As night fell, Shalab studied the shiny metal that enveloped the precious stone in place.

The metal, while to the untrained eye it would obviously be gold, didn’t really meet the criteria to be gold. Instead, this necklace had a particular shine to it that didn’t reflect the same way with the light. Whereas real gold reflected the light like a mirror, this metal seemed to thrive in the firelight almost as if it were, in some weird and impossible way, alive.

The Jewell, very much like the not-gold metal of the necklace, was a red stone in the shape of a lighting-bolt that seemed to emit light of its own. It could have been a ruby, perhaps, but not quite. Shalab had stolen plenty of jewellery in his lifetime from unaware travellers and naïve rich folk to be able to identify a proper ruby from a garnet, for example, or a red spinel, or any other precious stone. And this was not it.

He couldn’t explain it, but whatever this necklace was, it was something else. Something priceless.

The necklace that that mare pegasus wore ever since they met was clearly worth a lot of cash. It was in pristine condition, shiny and heavy, and therefore valuable. Something she clearly didn't want to fall on the wrong hooves.

That said, Shalab had no use for it other than profit.

Shalab pondered on his options: he could go southeast to Mordino in order to talk to his contact and sell it overseas, in the New Atlas Republic, but he doubted he would get a good price for something so rare out of those entitled overachieving goody-two-shoes (Especially from those so-called politicians. They believed themselves the sun and the moon when it came to righteousness and trading businesses, when in reality they were as crooked and shady as a Horned Serpent’s horns; they were no better than himself, and if Shalab knew himself well enough, they would most likely try to scam him in his own scam). Not to think about the commission to pay off his contact to make the journey.

On the other hoof, he could sell the necklace in the west, where all of those rich bastards gathered every season. It didn’t matter how much money they had, they were as wealthy as they were gullible. Shalab could sell the necklace as a rarity (which, in part, it was; this was the first of its kind he’d ever seen) to some desperate noble mare in need of attention from the other court ladies, or some noble stallion trying to silence his mistress from exposing their affairs. That would give him the entirety of the profit and he could even haggle for a higher price, however, the trip was long and arduous. He doubted his Bandits would make it across the mountain range in time. Shalab was never too keen on social matters (Evidently), but he knew that the best time to sell and/or steal from the rich was before the social season, because then, every 'paragon of high society' would move earth, sea and sky to have the best of the best to ensure a successful season.

That would be the case if the damned necklace didn’t shut him out.

As soon as that bothersome mare lost consciousness and the jewellery fell on his hooves, the rare, one of a kind, almost alive necklace suddenly popped up some kind of barrier around itself, and no matter who tried to touch it, it would zap them.

He found that out the hard way. And he still had the ends of his fur burned because of it.

For the time being, Shalab limited himself to watching and studying the brilliant necklace, fiercely protected by some kind of barrier he’d never seen before.

The unicorn had his doubts. The obvious answer was that it could be a magical barrier placed onto the necklace in order to avoid some creature (Him) from stealing it. However, that could only mean that a bunch of powerful unicorns cast it in the first place. And if that were the case, then this necklace belonged to some influential creature and that sneaky bitch stole it before him, otherwise how could a pegasus be in possession of it?

Magic or whatever, he was going to figure it out.

It was true Unicorns had a type of magic within them, one that was more palpable and visual than other species. But, just like everything in this world, it had its limits.

Unicorn magic, as far as he was aware of (being a Unicorn himself), consisted of some kind of energy that always lay dormant within him – like a soft humming beneath his skin he could feel each and every day, even while asleep. It was alluring, it demanded to be cast, and it was an extension of his very soul. Forever loyal, forever there, waiting.

Still, ignore your limits and you may end up burned.

Sometimes, when Shalab was too in the moment and exceeded his own limits, his magical abilities would, very much like his stamina, not last. So whenever he casts powerful spells – such as a levitation charm or a burning hex –, he'd have to rest for a while before using his magic again. Still, he could feel the overexertion in his horn whenever that happened. As if it were burning.

