.

"Here goes nothing..." He aimed the weapon at Silas and pulled the trigger.

The bolt of magical energy flew from the weapon, right at Silas… and struck him in the side.

"Hnnn!" The villain flinched, his horn's magic dissipating in surprise. At the same time, he dropped Sterling.

“Ouch…” Sterling groaned.

The Forefather agents, currently working on breaking out of their cuffs, stared in shock. While there was no blood or other signs of damage, that stave had done what no other attack had accomplished so far: it was able to hit the shadowy pony.

"Impossible!" Runner stared, “He’s supposed to be invincible!”

"This can't be good." Gunner winced.

"Gotcha!" Black smirked.

Capitalizing on his newfound success, the armored warrior unleashed a veritable salvo of follow-up shots as he approached the shadowy stallion.

“Gah-oof-cut that out!” Silas snarled, trying to shield himself. While the shots itself did not hurt, it did not change the fact that each shot felt like he was being pelted by bean bags at super-fast speed, “Dugh! Ugh! Uggh! No! Stop it!” One blast hit him in the head, “STOP IT!”

But Black did not let up. The constant magical barrages tore at the shadowy miasma that covered his body, like a pick-axe to a rock. Eventually, one blast struck his hoof, blowing the miasma away, revealing a patch of pale black fur.

The miasma then quickly worked to cover it back up… but not before another blast came and hit the uncovered spot, scorching it.

“OW, BITCH!” Silas screeched, feeling pain for the first time in three months, as he clutched the hoof.

“Ha, eat it, you damn fog machine!” Black yelled, pointing the staff again to unleash another salvo…

Only for it to click. The staff’s glow faded, clearly signifying it was now out of juice.

“...Oh no.” Black murmured.

Silas let out small hisses of pain, seeing the burnt mark on his hoof being shrouded by miasma. The pain still persists, as Silas glared at Black, furious beyond words.

“You’re dead meat, tin pony!” Silas roared as he charged at him.

Thinking fast on his hooves, Black threw the staff at Silas. The shadowy stallion merely slapped it aside as he barreled towards the armored stallion.

It took mere seconds for Silas to reach Black, but before Silas could throw a punch, the stallion, at the last second, lunged at Silas.

As shown many times before, Black phased through his gaseous body.

“Huh?!” Silas gaped in surprise, “Why-”

He turned around, and saw Black, without breaking stride, scooped the battered Sterling up and onto his shoulder, and ran towards the end of the dock.

“Getoffthedock, getoffthedock, getoffthedock!” Black panicked, knowing full well he was running towards a dead end.

“RAAAARRGH!” Silas, about done with everything, charged up his horn, as his hooves became raveled in miasma. He then slammed his hooves into the ground.

The force of his magically charged hooves sent tremors throughout the dock, as the whole thing began to crack and crumble.

“OH, BUCK!” Black screamed, as the dock then collapsed in pieces, the two vanishing among the falling rubbles.

Everything fell to the lands far below, as Silas let out small pants. He gave a small smile, relishing the devastation, but it was short-lived, his burnt hoof still stinging with pain.

“Rot in Tartarus, you pieces of filth.” Silas hissed. He turned to face the Forefather agents, who had now managed to escape their bonds during the fight, “Okay, you clowns. I saved your flanks, so you best get lost while the getting’s good. I won’t put on a repeat performance.”

With that, Silas vanished in a cloud of miasma, leaving the destroyed port and the bewildered Forefather agents behind.

“Well, you heard the scary stallion." Runner declared. "Let's bounce!"

After the Forefather agents departed, the remaining RDL agents came out of hiding.

"Great." One said sourly. "Just great. We let them get away."

"What could we have done?" Another reasoned. "That freak made short work of two of the best we've got. He'd have crushed us without even breathin' hard."

"Nothing we can do about it now." A third sighed. "Except tend to the wounded."

The remaining agents went about checking on their injured comrades. The agent who had been tortured was in the worst state; he was still whimpering in pain as the others tried to help him.

"It hurts." He groaned. "It hurts so bad..."

"Easy, buddy." One of his comrades soothed him. "It'll be okay."

“Dammit… look at this place.” The head agent grimaced. “One stallion did all this by himself...”

“Sir, look!” One agent pointed to Sterling’s DAMP sword embedded in the post, “Isn’t this Cross’s sword?”

“More importantly, wasn’t there a dock here?” Another agent gaped at what was left of the collapsed dock.

“Oh no, you don’t think Black and Sterling was on this particular dock when that monster...”

“No, we can’t think that!” The head agent admonished him, “One of you get HQ on the line and call for backup and medical support. Half of you tend to the injured. Other half, spread out and search the port! They have to be here somewhere!”

The agents did as they were asked; as they scoured what was left of the place looking for their comrades, the head agent observed, fraught with worry.

"Black!"

"Sterling!"

"Where are you?!"

“Respond, please!”

Suddenly…

“Help! Someone help!”

The agents all perked up.

“That’s Black’s voice!” One agent gasped.

“Where did that come from?!” The head agent demanded.

“Down here!” Black’s voice answered, as if in response.

“Down… here?” The head agent turned around, as he and other agents ran to the edge of the remainder of the collapsed dock and found quite the sight:

Black was still alive and well, with a barely conscious Sterling on his shoulder. He was hanging by his left hoof, which was in turn hanging by rope dart of his Homer, the dart end was embedded in the bottom of what was left of the docks.

“Um… a little help?” Black said meekly.

“Come on, there’s gotta be some rope around here!” The head agent barked to the other agents, “Hop to it!” He then looked back down to Black. “We’ll have you up in a jiff!”

True to his word, a length of rope was lowered down, and in a group effort, the agents pulled Black and Sterling back up to safety.

“Hoi!” Black gasped, removing his helm and visor, visibly glad to be back on solid land, “...Remind me next time we raid an airship port, to bring some Pegasus agents. Lots of them.”

“Noted, sir. But are you alright?” The head agent fretted.

“I’m... I’m fine.” Black said curtly, as he gently laid Sterling onto the ground, “You guys should see to Sterling though. Silas really did a number on him.”

“Right away, Black.” Another agent nodded.

As one of the agents began to tend to Sterling, Black surveyed the carnage around him, instantly reminded of the one who caused it. Despite his claim, he was more shaken by the experience than he let on.

'I get the feeling fate just dealt us a real bad hoof...' He thought worriedly. ’...And we might not be able to stop it.'

Tending Wounds

A few days after the ill-fated fight at the docks, Fletcher and Caboose were rapidly making their way through RDL HQ.

They had received word of Sterling and Black's condition, and were naturally worried for their comrades' wellbeing. But, in hopes of avoiding panicking the other (and out of the slim hope that their comrades weren't in as bad shape as they feared), they were currently engaged in small talk.

"So, how's Dove doing?" Caboose asked.

"Amazingly." Fletcher sighed, full of admiration for his wife. "She's taking it all in her stride, staying cool and level headed. That's why I love her." He smiled widely. "How have things been at the castle during my absence? All well, I trust?"

“Yeah, not so bad.” Caboose nodded, “Things have been nice and quiet. They finally fixed up the parts of the castle that got torn up from our last little adventure.”

“Speaking of which… what of Nyx? I pray everything has been well with her?” Fletcher asked hesitantly.

“Oh yeah. Happiest little reincarnation of Nightmare Moon I’ve ever seen.” Caboose smiled.

“And no incidents?” Fletcher questioned warily.

“Come on, Fletch, it’s been three months.” Caboose grimaced, “So what if she turned into Nightmare Moon, dragged us across Canterlot, nearly destroyed us all, and has a higher body count than any foal I know? It’s all history now.”

“I’m sorry.” Fletcher shook his head, “I know the filly means no harm, but even now, it’s unsettling to see what she is capable of. Even if the chance is miniscule, there is still a risk of her powers surging out of control again, and I think I speak for both of us that we would prefer that not to happen…”

"Yeah, I hate sequels." Caboose nodded. "Especially ones that just recycle all the stuff from the original. Talk about uninspired..."

"I suppose all we can do is just hope things will turn okay." Fletcher admitted grudgingly.

"That's the spirit." Caboose nudged him. "Always look on the bright side. The view's better there. and you don't even have to pay extra for it."

Moments later, they reached the RDL's training area.

“Well, look who it is.”

Caboose and Fletcher glanced to see Fury Xaldin, their Nightcrawler griffon comrade, lounging about on some bleachers next to an arena. Next to him were Ballista, Master Mind (the team’s tactician), Armory (the team’s inventor), and Titan (the resident Diamond Dog), members of Black’s old team, Taskforce Omega.

"Hey, guys." Caboose waved.

"Hey." Armory smiled.

"Ruff!" Titan barked happily.

"What's going on?" Fletcher asked.

“You’re actually just in time for the main event.” Fury chuckled, “Grab a seat.”

Fletcher and Caboose glanced at each other as they did as such. In the nearby arena, a sparring session between Incognito (the team’s spy and stealth expert) and Alpha Force Squad’s newest recruit, Survival Horror, a former doctor who was caught up in their previous adventure with Nyx, and having impressed Elite and the others, was now working to become the Alpha Force Squad’s medic.

“Let’s see what you’ve got, preppie!” Incognito smirked, as they circled around each other.

"Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it." Survival warned.

Survival suddenly lunged at Incognito, who sidestepped him. Survival stumbled a bit as he recovered his balance.

"Never be too eager to rush your opponent." Incognito needled him. "That can backfire on you real quick, believe me.”

Incognito swung at him, as Survival leapt back, almost stumbling again.

“Right, right…” Survival nodded, trying to keep focus.

The two circled each other intently. Survival nearly tripped over his own legs, with the stumble giving Incognito an opening.

"Hi-yahh!" He lunged again.

Survival just barely recovered in time to dodge the attack. He tried to return the favor, but misjudged his timing, instead striking thin air.

"Seriously?!" He admonished himself.

"Take your time, rookie." Incognito told him, throwing a strike that Survival only just avoided. "This isn't a race."

"Thanks for the tip." Survival nodded grudgingly.

“So, Fury…” Caboose began, turning to the griffon, “Whatcha been up to?”

“Just the usual.” Fury shrugged, “Elite has been having me take on a few missions here and there. Barbossa called me a few times to catch up on current events…” He then lit up, “Oh, and I was able to find some time to visit Eclipse last week.” A small smile grew on his beak, thinking of his nephew.

“Aww, that’s nice. I always knew under all that violent, stubborn, yakheadedness, there was a softie in there.” Caboose smiled.

“...Yeah…” Fury’s smirk remained, albeit forced.

“So, how goes the training process?” Fletcher asked Armory, “I hope Survival has been able to adjust. I can imagine it being jarring for a civilian to suddenly become a part of an military taskforce.”

“Well, I can tell you that he’s doing swell.” Armory smirked, “He learned how to fire a crossbow in one day, got the hang of sparring pretty quick, and even showed promise in basic stealth drills. I don’t know what they taught him in that doomsday bunker, but he’s been keeping up!”

At that point, Survival attempted a flying leap at Incognito, but Incognito dodged, and the bad landing nearly sprained his hoof.

"Grr!" He winced, clutching the hoof.

"Bad form, pal." Incognito moved in to capitalize on that moment of weakness.

"It won't be that easy!" From his current position, Survival curled into a ball and rolled to safety.

“Well, he still has a way to go before he’s field ready.” Ballista crossed his hooves, “The kid’s a trooper, but that’s only going to get him so far when it comes to facing the Forefathers.”

Incognito started getting aggressive in his swipes, putting more pressure on Survival.

"You gotta be able to keep moving!" He lectured his sparring partner. "You let up for even a moment, and you're done for!"

"Duly noted." Survival snarled, starting to tire of Incognito's lecturing.

“Say, what’s that in their hooves?” Caboose squinted, noticing that the two spar partners were wielding something in their hooves.

“Oh, those are markers.” Ballista explained, “We use them to simulate knife combat. It’s to help ponies practice their knife work safely.”

“Safely?” Caboose scoffed, “Oh, please. A marker is nothing like the real thing. Me and my brothers used to practice with actual knives all the time.”

“Seriously?” Master Mind grimaced, “Didn’t you and your brothers get badly hurt?”

“All the time!” Caboose said proudly, “But as you can see, I turned out fine. I only suffered massive blood loss and occasional memory loss…” He turned back to Survival and Incognito, “Say, what’s that in their hooves?”

“...I swear, you are not equine.” Master Mind declared, clearly disturbed.

“Of course I’m not. I’m Caboose!” Caboose smirked.

As the others talked, Fletcher sidled over to Ballista.

“...So… what happened earlier this week?” Fletcher frowned, “Elite mentioned that a raid on the Applewood airship docks went awry.”

“That it did.” Ballista said grimly, “I don’t know all the details, but all I know is our guys got bucked up bad.”

“And what of Black and Sterling?” Fletcher asked.

“Triage is monitoring them and the other agents that got hurt.” Ballista explained, “We hadn’t been allowed to see them yet.”

“I see…” Fletcher sighed, crestfallen.

At the same time, Survival was desperatly trying to think of a way to regain ground in the match. But no matter what, he was unable to see an opening in Incognito's defense.

'Guess it's time for an old classic maneuver...' He thought deviously.

Survival feinted a leap to the left, then moved in from the right swinging the marker across Incognito's barrel, marking it.

"Ooh!" Armory cheered. "Nice one!"

"Rruff!" Titan barked.

“Wow, that worked!” Survival smirked, lowering his marker hoof, “Looks like I win-”

Suddenly, Incognito swiped his marker across Survival’s neck, marking it.

“Wha-” Survival gasped, the marker’s pressure on his neck taking his breath for a moment, as he grasped his neck.

“Rookie mistake, Fievel.” Incognito taunted, using his nickname, “Ponies don’t usually die from a single swipe across the barrel, especially from a knife. You practically left yourself open to get your throat cut.”

“He’s right, you know.” Ballista agreed from the sidelines, “When it comes to fights like these, you don’t let your guard down till you’re a hundred percent sure your foe is incapacitated.”

“Of course.” Survival sighed, “Let me try again.”

“Sure thing.” Incognito smirked.

Survival bobbed to the left, weaved to the right, then made his mouth.

"Hah!" He tried a downward slash to the chest.

Incognito dodged the move, and retaliated by poking his opponent in the forehead with his marker.

"Boom, stabbed in the head." He smirked.

Snarling, Survival leapt forward, trying for an impalement strike. Incognito caught his foes hoof, and jabbed him jabbed him repeatedly in the stomach.

"Boom, multiple stab wounds to the guts." Incognito said calmly.

Survival just barely managed to keep his cool.

The two continued sparring, with Incognito’s experience making him nearly impossible for Survival to overcome.

"Missed me!" He dodged one swing, and countered with one that left an ink mark on Survival's cheek.

"This better not be permanent ink!" Survival swung his own weapon, just barely marking Incognito's nose.

"If it is, we're both in trouble." Incognito smirked. He swung his "weapon" in two quick "slashes", marking an X on Survival's forehead. "Mostly you."

"Oh, that's it!" Survival snarled, finally giving in to his frustration.

Survival charged at Incognito, looking to "finish" his opponent with a "strike" to the heart. But Incognito, smirking at having managed to get his foe angry, managed to catch the strike.

"Gotcha." He smirked.

The observers all gaped silently, as, with one swift movement, Incognito brought Survival into a hooflock, and started twisting it.

“AHH!” Survival yelped, as his caught hoof dropped the marker.

In a flash, Incognito used his marker hoof to ‘stab’ him in the neck.

“And dead, once again.” Incognito smirked.

"...And that, folks, is that!" Caboose mimicked a fight announcer, “What a sensational bout. Survival failed to win a single round, but he sure had a lot of hutzpah, didn't he, sports fans? And now, a word from our sponsors.”

He turned to the empty air to his left. Master Mind was about to rebut, only for Armory to stop him with a hoof and a silent shake of his head.

Incognito released Survival from his grasp, as the doctor let out a defeated sigh.

“Hey, don’t let it get you down, kid.” Incognito gives a sympathetic smile, “You’re still learning.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Survival rubbed his head, unconvinced.

The others walked over.

"Good to see you giving your new position your all, Survival." Fletcher declared.

"You'll get him next time." Caboose consoled him. "You'll give 'im the sketchpad treatment for sure."

"Thanks, guys." Survival smiled.

At that point, Triage entered the room. He looked tired, as if he hadn’t a moment to rest for quite a while.

“Ah, there you all are.” Triage declared, as he looked over at Survival, noting the marks all over him, “Ooh, Doctor Horror… you’re looking like a whiteboard right now.”

“Yeah. Had a bit of trouble with knife training.” Survival admitted.

“I do hope Incognito wasn’t too hard on you.” Triage cast a stink-eye at his comrade, “The last thing I want is for you to be unable to stand again like what happened when you were practicing ambush tactics with Titan.”

“Woof!” Titan barked, offended.

“I don’t care if you were only going to test his combat ability, if Survival’s going to be worth his salt as a medic, I need him able to perform his medic duties.” Triage grunted.

“Relax, ya old fossil, it was just a good ol’ marker fight.” Incognito rolled his eyes, “The kid’s getting better though.”

“Yeah…” Survival agreed hesitantly, “You’d ever had to do this when you joined?”

“Not necessarily.” Triage mused, “Fighting was never really my thing. A last resort really. That's why I got into medicine..."

"And what a noble calling it is." Elite joined. "Alas, sometimes fighting is unavoidable." He shook his head, as he glanced glumly at Triage, “Triage, I hope you have some good news for us?”

“Yeah, how’s Black and Sterling?” Fletcher frowned.

"Can we see them?" Caboose asked.

“Of course.” Triage nodded, “If you would all follow me…”

Triage led the others to the infirmary. The others looked on in shock and sadness, Survival especially, as they saw the agents from the raid bandaged up. One in particular, namely the one Silas had tortured, was still whimpering, all his limbs in casts.

At the far end, they found Sterling bed-ridden, his face and barrel bandaged up with his sword at his side, seemingly unconscious. At his bedside was Black, who had a few patches on his face, and bruises all over his body. Black was very bruised, but not too terribly so (his suit having taken the brunt of the attacks).

“Oh, hey, guys.” Black declared.

“Black, Sterling… are you both okay?” Elite frowned.

“Well, we’re alive, at least.” Black sighed, “But Sterling here got beaten up pretty bad.”

"Oh, Faust!" Caboose, distraught, ran over and hugged Sterling, much to everypony’s surprise, "Speak to me, old pal! Speak to me!"

Sterling let out a barely audible murmur.

"What?" Caboose frowned.

"You're... squeezing... my... broken ribs." Sterling hissed in pain.

"Oh." Caboose cringed, letting go. "Sorry."

“What in Equestria happened to you all?” Fletcher asked.

“That is what I would like to know.” Elite said firmly, “The squad head told me that you guys were attacked by somepony.”

“Ugh, it was a disaster.” Black shook his head, “Me, Sterling, and the guys were busting this illicit smuggling operation at the airship docks over in Applewood. The raid itself went over without much trouble… but we overheard two of the agents talking about calling this pony to help them out…”

“And this pony… did this to you?” Ballista asked, concerned.

“It was my fault.” Sterling spoke up, guilt-stricken, “This asshole was talking this guy up, and I really thought me and Black could take him and not leave any agent uncaptured, so I let them call him… and because of that…”

“Hey, it’s not all on you.” Black urged, “We were all caught off-guard by that slimeball's power. You had no way of knowing the kind of pony we were coming up against.”

“And who is this pony exactly?” Fury glared.

“...Silas Necross.” Sterling answered, his voice cold.

“...Okay.” Incognito grimaced, turning to Triage, “Hey, doc, I think you might have given Sterling here a little too much morphine, because he just said he got his ass kicked by a dead pony.”

“I’m not kidding!” Sterling snarled, “It was Silas Necross!”

“But that’s impossible.” Survival spoke up, visibly disturbed by Sterling’s injuries, “You and I were there when he got shot up. It was medically impossible for anypony to survive such injuries.”

“He’s right.” Master Mind frowned, “And if not his injuries, the carriage he was in blew up. There wasn’t a trace of him left.”

“...Yeah… did we ever figure out why that happened?” Incognito asked.

“Well, to be honest, no.” Ballista suggested, “I had Armory here look the wreckage over. We thought it might have been a bomb that a Forefather agent strapped on when we weren’t looking, making sure Silas was dead so he couldn’t talk…”

“But I found no components for a bomb anywhere.” Armory shook his head, “I even had Titan sniff it over. He couldn’t find anything either.”

“Ruh-huh.” Titan nodded.

“Even then… how could Black and Sterling lose to Silas?” Caboose asked, stupefied, “I mean, I’m not sure what’s the power scaling here in this series, but Silas is a chump! A low-tier villain! Like Flim and Flam level!”

"The old Silas, maybe." Black said darkly.

"What do you mean?" Armory asked.

“Something’s happened to him.” Sterling revealed, “I don’t know what, but instead of a normal unicorn, he was this tall shadowy stallion, made out of miasma.”

“Miasma? As with Nyx?” Survival gaped.

“Yeah, except it’s different somehow.” Sterling shook his head, “His whole body was covered in it.”

“And his powers were horrifying.” Black continued. “With one beam, he managed to blow up our carriages, and tear up half the docks. He could disappear and reappear at will, and no matter what we did, we could not hurt him. We might as well have been punching thin air.”

“Oh buck.” Incognito winced in shock.

“And there’s more.” Sterling grunted, “The guy, before he called Silas, was going on and on about how he’s been hard at work lately these past three months. Cleaning house.”

“Wait, so he became a cleaning lady?” Caboose asked, confused.

“No, Caboose.” Black rolled his eyes, “It means last night’s attack wasn’t his first… and I fear it won’t be his last.”

“Aww, man.” Caboose moaned, “Sounds like another knock down, dragout fight to the death is on the way..."

"Okay, that's enough for now." Triage announced. "My patients need to be able to recuperate without interruption, so please leave them to it."

"I thought you said I'd be ready to be discharged in a few hours." Black frowned.

"Not if there's any more doomsaying to stress you out." Triage said sternly. "Survival, you can stay, because I have much to teach you today. But everycreature else must go."

"You heard him, folks." Elite nodded. "Doctor's orders."

"Get well soon, Sterling." Fletcher smiled.

"That's the plan." Sterling nodded. "Not like I could do much otherwise…”

“That’s the spirit!” Caboose smirked.

Those who didn't need to be in the room departed.

"What a mess." Incognito sighed.

"That's putting it mildly." Master Mind shook his head.

"Hrr..." Titan nodded.

"The new Silas is going to be difficult to overcome." Fletcher noted.

"Like trying to eat a two Bit veggie steak." Caboose agreed.

"Just seeing what he did to Back and Sterling gives me the shivers." Armory admitted.

"It gives me the need to smash that freak's teeth in." Ballista scowled.

"I should've been there with them." Fury declared, guilt and regret in his voice. "I should have been there. I could have helped them..."

“Then you would have been in there with them.” Elite declared, “Besides, you heard Black. Even with your powers, it probably wouldn’t have made a difference.”

"Still ruffles my feathers, though." Fury scowled.

"I know we are all unnerved by this turn of events." Elite said fairly. "But we will face this threat, and overcome it, as we always have. But for now, all we can do is allow Triage and Survival to do their work."

Speaking of whom, Survival followed Triage into the adjoining office. As he did, he couldn't help but glance once more at Sterling's battered form, something Triage took notice of.

"Are you okay, Survival?" Triage asked. "You seem somewhat... Perturbed."

"Sorry." Survival said awkwardly. "...I'm just a bit shaken at what I saw in there. Everypony in there was a real mess, especially Sterling. I mean, in all my years as a physician back at Brightdale, I’ve never seen anypony hurt so bad…”

“I’ll admit, it’s a level of injury even I haven't seen much of." Triage noted. "Alas, seeing comrades in critical condition is something I quickly had to become accustomed to. And I'm afraid you will have to do so as well."

"I guess so..." Survival nodded solemnly. "I'll try to toughen up."

"Just don't toughen up too much." Triage instructed. "A good medic must retain a tender bedside manner for his patients. Balancing the two isn't easy, but it can be done."

"I'll do my best." Survival put on a smile. "So, what lessons will you be teaching me today?"

"Some very important ones." Triage declared. "Today, I'll be giving you a practical test in how to change bandages and empty bedpans."

"Oh." Survival said flatly, his good mood deflating. "Yay..."

A short while later, Elite and Ballista were in the comms room. Black, newly released from the infirmary, was in the back, listening as the two communicated with several agents via big screens on monitors. The topic of discussion was Silas, with blurry security footage of one of his attacks playing on a nearby screen.

"-It was like he showed up from out of nowhere." A female Pegasus agent declared. "He tore our battle cruiser apart with that strange black fog of his like it was paper. We barely got out of there with our lives!"

"Well, he threw us around like rag dolls." An Earth Pony stallion recalled, having been the one to show the footage, “I have three ponies dead, and ten more in traction.”

“He was unstoppable.” A Unicorn stallion said grimly, “We must have fired like a hundred bolts at the guy, and all it did was fly right through him. He took down my team and made off with the blueprints for those new combat airships."

"Very unnerving news indeed." Elite frowned, “And this has been happening to other squads out in the field?”

“Oh, yeah.” The Earth Pony grimaced, “It’s been a goat buck, sir.”

“So, hold on, all this has been happening in the past three months?” Ballista glared, “Why are we now hearing about this?!”

“We weren’t even aware of the severity of these attacks till the attack on the Applewood docks.” The Unicorn defended. “We had thought that what had happened to us was a one-off occurrence, just some random eldritch abomination. You know, the kind that terrorizes Equestria once a year.”

“But when the head agent under Paladin and Cross informed us of what had happened, we asked around and it turns out he’s been busy.” The Pegasus mare rubbed her head.

“Dammit…” Elite put a hoof to his chin in contemplation, “...What do we know about him so far?”

“Other than he’s packing major heat and is buckin’ invincible? Not much.” The Unicorn groaned.

“Hold on.” Black spoke up as he stepped forth. He limped a little, “Did any of you guys try using magic on him?” Elite turned to him in confusion, “During our fight, I grabbed one of the Forefathers’ new magic weapons and fired a couple blasts at him, and the blasts actually landed.”

“Really? Did you actually hurt him?” The Earth Pony challenged skeptically.

“Well… I don’t know.” Black admitted, “It looked like he was being overwhelmed by the attacks. Maybe I might have actually done some damage if the staff didn’t run out of juice.”

“Well, still, that isn’t much for us to go on. Even if magic does work, it sounds like even that wasn’t enough to slow him down.” Ballista frowned, “...This is bad… in all my years of service, I never seen something like this… what if there’s no way to beat him?”

"We cannot think that way." Elite declared. "There must be some way of overcoming Silas' new abilities. But for now, all we can do is continue our research, and hope that Silas' next attack won't be for a while yet."

"Somehow, I doubt it..." Ballista sighed. "Who knows what kind of twisted thing he's doing right this second."

Meanwhile, back at Infinity, a cloud of miasma descended at one of the airship ports, as Silas materialized, returning from another successful mission.

In stark contrast to his previous arrival, the other agents displayed awe and respect toward him, rather than simple fear.

"Welcome back, Mr. Necross." A female agent greeted.

"Thanks for saving our asses durin' last night's mission." Another smiled.

"You were awesome!" A male added.

"Best enforcer ever!" A younger agent declared.

“Whatever.” Silas brushed them off, their praise meaning nothing to him, ’Faust bucking sycophants.’

Leaving the nonplussed agents behind him, Silas stormed up to the upper level's briefing room, where Loveless were debriefing a group of agents.

“...And you must retrieve the scroll, and be out of the complex, within ten minutes. And before you go, I cannot stress this enough: the paralysis darts are not toys.” Loveless declared fiercely, “And they’re sure as hell not substitutes for whatever drug that is hip nowadays, so no more jabbing yourselves with them while listening to music, okay?”

“But Ricochet told us they were safe.” An agent complained.

“Oh, and if Ricochet told you to jump off a bridge-” Loveless suddenly stopped, “Wait, don’t answer that, I fear I know the answer already.”

“Ahem.” Silas cleared his throat. The other agents turned and eyes widen in horror at the visage of the shadowy stallion. Loveless, on the other hoof…

“Silas. Can I help you?” Loveless grimaced.

“I need to speak with you.” Silas declared, glaring at the other agents, “Now.”

“Very well…” Loveless sighed, returning his focus to the still wary agents, “You all are dismissed.”

Instantly, the agents ran out the room.

“Come, walk with me.” Loveless approached Silas, as the two left the room, “I have much to do today.”

“Oh, sure.” Silas rolled his eyes dismissively, “Your day must be so hectic, what with all the ordering around and tinkering with all those junks.”

“What is it that you want, Silas?” Loveless growled, “I assume you being back here means your mission at the Crystal Mountains went swimmingly?”

“As a matter of fact, yes.” Silas said indignantly, offended by the implication things could have gone any differently. "All because of me, thank you very much. Those R.D.L. assholes were chumps… as were the ones back in Trottingham, and Somnambula, and Applewood… in fact, you could say the entire legion is my whipping boy.”

“Arrogance doesn’t suit you, you know.” Loveless frowned.

“Well, neither does mediocrity, but here I am.” Silas snapped back.

“If there’s something you want to say to me, Silas, just spit it out so we can move on with our day.” Loveless glared.

“It’s been three months.” Silas hissed.

“Felt a lot longer, what’s your point?” Loveless scoffed.

“Why hasn’t Father summoned me back to the Coils yet?” Silas demanded, “I’ve been busting my ass off these past months, doing all the lousy gruntwork you and the drunk have been assigning me. And I’ve completed them all effortlessly.”

“Yes, because that is what you’re supposed to do.” Loveless grumbled, “Do you want a gold sticker or something?”

“No, I want recognition.” Silas seethed, his miasma flaring a bit. “I have clearly demonstrated that I am capable of getting things done. Ask any of those worthless peons and they would sing nothing but praise and fear of my absolute might. Yet, I cannot help but feel that I am no closer to obtaining the title of Ouroboros than I was when I came back here three months ago.”

"...Silas, Silas, Silas." Loveless shook his head. "You're embarrassing yourself with all this impatience."

"Embarrassing myself?" Silas angrily rebutted. "What the hell is that supposed to-?”

Before he could finish his sentence, Loveless shushed him. They arrived outside a small room, where a group of ponies were seated in chairs forming a circle. At the head of the circle was none other than Ricochet.

"It was awful." A Forefather agent recounted a harrowing experience. "Those lousy Royal Guards just popped up from out of nowhere. we tried to run, but Grady got hit in the side by a bolt, and he fell into the river. And he sank to the bottom." His eyes welled up with tears. "I miss him so much..."

“There, there, Pathos.” Ricochet patted him sympathetically, “Let it all out. We’re all here for you. It’s not easy, losing friends. That’s why I started this group, to help ponies heal and move on. I too have lost ponies I’ve considered to be close friends… or at the very least, could tolerate sitting in a room with them for a few hours.”

“I have to ask, sir. Who did you lose?” One agent asked.

“Oh, who didn’t I lose?” Ricochet laughed morosely, “But I guess I made this group with my fellow Ouroboros in mind, those who are no longer with us… Sacred, the nicest guy you ever know. Nalik. Gridlock and Harlhooves, never was close but I am sure if they had loosened up a bit, we might have been friends. Black Thorn… well, I never actually met the guy, but I like to think Umbrums are metal, Solomon…”

Ricochet frowned, not sure what to say.

“...Let’s just say he was a jerk... but he was our jerk.” Ricochet declared, “And finally, there’s Doc… I never saw his face, but I knew under that mask, there was a great guy in there…” Ricochet’s face soured, “A great guy I’ll never get to meet because of Secret. Because Secret trying to mess with Doc and his old stallion's project made him leave..." His breathing grew shallow, as his emotions flared. "And before that, there was Sterling. He was a decent guy, but he ended up leaving us too. Leaving me." He gritted his teeth angrily. "Why does everypony I care about end up leaving me?! Why?! Why can't they ever stay?!”

The Ouroboros panted with rage, as the other agents looked on in shock.

“Anyways…” Ricochet let out a deep breath, calming down, “That will be all for tonight. We’ll meet back here next Thursday. Help yourself to Iggy’s po boys and some booze.” He then noticed Loveless and Silas watching him, “If you will excuse me…”

Ricochet made his way outside the room.

“I must say, Ricochet… that was quite the impassioned speech.” Loveless declared awkwardly.

“Yeah, sorry. Got carried away...” Ricochet shook his head glumly, “It’s just… it still hurts...”

“Still, you are doing a good thing, helping others grieve.” Loveless complimented, “Sure beats drinking your woes away.”

“Heh, can’t say drinking is entirely off the table.” Ricochet sighed, as he opened up a can of beer that he suddenly had in his hoof, taking a sip.

“Well, I think it’s a waste of time.” Silas snorted, “Wailing about all those losers… especially Sterling of all ponies.”

“He was my friend, Silas! It might be rocket science to you, you being a jerk and all, but it bites, having someone you had drinks with turn his back on you!” Ricochet snapped, “And unlike Jetstream, I might actually have to fight him, since he shacked up with the RDL!”

“Well, you won’t have to worry about that.” Silas chuckled darkly.

“...What do you mean?” Loveless murmured, not liking the looks in his eyes.

“Well, I don’t know if you heard, but I ran into Cross and that tin pony back in Applewood… and well, let’s just say they are no longer a problem.” Silas sneered.

“You… you didn’t…” Loveless gaped, feeling his heart plummet.

“Don’t look so surprised, Loveless.” Silas snorted. “They were cake walks. Especially Sterling. I’ll tell you, it was therapeutic, beating the ever loving tar of that rat bastard. I even dropped the dock him and that tin pony were on. There’s no way they’re alive after all that.”

“No… no…” Loveless was in shock, struggling to comprehend the thought that the one he considered his son was dead.

“Yes, it’s true, ya old fossil.” Silas grinned madly, ignorant of his shock, “Surely, me downing the R.D.L.’s little toy soldier and the traitor should be more than enough for a promotion.”

Ricochet stared at Silas… and then said.

“Pics or it didn’t happen.”

“Excuse you?” Silas raised a brow. Loveless snapped out of his shock to glance at Ricochet in confusion.

“You honestly expect us to believe that you killed Sterling and that one guy?” Ricochet challenged.

“Um, yeah, that’s what happened!” Silas snarled.

“Dude, I know Sterling. The guy survived having his hoof cut off by a crazy psycho mare.” Ricochet glared, “You really think he wouldn’t have survived a falling dock?”

“He was unconscious!” Silas roared, “He had to be saved by the tin pony, and even then, I took him out as well when I dropped the thing! The idiots I had to bail out can attest to that!”

“Well, did you see their bodies at the bottom of the mountain?” Ricochet asked.

“What?! No!” Silas growled

“Then how can you be sure that they’re dead?” Ricochet frowned, “Didn’t you check?”

“I believe I shouldn’t have to, considering it was a forty-foot drop!” Silas snapped, “There’ s no way they could have survived!”

“Dude, everyone thought Black Knight was dead when he was thrown out the window at Canterlot Castle way back then.” Ricochet crossed his hooves. “Except Gridlock. He had that Pike guy look for him, and lo and behold, Black was still alive… somehow.”

“...He’s right, you know.” Loveless spoke, Ricochet’s reasoning bringing him relief, “You cannot simply say that you had killed Sterling and the tin pony if there’s no evidence to back up that claim.”

“Are you serious right now?!” Silas roared, “I did kill those assholes! I did!”

“What if you didn’t? What if you have failed?” Loveless pressed onwards, “The Forefathers does not reward failure.”

"Aw, come on!" Silas argued. "Let’s say that you two are right, which you aren’t, that Cross and the tin pony are still alive. What does it matter? They weren’t able to hurt me! I threw them around like rag dolls! I’m more a threat to them than Solomon and Gridlock ever was!”

“Father had already told you, it takes more than something like base thuggery to obtain the title of Ouroboros.” Loveless scowled, “You have been doing good work, as much as I am loathe to admit, but you also only have been doing what was asked of you, because that’s what you are: a soldier, who is expected to carry out the orders given to him.”

“But I killed-” Silas began.

“Until we can confirm this, no you hadn’t.” Loveless cut him off. “Hard to believe that even with all that power, you still can’t comprehend what it takes to become an Ouroboros!”

“And what does it take, pray tell?” Silas glared.

"Going above and beyond." Loveless told him. "Being willing to give your all for the Forefathers. Proving that your dedication to our goals is truly a cut above. You want to become one of us? Then you have to earn it. Truly earn it, like the rest of us did."

“Oh, for crying out-” Silas growled. “This is asinine! Can you fools and Father really afford to be this picky?! I mean for Faust’s sake, there’s only three of you left in the Coils! You, beer-for-brain here, and where even the Tartarus is Dysley?!”

"He’s away at one of his labs." Loveless replied testily. "Probably working on one of his other projects."

"Playing with his chemistry set, huh?" Silas scoffed. "Real productive."

"Joke all you want." Loveless shot back. "But Secretariat Dysley has done much for this organisation over the years. More than you, that's for sure."

"That's debatable." Silas sneered.

"You loathsome braggart." Loveless glared coldly at him. "Still thinking only of yourself. Of what being part of the Forefathers can do for you. That attitude is why you won't be becoming an Ouroboros any time soon."

"Oh, I will!" Silas spat. "Just you wait and see!"

With that, Silas stomped out of the room.

"I think that went pretty well." Ricochet shrugged.

“Yeah…” Loveless grimaced, as he turned to Ricochet, “Do you really think Sterling is still alive?”

“Hell if I know.” Ricochet scoffed, “But I’d be pissed if he died to Silas before I gave him a piece of my mind...”

“Ricochet…” Loveless murmured.

“Ugh, I’m sorry, Loveless.” Ricochet shook his head glumly, “I need a drink. I’ll see you around.”

Ricochet walked off, leaving Loveless alone.

"Sterling, please still be alive." He whispered. "Don't let a fool like Silas be the one to bring you down..."

Meanwhile, a bit away, Silas was storming down the corridor, fuming.

“Pics or it didn’t happen- I can’t believe this bull.” Silas seethed, “Those two are dead. They better be. Or else I’m going to buckin’ screa-UGH!”

Silas screeched, clutching the hoof that was burnt from the magic blast Black was able to fit him with earlier.

“Grr…” Silas grunted, hissing at the pain as he looked at the hoof. The miasma around his hoof parted to show the skin underneath, still burnt, “Lousy tin pony… I can’t believe he actually was able to hurt me. I’m supposed to be invincible!”

He shook his head.

“What are you saying, Silas? You are invincible! He just got lucky!” Silas assured himself, “But they won’t get lucky again.” He held up his other hoof, as miasma flowed between the hooves, “With these powers, I am a god. And I will make them all see that. Loveless, Ricochet, Father… none of them will deny me what is rightly mine… and if they do…”

Silas’s eyes glowed menacingly.

“Well, let’s say the Coils is going to be down a few more ponies.”

Problems On The Peak

To the north of Equestria, somewhere along the boundary between the Crystal Empire and Yakyakistan, stood a mountain with an ancient monastery built into the right side. The monastery had been there for hundreds of years, undisturbed, its existence known only to a select few, it's purpose known to even less.

Inside this grand marble structure resided several monk ponies. Many had left their homes in more civilized areas in hopes of getting away from it all, of indulging their spiritual sides and living a peaceful, minimalist existence. Others still had lived there all their lives, raised on the rituals of their precursors, and thus knew the ins and outs of the building better than they knew themselves.

One such pony was standing in a secluded corner of the courtyard. He was a young Unicorn, with a pale yellow coat under white robes, a brown tail, his head clean-shaven, blue eyes shielded by a pair of simple glasses, and a cutie mark of a green stone hidden beneath his robes.

He was deeply focused, brows furrowed, holding his front hooves in front of them, an inch apart.

“Come on… you can do this, Relic.” The young stallion told himself, “The aura is with me…”

Suddenly, a small orb of some sort of energy began to manifest between the two hooves, and began to slowly grow in size…

“Oh… oh!” The pony named Relic lit up, “I’m doing it… I’m doing it!”

The orb started to become distorted, with small sparks erupting from the surface.

"No, no, no!" Relic panicked. "Don't quit on me now!" He attempted to overcome his panic and focus...

“Relic?”

“Ah!” Relic gasped, his lack of focus causing the orb to disappear to nothingness. The owner of the voice came by, being another monk.

“Relic, there you are.” The monk, a green Earth Pony stallion, greeted, “What were you doing just now?”

“Oh, um…” Relic murmured, “I was… I was inspecting this here wall.” Relic stared at the wall, giving an exaggerated squint with his glasses, “Thought I saw a big crack… turns out I was mistaken."

“Okay…” The monk frowned, nonplussed, “Anyways, do you know where the good rake is? the zen garden needs touching up.”

"I think it's in the southern storeroom." Relic replied, glad that his comrade seemed to have bought his deception.

"Thank you, brother." The monk bowed gratefully, then departed.

As soon as the pony was gone, Relic let out a sigh and looked at his hooves.

“...Next time.” Relic shook his head. “I better get to my daily duties.”

With that, Relic made his way through the courtyard. He strolled past several of his fellows, who were so deep in meditation that they didn't even notice his presence.

As he entered the archway on the other side of the courtyard, he encountered some ponies who were far more mobile; a mare and a stallion, both Pegasi, both wearing pale green robes.

"Good morning, Relic." One of them smiled. "And how are you, on this marvelous day?"

"Wonderfully sanguine, brother Go." Relic smiled back. "Thank you for asking." He looked to the other pony. "And you, sister Flow?"

"I am at peace, like a temperate spring morn." The mare nodded. "May such peace be with you this day, and all others."

"Thank you, sister." Relic grinned. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have duties to attend to."

"Farewell for now, brother." Go said pleasantly.

Relic continued onward, continuing to share pleasantries with whomever he came across, be it monks sharing cups of herbal tea, or the local acupuncturist taking a break between appointments. He knew them all well, and thought of them fondly, each and every one. Despite their order's isolation, Relic took pride in the fact that he enjoyed connections with so many ponies.

'If you want to know the measure of a pony, just count their friends.' He thought to himself.

Further inside the building, Relic passed by another group of monks who were deep in meditation. Unlike the other monks, their manes were not shaved, and some of their robes look ruffled, showing signs that they were not as disciplined as the others, but it seems they were taking to meditation well... to the casual observer at least.

However, as Relic walked by, he glanced at them. While they looked deep in meditation, there were some slight differences from the monks from before. One of them seemed to be nodding off, his head tilted slightly to the left, and another was drooling slightly.

The young stallion looked on, deeply concerned. He lifted a hoof, about to take a step forward… but then brought it back and shook his head.

“There’s nothing you can do, Relic.” He sighed, “May Faust watch over them…”

His own sense of tranquility undermined, Relic glanced out of a nearby window, looking upon the snowy peaks surrounding their home.

"Such beauty." He sighed. "If only all the world could be so beautiful..."

As he gazed out at the pristine environment, he suddenly saw a most unusual sight for this part of Equestria: a messenger pigeon was flying close by the window.

Immediately, Relic was filled with dread.

“Oh no…” Relic gaped.

The pigeon flew by, and in a panic, Relic rushed along the hallway, hoping to catch up.

“Nononononononononononono-” Relic stammered repeatedly.

Quickly, just as the pigeon passed the last window in the hallway, Relic used his magic and grabbed the pigeon and brought him inside.

"Squawk!" The pigeon yelped with outrage. Despite Relic's efforts to be as kind as possible, it did not much like being removed from its flight path.

“D-Deepest apologies, feathered friend.” Relic said curtly, out of breath, as he gently removed the message from the pigeon’s leg, “But I’m afraid I must see this message you’re carrying.”

Releasing the pigeon (which indignantly flew out of the window), Relic unfurled the message. As he read it, his eyes widened in shock and horror.

“Oh, Faust, not again!” Relic panicked, “Oh, this is not good! I must inform Mantra! Mantra!”

Relic made a frantic search through the monastery, seeking one monk in particular.

"Has anypony seen Master Mantra recently?" He asked one group of monks, who were shocked by his frightened expression, “I must speak with him immediately!”

“Um, I think he went to the east wing a few minutes ago.” A Pegasus monk answered, “He might be in the greenhouse.”

"Thank you, brother." Relic said curtly, before continuing his search.

“...You’re welcome?” The monk frowned in confusion.

Meanwhile, in the said greenhouse of the monastery, a dark green Unicorn in grey robes, with pale blue eyes, a brown mane (and matching short beard) was in the middle of many different varieties of flowers, pruning some roses. Though it was hidden under the robes, his cutie mark was that of a lotus.

"Hmm-mmm-mmm, hmm-hmm-mmm..." He hummed to himself as he tended to some roses.

He stopped when he noticed one rose bush was growing too big. It towered over its fellows, and its blossoms were almost pushing against the glass wall.

“This certainly won’t do. Can’t have you taking up too much of the soil’s nutrients. It’s as the Japonese proverb once stated: ‘The nail that sticks out gets hammered down’.” Mantra frowned.

Mantra held up his shears, ready to do some serious trimming, when Relic came rushing in, clearly in a panic.

“AH!” Mantra flinched, the shears flying out of his magical grasp and embedding in the roof of the greenhouse, twanging.

Mantra looked up in annoyance as he then glared at the panting Relic.

“Relic, I thought I made it clear to you and the others that I do not wish to be disturbed when I’m in the greenhouse.” Mantra growled, “It is the one place of solace I have, being the master of this temple.”

“Many apologies, master.” Relic bowed sorrowfully, “But I must speak with you right now.”

“What? Did one of our new arrivals get lost again, brother?” Mantra rolled his eyes.

“No, it’s much worse.” Relic grimaced, as he held up the scroll, “We got another letter… from you-know-who.”

“Another letter?” Mantra frowned, “Are you certain?”

“I checked the contents myself.” Relic explained, “...And I must be honest with you, sir, it is much worse than the last one.”

“I highly doubt that.” Mantra gave a small chuckle as he took the scroll, “Honestly, this is just the work of some 14-year old playing some prank. Like a crank call or a ding-dong-ditch.” He unfurled the scroll and perused it, “I’m sure it’s nothi…” His brow furrowed slightly, a bit taken aback, “Oh. Oh my.”

“I told you.” Relic frowned.

“...Well, I will give this prankster some credit.” Mantra cleared his throat awkwardly, “He is getting... creative in his wordplay.” He then shook his head as he rolled the scroll back up, “...Oh well, just burn it like the rest.”

“What?! But Mantra-!” Relic protested.

“Master Mantra.” Mantra corrected coldly.

“...Er, Master Mantra.” Relic bowed in apology, “We have to do something about the sender of these letters!”

“Do what? It’s just a childish prank. Nothing more.” Mantra scoffed.

“Well, with all due respect, ‘master’, I don’t believe a child would go to the effort of sending four hundred letters to a monastery in the middle of nowhere.” Relic challenged.

“You counted?” Mantra blanched.

“Yes. And every single one has contained threats of bodily harm to you, and everypony in this temple. Mostly you.” Relic pointed out, “How are you not concerned by this?”

“Because it is nothing. Whoever is sending these letters is blowing hot air. These letters have been coming and going, and yet they have not shown themselves.” Mantra said dismissively, “Nothing but empty threats.”

“But what about who’s sending them?” Relic fretted, "We don't exactly have much in the way of neighbors, let alone those who actually know this monastery exists, or for what purpose. Whoever wrote this letter and all those before it knows who we are and what we do here.”

"That doesn't necessarily mean there is trouble on the horizon, brother." Mantra said fairly. "You may be worrying about nothing."

"I beg to differ, master." Relic countered. "What if whoever sent this is someone truly awful? For all we know, this could very well be coming from the Forefathers.”

“‘Forefathers’?” Mantra raised a brow.

“Some of the new arrivals talked a bit before initiation.” Relic explained, “From what I am told, they’re a group of murderers and thieves that hide in plain sight within our societies. And I know for certain there are some things in this temple they would surely kill to get their hooves on.”

“Okay, I am going to stop you right there. You are overreacting.” Mantra said bluntly, “This letter is nothing, as were the other 399. And I doubt that it is these ‘Forefathers’. And even if there was a threat to our home, everypony here would be able to defend it and it’s secrets within.”

“It’s not just our home I’m worried about.” Relic shot back, “Many of our brothers and sisters came here to find inner peace, to get away from the drudgery and dangers of modern life. If we do not take this seriously, we’re putting not only the monastery at risk, but the lives of all our brethren, old and new. If anything happened to them, I wouldn’t forgive myself. Would you?”

"You worry too much, Relic." Mantra shook his head. "Worrying so much about what might happen is not good for the soul, or the body."

“I’m sorry, master, but if you aren’t going to do something, I will.” Relic said firmly, “I will send out a letter to the proper authorities.”

“And have them do what?” Mantra challenged, “Stand around on a mountaintop waiting for some non-existent threat? Ignoring that nonsense, you know the rules: it’s frowned upon to bring in outsiders who do not wish to become monks. To go against the rule that the old master and his masters before him had placed could result in expulsion.”

“I know but I don’t care.” Relic glared, “Even if I have to walk down this mountain and get help myself, I am going to see to it that our way of life as well as everyone within it is safe and protected. If you have nothing to say to that, then I will begin my packing.”

Relic didn’t even have a moment to turn around before Mantra spoke up.

“Wait.” Mantra said, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh, “If you are this serious about it, let me save you all the trouble. I will arrange for a request of assistance to be written and sent to the authorities effective immediately.”

“Really? Just like that?” Relic frowned.

“Look, Relic, we may have our differences, but you were always one of Chakra’s favorite pupils.” Mantra declared with a hint of warmth, “And you always had the monastery’s best interests at heart. And I suppose it wouldn’t be the worst thing to have a helping hand from the outside world, for at least a couple of days.”

“Well, thank you.” Relic gave a small smile and gave a bow, “I’m sorry if I overstep some bounds, master. I know I can come off as a worrywart, but I prefer to err on the side of caution. It's better to be safe than sorry, after all."

"Of course." Mantra nodded.

“Now then…” Relic straightened up, and with the glow of his horn, he pulled the shears from the ceiling, and passed it to Mantra, “I think I’ve kept you from your gardening long enough.” He glanced at the flowers, “Your roses are looking very healthy, by the way.”

"Thank you." Mantra said humbly. "I do my best."

“Of course, that’s just like you, Man- master Mantra.” Relic nodded, “Now, if you excuse me, I got to get back to my chores. I will see you at supper time. Till then.”

With another bow, the young monk left the greenhouse. Mantra waved him off, smiling widely... until he was sure Relic was out of sight. At that point, the smile dropped, replaced by a dismissive scowl, as he then flung the shears into the ground blade first.

“Damn little twit.” Mantra clenched his hoof, “How he ended up in our ranks, I will never know… and now, I have yet another problem.”

Mantra departed from the greenhouse in a huff, seeking a particular member of the brotherhood as he walked through the corridors, he wasn't quite as friendly with his fellow monks as he passed by, responding to their greetings with small nods and quiet replies.

"Glorious day to you, brother Mantra." One monk declared.

"Morning." Mantra said flatly.

Mantra soon found his target in the cloisters: a hulking Earth Pony in blue robes. His coat was dark purple, with a green tail, bald head, mud brown eyes, and a Cutie Mark of a yam under his robes. He was chipping away at a stone block with a pick and hammer, a crude form of a pony being discernible from his progress so far.

“Ube, there you are.” Mantra said curtly, “I should've known you'd be here."

"Good morning, master Mantra." Ube said respectfully, “How are you-”

Ube didn’t have time to finish as he was magically grabbed by his collar as Mantra continued walking.

“Wha-hey!” Ube grunted, dropping his hammer and pick, “What gives?!”

“Walk with me, Ube. We have a problem.” Mantra scowled.

“Problem? What’s going on?” Ube glared as he started walking, Mantra releasing his magical grip.

“We got another letter from our mysterious malcontent.” Mantra snarled.

“Again? What is this, like fifty letters?” Ube gaped.

“Four hundred.” Mantra corrected, Ube gaping at the number. “And this one was more threatening than the last.”

“So what? I thought you told everyone to burn any more letters.” Ube scoffed.

“I did. But that didn’t stop Relic from intercepting this one and reading it… and now I have to send out a letter to the Equestrian authorities.”

“A letter? To outsiders?” Ube gaped, outraged, “Why?!”

“Look, I didn’t have much choice in the matter.” Mantra seethed, “That fool was going to send for help no matter what I said. Sending out a letter myself was the only way I could placate him.”

“Faust damn it all.” Ube growled, “Why do we keep him around? That boy is becoming more trouble than he is worth! Worse than-”

“Do not speak his name in my presence, Ube.” Mantra glared hatefully, shutting the bigger stallion up, “You forget, Relic’s the one who has been keeping the other monks in line ever since I became master. If something were to happen to him, it would risk mutiny. And I think I speak for both of us that we do not want that.”

“But we can’t have outsiders here!” Ube protested, “They’ll find out about everything! The fountain, the old master, our-”

“I am well aware, Ube." Mantra said testily. "But my hooves are tied. But I do believe that as long as we remain cautious, cooperate with whoever arrives here, and keep quiet about certain elements of our life here, everything should be just fine. I mean, whoever is sending these letters has been threatening us for years yet they never showed themselves. We keep them entertained for a few days till they get bored and send them on their way, and then things will go back to normal."

“Well, I still don’t think this is a good idea.” Ube crossed his hooves petulantly.

“Well, you aren’t kept around for your brains, Ube.” Mantra scoffed, “Now listen carefully, this is what I need you to write…”

A few days later...

At the RDL headquarters, Triage and Survival were tending to Black and Sterling. While Black’s injuries were not as severe as Sterling’s, being able to stand and walk, the internal bleeding and bruises from the few hits he took from Silas was enough to bench him for a while.

Sterling unfortunately had no such luxury, being confined to his bed.

“Hmm, you seem to be recovering nicely, Sterling.” Triage noted, “In another week or so, we might be able to move you on to physical therapy.”

"Still can't come soon enough." Sterling groaned. "I'm bored out of my mind just lying here, day in, day out..."

“I know it sucks, Sterling.” Black grimaced, as Survival examined him, “It’s not fun being out of the action.”

“Easy for you to say, you can move around.” Sterling frowned, “Silas just about busted my ribcage.”

“Well, it couldn’t be as bad as when I fell off that cliff all those years ago. About every bone in my body was broken, not to mention I still had a bolt in my left eye.” Black gestured to his prosthetic eye, “If Belle hadn’t found me all those years ago, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“Wait, for real?” Survival perked up, glancing at Black. Despite having been briefed on Black’s backstory upon his joining, he still didn’t know all the details, “Yet you were still able to perform your duties all these years?”

“What can I say? We Paladins come from a line of war horses.” Black shrugged, “I have taken many beatings over the years. While this one in particular was kinda bad, I've had wor-” Black cringed, a twinge of pain surging through his body, “Ow…”

“Worse or better, Black, you still took a serious beating. Be thankful you weren’t reduced to paste when that monster slammed you into that wall.” Triage chided, “While not as extensive as Sterling over here, it will take some time for these wounds to heal.”

"Yeah, yeah..." Black muttered sourly.

“I just hope Fletch and the others can handle themselves without us.” Sterling mused, “It’s bad enough that Silas is out there causing havoc. The last thing I want is for that filth to-”

“Right now, your main concern should be getting better.” Triage urged, as he was finishing up, “Now then, your checkup is complete. Black, you’re free to go, but do not participate in any extraneous activities. Sterling, we will be back in a little while to change those bandages.”

“Oh, joy.” Sterling rolled his eyes.

“See you soon, Sterling.” Survival declared as he and Triage departed.

Now it was just Black and Sterling, in the calm, quiet recovery ward.
‘
“Why are you still here, Black?” Sterling turned his head to him, “They said you could go.”

“Yeah, but I figured you would still like some company.” Black smiled, “I don’t really have much to do today, what with my injuries and all.”

“...Thanks, Black.” Sterling gave a small smile, “It’s been tough, just laying here, especially listening to how bad the other guys from the raid had it. Especially that one kid.”

“Oh yeah. Triage told me he’ll probably be laid up for months. Said it’d be a miracle if he ever sees the field again.”

“Dammit.” Sterling sighed, “...None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for me.”

“Come on, Sterling, I already told you it wasn’t all your fault.” Black urged.

“It’s not just that, Black. Silas has it out for me, and the rest of us as a result, because I used him in Project: Maelstrom.” Sterling reminisced glumly, “When I met him, I thought he was just an arrogant blowhard who couldn’t tell his head from his ass, somepony who couldn’t hurt a fly… if I had just told him to pound sand, he wouldn’t have joined forces with the Forefathers, and he wouldn’t have stumbled upon that miasma that turned him in that thing.”

“...I felt the same way, Sterling.” Black shook his head, “You probably know about what happened to Sacred Dysley, right?” Sterling gave a small nod, “At the time, I just saw him as just another pawn in the Forefathers’ forces, just doing their biddings. Never did I realize that he had a wife and son, much less a lover like that Somnus. I know now that it wasn’t my fault, but I still think if I hadn’t caused Sacred’s injuries and death, Secret wouldn’t have found his way into the Forefathers and did away with that hospital…”

He turned to Sterling.

“But what happened, happened.” Black continued, “And we will stop Silas. He will pay for what he has done to us and our comrades.”

"That's the spirit." Sterling smiled. "We'll find some way around those powers of his."

"We sure will." Black nodded. "And as a last resort, we could throw some of your homemade spicy hayburgers at him. No living thing could survive those."

"Don't think just because I'm laid up in bed, looking like an extra from a cheap mummy movie, that I won't come over there and smack you upside your head."

The two let out a laugh.

Meanwhile, Survival and Triage made their way into Triage's office.

“Well, I gotta say, I am relieved that Sterling and Black are doing alright.” Survival admitted, “Sterling especially. After seeing how bad he looked, I was worried he was going to be out a lot longer.”

“Elite chose them for the Alpha Force Squad for a reason, Survival.” Triage pointed out, “Black was already a tough S.O.B. even before the team was formed, as was Sterling.”

“Yeah…” Survival agreed… though a frown grew on his face, “I just hope I can live up to those standards.”

“What do you mean by that?” Triage asked.

“Sorry, it’s just… it’s weird, having been recruited into a militant group despite having no training. I mean, Black, Fletcher, and Caboose were RDL and Royal Guards while Fury and Sterling were self-taught. I know they can all hold their own in a fight, but me? I barely survived the two encounters I had with Forefather agents.” Survival explained

“You sell yourself short, Survival.” Triage declared, “You were trained as a survivalist, weren’t you? How else would you know your way with a knife?”

“That is true…” Survival admitted, “But then again, I think when they were training me, they thought it would be for when society collapsed and the world was overrun by either machines, raping misogynist caribous, or zombies. Not for agents of a terrorist group.”

“I hope you don’t mind me asking… but what of your parents? Did they ever realize that the world is still okay… er, relatively speaking?” Triage asked, morbidly curious.

“Sadly, no.” Survival sighed, “Every time ‘the day the world ends’ comes and goes, they go and write letters to other preppers and learn about another apocalypse and decide that’s when the world ends. They just wouldn’t accept that there was nothing bad, or at least world-ending coming. Somnus theorized when I told him that they either had some undiagnosed mental problems or were simply too embarrassed to accept that they wasted their lives for nothing.”

“Hmm, that is rough. I can’t imagine what it’s been like. Especially for you.” Triage sympathized.

“Well, it’s not like they were abusive or anything.” Survival declared, “If anything, they were just overprotective. But it did really mess with me. I was stuck in that underground bunker for most of my life. I didn’t even see the actual sky till I was five. And that only really happened because I snuck out, wanting to see what the outside was like.”

“Yikes.” Triage cringed, “When did you actually get out?”

“I was sixteen.” Survival declared, “Around that time, I’ve been questioning whether the world really had ended and the sanity of my parents. But every time I tried to have an honest conversation, they would either ignore me or change the subject. They wouldn’t even entertain the thought of leaving the bunker. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I knew if I didn’t get out now, I was sure to turn out just like them.”

“Survival…” Triage frowned.

“It was tough at first. All the knowledge I had of the world was limited to some outdated history books and encyclopedias and an old-timey radio. Imagine my shock that we had four Alicorn princesses instead of one.” Survival gave a small chuckle, “Fortunately, after talking to some ponies from the welfare system, they were able to get me housing and schooling, and before I knew it, I had a degree in psychology and was working for…”

Survival went silent, as Triage knew what he was going to say.

“Brightdale…” Triage finished, “You still miss your friend, don’t you?”

“I do.” Survival admitted, “I never told the others this, but I met Hamm while still going through college. He loved going to this bar near the campus. I was still trying to catch up on all the things that happened when I was in the bunker, and Hamm was happy to help me, didn’t even blink at me being in a bunker for sixteen years. He told me everything, like the marriage of Celestia and Shine Paladin, the Daring Do twentieth anniversary convention, the disastrous yak breakdancing tournament... he even helped me get a job at Brightdale, introduced me to Somnus.”

“...He sounded like a great pony.” Triage said simply.

“He was.” Survival declared softly, “...I never honestly thought that one day everything I come to know would be gone. That my hospital would be massacred, that my best friend would be killed in cold blood, that my boss was an elite member of the terrorist organization responsible for both of these events, or that my mentor was part of the same group and had essentially brought back Nightmare Moon…”

“Yeah, it sounded like a pretty rotten week.” Triage admitted, remembering the period of self-doubt he was going through, before adopting a firm glance, “But you got through it all, and now you’re one of us.”

“But what if that is not enough?” Survival fretted, “What if when I get out on the field, I end up getting the other guys killed? The last thing I want to be is dead weight.”

“Survival, a soldier who doesn't know a combat knife from a comb is a dead weight.” Triage said bluntly, “If the way our lessons are anything to go by, you are far from that description. You’re a smart lad. Maybe not up to Master’s level, but you show a lot of potential. I mean, you’ve been breezing through all of my lessons like it was nothing. Almost makes me regret not taking on a pupil sooner.”

“Well, I did have a good teacher.” Survival shrugged modestly.

"Just keep at your training." Triage encouraged him. "Study, and build up your skills. You'll have your chance to shine soon enough. And on that day, you'll everycreature exactly why you're a part of Alpha Force Squad."

"That's the plan." Survival nodded, cheered up a little (though still a bit doubtful).

"Wonderful." Triage grinned. "Now, it's time for the weekly blood bank check. We need to make sure we have enough to go around if anycreature loses too much."

"Right behind you." Survival followed Triage out of the room. "Just another day at the office..." He joked.

Meanwhile, Elite was in his office, sorting through the morning's paperwork. As the head of the RDL, he received many reports, updates, memos, and more. He spent most mornings organizing them, and today was no exception; he placed the more important forms out of the towering stack into his 'high priority' file, to be tended to as soon as possible. The rest were sorted into "low priority" and "archive"; one for less important files, and another for the RDL's records…

And to the side of the desk was a trashcan, with a piece of paper taped to it, being labeled ‘political bullcrap’, with a crudely drawn caricature of a particularly rotund zebra mare, the drawing greatly exaggerating her weight.

"Low priority, archive, low priority, high priority..." He masterfully filed the papers. He then frowned as he glanced at a paper bearing a reminder that he was expected to attend a fundraiser for a particularly obnoxious Pegasus senator angling for a re-election. "Political bullcrap..." He threw the paper into the trashcan. "The work never ends..." He sighed jokingly. "...Just the way I like it."

Just then, Ballista entered the office.

“Hey, Elite. How goes it?” Ballista asked.

“Oh, you know. Just oodles and oodles of paperwork.” Elite shrugged, as he tossed another piece of paper into the trash (this one reading "Vote 'Yes' on privatizing parsnip farms!"). “How’s Sterling and Black?”

“Triage says Sterling will be beginning therapy next week and Black himself will be back out on the field in a couple of weeks.” Ballista declared.

“That’s good. The sooner we have all our best men in tip-top shape, the sooner we can devise a plan on how to deal with our new adversary.” Elite glared.

“You said it.” Ballista agreed, before noting a big book sitting on the corner of his desk. On the spine, it read: Esoteric Magicks and Where to Find Them. “Taking up some light reading, I see?”

“Oh, that.” Elite turned to the book, “I was thinking on what Black said during our comm session with the others. If magic did have some sort of effect on Silas, then maybe there’s a particular type of magic out there that could help penetrate that miasma body of his.”

“Not a bad line of thinking, but maybe we’re overthinking this.” Ballista surmised, crossing his hooves, “The way I see it, perhaps all we need is a whole lot of Unicorn firepower. I mean, Caboose alone seems to have quite a bit of oomph behind his magic from what Black told me. Put a couple more Unicorns on him, and they might blow him away.”

“Caboose is powerful, I’m not doubting that.” Elite shook his head, “But I do not want to place all our bets on just him alone. If he goes down, then what do we have?”

“Well, you got me there.” Ballista admitted.

“Yeah. Unfortunately, I didn't have much luck in finding anything substantial in the texts.” Elite sighed, “Doesn’t help that the book drags on at parts. I’m probably gonna need Master’s help on breezing through it.”

“Well, since we’re on the topic of reading, I did come in here to give you something.” Ballista reached into his jacket.

Ballista pulled out a weathered scroll and set it down.

“A scroll?” Elite raised a brow.

“Yeah, we just got it a few minutes ago.” Ballista explained, “But get this, this came in by carrier pigeon, not magic.”

“Carrier pigeon?” Elite gaped, “That’s… peculiar. I didn’t think ponies still used them since dragon flames and unicorn magic became a thing.”

“Yeah. And it looks like they both came a long way. The poor thing was exhausted.” Ballista said sympathetically, “I got it some water and a little bird seed before sending the little blighter on it’s way.”

Elite examined the scroll, seeing a peculiar wax seal on it, bearing a symbol of what appears to be a fountain within an orb.

“It must be very important if they applied a wax seal to it.” Elite surmised.

“Come on, don’t keep me in suspense.” Ballista urged, “Open it and see what’s inside.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Elite rolled his eyes as he broke the seal and unfurled the scroll, “Let’s see…”

The director perused the scroll, his eyes gliding across the scroll, his curiosity giving way to a look of concern… before his eyes lit up in recognition.

“Elite? What’s up?” Ballista frowned.

Elite wordlessly set down the scroll and grabbed the book, opening up to a bookmarked page, and scanned the page, the recognition returning to a deeper concern.

“Ballista, have the Taskforce and the remainder of the Alpha Force Squad contacted immediately. Announce an emergency meeting.” Elite ordered.

“What? Why?” Ballista gaped, “What did the letter say? Is it serious?”

“Definitely.” Elite said grimly, “If this letter is who I think it’s from, then that means we might just have a way to find the location of one of the supply tunnels that will take us to the Forefathers’ headquarters and Father himself. As well as helping us with our current Silas problem.”

“Whoa, slow down.” Ballista held up a hoof, “What are you talking about?”

“I will explain later. Get everyone to the meeting room posthaste, and hurry.” Elite declared.

“Alright, then. I will get on it, I guess.” Ballista frowned, confused, before heading out to make the call.

Elite was left behind, as he glanced at the scroll again.

“If this is for real… this could very well be the key to finally stopping Father for good..." He said to himself.

The Grand Tour

The quartet of agents were led to the dining area, a large room with hoof-carved stone tables and pillows for chairs.

“This is the dining room. Please, help yourselves." Mantra declared. "We don't have much in the way of a menu, but what the mountain provides us, it does so in abundance."

"Food, glorious food..." Caboose salivated. "I am so hungry right now."

"Says the guy who didn't take a single step up this mountain." Fury scowled, still sore over being made into an impromptu steed by his teammate.

“After that long walk, I could eat poison oak, and still ask for seconds." Survival declared.

"Thank you for your hospitality." Fletcher said gratefully.

"It's our pleasure." Mantra smiled. "We get so few visitors, so it's only right that we give those souls bold enough to brave the journey a warm welcome. We’ll leave you to eat. Let us know when you’re ready to continue the tour."

“Thank you, sir.” Fletcher gave a small bow.

Mantra and his fellow monks leave the room. The quartet took their seats, and almost on cue, more monks came in, and set plates filled with plants and flowers, some grown in the monastery's greenhouse, and others found on the outside. Cups of yam tea were also provided.

"Not what I'm used to, but it'll work." Fury grimaced, struggling to swallow some snapdragons.

"Mmm." Caboose took a swig of the yam tea. "Where have you been all my life?"

“Let’s be careful, guys.” Survival declared, “While we do want to appear grateful, we also don’t want to come off as uncultured slobs.”

“And who the hell are you calling a slob?” Fury grunted, beak full of flowers, “They made us walk all the way up here. I think I’m allowed to pig out.”

“I wasn’t meaning to offend.” Survival stepped back, “I’m just saying we should be mindful. As studies go, those who live in isolation are often wary of outsiders. These monks are probably not used to getting visitors, and they will most likely not appreciate any creature causing problems. No doubt, any slip-up and they’ll probably boot us off the mountain.”

“Hmph, I like to see them try.” Fury grumbled.

“While I’m not certain about that, Survival, you do have a point.” Fletcher admitted, taking a sip, “The Wise Lotus from my understanding don’t usually invite ponies who aren’t looking to join up here. If we want to make use of that fountain, we have to be on our best behavior…” He glanced at Fury, “That means less bellyaching about the stairs.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Fury scoffed.

"I guess that means asking for seconds is out, then?" Caboose pouted.

"I wouldn't go that far." Survival shrugged. "But it would help to watch your table manners."

"Will do, Dr. new guy." Caboose nodded, slowing down his consumption (slightly).

All too soon, the four cleared their plates, and again, almost on cue, Mantra comes in.

“Hello again.” Manta nodded, “I take it that you enjoyed your meals?”

"It was delicious." Survival smiled.

"I couldn't eat another bite." Fletcher added.

"But I wouldn't say 'no' to some more of that tea..." Caboose grinned.

“It was alright.” Fury shrugged.

“Very good. Now that you have been sufficiently sated, perhaps you would like for us to show you all around?" Mantra declared.

"Sounds like a plan." Fury nodded as he stood up. "Lead the way."

Mantra and his fellow monks guided the foursome out of the dining room and into the hallway outside.

“Hmm, more walking?” Fletcher frowned, “Not the most enticing prospect for those who walked up about a thousand steps..."

“What happened to no bellyaching?” Fury sneered.

“I said less bellyaching.” Fletcher rolled his eyes, “Besides, I was simply making an observation.”

"Hey, Fury..." Caboose started.

"Don't even think about it, dead weight." Fury scowled. "You're doing your own walking this time."

"Party-pooper..." Caboose pouted.

“Well, I for one think it will be illuminating.” Survival smiled, “It never hurts to learn about another’s culture.”

At the same time, circling above the group, Armory, Black and Sterling were observing the monastery though the Red Rio drone. As Armory said he would, the feed was now being displayed in the comms room.

"Seems like quite the homestead those monks have." Armory noted. "Really stood the test of time..."

"No kidding." Sterling agreed. "It kind of reminds me of how the Infinity's built... minus all the labs, of course."

"Maybe they hired the same contruction outfit." Black joked.

On the screen, Fletcher's group emerged from the dining hall oto an outside path.

"There's our guys." Sterling smiled.

"Looks like they got a pretty warm welcome." Armory took note of their smiles.

"So far, so good..." Black nodded.

Moments later, the group entered one of the other structures in the monastery, the Red Rio was unfortunately not able to follow.

“Crap, we lost visuals.... again!” Black grunted, as the screen circled the stone roof, “Can’t we fly this thing any lower?!”

“That would be ill-advised.” Armory shook his head, “The Wise Lotus have zero tolerance for ‘militaristic technology’ in their monastery. If anypony finds out that this random bird is anything but, we’ll be in hot water with several countries.”

“What? This bird doesn’t have x-ray vision? Heat-vision? Any kind of vision?” Sterling frowned.

“Sadly, no.” Armory shook his head, “Damn budget cuts.”

“Well, what do we do now?” Sterling asked, “It looks like the show’s over.”

"Maybe not." Black mused.

"Meaning...?" Sterling urged.

"Maybe we can use this gizmo to take a good look around the place." Black suggested. "You know, find out more about the structure, where all the paths in and out are, what points may seem like the easiest to invade or infiltrate. Maybe if we’re lucky, we might find something that will lead us to whoever is sending those letters.”

“...And then we can pass it on to our guys as soon as possible." Sterling realized, “But what about what Armory just said about not getting caught?”

“Well, we won’t if I’m flying the thing.” Armory boasted, “Let’s just turn off the auto-pilot and then we’ll get to work.”

With the tap of the button, the Red Rio stopped circling and descended towards the monastery...

Meanwhile, Mantra and the monks continued leading the foursome down the halls, stopping at one point to show them a room full of monks performing slow, measured movements.

"Hey, who turned on the slo-mo?" Caboose asked.

"They're not in slow motion, Caboose." Fletcher rolled his eyes. "They're practicing the ancient art of Tai Chi."

"Good eye." Mantra smiled. "That is indeed what they are practicing. Tai Chi revolves around personal fitness, and grants the user a way to center themselves. It is an excellent way to maintain physical and mental health."

"Fascinating." Survival smiled. "Maybe we should try that while we're here."

"You guys can." Fury scoffed derisively. "Me, I prefer something slightly more enjoyable... like say, having a buffalo take a diarrhea dump in my ear.”

“Hmm, strange, you strike me as the type that would rather eat the rotten asshole of a road killed skunk and down it with beer.” Caboose shook his head, once again missing the point.

“My, you sound like the angriest griffon I’ve ever heard.” A monk tutted.

“More like the angry Neightendo bird.” Another frowned.

“I was thinking angry Segallop bird.” Yet another monk chimed in.

“No, sillies, he’s the ‘Angry Video Game Bird’...” Caboose corrected, singing the last phrase with the strum of a soft acoustic guitar he suddenly had.

Fury, without bothering to look at him, gave his face a solid backhand of his talon.

“Ow! Jerk!” Caboose glared, clutching his cheek.

“...Where did you get that guitar?” Survival gaped, having observed the interaction.

“Where did I get what guitar?” Caboose frowned, the guitar suddenly gone.

“Wha- what?! You- you were just-” Survival stammered.

“Don’t bother, Fiev. You’ll only hurt your head.” Fury walked past him, slightly more annoyed.

“Come along, now." Mantra called, having missed most of their conversation. "There is still much to see."

The foursome followed Mantra out of the room… well, three of them at least.

“Come on, Caboose!” Fletcher called back.

“Hey, I’m trying! My body is doing that Tie Dye thing!” Caboose pouted, visibly struggling as his body moved in slow-motion, “I’m slow-mo-ing!”

“But it’s not-” Survival shot back.

“Fievel.” Fury grunted.

“I know, but still!” Survival protested.

The next room contained a group of monks sitting cross-legged on their floor, their eyes shut tight in concentration.

Caboose, his body no longer imitating the Tai Chi practitioners, caught up with the group and looked at the crowd.

"Let me guess... nap room?" Caboose offered, “Doesn’t look comfy, though.”

“It’s not a nap room.” Mantra said curtly, "This is one of many of our meditation rooms. Where members of our order can calm their minds, and possibly achieve true enlightenment."

"I think Napoleon had it right the first time..." Fury rolled his eyes.

“I wouldn’t be too quick to dismiss it, Fury.” Survival declared, “Meditation has been proven to help alleviate anxiety and depression. I’ve seen many patients back in Brightdale practice it in their free time.”

“He’s right. I’ve even done some myself back at the Norhayan Academy.” Fletcher declared, “Really helped me calm down on nights before my exams.”

“Well, if you so wish, you are all welcome to join our brethren.” Mantra smiled.

"That's a very generous offer." Survival smiled.

"Maybe we'll take you up on it after our work is done." Fletcher added.

"Or maybe never." Fury scoffed.

"As you wish." Mantra nodded. "Now, let us move on..."

"Don't suppose I could book a spot to nap- I mean, meditate?" Caboose asked.

"I don't think that's how it works, Caboose." Fletcher rolled.

"Okay, then remind me to ask the maitre'd about that." Caboose declared.

"Here, we have the library." Mantra announced, leading the group into a large room, with bookcases lining every wall, each one packed with books.

"Whoa, that's a lot of reading material." Survival noted.

"We may be far from civilization, but we're not savages." Mantra declared. "A little reading does wonders for the soul."

"At least they're actually doing something." Fury noted. "Even if that something is just picking up books and turning pages."

"Some of these are easily hundreds of moons old." Mantra noted. "And in pristine condition."

"So well-preserved..." Fletcher whistled appreciatively. "I don't suppose I could be issued a library card?"

"There's no need." Mantra declared. "All of us are welcome to pick and read any book they wish... So long as it is returned by the end of the day."

"Interesting system." Survival mused.

"That must save you guys a fortune in late fees." Caboose noted.

"Yeah, this is all really fascinating." Fury said, obviously bored. "But I'm sure we've got lots more to see. Right, Mantra?"

"Of course." Mantra nodded, seemingly blind to Fury's sarcasm. "Right this way..."

The foursome were led through more corridors, than to an outside area. The area was taken up by a large patch of sand, with rocks scattered within. A few monks were present, using rakes to create furrows in the sand.

"This is our zen garden." Mantra declared.

"Garden?" Caboose frowned. "Looks more like a big ol' sandbox to me."

"I've read about these." Fletcher noted. "They're meant to imitate nature."

"Are they raking the sand?" Fury asked incredulously.

"Yes." Mantra nodded. "To create facsimiles of ripples in water. It creates quite a picture of serenity."

"That's one way of looking at it." Fury shook his head.

"I think it’s quite artistic, in a way." Fletcher declared.

"Like the graffiti kids used to put on my locker in high school." Caboose added. "They used to leave such gems like 'Hoof-for-brains' and 'Bite my flank, Napoleon' and ‘Kill yourself, Caboose’... man, Slot was such a kidder, way back when."

“Okay…” Mantra said awkwardly, “On that note, we really should get back to the tour. We only have one more stop before I take you to your sleeping quarters, so let's get to it..."

The group continued onward, the others casting odd looks at Caboose as they did.

"Have fun biting each others' flanks!" Caboose waved to the monks just before going inside, instilling horrified expressions from them.

The penultimate stop on the tour was the greenhouse Mantra often worked in.

"This is the greenhouse." Mantra announced. "It is where we grow most of our vegetables... but mostly decorative flowers."

"So... these aren't after-dinner snacks?" Caboose asked, moments away from eating one of the roses. "We can't have just one?"

"I'd prefer you didn't." Mantra said testily.

“Come on, please?” Caboose pleaded, “They look so good.”

“Caboose, no. You just had dinner.” Fletcher chided.

“Hmph.” Caboose pouted, crossing his hooves.

“I think it’s best we move on, before you try and eat the magnolias.” Mantra said drily, “Now if you will-”

Suddenly, the door opened as Relic entered the greenhouse, toting a very-full burlap sack, seemingly in a rush.

“Oh.” Mantra stopped, a bit taken aback. “Relic, there you are. I was wondering where you were.”

“Sorry, master.” Relic panted, “I would had been with you to greet our visitors…” He then glanced at Fletcher and the others, “Had I known the visitors had already arrived.”

“Hmm, that’s strange.” Manta frowned, “I did tell Ube to inform you when the visitors draw near so you could properly prepare for their arrival.”

“It must have slipped his mind.” Relic glared.

“Maybe... but no matter, you are here now.” Mantra shrugged. “Fletcher and company, this here is Relic Mystic, one of our elder monks within the monastery.”

“Elder? That’s rude.” Caboose frowned in disapproval, “This young lad’s still in his 20s.”

“Not that kind of elder, Caboose.” Survival sighed, as he faced Relic, “I assume he means you have been part of the monastery longer than most of the current monks, right?”

“That would be correct. I've been here since I was practically a foal.” Relic nodded, before giving a small bow, “No words can express how relieved I am that you all have finally come.”

“Huh? Why? Were you waiting for us?” Fletcher asked, confused.

“You could say that.” Mantra declared. “You see, normally, we do not reach out to outsiders, but it was by Relic’s insistence that we sent that letter out to the RDL, which brings you all here to us today.”

“Really? So you’re the reason we had to walk up all those steps?” Fury glared at him.

“Fury.” Fletcher hissed silently.

“I do apologize.” Relic said glumly, “But I have a duty to this monastery, especially when it is being threatened by someone who wishes to do it and the ponies inside harm.”

“You know, that does remind me: we still have to discuss the problem at hoof.” Fletcher realized, as he turned to Mantra, “The letter mentioned that the monastery has been receiving threatening correspondences?”

“Well, yes, you could say we have received a few-” Mantra began humbly.

“One hundred, to be exact.” Relic corrected.

“One hundred?!” Fletcher, Survival, and Fury gaped at once.

“Holy guacamole!” Caboose gaped.

“Yes, thanks, Relic.” Mantra cast a stink eye at the younger pony, “Over the last couple of years, we have received no less than ‘one hundred’ death threats, towards me and the ponies in the monastery. All by carrier pigeons no less. They just fly right in for one of us to capture.”

“I actually took the time to collect all the letters we received. That’s why it took me so long to catch up with you all.” Relic explained, as he used his magic to pull out a scroll. “This is the one we just received days ago.” He unfurled the scroll. “It reads as such:”

'Dear Master Mantra,

I wanted to send you this friendly little letter to inform you of your imminent demise. If you’re curious about the frequency of which I’ve sent these letters, it is merely to instill as much fear as I can. As if basting a turkey. Which I will proceed to have sex wtih.

That’s right.

I’m going to BUCK the ‘fear’ turkey.

Enjoy your last days.

Gobble-gobble.’

As Relic finished reading, Fletcher, Fury, Survival, and Caboose were all aghast, with Mantra standing aside, frowning in disapproval.

“Lauren Faust!” Fury gaped.

“That is ghastly.” Fletcher grimaced.

“Yeah, that poor turkey! This guy really is evil!” Caboose yelled.

“Um, Caboose, the turkey was a metaphor.” Survival frowned.

“So the turkey made some bad life choices, so what?!” Caboose glared, missing the point.

“Nice to see we’re all agreed that it’s pretty messed up.” Relic nodded, “All the other 99 letters have been written like this, threatening Mantra or other ponies within the temple. This is honestly the worst one yet.”

“So hold on, you’ve been getting these kinds of letters for a while now?” Fury asked, a bit confused, “Then why didn’t you contact the authorities sooner?”

“It’s as I just said, we don’t usually contact outsiders.” Mantra grimaced, “In fact, we really don’t like involving them in matters pertaining to this monastery.”

“Well, I’ll have to say, it’s probably a good thing you involve us now.” Fletcher declared, “Death threats aren’t something to be taken lightly, especially ones that are… ‘creative’.”

“He’s right. If it’s alright, may I take a look at the letter?” Survival asked.

“Go right ahead.” Relic passed him the letter.

“Hmm…” Survival glanced at it, “...Well, at first glance, it’s highly likely that whoever wrote this is not a Unicorn.”

“What?” Mantra frowned, “What makes you say that?”

“It’s in the hoofwriting.” Survival gestured to the letter. “Note how jittery and messy the words are. Unicorns tend to write their letters with magic and unless the sender was inexperienced or under duress, their writing wouldn’t be this sloppy. And we can rule out any of the other species with claw-like or cloven appendages. The sender has to be an Earth Pony or a Pegasus with a subpar grasp on writing.”

“Whoa, you got all that from just that letter?” Relic gaped, amazed.

“Survival here is quite an expert in psychology.” Fletcher gave the young doctor an approving nod, “If anypony can figure out how a creature works, it would be him.”

“Be that as it may, that doesn’t really narrow it down.” Mantra frowned, “There’s lots of non-Unicorns out there… and that’s if Mr. Horror here isn’t wrong in his ‘guesswork’.”

“With all due respect, sir, it’s not guesswork.” Survival said firmly, a bit offended, “I simply made a reasonable deduction based on the sender’s hoofwriting.”

“Well, I guess I’d take your word for it.” Manta scoffed, “Still doesn’t tell us who’s sending these letters.”

“Then how about you give us some ideas?” Fury glared, “Is there anypony you know who’d go to all this trouble to threaten you guys? Maybe somepony who didn’t like climbing up all those steps?”

“No, not that I am aware.” Mantra shook his head.

“Take a moment to think.” Fletcher urged, “Were there anypony who may have been slighted by this monastery? Maybe like an ex-disciple out for revenge, or a businesspony who wants to build something on this mountain?”

“Sorry, no, any pony who had left this monastery either did so of their accord or passed away. And honestly, nopony is clamoring to make a business on this mountain. This peak is not what you would call ‘accessible to customers’.” Mantra shook his head,

“What about the fountain?” Fletcher pressed on, “Do you think who sent it might be after it?”

“...Oh.” Mantra glanced at Fletcher, “So you are aware of the Fountain of Eternal Wisdom?”

“We have read up on it, yes.” Survival nodded, “A fountain that grants those who drink from it unlimited knowledge. Guarded by the ‘Wise Lotus’. It does make me wonder… How did this place come to be?

"Ah, now that's quite a story." Relic smiled, stepping forth, “As the story goes, way back when during the whole Windigo incident, a small group of ponies, wishing to separate themselves from the squabbling and warring of the three tribes, came to this very mountain, hoping to find peace and enlightenment. However, they had come to find something far more valuable...”

“...Megan?” Caboose suggested.

“...No.” Relic deadpanned. “They found a mountain spring. At first glance, it seemed like a typical body of water, but when one of the ponies drank from it… well, the scriptures weren’t clear but it was said that just a sip of the fountain's water granted the drinker the spontaneous ability to write wondrous symphony, or solve scientific conundrums that had evaded many great minds over the years.. It was made clear that the spring had some mystical property that granted the drinker wisdom.”

“Really? A random mountain spring in the middle of butt-buck nowhere?” Fury said, incredulous.

“I know it sounds hard to believe.” Relic admitted, “In fact, to this day, we don’t even know why the spring had this power. Countless nights have we theorized on the origins. One suggested that it was blessed by a Great Alicorn. Another suggested that there was something in the water. But regardless, when they discovered the truth of the spring, they realized that they had discovered something that could potentially change the world…”

“...Or destroy it.” Survival added knowingly.

“That would be right.” Relic agreed, “Off the bat, the ponies who discovered the spring knew that such a mystical place would be a magnet for the wicked. Were someone of evil intent to imbibe the water, the world would be in great peril. So it was decided there and then that they would protect this spring and keep it hidden from the world. And thus, the Wise Lotus was born that day. Over time, they built this monastery around it, and eventually converted the spring into a beautiful ornate fountain. Soon, they began reaching out and inviting other ponies to the monastery, so that the original monks could pass, knowing that their legacy and duty would carry on. And to this day, the Wise Lotus continues to guard the fountain, all the while helping the fellow creature find inner peace and enlightenment…”

“Wow… that’s quite the history.” Survival whistled, “You know your stuff, Relic.”

“Well, I do consider myself a bit of a history buff.” Relic said humbly, “I dedicated myself to learning everything there was to know about our sacred home.”

“Do you suppose we could see this fountain for ourselves?” Fletcher asked.

“But of course.” Mantra declared, “After all, you did come all the way here to help us… as your feathered friend likes to point out.”

"Repeatedly." Fury said tersely.

“How about the rest of you return to your duties?” Mantra turned to the other monks, “Me and Relic will see to showing our guests the fountain.”

“Yes, master.” The extra monks bowed as they left the greenhouse.

“Now then, follow us.” Mantra declared, “The fountain is at the far end of the monastery.”

"Oh, joy, more walking..." Fury scowled.

Meanwhile, the Red Rio continued exploring the outside of the monastery. with Black and Sterling taking in the sights.

"It's quite a view, isn't it?" Black smiled.

"Yeah." Sterling agreed. "Nice and peaceful. That mountainside looks like it could on forever."

"Sorry to interrupt the show, but I need to land the Rio." Armory spoke up. "The landscape is so wide and spacious that I need to get and get my bearings back."

"Just when I was starting to get chilled." Sterling sighed.

Armory directed his drone into landing on the branch of a nearby tree.

"So, aside from some truly stunning vistas, what have we actually found so far?" Black asked.

"Not much." Armory shrugged. "Aside from the basic layout of the monastery."

"On the plus side, there doesn't seem to be any places for the Forefathers to sneak into." Sterling shrugged.

"Which just means we have nothing to report to the others." Black scowled.

"Nonethless, I think we should find Fletcher and the others." Armory suggested. "They at least need to know that there aren't any apparant danger spots in the structure..."

"You're the guy with the remote." Black declared.

Just as Armory was about to make the drone depart, spreading its’ wings, Sterling noticed an innocuous button that seemed out of place on the controller.

“Hey, Armory, what does that button do?” Sterling made to press it.

“Hey, don’t touch-!” Armory yelled, but it was too late, as Sterling pressed it.

Suddenly, the drone stopped in place, as it suddenly lifted it's head and its speaker telescoped out…

’All birds of the feather!’ It sang, as suddenly, it began swinging its wings in a swaying motion. ’Do what they love most of all!’

“Whoa, what the hell?!” Sterling gaped, taken aback by the sudden music, and the shaking of the screen, “Are we… are we dancing?!”

“Not only that, we’re singing!” Black gasped, as he glanced at Armory, “Why is the drone singing?!”

'Everypony here loves samba!' The bird squawked.

“I got bored!” Armory said defensively, “So I might have programmed a dance routine I seen birds perform back in Brayzil into the drone… for testing purposes!”

“But this is samba!” Sterling deadpanned, “Birds can’t do sambas!”

“Yes they can, I saw them do it, multiple times… well, before the poachers took them all.” Armory grimaced.

“Was this before or after you did things with Wilson?” Black challenged, bringing up Armory’s volleyball companion from way back when.

“Black, I told you that in confidence!” Armory snarled.

“Um, guys, we should shut this bird up before someone spots us!” Sterling urged, wary of the monks that were starting to hear something.

“I’m on it!” Armory scoffed, as he pressed the button again.

'You won't find it anywhere el-' The drone abrubtly cut off the song as it took off.

Two monks approached the area moments after.

"I swear I could hear somepony singing." The first frowned.

"It was probably just a bird calling its fellows." The other shrugged.

The trio let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Next time, Sterling, don’t push random buttons.” Armory chided him gruffly, “For all you know, I could have put a nuke in there and that mountain would have been levelled!”

“Okay, sheesh!” Sterling frowned.

"Now, while we wait for the others to come back into sight, perhaps we should map the area." Armory suggested. "Then we would have a comprehensive layout of things, one that we could even pass on to the others."

"Good thinking, Armory." Sterling smiled. "Of course, we'll need paper and quills for that..."

"And since I'm the only guy who can walk on his own/needs to operate the bird, I guess it's up to me to get them." Black sighed. "Be right back..."

As Black left the room, Sterling turned to Armory.

"So, how is Wilson, these day?" He suddenly asked. "Does that Natascha chick know about him?"

"Verdammt..." Armory fumed in Germane.

Once more, Fletcher and co. were being led through the corridors of the monastery, and as they reached the far northern side of the monastery, they descended several stone staircases, which were carved into the side of the mountain.

'Not more stairs...' Fury silently groaned as they began the descent.

"Is it just me, or is it getting chilly in here?" Survival asked.

"It's the winds." Mantra declared. "Watch your step. They can get a little strong sometimes."

"I know I should've brought my kite along..." Caboose pouted.

Soon enough, they came down to a landing, positioned a couple of feet lower on the mountain from the monastery. It provided them a fantastic view of the Frozen North.

“Whoa, what a view!” Survival gaped.

“Yeah, I think I can see the Crystal Empire from here! Oh, and I think I can see Echo Alchemy too!” Caboose lit up, “Yo! Yo Echo! Over here!”

Miles away, at the Crystal Palace...

Echo and Sunset Shimmer were reading books in the library. Echo suddenly turned his head in the direction of the mountains.

"Did you hear something?" He asked.

Back at the monastery...

“Well, the view may be nice, but you might want to redirect your attention inwards.” Mantra explained, gesturing to a set of doors within the mountain.

Fletcher and Caboose opened the doors, revealing a room with a beautiful ornate fountain in its center. Lit candles were placed around the room, and the golden fountain was filled to the brim with clear, sparkling water.

"So this is it." Fletcher said with awe. "The Fountain of Eternal Wisdom."

"Somehow, I expected something more impressive." Fury said dismissively.

"Looks can be deceiving." Survival pointed out. "Just look at Caboose, for example."

"Yeah, look at me!" Caboose grinned. "Look at me!!"

"Do I have to?" Fury scowled.

“It truly is a spectacle.” Relic smiled, “I was amazed when I first saw it.”

“And I think that’s good and all, but does it actually work?” Fury glared at him suspiciously.

“Of course it does.” Relic frowned. “I've heard many a tale about ponies who became smart and successful after drinking from these waters.”

“Wait, you heard?” Survival asked, “You never drank from the fountain yourself?”

“Well, no, but the thing is-” Relic tried to explain.

“What Relic is trying to explain is that it is strictly forbidden for the Wise Lotus to drink from the Fountain of Eternal Wisdom.” Mantra declared.

“Hold on, so the lot of you have to sit on this rock and guard this fountain that could turn you into the world’s biggest egghead, and you aren’t allowed to drink from it?” Fury grimaced.

“Yeah, that’s not fair!” Caboose growled.

“It’s the way of the Wise Lotus, I’m afraid.” Mantra shrugged, “Sadly, over the many generations the Wise Lotus has watched over the fountain, we had a few ponies who went a little mad with power when they drank from it. So it was decreed that to prevent darkness from corrupting the Wise Lotus from within, we do not allow any monks to partake from the fountain. We guard a treasure which we cannot possess.”

“It’s rough, but it’s an understandable course of action.” Fletcher noticed, “A wicked soul could do a lot of damage if they had infinite wisdom under their belt.”

“Exactly. Which is why we are very particular in regards to our laws and rules.” Mantra agreed, “Many creatures of shapes and sizes have come to this mountain, hearing of the fountain, and demanding that we allow them to drink from it. Some creatures don’t even bother asking, and try to get in by force. It prompted us to become very selective about who we allow to even glimpse upon this fountain, let alone drink from it.”

"Y'hear that?" Caboose nudged Fury. "V.I.P.'s right here, pal!"

"Yay..." Fury rolled his eyes.

“Well, with that in mind, there is something I wish to ask of you. A request.” Fletcher announced.

"A request?" Mantra narrowed his eyes. Relic looked on in confusion.

“Yes. First off, I would like to begin by stating that we are here firstmost to help you and this monastery.” Fletcher declared, “As a member of the RDL, and the Alpha Force Squad, it is our duty. And that will not change should you refuse our request.”

“Hmm, that’s assuring and all.” Mantra said, bemused, “But what is it that you want? Some sort of remuneration for your services?”

“You could say that.” Fletcher said humbly, “I cannot divulge much, as it’s classified, but we are seeking one of these machines that could lead us to bringing down an evil organization… however, we do not know where these machines are, let alone how to find one…”

“And you wish to drink from the fountain so that you could find these ‘machines’, correct?” Mantra finished knowingly.

“That is correct.” Fletcher agreed, “It’s our leader’s hope, as well as ours, that in return for helping you deal with this malefactor, that you could allow at least one of us to use the fountain to at least gain the knowledge as to the whereabouts of the machines, and how to use them…” He then bowed his head, “However, I know how protective you are of this fountain, and we will understand if you say no.”

“We will?” Fury glared, “After all that walk-”

“Shh!” Survival nudged him.

"If I may interject?" Relic spoke up.

"You may." Mantra nodded.

"I'm not so sure about allowing our guests to imbibe the fountain's water." Relic said nervously. "I can understand their plight, but this is quite a bit to ask."

"Oh, thanks a lot." Fury scowled.

"It's nothing personal." Relic retorted. "But like I said, the effects of the fountain's waters can sometimes turn out more bad then good. That's a risk we shouldn't take lightly."

"Some risks are worth taking." Fletcher countered. "Especially if it helps defeat a threat to the entire world."

Relic turned to his superior.

"Mantra, what are your thoughts on this?" He asked.

Mantra mused quietly for a moment.

"Oh boy, silence is never a good response." Survival frowned.

"He's gonna say 'no', just watch." Fury shook his head.

"Or maybe 'we'll see'." Caboose added. "That always means 'no'."

“...Master?” Relic frowned.

“...Very well.” Mantra shrugged, “After your work is done here, we shall permit one of you to drink from the fountain.”

"You will?" Fletcher smiled. "Really?"

“Really?!” Caboose smirked.

“Really?” Fury was a bit taken aback.

“Really?” Survival was even more shocked.

“Really?” Relic shared Survival’s sentiment.

“Well, it’s only fair.” Mantra smiled, “After all, you came all the way up here, almost immediately upon receiving our letter even. And you have nothing but good intentions for the fountain. While we may walk different threads of life, we both wish to do good for the world. Far be it from me or the Lotus to stand in the way of protecting the world.”

"Thank you sir." Fletcher smiled, “You won’t regret it.”

Relic nodded, clearly uncomfortable, but kept quiet. Survival took note of his facial expression, but said nothing.

“Now, how about we head back upstairs?” Mantra nodded, “It is getting late.”

With that, the group made their way back up the stone stairs. As Mantra and Relic trailed ahead, the four heroes hanged back.

“Well, that went better than expected!” Caboose smiled.

“I’ll say.” Fury agreed, “I was half ready to kick his ass if he said no.”

“And you would have been gravely wrong to do so.” Fletcher glared, before softening, “But it is a relief that Mantra agreed to our request. All that we have to do now is deal with this nuisance and we’ll be able to finally put a stop to the Forefathers once and for all.”

“And without having to go through several stories and character arcs!” Caboose added cheerfully.

“I’ll settle for just taking those rats down.” Fury scoffed.

Survival had been quiet for quite some time, lost in his own thoughts. The others had been engrossed in their conversation, but Fletcher managed to finally notice.

"Is something wrong, Survival?" He asked. "You've been awfully quiet. What's on your mind?"

“It’s just… don’t any of you guys find this a little odd?” Survival asked.

"Come again?" Fury frowned.

“Odd? What’s odd? This is what we wanted.” Caboose pointed out, “We help the monks, drink the smart water, find the tunnel portal thingies and how to turn them on, go in, kick Father’s butt, roll credits! We got this pretty much in the bag!”

“Yeah, I get that but… I feel Mantra gave in to Fletcher’s request a little too easily.” Survival grimaced, “I mean, this fountain is the Wise Lotus’ most sacred treasure. Mantra even explained how not even they are not allowed to drink from this fountain. Yet, to just say yes to a pony he just met that day, let alone a member of a military organization? Even after one of his own fellows argued against it?”

“I’m not seeing the problem.” Fury frowned.

“Yeah, Fletcher just has one of those faces.” Caboose smiled, “I bet the moment Mantra set sight on Fletcher’s handsome face, he would let him do anything… and I do mean anything.”

“I’m just saying, the Wise Lotus have been guarding this fountain for eons.” Survival declared, a bit disturbed by Caboose’s wording, “I’m having trouble believing that they would just let us drink from it, just like that.”

“Hey, it’s not like they’re letting us in for free.” Fury grunted, “We’re doing them a favor in helping them with that letter-sending asshole.”

“Fury is right.” Fletcher agreed, “Most likely, they’re just desperate for help. They don’t know who it is that’s sending this letter or what they’re capable of, and considering how long this pony has been sending these awful letters, I’d assume they would pay any price to have peace of mind.”

"Sounds just like the small businesses my grandpa got protection money from." Caboose chuckled nostalgically. "Yep, ol' Pop-Pop just loved helpin' ponies..."

“That is a fair point, but…” Survival started.

“Look, they already said yes. I’m not about to look a gift Arimaspi in the mouth.” Fury summarized gruffly, “Let’s just take the win and get this over with!”

“But… ugh, you’re right. Sorry.” Survival nodded in defeat.

Soon after, they arrived back in the main part of a monastery.

“And that concludes the tour.” Mantra declared, “You all must be tired after such a long day, so I will see you all to your quarters.” Mantra declared, as he turned to Relic, “Relic, you are dismissed.”

“Yes, master.” Relic nodded, as he then passed the sack he had to Survival. “Here. This sack contains all the death threats. I pray it will help lead you to whoever is sending them.”

“Thank you.” Survival smiled, taking it, “I’m certain it will help.”

“I hope so.” Relic began, his smile fading, before shaking his head, “Well, good night. I will see you all tomorrow.”

Relic darted off, leaving Survival a bit confused.

“Now, allow me to guide you to the guest quarters.” Mantra declared as he made to leave.

“Hold on, Mantra. May I ask you one more question?” Fletcher asked, “There was something else I wanted to ask you about.”

"Very well." Mantra sighed. "What do you want to know?"

“You see… our boss gave me another task while we were up here.” Fletcher explained, “Is it true that this monastery practices aura?”

“Aura?” Mantra repeated, shock on his face, turning to face him, “What in Equestria would you be asking about that?”

“It’s classified.” Fletcher declared curtly, “All that can be said is that the RDL is currently combatting a formidable threat, and it was our hope that we could find somepony here who knows how to use it and maybe ask for his or her help in defeating him.”

“I see… and this threat… does he have any relations to that evil organization from earlier?” Mantra asked, a brow raised.

“Yes, actually.” Fletcher nodded, “Again, I can’t say much, but this monster put two of our friends in traction and hurt many of our fellow agents. I don’t mean to overstep my bounds, but if we could recruit a fellow monk to our cause-”

“Well, I’m afraid that won’t be possible.” Mantra shook his head, “Yes, it is true that the Wise Lotus did once practice the art of using aura. But when I assumed the role of master, I had seen to it the practice of using aura be retired.”

"You did?" Fletcher frowned.

"Indeed we did." Mantra nodded. "You see, as with the fountain, we had seen some of our numbers use aura for their own selfish gains. In fact, I knew a user who brought nothing but shame on the Wise Lotus’ name, a blight that shouldn’t have never been allowed near aura let alone use it… when the Wise Lotus discovered aura, they intended that it be used to help protect the world… but nowadays, the world is violent enough as it is, and I simply cannot allow us to contribute to that cycle of violence any longer.”

“So you just stopped using it?” Fury grimaced, “Then how the hell do you guys defend yourself when trouble shows up?”

“We do teach self-defense here, Fury.” Mantra scoffed. “Besides… I didn’t want to say this in front of Relic but honestly… you all wasted your time coming here.”

“...Excuse me?” Fletcher gaped.

“Say what?” Caboose gasped.

“The truth of the matter is, I do not believe that whoever is sending these letters is some malcontent seeking to do harm to any of us.” Mantra declared firmly, “Just a prankster who is going a little too far in his harassment campaign. I honestly didn’t want to involve the RDL, but Relic wouldn’t take no for an answer. And for that I am sorry. But make no mistake, should this turn out to be a waste of time, we will still allow you to partake of the fountain.”

“How… thoughtful.” Survival frowned.

“I don’t know, dude. That guy said he was going to fornicate a turkey." Caboose frowned. "I don't think ponies would joke about that."

"Caboose, again, the turkey was a-ugh, forget it." Survival groaned.

“Well, whether you think it’s real or not, the RDL has a duty to treat it as real.” Fletcher said firmly, “So, I don’t suppose there’s anypony who might still know aura from before?”

“Sadly, no.” Mantra shook his head, “When it came to aura, the only remaining monks who had any actual proficiency were yours truly and our former master, Chakra.”

“Alrighty, if you can’t help us, maybe he can.” Fury crossed his talons, “Know where we find the guy?”

"You don't." Mantra replied.

"Ooh, is he invisible?" Caboose looked around.

"No." Mantra scowled slightly. "I'm afraid Master Chakra suffered a terrible accident a few years ago."

“Accident?” Fletcher frowned, “What kind of accident?”

“Faust, it was awful…” Mantra bowed his head. “He went down to the fountain one morning. You saw how strong the winds were on the way up here. Well, on this day in particular, the winds were very strong, and when he was down at that viewpoint outside the fountain… the winds blew him right off the side of the mountain. All that was left was a scrap of his clothing that caught when he fell over the railing.”

“Ooh, that’s horrible.” Survival grimaced, “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Yes, it was a dark day for all of us.” Manta continued, rubbing his eyes, “Chakra was a good stallion. He was wise, kind, and generous. He taught me everything he knew. And to lose him just like that… well, the pain was immeasurable… but alas, life had to go on. And as Chakra’s star pupil, I felt it was up to me to take his place as leader and keep the legacy of the Wise Lotus alive… though I would never dare think myself his equal.”

"It must be difficult, following in the hoofsteps of a great leader." Fletcher noted.

"It is." Mantra nodded. "All I can do is just do the best I can, and pursue what I think is best for this monastery and those dwell within it."

"Yeah, that's pretty much what we're all doing." Fury noted, giving a empathetic look.

"Now then." Mantra sighed deeply. "That really must be the last of the questions for today. It's getting late, and we could all use some rest, so we can better face what tomorrow brings."

"The stallion makes a good point." Survival nodded. "We should get some sleep while we can."

"Then you should have let us stay in the napping room." Caboose pouted.

"Just point us in the right direction." Fletcher told Mantra.

"Thankfully, it's not far from here." Mantra declared.

Mantra led them down some more corners and corridors, finally stopping inbetween two of several doors.

“And here are the quest quarters, each room is fit for two, so-” Mantra began.

Ube approached the group. He glared darkly at the four newcomers.

"Whoa, there's a big one." Caboose noticed.

"Seen bigger." Fury shrugged.

"I don't like the look of him." Survival frowned.

"Be polite." Fletcher hushed them. "He's also one of our hosts."

“Ah, Ube. What brings you here?” Mantra asked, a bit confused.

“There were some matters I wanted to discuss with you. The others told me you were about done showing the ‘outsiders’ around.” Ube declared gruffly, as he seethed at the four. “And these must be them.”

“You would be correct.” Mantra nodded, “Gentlecreatures, this here is Ube. He’s my advisor and second-in-command. He helps me to make sure that this monastery is run properly.”

"Hello, Ube." Fletcher stepped forward. "I'm Fletcher Ulysses. This is Caboose Napoleon, Fury Xaldin and Survival Horror."

"Hey" Caboose nodded.

"Hmm." Fury growled.

"Hello." Survival said politely.

"Yes, yes, hello." Ube said bluntly. "Whatever business you have here, please not to make a mess of our own. We prefer it to be kept pristine."

"...Well, we'll certainly true." Fletcher said awkwardly.

"And if that's not possible, I know a good cleaning service." Caboose added. "Pretty sure I can get you a discount, too."

"Oh, goody, more outsiders." Ube shook his head. "Just what this place needs..." He then turned to his compatriot. "Mantra, may I speak with you in private?"

“Ugh, very well.” Mantra sighed, “So, the rooms are only fit for two, so go ahead and divide yourselves up. I’ll see you all in the morning.”

As Mantra departed with Ube, Fury weighed his options, and quickly reached a decision.

"Horror, you're bunking with me." He said flatly.

"I am?" Survival frowned.

"When my other choices are a screwball and a guy with a spear up his flank? Definitely." Fury nodded.

"Trying not to be offended by that..." Fletcher muttered.

"Heh... 'Screwball'." Caboose chuckled. "Wish somepony had written that on my locker back in the day..."

“Well, I guess I see no problem with that.” Survival shrugged, holding up the sack with the letters inside. “Might give me some quiet time to read these letters, get a better idea of who’s writing them.”

“Whatever. Just don’t keep me up. That’s all I ask.” Fury huffed.

"Looks like we're roommates again, huh, Fletcher?" Caboose grinned.

"As usual." Fletcher nodded.

"Dibs on the top bunk!" Caboose rushed through the door.

"As usual..." Fletcher repeated. He turned to Survival and Fury. "See you guys in the morning."

"Yep." Fury nodded.

"Night." Survival smiled.

The remaining members of the team entered the rooms, eager to rest after such a long day. Little did they know that the following days would seem so much longer…

At the same time, Mantra and Ube were walking through the corridors, Mantra clearly not happy with Ube.

"You fool." Mantra seethed.

"What did I do?" Ube asked.

"You weren't exactly the most hospitable pony back there." Mantra clarified.

"With good reason." Ube said flatly.

“Gee, with how you acted, they might get an inkling that you don’t like them.” Mantra spat, ripe with sarcasm.

“I cannot help it, Mantra.” Ube snarled, “Those RDL fools are too close. If they snoop around, even a little-”

“Look, I told you before. If we keep our noses clean and keep calm, things will be fine.” Mantra growled, “That includes you not being an utter ass. I’ve enough on my plate as it is!”

“You?! What about me?!” Ube snapped back. “The others heard about these visitors and are getting restless. Took me forever to get them to calm down! And if that wasn’t enough, some of the other monks were going on about samba music being played in the courtyard earlier today!”

“Sounds like they dabbled a little too much.” Mantra declared coldly.

“Watch it, Mantra. Don’t think because you’re the head of the temple now that you’re better than me.” Ube threatened, “Your hooves are just as filthy as mine.”

“That’s subjective.” Mantra scoffed, “I know why you came here to this monastery all those years ago.”

“Yet here we are, in the same bed.” Ube shot back, “Good ol’ Chalky would be so proud.”

“Shut. It.” Mantra seethed, glaring hatefully at him, “If we want to get through this little mishap unscathed, I’m gonna need you to be on your best behavior… that means no more of that crap you pulled with Relic.”

“I’m not going to make promises. Especially for that little rat.” Ube growled. “You know he’s going to talk.”

“Not if we have something to say about it.” Mantra declared, “Look, I just need time to figure out this whole mess. Hopefully, if we’re lucky, our letter sender won’t dare make his move, and we can send those agents packing.”

“Oh, and what about the fountain? I heard you promised them a drink in return for their services.” Ube challenged, “What are you going to do about that?”

“You let me handle that, Ube.” Mantra said darkly, “While I keep our guests comfortable... and out of trouble...”

Meanwhile, somewhere deep within the mountains…

In a small cavern (with a hole in the side showing the night outside), a scrawny Earth Pony, one of his legs chained to the wall sat on the cave floor, trying to sleep. His attempts to rest were interrupted when he heard the echo of hoofsteps.

The prisoner wearily looked up to see the cloaked pony who had observed the arrival of Fletcher's group enter the cavern.

“Up and at ‘em, sunshine.” The cloaked pony sneered, one of his hooves feeling the wall, and a lantern in his other front hoof.

“Oh, Faust, what do you want?” The prisoner groaned. “It’s late.”

“I know. But I require your charitable service once again.” The cloaked pony smarmed, approaching him.

“Again? Dude, please, I’m still trying to get over that last letter you made me write.” The prisoner whimpered.

“Screw you, that turkey line was a classic.” The cloaked pony shot back, “Unless you would have prefered the other idea regarding making holes in good ol’ Mantra for me to-”

“Ugh, no, no! That one was unconscionable!” The prisoner panicked, “But why do you need me again?! The letter had only been sent nearly a week ago!”

“Well, I got good news for you.” The cloaked pony smiled, “All those years of you writing letters for me have finally paid off.”

“Wait, you mean somepony actually came?” The prisoner gasped.

“Yup. Took a lot longer than it should have, but that flowerhead Mantra finally cracked.” The cloaked pony chuckled evilly, “With those new guys here, I will finally exact my vengeance on that asshole and his followers.”

“So where does that leave me?” The prisoner challenged, “You finally got what you wanted, you don’t need me anymore!”

“Oh-ho, but I do.” The cloaked pony set down the lantern, and then pulled out a parchment of paper, along with a quill and an inkwell, “I will need you to write out one last letter for me.”

“But these new guys are here, aren’t they? What good would sending another letter do?” The prisoner challenged.

“You’re not sending it to the monastery, dumbass.” The cloaked pony corrected, “You see, I’ve been listening in on your friends, and rumors have it, there’s a little hidey-hole for our neighborhood terrorist group, the Forefathers, not far from here.”

“The Forefathers? What the hell you wanna be doing with them?” The prisoner gasped.

“Well, you’re going to find out soon enough.” The cloaked pony set the parchment, quill, and inkwell down in front of him, “So best get your writing hoof ready.”

“No way, pal!” The prisoner backed up against the wall he was chained to.

“Excuse me?” The cloaked pony hissed, “I don’t recall giving you a choice on the matter.”

“It’s one thing to kidnap me and make me send out death threats to the monastery for these past few years!” The prisoner protested, “But I’m not getting involved with those monsters! I heard they tried to bring back Nightmare Moon for Faust’s sake!”

“Really? Well considering that the night isn’t lasting forever, I think that didn’t pan out well for them.” The cloaked pony rolled his eyes, “Besides, it’s not like I’m making you sign your name. It’ll be fine!”

“Screw you!” The prisoner spat, “I’m done with this crap! I just wanna get off this stupid mountain and go home!”

“What home? Last I checked, you were a junkie desperate for your next escape. Let’s be real, pal, me taking you prisoner was the closest thing you have to an actual normal life.” The cloaked pony said matter-of-factly.

“These past few years have been nothing but hell!” The prisoner roared, “If I wasn’t chained to this wall, I’d kill you!”

“Oh, really? After all the fun times we had together?” The cloaked pony pouted, “I honestly thought we were making a connection. You were the Ginger Roots to my Fred Asparagus.”

“...What?!” The prisoner gaped.

“Seriously? A historically great dancing pair?” The cloaked pony suggested, “What, have you been living under a-” He glanced around, “...Huh, right.” He shook his head, “Now, about that letter-”

“If you want it written so badly, why don’t you do it?! You’re the one with the beef!” The prisoner snarled.

“...Really?” The cloaked pony deadpanned, as he then pulled down his hood.

The moment he did, the prisoner’s bravado faded.

“Oh… right.” The prisoner murmured.

“That’s right.” The now unhooded pony sneered, not the least bit happy, “Now, I know I can be an ass sometimes, but if you don’t start writing what I want written right now, I will show you how big of an ass I can truly be. And I promise you this, no one is gonna miss some poor deadbeat druggie who went missing in this mountain. Now, I’m not going to ask this again… Write.”

The prisoner opened his mouth, set on replying, only for the response to sputter out.

"...Okay..." He bowed his head in defeat.

“That’s a good little prisoner.” The pony slipped on his hood, though he had a bit of difficulty. “Ugh, stupid ears.” He pulled on it more, “There we go.”

He then turned to the prisoner.

“Let’s begin… ‘Dear Borefathers...’”

Monastery Mystery

It was early in the morning on the mountain, Celestia having yet to raise the sun, as emerging from one of the many holes within the mountain was the cloaked figure, making his way to a ledge. Perched on his shoulder was a pigeon, the very same that had delivered letters to both the monastery and the RDL Headquarters.

“Well, pal.” The figure said quietly, “Got one more cross-country delivery in ya?”

The pigeon cooed.

“Figured you would.” The figure snorted, as he had the pigeon move to his hoof, and tied the letter his captive had finished earlier to it’s leg, “You’ll be taking this to that Forefathers’ outpost I found a while ago. After that, you’ll be free to do as you please, going wherever pigeons go when they retire. Maybe solving mysteries with Mike Typhon and the Marquess of Queensbury’s ghost. As for me… once all of this is said and done, everything will be as it should be…”

The pigeon stared at him blankly.

“...And why am I even talking to you? Faust, I need to get out more.” The figure grumbled, “Well, get going, ya flying rat.”

The figure flung the pigeon upwards, and the bird took off, heading for the Forefather's outpost.

"And now, we wait..." The figure mused.

Later that same morning, Fletcher's team woke up and went to get breakfast, having been directed by the monks to the same dining room as the previous night.

“So, how was everycreature’s night?” Fletcher asked.

“Cold and drafty.” Fury said flatly, “Pretty much froze my ass off all night.”

“Didn’t really sleep much to be honest.” Survival admitted, “I was too busy examining the letters to the monastery.”

“Well, I’ve worse accommodations.” Fletcher shrugged, “...Though it didn’t help that somepony was snoring up a storm.”

“Really? Couldn’t have been you. I slept like a log.” Caboose frowned in confusion.

“Of course you did, Caboose.” Fletcher rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, they heard a tapping on a nearby window. They turned to see the Red Rio drone perched outside it, it’s metal body slightly frosted over. Being certain not to draw attention to themselves, they gathered around the window and opened it

“Hey, guys.” Armory’s voice emitted, “How fares it?”

“Armory?” Survival frowned, “Have you been flying around the monastery all night?”

“Well, not all night. We all had to get our beauty sleep.” Ballista’s voice emerged.

“Oh, Ballista. You’re there?” Fletcher asked.

Back at the headquarters, Ballista, Black and Sterling (still unable to move without help), and Armory were sitting in the room, watching the feed.

"That's right." Ballista nodded.

"So am I." Black added.

"And me." Sterling smiled.

"And don't forget this magnificent device's creator." Armory grinned. "We've been keeping an eye on things all night."

“But how? The battery must be bone-dry by now.” Survival pondered.

“Two words: solar power.” Armory boasted, “Keeps this bad boy running forever.”

"Clever." Fury admitted.

"I know." Armory smirked.

“So, what do you know?” Black asked, “Any ideas what we’re dealing with?”

“Well, one thing for sure, the monks are being harassed by somepony.” Fletcher declared, “According to the master of the place and one of his associates, they’ve received no less than a hundred correspondences containing death threats.”

“A hundred? Sheesh.” Sterling whistled, “The stationery industry must be booming.”

“I know, right?” Caboose agreed.

“Any leads as to who might be sending them?” Ballista asked.

“Not necessarily. Survival here went and looked through the letters through the night.” Fletcher gestured to Survival, as he turned to him, “Have you gleaned anything from them?”

“Well, sort of.” Survival shrugged, “To start off, none of them had any signatures or names of whoever sent the letter.”

“Well, no flap.” Fury scoffed, “Only a moron would write a death threat and sign his own name on it.”

“No argument there… but while there’s no clue as to the identity of the sender, I can confirm that the letters have all been written out by the same pony.” Survival declared, pulling out some of the letters he had on him, “The writing style is consistent throughout all the letters… but there is something odd I found.”

"Odd?" Black asked.

“Yeah. All these letters read pretty much the same. Dear so-and-so. I’m going to kill you. While some were formal and to the point, others came off as pretty arrogant and aggressive. Indicative of someone harboring some deep resentment… however…” Survival trailed off.

“However?” Sterling frowned.

“I noticed that in some of the more… well, let’s say, colorfully, written letters, that the penwork showed signs of hesitation.” Survival explained, “There were spots where the quill had stopped, as if the writer was struggling to write these words. Especially regarding the letter involving the ‘fear turkey’.”

“...Fear turkey?” Black turned to Sterling in confusion. Sterling gave a confused shrug.

“That’s weird. Having second thoughts, perhaps?” Armory suggested.

“And why the hell would this guy have second thoughts? It’s not like he was signing his name.” Fury snorted.

“Indeed. And as I said earlier, these letters indicate somepony with a grudge against the monastery.” Survival pointed out, “The ferocity of the threats simply do not coincide with somepony who would hesitate, especially under the guise of anonymity. Which leads me to have a theory.”

“A game theory?” Caboose asked.

“...No.” Survival deadpanned, “Considering the jittery writing and the hesitation, I’ve reasons to believe that maybe whoever wrote these letters might have been forced to do so.”

"So what? You're saying we might have TWO scumbags to find?" Fury scowled. "Flap me..."

“Not necessarily two scumbags. Just one who coerced another pony to do their disturbing threats for them.” Survival corrected.

“But I don’t get it. Why would somepony with a beef have another pony write their threats for them? Let alone force them?” Sterling grimaced.

“Maybe to cover his tracks in case somepony recognized the writing?” Black suggested.

“I don’t know, not a lot of ponies out there who can analyze writings as well as Survival here.” Ballista shook his head, “Seems a bit convoluted if you asked me.”

“Well, it’s just a working theory at the moment.” Survival admitted, “Until we can find out more, we won’t know for sure what’s going on. I could be wrong for all I know.”

“Doesn’t matter either way.” Caboose smirked, “We've still got 'em outnumbered!"

"There's something else I noticed." Survival declared. "Here's the parchment the threats were written on..." he held up the document."...And here's the letter that got us to come here..." He held up another piece of paper. "Notice anything?"

"They appear to be written on the same kind of parchment." Fletcher noted.

"Exactly." Survival nodded. "And I can think of only one reason that could be..."

"So you're saying the letters could be coming from within the monastery?" Armory asked.

"I'm not buying it." Fury shook his head. "These guys don't seem the type."

"There's also the fact that somecreature has been using a carrier pigeon to deliver these letters." Fletcher added. "Why would they bother with that if they could just send it anonymously by hoof?"

"That is what we need to find out." Survival said cryptically.

"How about you guys?" Fury inquired. "Anything new?"