Back to the necklace.

Considering what he knew about magic and his experience with it, this sort of bubble barrier was definitely some sort of magic. Now the question was; which kind?

He knew Unicorn magic to be the most common and effective kind of magic, but no unicorn was that powerful enough to create a barrier like this.

There was arcane magic as well, but there were no masters of the runes anymore in this world, they all died centuries ago for reasons he didn’t care to remember (nor did anyone else).

Minotaurs weren’t the type of creatures to pursue magical abilities, they were perfectly content with their own strength (to which Shalab had his own working theory; that the Minotaurs focused themselves entirely on being ‘strong’ that they traded their magic – and their brains – for brawn). Feline species are accustomed to adapt themselves, so their own kind of magic either was long gone or it evolved alongside them into more biological depths, now, which ones? Hell if he knew. Regarding equines… Well, Unicorns were the superior species if you were to ask Shalab, but he supposed earth ponies managed to maintain their magic in order to work their crops and whatnot — plus, they were useful traders, so Shalab couldn’t complain too much about them—. Pegasi… they were another story.

For now, regarding what kind of magic did this particular necklace harbour, Shalab hadn't a clue. But he would find out.

Indar secured Rainbow Dash’s bandage before helping her up, in order for them to finally ditch the caravan and escape from the group of half-wits that called themselves Bandits.

“We’ll never speak of this, got it?” She stated more than asked, and Indar agreed, to her surprise.

“Got it”.

Never in her twenty three years of life did Rainbow think she would have to… much less having somepony else do it to her as well… It was way more gross to do it than to think of doing it… Ew…

If someday, somepony were to ask her how exactly did they escape, Rainbow would say with awesomeness, radicalness, and a dash of coolness. Not that any of it was true, but what they don’t know; won’t hurt them.

“Fucking-- Agh!” Indar exclaimed, gaining her attention once again. The stallion seemed to be rummaging through the Bandits belongings, throwing out of the way anything that he already opened and deemed ‘unimportant’. “They have my bags…” He sighed.

Rainbow leaned on some crates as she watched him free Clingy from his cage, while the Hawk wasted no time to perch himself on top of the pegasus’ back. She was tempted to tease him and blame the dark-coated stallion for their misfortune, until she realised that not only did the Bandits have Indar’s bag, but the element of loyalty as well.

As Rainbow craned her neck to glance outside the caravan, she noticed the raging bonfire and the silhouettes of some of the Bandits in question just casually laying around it. Maybe they could just grab their stuff and make a run for it, like they’ve been doing so far; it worked then, why shouldn’t it work now?

Then again, they’ve caught up to them so far…

Nothing will ever be easy for the pegasus, will it?

Crash!.

“Hey, what are you doing over there?” The Pegasus asked, looking back to the cloaked stallion, poking through the boxes.

The stallion in question continued to silently look in the bags, boxes and opening everything sealed, taking out and pushing aside various types of clothes, dusty Knick-knacks, edible supplies and rubbish. The sounds of rustling echoed as Indar frantically rummaged through them. “Watch it!” Rainbow said, dodging a stray cloth Indar had thrown over his shoulder without caring who or where it landed.

Finally, between the chaos and cluttered space, Indar’s hooves brushed against something familiar. With a quick intake of breath, the stallion grasped the bottle tightly, pulling it triumphantly from its hiding place. The label was faded, the contents perhaps past their prime and of dubious origins, however, to Indar none of that mattered.

“Don’t tell me you’ll drink that…” Rainbow says, exhaling a sharp sigh of disgust.

Ignoring her, Indar uncorked the bottle, letting the caravan be filled with the stink of alcohol. As relief flooded his senses, the stallion takes a first swing, the burn of the liquid momentarily numbing the turmoil within his mind. “That’s better…” The stallion sighed, notably more relaxed and already working the bottle.