“Well, we surveyed the whole place, and from what we saw, this monastery is looking pretty impenetrable. Unless you’re going in through the front door or flying in, there’s no way anypony could get in, let alone get in undetected.” Black explained.

"Which raises the questions of how they would get their hooves on the papers." Sterling noted, “This being an inside job is looking more likely.”

“Still, it sounds like we’ve barely moved past square one." Ballista said grumpily.

"But we'll keep observing matters." Armory declared. "If we see anything new, we'll let you know."

"And we'll do the same." Fletcher nodded.

After the drone flew away, the group moved from the window.

"So, what now?" Fury asked.

"Brunch, maybe?" Caboose suggested.

"We should split up and look for clues." Fletcher declared. "I'll go and check the storage area where they keep the parchments. Fury and Caboose, you ask the monks if they know anything, and Survival will check the aviary where they keep their pigeons, see if any are missing, or have been busy lately."

"Will do." Survival nodded.

"On it." Fury declared.

"Guess that's a 'no' on brunch..." Caboose pouted.

"We meet up at lunch." Fletcher announced. "Good luck, everycreature."

On that, the team split up. Fletcher made a beeline for the storage area, located on the north side of the monastery. It was a large room, with shelves packed to the brim with various items, and trunks set on one side. A single monk was looking things over, carrying a checklist.

"Sorry to intrude, good sir." Fletcher announced. "But I have a question to ask."

To Fletcher's surprise, the monk seemed somewhat unnerved by his simple request.

“Q-question? Question about what? We’re a normal monastery, full of normal monks who do normal monastery things! Absolutely nothing punishable by 10 years of prison if not more!” The monk stammered.

“Um, that is good to hear, I suppose.” Fletcher frowned, “But I only wish to inquire about the items you have here in this storage area. It’d only be a moment.”

“Oh. Well, why didn’t you say so?” The monk calmed down, “How can I help you?”

"Well, we were looking into the death threats you ponies have been receiving, and were wondering, has anything been going missing from your inventory lately?”’ Fletcher inquired.

“To be honest, there have been a few things unaccounted for in our stock.” The inventory monk admitted, “Cloaks, quills, ink, parchment…”

“Really now?” Fletcher mused, “Odd considering how three of those things are commonly used together to write letters. Much like the death threats.”

“I don’t know…” The monk shook his head, oblivious to the veiled suspicion, “We’ve just chalked it up to monks just neglecting to write down what they took out. We’re not exactly a tight ship up here. Doesn’t help that half of our staff are a bunch of juuuu...”

Fletcher gave a raised brow.

“Ju-jokers!” The monk corrected himself swiftly, “Oh, you wouldn’t believe some of the hijinks we monks get up to up here. Like this one time, we accidentally put in a purple scarf with the white robes... ho-ho, did we look silly!”

“I see…” Fletcher frowned, not convinced. "Thank you for your time."

"You're welcome." The monk poorly hid a sigh of relief. "Now I really should get back to work, so if you'd...?" He gave a little shoo-ing gesture.

"Okay then..." Fletcher said awkwardly, backing out of the room. "That was odd..."

At the same time, Fury approached some of the meditating monks within one of the buildings.

“Sorry to interrupt your naps or whatever ya call them.” He said bluntly, “But I got questions I need answering, so spill it!”

"The answer is right here, brother." An Earth Pony stallion said in a dreamy voice. "Just open your mind, and all will be revealed."

“Yeah, real helpful.” Fury sneered, “But I’m looking for, you know, ‘actual’ answers. Have any of you baldies noticed anything weird happening lately?”

“I have!” A Unicorn mare spoke up.

“Now that’s more like it.” Fury smirked, turning to her, “So what’s the sitch?”

“My horn.” The unicorn pointed to her horn.

“Your… horn?” Fury’s smirk faded.

“Yeah. It’s so big!” The unicorn mare rubbed her horn, eyes alight in amazement, “Have you ever seen a horn so big in your life?”

The other monks shuffled over, also admiring the mare's horn.

"It's incredible..." A Pegasus mare gasped.

"So majestic..." Another Unicorn mare gazed.

"It’s bigger than my horn..." An Earth Pony stallion sighed.

"You don't have a horn!" The Pegasus mare scoffed.

"Sez you!" The Earth Pony scowled.

“Ugh, no!” Fury snapped, “I mean, have any of you guys seen anything unusual? You know, like some asshole sneaking around, maybe with some paper and ink? Like the guy sending you all death threats?”

“What is ‘unusual’?” A fit-looking Earth Pony asked, “When you think about it, nothing is usual.”

“...Right.” Fury deadpanned, “Look, if you guys know nothing, fine. But I got crap to do-”

“I mean, look at my name!” The Earth Pony continued, “My name is Walking Phoenix! Walking. Phoenix. That’s the name you give a bird or a Pegasus! Does that sound usual to you?”

“Well, let me check…” Fury checked his person, before turning back to him with a glare, “Oh wait, I just remembered, I am flat out of flaps to give!”

"Come on, man, you need to chill out." A Pegasus mare told him airily. "As a fellow wielder of the wings, surely you know that it's better to just fly through that big, open sky, without a care in the world?”

As she spoke, a fly landed on her face. Fury noticed it, and was astonished as the mare did not react to its presence.

“That is why I have come here.” The mare explained, as the fly crawled along her face, “The modern world was just too stressful. Grocery shopping. bills to pay, salesponies on practically every corner... I just couldn't take it any more. So I came here to live a life of quiet contemplation with my fellow ponies…” The fly soon came to her mouth and went in. The mare did not blink, “Wouldn't you like that, angry griffon bird?"

“Did… did you just swallow that fly?” Fury gaped.

“What is a ‘fly’.” Walking inquired, “A raisin that sprouted wings, perhaps?"

“Dude, this broad just swallowed a fly!” Fury snarled, “What the flap is the matter with you all?!”

“What is ‘matter’?” Walking Phoenix continued on. "A term that all substance can be placed under, or something more?”

“Stop it!” Fury roared, annoyed beyond belief, “Are any of you gonna tell me what’s going on around here or keep spoutin’ garbage?!”

"What is 'garbage', anyway?" Walking inquired. "So many things are recycled these days. Maybe nothing's garbage any more..."

The rest of the group 'ooh'ed and 'aah'ed in wonder.

“And none of you are even listening to me anymore.” Fury growled, as he left the meditation room, “Screw this, I’m outta here!”

"Go in peace, brother." A Unicorn stallion declared.

"I know where you can all go..." Fury grumbled, “You can all go f-”

“Excuse me, what are you doing?”

Fury turned to see another Earth Pony monk, glaring at him. This monk had a pallid complexion, and a tired, irritable disposition.

“I was just asking some questions. Nothing to worry your bald head about.” Fury said tersely.

“Well, it s-sounds like you were bugging our new round of recruits.” The monk sniffled a bit. “They were just initiated a few weeks ago!”

“New recruits?” Fury snorted as he made to walk way, “Well, I wish you luck with them, because they’re a bunch of air-headed morons. Spouting nothing but bullcrap...”

“W-where do you think you’re going?” The sickly monk got in front of him.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I got other ponies to talk to.” Fury snorted as he brushed him aside.

“And why is that?!” The sickly monk got in his face again, much to Fury’s annoyance, “Did the recruits say anything to you?”

“No, I just told you, they were spouting nonsense.” Fury glared, “Bigger question is why are you getting my beak?!”

“Don’t get snippy with me, pal!” The monk jabbed his hoof into his chest, growing agitated, “You’re the one snooping around!”

“Touch me again and you’ll be picking up teeth with your broken hoof!” Fury hissed.

“Oh, you wanna go, filthy bird-cat?!” The monk challenged. His eye was now twitchy, “Because I’m ready to throw down!”

“Lauren Faust, what’s your problem?!” Fury demanded.

“My problem? My p-problem?!” The sickly monk repeated, as he began scratching his right front hoof, “We have a bunch of outsiders intruding on our life here! Disrupting our daily routine, our wonderful... everything!" His eyes darted from left to right madly. "And now, you’re trying to snoop! I-I won’t have it!” He reached into his robe, clutching onto something. Fury’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll won’t let-”

“Whoa-whoa, easy, pal!” Another monk suddenly came in, yet another Earth Pony, coming between the agitated monk and griffon, placing his hooves on the monk’s shoulder, “What’s going on here?”

“This bird-cat is snooping around!” The sickly monk accused.

“I was not! I was asking the baldies in there some questions, and this prick was getting in my face!” Fury snarled.

“You are a buckin’ liar!” The sickly monk roared, his eye twitching even more, as he was scratching his right hoof more vigorously, “I won’t let you ruin things!”

“What are you even talking about?!” Fury asked.

“Oh, jeez.” The interfering monk cringed, as he turned to Fury, “I’m so terribly sorry. My friend here is usually very grumpy in the morning. He usually mellows out after he has some nice ‘tea’.”

“Tea?!” The sickly monk spat, glaring at the monk, “I don’t need stupid tea! I need bucking-”

“Tea. Like I just said.” The monk repeated, much more harshly, gripping the sickly monk’s shoulder tightly, “How about we leave the poor griffon alone and I’ll brew you some ‘tea’ and maybe Ube won’t hear of this little outburst, okay?”

Before the sickly monk could rebut, the other monk dragged him away, the sickly monk grunting in protest, casting stink eyes at the irate griffon, who was perplexed by the whole situation.

“...What in the hell was that all about?” Fury muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, Caboose was visiting one of the greenhouses, hoping to find more info… as well as do one other thing…

He plucked a rose from among a row of them, and began to chew on it… only to grimace, and spit it onto his hoof.

“Ugh, tastes… manure-y.” Caboose grimaced, letting his tongue out. Making sure no one was watching, he stuck the mushed up rose back onto a stem.

“Well, now that was a bust, might as well focus on asking about suspicious things.” Caboose frowned, as the mushed rose fell off the stem. He noticed some ponies in the greenhouse, “Maybe they can help!”

Caboose approached a nearby monk, a Pegasus stallion.

“Hey, pal, mind if I ask you something?” Caboose asked.

“Ask away, brudda.” The Pegasus stallion asked airily, absentmindedly picking thorns off of a rose, “Questions are free after all.”

“Oh, neat.” Caboose smiled, “So, me and my friends were wondering, have anything suspicious been going on lately? Possibly relevant to the plot?”

The Pegasus monk looked at him, a dazed smile on his face.

“...Um, hello?” Caboose waved a hoof in front of his face, “Equestria to… random non-descript pony guy?”

“...Hey.” The monk suddenly spoke up, “Did you know there are over a hundred and fifty different breeds of roses?”

“Hmm, that’s a fun fact.” Caboose mused, before shaking his head, “But that’s not important right now. Now, about the plot-”

“Oh, that’s not all!” A Unicorn mare chimed in, a dazed smile on her face, “There’s also over a thousand rose crossbreeds!”

“Whoa, really?” Caboose gasped, completely losing his train of thought. "Tell me more!"

"They're among the oldest species of flowers in existence." An Earth Pony stallion declared.

"And they can live for a very long time." A Pegasus mare added. "Up to thirteen years, in fact."

"And they're not just red." Another Unicorn smiled. "They can be blue, and white, and yellow, and pink-"

“Hey, now, what’s going on here?” A blue light-gray maned Unicorn stallion monk came in, his expression vividly lucid in comparison to the others, “What’s all the commotion?”

“Oh, your buddies teaching me about the flowers!” Caboose smiled.

“Hold on, you’re one of the RDL members, right?” The blue Unicorn asked, “Looking into those death threats?”

“I am?” Caboose frowned, before lighting up, “Oh, I guess I am.”

“Figured as much.” The blue Unicorn shrugged, as he turned to the other monks, “How about you guys return to tending the flowers? I’ll talk with our friend here.”

"Okay..." The Pegasus mare said dreamily...

"See ya later..."

"Byeee...."

“Sorry about that. Hope they weren’t bothering you too much, sir.” The Unicorn apologized.

“Oh, no. Not at all. I was really getting into all the flower fun facts.” Caboose mused.

“I see…” The blue Unicorn grimaced, “But honestly, what were you trying to do here?”

“Well, me and my pals are trying to get to the bottom of these letters, so I was asking around.” Caboose explained, rubbing his head. “Got a little sidetracked, though.”

“Well, I hate to break it to you, but you probably won’t be getting much help from my brethren here.” The blue Unicorn sighed, “As you can tell, they’re not all… there.”

“Oh, I didn’t want to say anything.” Caboose cringed, “I just assumed they were slow. You don’t seem to be like them, though.”

“Oh, heavens no. These ponies are from when Mantra first became master.” The Unicorn explained, “I’m actually was a part of Master Chakra’s tutelage not long before he passed. The name is Fresh Starter.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Mr. Starter.” Caboose smiled, “Maybe you could help me out then. You see, we are trying to ask around, seeing if anypony notices anything weird going on around here. What with those letters and all.”

“I’m afraid I’m not much help either.” Fresh sighed, “Those letters have been coming and going for a while now. I’m honestly surprised that Mantra actually caved and called you guys.”

“Why? Because he’s a anti-government hippie or something?” Caboose asked.

“No… rather, he’s, shall I say, prideful.” Fresh grimaced, “Master Mantra, even before becoming master, always took pride in being a member of the Wise Lotus, ever dedicated to training, to his duty,” Caboose suppressed a snicker, “And to the order itself. I guess in his mind, reaching out for help, is a sign of weakness, or that it reflects poorly on him as a master.”

“Well, we all need help every now and then.” Caboose shrugged, “Not sure what a sign or a mirror fits into it, but we are here to help.”

“Hehe, you are a strange pony.” Fresh smiled, “But I am grateful for your help. I have been here a long time. Suffered job loss. Messy divorce. Homelessness. The last thing I want is for something bad to happen to this place.”

“Then I better get a move on, then.” Caboose declared, “Perhaps I should check out the kitchen. I've been meaning to check and see what the situation is on the soybean option!”

“Good luck, brother.” Fresh bowed, “I will pray for your success.”

Around the same time, Survival arrived at the aerie, which was filled with carrier pigeons, all being tended to by a few monks.

"Excuse me?" He spoke up.

"Oh, hello." A female Unicorn looked at him. "Do you need a letter sent?"

"Not just now, thanks." Survival declined. "But I am curious about this delightful little operation of yours. Are all these pigeons really used to send letters?"

"That's right." The Unicorn nodded, “Due to the rules and regulations, dragon’s fire is strictly prohibited, and mailponies are a major security risk. While archaic, pigeons have served us well all this time.”

“I see… and these pigeons can take a letter anywhere in Equestria?” Survival asked.

“If needed.” The mare acknowledged.

"Interesting… it must have taken a lot of work to train them." Survival noted.

"That it did." The mare agreed.

“Out of curiosity… have you guys ever had problems with pigeons going missing?" Survival asked suddenly.

“Missing?” The mare frowned.

“Yes. Like, did a pigeon fail to make it back from a round-trip? Or just disappear from the aerie altogether?” Survival supposed, “Maybe recently?”

“Hmm, can’t say if they had.” The mare mused, “Our feathered friends are always coming and going and we have raised and trained a lot of birds over the years. If we did lose a pigeon, it couldn’t had been during the years I’ve been on the job.”

"Oh, that's... Very impressive." Survival managed to hide his disappointment. "Thank you for your time."

"You're welcome." The mare declared. "If you'll excuse me, I have some roosts to clean out..."

As Survival made his way into the corridor, he couldn't help but feel dejected by his inability to gain any useful information. As he tried to gather his thoughts, he found his mind drifting back to his previous doubts.

'Why would Mantra agree so easily to letting us drink from the fountain?' He wondered, ‘I understand it could be desperation, but it all seemed too easy… and what of Relic? He didn’t seem to agree with Mantra’s decision… but why? None of this is making any…’

As he continued walking, Survival was interrupted mid-thought, hearing a strange ‘humming’ sound.

“Wha… what was that?” Survival looked around.

The sound stopped.

“Dammit. Come on, Relic, you almost had it yesterday.”

“Relic?” Survival frowned, as the strange humming sound returned. Deciding to investigate, he took a moment to pinpoint its origin, then ventured through the corridors to find it.

The source of the sound was in an empty storage closet. As Survival peeked inside, he found Relic inside. His face was screwed up in concentration, hooves held together. To Survival's surprise, a small orb of aura flickered into existence.

"I don't believe it." Survival gaped, “Is that aura?!”

"Ahhh!" Realizing he was being watched, Relic yelped in surprise, the ball of aura dissipating again. Relic turned around in horror, “Mr. Horror. What are you doing here?!”

“Never mind that. Was that aura just now?” Survival asked astounded, “You never mentioned practicing-”

Before Survival could finish, Relic pulled Survival inside the closet, covering his mouth.

“Hmm-hey!” Survival protested, throwing Relic’s hoof off, “What’s the big idea?”

“Listen here, Mr. Horror.” Relic demanded, “You cannot tell a soul what you just saw just now.”

“I don’t even know what I just saw.” Survival frowned, “Mantra told us that the training of aura was retired.”

"It was." Relic declared.

“Then what are you doing then?” Survival asked, confused.

“...Practicing aura.” Relic admitted.

“...Okay, I’m at a loss here.” Survival frowned.

“Look, I should explain.” Relic declared, “You see, I was among the last groups of monks to train in the use of the aura under Master Chakra. However, we were barely starting when he passed away. When Mantra assumed the role of master, rather than finish what he started, he forbade further training.”

"Forbade?" Survival frowned. "I thought Mantra just retired the training?"

“Hmph, I wish.” Relic scowled, “It was one of Mantra’s first decrees as master: no pony or creature, regardless of who they are, are allowed to practice aura ever. We are not to utter even a single word of it.”

“What? I don’t understand. Why would he create such a decree?” Survival inquired.

"Oh, it's very complicated." Relic said awkwardly. "Too complicated to explain on the fly..."

"Please, Relic." Survival pressed. "I need to know. You can trust me."

Relic glanced at Survival. The look in the former doctor’s eyes seems to ease his anxiety.

“Very well.” Relic nodded, “You see, Mr. Horror, there is far more going on around here than meets the eye… and I’m not just talking about those letters. Mantra… he claims he retired the use of aura because he wanted to prevent violence… but the truth of the matter is, Mantra has this belief that the power of aura should be in the hoof of the one pony who deserves it...”

“One pony?” Survival frowned, “...Am I right in assuming that this one pony is…”

"Mantra himself, yes." Relic nodded. "You see, Mantra had been a part of this monastery his whole life. Learned everything he could about aura. Did so without a single complaint. However… once he had mastered aura, he felt that no pony else should be allowed to. He believed that the others were unworthy of its power and that for them to learn aura was to sully the magic itself.”

“Really? Mantra is like that?” Survival grimaced, “Didn’t think he was the type…”

“Trust me, I have trained with the stallion.” Relic gave a deep frown, “I do not mean to speak ill of him, but he always had this sense of superiority about him. He hides it well sometimes, but when it comes out… boy, does it come out.”

“Hmm… might need to read him next time.” Survival frowned to himself, “...How did Chakra feel about Mantra’s rhetoric?”

“Oh, Chakra and Mantra butted heads on that matter numerous times. Honestly, Chakra was the only reason aura hadn’t been banned sooner. Chakra always believed that everyone deserves a chance to learn about how to use aura. Didn’t matter if you failed, all that mattered was that you tried.”

“An admiral thought.” Survival smirked.

“Yeah… but when Mantra became master, that all changed.” Relic sighed, “We all protested Mantra’s ban. After all, some of us had been here all our lives as well, and Chakra was our master too… but Mantra wouldn’t hear of it. Even threatened expulsion if we pushed the matter. Almost everypony gave up after that… but I didn’t. I took it upon myself to learn how to use aura. Been practicing in secret for months.”

“Really now?” Survival lit up, “...In that case, I don’t suppose you’d be willing to join us then? A part of the reason we came here was to find a pony who could use aura. Maybe you could-”

“I’m sorry.” Relic stopped him, “As much as I would want to help you, despite all my best efforts, my grasp of aura is still severely lacking. I fear I would be more of a hindrance than a boon.”

"...I see." Survival sighed, downtrodden.

"I really wish I could help you and your friends." Relic said wholeheartedly. "But as it stands, there are only two ponies alive who possess mastery over aura."

"...Hold on, two?" Survival asked, surprised, “There’s another?”

"Well..." Relic hesitated once more, then took a deep breath. "You see, Chakra actually had two star pupils, one being Mantra and the other being a fellow by the name of Aural Sight."

"'Aural Sight'..." Survival mused. "Was he any good?"

"Good? He was amazing!" Relic grinned. "Aural was truly a master of the craft, in spite of his weakness. In fact, he was in line to become Chakra's successor.”

"Was?" Survival asked.

"I'm afraid so." Relic sadly nodded. "Not long after Chakra died, Aural just... disappeared.”

"Disappeared?" Survival frowned.

"That's right." Relic sighed. "Nopony knows what happened to him... or even if he's still alive."

“But didn’t you just say he was alive though?” Survival questioned.

“Oh.” Relic paused, “...I guess I did. I’m sorry, I guess a part of me likes to think that he's still alive out there somewhere. But considering that nopony has seen him for so long…”

"I see..." Survival nodded.

"Well, if that's all, then I really should be going..." Relic started.

"I'm afraid that's not all." Survival declared, holding out his hoof, "You see, I get the feeling you know more than you're letting on."

"What?! I-I've told you everything I know." Relic spluttered. "Why would you think I'm concealing information?"

"Because I've been studying your facial expressions." Survival answered. "And it's pretty clear from those that you're hiding something. What it is, I don’t know, but I feel like it has something to do with Mantra, the monastery, and that fountain."

"I... I wouldn't say 'hiding'..." Relix said nervously.

"Look, I'm on your side here." Survival tried to calm him. "We all are. If you can just tell us the whole truth, then we'll be able to help you and everypony here. What do you say?"

Relic considered Survival's offer. But before he could answer, Ube entered.

"What's goin' on in here?" The burly stallion demanded to know.

"Oh, nothing!" Relic said quickly. "Just a friendly conversation. Right, Survival?"

"Right." Survival nodded.

"In a supply closet?" Ube raised an eyebrow. "Pretty odd place to hold a conversation. Unless it's a conversation you don't want anypony overhearing..."

"Actually, I suggested the location." Survival lied. "I'm not quite used to those drafty corridors. Is that a crime?"

"I suppose not." Ube acknowledged. "But if you're done talking, I'd like to have my own one-on-one chat with Relic here."

"Very well." Survival nodded, keen not to press the issue.

Survival departed, leaving Ube and Relic alone.

"If I were you, I wouldn't get so friendly with our guests." Ube glared.

"Why not?" Relic asked.

"You know how it is." Ube sneered. "Too much interference from the outside world can cause a lot of trouble around here. For you... and for everypony else."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Relic glowered.

"Just that if it seems like you or any others seem like you might be threatening the stability of this place.” Ube smirked, before scowling, “And I don’t like that kind of thing. Neither does Mantra.”

“I don’t know what you’re implying.” Relic growled, “But I’ve done nothing of the sorts.”

“Saids you.” Ube grunted, “You know, Relic, the only reason you’re still around here is because Mantra believes you to be the glue that keeps this monastery together. I mean, the other monks are always inviting you to join in their games, confide in you their problems... they'd all be pretty upset if you were to disappear from those walls.”

“Well, I can’t help it if I’m that kind of pony.” Relic humbly shrugged, “I’m merely doing as Chakra and the others taught me.”

“Right… but I wonder…” Ube mused. “How would Mantra feel if he was to find out that somepony, say, a skinny little twerp, was practicing his precious ‘aura’? I mean, you know how frothy at the mouth he gets…”

"I... don't know what you're talking about." Relic denied his words.

"Sure you don't." Ube smirked.

"I mean it." Relic snarled. "I haven't been practicing aura at all. Not since Chakra perished."

"Okay then." Ube's voice dripped with condescension. "Just make sure you keep it that way… and do keep your distance from these outsiders. I can care less about this ‘aura’ crap, but if these buckers try to ruin things… you know I will be coming for you..."

He mockingly patted Relic on the head. Relic cringed in disgust.

“Keep that in mind, Relic.” Ube sneered.

With that, Ube departed, leaving Relic alone in the closet.

"Oh, I'll keep it in mind, alright... You overbearing musclehead." Relic scowled… before looking down, dejected, “...If only you were here, Aural…”

Meanwhile, Survival reunited with the others, so they could compare notes. The Red Rio was let in through a window so HQ could hear.

"So how did your search go?" Ballista asked.

"Very oddly." Fletcher declared. "The ponies I asked were strangely apprehensive about my questioning the way things work here."

"The ones I asked were more interested in flowers than answering my questions." Caboose added. "Not that I blame them. Flowers are amazing things. Did you know there are over one hundred and fifty different breeds of rose?"

"I got stuck questioning a bunch of space cases." Fury scowled. "Talking about 'quiet contemplation' and garbage like that. And this one clown called 'Walking Phoenix' really took the case."

"Wait, did you say 'Walking Phoenix'?" Ballista asked.

"Yep." Fury nodded. "Blissed out whackjob..."

“Do you know the guy, Ballista?” Survival frowned.

“Oh, do I ever.” Ballista declared, “His name was all over the news a few months back. He was an A-list Applewood actor. A pretty good one too… that is, until his lousy temper got him blackballed from the industry.”

"Temper? That guy?" Fury scoffed. "You gotta be pullin' my wing!"

“Yeah, I think I read that same article.” Black chimed in, “It was a huge scandal. Apparently he beat the crap out of this late night show host. Almost killed him. The guy got ran out of Applewood and hadn’t been seen since… until now, it looks like.”

“Are you sure the guy’s name was Walking Phoenix, Fury?” Sterling asked.

“Oh, yeah. But there’s no way they can be the same guy. The guy was as mellow as a cucumber.” Fury grimaced… before scowling, “I can’t say the same about this other guy.”

“Other guy?” Fletcher frowned.

“Yeah. When I left those yahoos, I was confronted by this punk.” Fury hissed, “He was getting up in my beak, not liking that I was talking to his pals. If it wasn’t for this other monk, he was seriously gonna try and fight me.”

“Wow, looks like someone could use more of that meditation.” Caboose tutted.

“I don’t know. He was acting all sorts of freaky.” Fury grumbled, “Scratching his hoof, eyes twitching. The other monk said he needed tea, but honestly, it’s like I was talking to one of those hobo junkies.”

“Hmm, the way you described it, those do sound like signs of a pony suffering drug withdrawal.” Survival frowned.

“Now that’s just silly.” Caboose scoffed, “Where the heck would you find drugs on top of a mountain?”

“I don’t know… but there is something weird going on around here.” Fletcher said firmly, “However, it does not change the fact that we are still no closer to finding out who has been sending those letters…” He turned to Survival, “How about you, Survival? Did you find anything?”

Survival opened his mouth, only for the sound of somepony knocking on the door.

“Oh, flap!” Fury cursed, turning to the Red Rio, “You need to get out now!”

"Oh, horseapples!" Sterling cringed.

"Get going!" Black urged.

"Now!" Ballista added.

"I'm trying!" Armory panicked, fumbling the controls.

“Let me help!” Caboose grabbed the Red Rio.

“Caboose, what are you-” Armory gasped.

“YEET!” Caboose screeched, as he chucked the drone out the window.

Outside, the drone struck one of the dazed monks on the head, knocking him out.

"Ow..." The monk groaned halfheartedly, as the drone landed in the bushes.

Fletcher opened the door, finding an Earth Pony stallion standing before him.

"Mantra requests that the four of you speak with him in the study immediately." The stallion announced.

"I see." Fletcher nodded. "Come on, guys. Time for a chat with the boss."

The group made their way to the study, which was deserted but for Mantra, who was reading. He looked up from his book as they entered.

"Ah, there you are." Mantra smiled humorlessly. "Very prompt. I like that."

“Well, we were told that you wanted to speak to us.” Fletcher declared.

“Is something the matter?” Survival asked.

“You could say that.” Mantra mused, “It was brought to my attention that you four have been going around, asking a lot of very… ‘specific’ questions. Questions about how things work around here. As master of this monastery, I must ask… why?”

“We did not mean to pry. We are simply trying to find leads on who’s been sending those letters.” Fletcher explained.

“But why ask the monks?” Mantra frowned in disapproval, “Is it that you believe that whoever is sending those letters is among our numbers?”

"We have reasons to believe that might be the case." Fletcher confirmed.

"What? Did 'Doctor' Horror here have another one of his 'guesses'?" Mantra scoffed.

"Hey!" Fury glared.

"Fury, it's fine." Survival held up a pacifying hoof. He then shot Mantra a dirty look. "I've studied the letters. The parchments they're written on matches the ones you keep in storage. And there were discrepancies in your inventory of paper, quill, and ink. At first, it would seem like somepony had been stealing them to make these letters, but we also ascertained that there's no way to sneak into this monastery undetected."

"And how do you know that?" Mantra asked, eying him suspiciously.

"Let's just say a little birdy told us." Caboose smirked. "And by 'little', I mean two foot tall. And by 'birdy', I mean-"

Fury slapped the back of Caboose's head.

"Ow!" Caboose helped. "What did I do?"

"The point is, Mantra, is that there's a high chance that whoever is sending these letters has been doing so from this very mountain." Survival continued. "Disparage my methods if you must, but unless there's a secret passage in this place that we don't know about, the only way someone could be writing letters on your 'parchments' is if it's a pony in this monastery."

"That may be... but you overlooked one thing." Mantra countered. "We have creatures coming up to this monastery all the time to deliver us all the necessities we would need, including paper and ink. Couldn't it be possible that this perpetrator stole from the shipment itself en route to the monastery?"

The group was about to rebut… but they couldn’t. Mantra made a very good point.

"He has a point there." Fletcher admitted.

"It's possible." Fury shrugged.

"And convenient." Caboose added.

"I suppose..." Survival mused, not fully convinced.

"I understand you're all trying to help, but honestly, you're wasting your time asking around here." Mantra said dismissively. "Our monks shouldn't be bothered with your pointless questions."

"Well, with all due respect, sir, we are just trying to find the pony responsible for these threats." Fletcher said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, not like we had much to go on." Fury added.

"That's right." Survival smiled at his teammates' support. "Honestly, I'm surprised you're not more concerned, considering how it is your monastery and your ponies being threatened. Aren't you the least bit worried for everypony here?"

"Worried about what? One hundred threats is a lot, but considering no pony has yet shown their face, I still stand by my theory that this is nothing but a prank." Mantra scoffed once more. "Even if it wasn't, I doubt it's something the Wise Lotus cannot handle on their own."

"Really? Even though you banned the practice of aura?" Survival retorted.

Fletcher and the others glanced at him in confusion. Mantra said nothing, but his face hardened.

"That's right." Survival nodded. "I heard from a very reliable source that you banned the practice of aura entirely after Chakra's disappearance. Not just ‘retiring’ it as you told us yesterday. Is this true?"

"Yes, I did." Mantra admitted. "Like I told you the day before, I didn't want to contribute to the cycle of violence."

“I understand that.” Survival declared, “But to outright ban something, especially something that has been part of your culture and was used to protect yourselves? Forgive me, but I am having trouble following your logic."

“What logic is there to follow?” Mantra said harshly, “You may not be aware, ‘Doctor’, but the power of aura is unlike any other. With it and enough practice, your power could rival that of an Alicorn. A power such as that should not be wielded by just anypony. Day in, day out, I have seen so many…” Mantra’s face twisted in disgust, “‘Unworthy’ ponies come and try and wield the power of aura.”

“Unworthy?” Fury frowned.

“I think he means bad ponies.” Caboose interjected, “Right, Master Manny?”

“It’s Mantra.” Mantra glared, “And if you want to use such a small-minded term, yes. Chakra, Faust rests his soul, taught about anypony who came here how to use aura. To see so many ponies falter and outright fail in even the basics… it was a spit in the face! An insult to the might of aura itself!”

“Eesh, don’t you think you’re getting a little emotional over some old magic?” Fury grimaced.

“My bloodline began in the Wise Lotus, Fury.” Mantra shot back coldly, “My father, and his father, and his father were born and raised in this monastery. Aura is literally in my blood. It is as sacred to me as the fountain. Perhaps even more.”

“But what about the other monks?” Survival asked, “They’re Wise Lotus too, aren’t they? Do you think them unworthy of aura?”

"Not exactly." Mantra declared.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Survival frowned.

"There are many traits necessary to properly use Aura." Mantra said bluntly. "Not all possess those traits."

"And what are these traits?" Survival pushed onwards.

"Far too many to name right now." Mantra insisted.

"We have nothing but time." Survival smirked.

“Look, the bottom line is, the power of aura must not be misused." Mantra said firmly. "That is the last I have to say on the subject. In fact, I believe we got a little off track-”

“How did Aural feel about Chakra teaching aura to others?”

The room went silent. Mantra froze, as Fletcher, Caboose, and Fury frowned in confusion.

“...Who’s Aural?” Caboose asked Fury in a side-whisper.

“I have no idea.” Fury whispered.

“Survival?” Fletcher frowned.

"...Who told you that name?" Mantra asked quietly.

“That’s not important right now.” Survival brushed off the question, “But what is important is yesterday, you told us two lies. The first one being that you banned aura, not just retire it. The other lie is that you said you were Chakra’s only star pupil, when there was another: Aural Sight.”

“I did not lie.” Mantra rebutted, “It must have slipped my mind…”

“Really? You just forgot to mention a fellow star pupil?” Survival pressed on, “Somepony who has trained under the same master as you?”

"I have many responsibilities here." Mantra scowled, trying to regain control of the conversation. "Much to consider. If I forget one small detail, am I to be condemned for it?"

“What’s the matter, am I making you uncomfortable?” Survival frowned suspiciously, “Did something happen with Aural? Did it have something to do with aura? Or perhaps, the fact that he was in line to be Chakra’s successor?”

“ENOUGH!”

Mantra slammed his hooves into the desk. Survival stepped back in shock.

“...You overstepped your boundaries. All of you.” Mantra declared, each word trembling with silent fury, “If I recall correctly, you were called here to find the one sending us death threats. And I expect you to do just that. I will not hear another word about aura or Aural, and you will not question my monks any further!”

“But sir, how are to we to help if-” Fletcher protested.

“That is your problem to figure out. If there’s even one figure out.” Mantra huffed, “And if you still wish to imbibe from the fountain, you will respect my wishes, or else be banished, with a strongly worded letter to your superiors.” He turned away, “Now all of you get out.”

“...Very well.” Fletcher said calmly, “Come on, guys. We’re done here.”

The group departed from the room, visibly perturbed and downcast. As soon as they were gone, Mantra sat back down in his chair, letting out a heavy sigh, casting a small glare at the doors.

As the four visitors walked back to the room in silence, Survival spoke up.

“I’m sorry, Fletcher.” Survival sighed.

“Sorry?” Fletcher turned to him, “Whatever for?”

“Do I even have to say it?” Survival grimaced, “I really messed up. I didn’t expect Mantra to react so intensely. I shouldn’t have goaded him like that.”

“Hey.” Fury gripped Survival’s shoulder firmly, “You did nothing wrong. You were simply asking questions. I mean, we’re busting our asses off trying to help him, yet he’s getting all butthurt over us asking his dumbass monks some questions?”

“Fury is correct.” Fletcher concurred, “It is becoming more clear to me that Mantra is less concerned about us finding the sender of the letters than he is about getting us off this mountain as quickly as possible.”

"Well, that's no way to get return guests." Caboose pouted.

“But first I must ask… who is this Aural you were talking about earlier?” Fletcher asked.

“Oh, you’re not going to believe this.” Survival began.

Survival wasted no time in explaining to the others what Relic had told him.

“So there is another monk who knows aura.” Fletcher declared.

“Yeah. Unfortunately, Ube interrupted us before I could learn more.” Survival finished the recap, “The big lug seems particularly wary of us.”

“I think I got that the moment we met him last night.” Fury scoffed.

“Hmm, just what is going on around here?” Fletcher mused, “For Mantra to react the way he did when you brought him up, there must be something amiss here.”

“Not just him. The monks around here have been acting weird too.” Fury grumbled, “Either zoned out of their flapping minds or acting all freaky.”

“Not all of them. I met this monk named Fresh Starter.” Caboose recalled, “He seemed real nice. So did that Relic guy...”

“Yeah…” Survival frowned, “I just wish I had a bit more time with him. He looked… troubled.”

“Well, I don’t think seeking him out will be a wise course of action.” Fletcher sighed, “As of now, we’re treading on thin ice. If we question any more monks, especially about aura, and Mantra hears about it, he’ll most likely make good on his threat…”

“And we kiss that magic fountain goodbye.” Fury growled.

“For now, all we can do is refocus our efforts on finding the sender of those letters.” Fletcher declared, “Only question is what to do now…”

“Hmm, maybe I should take a look at the letters again. Maybe I missed something.” Survival declared, as he pulled out a letter, namely the one with the ‘fear turkey’ threat. At first, it seemed like there was nothing left to see. But as he lowered it, he noticed a bit of dust on his hoof from the letter. "...What?"

"Found something?" Fletcher asked.

"...Maybe." Survival mused. He sniffed the letter tentatively, then took a small lick of the parchment.

"Well, that's not weird..." Fury frowned.

"So true." Caboose said obliviously.

"There seems to be some residue on the letter." Survival noted. "Some sort of dust..."

"Can I take a look?" Caboose asked.

"Of course." Survival handed over the letter.

"Hmm..." Caboose mused, as he looked closely at it... Then took a bite out of the paper.

"More weirdness." Fury groaned.

Caboose rolled the piece of paper around in his mouth, sampling it like a wine.

“Mmm…” Caboose clicked his tongue a few times, suddenly wearing a monocle, as he glanced at the letter, “Aromatic, vaguely smokey... If I were a connoisseur…” He then chucked the monocle away, “It kinda tastes like cave dust.”

"And you know what cave dust tastes like, why?" Fury asked.

“That’s a question for another time.” Survival brushed off, “This letter, the ‘fear turkey’ one, had a mildewy smell about it, and as Caboose just pointed out, there seems to be residual cave dust on the letter, with the dust sharing a similar coloration to the rocks of the mountain. With that in mind, it could very well be possible if the letters are not coming from the monastery…”

"Then the letters must be coming from the mountain within." Fletcher finished.

"I did see a few holes in the mountain on the way up." Survival admitted. "Perhaps whoever's been writing and sending the letters could be somewhere on the mountain itself."

"Which leads to another problem: how do we find the sender within this huge mountain?" Fletcher asked. "We can't just call for a search crew, not as long as we're bound by the monastery's rules."

"And going by the way Mantra and Ube are acting, I doubt they'll let us leave the place to go and explore." Fury frowned.

"And what about this aura business..." Caboose asked. "Boy, we sure have a lot of plot arcs to deal with this time around."

"Maybe we need to search the outside of the monastery, look around for any hidey-holes on the windy side, leading down to the fountain. Armory and the others hadn’t checked there yet with the Red Rio." Survival suggested.

"Oh, yeah, the Red Rio." Fury frowned. "Where is that thing, anyway?"

Elsewhere...

The Red Rio was perched haphazardly against a large root in the bush it had landed in. Armory was trying to get the bird up and running again.

"I can't believe he threw my brand new creation out the window like that!" He growled.

"I can." Ballista scoffed.

"Come on, get it flying again!" Sterling urged.

"I'm trying!" Armory answered. "All these branches aren't helping! It might be stuck there!"

"I know the feeling." Black sighed, as Armory continued his efforts.

"Caboose, you are gonna get it for this..." Armory snarled.

Back with the group

“...I’m sure they’re fine.” Caboose brushed the subject off.

"Then it's decided." Fletcher declared. "After lights out, we'll sneak away and search the mountainside."

"Sounds like a ton of fun..." Fury pouted.

The group waited until night, then began sneaking around, flashlights in hooves and claws. They were careful to sneak past some of the monks who were still awake.

"So far, so good..." Survival whispered.

"As they rounded a corner, they walked into Ube, who was looking the other way. They quickly hid. Ube glanced around, eyes narrowing.

"Uh-oh..." Fletcher hissed quietly.

Ube seemed to have figured something was wrong... then shrugged, and walked away.

"Phew!" Caboose smiled.

"Too close." Fury shook his head.

"Let's press on." Fletcher urged.

Soon the group had arrived back at the viewpoint outside the fountain. The biting chill of the powerful winds were felt by all.

"Okay, we're here." Fury shivered. "Now what?"

“Well, we need to look for any possible ways that a creature could infiltrate this monastery without anypony the wiser.” Fletcher declared, as he gestured to the fountain. “Now, when we were in there earlier, I couldn’t see any openings, meaning no one could get in from there.”

“Yes, which means that it is very possible that our letter sender might have infiltrated the monastery through this viewpoint right here.” Survival pointed to the panorama of the Frozen North, “Do you think somecreature could have flown in and landed here undetected, Fury?”

“Not likely. With how bad these winds are, you’d have to be a very strong flier if you don’t want to crash into this rock.” Fury scoffed, “Besides, I wouldn’t be surprised if these baldies have some sort of system that alerts them to incoming fliers from miles away.”

“Which means the only way they could come in is from below.” Fletcher declared, as he glanced over the railing with his flashlight, seeing the mountain slope down into darkness, “Ugh, it’s pitch black down there. I can’t see anywhere a creature could have climbed up here from.”

“Well, there has to be a spot somewhere.” Survival squinted at the inky blackness, “Otherwise, we got nothing.”

“Hey, I just had a thought!" Caboose suddenly exclaimed.

"It's a miracle." Fury deadpanned.

"What if Chakra is still alive?" Caboose suggested.

"Beg your pardon?" Fletcher frowned.

“Hear me out. Ponies have survived falling long distances, right?” Caboose started, “I mean, I fell out of a clock tower, Black fell off a cliff, and Shade’s thief friends got shot off the same cliff, and we’re all still kicking! What if Chakra survived falling off this viewpoint? And he’s the one sending those letters?”

“...That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Fury growled, “Even if there’s a chance some guy could survive such a fall, why would Chakra be threatening his own monastery?”

“I don’t know, maybe it’s a Mr. Miyoki kind of training?” Caboose suggested, “Instead of waxing things on and off, it’s him disturbing the monks by bucking a turkey.”

“I’m not too sure about that, Caboose.” Survival frowned, “But as it stands, we won’t know for sure unless we can find some way to see further below this viewpoint.”

"...I got an idea." Caboose grinned at Fury.

"What are you-?" Fury grimaced, not liking the look on Caboose's face.

“You and me, Fury.” Caboose smiled, “Just give me a lift, and we can glide down the side of the mountain together!”

"What are you, nuts?" Fury growled, “I just mentioned that this place is way too windy to be flying anywhere! Having dead weight on my back is not going to help things!”

“But you won’t have dead weight! You’ll have me, Caboose!” Caboose leapt on Fury’s back, much to his shock. “Come on, we are clear for flight!"

“Hey, get off me, you idiot!” Fury struggled in vain to dislodge Caboose.

“Caboose, Fury is right, flying might not be the best idea!” Fletcher tried to defuse the situation.

“Yeah, I’m sure we’ll find a better way.” Survival added.

"Better than this? No way!" Caboose insisted.

“I said, get off!” Fury spread his wings in an attempt to throw off Caboose's balance.

Instead, the strong winds caught them, dragging the irate griffon and his passenger.

“Whoa!” Caboose gasped.

“Oh, flap! Flap!” Fury cursed, trying to close his wings.

But it was too late. The winds pulled the two towards the railing of the viewpoint, sending the two tumbling over the edge.

"Ahhh!" The two yelped, as they vanished beneath the edge.

"Fury!" Survival gasped.

"Caboose!" Fletcher yelled.

The two rushed and looked down into the blackness once more.

“Oh Faust… I don’t see them!” Survival panicked.

“Caboose! Fury!” Fletcher called down, “Where are you?! Respond!”

For one terrible moment there was silence (save for the winds still blowing). Fletcher and Survival feared the worst… until…

“We’re okay!” Caboose’s voice suddenly called out.

“You idiot!” Fury roared.

A dull thud suddenly filled the air.

"Less okay!" Caboose groaned.

Survival and Fletcher leaned as low as they could, pointing flashlights in the direction they heard the voices of their comrades. Sure enough, they located the two on a ledge a ways below.

"Oh, thank Faust you're okay!" Fletcher sighed with relief.

"No thanks to this dumbass." Fury scowled.

"Dumbass?" Caboose pouted (a bruise on his cheek). "I was right, wasn't I?"

“Right about what?” Fury challenged.

“We just fell off a cliff and we’re okay. That means Chakra could survive just as easily.” Caboose smirked.

“Hey! You guys should hold tight! Me and Fletcher will get some rope!” Survival yelled down to them.

“No need! I got ya covered!” Fury responded, as his eyes wisped, “Blackjack Technique Go!”

Using his Nightcrawler ability, Fury lifted his talons as a salvo of spears fired forth, peppering the slope up to the viewpoint with spears, forming a staircase.

“Whoa.” Survival gasped, amazed.

"Good thinking, Fury." Fletcher smiled. "We'll be right there!"

The two quickly climbed down the makeshift staircase, and reached the ledge.

“Okay, so we found our ledge. Now what?” Fury asked.

"Now we see where this ledge goes." Fletcher declared.

They followed the ledge around a corner, to a part of the peak out in the open (yet free of wind), and found a cave.

"Look at that." Caboose smiled. "Maybe Chakra went in there."

“Are you still thinking Chakra might be alive?” Survival frowned, “I don’t mean to poke holes in your theory, but Chakra’s supposed death was years ago. If he had managed to survive, why hadn’t he returned to the monastery to tell everyone he’s okay?”

“That’s assuming he even survived the fall.” Fury growled, as he rubbed his sore back, “I was lucky not to break my neck back there…”

"Well, since we're here, we may as well investigate this cave." Fletcher directed. "Our letter sender may yet be within..."

"But aren't the monks going to miss us if we're down here too long?" Survival frowned, “Mantra is already looking for the door to kick us out.”

"We have no other leads." Fletcher reminded him. "Our best chance is to hope we come across something in this cave. Anything."

"Besides, I wanna rub it in that clown's face when we find this letter guy." Fury smirked.

"Yeah, let's go exploring!" Caboose smiled.

"...Okay, let's do it." Survival nodded.

"Then it's agreed." Fletcher smiled. "Into the unknown it is..."

The group walked into the cave, unknowingly passing a small patch of flowers near by the entrance.

"Nothing so far..." Survival noted, pointing his flashlight around.

"Patience." Fletcher smiled. "We've only just gotten in."

"I know, but this could be our first real lead." Survival pointed out. "The key to starting to unravel this mystery..."

"I didn't know you could use a key to unravel something." Caboose said obliviously.

"No, it's a figure of- never mind..." Survival sighed. "Let's just keep moving."

"Aye-aye, keymaster." Caboose grinned.

"Wait." Fury suddenly stopped.

"What is it?" Fletcher asked.

"I just got a bad feeling..." Fury frowned.

Suddenly, a boulder dropped down in front in the cave hole, trapping them inside.

“What the flap?!” Fury gasped.

"Oh, no!" Fletcher yelped.

"We're trapped!" Survival gasped.

"Ooh, cliffhanger!" Caboose smiled.

Tunnel Visions

Far from the monastery, the pigeon sent out by the mysterious figure soared through the sky, single-mindedly focused on its mission. Eventually, it arrived at one of the Forefather's distant outposts, which was bustling with activity; agents moved about, storing and transferring several black market items and similarly ill-gotten gains.

As the pigeon flew toward the assembled agents, one group was moving some crates full of smuggled crossbow bolts over to a warehouse.

"More lifting, more carrying..." One groaned. "Don't know about you guys, but I didn't join this outfit to be a gofer."

"Try telling the bosses that." Another agent scoffed.

"I wouldn't." A third retorted. "I've heard all sorts of stories about what they do to agents who step out of line..."

"Those are just horror stories to keep us all walking." The first agent sneered dismissively.

"Well, I for one, am not keen on finding out for sure." The second agent shuddered. "So I'll just do my job without complaints, thank you very much."

"Me too." The third agent agreed.

"Wimps..." The first growled derisively.

At that point, the pigeon descended upon them.

"Whoa!" The second agent yelped. "Who let in the feathered rat?"

"Get rid of it!" The first agent demanded, waving his hooves at the pigeon in an attempt to shoo it away. "Do you even know what kind of diseases those things can carry?"

"Hold up." The third agent declared, as the pigeon perched on his hoof. "I think it's a messenger pigeon."

“Messenger pigeon? But we don’t even use pigeons.” The second agent frowned.

“Something tells me this ain’t from the home base.” The third agent grimaced, as he removed the scroll from the pigeon's leg. "Let's see what we've got here..."

The agent began reading the letter. The pigeon, having delivered its message, took off, going back the way it came.

“‘Dear Borefathers’… okay, starting off with an insult, that’s promising.” The agent rolled his eyes sarcastically, “‘I am writing this letter to inform you all of your imminent demise’...”

“Whoa now!” The first agent gasped, “Is that a death threat?!”

“Who would even have the balls?” The second agent mused.

“Well, let’s see…” The third agent declared, as he continued reading, “‘In case you’re wondering why you’re receiving this letter, it’s simple. I hate you guys. That much is certain, I hate you guys with every tired muscle in my ‘saintly’ body. And like that guy from the book about screaming without a mouth (Barley Ellisorghum, by the way, look it up), I will tell you how much I’ve come to hate you from the moment I heard about you guys…’” The third agent recoiled in shock, “Oh, man…”

“What, what does it say?” The first agent looked at the letter.

“It couldn’t possibly be that-” The second agent joined him.

Soon, the two agents shared the unnerved look of the third agent, unnerved by the colorful language on the paper.

“‘Opinion of you is lower than a Tatzlwurm’s belly’... ‘Your organization is full of steaming piles of’-ugh!” The second agent couldn’t finish the sentence.

“Lauren Almighty, how long does this go on for?” The first agent glanced at the notably long letter.

“I don’t know, I’m still trying to read through all of it.” The third agent grimaced.

“What the hell is wrong with this guy? It’s one thing to send the Forefathers a death threat… but to say all those things…” The first agent cringed.

"How could they even think of writing something like that?" The second grimaced. "...And how could we even do that? It's physically impossible!"

“This goes beyond hate mail.” The third agent frowned, “This writing’s one thing, but did this guy and the pigeon know about this place?”

“You don’t think the RDL sent it?” The second agent gaped.

“No way, the higher powers wouldn’t let them get away with this…” The first agent shuddered in revulsion, “Depravity.”

“HEY! What’s with all the slacking?!”

The agents turned to see the misty form of Silas approaching them, a scowl on his face. Immediately, a jolt of fear ran through them.

"M-Mr. Necross, sir!" The first agent trembled.

“Bad enough I’m stuck playing errand boy, now I’m out here in this damn hole picking up some rusty old artifact. I mean, what the hell even is an 'ankh'?” Silas ranted, “So out with it, why are you all standing around for?!”

"W-we received a message, sir." The second agent said nervously.

“What? I didn’t see a courier come in.” Silas glanced around.

“It didn’t come in by courier. There was this pigeon. He had this scroll tied to it’s leg.” The third agent explained.

“Pigeon?! Who the hell uses pigeons anymore?!” Silas snapped.

“Well, this one, sir.” The third agent replied.

“Very funny.” Silas snorted, “Well, who sent it?!”

“We’re still trying to find out, sir.” The third agent grimaced.

“And what’s taking so long? Did all of you flunk out of school or something?” Silas sneered.

“Hey-” The first agent snapped but Silas instantly glared at him, cowing him into silence.

“The thing is, the letter is proving rather… ‘hard to read’, to say the least.” The third agent said hesitantly.

“What? What does it say?” Silas demanded.

"I'd... Prefer not to say out loud, sir." The third agent said sheepishly.

"Let me see that!" Silas snatched the letter out of the agent's hooves and started speed reading, “‘Dear Borefathers…. Imminent demise… Tatzlwurm’s belly… pile of…’” He snorted, “Ugh, the audacity of this guy.” He scanned through the rest of the letter quickly. “I'll pin your tongues to the ground like croquet hoops... rip your hearts out with a rusty spoon... riddle you all with crossbow bolts until you look like a selection of cheeses... like a Faust damn pig!’”

The three agents shared looks of discomfort. Silas continued through the letter:

‘Now, I’m sure by now, I got you all very pissed. If the lot of you have taken offense from my declaration of hatred, allow me to give you my address so we can duke it out. Three hundred miles north-west from your location, you will find atop a mountain a monastery belonging to the Wise Lotus, guardians of the Fountain of Eternal Wisdom. In case your dumb asses can’t put it together, it’s a decorative reservoir used for discharging water, water that makes you ‘infinitely smarter’. Maybe after I kick all your asses, I’ll take a dip in it so I can learn more ways to buck you guys, physically, mentally, and emotionally. I will await your arrival with anticipation… and carriages full of body bags.

Sincerely,

Master Mantra

P.S. Just in case you didn’t catch it the first two times: I hate you guys. I hate you so very, very much.’

Silas lowered the letter, his expression unreadable.

“Mantra? Do any of us even know a ‘Mantra’?” The first agent glanced at his fellow agents.

“I don’t think so.” The third agent shook his head, “And what’s this about a fountain? Wise Lotus?”

“I don’t know, but whatever’s going on, they clearly have a beef with us.” The second agent frowned, “What exactly is the Forefathers’ protocol for handling stuff like this?”

“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it?”

The agents glanced back at Silas, whose face twisted into a nightmarish glee.

“This ‘Mantra’ has thrown down his gauntlet… among other things.” Silas explained, adding the last bit with a bit of spite, “It would be rude to decline such an invitation.”

“...Sir?” The first agent asked, not following.

“I say we go to this mountain and pay Mantra and his Wise Lotus a visit.” Silas declared, “And by ‘visit’, I mean a beating. And by ‘beating’, I mean total annihilation. Once we deal with them, we’ll take the monastery and this ‘fountain’ for ourselves. If this fountain’s the real deal, then such a gift would surely convince Father and those fools to bequeath me my rightful place in the Ouroboros hierarchy, if not more! I shall not let this golden opportunity pass!”

The agents shared an awkward look of confusion.

“Get the word out.” Silas suddenly announced, “Ready the airship for deployment. We’re to leave for the monastery effectively immediately!”

“Sir?!” The third agent asked, shocked.

“I’m sorry, did I stutter?” Silas said coldly.

“But Mr. N-Necross, sir, you’re not authorized to give such a command.” The second agent nervously pointed out, “Only Father and the Ouroboros can do so. To go on an unsanctioned mission, without debriefing them, is against their tenants and is sanctions for-”

“I don’t recall asking for your opinion!" Silas snarled. "I am not going to waste my life away in mediocrity any longer. We’re doing this, so do as I say, or else!" Shadows flared around him, terrifying the agents.

"Bu-but-" The third agent quivered.

"But what?!" Silas growled.

"The ship, it... it needs refueling and resupplying." The first agent cringed. "It won't be ready for a few more hours."

“Oh for crying out- fine, FINE!” Silas spat begrudgingly, “We’ll wait till the ship is ready. But once it is, we are departing and taking that Mantra asshole down and his fountain! And I do not want to hear any excuses or belly-aching! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!”

"Yes, sir!" The agents fearfully.

"Good." Silas nodded. "Now, as I said before, get to work!"

"Yes, sir!" The agents repeated.

As the agents set about their work, Silas chuckled darkly to himself.

"Let's see Father and his sycophants deny me my due after this." He gloated. "When I bring them this fountain of knowledge, they'll finally be smart enough to see that I deserve to stand amongst them!"

Silas cackled madly. The nearby agents tried their best not to look too unnerved by this display, preferring not to rouse the ire of their "secret weapon".

Meanwhile...

Fletcher and the others found themselves trapped, the boulder which had rolled over the cave entrance blocking it completely.

"You gotta be kiddin' me!" Fury growled, pushing uselessly against the boulder. "We're stuck down here!"

"How could this have happened?" Fletcher asked.

"A big boulder rolled over and blocked the entrance." Caboose shrugged. "I thought that was obvious."

"But not by accident." Survival declared. "That boulder was too round, too coincidentally big enough to block the entrance, to have been the product of a simple random rock slide."

"So you think somecreature dropped it on us?" Fletcher frowned.

"That is a more than distinct possibility." Survival nodded.

"I'll bet it was the monks." Fury narrowed his eyes. "They've probably been waiting for the chance to take us out..."

"They are the most viable suspects." Survival acknowledged.

"More like only suspects." Fury scoffed.

"But even so, I fail to see what possible motive they might have for doing so, let alone why they would do something so drastic." Survival mused. "It's quite a mystery we have on our hooves. I look forward to unraveling it..."

“Right now, our main concern should be to figure out how to get out of there." Fletcher declared. "As well as finding whoever sent the letter."

"So what's the plan, Mon Capitan?" Caboose asked.

"For now, all we can do is continue down the tunnel." Fletcher announced.

"Not like we really have a choice..." Fury shrugged.

"Logically, there must be another way out, somewhere in these caverns." Fletcher noted. "It's finding where that way out is that's the problem."

"Then onward we shall go." Survival smiled.

"Yay..." Fury scowled.

"I knew I should've packed my spelunking gear..." Caboose sighed.

The foursome walked away from the blocked entrance, making their way further into the cavern.

At the same time, some distance away, the mysterious figure was making his way back to where he had his captive contained.

“Well, the time has come.” He called out, “After a hundred and one letters, your stay here is at an end. And as I graciously promised, I’mma break ya loose and return you to your buddies… However, since you’ve been a good boy, I might as well give you a tip off about what’s going to happen to your ‘buddies’...”

No one responded.

“Oh, come on, don’t tell me you’re still mad about the letter. I thought the one about the tongues and the croquet hoops was pretty clever.” The figure scoffed, “Besides, I think I counteracted it with that book reference.”

Still no one responded. The figure felt something was off.

“...You’re already gone, aren’t you?” The figure realized.

The figure raced over to where the prisoner was. The figure’s hood rustled a bit as he took a deep breath… and then saw that the cavern was empty. The cuffs used to hold the prisoner in place were on the floor, next to a sharp piece of stone which had been chipped out of the wall.

“Oh, you clever so-and-so.” The figure growled. “A stone lockpick? Well, that’s just great! Gotta find him before he tips those assholes off!”

The figure rushed off deeper into the cave, hoping to pick up the escaped prisoner's trail.

Some miles above, the Red Rio was back up and running, still flying over and observing the monastery. Currently, Armory was directing the drone to try and spot some trace of the missing agents.

"Where did they go?" Ballista frowned.

“I don’t know. Faust, I didn’t think we were down for that long.” Armory grimaced. “Dammit, Caboose. The moment I see that bucker, I’m tasing his meta-loving flank!”

“Right now, we should focus on finding them before tasing.” Black soothed him, “They couldn’t have gone too far.”

"Cold comfort." Ballista shook his head. "That monastary's like a maze."

"I've gotten through mazes before." Armory claimed, as he resolutely continued guiding the drone's search.

"Let's just hope the others haven't gotten into too much trouble..." Black said optimistically.

"Wait, look over there!" Sterling suddenly pointed.

"What, is it them?" Armory said panickedly.

It wasn't their four friends, but actually Ube and a group of monks, notably leaving the path leading down to the fountain. The monks were visibly tired and moaning in pain, while Ube himself seemed rather happy about something.

“Well, that is the end of that.” Ube declared triumphantly, “Our little problem has been taken of and things will finally go back to normal.”

"Finally." One of the monks mopped his brow, exhausted, “I was sure someone was gonna blow the whistle on us.”

“I just wish we didn’t have to lug that big boulder around.” Another monk groaned, rubbing his back, “Why the hell did we even have that thing?”

“I heard it was supposed to be rolling down the long staircase to ward off invaders.” A monk recalled, “I’m honestly surprised it was just big enough to block that hole.”

“Yeah. And heavy too. I’m gonna be sore for weeks.” Another monk grimaced.

“Quit your bellyaching, all of you. All that matters is we took care of the problem.” Ube glared.

“Yeah, about that… how’d you think Mantra is going to feel once he finds out that we did all this without telling him?” A monk questioned.

“Mantra can kiss my flank." Ube said defiantly. "He was taking too many chances with those clowns. And with Relic. But thanks to me, the circus has finally left town." He gloated pridefully. "Now, one of you go tell the boys downhill that the problem is solved and they won't have to worry anymore."

"I'll go." One of the monks nodded.

"Excellent." Ube grinned. "And while you're doing that, I'll be checking in with Mantra."

"Are you going to tell him?" Another monk asked. "You know, about-?"

"Not just yet." Ube cut him off. "Mantra doesn't need to know unless it's absolutely necessary. And what he doesn't know won't hurt him...."

As Ube and the monks dispersed, the observing group shared a look.

"You heard that, right?" Ballista frowned.

"Yeah." Black said grimly.

"What are the chances the 'clowns' he was talking about are our clowns?" Sterling frowned.

"High enough that we shouldn't dismiss it easily." Armory mused. "We need to keep looking, find the others, just to be sure..."

"They've got to be there somewhere." Black said hopefully. "How many places can there be?"

"Enough that you shouldn't waste time with the pointless chitchat." Ballista said bluntly. "Come on, techboy. Less yap, more flap!"

"Nopony likes a backseat driver, you know..." Sterling pointed out.

"And I don't like not knowing our boys are." Ballista retorted. "So let's get to finding them, already!"

Silently, the Red Rio flew off again, seeking to investigate the area further.

Back in the caverns, Fletcher's group were navigating the winding path as best as they could.

"Geez, this place goes on forever." Fury shook his head.

"Let's hope not." Caboose declared. "We've probably already missed breakfast. I don't wanna miss lunch too..."

"I think we have slightly more pressing concerns right now, Caboose." Fletcher rolled his eyes.

"Tell that to my stomach." Caboose joked.

"Survival, any thoughts on how we should proceed?" Fletcher asked.

Survival didn't answer. He had halted, and was staring off into the darkness, almost as if he could see something there.

"Survival?" Fletcher repeated. "Are you listening to me?"

"Doesn't look like it." Fury snarked.

"We are not alone down here." Survival suddenly announced.

"Of course we're not." Caboose nodded. "There's four of us."

"He meant there's somecreature other than us in these caverns." Fletcher pointed out.

"And you know this... How, exactly?" Fury said skeptically.

"Call it a hunch." Survival declared.

"So we're going by hunches now?" Fury scoffed. "Great..."

"Maybe it's whoever wrote the letter." Fletcher suggested.

"That would be a solid way of advancing the plot." Caboose nodded.

"Which way do you think we should go, Survival?" Fletcher inquired.

Survival glanced around, taking stock of the surroundings.

"...This way." He pointed to a tunnel on the left.

"Another 'hunch', right?" Fury scoffed.

"Something like that." Survival said cryptically. "Now let's get moving..."

Following Survival's lead (grudgingly, in Fury's case), the group continued their journey.

At the same time, the mysterious figure was darting through the caverns, trying to find the escaped prisoner.

“Come on…” The figure stopped at a crossroad in the caverns, with several passageways, as his hood rustled again, “There’s no way he could have gotten this far!” He turned towards one path…

With his mysterious power, his sight darted down the path, seemingly charting it out for the figure, taking note of everything, from turns to jutting rocks to the occasional bat resting on the ceiling. However, to the figure’s dismay, he saw no pony.

“No…” He turned down another path, his power allowing him to see down it, only to find nothing again “No…” He glanced at another path, only for the same result, “Dammit, where are you, you miserable piece of-”

He turned to another path and used his special magic to visually roam down the path… but to his shock, he came across the images of three familiar ponies and a griffon.

“What the… is that…” The figure was taken aback, “Oh no. Oh, BUCK!” He was panicking, stomping around, “What the hell are they doing down there?! They’re supposed to be back up there! Oh, why now is everything going to- buck, buck, BUCK!”

The figure, in his rage, slammed one of his back hooves into the wall, causing the whole cave to shudder slightly.

Elsewhere Survival sensed something in the cavern's stone, and started heading towards the figure’s location.

"This way." He urged, to the other's bemusement.

“Hmm?” The figure used his mysterious ability once more, and realized that the heroes were quickly approaching his location, “Crap! I gotta find that asshole, then I’ll deal with them!”

The figure turned, and retreated down the tunnel he had been moving through.

Further down the caverns, Fletcher's group followed Survival's lead. They found themselves reaching a fork, with tunnels ahead of them.

"Okay, Mr. Hunch." Fury said dismissively. "Got any idea where we go from here?"

Survival looked at the two tunnels, took a deep inhale, and closed his eyes. Seconds later, his eyes snapped open.

"This way." He pointed down one of the tunnels.

"How are you doing this, anyway?" Fury asked.

"I have my ways." Survival answered. "Such as taking note of the wear and tear on the walls and the ground, picking up unusual scents in the air..."

"The one time I forget my aftershave..." Caboose sighed.

"...Not to mention how the dust is less thick in certain areas." Survival continued. "That suggests that these areas have been traversed through far more often than the others have."

"Very clever." Fletcher nodded appreciatively. "I had a feeling your observational skills would come in useful on this mission."

"Happy to be of service." Survival smiled. "We should hurry, before the trail gets cold..."

"Isn't it always cold?" Caboose asked. "We are on a mountain, in the Frozen North, after all..."

"Flap my life..." Fury groaned, exasperated by his colleagues' antics.

The group rushed down the tunnel. At the same time, the mysterious figure stopped in his tracks.

"What the... they're getting closer." He said, growing more agitated. "How are they getting closer?! Time to pick up the pace..."

The figure changed direction, picking up the pace as he did.

Back with Fletcher's group, Survival suddenly stopped.

"Wait." He held up a hoof to halt.

"What is it?" Fletcher asked.

"Do ya got an itch?" Caboose said, completely serious.

"We need to go... This way." Survival pointed down adjacent.

"Any particular reason?" Fury demanded.

"Just a feeling." Survival answered.

"Terrific..." Fury growled, as they changed direction again.

Up ahead, the figure looked back.

“Come on! What bullcrap is this?!” The figure snarled in frustration, “I have to keep moving!” He ran down another tunnel.

Survival stopped again.

"This way!" He ordered, moving down another corner.

"Seriously?!" Fury groaned.

"Boy, so many twists and turns to this story... Literally!" Caboose joked.

As the group weaved through the caverns, the mysterious figure did the same.

"This just isn't my day..." The figure groaned. "Was that a left or a right turn I just took? Lousy caverns all look the same..."

"These caverns are flappin' identical!" Fury scowled. "How can you know where we're going?"

"I just know, okay?" Survival replied.

As they turned another corner, the group found themselves facing the mysterious figure.

“What the hell?!” Fury gaped.

“Ahhhh…” The figure trailed off. ’Dammit, knew I should’ve taken a left turn!’

“Looks like you were right, Survival.” Fletcher nodded, as he approached the figure, “Who are you?”

“Um, ah…” The figure stammered, not sure what to say, before straightening up, “Fine weather today, ain’t it?”

“Um, we’re in a cave.” Survival deadpanned.

“I’m in a cave?!” The figure gaped.

“We’re in a cave?!” Caboose gasped.

“Oh, for the love of-” Fury snapped, “Enough of the bullcrap! I already had to put up with yahoos at the monastery, and I’m at my frickin’ limit! So you’re gonna tell us what we want to know, or I’ll make sure no one finds your body!”

“Oh-ho, lookie here, we got ourselves a badass.” The figure spat, no longer bothering to fake obliviousness, not taking kindly to the griffon’s threat. “I would like to see you lay a talon on me, chicken-puss!”

“Why you-” Fury gritted his beak.

“Wait!” Survival stepped in between them, “We mean you no harm. We came down here looking for answers.”

“Well, you shouldn’t have come down here!” The figure snarled, “I mean, for crying out loud, shouldn’t you be back up there guarding the monastery?!”

“Wait, so you know that we were sent here to protect the Wise Lotus?” Fletcher raised a brow.

“...Buck.” The figure cursed under his breath, as he let out a fake yawn, “Well, ‘bout time for me to be hittin’ the old dusty trail.” The figure began backing away slowly. “So you guys can see your way out, right-”

Fletcher performed a combat roll, cutting off the figure's retreat.

“I’m afraid we can’t let you go just yet.” Fletcher announced firmly.

“Lauren, you’re fast.” The figure gasped, “Look, you really don’t have to do this.”

"You kiddin'?" Fury scoffed. "I've been needin' to hit somecreature the whole time we've been on this stupid rock!’"

“No, seriously, you really don’t want to fight me.” The figure urged, “You guys really should be resting for-”

“Come on, what are you, chicken?!” Caboose taunted.

The figure paused for a moment, as his posture grew rigid.

“You know what, fine. Have it your way.” The figure said airily, with a hint of restrained rage. “But do know I gave you all an out.”

Without warning, the figure grabbed Fletcher by the hoof and flipped him over.

"Ugh!" Fletcher grunted, as he landed hard on the ground, the wind well and truly knocked out of him.

"Ooh, you shouldn't have done that!" Caboose growled.

Caboose threw a punch, which the figure deflected with his own. Undaunted, Caboose threw another punch, and another. Each time, the figure swatted his hooves away.

"Hey, quit it!" Caboose pouted.

"Make me!" The figure chided him.

"Why, I oughta..." Caboose snarled.

The irate agent launched a sidekick. But the mysterious figure caught it with ease.

"Yuh-oh." Caboose cringed.

The figure threw Caboose against the wall.

"Ow..." Caboose groaned as he collapsed on the ground. "Avenge... Me..."

"Who's next?!" The figure challenged.

Fury made to step in, but Survival moved over first.

“Stop! We don't have to fight!" Survival pointed out.

"Speak for yourself." Fury sneered.

“Look, I’m not just down here because I enjoy the scenery.” The figure retorted, “I need you four to march your happy asses back where you came from! I can’t have you running around down here!”

“And why is that?! If you would just calm down, maybe we can talk this out-” Survival urged.

“Only talking I’m doing is with these bad boys.” The figure held up his hooves. “You want answers, hit me with your best shot!”

“Fine. But you asked for it.” Survival gritted his teeth in frustration.

Survival leapt forward, jumping against the wall for added speed. The figure ducked his jump, and retaliated with a leg sweep. Survival leapt over the appendage, and tried to grab the figure's cloak. With speed Survival didn't expect, the figure jabbed his outstretched hoof with a series of pressure point strikes.

"Gah!" Survival yelped, clutching his temporarily useless appendages. "...Pressure point strikes?"

The figure took advantage of Survival's faltering by delivering more jabs to his foe's side, shoulders and neck.

"Urrrgh..." Survival groaned, dropping like so much dead weight.

“Wow. Sorry, but I expected so much more from you guys.” The figure shook his head.

“Why don’t you try me on for size then?!” Fury snarled.

The battle-hungry Griffon produced two of his spears, and lunged at the figure.

“What the-whoa!” The figure evaded his strikes, causing sparks to light up the cave when the blades struck the stone behind him.

"Pretty quick, aren't ya?" Fury sneered. "But are you quicker than this?"

Summoning his powers, Fury created a gust of wind that pushed the figure back against the wall. For the first time, the figure grunted in pain, just barely managing to keep his footing.

“What the-how the hell are you-” The figure’s hood rustled, as he saw the blue-tinted vision of his opponent. To his surprise, Fury’s image took on a purplish glow, especially around his eyes, “...Holy crap, you’re a Nightcrawler?!”

"Yes, I am." Fury scowled. "Got a problem with that?"

“Buck no! This is awesome!” The figure cheered, much to Fury’s shock, “I always wanted to fight one of you guys! RDL, you guys really delivered!”

“Hey, he’s not the only one who’s strong-” Caboose pouted.

“Stay down, little Timmy, the big boys are talking.” The figure chided, as he stared at Fury, punching his front hooves together, “Oh, I am going to have so much fun now!”

“I don’t know why you’re getting excited. You’re in danger.” Fury sneered.

“We’ll see about that, chicken-face.” The figure taunted.

“Taste the wind, motherbucker!” Fury roared, readying another blast of wind.

“No, taste this!” The figure retorted, as he placed his hooves together.

Before Fury could react, an orb of pure bluish-white energy manifested between his hooves almost instantaneously.

"What the flap-?" Fury gaped.

The figure swung his hooves, launching the orb right across the cave. It struck Fury in the chest, resulting in an explosion of light that sent Fury flying against the cave wall.

"Ugh!" Fury grunted, feeling like he had just taken a sledgehammer to the chest, “Mother… flapper!”

The others gaped in shock.

"What was that?!" Fletcher gaped.

"Some kind of secret combo?" Caboose asked. "Or even a cheat code?!"

"I don't believe it..." Survival whispered, having recognized the technique from what he had seen earlier.

“Don’t tell me you’re done already.” The figure told Fury, “That was a slow pitch. Surely a Nightcrawler like you is made of sterner stuff, right?!”

"Shut up! You just got in a lucky shot!" Fury scowled, getting back down from the wall. "You won't be so lucky this time!" With that, he conjured up several spears, all floating at his side.

"Famous last words if I've ever heard them." The figure sneered, as he manifested another orb between his hooves.

The two readied their stances, ready to open fire. But before they could…

"STOP!!" Survival suddenly called out, catching both their attention.

“Oh, what now?!” Fury and the mysterious figure snapped in unison.

“I know who you are!” Survival declared, looking at the cloaked figure, “You’re Aural, aren’t you? Aural Sight?!”

The cloaked figure’s charged orb of aura faded as he looked at Survival.

"You." He looked at the cloaked figure. "You're Aural, aren't you?"

"...How do you know that name?" The figure retorted.

"Show your face, and maybe I'll tell you." Survival demanded, “Enough of the fighting!”

“The hell, Fievel?!” Fury glared, “I was about to own his-”

“Fury.” Fletcher hissed as he got back up, the griffon shutting up, giving a petulant scowl.

The unknown figure glanced at Survival for a moment… before sighing heavily.

“Fine. If it gets you guys out of here faster…”

The figure lifted his hood, revealing the face of a donkey, the head being a dark grey fur with a lighter grey snout, and a black mop of a mane and two long ears on each side. There were a few wrinkles on his face, showing his age, but his most notable attribute was his eyes being shielded by a pair of black spectacles.

“My name is Aural. Aural Sight.” The donkey introduced himself firmly.

"Ooh, a donkey! You don’t see those in MLP fanworks every day!" Caboose called out, still flat on the ground.

Secrets Of The Caverns

Aural and the group entered a stand off, Aural glaring at the newcomers and vice-versa.

“Aural? Isn’t he that other disciple who supposedly disappeared?” Fury asked.

“Yes, possibly dead even.” Fletcher nodded, “But yet here he is.”

“All this time, he’s been down here in this mountain?” Survival mused.

"'Scuse me, mister." Caboose called to Aural, finally back up on his hooves. "Mind telling us what's the deal here?"

“That’s none of your business.” Aural huffed, as he gestured behind them, “I showed ya my face, now get your ass back up there!”

"We're not going anywhere until you answer some of our questions, punk." Fury snarled.

“Sorry, but I have no time for this.” Aural huffed defiantly as he turned to leave, “I got some crap to do. Very important crap.”

"With respect, sir, that is unacceptable." Fletcher stepped in. "We have only a few questions to ask. It won't take too long to answer, so I really must insist." He added firmly.

"Insist away, Mr. Manners." Aural scoffed as he continued past them, not bothering to face him, “Still ain’t saying anything.”

“Hey, hold on!” Fletcher declared as Aural continued onwards.

Aural didn’t get far though as he bumped into a furry chest.

“What the-” Aural grimaced.

“The captain's telling ya to stop, asshole.” Fury snarled, having darted ahead of him, “Now talk!”

“Lauren Faust, what part of ‘I have crap to do’’ did you not get?!” Aural snarled, still not facing him, “How about you guys take a hint?!”

“How about you look directly at us when we’re talking to you?!” Fury roared, clutching the bottom of Aural’s snout, forcing him to look at him.

“How about you remove your talon from my face before I remove it for you?” Aural glared.

"Easy, Fury." Fletcher urged. "Getting anry isn't going to help. Just try and calm down, and we can get through this..."

Fury shifted his glance between Fletcher and Aural. With a gruff sigh, he shoved Aural away.

"You're not worth it, anyway." He told Aural.

"Whatever you say, feathers." Aural growled.

With Aural now nearer to him, Survival got a closer look at his face. He saw that Aural’s glasses had been knocked askew by Fury's shove, providing a view of a small portion of one of Aural's eyes. That view made him realize something...

"Oh..." Survival said awkwardly. "We didn’t realize you were…"

"What?” Aural asked, giving a knowing smirk as he rubbed his chin, “Rugged? Handsome? Well-endowed?"

"...Blind." Survival pointed out.

Aural chuckled sarcastically, as he took off his black glasses, showing his pale eyes. The group was taken aback.

"You know, I always forget that one." He joked.

"You've gotta be kiddin' me!" Fury gaped. "How were we getting pushed around by a blind donkey a few minutes ago?"

"Ooh, maybe he's like that guy in the comics!" Caboose spoke up. "You know, the one in the bright red getup, who's got the heightened hearing and stuff?"

"Oh, please." Aural scoffed, replacing his glasses. "I had that already. What do you think these are for, decoration?" He indicated his long ears. "Besides, I could kick that poser's flank anyday."

"I think we're getting a little off-track here." Fletcher said bluntly. "Mr. Aural, I must respectfully insist that you answer our questions."

"Oh, to Tartarus with your questions!" Aural angrily retorted. "I've got my own problems to deal with. Now, for the last time, you all go back the way you came!"

“Look, Aural, even if we wanted to, we can’t!” Survival declared.

“What are you talking about?” Aural scoffed.

“You see, we came in through the cave that was under where the Fountain was.” Survival explained. Aural lifted a brow, “But once we just barely got in, a massive round boulder just dropped down and blocked us in!”

“What?” Aural gasped, shocked. He glanced away from the group for a moment, hissing in a whisper, “Those son of bitches! That boulder has been in the family for ten generations!”

“I’m sorry, Aural, but we can’t honor your request even if we wanted to.” Survival continued, oblivious to Aural’s whispers, “We are essentially stuck down here with you, and unless you know a way out, it’s going to remain that way.”

Aural took in the information and let out a frustrated growl.

‘Crap, this is bad…’ Aural thought to himself, ‘Those yahoos must be on their way by now. The monastery is going to be sitting ducks if I don’t get these clowns back up there. Not to mention my ‘guest’ is still running around down here. If he gets where he’s going, then everything I’ve set up will be ruined…’

“Um, Aural?” Fletcher frowned, noting his silence.

‘Dammit, I guess there’s no way around it.’ Aural grunted, having weighed his options.

Letting out a defeated sigh, Aural turned back to the group.

“Okay, follow me." He said grudgingly. "I'll take you to the nearest exit around these parts."

“You will?” Fletcher raised a brow.

“Yeah, I can’t have you guys down here when you should be up there.” Aural sighed, “But I suggest we get a move on.”

"...Thank you." Survival smiled.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Fury suddenly spoke up. "It was bad enough when we were following Survival's hunches, but I absolutely refuse to follow a blind donkey!"

“Look, Fury, I have my doubts too.” Fletcher confessed. "But right now, we have no other options. Unless you consider stumbling around in the dark an option..."

"Exactly." Aural nodded. "Now follow me, or get left behind. Simple as that."

"...Ugh, fine." Fury scowled. "Just don't blame me if we get lost."

"Duly noted." Survival nodded.

The group followed Aura's lead (Fury very reluctantly).

"So... why are you living in these caves?" Survival asked.

“Hey, no one said anything about ‘talking’.” Aural scowled, annoyed.

"Relax." Survival urged. "It'll help pass the time. Besides, we have several questions.

"Like how long have you been down here?" Fletcher asked.

"Why does everyone think you're dead?" Fury chipped in with a smirk, enjoying Aural's annoyance.

"Are you a zombie?" Caboose asked, “A ghost? A zombie ghost?”

“Ugh, fine.” Aural gave in, “If you really must know, I’ve been living down here for quite awhile. Lost track of how long to be honest. It's hard to tell when there's no warming sun in these caves..."

"How have you managed to survive all that time down here?" Fletcher asked. "Especially with your, ah..." He trailed off.

"Look, soldier boy, I'm no snowflake." Aural said bluntly. "Just call me as I am: blind. Always was, always will be… but to answer your question, I'm able to get around despite my disability because I have the power of aura to help me."

"Aura? Really?" Survival said, awestruck. "I thought aura was used mostly as a form of self-defense."

"Only for a rookie." Aural scoffed. "Sure, I can use aura to do those flashy, kickass attacks, but aura is like all other forms of magic, with various uses. For example, I can use the power of aura to sense the invisible vibrations that each and every thing gives off, map out my surroundings and show it to me in my mind. That's how I can navigate these tunnels."

"Yeah, right." Fury sneered dismissively. "If you can use your fancy aura like that, then why don't you tell me how many claws I'm holding up?" He challenged, holding up three claws.

"Fury, seriously?" Survival shook his head. "Of all the insensitive-"

"It's okay." Aural smirked. "I'll give it a shot..."

Aural closed his eyes. Shortly after, his ears begin to raise and twitch...

"It's three claws, isn't it?" He answered,

Fury's eyes widened in surprise. Scowling, he lowered one claw.

"Now, it's two." Aural declared, causing Fury's jaw to drop. "Yeah, thought you could cheat me, didn't ya, chicken-puss?"

Fury, incensed, lowered another claw, leaving only still raised.

"Wow, real classy." Aural snickered. "Also, little Timmy got a bat on his flank."

"Who's Timmy?" Caboose frowned. As he looked around, he noticed a little bat on his flank. "Ah! I'm Timmy! Ahhhhh!" He panicked.

“That is impressive.” Fletcher mused

"Very impressive." Survival smiled.

“Oh, that’s nothing.” Aural grinned, “I can use my aura to sense things for miles…” He then frowned, “Unfortunately, it’s not without its limitations.”

"Meaning?" Fury scowled.

"I can only use it when I'm concentrating. Really concentrating." Aural pointed out. "And it doesn't exactly help me to read papers or books, or anything that doesn't leave deep indentations on surfaces…”

“Um, what?” Caboose asked, confused.

“I think he means he has trouble reading stuff that are carved on walls and stuff, right?” Survival mused.

“Bingo.” Aural nodded, “Not really something I can use in the middle of the fight unless I get some space. In that case, I have to rely on instinct and my hearing…”

“So this ‘aural sense’ of yours… is that how you knew we were here and from the RDL?" Survival asked. "Because you've been watching from within this mountain?"

"Maybe I was." Aural said cryptically.

"So you've really been down here all this time?" Fletcher asked.

“Yep. It’s not so bad once you get used to it.” Aural shrugged, “It’s good shelter. There’s plenty of vegetation to eat. Water too. And up until now, peace and quiet.”

“But if you’ve been alive all this time, then why haven't you been back to the monastery?" Survival asked. "Surely, the others miss you dearly?"

Aural's expression dampened, then hardened.

"It's complicated." He said bluntly.

Survival wanted to press onwards, but chooses not to, seeing his hurt expression on Aural's face.

"Maybe it's for the best." Fury scoffed. "I mean, have you seen how stupid some of those monks were?"

“Fury…” Survival frowned.

“Come on, something ain’t right with those monks.” Fury protested, “Either being zoned out of their minds or being shady as all get out. Honestly, it looks like this so-called sacred grounds went to crap!”

“Hey!” Aural snarled, turning around, to Fury’s shock, “If I’m going to be leading your asses out of here, I don’t want to hear another word against the monastery! Just because things look off to you doesn’t mean you get to piss over all it!”

“We’re so sorry, Aural.” Fletcher apologized quickly, casting a side glare at Fury, “Fury can be quite insensitive at times… and pardon my Prench, a dick."

“Hey!” Fury snapped.

“Well, consider investing in a muzzle.” Aural huffed, “I may not be living there currently, but that place does mean something to me.”

“Of course it does.” Survival nodded, “...But if you don’t mind me asking… how is it that you have come to the monastery to begin with? Were you looking for enlightenment? Or were you born there? What is your story?”

“Ain’t much to tell, honestly.” Aural calmed down, shaking his head, “I was born unable to see, so I couldn’t even tell you where I came from… or who my parents were for the matter…”

“...You were abandoned?” Fletcher frowned.

“That’s what the others told me growing up.” Aural admitted, “As the story goes, the Wise Lotus found me wailing on the monastery’s doorsteps one wintry night. No parents. No notes. Nothing. I had many theories, but the most likely answer is that they simply didn’t want a kid who couldn’t see. And frankly, I don’t blame them.”

"Seriously?" Caboose gasped. "That is not cool."

“Not cool is right. I’m so sorry, Aural.” Survival grimaced.

“Forget about it.” Aural shrugged, “Looking back on it honestly, I wouldn’t know what to be more offended by: being abandoned, or the fact they climbed all the way up there just to leave a blind baby. I mean, you guys have seen those stairs, right?”

“Well aware.” Fury hissed, still agitated.

“Either way, the monks took me in and raised me like I was one of their own. And eventually, I was trained in the art of aura and other typical monk bull.” Aural explained, “Not much to write about honestly.”

“I see…” Survival mused.

“But if you don’t mind me asking…” Aural mused, glancing in Survival’s direction, “How did you know my name? I mean, I’d assume I’m not talked about much up there. Considering how they probably think me dead.”

“Well, we didn’t really find out till earlier today.” Survival answered, “There is a young monk up there that speaks highly of you. Relic Mystic. Told me you’re quite a master of the craft.”

“Relic?” Aural repeated, surprised, “So he’s still around? Is he alright?”

“Um, he’s fine, actually.” Survival explained, a bit perplexed by the reaction, “Why wouldn’t he be?”

“...No reason.” Aural shook his head, though relief was clear in his voice. “He’s a good kid. Didn’t think he would still think of me after all this time.”

“It is kind of weird though that Relic was the only one who thought of you.” Caboose mused, “I mean, that Mantra guy was your fellow disciple and he didn’t mention you till Fievel did. Got really mad too.”

“Mantra, eh?” Aural’s voice took on an edge, before scoffing and turning away, “...Why am I not surprised?”

“That is another question we wanted to ask.” Survival mused, “What exactly happened between you and Mantra? Did it have something to do with Chakra’s intentions to name you successor? I can imagine there must be some bad blood for Mantra to consider you pony non grata…”

“I’m afraid that is between me and him.” Aural said gruffly, “And even if it wasn’t, we wasted enough time with these questions. The sooner you guys get back to the monastery, the better.”

“Oh, okay…” Survival frowned.

As the group continued onward, Fletcher silently urged the others to hang back a bit.

"So... what do you think?" Fletcher asked, lowering his voice. "Is it possible that this Aural could be the one sending those letters? I mean, he is the only one in the mountain we’ve seen thus far.”

"Oh, yeah." Fury nodded with a glare. "He's definitely a big enough dick for it."

“I doubt it.” Survival retorted, “In case it wasn’t blatantly obvious, Aural is blind. Even if he could write, the letters were far too neat for a hoofwriting of a blind donkey. And he did say his aural vision can’t help him read any sort of paper.”

"So we're back to square one, then." Fletcher sighed.

"Better than square minus-one." Caboose remarked.

“Hold on, didn’t Survival theorize that the letter sender had a partner?” Fury frowned, “Maybe Aural has a friend down here with him who’s writing the letters.”

“That is plausible.” Fletcher mused, “But what would be his motive? Despite his bluntness, Aural seems rather protective of the monastery. Not sure why he would want to threaten them.” He turned to Survival, “Thoughts, Fievel?”

“Well, all I can say for certain is Aural is hiding something.” Survival mused, “I mean, everypony seems to think he’s gone or dead up at the monastery. It would be one thing if he had faked his death, but if that was the case, why is he still here?”

“Maybe he gets homesick too easily?” Caboose suggested.

“Perhaps… or something, or someone, is keeping him here. And if his insistence to get us back up to the monastery is any indication, the monastery itself must be the key.” Survival mused, “Some of the pieces are there, but I just don’t understand how it all fits together.”

"Let's just stay on alert for now." Fletcher instructed. "We already ascertained how tough Aural is. And considering what little room we have in these tunnels, it would be in our best interests to not pick a fight until we’re on more even footing.”

"Speak for yourself." Fury scowled.

As they progressed further down the tunnel, unbeknownst to the others, Aural have been using his aural sense, using it to seek out his former prisoner, hoping he could find him as he led the others out. He could sense the energies he produced rippling outward, bending and twisting around the winding paths of the caverns, allowing him to know every turn, every rock. Finally, he sensed the escapee, who was running about in a panic.

’There you are, you rat.’ Aural thought disdainfully, ’And if I’m not mistaken, it won’t be long before you get where you’re going. I’ve better hurry…’

Soon after, they reached a split in the tunnel.

"Okay, Mr. tour guide, which way?" Fury demanded.

Aural glanced at the two possible pathways, falling into deep contemplation.

’Okay, if I'm right, the path on the left should be the one that takes us out to near the stairs to the monastery. They’ll be back where they need to be in no time…’ Aural mused… but then he frowned, as he glanced down the other way, ’...However, that guy is getting way too close. Even if I were to hurry things along, I won’t catch him in time before he blows the whistle…’

He gave a glance back at the group, looking at him expectantly.

’...Hmm, what if… instead of sending them back up immediately…’ Aural shook his head, ’No, no, it’s too risky. If things take too long, those other assholes will come and the Wise Lotus will be doomed… unless…’

He used his aural sense to gaze down the left path and the outside of the mountain, checking to see if there was anycreature glancing in that direction. To his glee, he sensed nothing.

'I've still got time...' He smiled.

“Well? We’re waiting!” Fury growled impatiently.

“Hold your britches, chicken-face. I’m just confirming where we are.” Aural said firmly. He pointed down the path to the right, “This way.”

"You're the boss." Caboose grinned. "No offense, Fletch."

"None taken." Fletcher chuckled.

The group followed Aural down the side tunnel, which seemed to take them deeper into the mountain.

"Hmm, are you sure we're going the right way?" Fletcher asked.

"Relax." Aural said irritably. "This is a short cut. You all will be out of here and out of my mane in no time."

“Oof, a shortcut?” Caboose grimaced, “I don’t like the sound of that. Shortcuts always get everypony killed in horror movies.”

"This might not be the case." Survival retorted. "I'm sure Aural knows where he's going."

"Seriously?" Fury scoffed. "You're ready to trust somecreature you've only known for about an hour?"

"Not exactly." Survival replied. "But I'm good at reading others. Let's face it, if Aural really wanted us dead, he wouldn't bother with leading us around. He'd have left us to get lost in these tunnels, or worse yet, kill us outright. But from the looks of things, he’s more focused on getting us back up the mountain and back to the monastery.”

"But for what reason?" Fletcher asked. "What does he stand to gain from us being in the monastery? Is he expecting something to happen to the monks?”

"That, I don't know." Survival admitted. "But for now, I say we don't question it. Let's just be grateful that we've found somecreature who can lead us out of here."

"Says you. I still don’t trust him." Fury scowled.

"Come on." Fletcher urged. "Let's not fall behind."

"Yeah, better to fall ahead, instead." Caboose grinned.

On that odd statement. the group continued to follow Aural.

Meanwhile...

Outside and above the mountain the Red Rio was following Ube, who was currently making the rounds, talking with and inspecting his fellow monks.

"No new suspicious activity yet." Armory noted.

"After that little display earlier, I get the feeling it's only a matter of time." Black mused. "What do you think, Ballista?"

Ballista didn't reply. He was seemingly lost in thought.

"Ballista?" Black asked again.

"Hmm?" Ballista snapped out of his reverie. "Oh, sorry."

"Something wrong?" Sterling asked. "You've been oddly quiet for a while."

"It's this Ube guy." Ballista frowned. "I don't know why, but I can't shake the feeling that I've seen him somewhere before."

"I wasn't aware you'd been to many monasteries in your life." Black joked, “I mean, you do have the bald head for it.”

“Haw-haw, very funny.” Ballista deadpanned, “But there is something off about that pony.”

"Maybe he just has one of those faces?" Sterling suggested.

"Maybe." Ballista nodded, unconvinced. "But it still seems like he knows something about what's going on over there. So we should still keep tabs on him."

"You got it, chief." Armory nodded solemnly, having learned to trust Ballista's instincts long ago.

Back in the caverns...

The group's trek through the darkness was suddenly illuminated by a light in the distance.

"You see that?" Fletcher asked.

"Sure do." Fury grinned. "Looks like we made it!"

"I never doubted you for a second, Aural." Survival smiled.

“Whoa, hold on a minute.” Aural gaped, “Don’t rush off-”

"Head toward the light!" Caboose yelled, as the quartet raced ahead.

The group expected to run into sunlight... but rather than feeling the cold and fresh air of the outdoors, they instead found themselves in a spacious cavern with multiple lights and torches hanging from the ceiling. Within the cavern, there seemed to be some sort of activity going around, as a bunch of shady looking ponies of all breeds were going about.

Some were moving packages and crates around the cavern, others were working at makeshift tables, mashing their hooves into bowls. The group couldn't make out much from a distance, but it looked as if they were mixing something that left their gloved hooves a distinctive bluish green. When the mixing was done, the bowls were then moved to some other ponies, who inspected the substance within. Once the inspection was complete, the subtances were placed into plastic packaging.

Catching their attention most of all was the ponies going to a large pond at the far end of the room, scooping up its content with buckets and pails and taking it to the desks with the bowls, which then they pour the water into the bowls, the ponies there still mashing as they did so.

"What the..." Fletcher frowned.

"What the flap is all this?" Fury gaped.

"That light was very unsatisfying..." Caboose pouted.

"Aural, would you telling us what all this is?" Survival asked.

"I... couldn't tell you." Aural replied. "Maybe I was just mistaken. Even with my aural sense, everything looks the same down here."

"What is going on here?" Fury narrowed his eyes at all the activity.

"I get the feeling it's nothing right." Survival frowned.

"Only one way to find out..." Fletcher mused.

"Ask politely?" Caboose suggested.

Fury retorted by grabbing Caboose and dragging him along with the others as they hid behind a large stack of plastic packaging.

"What is all this?" Fletcher picked up one of the packages.

"Let me check."Caboose took the package from Fletcher. He opened it up to reveal a greenish powder, and tapped his hoof in it.

“Whoa, are we sure it isn’t poisonous?” Survival whispered nervously.

“If it is, a smidge of the stuff shouldn’t be enough to kill you.” Fletcher reassured him. “Go on, Caboose.”

“Thanks, pal.” Caboose smirked, as he licked the tip of his hoof that touched the powder. He clicked his tongue, as if savoring the taste.

"...Well?" Fury asked impatiently.

“Yup, no doubt about it.” Caboose handed the package back to Fletcher, “That’s 100% pure Jade Jape right there.”

“Jade Jape?” Survival gaped, “You mean the designer drug?”

“The stuff that can get you messed up for days if you take enough of it?" Fury asked. The others looked at him. "From what I've heard..." He said awkwardly.

“Oh yeah, that’s the one.” Caboose nodded, “Me and my bros busted a few of these Jade Jape rings back in the day. This stuff is notoriously hard to make. I mean, the way you make it is no different from other recreational stuff like Chirpy Cheese powder, but Jade Jape requires a type of ivy so rare, that the stuff can run up to half a hundred thousand a pound!”

“Wait, Fifty thousand bits?!” Fury gaped, glancing at the stack they’re hiding behind, “But there gotta be thousands of pounds here right now!”

“Yes, and as you said, Fury, this stuff is dangerous. We had a few creatures come through Brightdale that got their hooves on this stuff.” Survival frowned, “It drove them mad, unable to discern reality from fiction, going on about stuff that wasn’t really there. All that, just in the pursuit of a high.”

“Lauren Faust.” Aural grimaced, as he then whispered, “I knew this stuff was bad but…”

“Well, that is why when me and my brothers bust the rings, we burnt it all.” Caboose nodded.

“Then this must be a drug den of some kind.” Fletcher grimaced, “Specifically designed for producing Jade Jape.”

“A drug den? Here of all places?!” Survival gasped.

“Oh yeah, and from how efficient they are, they’ve been doing this a while.” Caboose observed the workers, “Rather impressive actually. That’s good work ethics there.”

“But this raises some concerning questions: how long have they been here?” Fletcher mused, “And how have they gone undetected for so long? There’s no way Mantra or the Wise Lotus wouldn’t have noticed something like this happening underneath their hooves.”

“Yeah, you would think…” Aural scoffed.

“What do you think, Aural?” Fury glared at him, “You wouldn’t happen to have known about this, would you?”

“What? No!” Aural growled, notably offended, “I had no idea!”

“Really?” Survival frowned, “Because I figured with your aural senses, you would have happened upon this ages ago…”

“Hey, just because I can see all over this mountain doesn’t mean I constantly check every nook and cranny!” Aural scoffed, “I ain’t the mountain’s keeper, y’know.”

“Let’s try and get a closer look at things. But keep your heads down.” Fletcher declared, staring at Aural, “Including you, Aural. We are currently outnumbered here.”

“Not a big deal for me, but whatever…” Aural muttered.

The group sneaked around the area, sticking to the shadows and making as little noise as possible, before coming to a stop behind another pallet of drugs.

“Hold up.” Fletcher held up a hoof, “Get a look at this pony.”

Fletcher gestured to a burly Earth Pony stallion, who was perched on a makeshift platform, overlooking the processes, as he began barking out orders.

“Come on, move it!” He yelled, “We needed this shipped out hours ago! If any of you wanna get paid, hurry the hell up! I won’t be the reason the guys uphill get all pissed at us!”

“Uphill?” Fletcher repeated, “...Are they referring to their superiors?”

“I don’t know.” Survival murmured, “The way he phrased it makes it sound more literal.”

“But the only ponies uphill are the monks.” Caboose remarked, “...Although, given their bald heads, they can all pass for Heisenberg…”

“What the hell is going on? First death threats, then zoned out and/or tweeky monks, then a boulder being dropped on us…” Fury ranted, “And now we’re in a drug den in a middle of a mountain. What’s next, a screaming lunatic?”

On cue, there was a shrill scream.

“Wow. You’re on point, Fury.” Caboose smiled. Fury groaned in annoyance.

“What the hell was that?” The drug den head growled.

Running into the cave, none other than Aural’s prisoner came stumbling in.

"Gahhh!" He wheezed, still running in a panic.

The prisoner collided into several of the other workers, ricocheting across the cavern like a walking pinball.

"Hey!" One yelped.

"Watch it!" Another snarled.

The prisoner, still lost in his mad panic, crashed into a stallion who was carrying one of the bowls, causing them both to collapse on the cavern floor.

“What’s this now…” Survival frowned.

“Oh, boy…” Aural grimaced to himself.

“What is the meaning of this?!” The head of the operation roared, “You think you can just ditch work and then coming rushing in, screaming like a mad-”

He paused, immediately taking in the pony’s disheveled appearance… and lighting up in recognition.

“Oh my Faust, Narco?!” The drug head gaped.

“Crack!” The prisoner, named Narco, wheezed, as he got up, “Oh Faust be praised, I finally found you guys!”

“Narco? Isn’t he one of us?” A nearby drug mixer repeated.

“I think so. But I hadn’t seen him in months.” A pail carrier mused.

“Where the hell you’ve been?” Crack grimaced, “And why do you look terrible?!”

“Oh, gee, I don’t know, it might have to do with the fact that I was held against my will in this very mountain for over a year, eating nothing but grubs and scraps!” Narco snarled, “For Faust’s sake, Crack, I’ve been pushing product for you for over a decade! Didn’t you or anypony in this cave notice that I was gone?!”

Crack and his fellow drug makers shared awkward glances.

“I just assumed you got yourself lost in these caves.” Crack admitted, “I figured when you didn’t turn up for two weeks, that you died.”

“What?! No one gathered for a search party? Or even looked for me?!” Narco hissed.

“Hey, we weren’t gonna risk getting ourselves lost.” A female Pegasus sneered.

“Yeah, besides, we’ve been swamped, making these Japes!” A male Unicorn growled, “You have any idea what stress we’ve been under?!”

“Stress?!” Narco repeated, definite outrage in his voice, “You wanna talk about stress?! I was being held captive by a madpony, and he made me write the most horrid things!”

“What are you talking about?!” Crack blanched.

“I’m talking about letters, man!” Narco roared, eyes mad with fear, “He told me to write about awful stuff like feeding somepony their own hooves, weaving skin into carpets, even..." He shuddered. "...bucking the fear turkey!”

“Letters… turkey…” Crack murmured, before growing a snarl, “Wait… those death threats the guys uphill been getting. They were from you?!”

“I had no choice!” Narco wailed defensively, “It was that mad ass! He made me write them! He said he was gonna kill me if I didn’t! Oh, Crack, I was so scared!”

Narco buried his head into Crack’s chest as he cried. The boss looked less then comfortable with the situation.

Fletcher and the others had been observing the altercation from their hiding place, but were too far away to pick up the entirety of the dialogue.

“Just what is happening right now?” Fletcher frowned, “Who is that pony who ran in?”

“I don’t know, but look at him.” Survival pointed to Narco’s attire, “It looks like he has been down here for a while.”

"I know." Caboose scoffed. "Hasn't he ever heard of Neighman Marcus?"

“But how could he be like that when these guys are clearly doin’ fine?” Fury wondered, “And what is that guy even going on about?”

“I can’t really tell for sure.” Survival frowned, “I can barely pick up a word… we need to get closer.”

Aural's jaw set in a grimace. His enhanced senses had allowed him to pick up every word of the conversation. And he wasn't ready to let his former prisoner spill the beans to anypony else. He sidled over to Caboose.

"Hey, Little Timmy." He whispered. "Don't look now, but you got another bat on your flank.”

“Yeah, so?” Caboose whispered back, not paying him any heed as he watched Narco cry some more.

“Well, my senses tell me that there’s something off about it. There’s something around its’ mouth.” Aural explained. Caboose’s expression grew pale, “It looks kinda frothy. I mean, I don’t wanna alarm you, but either he just had a cup of ‘jo or it has-”

“RAAA-BBBBBIES!” Caboose screamed in abject terror, bucking around, “AHHHHH! GETITOFF! GETITOFF!”

In his panic, Caboose fired magic beams from his horn in all directions.

"Caboose!" Fletcher yelped.

"Whoa!" Survival narrowly ducked under one blast.

Caboose's beams tore through anything they hit; they cut through tables, blew up entire stacks of Jape, and even struck an unlucky worker on the side, giving him a painful burn.

"YEOOOW!!" The worker screamed.

“What the hell?!” Crack gasped, pushing Narco off him.

"Caboose!" Fletcher grabbed his friend. "Easy, easy! Just relax! You're okay... You're okay..."

“Huh… huh…” Caboose whimpered.

"Are you nuts?!" Fury roared at Caboose. "Not only did you just blow our cover, you nearly brought the whole cave down! What is your malfunction?!"

“I was scared!” Caboose cried, “Aural told me a rabid bat was on my back and I didn’t wanna go the way of Old Yeller! Tell him, Aural!”

Aural didn’t answer at first. Due to his aural senses, he saw the carnage Caboose had wrought, having not expected such a display of destructive power.

"Is this true, Aural?" Fletcher demanded. "Did you tell Caboose he had a rabid bat on him?"

“W-well, it’s not there anymore.” Aural lied, a bit shaken, “Lauren Faust, I was just trying to warn him. I didn’t think he would go nuts!”

“You told him a bat with rabies was on him! How else did you think he was gonna react?!” Fury snarled.

“Um, guys, I think we might be in trouble.” Survival said nervously.

The entirety of the workforce were glaring murderously at the group, clearly not happy at the intrusion.

“Just what do we have here…” Crack glared sinisterly.

“This… is not going to end well.” Fletcher frowned.

From Bad To Worse

Crack and his followers glared at the intruding group. The group showed varied expressions, with Survival worried, Fury annoyed, Aural shocked (mostly by Caboose’s destructive power display), Caboose sheepish, and Fletcher putting on a brave face.

“Okay, who the hell are you lot?” Crack demanded.

“I’m afraid we’ll be the ones asking the questions here.” Fletcher glared, an authoritative edge to his voice. He knew the situation they were in was not ideal, “If I am not mistaken, all of you are manufacturing Jade Jape, a drug that has been banned all across Equestria, correct?”

“What if we are?” Crack glared back, not backing down, “What’s it to ya?”

“Well, surely you must know that manufacturing and distributing an illicit drug is against the law.” Fletcher declared, “With the amounts here, all of you are looking at a hefty prison sentence. That being said, as Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard, as well as an agent of the Royal Defense Legion, I’m placing you all under arrest!”

“Oh, yeah, that’ll win ‘em over.” Fury rolled his eyes.

“I had to say something, shush.” Fletcher whispered harshly back at him without looking.

“Oh-ho, ya getting this, guys?” Crack snorted, as a few of his fellow smugglers chuckled and sneered, “Yeah, ain’t gonna happen, buddy.”

“That wasn’t a suggestion.” Fletcher snarled, “Surrender now or-”

“-Or what?” Crack interrupted, “You don’t seem to grasp your situation here, ‘Captain’. This here mountain is considered sacred grounds. Now, I ain’t some politician or lawmaker, but I can tell ya that we are outside any of your fancy-pants jurisdiction.”

"I didn't know Fancypants was part of the Royal Guard." Caboose frowned in confusion, as he turned to Fletcher. "When did that happen?”

“Not now, Caboose.” Fletcher chided, as he turned back to Crack, “I am well aware of our location. But as you must know, we have been summoned here, courtesy of Master Mantra and the Wise Lotus. What more, the sacred grounds’ laws do not protect trespassers, let alone drug smugglers. So, want to try again?”

The drug smugglers’ sneers faded, as concern grew among them.

“Hey, Crack, these guys wouldn’t happen to be the ones that were called here, right?” A thug frowned.

“Can’t be. The boss said they were dealt with!” Another thug gasped.

“Well, clearly they didn’t do a good job.” One drug maker huffed.

“Shut up!” Crack barked, silencing them, “Even if they think they can arrest us, we got them outnumbered a hundred to five! And no help for miles! If they think they’re stallions enough, they’re welcome to try and take us!”

“He’s right, you know.” Survival murmured, “We’re at a serious disadvantage here.”

“Oh, please, we can take them.” Fury growled. “I eat chumps like these for breakfast.”

“Ooh, is that healthy?” Caboose winced. “Can’t imagine drug dealers make for a healthy diet.”

Aural stared at Caboose, before turning to Fury. “Is he… you know…” He whispered, “A ‘special needs’ pony?”

“No. As much as that would make sense, he is not.” Fury hissed.

“Stand your ground, guys. We’ve been in tougher situations.” Fletcher declared.

A tense stand-off ensued, neither side seemingly out to make the first move, each waiting for the other to try something.

Narco, having not left Crack’s side the whole time, was looking around nervously, not liking the prospect of being dragged into a fight so soon after his escape from captivity. Immediately, his eyes captured the sight of Aural. To his horror, Aural seem to take notice of him.

The donkey gave an evil grin, which went unnoticed by his companions, seemingly delighted to see his former prisoner again.

“Oh, Faust, no!” Narco screamed, surprising everyone. “Kill 'em all! Kill 'em all right now!"

Pandemonium ensued.

"Waste 'em!" Crack roared, taking Narco's sudden, unexplained freakout as reason enough to eliminate the intruders.

"Okay, team, take them!" Fletcher instructed.

Despite being outnumbered, the team gave it their all.

"You made a big mistake coming here, punk!" One Pegasus snarled as he circled Caboose.

"Yeah, I didn't bring my brothers along." Caboose retorted. "They'd give you Jade Jape pedllers a real beatin'. Guess I'll just have to try to do the job myself..."

"Give it your best-urrk!" The Pegasus grunted mid-sentence, as Caboose punched him in the face. He promptly collapsed.

"That's my Sunday best punch!" Caboose grinned. "Hope ya like it!"

At the same time, Fletcher was accosted by a pair of grizzled Earth Pony stallions.

"Two on one." One smirked.

"My kinda fun!" The other added.

"Mine too." Fletcher smiled.

The two stallions charged at Fletcher together. Fletcher responded by catching the punch of the first to strike, and threw him into the other, knocking them both out.

Meanwhile, a half dozen thugs attacked Fury at once.

"Kill the bird-cat!" One spat.

They Diamond Dogpiled the Griffon, seemingly pinning him down... only for a miniature tornado to come into being from under them, sending the whole group flying.

"Didn't expect that from a 'bird-cat', did ya?" Fury smirked.

At the same time, one thuggish Unicorn charged at Survival.

"Hope ya like hoof sandwiches, punk!" He spat.

"Actually, I prefer a vegan diet." Survival shrugged.

"Real funny." The thug sneered. "How's this for a punchline?!"

The thug tried to punch Survival, who narrowly avoided the strike.

"Hold still!" The thug yelled.

"No thanks!" Survival ducked another hit.

"You little..." The thug growled.

The thug kept throwing punches, and Survival kept dodging. Before long, Survival found himself backed up against a wall.

"Gotcha now..." The thug jeered.

Knowing he had no more avenues to evade his opponent, Survival, driven by self-preservation, threw a punch. He wasn't as strong as his enemy, but the sudden move had surprise on its side.

"Ugh!" The thug grunted, dropping to the floor.

"Aw, jeez..." Survival panted, waving his bruised hoof. "How do other ponies do this all the time?"

A yell rang out as a thug crashed into the wall right next to Survival, making a big indent.

“Lauren!” Survival jumped.

“Sorry about that.” Aural declared, trotting slowly on his hind legs as he was choking a thug in a headlock, the pony in question gagging in an almost comedic fashion. “Hard to aim my kicks when choking ponies.”

“You did that?” Survival gaped, glancing at the unconscious thug embedded in the wall. He looked like he was gonna need medical help eventually.

“Oh, yeah. We donkeys are kinda infamous for our kicks. I’m no different.” Aural shrugged, the thug beginning to turn blue. “But enough about me. I couldn’t help but notice you were having trouble there.” Survival frowned at him in confusion. “Aural sense, remember?”

“Trust me, I’m fine.” Survival mopped his brow, a bit embarrassed.

“You sure? I mean, I would think a member of the RDL would not suck at fighting, yet- one moment, this guy is annoying me.” Aural chucked the blue-faced thug at another thug who was approaching him and Survival, knocking them out. “As I was saying: yet here you are… sucking.”

"I'm new at this, okay?!" Survival said testily. "I was merely an attending physician before all this, and even then, I was told there wasn’t going to be any fighting on this mission. They said it was more centered around training."

“Ah, first mission?” Aural said sympathetically. Another thug charged from behind him, but the donkey quickly leapt into the air and elbow-dropped him in an instant. He then returned to his hooves, “Well, sorry to hear that, but you should have known better. Life doesn’t always go to plan. Hell, most of the time, it goes out of its way to buck you over. I mean, look at me. I was born blind to asshole parents who didn’t want me and ditched me on this mountain.”

“Thanks for the tip.” Survival scowled.

“Look, I’m gonna drop some good ol’ ‘Aural’ wisdom on you.” Aural smiled, as a burly Earth Pony thug came in swinging at him. Aural effortlessly caught it and twisted it, the opponent screaming in pain. “If you’re gonna survive in life, you have to stick to your own strengths. Take me for example. I got my martial arts know-how from being a Wise Lotus and-”

Aural charged up an orb of aura in his free front hoof and slammed it into the screaming thug’s face, sending him flying.

“Well, Aura.” Aural finished with a smirk. He then gestured to Fletcher, who was in the midst of a clash with two knife-wielding thugs. “Your captain's got his military training.” He turned to Fury, who was using his Nightcrawler abilities to fling multiple spears, pinning some dealers to the wall. “Cat-butt has dark magic.” He then pointed to Caboose, who was twirling and spinning around like a ballerina, avoiding the attackers of several confused thugs. Aural blanched, “...I honestly don’t know what he has.”

Aural returned to face Survival.

“But the point is, everyone has something that they can rely on to get through life. It’s only a matter of figuring out what that ‘something’ is. What do you have, kid? What’s your strength?” Aural asked.

“Well, I’m good at reading ponies.” Survival answered hesitantly. Aural looked at him expectantly, silently asking for more, as Survival pulled out a combat knife he was given for the mission, “That, and I do know how to use a knife. But I don’t know if that will amount to much.”

“Hey, from that alone, I can tell you’re smart, and you know how to cut a guy.” Aural smiled, “All you gotta do is apply that to everyday situations, like right now. It’s like what they taught me up there: know your enemy, and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles… or something like that.” Aural patted him on the shoulder, “Think on that. Now if you excuse me… YAAARRRHH!!”

Aural let out a battle cry as he charged out towards another group of thugs, who weren’t definitely not expecting a blind donkey to go charging at him like a madpony.

“Hmm, stick to my own strengths…” Survival frowned, as another crook drew near, "Here goes nothing..."

The crook took note of Survival’s knife as he held it up.

"Is that all you've got?" He sneered. "What are ya gonna do, butter my bread?"

"Something like that." Survival assumed what he hoped was an intimidating combat pose.

"This is gonna be easier than I thought..." The crook scoffed, clearly not intimidated in the least.

'Okay, he's clearly not lacking in the confidence department...' Survival thought. 'I can use that against him...'

"I'll bet I don't even need this." Survival faked some bravado as his waved the knife. "You're probably a total wimp."

"Wimp?!" The crook snarled.

"That's right." Survival's eyes flicked from left to right, taking in his surroundings. "I'll bet I could whup you with just one hoof. Make you cry like a newborn foal, too."

"Why, you...!" The crook, his anger at his limit, charged.

Survival dodged his foe's attack at the last second, tripping him as he went by.

"Gahh!" The crook yelped, as he collided with a pile of crates, upon which some sacks of Jade Jape had been tied to. "Ugh..." He groaned, his head aching.

"On second thought, I might need this after all." Survival used his knife to sever the ropes. He then struck the pile of crates, causing them to wobble. The sacks promptly collapsed on top of the crook. "And I wasn't kidding about the 'one hoof' thing either." He waved the hoof he had used to trip the crook.

Survival walked away, feeling quite proud of himself. Then he saw another thug.

'This is starting to get fun...' He smiled.

Across the cavern, Crack confronted Fury.

"You're a long way from the sky, birdy." Crack grinned.

"But never far from smug losers just beggin' for a beatin'." Fury smirked back.

"We'll see who gets beat." Crack drew a machete.

"Yeah, we will." Fury spawned one of his spears.

The two charged at each others, their blades locking in conflict.

"I don't know what you and yer buddies are doin’ down here, but you're not gonna leave here alive!" Crack snarled.

"Promises, promises..." Fury smirked.

Crack kicked Fury in the chest, pushing him back. He tried to capitalize on this by aiming his machete for the Griffon's left talon, but Fury recovered in time to block the attack.

"My turn." Fury smirked.

Fury jabbed Crack in the forehead with the point of his beak.

"Gah!" Crack stumbled back. "You lousy-!"

But Crack didn't get to finish his sentence, as Fury took advantage of foe clutching his wounded forehead to land a haymaker on his jaw.

"Ugh!" The stallion stumbled back. "Now you're gonna get it!"

Crack swung his machete wildly, forcing Fury to back away. But the Griffon was far from finished; Holding both sides of his spear, he blocked the next swing, and followed up by twisting his weapon to one side, sending the machete flying.

"My blade!" Crack yelled.

"You want it? Go get it!" Fury unleashed another burst of wind, sending Crack flying across the cavern.

"Ahhhhh!" Crack yelped as he flew over the battlefield, falling hard on the stone floor.

"Lousy, mangy-feathered..." He scowled, trying to put more distance between himself and Fury.

Suddenly, Narco grabbed him and pulled him aside. In his surprise, Crack almost punched his subordinate in the face.

"What d'ya think yer doin', surprising me like that?!" Crack snarled. "And why aren't you helping to defend our place of business, ya coward?"

"We gotta go, boss!" Narco said panickedly. "Right now!"

"Run away?" Crack scoffed. "Let five misfits drive us away from our lucrative business?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Narco nodded.

"Okay, what is your deal, Narc?!" Crack demanded, “What has you so damn scared?!”

"It's the donkey that's my 'deal'." Narco said, barely able to reign in his trauma. "He was the one who kept me as his prisoner and made me write those letters. Not to mention he’s clobbering our guys like nothing!"

"Seriously?" Crack scoffed dismissively. "The donkey? He's blind!"

"That may be." Narco nodded. "But he also has the power of aura! Look!"

Crack glanced across the cavern, where Aural was being charged by Payload, one of his biggest, toughest flunkies. Aural, using unfeasible agility, leapt over Payload, and struck him with an aura blast from behind before the brawny thug could recover. Payload tumbled to the ground, completely unconscious.

“See?!” Narco cried.

“Aura?” Crack gasped, “Wait a minute, a donkey with aura… that could only be… no, oh no, it can’t be. He said he was dead!”

"Crack?" Narco asked, worried.

"You're right, Narco, we gotta get out of here!" Crack suddenly changed his opinion. "RUN!!" He called out to his underlings. "EVERYPONY FOR THEMSELVES!!"

The thugs and crooks (those who were still conscious, at least) all developed looks of confusion as Crack and Narco ran for the nearest exit.

"Did the boss just run?" One asked.

"He's actually scared?" Another gaped.

"I say we do the same!" A third yelped.

With that, the remainder of Crack's followers began to evacuate the room.

The heroes were also perplexed by Crack's sudden change of heart, but shook it off quickly as they realized their foes were trying to escape (several carrying their fallen comrades, despite Crack's words).

"Don't let them get away!" Fletcher ordered. "Try to round up as many as you can. We need to get to the bottom of this!"

"With pleasure." Fury grinned, ready to pounce on an unsuspecting would-be escapee.

Aural was eager to assist in this part of the operation (hoping he could recapture Narco along the way), but stopped in his tracks as his aura senses detected something approaching the mountain. Something big.

"What is up with you, old timer?" Fury scowled, taking note of Aural's sudden hesitation.

"We have to go." Aural said quietly.

"Come again?" Survival frowned.

"Forget these guys." Aural insisted. "We gotta get back up the mountain, now!"

"Why?" Fletcher asked, his suspicions raised.

"And why do we have to skip mopping up the stragglers?" Fury added. "That's my favorite part!"

"Don't argue with me!" Aural turned and started running toward the cavern they came into the workshop from. "Follow me, now!"

"Ooh, I love follow the leader!" Caboose grinned, as he followed Aural.

"Maybe we should follow him." Survival suggested. "He did seem kind of panicked about something..."

"Seriously?" Fury scoffed. "We have to get after those goons, before they get away!"

"I think Survival may be right." Fletcher mused. "There's definitely something about Aural that feels... off. We can't let him out of our sight. So let's go."

"Fine..." Fury rolled his eyes. "But next time there are goons to be beaten up, I get to take out most of them!"

"Deal." Survival shrugged, still not quite at ease with fullscale combat.

The trio ran out of the room at full speed. They soon caught up with Caboose, who was lagging not far behind Aural.

"Hey guys, what took ya so long?" Caboose smiled good-naturedly.

"We stopped for tea and biscuits." Fury put on a faux-fancy accent.

"Don't suppose you got any left?" Caboose smiled, once again missing Fury's sarcasm.

"Hurry up back there!" Aural called. "This isn't the time for a leisurely jog around the block! Move it!"

"You heard the donkey." Fletcher nodded. "Let's move."

"I'll move some of his teeth right out of his mouth..." Fury muttered under his breath.

The group followed Aural as he seemed to be leading them back the way they came... that is, until they reached the fork in the caverns, and Aural led them down the alternate path.

"Hurry!" He called. "This way!"

While the others followed without questioning it, both Survival and Fury noted the discrepancy.

"...Wait, if this is the way out, then why did he lead us down the other way before?" Survival frowned.

"Probably to get some cheap laughs outta messin' with us." Fury scowled. "Something for which I look forward to paying him back for when all this is over..."

Soon enough, they finally reached the exit. They emerged outside to find it was now early morning. As such, it was easy to see that nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be taking place.

"Looks about the same to me." Fletcher frowned.

"Yeah, everything looks just fine." Survival agreed. "There's nothing here that seems like any kind of dire emergency."

"So why did the old bag get us rushing out here?" Fury snarled, deeply annoyed.

"Maybe he thought we could use the cardio?" Caboose shrugged.

Aural was gazing out into the distance, his expression panicked.

"Okay, Aural, that's enough of the games." Fletcher said humorlessly. "What's going on?"

"Yeah, what's got you so spooked?" Survival asked.

"Something big." Aural briefly glanced at them, then returned to his worried vigil. "Something bad is about to arrive, and we need to get up to the top of the mountain right now."

"Something bad?" Survival frowned. "What does that mean?"

"No time to explain." Aural declared. "We need to get mov-"

"Okay, I've had enough of this!" Fury erupted, stomping towards him.