“We should focus on getting out of here on one piece, mate” Rainbow pointed.

“Trust me, I need this” Indar responded. “It’s been days, y’know? Days.”.

“So?” The Pegasus huffed.

“Priorities” the stallion said, as if stating the obvious. “A little liquid courage never hurt anyone, right?” Indar took another swing off the bottle, sitting against a crate and looking at the mare. He extended his hoof in which he was holding the alcohol. “You need it too”.

“Not a chance” Dash frowned.

Indar shrugged. “More for me, then”.

Rainbow and Clingy looked at each other, unimpressed, and when the empty bottle rolled over the ground of the caravan, the Pegasus turned her attention back to Indar. “What are you doing?” She chastised more than asked.

The cloaked stallion dived back into another box, taking the lid out of the way and searching. “I have a good feeling about this one….” He said.

Rainbow Dash, on her part, looked away, shaking her head slowly. Indar’s problems were his own. “You’re hopeless…” She muttered. “Guess there’s only one thing to do”. She pondered, resigning herself to their current predicament. The Pegasus examined the Bandits sitting around the bonfire once more as she determined the best way to retrieve their stuff without engaging in too much of a conflict (considering her recent wound and Indar’s… well, considering Indar). Which way did she want to go about this?.

In the shadow of the night, Rainbow Dash regretted everything.

As their makeshift trio hid behind a few boxes the Bandits had laid out of the caravan, the Pegasus attempted to stifle a groan of pain as she steadied the now drunk Indar, who swayed with each movement. At least Clingy knew how to be quiet, but it was hard hiding both of them plus the hawk perched atop her shoulder.

Stumble.

“Quiet!” She exclaimed silently, trying not to alert any Bandits of their escape. Indar shushed her in return.

“You ‘quiet’!” He whispered in return, leaning against the box they were using as cover, making it rattle.

Dash observed their surroundings over the crates one more time, she could see Shalab all the way on the opposite side of the campfire, giving his back to the burning wood. The site was surrounded by no less than ten Bandits, all celebrating and eating so much food… Rainbow’s stomach rumbled silently as she stared at several bowls of fruits ready for the taking.

Nevertheless, the Pegasus forced herself to focus on the more pressing matter. She needed to ascertain the best way to take their belongings and run.

As the Pegasus watched, she saw few and far between Bandits walking around their fellow ponies, she assumed they were keeping watch over their campsite.

As soon as she noticed one of the figures coming closer, she ducked, taking both the stallion and Clingy with her so as to not be noticed. Indar was about to complain but Rainbow placed a hoof on his muzzle before he got a chance to do so. “Shh” She whispered unaudibly.

Her breathing became shallower as Rainbow noticed the shadow of one of the bandits come closer to the boxes they were hiding behind. The silhouette walked ever so slowly from one end of their cover to the other, making the three fugitives tense.

The shadow loomed over the boxes, growing taller against the sand and making Rainbow regret everything for the second time today, she just hoped…

Crash!

Soon after a loud breaking sound, an eruption of laughter followed,

The shadow became tinier by the second as the Bandit turned around. “The fuck’s wrong with you!” He exclaimed, guffawing.

Rainbow, Indar and even Clingy released a bated breath, relaxing against the boxes. “That was close…”.

“Too close…” Indar agreed.

Rainbow glanced over the box carefully once again. The bandit that was previously quite over the, was now by the campfire, holding a broken plate and laughing at another seemingly drunk Bandit. “I don’t see your bags…” The Pegasus pointed out.

Indar chuckled, drinking another sip of the third bottle he found in the caravan. “Of course you don’t” He said. “Those assholes prob’ly burned ‘em”. Dash frowned at Indar, and smacked him in the back of the head. “Ouch!”.

“If you’re not going to help, at least be quiet”. As Dash determined the best moment to move, she sat up with a stifled groan. “We should move fast…” She noted.

“What’s the point…” Indar mumbled.