“Fury!” Fletcher glared.

“Don’t even, Fletch!” Fury snapped, cutting him off, “Everything about this stinks like catfish! From the very moment we met this asshole, he’s been trying to get us back up to the monastery, yet refused to tell us! Yet he apparently had the time to lead us to a drug operation to bust?! He knows something we don’t, and I ain’t budging from this spot that he starts talking!”

“I already told you, there is no time!” Aural roared.

“Then start making some!” Fury demanded, “Or else I’ll-”

Before Fury could finish making his threat, his voice was drowned out by a loud rumbling sound. The group looked up, and watched in shock as an airship flew overhead.

“What the-?!” Fletcher gasped.

“An airship?!” Fury asked.

“Wait…” Survival quickly glanced at the side of it… and his blood went cold, as the familiar eagle sigil with the two Fs was emblazoned for all to see, “Oh no! It’s the Forefathers!”

"You know, for a 'secret organization', those guys sure like putting their logo on everything." Caboose noted.

“But what are they doing here?!” Fury frowned, his anger at Aural forgotten for the moment. His frown turned to a scowl. “Oh hell no, you don’t think they’re the ones who wrote the letters after all?!”

“But that doesn’t add up!” Survival grimaced, “Sending threatening letters so many times only to now act on them? And what about everything else that’s been going on?”

"This is hardly the time to discuss their motives!" Fletcher shook his head.

“Yeah, let’s buckin’ mosey like I told you to!” Aural roared as he began running up the stairs.

"They're" Survival noted. "We have to get up there and face the Forefathers before they can put whatever plan they have in motion!"

"And y'know, move the plot along." Caboose added.

"Okay, fine." Fury scowled. "But I still don't trust that guy..."

The agents followed Aural up the stairs.

Up above, the monks, drawn out of the monastery by the noise, also looked on in horror at their uninvited visitor. To the east, the Red Rio had a clear view of the approaching airship. Back at RDL headquarters, the image was depicted with terrifying clarity to Ballista, Black, Sterling, and Armory.

“Oh no. It can’t be…” Ballista whispered.

“The Forefathers, here?!” Black asked. “Now? But why?”

"They must've found out about the fountain somehow." Armory frowned.

"Look at the size of that thing." Sterling said grimly. "There's got to be a ton of Forefather agents on board. And we still hadn’t found our friends!"

“Let’s not panic.” Ballista soothed everyone, “The Wise Lotus are supposed to be trained for situations like this. Peace-loving or not, surely they can handle a airship full of grunts-”

Right on cue, the ship's hatch opened. The four viewers went silent as they beheld the horrific, wispy visage of Silas. The shadow pony, with a wicked grin, jumped down the ten feet from the ship to the mountainside and landed on the ground, the impact kicking up dust and shadow.

Behind him, several ropes dropped down as Earth Ponies and Unicorn agents rappeled down. The Pegasus ones simply opted to float down.

“...Oh, buck.” Ballista gaped.

“Is that…” Armory whispered.

"Silas." Black said, quiet horror in his voice.

"Faust help us." Sterling whispered. "Faust help them all..."

Meanwhile, Fletcher and company were rushing up the stairs that led to the monastery.

“Hoi… hoi…” Caboose wheezed. “Lauren Faust, would it have killed them to put in an elevator?!”

“Heh, now you know how it feels.” Fury hissed, exhausted, but feeling vindicated.

“Dammit, we'll never make it up there in time!" Survival said breathlessly.

"Maybe not all of us. " Fletcher nodded. "Fury, you fly up ahead. Help the others hold off the uninvited guests for as long as you can!"

“Thought you never ask. Was getting sick of walking anyways.” Fury panted, as he spread his wings. He turned to Caboose. “Need a ride, Napoleon?!”

"Me?" Caboose frowned, “For realsies?!”

“Yeah, for ‘realsies’. Sure as I am that I can take them all, I’m not riskin' it with all those baldies’ lives at stake!” Fury glared. “Plus, if we’re unlucky and Silas is up there with them, I’m gonna need some magic firepower to level his ass!”

"Well, since you put it like that..." Caboose leapt onto Fury's back. "Onwards, to battle, my faithful steed!"

"Don't push your luck!" Fury scowled.

Fury's paws and talons departed from the stone steps, and he and his passengers soared upwards, toward the top of the stairs.

"Good luck, guys!" Survival called. "We'll be there as soon as we can!"

"Just as soon as we run out of stairs..." Fletcher groaned.

“Hoo, yeah, that doofus was right.” Aural sighed, “Really should’ve pushed for that elevator when I had the chance.”

The remaining three galloped up the stone steps as fast as they could, grim expressions on their faces as they drew nearer and nearer to the confrontation that awaited them above.

Home Invasion

It was only a matter till all the agents aboard the airship Silas so disembarked from the airship (in less visually spectacular ways, of course) and flanked Silas in the courtyard, the nearby monks murmuring in fear at the new arrivals.

“Okay, troops.” Silas smiled viciously, “Here’s my order for you all: let’s raid this dump. Round up all these new-age bath towel wearers, and if any try to resist, give ‘em a taste of the real world. And while you’re at it, take everything of value that’s not nailed down, and if it is nailed down, fix that. Is that understood.

The troops looked hesitant, still intimidated by Silas' new power.

“I can’t hear you!” Silas roared.

“YES, SIR!” The troops repeated in a panic.

“Good, now go get ‘em!” Silas ordered.

Immediately, the agents dispersed and scattered, carrying out their orders with gusto. They began barging into every area of the monastery (literally, in some cases; shattering windows, breaking down doors, and destroying walls) and capturing the monks. Since most of the monastery's inhabitants had come to the mountain seeking peace and tranquility, and others still preferred the ways of non-violence, they weren't able to put up much resistance.

"What's going on?" A middle-aged Pegasus stallion yelped, as he was dragged outside. "This was not in the brochure!"

"Don't hurt me!" One younger Unicorn stallion pleaded.

Some of the monks put up no resistance at all; namely, the odd-mannered group the squad had encountered before.

"Hey, thanks for the fun ride!" Walking Phoenix told a trooper as he was carried outside.

At the same time, Fresh Starter was trying fruitlessly trying to stop them from destroying things.

"No, stop!" He called, as one trooper dismissively smashed a glass model of a dove. "There's no need for this!"

"Zip it, ya new age bumpkin!" Another trooper shoved him to one side. "And get out there with the rest!"

"Sometimes, being a pacifist can be a real problem..." Fresh Starter sighed as he reluctantly complied.

However, not all the monks were willing to let themselves be accosted.

"You have no idea what you're doing here." One scowled as he was led out by crossbowpoint. "Or who you're messing with."

"Oh, I think I do." The agent leading him outside sneered.

"You'll live to regret this!" Another monk snarled. "I kid you not!"

"What are ya gonna do, meditate me to death?" Another agent mocked him.

"You think we're defenseless?" A Pegasus mare snarled. "Put down those toys, and we'll show you who's defenseless..."

"Yeah, no." The first agent mocked. "Now keep moving, or we'll let our boss use his freaky shadowy powers to... turn you inside out, or something!"

"Ooh, I'm so scared!" The irate tweeky monk from earlier scoffed.

"You'd better be." The second agent told him.

"You're the one who should be scared, punk." The monk sneered. "I'm gonna put your face through that wall!"

"Wanna bet?" The second agent drew his crossbow, about to shoot him in retaliation. "Go ahead and try, punk."

"Oh, don't think I won't!" The combative monk snarled. "I'm gonna-"

“Stop! We’ll do what you want!” Relic suddenly stepped between them, holding up his hooves, “Just don’t hurt anyone!”

"Say what?" The irate monk protested. "C'mon, I can take these clowns-"

"Silence." Relic cut him off with a look. "Fighting will not help us now."

"What's the matter, pal?" The first agent chuckled. "Too chicken to try your luck?"

“Don’t mistake my actions for cowardice.” Relic glared, “You might have the upper hoof now, but ponies like you never win in the end.”

"I'm fine with winning right now, pally." A third agent retorted, “Now get moving!”

’Dammit, this is bad.’ Relic grimaced, as he and the others were led away, ’Guys… Aural… where are you?’

Meanwhile, Silas was going off on his own, trying to find either the fountain or Mantra.

"Okay then..." He muttered, glancing around. "If I were the boss of this place, where would I keep the keys to my fountain of knowledge? Mmm..."

He stopped at a closed door, examined it for a moment, then blasted it to splinters with a surge of shadow power. He then took a moment to peek inside, finding knowing but cleaning utensils.

"Not there..." He mused. "But wherever he's hiding, I'll find him. It's just a matter of time."

Meanwhile, Ube rushed into Mantra's office, having started running the second he saw Silas leap from the Forefathers' airship and land completely unharmed.

"Ube?" Mantra frowned, surprised at the sudden intrusion. "What are you-?"

"No time!" Ube upturned Mantra's closet and used it to barricade the doors, panic all over his face.

"Hey!" Mantra yelped. "That closet has sentimental value! My gran-gran made it!"

"Then she'd be glad to know it's being put to good use!" Ube said dismissively, grabbing a chair and placing it against the upturned closet to secure up the barricade.

"What is going on here, Ube?" Mantra demanded to know.

"We're being attacked, that's what's going on!" Ube replied.

"Attacked?" Mantra gaped. "By who?"

"It's the Forefathers." Ube replied. "They're raiding the place. Busting down doors, stealing our ancient treasures, rounding everypony up!”

“What?!” Mantra gasped, “But why-”

“I don’t know! One of my guys or a client must have blabbed or-” A thought occurred to Ube in his panic, “Oh, hell, you don’t think they were the ones threatening us all this time with those letters, do you?!”

“I do not know, but it seems fortuitous that we summoned those RDL agents here after all!” Mantra declared. At his word, Ube grew pale. "...But speaking of which, where are they?! I hadn't seen or heard from them all morning! Surely they should be engaging them right now!"

“Yeah… about that…” Ube began awkwardly.

“What? Ube, what are you…” Mantra frowned in confusion, but as he saw the guilty look on his face, his confusion turned to anger, “No… what did you do?! Where are the RDL agents?!”

"You left me no choice!" Ube said defiantly. "They were snooping around the fountain last night! I had to see to it that they stay silent about what they found!"

“So you killed them?!” Mantra snarled.

“Hell no. There was no way we could have taken them!” Ube grunted, “Those fools somehow found one of the caves leading into the mountains, right under where you-know-who bit it. So me and the guys took that big boulder from the gallery and trapped them! As we speak, they are probably lost in those caves, never to be seen again!”

“Let me get this straight.” Mantra seethed, eye twitching, “Not only did you trap the ones who were supposed to protect us, RDL agents mind you, but you took the temple’s sacred boulder that has been a part of the Wise Lotus family for ten generations and dropped it on them?!”

“Hey, don’t turn this one on me!” Ube snarled, “You’re the one who was insistent on those death threats being a prank or some empty words! You even said to them that they were wasting their time!”

“Clearly, that isn't the case anymore!" Mantra pointed out. "I can't believe you went behind my back! I told you to-"

“Buck you!” Ube cut him off, “I have far more to lose right now than you! My associates and my products, worth MILLIONS of bits far exceeds your stupid monks and your stupid precious aura!”

“Well, thanks to you, we both stand to lose all of them!” Mantra scowled, as he got up and moved around the desk, “We must take to arms, now!"

"Oh, hell no!" Ube stepped in front of him. "You didn't see what this one guy looks like! He was made out of some black smoke and scary as all hell!"

"Faust, I knew you were phobic, Ube, but don't you think you're overreact-"

Mantra's rebuke was cut off as the doors (along with the surprisingly ineffective barricade) were blasted open. All eyes fell on the entrance as Silas walked in with a evil grin.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything..." He chuckled.

At the same time, the Forefather agents continued to raid the monastery, some taking more pleasure in their work than others.

"Ooops!" One particularly thuggish Pegasus agent purposefully knocked over a small statue, causing it to shatter to pieces. "Hope ya got insurance!"

Another, a lanky Earth Pony, grabbed a rock as he approached the greenhouse.

"How's that old saying go?" He asked. "Something about ponies with glass houses, and throwing stones?"

The agent flung the stone at one of the house's panes, shattering it.

"Seriously?" A more pragmatic Pegasus stallion scowled. "Stop playing around. We have work to do!"

"Just havin' a little fun, Mr. killjoy." The Pegasus scowled.

"Yeah, back off!" The Earth Pony added petulantly.

"Suit yourselves." The other Pegasus shrugged. "Just don't come crying to me when Silas finds out you've been messing around, not doing your jobs. I'm sure he'll be real forgiving."

The two others glanced at each other fearfully.

"...I think that's enough fun for one day." The Earth Pony cringed.

"Yeah, me too." The Pegasus agreed.

"Good thinking." The pragmatic Pegasus smirked. "Now, get back to taking everything of value."

"Yeah, yeah..." The lanky Earth Pony shook his head. "Maybe they got some rare plants in the treehouse..."

As the agent turned around, he saw a hoof fill his range of vision.

"Ugh!" He grunted, knocked down by the appendage.

"What the-?" The pragmatic Pegasus gaped.

Caboose and Fury stood before them.

“Ow!” Caboose shook his sore hoof, “Your friend here has a very thick skull!”

"Takes one to know one." Fury smirked.

"Huh? I don't know anypony named 'Juan'." Caboose frowned.

“Wait, aren’t those…” The thuggish Pegasus gasped.

“What the hell are you doing here?!” The pragmatic Pegasus gaped.

"What's it look like?" Fury grinned. "Kicking your sorry flanks."

"We have hostiles!" The Pegasus called out, drawing in some other agents. "Kill them!"

"Music to my ears." Fury chuckled, as half a dozen more agents charged over.

"Shall we dance?" Caboose smiled.

The two charged at their attackers, Fury headbutting one and Caboose flipping another. As they proceeded to pummel the others, the Pegasus tried to sneak away.

"You wanna leave?" Fury spotted him. "Then let me help you!"

Fury swung his spear in the pragmatic Pegasus' direction, creating a burst of wind that sent the Pegasus flying into a nearby wall.

"That'll be five Bits." Fury joked.

"Now you're gonna get it!" The thuggish Pegasus lunged forward.

"Get what?" Caboose leapt on the thug's back. "A free ride? I already got one, thanks!"

Caboose slammed both of his front hooves down on the back of the thug's head, knocking him out.

"You just take a nice long rest." Caboose smiled, leaping off the thug's back.

At the same time, Fury knocked out the last agent in the area.

"Not bad, Napoleon." He admitted grudgingly. "But these are just the small fish. We gotta find us the big shark. We take care of that, and it’ll send the rest running."

"So where do we look?" Caboose asked.

The muffled sound of an explosion was heard in the distance.

"I say we follow the trail of destruction." Fury suggested.

"Just like following after my bros on a Saturday night." Caboose chuckled. "Boy, those were fun, crazy times..."

"Remind me never to ask you about your family life, pal." Fury shook his head disparagingly. "Ever."

Meanwhile, back at RDL headquarters, Elite entered the monitor room, where the others were sitting around the screen, which was projecting the mayhem on the mountain.

"What's going on?" He asked the gathered group. "The comms room said something about an emergency."

"That's putting it mildly." Black answered.

"And what exactly does 'not mildly' entail?" Elite asked.

"Silas is at the mountain." Armory answered. "Him and a whole troop of Forefather flunkies. They're raiding the place. Rounding everypony up, too."

"I see." Elite tried to keep his face passive, but his eyebrows betrayed him, raising in horror.

"And to make matters worse, we haven't been able to get eyes on the team for hours." Sterling added.

"We're starting to get worried." Ballista added.

"The situation does sound quite dire." Elite acknowledged. "If the Forefathers are at the monastery, then they very well may know about the fountain, and will attempt to claim it as their own."

"And that would be a real disaster." Sterling stated the obvious. "The Forefathers with ultimate knowledge? That would be game over, my friends."

"Not just yet." Ballista retorted boldly. "Not while we're still standing."

"Maybe we could send in backup?" Armory suggested.

"Alas, I fear they would not arrive in time." Elite shook his head. "I feel our best bet now is to hope our team is still there, somewhere, and that they can put a stop to this madness."

"No offense, boss stallion, but there are some pretty long odds." Black noted.

"I know." Elite nodded. "But they're the best odds we have right now."

"They say long odds pay big." Sterling tried to join Elite in staying positive.

"We won't know for sure until the wheel stops spinning." Armory remarked. "All we can do is watch, and hope..."

The group stared grimly at the events unfolding on the screen, hoping against all odds that a miracle would soon happen.

At the same time, Fletcher, Survival, and Aural finally arrived at the opened gates to the monastery. Fletcher and Survival were a bit winded by the act of running up what was most likely dozens of a stone steps.

"If I never see another step again..." Fletcher panted. "It'll be too soon..."

"I think I just earned the right to skip every leg day for the rest of my life..." Survival wheezed.

As they walked into the main area, they looked with horror upon the destruction caused by Silas and his minions.

"By Faust..." Fletcher gasped. "Look what they've done to the place..."

"It's terrible." Survival whispered. "What a disaster..."

“What?” Aural frowned, as he raised his ears and began using his aural sense, “Surely it can’t be that-”

Aural’s expression grew pale, as his aura revealed the state of the monastery: a dessicated husk of its former self, formerly pristine structures broken apart, innocent ponies being held captive.

“No… no…” Aural whispered, walking forth.

“Aural?” Survival frowned.

Aural’s ears continued twitching, as Aural took in the sight of his damaged home through his senses.

Even though he had not seen (figuratively speaking) the top of the mountain for quite some time, the memories remain fresh and fond inside his head. Many times within the caves, he had envisioned the day he would return, having finished what he'd set out to do with those letters and taking care of that pesky drug den, picturing it being the same as it had been since he was forced to leave it behind.

However, as he took in the damages, and all the intruders that he personally invited running amok, that vision was tarnished. That feeling of self-satisfaction after sending those letters and getting the RDL finally involved was gone, replaced by an overwhelming sense of guilt.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen…” Aural murmured, “I thought they were just a bunch of rabble-rousers and anarchists… oh, buck, I did this…”

“What in Equestria are you talking about?” Fletcher asked.

As Aural stood there, taking in the aura-imaged visage of the destruction, the feeling of guilt within him soon gave way to fury.

“Those monsters…” Aural grit his teeth, his ears twitching more, the undersides of his hooves glowing, as he then roared, "They're gonna pay for this if it's the last thing I do!"

“Whoa, I understand that you're upset, Aural." Fletcher got in front of him, trying to calm him. "This is your home, after all. But we're heavily outnumbered here! We need to calmly and carefully map out a plan of attack-"

“You do whatever the buck you want!” Aural snarled, shoving Fletcher aside, “I’m gonna unleash hell on all those motherbuckers!”

Aural raced off into the center of the monastery, intent on finding some Forefather agents to inflict his rage upon.

“Oh no…” Survival grimaced, as he returned to Fletcher, “What do we do now?”

"We don't have much of a choice now." Fletcher shook his head. "We have to follow him, and make sure he doesn't get in over his head."

“To be honest, I’m more concerned for them.” Survival admitted, “Aural’s gonna slaughter them.”

“Okay, correction: we have to follow him so that he doesn’t go overboard.” Fletcher sighed, “Besides, he might be the only creature on this damned rock that knows what’s going on here.”

“Right.” Survival cringed, “I just hope Fury and Caboose are alright.”

“They can handle themselves.” Fletcher assured him, “Fury is practically unstoppable once he really gets going, and Caboose somehow manages to make it out of most clashes unharmed.” Fletcher then frowned, “...But if Silas really is here, then they’re going to need all the help they can get.” He nudged his head forward, “Come on.”

"Right behind you, boss." Survival nodded.

The two charged off toward the monastery, determined to turn the tide against the Forefathers.

Meanwhile, back with Mantra and Ube, Mantra stood firm against Silas' quite frankly, terrifying contenance.

"Do forgive me for barging in like this." Silas said affably. "But I have urgent business with the master of this temple. I assume that's you, correct?" He glanced at Mantra.

"You are correct, sir." Mantra nodded, stepping forward, "And as this temple's master, I must respectfully demand that you and your compatriots vacate this mountain, immediately."

"Yeah, I don't think so." Silas refused blithely. "I didn't come all this way for nothing, pal. Fact is, I've heard all about this place and its... 'valuables'. And I'm here to claim them and this entire mountain for the Forefathers. And I am not going to take 'no' for an answer..."

"I see." Mantra tried to remain calm, aware from the deranged look in Silas' eyes that he was not kidding. "Perhaps we can come to some kind of mutual arrangement. A bargain of some kind."

"Bargain?" Silas scoffed.

“Yes.” Mantra nodded, “I do not know how you come to learn about the going-ons here, but surely, we could come to an understanding.” He gestured to Ube, who looked at him in confusion, “Now, usually, my second-in-command here, Ube, is the one that handles the business side of things. But, perhaps, if you call off your men and leave us in peace, maybe he can cut you and your organization in."

“Whoa now!” Ube snarled, “I’m not about to share with this frea-!" Ube started.

"Shush!" Mantra cut him off.

"Are you seriously trying to bribe me with your temple's treasures right now?!" Silas scoffed mockingly, “Didn’t you just hear me say we’re here to take them?!”

"Treasures?" Mantra frowned. "That's not what I-" He froze. "Hold on… aren’t you here because of a particular product coming from this mountain?"

“I don’t know, or care for that matter, what’s coming from this stupid rock!” Silas snarled, his patience thinning. "I'm here for two things. The first being the Fountain of Eternal Wisdom!"

Mantra and Ube blinked in confusion.

“Is it just me?” Ube whispered, leaning towards Mantra. “Or does this freakshow not know about the Jade-”

"...What's the other thing?!" Mantra asked Silas, hesitant in his asking.

“Well, let’s just say that I did not appreciate the things you had to say about the Forefathers… and about me as a result... Master Mantra." Silas replied.

Mantra's breath hitched. Ube looked at him with concern.

"How do you know my name?" He asked.

“How do you think?” Silas sneered, “We received your letter earlier this morning. And I must say, I’m absolutely appalled by all the awful things you said about us. I wouldn't expect some guy all big into 'inner peace' to be into such vile words."

"I, er..." Mantra spluttered, unable to answer.

"Which made the fact that you actually invited us over here so very gratifying." Silas smirked. "Now I get to put you and your robe-pals into those body bags you were talking about. One by one."

"B-but… body bags?!" Mantra cringed, both agitated and confused. "You are making no sense! I wrote and sent no such thing!"

"Oh, yeah?" Silas tossed Mantra the scroll. "That's your name written there, is it not?"

Mantra unfurled it and studied the paper, Ube leaning over to read it with him. They were both taken aback by the graphic nature of the writing. The similarities to the previous death threats they received were not lost on them.

Soon, they reached the bottom, and sure enough, Mantra’s name was inscribed at the end.

“Mantra…” Ube glanced at him, whispering in a terrified tone, “You didn’t write this, did you?”

“No, I didn’t!” Mantra denied, “This isn’t my writing! None of it is! Something’s not right here-”

“Well?!” Silas demanded, “What do you have to say for yourself?!”

“That… that is my name.” Mantra admitted, his voice quivering a bit, “But I swear to you, I did not send this letter!”

“Really?” Silas scoffed disbelievingly, “Then why’s your name on it?!”

“I don’t know!” Mantra panicked, “This isn’t even my writing! Someone else must have written it and signed my name on it!”

“Oh, come on, you expect me to believe that?!” Silas growled, “Do you think me stupid?!”

“I’m telling you the truth!” Mantra insisted, “Why would I intentionally seek to antagonize you? I’ve never even met you before!”

“Hell if I know.” Silas rolled his eyes, “Maybe you heard of the Forefathers and their greatest weapon, yours truly, and thought, ‘what the hell, I’d talk crap about them and the many ways I’m gonna kick their asses.’” He sneered at the two, “Well, was I close?”

“No!” Mantra gasped, “With all due respect, that doesn’t make any sense! Even if it did, I did not send this letter!”

“Well, that’s your opinion.” Silas said menacingly.

“But it’s the truth!” Mantra pleaded.

“Too bad!” Silas smirked. “You see, the only pony whose opinions matter to me is… well, me. And it’s my opinion that you are a lying buck-face who can’t back up what he said when called out on his bullcrap. And let me tell you…” Silas’s smirk turned to a dark scowl, as he began walking towards the two menacingly, “I don’t much care for having my opinions challenged. Not. One. Bit.”

“I’m warning you, freak!” Ube stepped forth, attempting to put up an intimidating stature, “If you and your friends don’t buckin’ beat it, me and my guys are gonna put y’all in a world of hurt!”

“Oh-ho-ho-ho! Really?!” Silas laughed maniacally, “And by all means…” He raised and spread his front hooves, “Come at me!”

“I’ll show you!” Ube roared, as he lunged right at him with a raised hoof, “Eat this, bitc-”

Without even blinking, Silas produced some shadowy tendrils that caught Ube by his limbs, constricting them painfully.

“GAH!” Ube gasped, struggling not to scream in pain as he felt his hooves in a vice.

“Wow. Just, wow.” Silas deadpanned, not amused in the slightest, “My expectations were low, but holy buck!”

With a simple nudge of his head, the tendrils chucked Ube right at the wall with tremendous strength, the impact making a big indent, and shaking the entire room.

“Ooh…” Ube moaned.

“Ube!” Mantra gaped, “Ube, are you alright?!”

“Yeah… just… peachy.” The bigger stallion hissed sarcastically.

“Now then… where were we?” Silas asked flippantly, Mantra turning to him in a panic, “Oh, right. I was about to beat you to within an inch of your pathetic life for daring to disagree with me!” He recommenced his approach on Mantra, shadowy energy flowing around him.

“S-stay back! I’m warning you!” Mantra grimaced, backing away, “You do not want to do this!”

“On the contrary, Mantra. I really really want to do this. Once I’m through with you, I’m taking that fountain and Father and everyone in the Forefathers will revere me as the true force of nature that I am!” Silas roared.

Mantra stifled a curse as he continued backing away… only to have his flank bumped into the wall. Mantra’s blood ran cold as he found himself trapped in one of the corners of his office. There was no way out, no way to escape… Except for one.

’Dammit, I guess it can’t be helped.’ He thought grimly, as unbeknownst to the shadowy stallion, Mantra’s palms of his front hooves began to glow a dim red. ’Faust, I just hope I can beat him…’

As Silas advanced upon his intended quarry, their showdown was interrupted by a crashing sound in the hallway. As they turned in the direction of the noise, several others followed, mostly thuds and grunts of pain.

"Now what?" Silas growled. "Seriously, how can a bunch of robe-wearing wimps be causing them so much trouble?"

Almost as in answer to Silas's question, Caboose and Fury walked into the room. Silas was surprised to see them, but quickly shifted his expression to one of disdain.

"Oh, look." He sneered. "It's the dumb guard and the goose."

"Hey, don't talk about Fury like that!" Caboose yelled. "He's no goose! He’s clearly… clearly…" He frowned, and then glanced at Fury. “What exactly is your bird-half? I wanna say an albino hawk or something but-”

“Silas Necross.” Fletcher glared, ignoring Caboose’s remark, “I figured you’d be here. I hope you had your fun, because it’s all over now! We’re gonna take you down once and for all!”

“Oh, by all means, you're certainly welcome to try." Silas snickered. "But I wouldn't bet my last Bit on that outcome if I were you..."

With that, Silas's shadowy tendrils rose out of his body, and he lunged at the two heroes, intent on taking them both out as painfully as possible.

Light And Shadows

Silas charged at Fury and Caboose, his shadowy tendrils lashing out like whips.

"Yikes!" Caboose dodged one tendril.

"Don't even think about touching me with those twisted things!" Fury grimaced, evading another.

"Don't like the personal touch?" Silas sneered. "Then how about a special delivery?"

Silas fired a blast of corrupted magic, which Fury was only able to evade by ducking behind Mantra's desk (which promptly exploded into splinters).

"You like that better, you oversized pigeon?" Silas taunted.

"Still not a fan!" Fury retorted, creating a whirlwind to fling the jagged pieces of wood at Silas.

However, as with everything before, the projectiles phased right through him, Silas giving a grin much like the Cheshire Cat.

"Nice try." Silas jeered, firing another blast of magic.

"Whoa!" Fury once again just barely dodged the blast in time.

Meanwhile, the room's other two occupants had their own agenda.

"Come on." Mantra helped Ube up. "Let's use this distraction to get out of here!"

"Gladly." Ube groaned as he struggled to stay upright.

The three clashing figures didn't even notice Mantra and Ube's escape, too wrapped up in their fight to the death to focus on much else.

"Heads up!" Caboose attempted to tackle Silas.

But yet again, Caboose just went right through, running his head into a nearby portrait, his head embedding itself through it and into the wall behind it. The odd stallion struggled to pull his head out, pushing the wall with his hooves with all his might… but it was clear he was now stuck.

“Oh, bother…” Caboose groaned, drooping.

“Unbelievable.” Silas scoffed. “This is the Applewood docks all over again…”

“Dammit, Caboose!” Fury growled angrily, “Did you seriously forget already that physical attacks don't work on this guy, ya flappin’ idiot?!”

“Um… maybe?” Caboose cringed, his voice muffled by the wall his head was stuck in.

“Here. Let me help with that!” Silas’s horn glowed.

With great velocity, Caboose was instantly pulled out of the wall, so much so that the force of the pull took down the entire wall. The Unicorn crashed at Silas’ hooves, the now holey portrait bouncing off his neck.

“Ow…” Caboose winced.

Instantly, Silas grabbed Caboose by the throat and held him up high.

“Ack-ack-ack!” Caboose gagged, his front hooves flailing, as if he was a young mischievous boy being strangled by his father.

“No! Let him go!” Fury roared, conjuring up a spear, and made to throw.

“Just go ahead and try it, birdy!” Silas mocked him, “You said so yourself, nothing you can throw at me will ever hit-”

Fury threw his spear full-force. As Silas predicted, the spear did pass through him… but as it did, Silas felt a jolt of pain, as if he had just been pricked by a needle.

“Wha-?!” Silas flinched a little, Caboose’s gagging jumping a bit as he did. “What the- why did I feel that?!”

“Huh?” Fury frowned, taking in Silas’ reaction, before catching on “I get it; My spears are made from my dark magic. His miasma must not fully protect him from stuff like that. Still, it doesn’t do much, but maybe…”

Capitalizing on this new information, Fury conjured up several more spears at his side, as they floated mid-air, aiming right at the shadowy stallion.

“What are you- oh…” Silas glanced at Fury, only to blanch at the newly made spears pointing at him.

“Eat this!” Fury threw his talons forward, spears flying right at the shadowy stallion.

Instantaneously, the spears hit their mark… metaphorically, as they still did not actually hit the shadowy stallion, the spears were phasing through him, and each time they did, Silas felt like he was being stung by wasps.

"Arggh! Guhhh!" Silas gasped and grunted in pain. "Stop it, you lousy-Rrrah!"

"Not any time soon, shadow boy." Fury smirked, throwing more spears.

As Silas became distracted from the rapid onslaught of pain and metal, his grip on Caboose loosened.

“GAH!” Caboose gasped, breathing in a few mouthfuls of air. Instantly recovering, Caboose glared at Silas, his horn glowing, “WHY YOU LITTLE-!”

“What-” Silas glanced back at Caboose…

Only to be met with Caboose blasted him with a powerful magic beam, point-blank in his face. The beam enveloped his entire head, and blasted a hole in the wall right behind him.

As soon as Caboose finished (in a matter of a few seconds, in fact), Silas was still standing… however, while the rest of his body was still covered in miasma, his head wasn’t, his head’s fur being a pallid black, with a notably slightly darker streak of black atop his head, signifying where his wisping mane would normally be.

Also notable was the fact everything was sizzling, having been recently enveloped in a beam of magic.

“Ow… Owww…” Silas hissed, still in shock.

“Huh.” Caboose mused, still being held in Silas’ grasp, “Isn’t it amazing that that’s what we all look like on the inside?”

“What the…” Fury eyed Silas’ face, comparing it to the rest of the body.

Silas’ shock did not last long, as it soon gave way to rage. And his grip on Caboose’s neck re-tightened.

“Oh no.” Caboose gagged.

Fury, following his instinct, conjured up another spear and launched it at Silas, this time aiming at his head.

Silas, still trying to refocus, barely had time to avoid the spear. However, the spear managed to slice his cheek.

“GAAAAHHH!” Silas screamed, dropping Caboose, as he stumbled back, clutching his bloody cheek. The miasma re-enveloped his head again, but Silas still clutched his cheek, riling in pain.

Caboose scrambled away from the pained villain, joining Fury’s side, but succumbed to confusion as he glanced back at the shadowy stallion.

“What was that just now?” He asked Fury, “You said 'physical attacks don't work on him, you flappin' idiot!' You emphasized the idiot part very well!"

“I know, but remember what Black told us?" Fury prompted. "About how magic seemed to work on him? When you blasted him with your magic, you must have blasted all the miasma off his face! I had a gut feeling and it turns out I was right: Silas isn't made out of miasma. The miasma is like a tough outer shell that can only be affected by magic, protecting his weak, fleshy insides!"

"...Um...." Caboose frowned, confused.

"Ugh, think of him as a turtle!" Fury scowled. "With your magic, we can take away his shell, and render him vulnerable to my attacks!"

"Oh, I get it, like a Koopa Troopa!" Caboose grinned.

"...Yeah, let's go with that!" Fury shrugged, satisfied that Caboose at least understood, “Bottom line, we now know how to beat him!”

Silas pulled his hoof away from his face, a light purple gash where Fury has cut his skin visible for all to see, a twinge of fear on his face as he saw his wispy hoof was covered in blood, the red turning to light purple as it merged with his miasma. The pain brought the memory of his burnt hoof to the forefront, cementing a looming fear that he had since the day.

Gritting his teeth, he glared hatefully at the two.

“You think this changes anything?!” Silas snarled, incensed that they had discovered a weakness that he is coming to terms with. "Well, guess again! I'll crush you two like I crush everycreature who gets in my way!"

"Feeling pretty high and mighty, aren't we?" Fury mocked.

"Why shouldn't I?" Silas smirked, though forcefully, trying to ignore the stinging in his cheek, "I have become something beyond your comprehension. Even Nightcrawlers pale before my might! All who face me perish! Just ask Sterling and your masked buddy.” He lit up with glee, “Oh, wait, you can't. They're dead!"

“What? No, they’re not.” Caboose frowned.

Silas’ smile disappeared.

“...Say what now?” He asked.

“Yeah. Sterling and Bla-Dreadnaught are still alive.” Caboose pointed out, only just managing to avoid saying Black's name. “I mean, you did a number on them and all, but they’re okay.” He tutted, “Honestly, you really shouldn’t say ‘all who face me perish’, when clearly that ain’t the case. It’s just bad advertising.”

Silas’ jaw dropped, and one of his eyes began twitching.

“Um, Caboose. I don’t think you should have said that.” Fury grimaced in dread, not liking the look on Silas’ face.

“What, why? I caught myself before I said you-know-who's name, didn’t I?” Caboose frowned, “Besides, it’s the truth. He and Sterling are still alive.”

“Something tells me he didn’t know that.” Fury declared, pointing to him.

“Really?” Caboose scoffed, “What? Did he not double check to make sure they’re dead? I mean, it’s a good thing he didn’t, obviously, but come on! That’s murdering 101!”

“Caboose, you should really shut up right now.” Fury urged.

“Why?” Caboose frowned, “I’m just saying, you'd think after becoming an eldritch abomination, he would become a more effective villain, but honestly, he’s still pretty middling.” He then pondered, “Then again, what would you expect from a guy whose order got disbanded twice-”

Silas did not heed Caboose’s lambasting of his character. In fact, he couldn’t hear anything.

Anything but the boiling of his own blood, as his mind became clouded with rage.

It was one thing to be disrespected and ignored his entire life. It was another to be constantly pushed around and used for other ponies’ gains. It was yet another to still be disrespected and ignored.

But now, he was not only just painfully reminded of just how vulnerable he truly was… but the one stallion, the one who he hated with all his being…

Was. Still. Buckin’. Alive.

Silas’ body began quivering, his teeth gnashing, as miasma began ravelling around his body, his breathing growing heavy and filled with hate.

“...And is generally a twisted, psychotic maniac.” Caboose finished… before frowning in confusion, “...Where I was going with this? You were telling me to shut up because I said Sterling was still alive-”

"RAAAAARRGHH!" Silas screamed with rage, the miasma building up to critical mass.

“Oh, motherflapper!” Fury gritted his teeth in frustration as he tackled Caboose, bracing for impact.

Moments earlier...

Relic and the other monks had been rounded up in the courtyard. Most of them were terrified.

"What are they going to do to us?" A Pegasus mare trembled.

"Whatever it is, it's going to be painful." An Earth Pony stallion shuddered.

"Oh, grow a spine." The tweeky monk from before scoffed disdainfully.

"Excuse me?" The Earth Pony gaped.

"You heard me." The tweeky monk sneered. "Stop shaking like a newborn foal. It's pathetic."

"That's no way to talk to a fellow acolyte." A Unicorn stallion admonished him.

"Oh, give it a rest." A thuggish Earth Pony retorted. "The little guy's got the right idea. Quivering and cowering isn't going to help any. That's what Ube would say if he were here right now..."

“Screw Ube! It’s his fault we’re in this mess!” The monk who ran the inventory spat. “To think, after years on this dead-end rock, it’s not the cops that does us in, but the damn terrorists!”

"We're not dead yet." Relic reminded him.

"Ooh, look who's thinking positive." The tweeky monk observed. "At least somepony here isn't a cringing coward."

"Our lives are being threatened!" A timid-looking Earth Pony pointed out. "How do you expect us to react?"

"Give it a rest, you whiner." The inventory monk (the one who had stopped the tweeky monk earlier) growled.

"Who made the speech police?" Fresh Starter shot back.

"Like you can talk, bird-boy." The tweeky monk scoffed.

"What did you just call me?" Fresh Starter growled.

"Whatever I wanna call ya, punk." The tweeky monk grinned.

"Why, you lousy-!" Fresh Starter scowled.

"Back off." The thuggish monk stepped in. "Or you'll have me to deal with."

"You think I'm scared of you?" Fresh Starter stared him down.

"Let's find out." The thuggish monk glared back.

"Hey, what's with all the harsh vibes?" Walking Phoenix said blissfully.

"Yeah." One of the other blissed-out monks smiled. "There's no need for conflict. We are all just leaves, drifting on the wind of life..."

“WHO ASKED YOU?!” The tweeky monk, the thuggish monk, and the inventory monk snarled at them.

“Hey! Enough with the chatter!” One of the Forefather agents snarled, “Now, here's how things are gonna go, baldies! You are gonna do exactly as we say, or else."

“Get bent, asshole!” The tweeky monk snarled.

"Yeah!" The thuggish Earth Pony and a few others cheered, notably ones that were on his and the tweeky monk’s side.

“Guys, maybe we shouldn’t anger them!” Fresh Starter pleaded.

“Nope, too late.” The agent declared, giving a snide smirk, “If you’re not going to comply, then we’re just gonna have to start offing a few of you.” He held up his crossbow, “Who’s first?”

The other agents drew their crossbows.

“Wait!” Relic stepped forth, “Please, there is no need for such extremes! Nopony has to die here!”

“Oh, I beg to differ.” The agent smirked, “But thanks for volunteering, by the way. Fire when ready, boys.”

The agent pointed their crossbows at Relic.

“Relic, no!” Fresh Starter gasped.

“Leave him alone!” The aerie monk snarled, moments from stepping forth.

"Don't do it!" Another pleaded.

“Stay back!” Relic called back to them. His voice quivered a bit, obviously scared, but his face remained firm, “I won’t let anyone else come to harm here. Even if it means it comes to me…”

“Oh, how noble of you.” The agent cooed, before hissing to the others, “Waste him.”

The agent prepared to squeeze the triggers, as Relic closed his eyes in acceptance of his impending demise, hoping it would be quick.

But before they could fire…

“HEY, BUCKER!”

The agents and the monks lit up in shock as none other than Aural came running in, his cloak billowing in the wind, with a face of unadulterated fury.

"What the-?" The lead agent gaped. "Who invited the donkey?!"

“Wait… Aural?!” Relic gaped, unable to believe his eyes.

The monks shared his shock.

“I cannot believe it. He’s alive!” Fresh Starter gasped.

“Alive? There’s no way!” The inventory monk gaped.

“Yeah, he’s supposed to be dead!” The tweeky monk snarled.

“Dead? What’s that supposed to mean?” The aerie monk glared.

“Pay him no mind.” The tweeky monk’s friend spoke up, “He hadn’t had his tea yet.”

“Okay, who the hell are you?!” The lead agent aimed his crossbow at him.

“The guy who’s gonna make you rue the day you came and desecrated MY HOME!” Aural roared, “Starting with you!”

Without another word, he charged up an aura sphere in one hoof and threw hard like a fastball at the lead agent.

“Whoa!” The lead agent ducked under it, barely avoiding it.

The agent behind him wasn’t so lucky, the sphere colliding with his face so hard, the force send the poor agent crashing into a nearby wall.

“A-a-ah…” The agent was unable to say anything, his body embedded in the wall, and in insurmountable pain.

“Holy crap!” The thuggish monk gasped.

“Oh, that is definitely Aural. No doubt about it!” The aerie monk smiled.

“Um… ah…” The lead agent gaped, taken aback by the power, before regaining his courage. He roared at his fellow agents, “Don’t just stand there, kill him!”

The agents pointed their crossbows at Aural and fired. The outraged monk took a quick breath, his ears twitching. Bolstered by his Aura-enhanced senses, the donkey evaded the bolts with ease, flipping and sidestepping like lightning.

"How did he-urrk!" The nearest agent's splutter of astonishment was cut off by a roundhouse kick from Aural, sending him crashing into another wall.

"Oh, now you're gonna get it!" Another agent growled.

Aural didn't glance in the agent's direction, simply flinging an aura sphere at him offhandedly.

"Yeow!" The agent yelped, as the sphere hit with the force of a sledgehammer, sending him hurtling across the courtyard.

A pair of agents charged at him.

“Let’s see him take the both of-”

Aural jumped and slammed his back hooves into them, blowing them back into the same wall as the first one.

“Ugh…” The two agents groaned.

The lead agent watched in dismay and confusion as Aural defeated his comrades.

"Okay, I don't know who you think you are, but I am not going to let you make a mockery of the Forefathers!" He snarled, firing his crossbow.

Instead of dodging the bolt, Aural caught it between his two front hooves.

"Good luck with that." Aural said bluntly, throwing the bolt aside.

The lead agent stared, incredulous, then dropped his crossbow and charged at Aural.

"Yaarrrh!" He screamed.

"Seriously?" Aural sighed.

Aural charged up another sphere in his hoof, but he purposely waited for the lead agent to get close, below swinging his hoof (and the sphere, consequently) into the agent’s abdomen.

“AUUUUGGH!” The lead agent screeched, being sent skyward.

Fletcher and Survival soon arrived on the scene.

“Aural, thank goodness…” Fletcher panted, as he glanced around, “Where are the-”

“-UGH!” The lead agent crashed down in front of them, the fall breaking a few bones, “Oh….”

"Eesh, it looks like we've missed the party." Survival said breathlessly.

"Aural." Relic approached the old donkey, amazed, at seeing him in the flesh again, “Is that really you?”

“Relic.” Aural turned to him, his voice nonchalant, but gentle, “Are you okay?”

“I am now.” Relic nodded, “Faust, I have so many questions right now. No words can describe how glad I am to see you-”

“Sorry, kid, but I got no time for memory lane.” Aural cut him off, “The guy heading this whole home invasion, where is he?!”

“I-I don’t know. Everything happened so fast!” Relic admitted. He then suddenly lit up, “Hold on…” He glanced around, “Where’s Mantra and Ube?! I hadn’t seen them!”

“Hell if I know! All I know is Ube turned tail and ran when that freaky fog pony jumped from that airship!” The inventory monk spat.

“Fog pony?” Survival whispered, before dread took over, “Oh no.” He turned to Fletcher, “You don’t think that’s-”

“RAAAAARRGHH!”

Suddenly, a blackish-purple explosion erupted, sending debris flying, rocking the entire monastery.

“What the buck?!” The tweeky monk screamed.

“That looked it came from Mantra’s office!” One of the other monks noted.

“Bingo.” Aural said grimly, before racing off in the direction of the explosion.

"And he's off again." Survival noted.

"Is everypony here okay?" Fletcher asked.

"No serious damage, thank you." Relic smiled.

"Good." Fletcher nodded. "Try to find some cover while we help finish this." He glanced at Survival. "Let's go."

"Right behind ya." Survival nodded.

The two followed Aural.

“...Good luck, everypony.” Relic whispered.

The present...

"RAAAAARRGHH!"

The part of the monastery that housed Mantra’s office blew wide open, as Silas’ eruption of magic blasted Fury and Caboose out into the courtyard. Fury had taken the brunt of the attack, having sheltered Caboose at the last second. After they hit the ground, he lay prone, seemingly critically wounded.

“Hey!” Caboose gasped, as he quickly got up and began shaking Fury, “You okay?! Fury, speak to me-”

“Flap, that stings!” Fury suddenly jolted up, rising to his talons.

“Fury, you’re alive!” Caboose smiled. "I thought you were-"

“Nah, just a little singed.” Fury groaned, noting the burn marks on his wings and back, “It’s gonna take a lot more than that to bring me down.”

The sounds of heavy breathing rang out and clear. Fury and Caboose glanced over with concern, as Silas emerged from the smokes, eyes alight with rage.

Directly above, the Red Rio was transmitting the action, with Elite and the others watching events unfold.

"This doesn't look good." Armory frowned.

"Silas may be more powerful than we possibly imagined." Elite mused.

"Don't be so negative, guys." Ballista assured the others. "Things should be fine, as long Caboose's magic is leveling the playing field."

"I hope you're right." Black sighed. "Because right now, I'm getting some serious deja vu..."

Silas stomped out into the courtyard.

“Sterling is still alive.” He seethed. “That motherbucker is still alive! Why, why now even at my strongest, must Lauren insists on bucking me in the ass?! All I want is respect, glory, fortune, and Sterling dead! Why couldn’t she give me this ONE FAUST BUCKIN’ THING?! BUCK MY LIFE!”

“Gladly!” Fury roared, “Caboose, light him up!”

Taking advantage of Silas’ sudden lapse in concentration, Caboose suddenly fired a magic blast right at him.

“Gah!” Silas gasped, too engulfed in his spiteful stupor, as the magic hit him in the shoulder, exposing the skin underneath once more.

The griffon quickly followed up with a spear in his talon, swinging at the exposed skin, leaving a nasty gash.

“ARRRGH!” Silas snarled, clutching his shoulder, “You gonna pay for that!”

Silas unleashed more shadow tendrils, while firing magical blasts of his own.

“Dodge!” Fury roared, as he backstepped from a tendril.

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” Caboose yelped, ducking under a blast.

Caboose returned fire with his magic, while Fury summons another spear, and swung it and the others like crazy at Silas as Caboose blasted away his miasma.

To his outrage, Silas quickly found himself on the backstep, struggling to block the attacks.

"This shouldn't be happening..." He growled with denial. "I'm unstoppable!"

Soon, Caboose fired another shot at Silas’ head, exposing it once more.

“Let’s finish this!” Fury leaped upwards, swinging his spears down towards the shadowy ponies’ head.

Unfortunately, the miasma recovered around Silas’ head before it could connect, the spears phasing through him.

“Nice try!” Silas roared, slamming his head into Fury’s guts.

“Ugh!” Fury groaned, crashing back onto the ground, clutching his bruised abdomen.

But he didn’t have time to breathe, as Silas attempted to slam his hooves down on him.

“DIE!” Silas roared.

Fury quickly scampered to his feet, barely dodging the hooves as their impact cracked the floor heavily.

“Fury, are you alright?!” Caboose gasped, “What happened?!”

“The asshole’s miasma is what happened! It regenerated too fast!” Fury snarled, a talon on his still tender abdomen, “If I’m gonna do any actual damage, you gotta hit him hard enough that it takes longer to recover, think you can manage that?!”

“Okey-dokey!” Caboose saluted.

“Good! You fire your magic, and I’ll fire my spears!” Fury declared, “Now, break!”

The two charged at Silas, splitting off and double-teaming him, with Caboose charging up and firing stronger magic blasts while Fury fire more spears at his body.

However, Silas’ miasma proved to be difficult to overcome, as it kept regenerating, pushing out Fury’s spears before they could stick, leaving only cuts rather than gaping wounds.

“Dammit! You gotta hit him faster! My spears aren’t landing!” Fury roared at Caboose.

“O-okay.” Caboose panted, as he screwed up his face in concentration. Charging his horn once more, he began launching rapid-fire bursts of magic, shredding through more of Silas’ miasma.

“Ugh, cock!” Silas screeched, getting overwhelmed by the onslaught.

"That's more like it!" Fury smirked, throwing more spears.

Two of the spears connected, creating gashes in Silas' sides, stucking inside him for a few seconds before the miasma forced them out.

"Nnnnarh!" Silas growled, outraged at the growing wounds.

"Looks like our boys are finally doing some damage." Sterling smiled. "Give 'im one for me, guys!"

"I told ya, didn't I?" Ballista smirked. "This could be wrapped up soon…”

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Elite retorted. "Look at Caboose."

The group did so, and immediately noticed Caboose was sweating and quivering as he continued firing salvos of magical blasts.

“What the- what’s wrong with Caboose?!” Sterling gasped.

“Dammit, Caboose must not be used to using this much magic in so little time!” Black growled, “Fury’s running him ragged!”

Caboose managed to get in a shot on Silas’ front, and Fury quickly launched a spear. The spear entered and emerged through Silas’s shoulder, impaling him against a wall.

“BUCK!” Silas screamed.

Fighting the searing pain, his front hooves grasped the spear, and with some effort, he pulled it out, but not before more blood spurted out. Soon as he was free, the shadowy stallion dropped to his knees, seething in both pain and rage.

“Alright! We got him on the ropes!” Fury smirked, as he summoned more spears to his side, “Hit him again!”

“Just a moment, Fury…” Caboose held up a hoof, his body swaying, his eyes drooping a bit, “Just… just need a breather…”

“What?!” Fury glanced at Caboose, but immediately noticed the Unicorn starting to lean too far to the right, beginning to fall, “No-no-no!”

Fury caught him before Caboose could hit the ground, the Unicorn moaning a bit as he continued panting.

“Ooh, hehe, sorry about that. Guess I never fought this hard before.” Caboose chuckled weakly, “I’m getting all tuckered out…”

“Dammit, this can’t be happening, not now!” Fury growled, a panicked tone in his voice.

“Well, well, well…” Silas sneered, though his sneer was bereft of any amusement, as he got back up to his hooves, “Getting tired, are we? What a coincidence, I am getting tired too… OF YOUR BUCKIN’ CRAP!”

Silas summoned another tendril that swung down at the duo.

“WATCH OUT!” Fury, with Caboose in tow, dodge-rolled out of the way.

“You can’t avoid me forever!” Silas snarled, “I may be wounded, but as long as miasma courses through my body, I will never stop!”

“Faust damn it…” Fury hissed, as he glanced at Caboose, “Okay, Caboose, new plan. I’m gonna need you to hit him with your strongest magical blast you can muster. When you do, I will follow up with my Blackjack technique. It should be enough to bring him down for good… you think you can do it?”

“Y-yeah, I think so.” Caboose pulled away from Fury, “Just gonna need a moment to charge.”

Silas created more tendrils, and advanced on Caboose.

"You first, chowderhead." He growled.

"I don't think so!" Fury threw more spears at Silas.

"Grrr!" Silas snarled as the spears sliced through his tendrils. "I've had enough of you!"

"Whoa!" Fury barely dodged Silas' counterattack. "Yikes!"

As his partner leapt around like an over-caffeinated kangaroo, Caboose charged up his horn.

“Out of my way, you filthy bird!” Silas roared, resorting swinging his hooves at Fury.

“Not a chance in hell!” Fury roared, back-flipping away from his attack, and taking to the sky, “It’s now or never, Caboose! Do it!”

Soon after, Caboose’s horn was at its brightest. Caboose leapt backwards from another tendrils’ attack, and aiming his horn, he opened fire.

And was a fire it was, as a huge beam of magic blasted forth.

“Oh, shi-” Silas’ curse was cut short as the beam engulfed him.

And the beam did not stop there, as the beam tore across the entirety of the monastery, blasting through several walls and clear off the top of the mountain.

“My turn!” Fury growled, as he held up his talons, “Blackjack Technique, GO!”

Spears materialized and fired en masse into the roaring beam where Silas stood.

This carried for what felt like a long while (but was it matter of a few minutes), before Caboose’s beam died out.

As the area became clouded by smoke, Caboose, overcome by exhaustion, fell to his knees, breathing heavily.

“Caboose!” Fury called out, as he landed right next to him, a talon on his back, “Caboose, are you alright?”

“Y-yeah, I-I think so…” Caboose said breathlessly, “Did I do good?”

“He-he, you did great.” Fury smiled warmly, “There’s no way in hell Silas could have survived both that and my spears.”

“Oh, good. And here I thought I was gonna choke and Silas ended up surviving this and we would be utterly screwed.” Caboose chuckled airily.

"Nope, we did it." Fury chuckled, slapping Caboose on the back. "Score one for the home team!"

"Too bad the others aren't here." Caboose smiled. "Nothing says 'win' like a group victory photo..."

As the smoke started to clear, they saw something moving. Immediately, any good feelings they had vanished, as the two stared, aghast.

Silas was still standing, half of his pale black body revealed, with spears embedded in it, the stallion gasping and on the verge of screaming in pain. Blood trickled onto the floor from the various wounds in the side of his body.

"No way..." Caboose gaped.

"D-did you miss?!" Fury asked.

"How did I miss?!" Caboose frowned.

"That's what I wanna know!" Fury growled. "He was right there!"

"I thought I had him right in my sight!" Caboose rubbed his forehead. "Ugh, this always happens when I try to perform under stress!"

Silas hissed in pain as the miasma began to shroud him again, the spears falling out.

"No-no-no!" Fury panicked. He fired more spears haphazardly, trying to take Silas down before he could recover, but it was too late; the miasma shrouded Silas completely, the spears phasing through him.

Silas hissed deeply, then screamed at the top of his lungs.

"BBBBBBBUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKK!"

The scream was heard all around the monastery, and back at RDL headquarters via the Red Rio. It sent a chill down the spine of all who heard it... except one. Aural did not heed the scream and kept running, while Fletcher and Survival paused for a moment.

"Oh, that can't be good." Fletcher noted.

Silas was panting, struggling to hold in the tears, looking at the two with so much hate.

"Oh, boy, he doesn't look happy!" Caboose cringed.

"Of course he isn't, I skewered him with so many spears!" Fury pointed out, as he turned to face Caboose. "Caboose, you gotta hit him again!"

"With what magic?" Caboose groaned. "That blast took everything I got! Ugh, if only we had breakfast before..."

"Shut up about breakfast!" Fury screeched, bordering on madness. "Silas is gonna kill-"

Suddenly, Fury was grasped by a shadowy tendril.

“Gah!” Fury gasped.

“Fury!” Caboose cried.

"You. Will. Pay!!" The shadowy stallion roared, mad with pain and rage.

The tendril began slamming Fury around, the griffon unable to break free.

“Ugh, buck, dammit!” Fury gasped, his body obtaining bruises with each slam.

“Hey, stop that! Please!” Caboose called out. “I’m the one who can actually hurt you!”

“Oh, I will get to you in a minute!” Silas snarled, “After I pluck this bird!” He punctuated with another brutal slam.

"Gahhh!" Fury yelled, feeling one of his wings breaking.

“No! Leave him alone, you bully!” Caboose cried, as he charged at Silas…

Only to phase through him once more.

“D’oh!” Caboose cursed.

“Idiot…” Silas hissed as he continued slamming Fury around..

At that moment, Aural arrived on the scene, as his ears began twitching again.

“There you are, motherbucker! I’m gonna-” Aural began, as his aural sense surveyed the area around him… however, he stopped mid-sentence.

Fully sensing Silas for the first time, Aural was taken aback. He could see the image of Slias’ body, but his entire body was emanating inky blackness barely discernible from the black sky. The darkness his body extrudes was overwhelming for the blind donkey.

“What the hell?!” Aural gasped, having never seen anything like this in his life, “What kind of abomination is this?!”

Silas, no longer content with smashing Fury into the ground, had the tendrils toss Fury’s bruised and beaten body over to him, which he caught with a hoof.

"Now, you die..." He snarled, preparing a magic blast that would take the Griffon's head off.

"I'll see you in Tartarus..." Fury wheezed, defiant to the end.

Just before Silas could fire the blast, an arrow flew through his head, surprising him enough to drop Fury.

“Ow…” Fury groaned.

He turned to see Fletcher and Survival approaching, joining the still stunned Aural’s side.

"That's enough!" Fletcher yelled.

“Fletcher!” Caboose got up.

“Oh, look.” Silas growled, “More insects for me to squash.”

“Just as I thought… it is Silas.” Survival whispered.

“Silas? You know this guy?” Aural gasped.

"You could say that." Survival growled. "He put two of our friends in traction days before. He’s been terrorizing the RDL for months under the Forefathers’ command! In fact, he’s part of the reason we came here… it was our hope we could find someone who could use aura… somepony like you, actually.”

“...You don’t say.” Aural gaped, taken aback from the revelation. His ears twitched as he sensed the area again. Through his aura senses, he saw Silas’ black form again… but at his hooves was Fury’s silhouette, whose essence flickered, indicating that he was in pretty rough shape, “...Oh buck… is chicken-face…”

“Survival! Tend to Fury! I’ll keep Silas busy!” Fletcher ordered.

“Um, yes, sir.” Survival nodded.

"Die!" Silas, in his rage, decided to charge at Fletcher.

"That's right, come and get me!" Fletcher led him away from the others.

While Fletcher evaded Silas' frenzied attacks, Survival rushed over to Fury.

"Hold still." He urged, bringing out his medical kit so he could tend to Fury's broken wing. "Caboose, I could use an extra set of hooves."

"You got it, doc." Caboose smiled. "Whattaya need?"

"I need to set Fury's wing." Survival declared. "Hold him in place for me, would you?"

"You got it." Caboose placed his hooves on Fury's shoulders.

"Here." Survival gave Fury a wooden mallet. "Bite down on this, okay?"

"Just make it quick." Fury declared, before biting down on the handle.

Survival placed his hooves on Fury's broken wing, then in one swift move, twisted the bones into place.

"Guhhh!" Fury let out a muffled scream, almost biting the wood in two.

"There." Survival smiled. "The worst of it is over. Now to bandage it up..."

Aural remained in place, using his aural sense to watch Silas’ battle with Fletcher. The guilt from bringing the Forefathers to the monastery returned in full force, now worsened at the sight of Silas’ brutality and Fury’s injured form.

’...Faust, I did this… I brought that thing here.’ Aural thought. ’This incredibly powerful monster. Everything he did to the monastery… to them… it’s all my fault..’ Aural’s hooves clenched, ’...But no more… I’m gonna set things right, right now!'

Fletcher tried his best to evade Silas' tendrils and magic blasts, but quickly found himself back up against the wall, a glancing hit from a tendril knocking him down.

"Ugh!" He groaned, hitting the ground hard.

"Now... goodbye!" Silas snarled, about to fire another beam…

Suddenly, an aura sphere pelted him in the back of the head, burning through the miasma.

“Ugh! Why I oughta-” Silas about-faced, glaring back at Caboose… but Caboose appeared as shocked as he was, still standing by Survival as he wrapped Fury’s wing…

“Hey, assbutt!”

Silas turned and saw Aural standing there, slowly approaching him.

"Okay, who the buck are you?" He snarled.

"The name's Aural." Aural introduced himself. "And this is my home. So as you can imagine, I don't care for some psychopathic, dark magic-using bully trashing the place!"

"Is that so?" Silas smirked. “And what are you going to do about it?” He took of Aural’s glasses, “Read Braille to me?”

“Oh-ho, Braille. Haven’t heard that one before.” Aural chuckled humorlessly, “But no. In fact, I think it is high time that you fought someone on your own level.”

“Really now? And who would that be, old timer?" Silas scoffed. "You?"