“The point-“ Rainbow emphasised. “Is that we leave in one piece. I need to go to Nabia and you’re wanted”.

“The Xatir’s are all dead” He spat. “I can go back if I want to”.

Rainbow, ultimately, said nothing in regards to that. He was right. The Xatir Group is dead. Those two Minotaurs that have been following him are now all out of the way, or at least that’s what she assumed, given that that coo-coo-head Nohrrus hasn’t showed his face again… yet, that is.

But then, that would mean that Randall failed…

No, Randall succeeded. Rainbow wanted to think that Randall is still alive and making their way to them. Maybe Randall is about to come and grant them an exit!

…

Who was she kidding? If Randall were to be alive, they’d probably have gone back to Tayne.

“It doesn’t matter” Eventually, Dash made up her mind. “We have to keep moving. We can’t hide here forever. They’ll notice we’re not in the caravan at some point”.

“Ugh…” Indar groaned, taking another sip off of the bottle. “Fine…”.

“You’ve got any ideas?” Rainbow asked.

Indar hummed, sipping again from the dubious bottle. “Shalab’s smart… he’ll know if we try to ambush them…”.

“Hmm” Rainbow concurred.

“He don’t like no pussies either… so we better go for it head on”.

“I can respect that” The Pegasus nodded, and scratched Clingy in the back of his neck. The bird squawked softly as he relished in the mare’s attention.

As they attempted to advance, Rainbow winced as she felt a sharp pain on her wound. Startled, Indar launched forward to catch her before she fell, but flailing in the process, which resulted in them both crashing against the boxes that once were hiding them from view, now turned into the reason they were exposed.

The resounding thud and crashes from the boxes and their contents were pretty straightforward in giving them away, sending a startled Clingy into the night sky as the Hawk flew over them.

The Bandits, alerted by the cacophony, turned towards the commotion, their laughter fading into bemused curiosity as they spot the hapless duo trying to sneak up on them. Or away from them, perhaps.

“Well, we’ll, well” Said a recognisable, and odious voice by now. “Look what we have here”. Shalab approached both ponies with slow, steady hoofsteps until his tall frame loomed over the pair. “I see nothing stops ya, not even-… Are- Don’t tell me you’re drunk” Shalab questioned, looking at the stallion beneath him battling to keep the bottle upright so as to not spill the alcohol inside.

“… Maybe…” Indar replied sheepishly.

Shalab said nothing, but looked down at Indar with a grimace.

“Don’t look at me like that!” Indar complained.

Shalab then looked at Rainbow Dash “Ya really want to travel with him?”.

The Pegasus shrugged. “… I'm still debating it…”.

“Ya fools…” Shalab strode from side to side, his voice laced with contempt. “Ya think ya can just waltz out here like ya own the place? Like we wouldn’t notice?!”. The Unicorn gestured to Rainbow’s makeshift bandage, now bleeding through the cloth. “Look at you! Are ya that stupid?!”.

The Pegasus grimaced, and opened her mouth to retaliate but was promptly interrupted. “And you-!” Shalab exclaimed, turning to the drunk stallion. The leader of the Bandits just shakes his head. “Looking at you now, Indy… It’s just sad…

“You’re lucky we didn’t just slit your throats when we caught ya!” The unicorn lifted his new sword with the help of his magical telekinesis, letting the blade reflect the light of the fire to blind both Indar and Rainbow Dash. With an odd tranquility in his voice, he said. “But no, we’re not savages. We have rules. And those rules dictate that traitors and fools pay the price”. Shalab paused, letting his words sink in the pair of ponies before delivering one final warning.

As the Unicorn raised the sword, it caught the glint of the moonlight as it carved downwards, poised to sever the thread of life.

Rainbow closed her eyes tightly, holding her breath and preparing herself to dodge the all too fatal swing of the sword. She could fly them away, but with her bleeding wound, drunk partner in crime and screeching bird, she wouldn’t be able to get them far enough.

But then, in a moment that seemed to hang suspended in time, something shifted.