"Oh, yeah." Aura nodded. "Before this day is over, I'm gonna be puttin' you in a body bag!"

Silas made to retort, but Aural's words seemed familiar…

“Wait… you!” Silass realized suddenly, “You’re the one who sent that letter, not Mantra!”

Survival perked up in confusion, as Aural grinned.

"And what if I am?!" Aural sneered. "Whatcha gonna do about it?!"

At the same time, Elite and the others were naturally confused by the appearance of this new player.

"Who the heck is that donkey supposed to be?" Black frowned.

"And why was he with our guys?" Sterling asked.

"Whoever he is, he must have a death wish or something." Armory frowned. "Taking on Silas alone..."

"Aural, don't do this!" Survival called out. "Silas is far too powerful, even for you!"

“Hmph, you insult me, kid.” Aural smiled, not offended, “I may have not seen something like him before, but a prick’s still a prick, no matter who they are!”

“Wait, before you go to what could be certain death, you should know!” Caboose called out, “Punchy-punch doesn’t work. You gotta make with the zappy-zappy, then you can do the punchy-punch. Think like he’s a turtle!”

“What?!” Survival gaped.

“Got it. Thanks for the tip.” Aural nodded.

"Seriously?" Survival gaped. "You understood that?"

“Yeah. I have to hit him with my aura to clear away his miasma ‘shell’ before I can hit him with my bare hooves. I grew up in a culture that does metaphors for a living for Faust’s sake.” Aural declared, “Now, if you excuse me…”

Aural gripped his robes. With a tug, he ripped it clear off him. Despite how old he seemed, his body clearly didn’t show it, as he was quite muscular and toned, being gray-furred with a light gray underbelly.

“Let’s do this!” Aural roared.

“Whoa, he’s jacked!” Caboose gaped.

“Very well, if you want to die, it’s no skin off my back.” Silas scoffed, “But let’s make this a quick one. I have a line of creatures I want to kill today, including your friends!”

“Well, I have a list of asses I gotta kick as well. Guess who’s first.” Aural took a battle stance, his ears twitching once more.

“Oh, I think I know the answer.” Silas snarled, “However, unlike me, you won’t see it coming!”

Silas conjured up a tendril to lunge at Aural from behind. However, Aural, without moving from his spot, quickly twisted his body to dodge.

“What?!” Silas gasped.

“'See it coming’, wow, you’re just picking low-hanging fruits, aren’t you?” Aural scoffed, “Come on, where’s the A-material?”

“I’ll show you!” Silas roared, conjuring up more shadow tendrils, swinging them at Aural.

The donkey proceeds to dodge them, twisting his body and hopping and ducking. Silas growled, shocked by his agility.

“Okay, now that was just lazy.” Aural sneered, “Let me show you how it’s done!”

Aural conjured up spheres from his front hooves and threw them at him in a volley.

Silas didn’t have time to dodge, as they slammed into him, one by one, ripping through his miasma.

"Guhhh!" Silas grunted, stumbling back. His face and chest was now exposed.

"Now eat this, turtle boy!" Aural dashed forth and leapt up, slamming his back hooves into his exposed chest. The shadow stallion was blasted back, slamming into the wall.

“Ugh!” Silas coughed, the kick taking the air out of him, The miasma shrouded him again, but the pain was still there, as he clutched his chest, “Motherbucker! I think you broke something!”

“Really? I can’t tell. What with being blind.” Aural chuckled darkly.

“You foul insect! I’ll crush you!” Silas screamed.

Silas lashed out with another tendril. This one was faster than Aural anticipated, hitting him with enough force to send Aural flying back a bit.

"Oh no!" Survival gasped with horror.

Aura hit the ground hard… but the donkey got back to his hooves. There was a cut on his cheek where the tendril hit him, but Aural merely brushed it off with his hoof, giving a cocky grin.

“Come on, is that the best you got?” Aural taunted, “That barely tickled!”

Silas stared in shock for a moment, then snarling.

"Not even close!" He fired a blast of magic at his foe.

Aural, using his strong hind legs, jumped over it, landing atop the nearby wall of the courtyard.

“Lauren, man, even your magic attacks sucks! You could have just mailed me that one!” Aural spat from his location.

“ARGH!” Silas fired a beam of magic.

Aural quickly ran across the wall, with Silas following suit with his attack. Soon, as he was running out of ground, Aural leapt again, flying over Silas. He quickly then fired another volley of aura spheres.

“Dammit!” Silas cursed, sheltering himself with his hooves, but to no avail as the spheres exposed his body once more.

“Geronimo!” Aural roared as he stomped down on his exposed back, slamming him into the ground so hard that Silas bounced.

“Gak!” Silas hit the ground as Aural landed not far from him.

“Give up? Or are you hungry for more?” Aural grinned.

“Grr!” Silas growled, as he quickly teleported from his position, reappearing right aside Aural, grabbing the donkey by the ears, surprising him, “Enough of your game! I won’t be made a fool of!”

“Oh, you already do that on your own!” Aural scoffed, “Also…”

Aural manifested two spheres in his hooves and slammed one into Silas’ face.

“Don’t! Touch! My! Ears!” Aural snarled, punctuating each word with a sphere to Silas’ face, the first two clearing away the miasma, and the remaining slamming into his actual face.

“Ack!” Silas flinched, dropping Aural. But Aural did not let up, slamming a bare hoof into his snout, causing it to bleed, the shadowy pony grasping it. “UGH!”

“What’s the matter? Never had to actually fight before?!” Aural challenged.

“STOP IT!” Silas lunged at him.

Aural, thinking quickly, ducked under and leapt through Silas’ wispy body. And naturally, he followed up with another aura sphere to his hindquarters.

“Dammit!” Silas cursed. "You're DEAD!"

Silas started using every attack in his repertoire; magic, tendrils, and teleporting. But Aural was able to adapt quickly.

The first teleport caught Aural by surprise, giving him a bruised jaw, but when Silas tried to repeat it, Aural somehow managed to guess where he was going to end up.

"Going for another cheap shot, huh?" Aural sneered, catching the punch. "That's what happens when you don't have skill!"

Aural followed up by blasting Silas back with an aura blast.

To the amazement of those observing the battle, the two seemed to be evenly matched.

"Whoa." Fletcher gaped, amazed.

"Not bad for a blind old donkey, huh?" Caboose smiled.

“Hmph, he’s alright, I guess.” Fury muttered, his broken wing still stinging.

“The power of aura… it’s incredible.” Elite said with awe.

"He's actually matching Silas blow for blow." Ballista noted, “I guess you were right, Elite.”

"Does he have to make it look so easy?" Black pouted. "Doesn't really reflect well on me and Sterling, you know..."

“At this point, I could care less about how we look.” Sterling shook his head, “As long as he can beat Silas, that’s good enough for me.”

Currently, Aural and Silas were at a standoff. Aural had a few bruises on his person, and a few cuts from the tendrils. But Silas wasn’t looking so hot either. In addition to the various stab wounds from Fury’s spears, Silas’ snout was bloody, and one of his eyes was sporting a shiner, all indicated by the pink on his shadowy body.

“Hmph, you know, for someone who was giving the RDL such a headache, you’re having a lot of trouble beating one blind donkey.” Aural frowned.

“Shut up!” Silas snarled, “Do you have any idea who you are speaking to?! I am Silas Necross, leader of the Order of Darkness, future Ouroboros, and eventually, the god of this forsaken world!”

“And I had enough of your bullcrap!” Aural arrogantly smarmed, holding up a hoof to summon another sphere.

…Only for his hoof to sputter.

Aural’s smirk faded.

“Uh-oh.” Aural murmured.

"...What is going on?" Fletcher gaped.

"Nothing good, I'd wager." Fury frowned.

"Maybe he's out of batteries?" caboose suggested.

"Aural..." Survival whispered.

“Is this… is this a joke?” Silas gasped, stupefied.

“Um, one moment.” Aural urged, as he held up his hoof again, trying to summon another sphere, only for it to sputter again, “Oh, come on, not now!”

"Heh... heh-heh-heh.... heh-heh-heh-hah!" Silas broke down into a delirious laugh. "Is that the best you've got? A defective lightshow?"

“Buck you!” Aural growled, far from willing to give up the ghost, “I’m still gonna kick your ass, with or without aura!”

“Oh, really?” Silas challenged… before vanishing.

“Oh, crap on a stick!” Aural glanced around. With his aura failing, he could not rely on his aural senses. For the first time in a while, Aural was truly blind.

And he paid for it dearly, as Silas suddenly emerged from thin air, drop-kicking the donkey.

"Ugh!" Aural grunted, as he was sent flying over to Survival, Fury, Caboose, and Fletcher.

“You know, in spite of everything else going wrong up to this point, that felt so damn good.” Silas smirked,

“Aural! Are you okay?!” Survival gasped, worried.

“Erk, I’ll live.” Aural got up, spitting a bit of blood from his mouth.

"What happened just now?" Fletcher asked. "You were doing so well, and, well..."

"You turned into an empty squeezy mustard bottle." Caboose added. "Pffft."

"I've run out of aura." Aural declared, a bit annoyed.

“Run out? You’ve… run out?!” Fury blanched.

“Yes, cat-butt! I’ve run out!” Aural growled, “What? Did you think we monks just have an unlimited supply of aura to pull from whenever we want?! No! If we use way too much aura within a short period of time, we run out, and we can't use any more aura! In case you have forgotten, we kinda had a busy morning!”

“Well, who’s the jackass who led us to that drug den?!” Fury shot back.

“Fair point.” Aural conceded, but he glared at Silas, “Still, I don’t get how you and Timmy were having trouble beating this guy. The asshole’s leaving some pretty glaring weak spots open."

The four looked at Silas, stomping towards them. To their surprise, there were parts of his body still in the process of being shrouded by his miasma, doing so at a notably slower pace.

"No way..." Fury groaned, his entire body in agony as he tried to stand up. "His miasma wasn't regenerating that slow earlier!"

“Yeah! I was working double-time to make those holes happen!” Caboose protested, “It took about everything I have just to take half of that off!”

“Yes, and Caboose is no slouch in the magic department.” Fletcher defended him, “Something must have changed!”

“Hmm… what if Silas’ miasma works the same way as unicorn magic and aura?” Survival prompted, “Like Caboose and Aural, Silas’ miasma can only serve him for a finite amount of time before it begins to fail him as well, and when that happens, he will not be able to protect himself.”

“I see what you are saying.” Fletcher nodded, “If that is the case, then perhaps if we can hit him with another powerful magical attack, it might just overtax the miasma, leaving him completely vulnerable."

“Well, there’s just one problem.” Fury pointed out, frowning at both Caboose and Aural, “Both our magic users are bone dry, and something tells me Silas isn’t going to give us a breather.”

“Hey, I say I ran out of aura, not that I was down and out.” Aural countered, “If Survival’s right on the money, then I believe I have just the thing to beat him. But if I’m gonna pull it off, I need to recharge.”

"Recharge? How?" Fury frowned.

"Why do you think meditation's a major part of being a Wise Lotus monk?" Aural pointed out, as he got into a meditating pose, crossing his back hooves. "Unlike normal magic, we monks can restore our aura through clearing our minds and attaining inner peace.”

“Inner peace? In the middle of a fight?” Survival gaped, in disbelief.

“Yeah, I know.” Aural grimaced, “We monks usually avoid trying to do it when we’re fighting for our lives. But for now, we’ll have to make do.”

"Huh. And here I thought you guys only do that to take a nap." Caboose declared.

“Well, you’re… well, half wrong.” Aural said flatly, “But if this is going to work, I’m gonna need at least five minutes of uninterrupted meditation, plus one or two more tops to do the attack. And considering how pissed he is right now…” Aural shook his head, “Naw, I’m sure you guys will be fine.”

"Looks like we don't have much of a choice." Fletcher noted. "Fury, Caboose, you two think you can fight just a little longer?"

"Like you have to ask." Fury smirked as he summoned a spear into his talon. He flinched a bit due to the pain in his wing, but pressed on, "This asshole's gonna get it for what he did to Black and Sterling."

"I might not be able to blow holes in him, but I think I still got a few more ‘pew-pews’ left in me.. "Caboose grinned, his horn flickering with magic."

"Count me in too." Survival stepped forward. "Silas' reign of terror ends now."

"Then let's go for it!" Fletcher declared. "All of us. Charge!"

The four rushed to face Silas, while Aural closed his eyes and began slowing his breath. His ears began to lightly twitch…

“What’s this now?” Silas sneered, “All done letting an old donkey fight your battles?"

"What we're done with, Silas." Fletcher growled. "Is you!"

Fletcher pulled out his bow and fired an arrow at Silas. The shadowy figure prepared to let the bolt pass through him, but it suddenly exploded into a blinding white light.

"Ahhh!" Silas growled, hooves reaching for his eyes.

"Nice move!" Fury grinned.

"Thanks." Fletcher smiled. "Now hit him while he's still blinded."

"Don't gotta tell me twice!" Caboose fired off some magic bolts, chipping away at Silas' miasma.

"Grrr!" Silas spat, as his vision started to clear. "You're gonna pay for this!"

"Wanna bet?" Fury flung his spears at Silas.

“Grr…” Silas gritted his teeth as the spears phased through him, but not without inflicint minior pain, “Just for that, I'm going to make this as slow and painful as possible!"

"Of course you are." Survival sneered. "Because like any true narcissist, you take even the slightest wound as a grave insult. Pathetic, really!"

"Raaahhh!" Silas lashed out with his tendrils, but a combination of his still blurry vision and his anger allowed Survival to dodge.

"Missed!" Survival mocked. "Looks like somepony isn't as good as his ego leads him to believe!"

"Gahhh!" Silas roared, angrier than ever.

Fletcher took advantage of Silas' anger by hitting him with another bolt.

"I thought you'd tougher." He chided.

"I'll show you tough!" Silas spat, almost beyond reason as he charged again.

As the battle continued, Aural felt his aura reserves returning to normal. But he wasn't done yet. Focusing further, he willed his aura to build up even further.

Meanwhile, Fletcher and Survival continued to run distraction, Survival throwing taunts and Fletcher firing more flash-bang arrows, all the while Cabooses fires magic blasts. While much weaker due to exhaustion, thanks to Silas’ own waning endurance, his magic still managed to expose more of his body. In which Fury capitalized on by throwing spears right at them.

“Damn you!” Silas stumbled as a spear slammed into his side. The stallion quickly tore out with his magic and slammed it to pieces, “Mosquitos! That is all you fools are! And I’m going to squash you all!”

He lashed out at Survival with his tendrils. The inexperienced agent wasn't able to dodge in time, and was sent flying.

"Guhhh!" He groaned, crashing into a birdbath.

"Survival!" Caboose yelled.

Silas took advantage of Caboose's distraction by blasting him with his magic, sending him crashing against a wall.

"You flappin'...!" Fury charged at Silas, swinging his spears.

Silas dodged Fury's attack, then struck back with an uppercut that lifted Fury off the ground.

At that moment, Aural rose to his hooves. He lifted his front hooves to the air, causing an aura sphere to manifest... and start to grow bigger. In mere moments, it was large enough that a creature in the distance could have mistaken it for the moon.

At the same time, Mantra and Ube emerged out into the open, and took note of the giant sphere.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Ube gasped.

"Yes." Mantra frowned. "And I know only one creature who could be responsible for such a feat..."

The other monks stared at awe at the glowing light, as did those who were watching events from the Red Rio.

"Unbelievable..." Ballista gaped.

"That's a lot of aura..." Elite noted.

Silas struck Fletcher down, knocking him flat on his back.

“Now then… let’s end this!” Silas roared, “Starting with you!”

Fletcher glared defiantly at Silas… which soon gave way to shock.

“Huh?” Silas frowned, “What are you looking-” He noticed the area getting brighter around them, “Hold on, where’s that light coming…”

Silas turned around, and saw the gigantic aura sphere, with Aural at the base of it, holding it up.

"Uh..." Silas gaped, his face showing true fear for the first time in a while.

"Lauren flap, that crazy ass didn't mention how big this attack was going to be!" Fury gasped, as he got back up, “He’s gonna destroy the whole monastery!”

"Everyone, take cover!" Fletcher urged.

“Hey, Silas!” Aural roared.

Silas glanced at the blind donkey in horror.

“Taste the power of aura!” Aural declared, as he threw his hooves downwards.

"Time to get under cover!" Fletcher yelled, as he and Fury grabbed Caboose and Survival.

Together, they rushed for cover behind a large pile of rubble, and braced for impact.

The Red Rio also took cover beneath the mountain's peak.

"No way I'm letting this get wrecked..." Armory muttered.

Silas was initially too dumbfounded by the size of the aura sphere about to crash down on him. But as it drew closer, he snapped out of it.

"No." He shook his head. "No! Nooooo!"

He fired his miasma at the sphere with his hooves, but dark smoke glanced right off it. Desperate, he summoned tendrils to try and halt it, but the moment they touched it, they dissipated.

With no alternatives, Silas caught the sphere with his outstretched hooves, but even then, he felt the sphere enveloped him.

'If I had any single regret for the countless horrific events that have transpired in my wake, it's that I'm dying.' Silas thought, before speaking aloud. "BUCCCCCCCCCC-!"

The whole top of the mountain exploded in a blast of light. Everycreature in the vicinity ducked down from the ensuing force of wind.

"Duck!" Mantra urged his fellow monks.

"This is gonna get messy!" Ube cringed, as he and the others monks leapt for cover.

Fletcher and the others stood stalk still, as the force of the blast pushed against their hiding place.

Even the airship the Forefathers came in was pushed back, the ponies on board clamoring to maintain control.

But as soon as it came, the blast soon died out…

Fletcher and co. nervously looked out from behind the cover... and were shocked to find that despite the blast, everything was intact… obvious structural damages from their battle aside.

Aural stood where he was, letting out a few huffs. But when they looked at where Silas was, they were met with another shock.

Silas still stood where he was… except his miasma was completely gone, leaving him in just his pale black skin, partially soaked in blood from all his wounds. The formerly shadowy stallion’s hooves were shaking, the stallion letting out small gasps of pain. His eyes were alight with panic, obviously shaken from apparently somehow surviving the attack.

“Are you flapping me right now?!” Fury gaped, “After all that, he’s still alive?!”

“Huh? Of course he’s still alive!” Aural frowned.

“But I don’t understand!” Survival shook his head, “I thought your attack was supposed to-”

“Hold on… did you guys not know?” Aural asked, surprised, “Aura is the essence of every living creature. Emphasis on ‘living’. It is incapable of physically harming or killing anything. And as you can tell by the monastery not being a crater right now, it cannot physically affect anything that’s not living matter.”

“What?!” Fury gasped, “But when you hit me with that aura sphere, it hurt like hell!”

“That’s the point, dumbass.” Aural scoffed, “While it can’t physically harm you in any way, it can still inflict pain. You think the rest of the world would be alright if there were ponies dropping giant balls of auras all over the place?”

“Huh… so in terms of health, Silas is still in one piece.” Survival surmised, “But physically speaking…”

“Yeah, it’s like I dropped a mountain on him.” Aural finished, “That was the Lotus’ modus operandi. Using aura is to incapacitate ponies of ill intent, never murder." He glared at Silas, “Even assholes like him. Speaking of which…”

Despite being physically sound, Silas was in immense pain. He felt as if every inch of him was slowly being peeled off his bones. He was in such agony that he was barely able to move.

“No… this… this can’t… be…” Silas sputtered, struggling to get words out. He held up one of his hooves, nearly falling over when he did so, looking on in horror as it was without miasma.

It was like he was back in that medical carriage all over again, the pain and fear he felt back as a normal unicorn returning en masse.

“This… this was… supposed… supposed to be…” Silas began hyper-ventialiting, fear overcoming, “It’s not… it’s not…”

Suddenly, he heard hoofsteps, and looked up… only to get met with a hoof straight to his stomach, courtesy of Aural.

“Aural!” Fletcher gasped.

Silas wretched, coughing up blood, as he shakily eyed the blind donkey, getting a good look at the angry pale eyes behind those glasses.

“Well, now that we clearly owned your ass…” Aural whispered fiercely, “Get the buck off my mountain!”

Swiftly, Aural turned around and slammed his back hooves in Silas so hard, that he was sent rocketing into the sky.

“AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!” Silas screamed in horror.

To make matters worse, the trajectory of his sudden ‘flight’ sent him right at the displaced airship.

“OH, BUCK!” One of the pilots screeched.

As soon as Silas’ body hit the airship, there was a small explosion aboard the ship, sending it careening out of control as it spiraled down towards the bottom of the mountain.

Down in the monastery, the Forefather agents, including the ones who had suffered Aural’s wrath (having just came to recently) looked on in utter dumbfoundment.

“Was… was that Necross just now?” One muttered

“If it was, that would mean he lost…” Another gasped.

“Oh, no, this cannot be happening!” Yet another panicked.

“Ahem.”

The agents glanced over, and saw Aural standing there.

“Okay, Borefathers, listen up!” Aural taunted, “As you just saw, your big bad just got sent on a one-way trip to nowhere!” He glanced around, his ears twitching, “Unless anypony else want a flight on ‘My Hooves’ Airlines’, I suggest you beat it!”

“Oh, yeah?!” The lead agent limped over, still defiant in spite of his injuries, “You and what arm-”

Suddenly,, Fletcher and company came out of hiding. Their angered expression, especially from Fury, made it clear that the agents had far more problems than the aura-powered donkey.

“...Nope!” The lead agent yelped, “Everypony, run!”

“Don’t have to tell us twice!” Another agent screeched.

The agents fled, charging out of the monastery and down the mountain as fast as their battle-weary bodies could carry them.

The monks came out from hiding. Witnessing their tormentors fleeing, they couldn't help but cheer.

"Yeah!"

"That's right, run!"

"Don't come back!"

“Thank Faust, Aural and the RDL saved us!”

“Oh, thank goodness.” Relic sighed with relief, smiling at the group, “It’s finally over.”

The Red Rio also emerged from its hiding place.

"They did it." Elite smiled. "They really did it. They beat Silas!"

"I never doubted them for a moment." Ballista chuckled.

"I hope that slimey punk really felt the pain on that one." Black grinned.

"Please tell me this thing has a recording function, Armory." Sterling smiled.

"Sorry, pal." Armory shrugged. "Maybe the next model."

At the same time, watching from afar, Mantra and Ube were observing the monastery's reversal of fortune. Despite the threat being driven away, they shared a grim look. They were both well aware that it wasn't over just yet...

Loose Ends

The squad were relishing in their victory over Silas.

“Hoo boy…” Survival let out a sigh, exhausted from the arduous fight beforehand, “It’s hard to believe that we won.”

“But we did. That’s just how it is done.” Fury chuckled arrogantly… before twitching in pain, his bandaged wing aching, “...Though, won’t lie, this fight was a tough one.”

“Let’s go to the instant replay!” Caboose added, “I bet that aura ‘spirit bomb’ looked real cool from another angle!”

“Um, Caboose, no one was-” Survival began, before Fury stopped him, shaking his head, “Oh, right…”

Fletcher, however, wasn’t quite as happy, glaring at Aural.

“Hey, what’s with the stinkeye?” Aural frowned, “We won, didn’t we?”

“That, we did.” Fletcher said irritably, “But did you really have to send Silas off the mountain like that? That stallion is responsible for murdering several RDL agents, and nearly murdering everyone else. He should have been arrested.”

“Oh, and give him a chance to get his miasma back and break out, undoing everything?” Aural shot back, “Yeah, don’t think so. Besides, I had to send a message to the Forefathers. Once they see their supposed ‘god’ all beaten up, they’ll think twice before showing their faces back here.”

“Well, while I cannot argue with that logic, I feel there are more pressing matters to attend to.” Survival declared, stepping in.

“What are you talking about? We saved the day, didn’t we?” Caboose tilted his head in confusion, “The Forefathers were the ones hassling the monks with those letters, right?”

“That’s the thing, I don’t think they were.” Survival shook his head, “They had the manpower and the ferocity to easily take this place by force. They could have done so, and we would have been none the wiser… yet instead, they decided to send one hundred letters to threaten them, not only letting them know about their incoming attack, but getting us involved as well?”

“Well, the sender said they were trying to instill fear in them.” Fury pointed out, “Perhaps this was them getting their sick kicks.”

“Yeah, and they bucked the poor fear turkey!” Caboose whimpered.

“But what about the way these letters were written?” Survival asked, “The severity of these threats, the fear turkey included, and the fact they personally addressed Mantra in most of them, suggested that the sender had a personal vendetta against him and the monastery as a whole. And I’m having trouble believing that the Forefathers hated this exact monastery that much.”

“I’m going to have to agree with him, it doesn’t make much sense.” Fletcher nodded, “Even if it did, it still doesn’t explain everything else that has been going on around here. The way some of the monks have been acting, Mantra’s behavior, the fact that someone tried to trap us down in the caves, and most alarming of all, that Jade Jape operation we busted…”

“So, what you’re saying is that there might be more?” Cabooses frowned, “Aww man…”

As they talked, Aural, using his aural senses, took note of Mantra, seeing a crimson image in his mind's eye. Even then, Aural could feel Mantra’s eyes glaring holes into him, before the master suddenly walked away. Ube (whose aura was just like everyone else’s) soon followed, but not before casting his own stink-eye.

Without a word, Aural slipped away. As he did, Relic soon approached the unaware squadron.

“Oh, thank you all so much for valiantly protecting our monastery.” Relic praised, “We owe you a debt that can never be repaid."

"Just doing our job, sir." Fletcher said fairly.

“Of course. I’m just glad that we made it in time before any more damage could be done…” Survival declared… before taking in the destruction around him, “Well, relatively speaking.”

“That is something I wanted to ask.” Relic frowned, “Where have you been all morning? None of us were aware that you had left the monastery to begin with.”

“The truth is, we were investigating the caves below, right around where the fountain was.” Survival confessed, “We had reasons to believe the death threat sender was doing so from within this mountain.” He bowed his head, “We didn’t mean to be gone as long as we were.”

“Yeah. But sadly, we didn’t exactly have a choice when some asshole dropped a boulder on us, and trapped us in!” Fury snarled.

“A boulder?” Relic frowned.

"Yeah." Caboose nodded. "Big, round, little rough on the left side... don't suppose you've seen it, by any chance?"

"Actually, I have." One of the monks spoke up, joining the group. "I was the one tasked with dusting the gallery this morning. I didn’t have time to tell anyone, what with this invasion and everything, but the sacred boulder was missing from its spot."

“What?! That boulder has been in the Wise Lotus family for generations!” Relic gasped, outraged, “Who would do such a thing, not only to our treasure, but to you guys?!”

“That’s what we intend to find out.” Fletcher said firmly, “All I know for certain is that if it wasn’t for Aural, we probably wouldn’t have found our way out. Speaking of which, now that everything has calmed down, Aural, maybe you can tell us what’s-”

He turned to see that Aural was gone.

“Huh?!” Fletcher gasped, looking around, “Where did he go?!”

"Maybe he needed the bathroom?" Caboose shrugged.

At that point, the Red Rio descended upon the gathering.

"What in Equestria is that?!" One monk yelped.

"That's the oddest bird I've ever seen!" Another gaped.

“Fletcher, guys, we need you to get to the fountain, right now.” Armory’s voice declared.

“Whoa, it talks!” Relic gasped.

“Dear Faust, the birds are becoming smarter by the day!” Walking Phoenix gaped in zoned-out wonder.

"Easy there, guys." Survival assured the monks. "This is just a drone from our organization."

“Hold on, you mean you guys brought military stuff here?!” The inventory monk scowled, “That’s against our rules!”

“Hey, they just saved our home from terrorists!” Fresh Starter glared, “I think we can let this slide!”

“Hold on, what’s going on? Fletcher frowned, “Why the fountain?”

“It’s Mantra and Ube, mate.” Ballista’s voice spoke through, “We were surveying the damage when we saw them making their way to the fountain.”

“Yeah, and that donkey who helped you guys was following them.” Black’s voice joined in, “Not sure why, but with how hinky everything’s been, you might want to catch up with them.”

“Of course. After all, they’re the only ones who might finally tell us what’s going on around here.” Survival mused.

“Come on, let’s get going.” Fletcher said to the others.

“I should come with you.” Relic declared.

“Hmm, and why’s that?” Fury frowned.

“Just a feeling I have.” Relic shook his head, “That and I wanna make sure Aural and Mantra are okay.”

"If that's what you want, we won't stop you." Fletcher shrugged.

"The more the merrier!" Caboose grinned.

As the group departed, some of the monks (such as the one working the inventory, and the tweeky one adopt grim expressions.

The wind howled outside the room of the fountain, as Mantra stood before the fountain in question, staring solemnly at his reflection.

Ube was leaning against the wall, watching the doorway, a hard scowl on his face, expecting someone to arrive.

And arrived, someone did, as Aural walked into the chamber. Despite gazing into the waters, Mantra was quick to sense him, and turned to face him.

“Aural.” Mantra said curtly.

“Mantra.” Aural glared. He then glared at Ube, “Ube.”

Ube said nothing, only glaring back at Aural.

“That was quite a show you gave up there.” Mantra began, his expression passive, “Seems all that time in the caverns below did little to dull your skills."

"Hmph." Aural shrugged off the false compliment. "You don't sound surprised to see me, considering the last time we saw each other."

"Come now, you and I both know you're too stubborn to die." Mantra smirked. "Even after everything, I just knew deep down you were still among the living."

"Well, the others always said I lived rent-free in your head." Aural sneered. "Some things never change, do they?"

"Enough." The smile vanished from Mantra's face. "Am I right in assuming that I have you to thank for this letter?" He produced the letter Silas had. "The one that summoned those scum and that monster?"

"And what if I am?" Aural challenged. "At least they had the courtesy to come after just one letter. Certainly responded faster than you, Mr. 'One Hundred'."

"So it was you!" Ube stepped forward in anger. "You're the one who's been harassing us with those threats! Including the fear turkey!"

"Yeah, that was a good one." Aural chuckled.

"You think this is funny, Aural?" Mantra growled. "Your actions brought untold damages to this monastery! Just look at what that fog pony did all on his own! If it wasn't for you-"

"That fog pony would still be here, wreaking havoc." Aural interrupted, spreading his hooves, "You're welcome."

"...Typical." Mantra scowled. "This is exactly what I meant when I told Chakra that-"

"Only certain individuals should be allowed to use the power of aura." Aura interrupted again, causing Mantra to snarl. "Yeah, you only said that bit pretty much my whole life. Yet..." He held up a hoof, manifesting an aura sphere. "Here I am, using it." He sneered. "Does it piss you off, Manny?"

"What is it you want, Aural?" Mantra demanded. "What was your end goal for all this subterfuge and destruction? Do you realize that ponies could have died?"

Aural's sneer faded a little.

"Yeah… they would have been done for.” Aural murmured, guilt-stricken, “I can’t imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t been there…” However, the guilt passed, “If only somepony had bothered to teach them how to use the magic that was part of the Lotus for eons to defend themselves, rather than banning it and hogging it all for himself..." His sneer returned, as he glared at Mantra. "Sound familiar?"

“Don’t you dare.” Mantra shot back, “It is no fault of mine that the others were not worthy. Unlike you, they knew their place."

"Their place?!" Aural spat incredulously. "You’re serious right now?! These were our fellow monks up there! Most of them had served under the same master as you and me! Hell, we grew up with half of them! You want me to accept blame for what Silas and his men almost did to them?! I'll accept it gladly! But that does not change the fact because of your ban, they were defenseless! The only pony that was up here able to do anything was you! Yet you were nowhere to be seen while those assholes ran roughshod!"

“Believe me, Aural, I was more than ready to defend my home.” Mantra declared, “But then that griffon and the odd unicorn showed up. I’d assumed they had the situation in hoof, and that I could focus on getting Ube here to safety.”

“So instead of helping them out, you prioritize saving this piece of garbage?!” Aural gestured to Ube.

“Hey!” Ube snarled.

“Look, if I had started using aura, the other monks would have found out and then they would have started bugging me about learning aura themselves. Not to mention the guff I would have gotten for defying the ban.

“Are you listening to yourself?” Aural asked, disgusted, “You’re telling me you were willing to let this place burn down, just to uphold your stupid ban?!”

“I am many things, Aural. A hypocrite isn’t one of them.” Mantra huffed. “I have principles, you know.”

“Oh, sure. After everything you did, hypocrisy is where you draw the line.” Aural scoffed.

“Everything I did was for the best of the monastery!” Mantra roared.

“Best for the monastery?! Or best for you?!" Aural retorted, Mantra glaring hatefully at him, “‘Cause you clearly gave no crap when our friends were being rounded up like cattle, being led to slaughter! You could have easily beaten back those assholes, but instead, you were hiding, like a Faust damn coward!”

“Silence! I will not be spoken to that way, especially from you!” Mantra snarled.

“Oh, and whatcha gonna do about it?” Aural taunted, “You have no idea how much it royally pisses me off that you dare call yourself master of this monastery, after everything you’ve done, within these walls and down below!”

“If you do not shut your mouth, I will shut it for you!” Mantra threatened.

“Oh, please, give me a reason to punch that smug face!” Aural taunted, punching his hooves together.

“What is going on here?!”

Aural, Mantra, and Ube looked at the entrance, as Fletcher and co. arrived, having heard all the shouting, with Fletcher being the one who asked the question.

"Is this a yelling contest?" Caboose asked. "Because I am really good at those! AHHHHH-!"

Fury clamped his talons around Caboose's mouth, silencing him.

"It's not a yelling contest." Fury growled.

“Aural? Mantra?” Relic frowned, concerned.

“Oh, it’s nothing serious.” Aural said airily, “Just a chat between old friends about current events. Right, Manny?”

“Indeed, we were. “Mantra scowled, “In fact, I think our guests here would be interested in looking at this.” Using his magic, he passed the letter to Survival, as Aural’s glance hardened.

“What the…” Survival gasped, as he examined the letter. Dread overtook him as he then pulled out the ‘fear turkey’ letter, “Guys… the hoofwriting, it’s a perfect match!”

“Wait, what?!” Fury yelled, as he, Fletcher, and Caboose glanced over at it, “Holy crap, it is!”

“And there’s a name signed to it…” Fletcher read, before reeling back in confusion, “Mantra?” He glanced over at the master, “Did you-”

“No, I didn’t. My name was forged, leading that fog pony to believe that I was taunting him and his organization. It is the very reason that fiends and his minions had come here to begin with and caused all this destruction.” Mantra explained.

“And why would someone do something like this?” Fletcher frowned.

“Hmph, why don’t you ask Aural over here?” Mantra gestured to the donkey, “After all, he was the one who sent it.”

“What?!” Survival gaped.

“No, he wouldn’t!” Relic shook his head.

“Oh, he would.” Manta sneered, “He even admitted it.”

“Not only that, but the ass also admitted to sending those many death threats!” Ube declared with a smug grin.

“Come on, you’re pulling our legs, right?” Caboose scoffed, “Aural’s blind! I’m pretty sure that doesn't do your penstallionship any favors..."

“Unless…” Survival murmured, a dark expression on his face, “You guys remember that thug that came in, screaming and panicking? I may have not heard everything he said, but from the way he looked and how upset he was… I’m starting to think somepony was keeping him prisoner…” He then glanced at Aural, “And Aural here is responsible for it.”

"You wouldn't really do that, would you, Aural?" Fletcher asked.

“What are you talking about?” Relic asked, appalled, “Of course he wouldn’t. He-”

“Actually, Relic, I totally did.” Aural admitted simply, much to Relic’s shock, “The letter. The death threats. That was all me.”

“Whoa! Plot twist!” Caboose declared.

"I knew it!" Fury snarled. "I knew there was something rotten about you!"

“But why, though?!” Fletcher demanded, flabbergasted, “Why would you bring the Forefathers here? You endangered everyone in this monastery!”

“I…I don’t understand.” Relic stammered, utterly distraught, “Why would you do this to us?!”

Unbeknownst to them, the Red Rio was watching from atop the doorway.

“Wait, so the donkey is the reason Fletcher and others were called up there to begin with?” Sterling frowned.

“Not only that, he brought Silas and the Forefathers here.” Black snarled.

"Now this was unexpected." Ballista mused.

"And also quite unnerving." Elite added.

“Definitely don’t get this kind of drama on cable.” Armory joked.

Back within the fountain, everyone was staring at Aural, with a variety of emotions, ranging from shock to anger.

“Aural… why did you do it?” Survival questioned, hesitant.

“Look, I know it looks pretty bad right now, but you have to understand…” Aural declared firmly, “Surely you and your pals caught on that things have been off on this rock, right? Well, that’s because things have been off. They have been for quite a while. And those two-” He pointed at Mantra and Ube, “-are smack dab in the middle of it.”

"Lies!" Ube yelled.

"Utter lies." Mantra agreed. "Aural has clearly lost his mind after living alone for so long." He turned to Fletcher and the others. "He's a proven threat to all of us, and I must humbly request that you take him into custody."

"Done." Fury scowled.

“Hey, hold on a second!” Aural growled, “What happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'? If you guys just give me a chance, I’ll explain things!”

"What's to explain?" Fletcher frowned. "You pretty much just confessed!"

“Yes, and you don’t see me denying it! I’m telling nothing but the truth right now!” Aural declared, “And if you just give me a minute, I’ll tell you what’s going really on round here!”

“...Fletcher, I think we should hear him out.” Survival suggested.

“You gotta be joking.” Fury glared at him, “He’s the reason we’re here!”

“Look, even if he is responsible for the letters, it doesn’t change the fact that he helped us get out of the caves, as well as beating Silas.” Survival reasoned, “At the very least, we should hear him out. We owe him that much.”

"I’m with Fiev." Caboose nodded. "A Napoleon always pays back his debts... sooner or later..."

“Excuse me?! Need I remind you that you four are here at our behest?!” Mantra glared, “I’m telling you to arrest this insane ass! Unless you rather I expel you all for disregarding my wishes?! You can kiss drinking from the fountain good-bye!”

“Really now?” Fletcher glared back, “If I recall correctly, you agreed to let us drink from the fountain if we found out who was sending you death threats. And then proceeded to tell us that you'd let us anyway if the death threats turned out to be a hoax. Am I wrong?!”

“Well, no, but-” Mantra admitted.

“Well, not only do we have our death threat sender right here…” Fletcher gestured to Aural, “But we also just repelled an enemy invasion who threatened your very lives as well. It’s safe to say that we have more than fulfilled our end of the bargain. Am I to understand that you are going to renege on our deal because you don’t want us to listen to what Aural has to say?” His eyes narrowed, “Is there something Aural's going to say that you rather he didn’t?”

"Well, I.... That is to say..." Mantra spluttered, struggling to come up with a rebuttal.

“Yeah, Manny. I thought you said you had principles.” Aural sneered.

“Watch your tongue, Aural.” Fletcher growled, “Like Survival said, you did help us. Which is why I’m only giving you this one chance to explain yourself. If I don’t like what I hear, we’re taking you in.”

“And no funny business.” Fury snarled, displeased with the leniency the others were giving him, “Or I’m finishing what I started in the caves.”

“Okay, okay, sheesh.” Aural grimaced, “Caboose, could you be a sport and join me by the fountain for a moment?”

"Uh... sure." Caboose shrugged. walking over to the fountain.

Fletcher and Fury narrowed their eyes, with Relic and Survival frowning in confusion. Mantra and Ube looked on, grim looks on their faces.

“Okay, I’m here.” Caboose declared.

“Good, good… how are you doing?” Aural smirked.

“Heh, alright. Still beat from that big ol’ boss fight against Silas.” Caboose murmured, “Still shocked that you were the one bucking the fear turkey.”

“Gotta admit, that was clever, right?” Aural nudged Caboose.

“Meh, Alucard did it better. He actually uses the f-bomb.” Caboose admitted, “Plus, in Alucard’s case, I think it was more a metaphor.”

“...I see.” Aural’s smile grew forced, “Random question, how long can you hold your breath?”

"Well, there was this one time at a hotel when I needed to dip my head into a bidet-" Caboose began.

Caboose didn’t have time to finish, as out of nowhere, Aural grabbed him by the mane and dunked his head into the fountain.

"Blrrrb!" Caboose gurgled.

"Caboose!" Fletcher yelped.

"What the-?!" Survival gaped, aghast.

"Aural, no!" Relic screamed.

Even Mantra and Ube were shocked by this turn of events, staring with shock.

"What the flap are you doing?!" Fury lunged at Aural, pinning him down to the floor, a forearm against his neck.

“Gak!” Aural gasped.

Fletcher rushed over to Caboose. Freed from Aural's grip, he was coughing up some of the fountain's water.

"Are you okay?!" Fletcher asked, “Say something!”

Caboose made to reply... then his eyes dilated.

"I CAN SMELL THE COSMOS!" He bellowed.

"Caboose?!" Fletcher gaped. "What's wrong with you?!" He turned to Survival. "Fievel?!"

Survival rushed over, and examined Caboose. His own eyes widened as he surveyed Caboose's.

"Oh my Faust... you're drugged!" He gasped.

"Drugged?!" Fury turned to face the others. "But all this asshole did was dunk his head in the fountain!"

Mantra and Ube's looks hardened.

"Exactly!" Aural grunted, still struggling against Fury's grip. "Look in the fountain, kid!"

Survival quickly looked into the fountain. He didn't notice anything at first... until he spotted some vegetation around the lower side.

"...Hold on... that's..." He turned to Fletcher. "Fletcher... there's Jade Ivies in this fountain."

"Jade Ivies?" Fury frowned, casting a confused side glance at Aural. "Isn't that the plant needed to make Jade Jape?"

Fletcher darted over, and checked for himself.

"...Fury, let Aural up. Now." He ordered, his voice oddly calm and quiet.

Fury, unnerved by Fletcher's tone, did so. Aural got up, rubbing his neck.

"Aural... am I right in assuming that the water in this fountain comes from that pool of water from the drug den?" Fletcher asked, his voice still unnaturally calm.

"Drug den?!" Mantra interjected awkwardly. "What are you-"

"Quiet!" Fletcher yelled at Mantra, before turning to Aural. "Well?!"

"That's right." Aural nodded bluntly. "All the water on this rock flows from that very pool, somehow. But here and there are where the ivies really flourish, and as you can see with little Timmy over there, the water the ivies are soaked in really messes with you."

“Wait a second. This is the Fountain of Eternal Wisdom, ain’t it?” Fury asked, “Shouldn’t our dumbass here be smarter?”

“Yeah, about that…” Aural began.

"Oh… I get it now." Survival sighed, a grim realization falling over him. "The Fountain. It never gave eternal wisdom, did it?"

"What?!" Fletcher gasped.

"You gotta be kiddin' me..." Fury fumed.

Those watching at the HQ were similarly shocked. Most of them stared in disappointment, but Elite was most dismayed.

"I should have known it was too good to be true..." He sighed.

“‘Fraid not, kid.” Aural nodded solemnly, “The fountain’s so-called ‘mystical powers’? Nothing more than hallucinations brought on from drinking tainted water.”

“What?! But I thought the fountain had helped ponies come up with scientific breakthroughs and the ilke.” Fletcher shook his head in shock, “What about ‘every question you have will have an answer?’”

“Yeah, no. All that was just a coincidence.” Aural corrected, “Though to be fair, you’d be amazed by all the things you can think of when high off your ass. I mean, how’d you think Alice In Whinnyland was made?”

Survival glanced around, noting Relic, Mantra, and Ube’s expressions, with all of them showing grim looks.

“...None of you seems surprised by this revelation.” Survival frowned, “...Did you all know about this?”

“Mr. Horror…” Relic began, guilt on his face, “I-”

“Pretty much all the older monks in the monastery knew that the fountain was B-S.” Aural cut him off, “Me, Mantra, everyone. Yeah, pretty much everyone in these four walls except the newbies knows what’s up.”

“Seriously?” Fletcher gasped, “But then why does the rest of the world…”

“Ugh, it’s a long story.” Aural rolled his eyes, “Cutting it short, essentially, it took one to two generations since the Wise Lotus was formed for the ancient fogies to catch on that they’ve been giving random travelers poisoned water. Unfortunately, at that same time, they had only just obtained the ‘sacred grounds’ status that would protect them from any persecution or would-be invaders, all because of this ‘magic fountain’. As you could imagine, if word got out that the fountain was not only a fake, but was actually bucking up your brain… well, forget losing that status, all the other nations would have burnt this place to the ground.”

“Is this true, Relic?” Fletcher turned to him.

“Pretty much.” Relic admitted sheepishly, “It became a rite of passage for monks to be filled in on the secret. We were sworn never to reveal the truth, even to this day, as doing so could ruin the Wise Lotus’ reputation, as well as losing the sacred grounds status, which could lead to more problems… It’s not something we’re proud of…” He bowed his head, “...I’m sorry.”

“Hmm, so that’s why you didn’t want us drinking the water.” Fletcher mused to Relic. “Or letting anyone else for that matter.”

"Pretty much, yeah." Aural nodded.

“So let me get this straight…” Fury began, his voice in a whisper.

“Oh no.” Survival murmured, recognizing Fury’s tone.

“You’re telling me that I climbed up all those steps. Twice even!” Fury began, his body seething with rage, “Got my ass kicked… my wing broken!” He gestured to his bandaged wing, “Only to be told that the fountain we’ve done this for is A FAUST DAMN FAKE?!”

“Ooh, you’re in trouble!” Caboose said sing-songily to Mantra, his body wavering.

“I wouldn't say 'nothing'." Aural shrugged. "You accomplished something. Some more than others..."

“WHY YOU-” Fury roared.

“Fury, stop!” Fletcher stepped in front of him, glaring. “I know you are furious. Trust me, I’m not happy either. But we should not lose focus on the matter at hand…”

Fletcher then turned to Mantra, Fury gritting his beak.

“Well, Master Mantra? It’s your turn.” Fletcher glared at him.

“What do you mean ‘my turn’?” Mantra snarled, “Don’t act like I'm the villain here! Aural was the one that endangered everyone in this monastery. He’s the one that summoned the monster that broke the griffon’s wing! Not to mention he tried drowning your other friend just now! That donkey is a menace!”

“Well, truth be told, you’re not so innocent yourself.” Fletcher said coldly. “You promised us a drink from this fountain, knowing full well that the fountain is not only a lie, but is contaminated with a dangerous plant that could cause brain damage.”

“Well, yes, I did, but-” Mantra stammered.

“But nothing!” Fletcher cut him off, “From the moment we met you, I felt something was off. Whether it was the secrecy, the oddly-behaving monks, you getting pissed over us looking around, and this ban on aura… and to top it all off, we find a drug den of all things in the caverns…”

"Hey, I had nothing to do with that!" Mantra insisted.

“Really? You and your monks have been atop this mountain your whole life, and you expect me to believe that you didn’t know a drug operation was being run under your nose? I’m not buying it!” Fletcher snarled.

"Buck off!" Ube roared. "I don’t know what your problem is, but we’re telling you, had no knowledge of any damn drug-"

Suddenly, the wall next to the fountain opened up, revealing a secret passageway. Crack and Narco rushed panting heavily.

Everyone (except Aural) stared in surprise. Then Crack noticed Ube.

"Uber! You bucker!" Crack yelled.

"Uber?" Survival frowned.

"Crack?" Ube gaped. "What the hell are you-"

"Don't 'what the hell' me, asshole!" Crack snarled. "Those RDL buckers you said you'd taken care of?! Well, turns out they found the den!"

"Not the time, Crack..." Ube hissed, trying to draw Crack's attention to the glaring AFS.

"And what's more, that blind-ass donkey you and Mantra supposedly killed?! He's still alive too!" Crack yelled, completely ignorant to Ube's gestures.

"And he held me prisoner all year, making me write those letters!" Narco added.

"Shut it!" Crack yelled at Narco, before returning his attention to Ube. "Because of you, everypony is scattered to the wind! When me and my guys agreed to work with you and move to this blasted rock, you promised us that no buckin' copper was going to bust our operations! I should have known you were talking out your ass!"

"Crack..." Ube tried desperately to cut him off.

"Everything was going perfectly." Crack despaired. "Jade Ivies were already a bitch and a half to find. Then you came along, telling me that the rock you were hiding out in had this unlimited supply of Jade Ivy-fermented water, and along with it, a bunch of dumb rich folks we could drug and string along for all they got while they got their 'inner peace' or what not. And that we didn't have to worry about law enforcement! Well, now all of that is ruined! Now, we all need to get the hell out of here before the RDL gets back up here and-"

"Crack, shut the buck up!" Ube screamed.

"What?!" Crack growled, annoyed that his spiel had been interrupted.

"...Um, Crack..." Narco pointed Crack at their audience.

Crack looked at the fuming AFS, and Aural, all wearing the same snide smirk. Mantra himself was about to blow a gasket.

"Oh. Buck." Crack said flatly.

“No knowledge, huh?” Fletcher glared at Ube, “Well, according to your pal here, the whole operation was your idea.”

“No wonder Walking Phoenix and the other baldies were all flappin’ loopy.” Fury snarled, “You psychos been druggin’ them!” Suddenly, Fury grew more incensed, “And that bucker who got in my face! He was a tweaker!”

“And I bet he isn’t the only one.” Survival glared, “Some of the monks around here aren’t monks at all, are they? They’re dirty rotten drug smugglers!”

“Sheesh, we’re just trying to make a living!” Crack growled, offended.

“Buck you!” Survival snapped, “Do you have any idea the harm you are causing? While nowhere near as potent as Jade Jape, Jade Ivies are still dangerous. Prolonged exposure to the stuff could cause brain damage, if not death!”

“And what’s with him calling you ‘Uber’?” Fury seethed. “Don’t recall there being a ‘r’ at the end.”

Ube gritted his teeth.

“Come on, Ube, don’t be shy…” Aural snidely remarked, “Or should I say, ‘Uber Radical’?”

At HQ, the sound of the name made Ballista light up.

"I thought I saw him before!" Ballista stood up. "Uber Radical, the-"

"Neo-Neighzi?" Survival frowned. "The villain who led that awful rally back in Shallotsville?"

"Yes." Fletcher nodded grimly. "The one that ended in a bloody riot that killed over a dozen ponies and injured many more. Last I checked, there's several warrants for his arrest."

"Yeah... gotta say, pretty smart to hide out in a place that was hard to get an arrest warrant in." Fury admitted.

“W-well, I must say, I am deeply horrified and appalled.” Mantra declared meekly, “My right-hood stallion, not only an evil Neo-Neighzi, but a drug kingpin, running drugs from my monastery? The audacity!”

“Oh, you motherbucker!” Ube roared at Mantra.

“Well, technically, he’s not lying.” Aural admitted, “Mantra didn’t know who he was… at first. But Uber here, especially if he pounds a couple cups of sake, likes to brag. A lot. Needless to say, Mantra found out quickly enough and Uber, like the little pansy he is, begged him not to go to Chakra, knowing full well that the old stallion would kick his ass off the mountain before you can say ‘Mein Kampf’...” Aural’s face grew sullen, “...Not that it mattered in the end…”

"What's that supposed to mean?" Survival asked.

Mantra's breath hitched, as Aural glared at him.

"Well, Manny, tell them." Aural urged. "Tell them about what really happened to Master Chakra that day. Tell them how you MURDERED HIM!"

“Murdered?!” Survival gasped, “But I thought Chakra’s death was-”

“It was! It was an accident!” Mantra growled.

“No. It wasn’t.” Aural growled. Cold anger was in his voice. “I should know. I was there when it happened…”

Years ago...

It was another blustery day atop the mountain, as Aural was one of his regular afternoon walks around the monastery.

"Good day, Fresh Starter." He waved at a familiar place.

"Afternoon, Aural." Fresh Starter smiled.

Aural greeted several others, eventually crossing paths with the young Relic.

"Hello, Aural." Relic smiled.

"Hey, Relic." Aural nodded. "Don't suppose you know where Chakra is right now?"

“I think I saw him going down to the fountain today. You know how the master enjoys meditating near it.” Relic smiled.

“Don’t I ever.” Aural rolled his eyes, “Well, I guess I might as go see if he wants company or not.”

As Aural made his way down, he found himself stumbling a little, thanks to the strong winds.

"Lousy gusts." He muttered. "Just an accident waiting to happen..."

As Aural neared the landing, he heard a voice.

"My decision is final, Mantra." An old, yet authoritative voice grumbled.

“Huh? Mantra?” Aural frowned.

Aural slowed his pace. His ears began twitching, using aural sense to look ahead.

Down on the landing, just outside the fountain, two visages of ponies could be detected.

While he couldn’t tell without sight, he recognized a bulkier yet old looking stallion, an Earth Pony, was his master Chakra, who to others who could see, was a tall, wise-looking fellow, with a short beard, and an eye symbol for a Cutie Mark.

The other pony was a Unicorn, which judging by the stiff way he carried himself, that Aural immediately knew was Mantra.

’What the hell are these two fighting about now?’ Aural grimaced. It was rather known that Mantra had taken issues with how Chakra ran things in the monastery, especially regarding the teaching of aura.

“Why?” Mantra’s voice demanded, “Why him?!”

“I think you know why, Mantra.” Chakra shot back.

“No, I don’t! Because there is no way you would choose Aural to be your successor over me!” Mantra snarled.

“Successor?” Aural whispered, “Wait… he doesn’t mean…”

“Actually there is. Because that is exactly what I am doing.” Chakra huffed, “When I moved on from this world, Aural will take my place as master of this monastery.”

“Master?!” Aural nearly yelped, before catching himself, “Me?”

“B-but why?! Master, my family have served the Wise Lotus for generations.” Mantra protested, “Dating back to when this monastery first came to be! Aural?! He was just left here on our doorstep!”

“Oh, don’t even try and bring your ‘family’ into this.” Chakra said callously, “Yes, they’ve been around this monastery for a long time, yet none of them had ever been named a successor. There’s a reason for that: mediocrity. Not a single one of them ever stood out. And you, Mantra, are just another link in a rather lackluster chain."

"That is a lie!” Mantra roared. "I am without question, your best pupil! I mastered your teachings in no time flat! I followed your every instruction to the letter!"

"Then why is it that Aural bested you in training?" Chakra retorted. "Surely the 'best' wouldn't lose to someone else?"

"That was a fluke!" Mantra claimed. "Aural was emotional that day, and if I had been adequately prepared, I-"

"Excuses, Mantra?" Chakra scoffed. "As if I needed another reason to choose Aural over you..."

"No! This is favoritism!" Mantra spat. "You're only choosing Aural because he sees you as some sort of father figure-"

"I'm choosing Aural because he worked his, excuse the pun, ass off to hone his skills in the art of using aura." Chakra said calmly. "Our relationship has no weight in the matter."

"But he does not deserve the title, let alone even using aura-" Mantra began.

"And here we go again with this argument." Chakra sighed irritably. "That is yet another reason I won't be choosing you. The power of aura is knowledge that should be shared with all those who seek it. Not hoarded away by poor insecure boys afraid of obscurity."

Mantra was so taken aback by Chakra words that he was unable to even voice his fury. Aural himself was also taken back by such a barb.

’Faust damn, Master. Mantra’s a dick, but that was harsh!’ Aural grimaced, surprisingly feeling bad for the younger stallion

Chakra turned his back on Mantra.

"Aural will succeed me, and that's the end of it." He declared. "And unless you wish to bring further shame on your family through expulsion, you will learn to bear it and grin it like everyone else in your family did."

With his back to Mantra, he was unaware of his student glaring at him with utter hatred.

"You see, in this world, there are great ponies, and then there’s stepping stones for those great ponies to walk on. You and your entire bloodline? A whole line of stepping stones. You could belly-ache about your mediocrity, or you can just accept that you are just a stepping stone for Aural. Whichever you choose, I honestly don’t care.”

Mantra’s eyes started welling up with tears, as he began panting with fury. But Aural was actually more mortified by Chakra's choice of words.

Chakra started to walk away... until he hears the sound of an aura sphere manifesting. He turned around, and was struck in the face by a red aura sphere.

Aural’s blind eyes lit up with horror. His aural senses played the scene out to him, as if in slow-motion.

"ARRRGH!" He groaned, the impact sending him flying over the edge of the landing's railings. As he fell, the robe tore a little against the railing.

"MASTER, NO!" Aural rushed down the steps and to the edge, looking down in horror.

Mantra suddenly snapped out of his hate-filled rage, and was aghast at what he had just done. Aural glanced back at him, his ears twitching, his eyes alight with grief and betrayal.

"M-mantra, what did you do?" Aural stuttered.

"I... I..." Mantra spluttered. "It wasn't me! Chakra was blown over the edge by the wind!"

"The wind?!" Aural snarled, anger overtaking him. "Don't lie to me! I sensed the aura sphere! You killed Chakra!"

"I didn't!" Mantra insisted, getting agitated. "It was an accident! You didn't even see what happened, so what makes you so sure I'd do something like that?"

“Aural sense, jackass!” Aural roared, his eyes tearing up, “I-I can’t believe you… that you would do something so…” Snarling, he manifested two aura spheres from his front hooves, “I’m gonna buckin’ kick your ass!”

“Aural, please!” Mantra pleaded.

However, before Aural could attack, a strong pair of hooves grabbed him by the ears and by the abdomen. The shock of being grabbed caused Aural to lose focus, and subsequently, his aura spheres.

“What the?! Hey! Let go of me!” Aural shouted, thrashing against his captor, his rage preventing him from properly tapping into his aura.

"Ube?" Mantra gaped, shocked at the sudden appearance of, who else, Uber. "What are you doing here?"

“I was coming down to ask the old fossil something, and I overheard the whole thing.” Uber announced, “Gotta say, I didn’t know you had it in you, Manny.”

“Ube! You Trotler butt-kissing asshole! LET ME GO!” Aural roared.

“L-let him go, Ube.” Mantra suggested, shaken, “This is only making things worse!”

“You’re kiddin’, right?” Uber retorted, “He knows you killed ol’ Chalk. If word gets out, you'd be expelled, if not arrested!”

“I realize that, but-” Mantra shook his head.

“And let’s be real here: that old fart always preferred this gimp over you!” Ube growled, glaring at the thrashing donkey in his grasp, “Are you really going to throw your life away for this ass?! Use your head, Manny!”

Mantra fell silent for a moment, horrifying Aural.

“M-mantra?” Aural whispered.

"...W-what do I do?" he asked, unsure.

"You don't have to 'do' anything." Uber replied. "I mean, Aural here is blind as a bat. Would anypony really raise a brow if he too suffered a little 'accident' like good ol' Chalk?"

"...No. I suppose they wouldn't." Mantra admitted. He turned away, out of both guilt and cowardly acceptance. "Throw him over, and make it quick."

"Thought you'd never ask!" Uber smirked.

"No!" Aural yelled, struggling desperately as Uber dragged him to the edge. "Mantra, please! Don't do this! Don't! No! No!"

Uber threw Aural over the edge.

"AHHHH!" The donkey cried out in horror as he tumbled out of view.

Mantra walked over to the railing, a dead look in his eyes as Uber dusted off his hooves.

"Well, this is quite the pickle we find ourselves in, Mantra... or should I say, Master Mantra?" Uber declared.

"What?" Mantra glanced at Uber. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh come now." Uber said airily. "Nopony knew that Chakra was going to name Aural his successor except him and you, and with the both of them out of the way, you, as the self-proclaimed best pupil, are a shoe-in."

"...Yeah, I guess I am..." Mantra realized.

"Although, I do believe some changes are in order around here, if I'm gonna be keeping my lips sealed about this little 'accident'." Uber smirked.

Mantra glared at him, knowing what he was getting at.

"What is it you want, Ube?" He asked, already guessing the answer.

"Well, let's just say I learned the truth about the water on this here mountain." Uber revealed. "It just so happens to be a vital component to a... let's say, a very potent drug, one that is well sought-after among the groups I run with. With your 'blessing', I can get a crew over here and start up a little shindig, make some coin."

"You wish to introduce drug dealers onto this mountain?" Mantra asked incredulously.

"Oh, perish the thought." Uber chuckled. "Sure, we might have to sort some of them into the monastery to make sure there's no interference from other busy-bodies, but I'll see to it that the others keep to themselves... hell, maybe we can cut you in and-"

"No. I do not want any of your filthy money." Mantra refused. "Do whatever you want." He glanced down where Chakra and Aural fell, the hate welling up in him once more. "This is all their fault... they deserved this... The power of aura should be in only one's hooves... my hooves. Nopony else."

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever floats your boat." Uber shrugged. As he turned around, he noticed something. "Although we should probably do something about the other witness."

"What?" Mantra frowned. "What are you-" He turned around... and saw Relic, standing there like a deer in the headlights. "Relic?"

Down below, Aural was a heavily-bruised and bleeding mess, but miraculously still alive, his glasses shattered.

"I... I'm alive..." He wheezed, “Buck… why am I… still alive?”

Fighting the pain, Aural rolled onto his belly, whimpering as he did. For a moment, he attempted to use aural sense, his ears twitching, but his head was throbbing, preventing any and all attempts at focusing.

“Ugh, dammit!” Aural groaned. Blind and left with no choice, he began to crawl forward, “Help me... Relic… Master… anypony… please… it’s so dark…"

Almost immediately, his hooves made contact with something soft.

“What the…” Aural frowned, confused… before realizing. “Wait… Master? Is that you?” He let out a sob of relief, rubbing his hooves along the body, “Oh, thank, Faust.. I thought for sure you were-”

His blood ran cold, as he felt something wasn’t right. As he ran his hooves over his mentor's form, he felt a hard, jagged sensation as he reached the neck... something that shouldn't have been there, and that no living pony could possibly posess...

“No…” Aural whispered, as he began weeping, “Oh no-oh-oh… Master… you can’t… you can’t be… Faust dammit! Faust DAMMIT!”

Thanks to the winds that blew that day, no one kept the horrid cries of a heartbroken donkey, weeping over his mentor’s dead body…

The present...

The AFS were all mortified at what they'd just heard, seeing the pained look in the blind donkey’s face.

"Oh, geez..." Fury bowed his head.

“How awful…” Fletcher added.

"Boo-hoo-hoo!" Caboose blubbered. "Why did they do that to Ol' Yeller?!"

"Relic?” Survival asked the monk, who seem just as torn from Aural’s recollection. Recalling their earlier conversation, he pressed onwards, "Did you know about any of this?”

“Relic!” Mantra began, an cold edge to his voice, “Do not say a single word, or I’ll-”

“No, Mantra. Enough is enough.” Relic declared fiercely. His eyes began to wet, as he turned to Survival, “It’s all true. I came down to this fountain that day, hoping to join Aural and Chakra. I didn’t see Chakra’s death, but I did see Ube throw Aural over the edge. And I heard everything they said about what happened.” He sniffled, “When they saw me, they said if I told anyone that they would… you have to believe me, I wanted to tell the truth, not just about Chakra, but about Aural, the drugs... But… but…”

“Hey, it’s not your fault, Relic.” Aural assured him with a sad smile, “You were scared for your life. Most ponies would be.”

"Hey, stop acting like I'm the bad guy here!" Mantra roared. "Chakra pushed me to do it! He disrespected me! He disrespected my family!"

“That’s enough, Mantra!” Aural rounded on him, “It doesn’t matter what the reason is! What matters is that you used your aura to kill our master! And because of it, you allowed Uber to start up his drug operation and allowed criminals into our home, drugging newcomers to rip them off and place them into compliance, and run those Jade Japes from our mountain! All so you could have his precious aura to yourself!"

"How do you know all this?" Fletcher asked. "Weren't you down in the caves all that time?"

"Not entirely." Aural replied. "I've been coming and going from the caves to the monastery and back for a while. Most times I sneak in through that passage those two nimrods came through just now and pick up some food and supplies. In fact, I’ve been off this mountain a few times. That’s how I found a Forefather outpost to send a letter to.”

“But then why did you stick around?” Survival frowned.

“Because I wasn’t going to let those two bastards get away with killing my master.” Aural glared at Mantra and Ube, who glared back at him, “I promised myself that when I buried him all that time ago… sadly, I knew I couldn't just march in and kick them out myself. So I thought up a plan: kidnap one of the drug runners ..."

Aural gesture to Narco.

"B-b-buck you!" Narco shrieked, half-afraid, half-angry.

"...Then, using the papers, ink, and quills I took during one of my supply runs, I have him write out a death threat to scare Mantra into calling help... which took a lot longer than it should have." Aural continued, adding that bit with venom.

"Why didn't you just go to the authorities?!" Fury pointed out. "Why all the bullcrap?!"

"...He couldn't." Survival answered. "Sacred grounds, remember? It would have taken forever for anypony to get a search warrant, and even if they did..."

"Uber and his men would have had more than enough time to conceal any incriminating evidence... and they would know Aural was alive." Fletcher added.

"Couldn't have put it better myself." Aural nodded. "So I had that spineless wimp write letters for me till the day Mantra would finally crack... which finally came after a hundred damn letters…"

"Okay then, why call the Forefathers?!" Fury demanded to know.

"Oh... that..." Aural said awkwardly. "Well, I knew Mantra would've tried his damndest to make sure you guys didn't stick around. So I figured if an actual threat were to come along, it would keep you guys around long enough to realize what's going on around here. And when you did, I would reveal myself, and lead you guys down to the drug den, and bring justice to this damn rock."

He paused to let the words sink in.

"...But unfortunately, this asshole-" He pointed to the cowering Narco. "-Decided to break free and try and warn them, and that asshole-" He pointed to a fuming Uber. "-Decided to drop the sacred boulder on you guys, so I had to improvise... but never did I intend for the Forefathers to actually be... well, a threat. Let alone packing whatever the hell Silas was."

"You summoned a terrorist faction, even taunted them using Mantra's name." Fletcher pointed out, not happy. "Even if Silas wasn't among their numbers, you really didn't think they wouldn't be merciful to this place?"

"...Okay, I won't lie, I also did it to put the fear of Faust into Mantra and Uber and all of his cronies." Aural confessed sheepishly. "But in my defense, you guys were supposed to be guarding the place, not spelunking!"

Caboose suddenly laughed giddily, still under the influence of the tainted water.

"Hehehe... he got you there, Fletchie-poo!" He giggled.

“...Well, I think I’ve heard more than enough.” Fletcher said bluntly, “We are going to have a long hard discussion regarding your dangerously reckless actions, Aural. No matter the reason, you endangered innocent lives and that is just not okay.”

Aural remained silent, acknowledging his words.

“That being said, you did bring to light a very serious problem.” Fletcher admitted, glaring at Uber, “Uber Radical, a fugitive from the law, has not only been hiding out on this mountain, but he has been selling Jade Japes, a illegal drug, with several felons, as well drugging innocent monks to rob them of their valuables…” He then turned to Mantra, “And then there’s you, Mantra. While we cannot prove your involvement in your old master’s death in the court of law, you not only knew, but were complicit in Uber’s criminal activities… and don’t get me started on those two.” Crack and Narco stepped back a bit in concern.

“That being said.” Fletcher continued, “Under the authority of the Royal Defense Legion, I am placing all four of you under arrest!”

"Good call." Fury smiled.

"No argument here." Survival agreed.

"Up, up, and away!" Caboose crooned.

Mantra was silent for a moment... then his expression grew cold and dark.

“Is that so?” Mantra said quietly, “...Well, I am afraid I cannot allow that, Mr. Ulysses." He said quietly.

"Mantra?" Relic mumbled, not liking the look on Mantra's face.

"That isn't up to you, Mantra. Not anymore." Fletcher declared.

"Oh, but it is." Mantra retorted. "Uber?"

"Way ahead of you." Uber nodded. "Boys, come on out!"

Suddenly, coming into the fountain room was a group of monks (with ones such as the tweeky one and the one who ran inventory among their numbers), but by the vile expressions on their faces, it was clear that they worked for Uber.

Fletcher and the others, except the zonked out Caboose, were taken aback.

“The hell is this?!” Fury snarled.

“Ooh, someone’s throwing us a surprise party, yay!” Caboose cheered giddily.

“Somehow, I doubt it’s a party, Caboose.” Survival frowned.

“Mantra, what are you doing?” Aural glared, “You’re not honestly thinking-”

"I have dedicated my whole life to the Wise Lotus." Mantra declared, cutting him off, “Day and night. Weekends. Holidays. Rain or shine. I’ve trained so hard, to the point my hooves bled… but it was never enough. Me and my family had suffered in silence, being wrongfully passed over for the title of master in favors of those far inferior than us. We were the true practitioners of aura, while all those unworthy ponies sullied its’ light."

Mantra bowed his head suddenly, guilt flashing across his face.

“Chakra… I never meant for him to die… his death is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life…” His head raised back up, a cold glare taking the guilt’s place, “However, it does not change the fact that I deserve the title of master! That aura should only be in my hooves! And nopony, not you government cronies, not Aural, not Relic, is going to take that away from me!”

“That and we ain’t giving up our unlimited supply of Jade Ivies. Let’s buck ‘em up, boys.” Uber grinned wickedly.

The thugs moved in, including an emboldened Crack (and a hesitant Narco), while Uber cracked his hooves in preparation.

“No! Mantra! I heavily suggest that you reconsider your course of action!" Fletcher warned. "This is only going to make things worse on all of you!"

"Is it now?" Mantra scoffed. "Well, the way I see it, the lot of you were slain when the Forefathers, the ‘true’ senders of the letters, came and attacked our home. And in spite of our best efforts, all of you succumbed to your wounds."

“Oh, you mother-bucker…” Aural growled.

"But what of the other monks?!" Relic pointed out. "They know that's not what happened! And if you do something to me or Aural, they're... they're gonna-"

"Keep their damn mouths shut if they know what is good for them." Mantra said coldly. "You forget, the only reason I didn't let Uber snap your scrawny neck that night was so the other monks would be kept in line. But as it stands, you are too much trouble to be left alive now. If the other monks wish to start something, they are welcome to join you... in the afterlife. Regardless, the truth will die with all of you."

"Yeah... not gonna happen."

Everypony glanced in the direction of the voice, looking atop the doorway outside, with Red Rio, glancing at all of them.

"What the- the bird, it speaks?!" Mantra gaped.

"No... it's one of them fancy-ass military machines!" Uber declared. "With speakers and all that crap!"

"You forgot a camera, Mr. Radical." Elite's voice emitted from the drone. "I am Elite Everest, director of the RDL, and these fine ponies' leader. And I and my cohorts at HQ have heard everything.” The thugs all shared looks of shock and fear, Uber gritting his teeth and Mantra’s glare hardened, “If you and your men do not stand down, Mantra, I will have the rest of RDL march up that mountain, sacred grounds be damned, and haul you all in! There is no running from this!”

"...Oh, hell no! I ain't going back to prison!" Driven by panic, Uber pulled out a crossbow and fired at the drone.

“Yikes!” Armory gasped, as he quickly swerved the drone out of the way, “I think a tactical retreat is in order!”

“Ballista, mobilize some units.” Elite declared fiercely, “We’re going on a trip.”

"Will do." Ballista nodded. Silently, he noted that Elite was visibly angry

As Elite stormed out of the room, Black also noticed his change in attitude.

'Don't think I've ever seen him this mad before...' He mused.

Back at the mountain, the drone, having dodged the bolt, flew away, out of the fountain room.

"No, no, no!" Uber yelled. He turned to the thugs. "Kill them all!"

The thugs charged at the AFS.

"Here we go again..." Fletcher sighed. "Let's make this quick!"

“Oh, hell no. After everything I just heard, I got some steam to let off!” Fury roared.

“Don’t overdo it, Fury. We’re all still banged up from our fight with Silas.” Survival warned. He turned to Relic, “Stand back, Relic. Things are probably going to get messy.”

“O-okay…” Relic murmured.

"Satisfaction guaranteed!" Caboose babbled.

Meanwhile, Aural and Mantra began circling each other.

“So we’re really doing this, huh?” Aural asked, unamused, “Well, fine by me. I have some unfinished business I need to settle.”

“As do I, Aural…” Mantra hissed, “Let’s end this…”

“Ladies first.” Aural sneered.

The two charged at each other, and struck at the same time, their hooves digging into each others' face.

And like that, the entire room was consumed in an all-out brawl.

Fury, despite his injuries, was enthusaistically (and angrily) pummelling any who came near him. After sending one monk flying flying, he was confronted by a familiar face.

“Hey, feather-duster, remember me?!” The tweeky monk snarled.

“Oh-ho, I was wondering when you were gonna show up.” Fury grinned, bloodthirsty, “Don’t you need your ‘tea’ first?”

“Buck ‘tea’. I ain’t about to let you and the ‘establishment’ take the good stuff away!” The tweeky monk pulled a knife from his robes, “Bring it, cat-butt!”

With that, he lunged at the griffon. Fury, not impressed, simply swung a talon, backhanding the monk, sending him to the ground.

“Ugh!” The tweeky monk spat, as he got back up, “You can't swat me away that easily!"

The tweeky pony started hopping, jumping left and right.

“Oh, whatcha gonna do, bruh? You can’t hit what you can’t see!” He taunted.

"You know what none of us can see?" Fury deadpanned. "This!"

Fury conjured up a big blast of wind, which sent the tweeky monk flying into the wall.

"Ow..." The monk groaned, as he slid down the stone.

"Who’s next?" Fury smirked at the other thugs.

Meanwhile, Fletcher took on the inventory monk.

“You should have left well enough alone, copper.” The monk threw a punch, “Now you and your pals are going to be a footnote in history!

Fletcher dodged the attack, then kicked the monk in the face.

"If I were you, I'd stick to stacking shelves!" He taunted.

The irate monk charged at Fletcher, who used his momentum to flip her over and slam him into the ground.

"Add that to your inventory." Fletcher smirked.

Suddenly, Fletcher was jumped by more thugs.

"Hey, don't crowd!" The still-addled Caboose called out. "There's plenty for everypony!"

Caboose used his telekinesis to lift the thugs off Fletcher... then began to spin them around like pinwheels.

"Wheee!" He whooped. "Spin, spin, spin!"

"Ahhh!" One thug yelled.

"I think I'm gonna be sick!" Another gulped.

"Bored now." Caboose abruptly dropped them. "...Hey, does anycreature else smell purple?"

"Got ya!" One of the thugs grabbed him.

"I don't wanna ride the merry-go-round!" Caboose yelled, kicking the thug away. Another thug charged at him. "And you can't make me!"

Caboose fired a blast from his horn, which utterly scorched the thug's head. Nonplussed, the thug began whistling to the tune of ‘Kingdom Coming’, walking out the fountain room.

"Makeover!" Caboose cheered. "Who's next!"

Crack attempted to jump the addled pony from behind.

"Glad you're enjoying the free sample, but fun time's over!" He snarled.

"Pony ride?" Caboose asked. "Why didn't you say so?"

Caboose bucked and leapt around, with Crack attempting to hold on for dear life.

"Are you nuts?" Narco yelped. "Let go, already!"

"Never!" Crack snarled.

At that moment, the thug lost his grip, and flew right into his comrade, knocking them bot out.

Meanwhile, Aural and Mantra were clashing viciously, matching each other move for move.

“You have no idea how long I wanted to punch that stupid face of yours!” Aural snarled, punching Mantra in the face.

“Ugh, that makes two of us.” Mantra sneered, brushing the blood from his mouth, as he retaliated with a punch of his own, slugging Aural, “I always felt letting Uber throw you over the edge was letting you off far too easy!”

“Lucky me. Because I won't be letting YOU off easy!" Aural spat.

Aural conjured up a sphere and fired at Mantra. However, the wicked master was quick to conjure a sphere of his own, red in color, immediately sending it flying.

The two spheres collided in midair, canceling each other out.

“Hmph, this is going to be fun.” Mantra chuckled.

At the same time, Survival was trying to overcome Uber... emphasis on "trying".

"You think you're special, but you're just another thug."Survival tried to taunt Uber. "A twisted psychopath, a monster, pretending to be something more."

"Who's pretending?" Uber scoffed. "Unlike ‘Mantra’, I know exactly what I am, and I'm not ashamed of it!"

"Okay, the hard way it is... Hi-yahh!" Survival struck Uber's neck with a precision chop that should have knocked him out. Instead, it only made Uber smirk.

"That’s the best you got?" He taunted.

"Not quite." Survival delivered a punch to Uber's gut.

The brute stumbled back a single step... and retaliated with a haymaker that knocked Survival to the ground.

“Ack… oh…” Survival groaned.

"You're out of your league, junior." Uber sneered, raising a hoof. "Give it up, and I might make this quick."

"Not a chance!" Survival dodged the stomp and leapt onto Uber's back, wrapping his hooves around the brute's neck in a sleeper hold. "Nighty-night!"

Undeterred, Uber flung himself backwards against a wall, causing Survival to take the brunt of the impact.

"Guhhh!" Survival groaned. Just barely staying on his hooves, he threw a punch at Uber, but it was caught, and Uber twisted, nearly breaking it. "Ahhhh!"

Uber followed up with a punch, knocking Survival down.

"Survival's in trouble!" Fletcher realised from across the room.

"Not for long!" Fury declared.

The two attempted to help their teammate, were attacked by the other villainous monks. Meanwhile, Survival was struggling to stand up.

"Well, that was fun." Uber smirked. "But all good things must come to an end." He moved in to finish the job…

“No, stop! That’s enough, Uber!” Relic stepped forth, “Stop this senseless violence, now!”

“Wait your turn, small fry.” Uber declared condescendingly, “As much as I want to kill you, I have to take care of this lot first.”

“I’m warning you!” Relic growled, his body quivering, “If you do not cease, I’ll stop you myself!”

“Oh? And how’d you intend to do that?” Uber said mockingly.

“Like this!” Relic answered, as he held up his front hooves, putting them together.

“Seriously? Come on, I know for a fact that you can’t do that aura crap. Not you or any of your fellow baldies.” Uber sneered, “So, just stand there and look pretty while I finish this punk off.”

“No…” Relic grunted, “All I’ve done was stand by, letting evil infest this mountain, unable to do anything because I was too scared to do anything. Well that ends today!”

With that said, he began to focus, as a small orb appeared between his hooves once more.

“Whatever…” Uber turned away, glaring down at the struggling Survival, “No amount of this stupid ‘aura’ is gonna save you now…”

Relic continued to focusing more. He though of how Aural, the monastery, and the AFS were all counting on him.

'The aura is with me, the aura is with me, the aura is with me...' He repeated.

Within seconds, Relic’s aura sphere soon grew in size.

Meanwhile Relic and Mantra still in their bout, when Aura suddenly froze up.

"Do you sense that?" He asked.

Mantra also stopped.

"I do." He nodded. 'And I don't like it...'

The sound of Relic’s sphere manifesting made Uber’s ears perk, as he turned back around to see Relic holding a normal-sized aura sphere in his hooves.

“Well, how about that?” Uber sneered, not the least bit intimidated, “I guess you’re not as useless as you look. Still doesn’t mean jack crap.”

“This is your last warning, Uber.” Relic glared fiercely, “Stand down, or I will make you!”

“Really? That’d be a neat trick.” Uber smirked, “Tell ya what, I’ll let you have a freebie.” He spread his hooves, “Hit me with your best shot. Just know that when you fail, as you shall, I’m gonna break your puny neck.”

“Ask, and ye shall receive..." Relic reared his front hooves back, visibly struggling while maintaining the sphere.

Uber’s wicked grin grew wider, expecting a failure of epic proportions.

“Take… this!” Relic roared.

Relic pushed his hooves forward… however, the sphere, instead of leaving his hooves, fired off a powerful beam of energy, energy that changed from blue to green as it moved forward.

Uber’s face immediately turned to horror.

The beam instantly collided with the evil stallion, sending him flying across the room, crashing into the secret passage doors so hard that the doors crumbled to pieces.

“U-u-ugh…” Uber barely could utter a moan, feeling as if a hole had been torn in his stomach, despite appearing physically fine… albeit a growing bruise on his abdomen.

Everyone else stared in complete surprise at what had just happened.

“Whoa… Relic… you did it. You used aura.” Survival shakily got up, surprised.

“I… I… was just trying to throw a sphere…” Relic panted, exhausted and shocked by his own power, “I don’t know… how I did that.”

“That… that power…” Mantra gasped, his blood running cold, “Where did it…” His attention fell on Relic. It all began to click, as rage overtook his face, “You… you’ve been practicing aura…” He began quivering, “No… no… not again! You filthy, unworthy-”

Relic looked on in horror as Mantra stormed towards him, hate in his eyes.

"N-now, Mantra." Relic tried to reason with Mantra. "Just calm down..."

Mantra ignored Relic's words, and continued onward.

"Stop!" Survival lunged at Mantra.

Mantra struck Survival hard, knocking him into the wall. He glared at Relic once more.

"I should have done this years ago, you unworthy-"

“Don’t you dare!”

Aural suddenly charged forth, slamming into Mantra. The weight of his attack sent the two tumbling outside the fountain room.

“I won’t let you harm any member of this brotherhood ever again!" Aural roared, punching Mantra over and over, “You! Buckin’! Piece! Of-”

Mantra let out his own roar, slamming his hooves into Aural's temples.

"ARRRGH!" Aural screamed, the ringing in his ears temporarily negating his aura sense.

"Got ya, now..." Mantra smirked, kicking Aural backwards.

"You think I'm helpless? Think again!" Aural snarled. Feeling the vibrations of Mantra's hooves hitting the ground, Aural struck his foe in the midsection.

"Urgh!" Mantra grunted. He kicked Aural in return.

Aural swept Mantra's legs, tripping him up.

Incensed, Mantra flipped back onto his hooves, and charged at Aural, who had used the time to right himself. Overwhelmed by anger, the two traded fierce blows, leaving their faces and hooves bruised and bloody.

As the two neared exhaustion, Mantra reached the limits of his rationality.

"This is all your fault." Mantra wheezed.

"Say what?" Aural growled.

"You, and Relic, and Charkra..." Mantra snarled. "Too many unworthy creatures using the power of Aura... Well, no more! As long as I live, I will never allow another who can use aura exist alongside me! None of you will ever sully the might of aura! Never again!"

"Will you shut it with that bullcrap?!" Aural spat. "This has never been about aura!"

"WHAT?!" Mantra shrieked.

"That's right!" Aural nodded. "I may not be the shining example of a monk as you like to point out, but even a blind ass like me can see that this has been about one thing: you. What Chakra said was cruel, but he was right. You didn't want to hoard aura to yourself to protect 'aura', but because you didn't want somecreature else who could potentially surpass you in the art of aura. Why else would you have bullied and pushed me around all these years? Because you were scared of there being somecreature better."

Mantra stared at Aura, frozen with shock.

"Well, am I wrong?!" Aural prompted. "Or are you just really just an asshole?!"

"You just don't understand, do you?" Mantra growled. "My family gave their whole life to aura. I gave my whole life to aura! It's only natural that I alone should be the one to use aura! It was my sole purpose for being!" He glared hatefully at Aural. "And you took it from me!"

Mantra fired an aura sphere at Aural. Aural managed to block it, but was blasted backwards as a result.

"Ugh, I took nothing!" Aural grunted, taking a moment to steady himself.

"Yes, you did!" Mantra insisted. "Aura was the one thing I was good at in my life!" He blasted Aural again... "No one was my equal before you!" ...And again... "The moment you showed potential, Chakra wouldn't even look at me!" ...And again.

Aural felt the railing of the landing against his back, realizing he was up against the edge.

Mantra conjured up another aura sphere, anguish on his face, as he turned to the sphere in his hoof.

“This… this was all I was good for... without it, I have nothing... without it, I'm nothing!"

Aural stared at Mantra silently.

"...Pathetic." Aural said flatly.

"What?!" Mantra seethed.

"I said you're pathetic!" Aural yelled. "Honestly, I don't know what's more sad: the fact you think anyone who takes up aura is doing so just to spite you, or that your life is so empty, that you need aura just so you could feel good about yourself!”

"Don't you even!" Mantra spat. "What would you have done in my hooves?! Are you not like me?! Without aura, you cannot even see! What would you do if someone came and overshadowed you, just as you overshadow me?!"

“Frankly, I wouldn’t give a damn.” Aural said tiredly, “Hate to break it to you, Mantra, but there’s always gonna be someone better. If not in aura, then other things. If there was someone better than me, well, that just means I have to do better, that I have to work harder. It’s the same for everyone else. I’m not about to stop someone from bettering themselves. And I’m not going to let you do it either. Not anymore.” He conjured up an aura sphere, “Aura, at the end of the day, is just a tool we monks use to defend what we hold dear... and right now, I'm using it to defend my home from you!"

Aural made to throw his sphere… only for Mantra to quickly slip through and thrust a hoof into his abdomen.

"Huhhhh!" Aural gasped, the air knocked out of him.

"Foolishness, Aural." Mantra grinned wickedly. "Foolishness. It's that line of thinking that led Chakra to his death. And it will lead you to yours... for sure, this time!"

Instantly, he fired an aura sphere from the offending hoof, blasting Aural off and over the edge.

The AFS and Relic rushed out into the courtyard, the former finishing the thugs (except for Caboose, who was running in circles), just as Mantra threw Aural over the edge.

"No!" Survival yelled, horrified.

"Aural!" Relic screamed.

"You filth!" Fletcher growled.

"Where'd grandpa go?" The still-addled Caboose asked.

"He may have been a literal and figurative ass, but he didn't deserve that." Fury growled.

"And now it's your turn." Mantra glared at the others, conjuring spheres from his front hooves, “Compared to him, you fools will be easy pickings.”

“We’ll see about that!” Fury snarled, summoning a few spears.

“You won’t get away with this!” Fletcher declared.

Mantra scoffed, as he made to advance on the group…

Then suddenly, a blur shot upwards from where Aural had fallen, before coming down, crashing into the ground between Mantra and the others, kicking up dust.

“What in the-” Mantra gasped.

The dust cleared, as Aural darted upwards, none the worse for wear. Steam was coming off his back hooves, the donkey shaking them a little.

“Whoo, what a rush.” Aural sighed, “Thank Faust I learned to use aura though my back hooves, or else I would have been a goner.”

“Aural…” Relic let out a sigh of relief.

"He's alive." Fletcher smiled.

"Amazing!" Survival charged.

"Yeah, not bad, I guess..." Fury tried to hide his relief.

"Anypony seen my glasses?" Caboose asked.

“Are you serious?!” Mantra spat, “Why won't you just die already!"

"Because I'm not dying until I put an end to this farce!” Aural declared fiercely, “You have brought shame on this monastery and the Wise Lotus’ name. Once you’re gone, the monastery will be restored to its former glory."

"The only glory this monastery needs is mine." Mantra retorted. "Once I've wiped you and Relic out, I can rewrite this place's history, and begin anew."

“Really? Didn’t you hear the robot bird? The RDL is already on their way here. Even if you were to kill us here and now, they already know everything you and Uber have done.” Aural pointed out, “Face it, Mantra. You lose. Just give it up!”

“Never! I am the true master of this monastery!” Mantra roared, on the brink of hysterics, “The true master of aura! I will yield to no one!”

“Mantra…” Relic frowned.

“A Faust damn shame…” Aural shook his head in disappointment, “You wanna know something real sad, Mantra? If I had known I was gonna be Master Chakra’s successor…” He glanced at Mantra, not with disdain or smugness, but with sadness, “I would have gladly let you have the position.”

Fletcher, Survival, and Fury shared glances of confusion.

"...What?" Mantra gasped, taken aback. "But why would you-"

“Because believe it or not, Manny, I never wanted to be master.” Aural confessed, “I mean, this place will always be my home. If I was master however, I would have to stay here for the rest of my life, and that would have driven me mad within a week.” He give a humorless chuckle, “But no… I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life cooped up on this rock. I want to see the world!”

The drugged Caboose gasped.

“Figuratively.” Aural added with an edge, Caboose drooping. “I want to travel, go places, take in all the wonders and beauties of life. Even more, I want to better myself! Pick fights with ponies who could match me in battle! Hell, maybe take on an Alicorn. I hear they are in good supply nowadays.”

“Well, he’s not wrong.” Survival pointed out, Fletcher nodded in agreement.

“More importantly, though.” Aural began, turning to Mantra again, “I knew how much you wanted to become master. I knew how hard you worked. Even more than me. In spite of our differences… if I had known, I would have gladly set the Master straight. Maybe give him a beating if I had to. I would have made sure he made you his successor. For a fellow star pupil and someone I had respected, I could do no less."

Relic was watching from afar, surprised by Aural's confession.

"Aural..." He whispered.

Mantra was speechless, his face brimming with conflicted emotions, the revelation sinking in… before it all returned to the same angry scowl.

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" He sneered. "That you would actually pass up an honor a rare few have been presented in their lifetime? Only a idiot would do such a thing!"

"Whether you believe it or not, it doesn't matter, not anymore." Aural shook his head, disappointed by Mantra's delusions. "Chakra was a flawed stallion. A strict, stubborn asshole stuck in his ways... but he was still our master... he was my father…” He closed his eyes, blinking away the wetness, before opening them once more, alight with anger.

“I would have forgiven you for all the crappy things you did to me growing up…” Aural said coldly, “But killing Chakra... working with a Neo-Neighzi and his druggies... not giving two craps about the ponies who had grown and trained with you… that is something I will NEVER forgive. So, in Master Chakra’s name and everything the Wise Lotus stand for, I'm gonna buck you off this mountain along with all the other trash!"

"Insolent fool." Mantra snarled. "Does it look like I need your FORGIVENESS?!"

His rage at its limit, Mantra unleashed a beam of pure aura. Aural retaliated with lighting speed, firing off a beam that collided with Mantra's. The two beams pushed against each other, both sides struggling for dominance.

"It's... over..." Mantra said through gritted teeth. "Give... up..."

"Never..." Aural pushed back. "Not until your smug ass is... off... this... mountain!!"

Aural put everything he had into one last push. His beam of aura tore through Mantra's inexorably moving toward him.

"No..." Mantra grunted with disbelief, desperately trying (and failing) to push back. "This can't be happening! Not meeee!!"

Aural's aura beam finally broke through, striking Mantra dead center and sending flying upwards into the horizon. Still screaming defiantly, Mantra vanished behind a cloud, seemingly never to be seen again.

"He did it..." Survival gasped. "He won..."

"Amazing..." Fletcher mused.

"Eh. Still not a fan." Fury scoffed.

"Why do my nostrils whisper to meee?" Caboose crooned, still out of it.

Aural stood in place for a moment, triumphant. Then his legs buckled and gave way, causing him to collapse. He was both physically and emotionally exhausted.

The AFS and Relic rushed over.

"Are you alright, my friend?" Relic asked.

"Anything broken?" Survival inquired.

"Need some spare batteries, grandpa?" Caboose added.

"I'm fine." Aural said morosely looking over at where Mantra once stood. "Just fine..."

Going Down The Mountain

Aural was standing in what was left of Mantra's office. His ears lightly twitched as he stepped around some of the rubble, and lightly kicking a rock. Melancholy was on his face, as his aural vision showed them the sorry state of the office.

However, his sadness was less about how the office looked, but rather who used to sit in it.

“Manny…” Aural sighed, “Why did it have to turn out this way? Why didn’t you just quit while you were ahead? All of this could have been avoided…only if you… only if I…”

Aural let out another sigh.

“...Ugh, dammit, gotta stop talking to yourself, Aural. You’re not in the caves anymore.” Aural shook his head, blinking some wetness from his eyes, “No point in crying about it now.”

Aural headed back outside where things were certainly bustling. All the thugs under Uber’s command were being rounded up and being escorted through the monastery, courtesy of the RDL agents who had arrived.

Despite the head start they had following the skirmish in the drug den, the thugs were not able to get far, due to a variety of reasons, the main one being unable to navigate the many tunnels within the mountains. And thanks to the manpower that the RDL provided, finding them all took them merely a couple of hours.

Along with the thugs, several RDL agents were carrying loads of packaged Jade Jape and other supplies.

"You think you can take out our operation, just like that?" Crack spat defiantly. "I've dodged worse charges than this!"

While Crack was resolute, Narco was far less bold.

"I don’t wanna go to jail again!" He bawled. "The food stinks!"

"Oh, shut up!" Crack spat.

Not far behind them was Uber, who had to be carried out on a gurney, the major bruise on his abdomen rendering him unable to move.

"Urrrgh..." He groaned in pain and disbelief. "How could this have happened?"

He glanced over, and his eyes widened in horror as he saw Relic, who was observing the RDL agents doing their work. The Neo-Neighzi gave small frightened whimpers as he looked the other way.

“Well, you certainly left a lasting impression on Ube.” Aural chuckled, joining Relic’s side.

“Oh, Aural, there you are.” Relic turned to him, “I was wondering where you got off to.”

“I was just taking a small stroll around the place.” Aural declared, “Felt like ages since I was able to actually take in everything.” He then turned to Relic, “How about you? How are things going with the G-ponies?”

“Oh, they’re going.” Relic shrugged, “This bald stallion told me that they were able to detain all of Ube… well, Uber’s ponies, as well as confiscated all of the Jade Japes. And according to the medics, all of the monks that were drugged are now undergoing detox. From the sounds of things, they’re all going to be okay.”

“Funny, you don’t sound like things are going to be okay.” Aural frowned, noting the sound in his voice.

“Well, the bald stallion pretty much laid out what’s gonna have to happen.” Relic revealed, “We are going to have to fill up the Fountain of Eternal Wisdom, as well as seal off any and all caves leading to all the tainted water supply. On top of that, they say that in a week’s time, I’m going to have to go to a meeting with the Senate and tell them about what’s been going on here and how the fountain was never real to begin with…” He bowed his head in sadness. “Chances are, the monastery’s gonna lose their sacred grounds status.”

“Well, it can’t be helped.” Aural grimaced with grudging acceptance, “The truth had to come out sooner or later. The fact that no one figured this out sooner is shocking to be honest.”

“Only if that was the worst of it.” Relic sighed, “Many of the ponies who were drugged are really not happy with me or the Wise Lotus. Some are already talking about leaving the place… some are even threatening legal actions… and honestly I don’t blame them.”

“Oh, geez.” Aural groaned, “Relic, you have to know that what Uber and Mantra did was not your fault. You weren’t the one who gave them tainted water and robbed them blind.”

“But I also didn’t stop it from happening.” Relic grunted in self-deprecation, “I allowed Uber and his men to do as they please, because I wasn’t strong enough. Because I was afraid of Uber… and Mantra.”

“Come on, don’t be like that.” Aural placed a hoof on his shoulder, “Don’t forget, the only reason Manny finally caved and brought the RDL in was because you cared about this place. And you even stuck it to that Neighzi asshole when it came down to it. You are just as responsible for saving this place as us, and if the other monks can’t see that, screw them.”

A smile almost crept on Relic’s face… before fading instantly.

“...Are you certain I cannot convince you to stay?” Relic asked, “With Mantra gone, the Wise Lotus is once again without a master, and like it or not, Chakra did name you his successor.”

“Sorry, but no.” Aural shook his head, “I've done enough damage around here as is. Besides, I don’t think the others would want the guy who brought a bunch of terrorists to their doorstep to be their leader. I sure as hell wouldn’t."

“Look, you made some… I admit, pretty glaring errors in judgment.” Relic cringed, “But in spite of them, you ultimately saved this monastery. I’ll even vouch for you if someone wants to start something.”

“Heh, I appreciate the support, Relic.” Aural smiled warmly, “But truth be told, there’s nothing left for me here. Chakra’s been avenged, Uber’s gonna rot in jail, Mantra… is gone. But more importantly, you’re all safe now.” He glanced up to the sky, knowing he can’t see it, but he could feel the warmth of the sun, “It’s time that I move on with my life, and away from this mountain.”

“...I understand.” Relic nodded solemnly, “...But if not you, who will lead the Lotus? Aside from you and Mantra, who else in this monastery is capable of leading us?”

"Well, I'm talking to him right now." Aural smirked.

“Wait, what?! Me?!” Relic gasped, shocked. "No, no... I can't! My grasp of aura is nowhere near your level! There’s no way I could possibly be a master!”

“Oh-ho, I disagree.” Aural retorted, “From what I heard, before today, you hadn’t been able to conjure up a single aura sphere. Yet down at the fountain, the amount of aural energy you let off in one attack was nearly as strong, if not on par, with my and Mantra’s level. Like Lauren Faust, I had never even seen Master Chakra show that much power in his entire life!”

"That... that was a fluke." Relic claimed. "The stress of the situation, all that adrenaline..."

“I’m not so sure.” Aural smiled, “You know, Master Chakra once told me a theory the Lotus had: it is said that aura users of exceptional potential sometimes have their aura manifest in different colors. I mean, you saw how Mantra’s aura was red, right? Well, I’m looking at you with my aural senses right now… and you know what I see? Green. Not blue. Green.”

“Really?” Relic frowned, “But if that’s true, how come your aura isn’t different? You’re way stronger than both of us.”

“Eh, like I said, it’s a theory.” Aural shrugged, “Besides, I think blue suits me just fine. The point is, you are just as worthy of being a master as me. More, even.”

"I… I don't know..." Relic said, still hesitant.

“Look, I’m not gonna say it’s gonna be easy, cause it won’t.” Aural declared, “But right now, the Wise Lotus needs somepony they can count on, somepony they can trust… and honestly, somepony they know and care about. And you fit the bill, no doubt.” He turned away, “I have to go and have a chat with the RDL guys right now… but do think about what we talked about, alright?”

With that, Aural departed, leaving Relic to contemplate what he said.

Meanwhile Ballista was coordinating the clean-up efforts.

"Come on, come on!" He ordered some agents around. "This mess isn't going to clean itself up! Clear away the rubble, and catalog any anomalies!"

“Yes, sir!” The agents responded as they did as he commanded.

Ballista glanced around, and immediately noticed something was missing.

“Hey, you!” Ballista called to a passing agent, “Have you seen Elite? I hadn’t seen any signs of him since we first got here.”

“Oh, the director mentioned something about the fountain and went to check it out.” The agent declared.

“Did he now?” Ballista frowned, looking over at the stairs leading down to the fountain, “Well, I best go have a chat with him. Let the others know where I’ll be.”

“Yes, sir.” The agent nodded as he rushed off.

Ballista silently made his way down to the fountain. The collar of his jacket billowed in the winds as he walked down. With all the thugs and drugs rounded up, it was a fairly quiet descent.

Soon, Ballista arrived at the fountain room, where he saw Elite. The old stallion was staring glumly at his reflection within the pool of water.

Even from where he stood, he could tell what his old friend was thinking.

“Hey, Elite.” Ballista declared.

“Hmm?” Elite glanced back in mild surprise, “Hey. How goes the clean-up?”

“It’s going fine.” Ballista nodded, “But what are you doing down here?”

“Oh, nothing. I’m just thinking…” Elite sighed, looking back at the fountain. “...About how all this was a fool’s errand.”

“Elite…” Ballista frowned.

“For the past couple of days, I thought that this was actually it.” Elite mused morosely, “That after all these years of searching, that finally, I…” He paused, sighing, “We would finally have the chance to bring Father down once and for all. That Equestria could finally rest easy… but instead…” His sadness instantly turned to anger, as he slapped his reflection with his metal hoof, creating a splash, “Just another dead end.”

"Come on, mate. This is just another setback." Ballista assured him. "We're going to find the Forefathers, one way or another."

"I know but... the question is, however, how many more creatures are going to suffer before then?" Elite shook his head. "Another day we don't find a supply tunnel, is another day the Forefathers have to enact whatever atrocities they have queued up." He clenched his metal hoof. "Another day Father gets to sit on his throne, content with what he did..."

“I get you’re frustrated, Elite.” Ballista frowned, “But you gotta look on the bright side. The fountain may have been fake, but we did end up finding someone to stop Silas. Not only that, we busted a Jade Jape ring, arrested a wanted Neo-Neighzi, and even uncovered a murder to boot! I don’t know about you, but I’d say that’s a pretty good day in my book.”

"Well, that much is certainly true." Elite couldn't help but agree. "Where are the others?"

"They're up in one of the dining rooms, resting." Ballista answered. "They also wanted to talk to you regarding the blind donkey..."

Meanwhile, Fletcher and co. were in a dining room, the Red Rio perched on one of the tables.

"Well, looks like you guys had quite the adventure." Black's voice emitted from the speaker.

"This should make for quite the report." Sterling added.

"That's putting it mildly." Fletcher noted.

"Not so loud, please..." Caboose groaned. "The world is suddenly a lot less fuzzy.

"Looks like somecreature's finally coming down from his high." Fury joked.

"These next few hours are not going to be pleasant for you, my friend." Survival said sympathetically.

"Can somepony please stop ringing that bell?" Caboose pleaded. "Last I checked, nopony was getting married..."

Elite and Ballista entered the room.

"Hello, squadron." Elite smiled. "Getting some well-earned rest, I see."

"Got that right." Fury winced, as one of his injuries flared up.

"Considering what that Silas clown can do, you should be glad you're all still in one piece." Ballista noted.

"Not the word I'd use." Fury growled.

"Now then, there is much we need to discuss." Elite declared. "Such as the matter of Aural.”

“Yeah. Quite a character, that one.” Ballista mused, “And very powerful too. That giant aura sphere was something else.”

“I’m just glad that it didn’t blow us all the flap up.” Fury growled.

“Kinda convenient that aura can’t actually-oof…” Caboose cringed, his head still pounding, “...destroy living things. Could you imagine how scary this world would be?”

“I much rather not.” Fletcher admitted.

“Amen to that.” Black agreed through the speakers.

“As powerful as he may be, am I right in assuming that some of you have concerns about allowing Aural onto the team?” Elite frowned.

“‘Having concerns’ is being awfully generous, ain’t it?” Fury scowled.

“Come on, Fury, that’s not nice.” Caboose rubbed his head, “Aural helped us out!”

“That much is true, Caboose. But we can’t just ignore the fact that he’s the reason that we were summoned here.” Fletcher frowned.

“Fletch’s right. I mean, even if he wasn’t serious about the death threats, who the buck holds a druggie captive all year and makes him write those horrible things out?” Sterling grimaced, “I only knew a few creatures in the Forefathers who would dare go that far.”

“But he already told us why he couldn’t just go to us.” Caboose protested, “I mean, sure, it’s all convoluted, but if he hadn’t threatened the turkey, there’s no way we would have gotten up this mountain.”

“Yeah, but if it wasn’t for Aural, the Forefathers probably wouldn’t have invaded this place.” Black interjected, “I can understand the motive behind the fake death threats, especially considering the lengths Mantra and Uber went to keep you all quiet. But to taunt the Forefathers? Even if he had no idea about Silas, he had to know about at least some of the other stuff they done: Infestation, Titanfall, Bad Dreams. He essentially threw kerosene all over the place and lit a match for no reason, other than to ‘scare’ Mantra and Uber.”

“No, he didn’t. He just sent a letter to them.” Caboose corrected. Fury, instinctively (and out of sheer annoyance), slapped him upside the head, “Ow!”

“Not gonna lie, that part still doesn’t sit well with me.” Ballista admitted.

“Come on, give him a break.” Caboose protested, rubbing the slap mark on his head, “It’s not like we all hadn’t done something stupid. I mean, Ballista did Project: Argo…”

“Ugh…” Ballista grimaced.

“Black did Crystal Sun.”

Black let out a small grunt of disapproval through the speakers.

“Sterling did a whole bunch of bad things as a Forefather.”

“Well, he’s not wrong…” Sterling muttered.

“And I used one of Fury’s spears as a butt-scratcher.” Caboose added.

“You what?” Fury deadpanned.

“The point is, Aural made an oopsie.” Caboose declared, “But he knows he did an oopsie, and made up for it big time by kicking everyone’s asses! I mean, have you seen the last two chapters?!”

“Once again, you do make a valid point, Caboose.” Fletcher nodded, “...Be that as it may though, Aural has shown a high degree of recklessness that endangered not only us, but the innocent monks on this mountain. I just don’t know if I can trust somepony like that.”

“Yeah, and he’s a Faust damn asshole!” Fury roared.

“No offense, but pot? Meet kettle.” Black deadpanned. Fury glared at the Red Rio, “But I'm with Fletcher. If Aural was this careless with his fellow monks, I can’t begin to imagine how he’d handle situations with creatures he doesn’t know.”

“Guys, lay off him!” Caboose whined, “He ain’t so bad!”

“Caboose, he dunked your head in Jade Ivy water and got you high as a kite.” Fury pointed out, “Not to mention he tricked you in exposing us at the drug den! None of that bothers you?!”

"The only thing that bothers me is how the writers forgot Survival here was a Unicorn.” Caboose pointed to Survival, “Like seriously, how did they forget that? I bet it was that editor. He designed him after all.”

The group stared at Caboose… then Fury slapped Caboose upside the head once more.

“Ow!” Caboose pouted. “Quit it!”

“You know, you have been awfully quiet, Survival.” Elite turned to Survival, “Do you have anything you wish to add regarding Aural?”

“Oh, I guess I was just thinking.” Survival mused, “To be honest, I agree with the others. Aural has shown himself to be incredibly reckless, very abrasive, and a tad bit over-confident. I’ve only known him for less than a day, so I can’t say for sure if he’s always like this, or this is a product of being isolated in a mountain for Faust knows how long.”

“Aww…” Caboose drooped.

“...But at the same time, I think I have to side with Caboose.” Survival revealed.

“...Oh?” Caboose instantly lit up.

“Seriously?” Fury gaped, “You’re kidding, right?”

“I am not, Fury.” Survival shook his head, “There’s no denying that Aural should have done things differently, but at the same time, I can’t imagine what I would have done in his hooves. I mean, this place was his home, and like Relic, he couldn’t do anything while Uber and his thugs used this place as their place of dirty business. And Mantra… he murdered the pony he considered his father. I can only imagine nearly all of his actions since that fateful day were fueled purely by two things. One being revenge, which is natural considering the circumstances. Faust knows I felt the same when I lost my friend.”

“Fievel…” Sterling murmured. Fletcher and the others frowned, sharing his sentiment.

“The other motivation however, was love.” Survival continued. “I mean, why else would he have stuck around for as long as he did? To dedicate all this time to sending one hundred letters, possibly even more if Relic hadn’t stepped up, just so we could come here. Taking steps to make sure we discovered that drug den and see what was actually going on around here. Yes, calling the Forefathers here was a mistake, but even then, he took responsibility when he saw what they did. He set out to save the place he once called home, and he did just that… and honestly, can we truly judge him for that? Would we not do the same?”

“Wow… that was beautiful.” Caboose smiled.

“I cannot deny that you do make a strong case, Survival.” Fletcher nodded.

“Well, when you put it like that…” Black mused.

“I guess I wouldn’t be much different if I was in his hooves.” Sterling admitted.

“Well, I for one still say ‘screw him’.” Fury scowled… before grumbling, “But I know better than to try to win a losing argument…”

“An excellent assessment, Survival.” Elite smiled, as he glanced back, “What do you have to say about this, Mr. Sight?”

The others followed Elite's line of sight, and saw Aural standing in the doorway.

“Aural?” Survival gasped, “How long were you standing there?”

“Long enough to hear everything.” Aural declared, before smiling at Survival. “Thanks for the vouch, doc, but your pals are right.” He turned to them, the smile fading. “I bucked up. I bucked up royally. My original intention really was for the Forefathers to come so that you guys would have an actual reason to stick around. But I also wanted to spite Mantra and Uber, especially Mantra… the thought of what he did to Chakra and the anger that came with it was one of the few things that kept me going all this time…”

Aural let out a heavy sigh, his ears drooping.

“But I realize now that because of that, I probably did more damage to this place than either of them could have done.” Aural declared, guilt clear in his voice, “Seeing the destruction that they caused, especially that Silas bucker, and the thought that Relic and the others could have died because of me… it makes me sick to my stomach…”

He then lifted his head, as he took off his glasses. In spite of his blindness, his pale eyes glimmered with determination.

“That’s why I want in.” Aural declared, “If the Forefathers were able to do this much damage in a span of a morning, I can’t begin to imagine what they’re doing to the rest of the world. If you guys will have me, I will help you bring those motherbuckers down! Whattaya say?”

“I don’t know. Are you certain you can work as part of a unit?” Fletcher asked, concerned, “This line of work is dangerous and brushes with death are almost a certainty. We need to know for certain that we can trust you.”

“I get that.” Aural sighed, “I know I’m gonna have to do a bit of legwork to earn your trust, but I’ll do what I have to.” He held up a hoof, and placed another on his chest, “Starting by swearing that I won’t send another death threat without running it by you guys first.”

“...And?” Fletcher frowned, gesturing his head to Caboose. Aural caught on quickly.

“...And I won’t dunk Caboose’s head in contaminated water and get him high.” Aural added. “...Unless little Timmy here does something to deserve it.”

Fury snarled, as Fletcher and the others glared and frowned at him in disapproval.

“Fine. Even if he does something to deserve it.” Aural rolled his eyes, “Good enough for you?”

“I suppose.” Fletcher declared, turning to Elite, “What say you, sir?”

“Well, I say you will surely make an interesting addition to the team.” Elite nodded, “But I must ask, are you sure you want to leave this place?”

“Meh, I got nothing better to do with my life.” Aural shrugged, “At the very least, I’ll be using my aura for something halfway decent.”

“Well, if it’s anything like how you used it to defeat Silas, I say you’re on the right track.” Survival smiled.

“Just don’t make us regret this.” Black said firmly through the Red Rio.

"Then it's settled." Ballista smiled. "The others are just about done cleaning up around here. I say it’s high time we head home.”

“Oh, Faust, don’t tell me we have to take the stairs again.” Fury groaned, as he glared at Caboose, “I’m not gonna carry Caboose again. Twice was enough!”

“Spoilsport.” Caboose pouted.

“Relax, Fury. We brought Pegasus-pulled carriages here.” Elite soothed him, “We’ll be flying home.”

“Hmph, wuss.” Aural scoffed, “If you ask me, you could do with a little more walking.”

“Don’t push it, ass.” Fury glared, “I still owe you a thrashing for back in the caves.”

“Oh, please, if Survival hadn’t stepped in, I would have floored you.” Aural sneered.

“Do you really want to test that theory?” Fury puffed up his chest, staring Aural down.

“Maybe I do.” Aural met his gaze.

“Come on, you two, save it for when we actually get back to HQ.” Ballista glared, stepping between them.

“Ugh, I can already tell this is gonna be a long flight.” Fletcher sighed.

“I don’t know. Something tells me they’re gonna be the best of friends!” Caboose smiled.

Survival lifted a hoof to interject, but decided against it.

Soon after, the group made their way to the carriages. Along the way, Aural turned to face the Red Rio, which was flying beside the group.

"Quick question for the other side of this camera bird: would the guys Survival's bunch called 'Black' and 'Sterling' happen to be there?" He asked.

Back at headquarters, Black and Sterling exhanged a look.

"And what if they are?" Sterling asked.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Black added.

"Well, since the others seem to hold you in such high regard, I'm looking forward to meeting you in the flesh." Aura smiled. "I'm more than a little curious about what kind of ponies you are."

"Well, you'll learn soon enough." Sterling declared. "We look forward to seeing you face-to-face too."

Aural suddenly feel into deep thought.

"...Now that I think about it, I heard of a ‘Black’ and a ‘Sterling’ when I visited the Crystal Empire a while back,." He mused. "Though obviously, the odds of you being the same ponies as those yutzes are practically astronomical."

"Yeah..." Black let out a fake laugh. "Way too big of a coincidence!"

"Of course." Sterling said awkwardly.

"That said, it'll be nice to hear your voices in real life, instead of over a speaker." Aural grinned. "Until then, gentleponies..."

As Aural moved to catch up to the others, Black and Sterling shared a look that screamed "That was a close one".

Relic came forward to meet the group.

“Well, I suppose this is goodbye.” Relic declared. “We now owe you twice for saving our home, as well as our way of life…” He bowed his head. “I am sorry that we could not help you with the fountain.”

“It is quite alright, Mr. Mystic.” Elite gave a sad smile, “Even if the fountain was fake, I am glad that we were able to stop Uber and his drug ring and avenge your fallen master.” He turned to Aural, “Besides, it’s not like we’re leaving empty-hooved.”

“You take good care of yourself, Relic.” Aural stepped forth, patting him on the shoulder, “I know things might get rough in the near future, but just remember: the aura is with you.”

“I will.” Relic smiled, “I am sad to see you leave, Aural, but do know that you will always be welcome here. Should you ever want to relive memories, that is.”

“Of course. I look forward to it.” Aural smiled back.

The group were just about to board the carriage when-

“Hey, you!” A very furious voice bellowed

“What the-” Relic, Aural, and the RDL group jolted up in shock.

Approaching the pegasus-drawn carriage was Walking Phoenix. Now fully detoxed, his spaced-out expression was replaced with that of pure rage.

“Uh-oh. Looks like someone else has finally sobered up.” Fletcher grimaced.

“Yeah. And it looks like he really is as angry as they say.” Survival murmured.

“You! Baldie!” Walking Phoenix snarled, pointing at Relic, “I have a bone to pick with you!”

“Oh, Mr. Phoenix.” Relic said meekly. “What seems to be the problem?”

“I’ll tell ya the problem: one moment, I was drinking some water your pals gave me, the next, some medic is telling me that I have been high on Jade Ivy-laced water for several months, being robbed by drug dealers!” Walking Phoenix roared, “What kind of dump you runnin’ around here?!”

“I understand you are upset, Mr. Phoenix.” Relic sighed, “It was never the Wise Lotus’ intent to-”

“Save it, Geldhi!” Walking Phoenix spat, “I swear to Faust, the moment I get back to civilization, I’m gonna sue you and this whole monastery for everything you got!”

“Hey, calm your flanks, asshole!” Aural stomped towards him, “It ain’t his fault you were stupid enough to drink tainted water!”

“Shut your damn mouth, blind ass!” Walking scowled, “Unless you want me to do to you what I did to the last guy who insulted me!”

“Oh, them be fightin’ words!” Aural made to step forward… when Ballista suddenly stopped him.

“Easy there, tiger.” Ballista chided, “There’s no need for more violence today. Besides…” He turned to Walking with a disapproving frown, “Walking here really shouldn’t be too quick to threaten legal actions.”

“Oh, and why’s that?” Walking jeered.

“Well, Walking, we know for a fact that there’s still a warrant out for what you did to that ‘last guy’.” Ballista smirked.

“Wait, what?!” Walking’s sneer faded into panic, “B-but that was years ago!”

“You put a talk show host in the hospice for months. Something like that doesn’t just go away.” Ballista said matter-of-factly, “Since we are still here, courtesy of the Wise Lotus, we could very well still arrest you here and now, if you’re so insistent on bothering Mr. Mystic here.”

"Wh-I..." Walking spluttered, the wind taken out of his sails. "...You know what? Screw this!” He made to leave, “I’m gonna grab what’s left of my stuff and blow this joint! Maybe head to Saddle Arabia!”

“I’m afraid that won’t do either, Mr. Phoenix.” Elite joined Aural and Ballista, “Since we now know you have been hiding out here, we are obligated to notify the proper authorities of your whereabouts. I’m sure the moment you step off this mountain, they’ll be waiting for you, ready to cuff you.”

“H-hold on.” Walking protested, dread sinking in, “Are you saying that I’m stuck here?!”

“I think that’s exactly what they’re saying.” Aural grinned darkly, “And I’m sure if you try to kick up a fuss or anything, Relic and the others will throw your ass out. So if you wanna avoid being someone’s prison wife, you best play nice… or else.”

“I… I… ugh! Damn you all!” Walking yelled, as he stormed off.

“Well, that’s another thing I owe you guys for.” Relic smiled awkwardly, “Thanks for that.”

“Don’t mention it.” Ballista smiled, “Hopefully, he will think twice before kicking up a fuss… but if he does, feel free to call us.”

“Thank you, but will it honestly be necessary?” Relic frowned, “I mean, I’m pretty sure after that meeting with the Senate, we’ll be losing our ‘sacred grounds’ status and the authorities will be free to come and take him in…” He grimaced, “Among other things.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much about that.” Elite chimed in, “Knowing them, the princesses will be sitting in on that meeting, and I know for a fact that one of them is a real bookworm. And considering all the books and artifacts you have here, I think you guys are going to be alright.”

“You really think so?” Relic raised a brow.

“I know so.” Elite nodded, “Well, we best be off. And if you ever need help again, we’re only a carrier pigeon away.”

“Of course.” Relic bowed his head.

The team entered their carriage, which started its journey down the mountain. Relic using his aural senses to watch as the mountain fades in the distance.

"Goodbye, new friends." Relic whispered.

With that, the RDL members departed, not only one more strong for their efforts, but their understanding of the world expanded just a little further.

Shortly after, all the monks (those who remained, at least) had gathered in the courtyard, with Relic standing in front of them.

“Hey, everyone.” Relic began, “Thanks for gathering here. I understand with what happened, things are kinda crazy right now.”

“That’s an understatement.” The aerie monk murmured.

“Yeah. I mean, Ube was a Neo-Neighzi, Mantra killed Master Chakra, and our home was a front for Jade Japes.” Fresh Starter summarized, “I knew those other monks were bad news, but Faust…”

“What matters most is that we are all still here… well, most of us at least..” Relic declared, as he turned to the formerly drugged monks (those that remained), Walking Phoenix among them, “I want to thank those who remained with the monastery in spite of what has happened. I promise that from here on out, we will make it up to you all somehow.”

“Hmph, not like I have much choice.” Walking Phoenix muttered, crossing his hooves petulantly.

“I think I ate a bug yesterday.” A Pegasus mare (the one Fury had talked to and had indeed swallowed a bug) blanched.

“Now then… I know things are going to be changing around here.” Relic continued, “With the fountain gone and our sacred grounds status in question, I can assume tough times are ahead for us…” He then smiled. “But we will endure, as the Wise Lotus had many times before. I may not be Mantra, or Aural, or even Chakra for that matter, but Aural has entrusted me as master of this place and dammit, I will make certain that the Wise Lotus’ name is redeemed.”

“And how exactly are you going to do that?” One monk questioned.

“Well, for starters, I am effectively immediately lifting the ban on the teaching of aura.” Relic explained. Many of the monks gasped and murmured, “Aura has been a major part of our culture, and for too long, Mantra took that away for his own selfish reasons. The Wise Lotus needs to be able to protect their home, and we can only rely on others for so long.”

“Oh, and what if we don’t want to?” Walking Phoenix growled.

“Seriously?” The aerie monk glared at him.

“It would be okay.” Relic continued, undaunted, “I'm not going to force anypony who doesn’t want to. The art of aura is not for everyone. Hell, I’m still not sure if I’m cut out for it.” Relic held up his hooves. With a bit of concentration, a green aura sphere manifested between them, “However, I am willing to learn alongside all of you. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m saying this, not just as your master, but as your fellow monk… and your friend, we are all in this together.”

The monks shared pensive looks with each other. Fresh Starter stepped forth.

"I'm with you." He announced.

"Me too." The aerie monk added.

"And me!" The greenhouse monk stepped forward.

More and more monks voiced their solidarity, to Relic's joy.

Walking Phoenix, realising he was in the minority, sighed.

"Okay, fine." He said reluctantly. "I guess I'm in too, or whatever."

"Thank you all." Relic smiled, touched by their loyalty. "I promise you all that you will not regret this."

Meanwhile, elsewhere…

The sound of a piano played within the halls of the Coils within Infinity.

Father, Loveless, and Ricochet have gathered, seated in their respective seats, as Silas stood before him.

While Silas’ miasma had returned, it did not cover up the many bandages that covered him.

“Well, Silas.” Father said quietly, “Care to explain what happened the other day?”

“What do you think happened?!” Silas snapped, clearly irritated. “That damn donkey got lucky! How the hell was I supposed to know that ‘aura’ was a thing and that it could hurt me?!”

“Well, clearly, it can, and because of it, we are now down an airship, several of my sons are in traction, and you made a complete fool of yourself.” Father listed off, not amused.

“Hey, I was trying to obtain that stupid fountain for you!” Silas retorted, “Unless you didn’t want a fountain that can give you eternal wisdom?!”

“Take it easy, man!” Ricochet chided, “That’s Father you’re talking to!”

“It’s quite alright, Ricochet.” Father assured him, as he turned to face Silas, “Make no mistake, the Forefathers would have had uses for this fountain… if the fountain actually had any magical properties to it.”

“...What?” Silas deadpanned, “What are you talking about?”

“Well, Silas.” Loveless began, with a smug smirk, “The Forefathers had been observing the Wise Lotus’ monastery for quite some time. According to the reports recon gave us, the fountain never had the power to give eternal wisdom. The water was laced with hallucinogens given off by the Jade Ivies that grew naturally within the waters on that mountain. You were there on a fool’s errand.”

“The fountain isn’t real?!” Silas repeated, mouth agape.

“Yes. Of course, you would have known that, if you had actually reported to us the moment you got that letter the others were telling me about.” Loveless glared, “Instead, you disregarded our chain of command and cost us an airship and several working hooves.”