She waited for her cue.

And waited.

But it never came.

Instead, the sword wavered mid#-air, a heavy thud sound announced the fall of the weapon on the sand, right in front of them.

Her magenta eyes opened again as she witnessed Shalab look at them with a coldness she’d never seen from him. “Pick it up”. He spat.

For a moment, time stood still, the weight of what had just transpired sinking in like a stone into the depths of a bottomless ocean.

The mare looked at him confused. “What?”.

Shalab turned to Indar. “Pick. It. Up”. He commanded, his steely tone leaving no room for argument.

Indar returned the Bandit’s gaze in kind, staring up at him with a surprisingly steady stare. Despite the haze of alcohol clouding his senses, there was a fire in his amber eyes; a stubborn determination that refused to be extinguished.

In the end, he shook his head. “No” he said firmly, not minding the slurred edges. “I won’t fight you”.

Shalab’s brow furrowed in anger, a mixture of impotence and begrudging respect flickering across his features. He had expected defiance, Indar had always been defiant, but the utter refusal caught the Bandit off guard.

In a fit of rage, Shalab used his hoof to stomp on Indar’s bruised back, creating an indent in his cloak. The cartographer grunted, but Indar wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of hearing him scream in pain. “It ain’t no question, kid. Pick. It. Up!”.

There was a moment of tense silence as Shalab berated Indar, in which neither the rest of the bandits nor Dash wanted to intervene.

Eventually, Shalab released the stallion’s cloak. “You’ve always been a coward, boy” The leader of the Bandits spat, turning around and walking away. “I’m disappointed in what you’ve become”.

Indar scoffed, getting up and swaying slightly on his hooves. “Like I give a fuck!” He yelled in return. “You ain’t better than me!”.

Rainbow stood up, albeit with a bit of difficulty, and took a few steps back. For now she was but a mere spectator, and something told her it would stay like this for a while. She had a feeling this was going to get nasty.

“Go back to drinking, Indy” Shalab called over his shoulder. “Sahida ain’t for you”.

Indar scowled and watched the retreating form of Shalab, as the Bandit crossed the campsite. “That’s it, then? Ya chase us all the way through the desert and now ya just let us go?!”.

Upon hearing this, Shalab turned around. “You better go, out of this desert and out of our lives. She’ll stay here, I can get a good price for her”.

Indar shook his head in disbelief. “Like hell she will”.

“Oh?“ Shalab lauded his head in amusement. “Suddenly you’re so righteous?”.

Indar looked down at the sword, still on the sand.

“Then fight me!” The unicorn demanded. “Fight me like ya should’ve done all those years ago! Fight me and don’t run away this time!”.

The Pegasus glanced at Indar with confusion in her eyes. “Hey, what does he mean?” She asked, but was ignored.

Indar closed his eyes tightly as he heard Shalab’s incredulous laugh. “No… no! Don’t tell me ya haven’t told her!” The bandit continued with his guffaws.

“Shalab-“ Indar warned, but was promptly interrupted.

“Tell me what?” Dash demanded in a stern voice, Clingy atop her back.

“Oh, this is priceless!” The unicorn gwaffed once again. “You don’t know?! I-I can’t-“.

Suddenly, Indar took the fallen sword with one of his hooves. “Shalab I swear-!”.

“What am I missing?!” Rainbow asked, then turned to the nearest Bandit to her right, the same one that almost caught them before when they were hiding behind the boxes. “Hey, mate, what am I missing?” She asked him.

Just as the Bandit was about to answer, Indar intervened. “Just drop it”.

“No!” The mare said. “Somepony tell me what I am supposed to know!”.

Shalab snickered, as his rambunctious laughter began to cease. “The thing is that our Indy right here” Shalab pointed to the cartographer, whose head was lowered in shame. “Is as much a Bandit as any of us” The Unicorn clarified.

Author's Note

*Rises from the ashes* Yo.

So… it’s been a while, eh?