“Well, I-” Silas sputtered, “What the hell I was supposed to do? That Mantra bucker was calling us out! He insulted us! Was I supposed to let that go?!”

“Dude. I may not be the sharpest bolt in the quiver, but who would send a letter to the Forefathers, let alone insult us?” Ricochet grimaced, “I’m pretty sure that letter was a trap.”

“Considering the RDL was there to oppose you, I’m actually inclined to agree with him.” Loveless nodded.

“And you fell for it, like the perfect dupe.” Father declared, “And we the Forefathers now suffers for your incompetence.”

“Wait a minute, what’s the big deal?!” Silas snarled, offended, “If the fountain was fake, all I did was tear up some dumb monastery. Who gives a crap?!”

“I do, actually.” Father rebutted, agitation in his voice, “While the fountain wasn’t real, their ancient artifacts and tomes of archaic knowledge were. That alone was why we have been observing them. It was our hope that we could infiltrate and secure them for our own gains… but now, thanks to your reckless actions, we won't be able to get in, not without drawing more undesired attention to us."

“Hey, if it wasn’t for that stupid donkey, I-” Silas tried to argue.

“No. If it wasn’t for your arrogance and incompetence, none of this would had happened.” Father said firmly, “That and your refusal to accept responsibility for your own blunders is why you will never have a place in the Coils.”

“What?! All because of that stupid monastery?!” Silas roared, “What about everything else?! I've been working my ass off for the past several months just to get in your good graces! Why would you disregard all that over one setback?! Unless…”

Silas paused, as realization struck him.

“Unless… you were never going to make an Ouroboros, were you?” Silas gasped.

Father did not answer, as Ricochet and Loveless shared uncertain looks over Silas’ change in demeanor.

“...Oh… I get it now.” Silas declared. His voice was quivering, “This… all of this… it was an empty promise. You have me, a being of great power, running around doing menial tasks for you, promising me a reward you had no intentions of giving. All this time… I was just another pawn… just like I was all that time ago for Sterling!”

Father remained silent.

“Well? Answer me!” Silas demanded.

“I think this meeting is over.” Father declared, ignoring Silas, “Return to your quarters, Silas. We will discuss disciplinary actions later.”

“No! I’m not leaving until you tell me why you would do this to me, you Faust damn psycho!” Silas roared. “You owe me!”

“I owe you nothing.” Father rebutted simply, “Now leave.”

“Oh, to Tartarus with this!” Silas screamed.

Suddenly, Silas reached out with his tendrils and grabbed Loveless and Ricochet. Father nearly flinched, taken aback.

“Hey-o, what the buck?!” Ricochet yelped, struggling to break free. "Lemme go!"

"Silas, put us down!" Loveless demanded. There was no fear in his voice, only outrage.

Suddenly, the doors to the Coils opened up, as Secret Dysley walked in.

“Hey, sorry, I’m late. The airship had to make a pit stop-” Secret began, frustrated.

He immediately stopped, seeing Silas having two of his fellow Ouroboros in his grasp. Silas stared back at him, manic hatred in his eyes.

“-And it looks like you guys have something going on right now.” Secret backed out of the room, white with horror, “I’ll come back later…”

As soon as the doors shut, Silas turned back to Father.

“Okay, ‘Pops’, how about we renegotiate the terms of my work contract?” Silas sneered. “Either you rethink your stance, or I will off your precious Ouroboros!”

"Say what?!" Ricochet yelped.

"You really think you can threaten your way to being an Ouroboros?" Loveless scoffed.

“I do, because that’s what I’m doing!” Silas smirked. “Only question is, who do I kill first?” He turned to Ricochet. “Ricochet here seems to be a favorite of yours, Father. I mean, why else would you keep a drunk in a position of power for so long?”

“Gee, I dunno. My good looks?” Ricochet stammered nervously.

“However…” Silas continued, turning to Loveless, “I do know for a fact that you are very close to that traitorous buck, Sterling Cross, and everypony knows just how much I hate him. When I see him again and finish what I started at the docks, I would love to see his anguish when I tell him how I killed his ‘daddy figure’.”

"Wait... Sterling, he's alive?" Loveless gaped.

"Told you!" Ricochet jeered.

"Shut it!" Silas snarled. "I'm waiting for your answer, Father. Either give me what I've long since earned, or say goodbye to these two!"

Father stared at him for a moment… and then shook his head.

"Silas, Silas, Silas..." Father said calmly, clearly not at all intimidated. "I would strongly suggest that you think about what it is you’re doing."

"The time for thinking is done!" Silas spat. He then scoffed. "Just look at you. Sitting in this big, dark room, doing nothing but bark orders. Letting your worker bees do all the work. You're not really the all powerful being you claim to be, are you? You're just some punk who acts all mysterious just to sound cooler than you actually are."

"You fool!" Loveless roared at Silas.

"He's a madpony!" Ricochet screeched. "A madpony!"

“Say whatever you want of me, Silas.” Father declared, as he rose from his chair, “But put Loveless and Ricochet down. Your quarrel is with me.”

“I have quarrels with several ponies.” Silas shot back. “You’re just on the top of my list right now. In fact…” He pointed his horn at Silas, “I betcha right now, I can cut you down in one fell swoop!”

“Wait, what?!” Loveless gasped, “Silas, you’re not honestly thinking…”

“Dude, let’s take it easy!” Ricochet pleaded, “Can we all just talk this out over a couple of beers?!”

“...I wouldn’t try that, if I were you, Silas.” Father said matter-of-factly.

"But you're not me, are you?" Silas jeered. "And soon, you're not gonna be anything!"

Silas’ horn immediately charged up and fired off a beam of dark magic, striking Father right in the chest.

“Father, no!” Ricochet and Loveless gaped.

“ARRRGH!” Silas roared, eyes alight with rage, his beam going strong. “After I’m done with you, I’m gonna flash-fry these two motherbuckers, this whole damn organization, and every Faust damn pony you know!”

After a few more terrifying moments, Silas’ onslaught ceased. The shadowy stallion panted, satisfied that his attack had done the job, as his two captives looked on in horror, fearing the worst for their leader…

However, the smoke cleared, and to everyone’s surprise, Father still stood where he was. Aside from a sizable scorch mark on the chest of his robe, still sizzling, Father was otherwise unharmed.

“Holy crap!” Ricochet declared.

“What the… no!” Silas gaped, dumbfounded. “There’s no way!”

The mysterious leader brushed off the burnt part of his robes, seemingly disappointed by the damage to his outfit… before turning to Silas.

“My turn.” Father uttered.

Without another word, an electrified orb manifested from his hoof. Swiftly, he aimed it at Silas, and a powerful pulse fired from it.

Silas didn’t have any time to dodge, and the attack hit him dead center.

The orb instantly exploded in a burst of static and energy.

"Gahhh!" Silas screamed, as he was flung against a wall. The moment he hit the wall, his miasma evaporated in an instant. With the miasma gone, Loveless and Ricochet dropped to the ground.

“Whoa…” Ricochet checked himself, “I’m alive!”

“What the hell…” Loveless lifted his head, both awed and horrified.

"No!" Silas screamed. He tried to throw up more miasma to defend himself, but his supply had been drained by Father's one attack. "No, no, no! This can't be happening!"

“I told you to not try it, Silas.” Father approached the cowering Silas. “Now then… I think I’ve indulged your childish tantrums long enough. Perhaps a few months in solitary will do you some good."

Before Silas could protest, Father waved his hoof, and he was instantly warped away in a burst of electricity.

With a sigh, Father returned to his seat. There was a glow, as Ricochet and Loveless were levitated back to their seats, much to their surprise.

“I am quite sorry about that.” Father apologized, “Are the two of you alright?”

“We are now. Thanks for the assist, boss.” Ricochet nodded. He then frowned at the scorch mark on his chest, “What about you, though? That’s a pretty gnarly burn there.”

“Do not worry, Ricochet. The worst he did was ruin this cloak.” Father shook his head, “I have plenty of spares though.”

“Father… did you really have no intention of making Silas an Ouroboros?” Loveless asked.

"My intentions had no weight in the matter." Father said truthfully. "If you are wondering if I had set up for Silas to fail, I assure you, I did not. If anything, Silas set himself up. It was only a matter of time before Silas’ ego became his undoing. I knew this to be. But Silas had a chance to prove me wrong… then he failed. Simple as that."

“…I-I see.” Loveless murmured.

“But enough of him.” Father shook his head, “Baritone.”

The pony who was playing the pipe organ in the corner (though stopping to hide when Silas lashed out) peeked his head out.

“Y-yes, Father?”

“Do fetch Mr. Dysley and tell him to come back here. We’ll be waiting.” Father declared.

“Right away, sir.” Baritone nodded, quickly running out.

“Now then. While we wait on Secret to get back, how about we discuss status updates?” Father began, “Ricochet, how is Project:... er, Party Over Here? I have heard you found another dragon prospect?”

“Ya heard right.” Ricochet sighed, “His name’s Sludge, but I don’t think he’s right. He's out of shape, he's lazy, and he's totally obnoxious. And rumor has it, he actually tried to trick a kid into thinking he’s his old man. And my Faust, is he THICCCCC-”

As Ricochet rambled to Father, who was enthralled by his energy-filled speech, Loveless sat in his chair in silence. He silently looked on, hoping his face wasn't betraying how intimidated he was by Father's show of power.

’My Faust, Silas was a powerful adversary in his own right, and Father incapacitated him in one shot.’ Loveless thought, mind racing, turning to Father. ’And what of what he did to him? Father wasn’t even phased. If Silas couldn’t make a dent…’

Loveless struggled to hold in the anxiety he was feeling, his thoughts going to the one he considered his son.

’...I was afraid of this.’ Loveless bemoaned. ’Father’s powers truly are something to behold… and Sterling and the RDL intend to go up against these powers. If the likes of Silas were no match for him, what hope do they have?’

Loveless clutched the arm of his chair.

’Sterling… I know you want to ‘save’ me.’ Loveless declared internally to no one in particular, ’But please, for your own sake, and your new friends’...

’...Stay away.’

The End... For Now.

How Silas Got His Groove Back

Silas Necross, the once leader of the disbanded Order of Darkness, now a low-ranked agent of the Forefathers, was not having a good day.

It all started the day before when he was ordered by the big man himself to assist a Ouroboros by the name of Secretariat Dysley, in finding a patient who had disappeared from a transport that other agents attacked days earlier.

While not enthused about being forced to help some trust-fund kid who clearly had a chip on his shoulder regarding his late father, Silas figured helping a superior would help him eventually retain the prestige he had from being a leader of his own organization.

However, today, it was one misfortune after another. From having his favors that he worked his ass off to accrue being wasted due to the patient being found by Dysley, to Dysley’s chip on his shoulder being more like a giant gaping chunk, to the RDL’s interference, all culminating in Nightmare Moon herself sending down nightmare-inducing miasma that sent his fellow agents in a crossbow-shooting craze…

With him right in the middle.

Silas soon found himself in a medical carriage, immobile and barely breathing, his life ticking away.

Many thoughts ran through Silas’ mind as he laid there dying: Agony from his broken body, rage at another failed plan, resentment toward all who had stood in his way, fear that his death that day would lead to him being forgotten, regrets for once again not being able to conquer Equestria, and most of all, despair at the seeming unfairness of it all.

It seemed like the poor pathetic stallion’s story was coming to an equally pathetic end…

But alas, it was merely the end of one chapter, and the beginning of another…

“Ughh…”

The groan emanated from Silas, the stallion opening his eyes… to see nothing but pitch black. He was confused, and became even more confused when he felt some weight above him.

Instinctively, the stallion, with some effort, pushed whatever was weighing down on him aside.

As he did, light instantly invaded his vision. Silas winced as he began to sit up. After his eyes took a few moments to adjust, Silas found himself sitting in the middle of a pile of what used to be a carriage.

“What the…” Silas grimaced, rubbing his neck, surveying the area, “How the hell did I get here…” He paused, “Wait a minute… how am I moving? Aren’t I supposed to be…”

He glanced down at his body… only to be shocked as his body was no longer dark blue, but rather a blackish-purple, covered completely in what appeared to be…

“Miasma?” Silas gaped, as he pulled back the hoof he was rubbing his neck with and brought back both hooves to the front of him. They were also covered in miasma, disconcerting the stallion, “What the hell?!”

He glanced around for something that could give him a better view of things. He located a piece of reflective scrap metal, and lifted up to his face. He nearly dropped it in horror.

His face was no longer his own, his groomed black mane replaced with a wispy flame-like mane, his face black, and his eyes completely white, devoid of his silvery irises.

“What-what happened to me? How did I-” Silas distressed, as he stopped mid-sentence.

It suddenly came back to him. Memories flashed of him lying in the carriage, dying, when a trickle of miasma, the same that has put him in that carriage to begin with, filtered in and for some reason, invaded his body…

“That little bitch…” Silas hissed, his mane flaring up, and his hooves gripping the metal so hard it was close to snapping in half. “What did she do to me?!”

“Hey, over here!” Silas’s anger faded when he heard voices. “There was an explosion!”

Silas glanced over and saw more RDL agents arrive on the scene, intent on investigating the carriage wreckage.

“Oh, crap!” Silas dropped the nearly broken metal, “No, no! I can’t let them get me again! Not when I’m like this! I need to get-”

In his panic, he instantly vavnished, just before the RDL agents rounded the corner and discovered the wreckage.

Oblivious to the sudden show of unique magic, the RDL agents began inspecting the wreckage, trying to figure out just what had happened.

“Hey!” Cutter Ballista, second-in-command of the RDL, came onto the scene, putting away his mirror, “What happened here?!”

"I don't know." The agent admitted. "We were putting the criminals away when the med carriage suddenly went 'kablooey'."

"Wait… isn't this the carriage Silas' body was placed in?" Ballista frowned, as he noticed Silas was nowhere to be seen, "Where is he?!"

"That I don't know either." The agent grimaced. "But he couldn't have gotten up and walked away, not with his injuries. Nor have the energy to blow up the carriage…"

"...Well, whatever happened, I think it's safe to say that we might still have a problem…" Ballista said grimly.

Unbeknownst to any of them, Silas was overlooking the scene from atop a warehouse roof, still shocked by what had happened in the last few minutes.

“Wait…” He frowned, looking at the wreckage, “I did that. How did I do that?” He then glanced around, seeing himself on the roof, “And on that note, how did I get up here so fast? I always had trouble just teleporting down the block!”

He then sat down and brought up his hooves, still wisping with miasma.

“This stuff… it was the same thing that Nyx used.” Silas murmured, “Yet it’s different somehow… I don’t know why it came to me, or why it changed me….”

Slowly, a triumphant grin grew on his face.

“But if it managed to save my life and give me all this power… then it must be a sign.” Silas grinned darkly, “A sign that things are finally coming up Silas!”

Silas walked towards the door to the lower levels, a newfound sinister spring in his step.

One week later...

As per usual, it was snowing in the currently unknown mountain range in which the Infinity, the abandoned monastery that homed the Forefathers. The agents in and around the building were going about their work, from serious matters like research and strategic planning sessions, to basic matters like training and guard duty.

“Hey.” A Unicorn agent began.

“Yeah?” The Earth Pony agent responded.

“You ever wonder why we’re here?” The Unicorn agent asked.

“It’s one of life’s great mysteries, isn’t it?” The Earth Pony mused, “Why are we here? I mean, are we the product of… some cosmic coincidence or, is Faust really… watching everything? You know, with a plan for us and stuff. I don’t know, but it keeps me up at night.”

The Unicorn remained silent for a moment, unsure how to respond at first.

“Um, I was more referring to why we’re here, in this run-down monastery in the middle of butt-buck nowhere.” He said finally.

“Oh… um, yeah.” The Earth Pony cringed.

“What was all that stuff, about Faust?” The Unicorn frowned.

“Um, nothing.” The Earth Pony lied.

"Sheesh, things must really be getting boring around here is this is what we're reduced to talking about." The Unicorn sighed.

"Boring?" The Earth Pony frowned. "Didn't all that stuff with Project: Bad Dreams just go down lately?"

"Yes, and it was a disaster." The Unicorn shook his head. "Not only did the big plan fail, but twenty-four agents didn’t make it back. They either died, or were locked up."

"Oh, right." The Earth Pony acknowledged regretfully. "We lost a bunch of good guys there. Nettle, Vertigo, Tremor... and what was the name of that other guy? You know, the one who got recruited from that weirdo order?"

"Oh, him. That's... I forget his name." The Unicron mused. "I know it was something stuck-up and pretentious, and he was even more so. Was it... Solitaire? Simon Says?"

“Oh, I think I got it! It was Si-” The Earth Pony began.

Instantly, out of nowhere, Silas appeared, his emergence blowing some snow away. He stumbled a bit, the swift change in environment taking its toll, but he quickly regained his poise. He glanced around, taking in the surroundings.

His sudden appearance did not go unnoticed, as agents around the courtyard began to murmur, perturbed by the shadowy stallion’s appearance, while the Unicorn and Earth Pony gaped in horror.

“What the buck?!” The Unicorn gaped.

"Finally." He muttered, gazing around at the former monastery that had become the Forefathers' headquarters. "It took me all week, but I'm here..."

Over the past seven days, Silas had been struggling to gain control over his mysterious new abilities. It took more effort than he'd ever put into anything, but he'd finally managed to transport himself to where he wanted to go.

Silas began marching towards the upper level of the Infinity, where the entrance to the Coils, the meeting room of the Ouroboros, was located.

“Halt!” The Unicorn agent pulled up his crossbow, swallowing his fear, “Who the hell are you?!”

“Someone who’s going to give you a repeat of what your marefriend does to you on date night if you don’t get that crossbow out of my face.” Silas sneered.

“Wait, that voice…” The Earth Pony frowned, “Silas? Silas Necross?”

“In the flesh… and so much more.” Silas smirked, as the miasma flowed off him.

“B-but you’re dead!” The Unicorn stepped forward. “I heard you got the crap shot out of you! And what’s with all that smoke and stuff?!”

“I'd rather not bore your little mind with all the details.” Silas scoffed, “Now, kindly step aside. I have a meeting to attend to."

“Oh no, you don’t!” The Unicorn snapped, pointing the crossbow again, although it was shaking in his grasp. “None of this makes any sense! If you are Silas, then obviously some sick bucker brought you back and turned you into this thing, and you have to be stopped!”

“Oh-ho-ho, and who’s gonna stop me? You?” Silas laughed haughtily, “That’d be a laugh.”

“I mean it!” The Unicorn agent snarled, although his shaking got worse.

“Take a hike, nimrod.” Silas growled, as he glanced over to the side, “Your friend here got the right idea.”

The Unicorn agent was about to ask what he was talking about when he looked to his left and saw his fellow agent was gone… with his crossbow still spinning in the air… before dropping to the ground in a clatter.

Looking back at the wicked grin on Silas’ face, the Unicorn agent let out a cry of fear as he dropped his crossbow and also ran away.

“That’s what I thought.” Silas huffed.

Silas continued his march, entering the ancient building. Inside, he noticed the usual hustle and bustle in the area, agents going to and fro, important missions and business at hoof. Any agent who passed near to him were noticeably unnerved by his new look, and took steps to avoid him.

'Now this is what I like to see.' Silas thought proudly, as other agents shared worried muttering. 'I'm finally getting some respect around here...'

As he continued his trek, Silas walked past a group of agents… only to walk back a bit, recognizing them as the group that had made a habit of mocking him following his breakout from the Crystal Empire.

'Oh, this is just too perfect...' Silas grinned, taking a detour from his goals to handle some old business.

"You guys see that new archivist?" The first agent asked the others.

"The Pegasus babe?" The second grinned. "Oh, yeah."

"Gotta love the 'hot librarian' look, huh?" The third agent chuckled.

"Somepony oughta put her file in the 'hot gal of the year' folder!" The first agent grinned.

"I'll definitely be putting her name in my little black book." The second pledged.

"Not if I get to her first!" The third challenged.

"In your dreams, pal." The first agent nudged him.

The trio laughed heartily, only to trail off as they realised Silas was watching them.

“Oh, don’t stop on my account. I wanted to hear about this mare’s flanks.” Silas sneered.

“What the- who are you?!” One of the agents gasped.

“Oh? You don’t recognize me? This sorry ‘loser’?” Silas mocked.

“Hold on… is that who I think it is?” Another agent gaped in realization, “Silas Necross?!”

“As in that idiot from the-” The last agent began… only to note the look of disdain on his face, “...Oh…”

“Do go on. I’d love to relive cherished memories.” Silas challenged.

“Silas!” The first agent gave a fake smile, inwardly freaking out. “Look at you… did you do something different with your…” He glanced at him, looking up and down. “Body?”

“Oh, I might have had something done to me.” Silas shrugged. “But that’s for another time. Right now, though, I was hoping we could pick up our conversation where we left off all those months ago.”

“Conversation? I don’t recall.” The second agent stammered.

“Let me refresh. I was explaining to you all how I was deserving of respect, having lead my own organization and headed the plan-”

“To harness the power of King Sombra’s spellbook. Yeah, I think we recall.” The first agent winced.

“Well, let’s just say I’m here now to collect on that respect that you fools wrongfully denied me.” Silas declared.

“Oh, are you for real?” The third agent scoffed in derision, “So what, you got a freaky new look and got a few inches taller and you think you’re tough stuff? Well, forget it, bub, you were a pathetic loser back then, and you’re a pathetic loser-”

Silas’s horn glowed, and in a flash, a stream of purple-colored magic fired from it, blasting the arrogant agent. The sheer force sent him crashing through several walls, and finally sent him flying out of the monastery.

“AHHHHH!” The third agent screamed as he crashed down into the frozen lake, breaking through the ice.

The other two agents looked on with shock and horror as they glanced at Silas, who gave a smug smirk.

“Now then… which one of you was the one who made that clever rebuttal to my demand, namely, demanding that I shut up.’” Silas asked.

“Um, well…” The first agent meekly spoke up, “It-it was all in good jest, Silas. Surely it’s nothing worth-”

Silas swiftly slammed his right hook into the first agent’s throat, sending him to the ground, choking for air.

“I politely request you silence yourself.” Silas smarmed.

“Dude!” The second agent gasped, kneeling down to check on his agent, “I think you broke his larynx!”

“Oh, he’ll be fine.” Silas brushed off, “You on the other hoof-”

"I... I always secretly respected you!" The other agent said hastily. "Who wouldn't admire a pony with such obvious nobility and intelligence? And, er... Rugged good looks?"

“Good boy.” Silas smirked, “Now if you excuse me, I have far more important ponies to speak to than drivels like yourselves.”

With that moment of catharsis over and done with, Silas continued onward, leaving the poor agent to get a medic for his fallen comrade.

He made his way to the elevators… only to see that it was once again out of order.

“Of course…” Silas growled, as he glanced at the escalator. He considered using his new powers to warp himself up. “...Nah, don’t wanna have to find my way back here again. I guess I’m taking the stupid escalator…”

He walked onto the moving stairs, and let it carry him along. As usual, it was a long, slow journey.

"Typical." He muttered. "All those fancy science projects, and they can't think of a way to make this go faster?"

As he slowly moved upwards, some agents passed him on the adjoining downward escalator.

“AHHH!” One screamed.

"Morning." Silas said flatly.

"EEEH!" Another screeched.

"Yes, yes..." Silas groaned.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?! WHY THE HELL IS THAT?!" A third yelled.

"Uh-huh." Silas weakly saluted back.

"OOHHHH!!" A fourth cried… and fainted.

"Agent." Silas said through gritted teeth, the screams hurting his ears.

"MONSTER!" A fifth gasped.

"Go buck yourself!" Silas snarled.

“KYAAAAA!” A female agent screamed.

“Go buck yourself!” Silas spat.

A sixth and familiar looking agent saw Silas and was about to react.

“Go buck yourself!” Silas roared.

“Aww… not again.” The poor agent drooped.

All of a sudden, the downward escalator seemed to be clear. Silas allowed himself a tentative sigh of relief... but then, an especially obnoxious (and also familiar) agent crossed paths with him, waving his hooves.

"WASSUUUUU-Ugh!" The stallion was cut off mid-exclamation, as Silas blasted him into the wall. He then dropped down onto the escalator, his unconscious form still being carried down below.

"Not you, that's for sure..." Silas joked.

Silas finally reached the top of the escalator, and continued his trek, ultimately arriving at the statue which contained the doorway to the Ouroboros; a giant stone serpent trying to eat its own tail, but stopping just short of it, leaving room enough for a hoof to fit inbetween the mouth and tail. Within the gap was an unique contraption, which only allowed Ouroboros members to open the doorway.

"Here we are." Silas declared. "The fancy secret way to the big boy chamber that only the top brass know how to activate. No one else can get in or out… till now, that is."

His body began to dissipate, the stallion turning into a cloud of purplish miasma. The cloud suddenly swooped through the cracks of the closed entryway, sifting through it effortlessly.

As soon as the cloud was on the other side, it soon began to meld into the shape of Silas once more.

“Oh, I’m so gonna enjoy that ability.” Silas smirked wickedly.

Silas made his way down the corridor, miasma closely freely from his body. As he neared the end of the hall, he came across Ricochet Hailstorm, another member of the Ouroboros, who was in the midst of a mumble-cussing rage right outside the inner doors to the Coils.

"Lousy, buckin' Dysley..." Ricochet snarled, sniffling, struggling to hold in some tears. "Getting my friends locked up or killed, scaring Doc away. Why do I keep losing ponies? What the hell did I ever do-"

“Food for your thought, Ricochet, old chum?” Silas smirked.

“Not now, dude! I’m in no moo…” Ricochet stopped mid-tirade, realizing that the voice he heard was a familiar, yet out-of-place one. He glanced over, and saw Silas, who was up close to his face.

“...Hello.” Silas smiled evilly.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" He screamed in abject terror, then ran back inside.

"It's good to be back." Silas chuckled.

Moments later...

"...And that's how I managed to return here." Silas finished. He was seated in the chair that once seated Doc (real name Somnus Nabudis), with Father, Loveless, Dysley, and Riochet (who took his seat, albeit a bit wary of Silas) listening to his every word. “Now then, be honest: did anypony miss me?”

“Well, I kinda missed you.” Ricochet mumbled.

“That makes one of us.” Loveless huffed.

“...Lovely.” Silas scoffed.

“How?!” Dysley spluttered in utter disbelief. "How is any of this possible? Why did the miasma come to you? Me and the scientists must have studied that stuff for months and it has never once shown any sign of sentience."

“Hell if I know.” Silas admitted, “But honestly, I don’t really care. But I should be thanking you, at least. If it weren’t for your daddy issues, I would have never been able to attain this form… or even be alive, to be honest.”

“Why you son of a-” Dysley began.

“Well, Silas.” Father declared, Dysley piping up, “I will say, I am glad to see you safe and sound… albeit a little different. But judging by the way you came in here unannounced, I can only assume you want something from me.”

"Astute as always, sir." Silas grinned. "I do want something. Something that should have been mine a long time ago.”

“Well, don’t keep us in suspense.” Loveless grunted, “What is it?”

“Nothing too fancy…” Silas rubbed the side of the chair he’s in, “...I only wish a seat within the Coils… and the title of Ouroboros.”

The other Ouroboros gape in shock, while Father remained stoic.

“What?!” Ricochet gasped.

"...You can't be serious." Loveless gaped.

“Oh, I’m dead serious.” Silas glared, “From the very moment me and my Order teamed up with the Forefathers, my life has been an utter crapshow! My order got dismantled because Sterling used us in that damn project! My plans got hijacked by that stupid batpony! I was stuck in a prison cell for six months! Your agents all treated me like trash, and don’t get me started with that stupid brat!”

His body was steaming miasma now, as the other Ouroboros looked on warily. Father still remained calm. The shadowy stallion took a moment to take a deep breath, as the miasma calmed down right with him.

“...Well, needless to say, I have had enough.” Silas said coldly, “I want respect, and considering how I am now far stronger than you can imagine, you would all do well to appease me.”

"How dare you!" Dysley snarled. "You deluded egomaniac!"

“...I want to comment on the irony of what you said, but that will have to wait.” Ricochet grunted, as he turned to Silas, “As for you… hell no! I can put up sharing a room with Nalik for several years, but no way am I sitting in a room with a guy made out of scary stuff! That’s bad juju!”

Loveless turned to Father, who had been strangely silent.

"Sir, you can't honestly be considering this." He urged.

"You cannot deny that Silas has made some fine points." Father pointed out, “Silas has sacrificed quite a bit for the sake of our comrades, only to have nothing to show for it…”

Silas grinned smugly.

"...However, I’m afraid the title of Ouroboros isn't something I can just give out freely." Father announced.

"What?!" Silas snarled. "That's a load of dragon dung! I know for a fact that Secret only got in because his daddy was an Ouroboros. Nalik, that racist buck, only had to shell a crap ton of money! Hell, all Sterling had to do was kill one lousy traitor and Solomon some rando politician. I have more power than any of them had, so why am I being left out in the cold?"

"It is not as simple as you're making it out to be." Father rebutted. "They all had skills, and a drive to serve our needs, not just power. I cannot give something I do not believe has been earned."

"Okay, then what's a guy gotta do to get in?" Silas demanded. "Clearly, a guy who's literally become a god isn't good enough..."

"Enough of your disrespect." Loveless admonished him. "The first step to gaining a position like ours is to afford those who hold it the proper respect."

"Sir, please." Dysley told Father. “Do away with this trash. Need I remind you that my project was ruined because of him?! He is not to be trusted!"

"Not to take sides, but you pretty much ruined that project yourself, pal." Ricochet corrected him angrily. "...Still, I'm not sure if having Silas around would be good for anypony."

“That would be an understatement, Ricochet.” Loveless growled, “Father, please, don’t-”

“That’s quite enough, all of you.” Father said firmly, “...If Silas does intend to make claim to the title of Ouroboros, then he will just have to prove himself.” He turned to face Silas. "You think yourself a 'god', do you? Then you will have to work much, much harder to back up such a claim. But if indeed you are able to prove yourself, then I will see to it that you have a place among us. Do you agree to my terms?"

Silas grimaced, but let out a sigh.

"...Yes, if that’s what I gotta do." Silas begrudgingly nodded.

"Excellent." Father nodded. "...Now then, I would strongly suggest you make your way over to the labs. It would be beneficial if some of our scientists could study you and ascertain the exact level of your new capabilities. Then we see about getting you started on some missions. Can you do that for me?"

“Of course, sir.” Silas muttered as he made to leave.

“Oh, and one more thing.” Father began, “...Do refrain from further altercations with other agents. We do have enough difficulties as it is, and I will not tolerate you blasting ponies out of the monastery over minor slights.”

Silas, a bit shocked, was about to ask how he knew about that… but he could already sense that Father wasn’t kidding when he said that.

“...I will try my best.” Silas nodded.

With that, Silas dissipated into a cloud and left through the closed doors. As soon as he was gone, Loveless spoke up.

"I would like to go on record that I have great concerns about allowing Silas this chance." He admitted.

"Concerns?" Dysley scoffed. "Try outrage! That self-serving filth has no right to stand among us! Not after what he did to my project!"

"Dude, you messed up." Ricochet sneered. "Get over it."

“Ricochet, I swear to Faust...” Dysley snarled.

“Calm down, both of you.” Father declared tensely. He then turned to Loveless, “I understand your worries in this matter, Loveless. Silas does not possess quite a clean slate when it comes to competency, and I do not know what to make of this new form of his… but as with Dysley over here, I do believe in second chances. If Silas is truly serious in his intent to become an Ouroboros, he will have a long journey ahead of him.”

Father glanced at the door where Silas had left.

“...Only time will tell.”

The Journey Of A Thousand Steps

An hour after receiving the alert, the remaining team members of the Alpha Force Squad gathered in the briefing room, as Elite and Ballista were waiting for them.

"What's happening, Elite?" Fury asked.

"Something serious, I'm betting." Fletcher added.

"Yeah, we only get called in like this when a major plot point is occurring, or about to transpire." Caboose added.

"I'm afraid we have urgent business up in the Frozen North." Elite held up the scroll. “An hour ago, a pigeon carrying this scroll arrived, and was delivered to me by Ballista.”

“Carrier pigeon? That is strange.” Survival mused, “I thought they became obsolete once the postal service and usage of dragon’s fire was established.”

“Clearly someone didn’t get the memo.” Fury scoffed. “Who’s the yutzes that need our help? Must be important to call us all here.”

“Oh it is.” Elite nodded, as he turned to Ballista, “Ballista, the book.”

“Here ya go, mate.” Ballista pulled out and set down the book, opening up to a page with the symbol of a fountain within a blue orb, not unlike the one on the wax seal earlier.

“Hmm, what’s all this?” Fletcher glanced at the image.

“That would be the symbol of the ‘Wise Lotus’.” Elite explained, “The wax seal that was on this scroll had it too. From what I have read, they are calling for our assistance, asking that we come to their monastery atop a peak within the Frozen North.”

“A monastery? As in monks?” Survival asked.

"That's right." Elite nodded. "Apparently, the monks who reside there have been receiving numerous death threats through letters.”

“Forefathers?” Fletcher questioned.

“It does not say. But it has them concerned. They fear that whoever is sending them these letters wishes to pay them a visit and steal their most valuable secrets.” Elite explained, “And Forefathers or not, we mustn’t let that happen.”

“And why is that? I mean, it sounds eff’d up to threaten a bunch of baldies on a mountain, but I don’t see how that’s an RDL matter.” Fury scoffed.

“These ain’t just any ‘baldies’, Fury.” Ballista glared.

“That is correct, Ballista.” Elite declared. “The Wise Lotus is a fellowship of monks that was formed way back before the three tribes united. For centuries, the fellowship had lived in solitude, rarely ever coming down to interact with the outside world. However, they do have an open door policy: if anyone wishes to join their brotherhood, they simply have to come to the monastery and will be welcomed with open hooves. But as for everypony else, that’s a different story...”

“Huh? Why’s that?” Survival frowned in confusion.

“Lots of red tape.” Ballista deadpanned. “Due to previous agreements and laws or what have you that the previous masters of the monastery had made with neighboring lands, the peak itself is considered sacred grounds. If there’s any business you wish to do in the monastery or in the immediate vicinity, be it a good-will visit, getting a search warrant, or even opening up a falafel stand, you have to jump through a lot of legal hoops. To do any less would risk a diplomatic incident.”

“Hence why they sent this letter to the RDL rather than the local authorities.” Elite explained.

“But I don’t understand. What’s so important about these ‘Wise Lotus’?” Fletcher asked.

“Well, the book does not go into much detail, but I have heard rumors.” Elite noted, “The Wise Lotus monks weren't just monks, they were guardians. The monastery, as the legends would have it, is a treasure trove of riches and knowledge, sought out by treasure hunters and historians alike. But none was sought out more than the ‘Fountain of Eternal Wisdom’.”

“A fountain?” Fury scoffed, “You mean like the ones you see in a park?”

“Not just any fountain, Fury.” Elite declared, pointing to the symbol in the book, “This fountain is the reason the Wise Lotus came to be. For centuries, the monks had guarded this fountain, for it contains a sacred power. It is said that anypony who drinks from the water that flows from this fountain will become all-knowing. Any and all questions the drinker has will have an answer. You would have ‘eternal wisdom’.”

“Wow… all-knowing?” Survival whispered, in awe at such a thing.

"Neat!" Caboose grinned, “That means I can finally beat Lars at Scrabble!”

“Oh come on.” Fury snorted, crossed his talons, “An oversized drinking fountain that makes anycreature an egg-head? Sounds like a bunch a’hooey to me.”

“Not how I would put it, but it does seem a bit far-fetched for there to be a fountain that can grant infinite knowledge to its drinkers.” Fletcher admitted,

“But Fletch!” Caboose whined, “I could beat Lars at Scrabble!”

“I understand the skepticism. But we are presented with a very rare opportunity.” Elite declared, “With this letter we received, the monks of the Wise Lotus had given us permission to come to their monastery. If this fountain is for real, we could negotiate with the monks to make use of it, even if only once. With the fountain’s power, we could finally ascertain the location of one of the supply tunnels that Nabudis told us about, maybe even find a way to secure a working pendant to open it. If we can succeed in doing all that…”

“We’ll find Infinity and bring down both Father and the Forefathers once and for all.” Ballista added, “So, I say it’s worth a shot. Besides, they need our help, and who are we to deny them, right?”

“Well, can’t argue with that logic.” Caboose shrugged.

“Indeed.” Elite nodded, “Now, Black and Sterling are still recuperating, so it will be the four of you who will go to the monastery, and get to the bottom of these ‘threats’.”

“Four of us?” Survival lit up, “Wait, you mean you want me to-”

“Join Fletcher and the others on this mission, yes.” Elite finished his sentence with a smirk, “I do believe now is a better time than any to give you some on-hooves experience out in the field.”

“But are you sure I’m ready?” Survival asked, apprehensive, “I’m still in training.”

“Relax, mate, you’re going to a monastery, not a war-zone.” Ballista said soothingly. “We’re not the type to throw ponies in the deep end. Chances are, you won’t even see combat, not when you have these three backing you up.” Ballista gestured to Fletcher and the others.

“He’s right, you know.” Fletcher nodded, “You’ll have nothing to worry about with us by your side.”

“Yeah, we’ll make sure you don’t die an excruciating, horrifying death.” Caboose smiled cheerfully.

“Oh, he won’t.” Fury declared, glaring at Caboose, before glaring at Survival. “Just as long as you keep your head on your shoulders and don’t do anything stupid.”

“See, there you go.” Ballista waved his hoof.

“I have confidence that you will perform admirably, Survival.” Elite grinned, “You will all depart for the mountain within an hour. Farewell, and good luck.”

"You can count on us, sir." Fletcher nodded.

"Of course he can." Caboose smirked. "We're the main focus of the story now, so we've gotta win in the end."

"Let's go prep." Fury rolled his eyes.

"My first mission." Survival noted, still a bit apprehensive. "I'll have to do my best..."

As the group made to leave the room, Elite stepped in front of Fletcher.

"Fletcher, may I have a quick word?" He requested.

“Oh, um, of course.” Fletcher nodded, a bit confused, as he turned to the others, “I’ll catch up with you guys.”

"Okay." Caboose nodded. "That totally doesn't sound like anything that will lead to a new story tangent!"

Fury clicked his beak irritably at Caboose's words. Survival almost said something, but thought better of it.

As the others left, Fletcher turned to Elite.

“What’s on your mind, sir?” Fletcher asked.

“I have a little side mission that I’d like to carry out while you’re at the monastery.” Elite declared, “Regarding how to combat Silas’ new form.”

“Yeah. Tell us, mate, how familiar are you with ‘aura’?” Ballista questioned.

“It sounds vaguely familiar.” Fletcher mused, “I may have come across it some time during my studies back at the Norhayan Academy. Isn't it some kind of lost, arcane magic?"

“Not exactly.” Elite replied, as he picked up the book from earlier, “According to Esoteric Magicks and Where to Find Them, it is a form of spiritual, magical energy that emanates from our very beings. While it has faded into obscurity over time, there have been stories of ponies who are capable of using this ‘aura’.”

“Hmm, I do not mind a history lesson, sir.” Fletcher said awkwardly, “But what does this have to do with the monastery, or Silas for that matter?”

“As it turns out, the Wise Lotus were the ones first recorded to be capable of using ‘aura’.” Elite showed him the page once more, “For centuries, the monks of the Wise Lotus had trained in the art of using aura, wielding this mysterious energy to ward off those who would threaten them or the fountain. It’s a nigh impossible art to master, but it is read that aura is one of the strongest forms of arcane magic imaginable.”

“And as you are well aware, we need all the magic firepower we can get if we have any chance of taking Silas down.” Ballista added.

“Which is why I am asking you this.” Elite declared, “If the book is correct, then there might be some monks up at the monastery with the power of aura. If you could find a pony with this power, and convince them to lend their aid, it may prove to be the equalizer needed to defeat Silas, and potentially any number of future threats.”

“I will do what I can.” Fletcher nodded, “For Black and Sterling.”

"That's all I ask." Elite smiled. "Now hurry along, before the rest of the team wonder where you are."

"Yes, sir!" Fletcher saluted, before rushing out of the room.

"You do realize that's gonna be quite the long odds, right?" Ballista asked Elite. "I mean, there’s gotta be a reason that aura was in a book about ‘esoteric’ magic. Do we even know if the Wise Lotus even still practices aura? And even if they do, monks usually become monks to get away from all the violence in the world. I just don’t see any of them wanting to throw in their lot with the military.”

“I realize that, Ballista.” Elite sighed, “But we have to try, at least. With Silas out there, we need to do something, anything that could give us a sliver of a chance of evening the playing field.”

“Well, when you put it like that…” Ballista grimaced, “Well, worst case scenario, we always have Caboose and a bunch of Unicorns to fall back on. In fact, if we could reverse-engineer those staves from Applewood…”

"Every little bit helps, Ballista." Elite nodded. "If this fountain truly does exist, we could be on the verge of finally stopping the Forefathers. If ever there was a time to pull out all the stops, this is it."

"Truer words were never spoken." Ballista nodded solemnly. "And desperate times call for desperate measures... Let's hope Fletcher can wow at least one of those guys with his sales pitch..."

“I have faith in his negotiation skills.” Elite smiled, “Wouldn’t have given him this task if I didn’t think he could do it. Though only time will tell if he will...

Soon after, Survival had returned to Triage, informing him of what had transpired.

"This is it." He declared, still in his half-excited, half-concerned state. "My first mission, You said it would come."

"But I didn't think it would come this soon." Triage admitted.

"I just hope I can handle things." Survival mused. "It doesn't sound like that big of a job, but even so..."

"Okay, here's your problem." Triage interrupted. "You're getting into your head, psyching yourself out. If you think you're not up to the challenge, then you'll start to act like it. You'll second-guess yourself, make mistakes you normally wouldn't... all because you're not sure you can handle the job."

"So what do you recommend I do?" Survival asked.

"I went through more-or-less the same thing on my first few missions." Triage admitted. "It caused me to make more than a few mistakes. But eventually, I learned that I needed to focus on helping my team, aiding and caring for them, making sure they could succeed. Before long, I was too busy thinking about them to think about myself. You could try to do the same."

"I guess I can give it a shot." Survival shrugged. "I'd sure hate for them to end up like… Hamm and Brightdale…”

"Not quite how I'd put it." Triage frowned. "Just try to focus on helping your team. In the meantime, I'll take care of things here."

"Understood." Survival nodded. "I'll do my best to make sure we all make it back in one piece."

"That's the ticket." Triage smiled, as his protege rushed to the preparation room to gear up with the others.

The trip up to the Frozen North was a long one. The group took an armored carriage for the first leg of the journey. Then, as they neared the trail up to the mountain where the monastery was located, they began to move on foot, all wearing winter clothing and backpacks.

“Okay, can somecreature tell me why we're doing this?" Fury shivered. "Just wandering around in the arctic terrain, rather than staying in our nice warm carriage?"

“It’s all a part of the monastery’s many rules.” Fletcher revealed, pulling out a small notebook, “Ballista took the liberty of jotting them down for us before we left. Essentially, it is decreed that anypony who wishes to visit the monastery, regardless of reason, must ascend the mountain by foot. Use of flight, magic, or any other methods are explicitly forbidden. No exceptions.”

“Seriously?” Fury groaned, “Why would they have such a stupid rule?!”

“It could be for safety measures. This monastery is guarding a fountain that could give you ‘eternal wisdom’ after all.” Survival suggested.

“Supposedly.” Fury growled. “That’s just great. We’re not even there yet, and we're at risk of getting frostbite."

"It's not so bad." Caboose said, ever optimistic. "At least those nice yaks gave us some directions."

"Yeah, yeah." Fury shrugged. "Let's just hope we don't have that much of a trek left..."

After a few twists and turns, the group discovered something that dashed Fury's hopes considerably: an ancient stone staircase, leading up the mountain, until it disappeared from sight.

“Whoa… that’s a lot of stairs.” Survival gaped.

“Well, this keeps getting better and better.” Fury growled.

“Yeah… I mean, long, ancient stairways are so last century!” Caboose tutted with a ‘feminine’ wave of a hoof.

“Okay, before we get started, there’s something I have to do.” Fletcher reached into his backpack, and pulled out a case with the RDL logo and set it down. He then pulled out a mirror and tapped it.

Meanwhile, back in the lab at HQ, Armory was busy looking over one of the magic staves salvaged from the raid on Applewood, as Ballista had asked him to earlier.

"What a fascinating little device." Armory smiled as he tinkered with the staff. "This must be the firing mechanism..."

As he attempted to gentle prise apart one of the componants, Armory rteceived a shock.

"Oww!" He yelped. "Okay, maybe that was a bad idea. A lighter touch may be required here."

Suddenly, the mirror on the work desk beside him began to buzz. Armory, shaking his burnt hoof, picked up the mirror and answered it.

“Armory speaking.” Armory greeted.

“Hey, Armory. We’re at the foot of the peak. Ballista told me you wanted me to call you the moment we got there?” Fletcher declared.

“Oh, excellent. I was waiting for you to call.” Armory smirked, “First things first, did you bring out the case?”

“Yeah, it’s sitting right beside me.” Fletcher glanced at it, “Care to explain what’s inside?”

“In just a moment, my friend.” Armory smiled, “Just waiting for the others to-”

Just as he spoke, Elite and Ballista came into the lab, followed by none other than Black and Sterling, the latter having been cleared to walk, albeit with assistance.

"Come on, kid." Black urged, holding Sterling up as they walked. "Don't make me do everything myself."

"Don't flatter yourself, old timer." Sterling joked.

“Ah, there you all are.” Armory declared, “Glad all of you could make it. Especially you, Sterling.”

“Well, I didn’t have anything better to do.” Sterling rolled his eyes.

“What is it that you called us for, Armory?” Elite asked.

“Yeah, you said you had something important to show us.” Black declared, before noting a TV monitor on the desk. “And what’s with the TV?”

“I hope you didn’t call us to watch one of those ‘animes’ you got exported from Japon.” Ballista grimaced, “I’m still trying to suppress the memory of ‘Many Tentacles Predators from Tartarus’.”

“I assure you it’s not that. Though thank you for looking down on my hobbies.” Armory huffed, “But back to the point at hand…” He turned to the mirror. “Fletcher, if you would, please open the case.”

“Alright.” Fletcher nodded, as he did as such, undoing the latches.

The case opened up, revealing what looked like a metallic model of a red and blue tropical bird.

“...A bird?” Fury raised a brow.

“Armory!” Caboose gaped in outrage at the mirror in Fletcher’s mirror, “How could you! How could you consort yourself with those smugglers and that evil cockatoo?!”

“Caboose, it’s not actually a bird.” Survival shook his head, looking at it closely. “It looks like a robot.”

“Not just a robot.” Armory smirked confidently, as he pulled out a remote control device, with a microphone sticking out of it “Observe.”

With a push of the button, the robot bird’s wings sprung out, and the miniature turbines within whirred to life. Fletcher and the others stepped back in surprise as the turbines carried the mechanical macaw into the air.

The bird’s eyes began to glow. Back at the headquarters, the nearby TV monitor turned on, showing a clear image of the surprised quartet.

“What the flap?” Fury gaped.

“Smile for the bird, guys.” A familiar Germane voice emitted from the beak of the robotic bird, “You’re on live.”

“UGH! The bird, it speaks!” Caboose leapt into the air, forcing Survival to catch him.

“No, Caboose, it’s still a robot.” Survival rolled his eyes as he immediately dropped him.

“Gentlecreatures at home, gentlecreatures on the mountain.” Armory declared to both audiences, “I present to you, Der Rote Rio, or as English speakers would call it, The Red Rio.”

“So you made a new drone?” Ballista declared.

“Nope, this is the fully realized version of that slapped-together kite drone I’ve made for when that fiasco on the Alpacian island.” Armory explained, “Sterling here actually gave me the idea, telling me about this mechanical owl drone that his friend Loveless had made. Figured I’d do my own spin on the formula.”

“But why though?” Survival asked, a bit concerned, “I thought this wasn’t going to be a dangerous mission.”

“Well, that’s our hope.” Armory explained through the microphone, which then spoke through the Rio. “However, ever since the close shave with Broker and his men, I was worried that if something were to go wrong in the future and you guys really needed help, we might not be able to make it in time. Furthermore, I heard that technology and communication devices were frowned upon by the Wise Lotus. Meaning we might not be able to talk freely once you get up there… which is why this pretty little number is here.”

“Well, I gotta say, it is rather impressive.” Fletcher looked it over, before frowning, “But will it be able to handle flying around the mountain?”

“Oh, sure it can. This baby can fly for miles upon miles. Comes equipped with the state of the line microphone for recording and communication, fiberglass optics for visual, and even have tasers built in, just in case.” Armory said proudly.

“Hmm, very nice.” Survival mused, “...But why did you base its design off a Scarlet Macaw? Won’t a tropical bird appear way out of place in a cold, snowy mountain?”

“Oh, don’t you worry, I thought of that.” Armory smirked, pushing a button.

In response, the plating on the Rio began to flip like dominos, turning all the red on the macaw into white.

“Now we have a white macaw!” Armory declared.

“But that still makes it a tropical bird!” Survival protested.

“But now it will blend in.” Armory shot back, “Honestly, Survival, I’m not an idiot.”

“Of course you’re not.” Survival stepped back, apologetic, “I just-”

“I’m sure it will be fine.” Fletcher soothed him. “I highly doubt the monks up there will even look for a bird, let alone a tropical one.”

“Speaking of which, you guys best get a move on.” Elite stepped forward, speaking into the microphone on the controls, “It looks like you’ll have a long trek ahead of you.”

“We’ll be watching over you guys.” Ballista joined him, “So be careful.”

“And one more thing! Hold onto that case. It doubles as a beacon for the Rio to follow on auto-pilot!” Armory explained.

With that, the Red Rio took to the air, flying upwards.

"Well, we've come this far." Fletcher sighed, putting the case back into his backpack

"And we still got a job to do." Fury shook his head. "Lucky us..."

"On the bright side, our calves are gonna look super swole after this." Caboose said brightly.

"Come on, you guys." Survival urged. "The sooner we start, the sooner we finish..."

The quartet began their arduous journey up the stone steps.

Back at the lab, Armory pressed another button.

“And that’s the auto-pilot.” Armory declared. “The Rio will be circling around them while they make the climb. In the meantime, I’ll see about getting the visual feed set up in the comms room.”

“You did a great job, Armory. As always.” Black smiled.

“Yeah. I mean, I didn’t know much about Loveless’s own drone, but I think he’d be impressed by something like this.” Sterling admitted.

“Thanks, guys. You know, one of the reasons I made this was so you two would be able to watch, what with being forced to sit out and all.” Armory declared.

“Well, this drone will surely be a boon for us while our comrades are out and about.” Elite grinned.

“Although,, be honest, why did you go with a macaw?” Ballista asked, “Wouldn’t an owl have been a more fitting bird for surveillance?”

“Oh no, I don’t do owls.” Armory growled. “They are jerks. Hooting all nights, crapping out their own beaks, and engaging in race wars, especially those Tytos! Those Neighzi-wannabe buckers!”

“...What are you going on about?” Sterling frowned.

“Yeah, you really need to get out of the lab more.” Black grimaced.

"Just as long as I don't have to go anywhere near owls..." Armory shuddered. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."

Armory departed, leaving most of the group nonplussed, save for Black.

"Good to see things around here are just as crazy as ever." He chuckled.

"I'm almost glad the others didn't get to hear that." Sterling admitted. "Let's hope they don't run into anything nearly as crazy up on that mountain..."

Meanwhile, the squad were continuing their long trek up the stone staircase.

Fletcher and Survival were several steps ahead of the group, both stallions having the stamina from training to keep a steady pace.

Fury on the other hand…

“Hoo… hoo…” Fury panted, sluggishly making his way up the steps. While he was not out-of-shape, the griffon was more used to flying long-distance than walking, “I swear to Faust… if whoever’s threatening those monks doesn’t kill them, I will…”

“So, Elite wants you to look out for a monk who can use aura?” Survival asked, in the midst of a conversation with Fletcher.

“That is right.” Fletcher nodded, “I’m honestly surprised that such a thing exists.”

“Yeah. It sounds like one of those things that quacks and scam artists say to get creatures to buy their essential oils or crystals. Not some sort of ‘supermagic’.” Survival scoffed.

“Well, if Elite thinks it can help us stop Silas, I’m willing to try anything.” Fletcher said firmly, “I just hope the monk in question will be willing to help us…”

“Hey, guys!” Fury called out to them, huffing, “Please tell me… we’re at least… halfway… there…”

"I'm afraid not." Fletcher shook his head, too focused on the ascent to look behind him. "I'm still seeing nothing but mist ahead."

"Oh, fantastic..." Fury groaned.

"Despair not, Fury." Survival said boldly, also walking ahead and not looking back. "We can do this."

"Survival's right." Fletcher agreed. "We just have to keep going."

"Easy for you to say." Fury scowled. "I'm already so exhausted. Feels like I'm carrying a rock on my back..."

"Please don't start complaining, Fury." Survival rolled his eyes. "This trip is hard on all of us, but you don't hear us complaining."

"Or Caboose." Fletcher added. "Right, Caboose?"

They heard no answer.

"Caboose?" Survival asked.

This time, an answer came in the form of a loud snore.

"Hrrrrk!"

"Caboose, are you sleeping?" Fletcher frowned.

"Hrrrrk!" Caboose snored, exactly as loud as the first time.

"How can you be sleeping?" Survival gaped, stopping momentarily at the sheer impossibility of the situation. "We're walking upwards, and you're still going up with us!"

"You'd be surprised what weird things this guy can-" Fury stopped mid-sentence. "...He's sleeping on my back, isn't he?"

Fletcher and Survival glanced back, and saw that Fury was right; the sleeping Caboose had somehow managed to construct a makeshift bed out of his and Fury's backpacks, all without Fury noticing... until now.

“Hrrrrk!” Caboose continued snoring.

"Seriously?!" Fury cringed, “I’ve been walking up all these steps with this dumbass on my back?!

"How did he even accomplish that without you noticing?" Survival gaped.

“Peck if I know!” Fury snarled. “This guy’s not normal! I don’t know anything about how he does anything!”

“Yeah, it takes a while to get used to Caboose’s eccentricities.” Fletcher admitted.

"If it doesn't drive you crazy first." Fury added, glaring at the dozing Caboose. "Hey, wake up!"

"Huh, what?" Caboose jolted awake. "What's goin' on? Are we there yet?!"

“No! Because I’m busy hauling your sorry ass!” Fury glared at his unwanted passenger, “Now, how about you get off my back, and do some of the walking yourself?!”

"Oh, but I'm so comfortable." Caboose complained. "Besides, this climb looks like a real pain in the flank."

"It is!" Fury seethed.

"Then you understand the bind I'm in." Caboose shrugged.

"Get off my back!" Fury yelled, trying desperately to throw Caboose off.

"Why don't you come up here and make me?" Caboose retorted defiantly, somehow managing to stay in place, despite the haphazard construction and precarious position of his makeshift bed.

"Because I'm not double-jointed, doofus!" Fury growled, angrily trying to reach behind himself.

"Easy there, Fury." Survival admonished him. "We can't afford to waste any more energy than we already have."

"Survival's right." Fletcher agreed. "We must press on."

"Yeah, Fury." Caboose smirked. "Besides, you made it this far, so you can handle the rest."

"Yeah, yeah." Fury growled. "Just don't be surprised when I make you return the favor on the way back..."

The upward trek continued, as the group slowly but surely neared the top.

"I think I can see the top of this flight..." Survival said breathlessly.

"Almost there..." Fletcher declared.

"Finally..." Fury groaned.

"Da, da, da, da, da, da..." Caboose chimed in.

To the others' surprise, Caboose (still perched on Fury's back) was now wearing a gray tracksuit, a black wool cap, and white hoofless gloves.

"Trottin' harder..." He muttered melodically. "Steppin' higher... Won't be long now..."

"Nice tune." Fury snarked. "Make it up yourself?"

"Actually, I heard it when I was a kid, during a trip to Fillydelphia." Caboose admitted. "It was really catchy. Almost iconic, actually..."

"It is a nice song." Survival admitted.

"I think I heard it once before..." Fletcher mused. "But I'll reflect on exactly when later. For now, let's focus on finishing this climb."

"Gladly." Fury wheezed.

Little by little, driven by legs that felt more and more like lead weights, the trio of climbers (with one passenger) cleared the last few steps, and finally reached an even path again.

"We did it..." Survival groaned, hunched over and panting.

"We sure did." Fletcher dropped to his haunches, and began rubbing his sore leg muscles.

"Yeah..." Fury hobbled forward, before faceplanting into the ground. "Take that, stairs..." He raised a clenched talon into the air, the middle claw sticking out.

"What is that gesture?" Fletcher frowned.

"Must be a Griffon thing..." Survival shrugged.

"Oh, yeah!" Caboose suddenly leapt off Fury's back, and began dancing a victory dance. "Victory is mine!"

"Say what?" Fury raised his head, an indignant scowl on his beak. "I carried you all the way here!"

"He's right." Survival agreed. "You really have nothing to celebrate here."

"Doesn't matter how you reach the top." Caboose grinned. "Just so long as you can say you could see everything from atop the glorious peak..."

Fury glanced at Caboose… before faceplanting again.

“Hate… Hate... Hate!” Fury groaned into the ground.

"At least we can finally see our destination." Fletcher noted, pointing out a nearby structure, built right into the mountain.

"And a little something more." Survival noted.

A small group of monks were approaching the group, Mantra and Ube leading them.

"Greetings." Mantra declared regally. "I take it you are the security detail the Royal Defense Legion saw fit to send to defend our monastery."

"That we are." Survival nodded, as he stepped forth, "I am Survival Horror. This is Fletcher Ulysses, Caboose Napoleon, and Fury Xaldin."

"A pleasure to meet you, sirs and ladies." Fletcher smiled.

"Hi, guys!" Caboose waved. "...Don't you get cold in those pajamas?"

"Hey." Fury said as he struggled to stand. "Please tell me you guys have vows of silence..." He glared at Caboose.

"I am Mantra, master of this monastery." Mantra introduced himself. "It is an honor to make your acquaintance. And I hope your stay here will be pleasant, and not too time-consuming."

"You and me both." Fury shivered. "I got a feeling you monks don't have much in the way of central heating..."

"We have some methods of warming ourselves." Mantra admitted. "But there'll be plenty of time for that later. Right now, I'm sure you must be hungry and tired from your long climb."

"Yeah, I'm starved." Caboose yawned. "And tired..."

Fury threw another glare Caboose's way.

"We have been on a long journey." Fletcher admitted.

"Especially considering we had to walk most of the way." Survival noted. "As per your order's requirements."

“Yeah…” Fury moved his glare to Mantra.

“I do apologize for the inconvenience, but it is a necessary requirement.” Manta declared, “We prefer to retain our solitude. If we had visitors flying and driving and skiing around your mountain, that privacy would not last long, and our days of quiet contemplation would be at an end."

"Understandable." Fletcher nodded. "We all need some privacy every now and then."

"Ya don't have to tell me that." Caboose smirked. "Not when I grew up with seven big brothers."

"Come now, honored guests." Mantra urged. "We can continue this talk inside. We will take you to the dining area first, then show you to your guest quarters."

"Food and bed." Survival smiled. "Just what the doctor ordered..."

"Hope they're stocked up on food." Fury declared. "I feel like I could eat an entire diner's worth of chow."

"I'm looking forward to a nice, warm bed." Fletcher stated.

"Me, too." Caboose added. "Pillow fort, here I come..."

"Please, follow us." Mantra urged.

Mantra and the other monks led the group inside.

However, while it did not look like it… they were being watched. But not by a method you would expect. To one, everypony and everything was a hue of blue, with the sky itself being black. The view then left the entrance to the monastery, retreating through a small opening within the mountain a few feet from the stairs.

Through the eyes of the beholder, the image zigzagged back and forth through what appeared to be a complex network of caves deep within the mountain, before ultimately ending right in front of him, in a small cavernous room.

The beholder in question was a mysterious figure, it’s rear hooves crossed in a meditative position, garbed in a ragged cloak. The figure suddenly gasped, having seemingly snapped out of a trance… then they gave a dark chuckle.

“About damn time…” The mysterious figure mused, “Now that they’re here, I will finally get what I want... “