Chapter 1

Everypony fell silent. That was the effect the newcomer had on her audience.

The silence was brief however as Pipp calmly fluttered her wings towards that new mare and got so close to her face that their muzzles were nearly touching.

‘’Whoa! Your selling point skills are really lacking.’’

‘’…Wha— what!’’

‘’You must be Vitali I presume.’’

‘’Y—yes?’’

‘’Well, I don’t want to sound impolite but I know quite a bit about making speeches and convincing ponies. First, those notices you’d made are pretty vague in detail. It’s as if there are some elements you want to hide. And now that we’re here, you’re trying to scare us to death! It’s like you’re purposely trying to make us run away.’’

This seemingly irritated the newcomer as her iris darted to her side in annoyance. ‘’Well, if you were in my place.’’ Vitali muttered under her breath.

‘’Huh, what did you say? MMMMH!!’’ Pipp didn’t have time to add more when Zipp grabbed her, covered her mouth and sheepishly dragged her sister away from Vitali.

‘’He, heh. Sorry for my sister. She’s an artist that often nags about details and she’d been on edge lately.’’

‘’I was just giving some constructive criticism, MMMHHH!’’

‘’Yea, yeah, and we all appreciate it sis. But it’s best to not bother our client–

‘’STOP.’’ Shouted Vitali. This got the attention of everypony. After a moment of silence, Vitaly took a deep breath to calm down her nerves. ‘’No, no it’s alright. She’s not wrong. Pipp was it? You’re correct on what you’d said. I was really hesitating to ask for help and it took me a lot of courage and pondering. I wasn’t kidding. This job is dangerous. Deadly even. And I’m afraid you’re not taking it seriously.’’

Her words seemed to hang in the air, with most of the prior humor lost, some even contemplating the sentiment shared.

Sunny walked towards her, trying to give her most amiable smile. ‘’We’re sorry for how we treated you. We didn’t want to be hostile. It’s just that you shouldn’t be so quick to judge strangers. But we understand you are just worried about our wellbeing. Could please explain properly what the job is? And what are the dangers we might face? At least let us decide for ourselves whether or not it’s too dangerous.’’

‘’Yes. You’re right. That would be better.’’

Briefly using her tail to brush away some dirt, Vitali sat on her rump, with the others deciding to follow suit, staring intently at their host.

‘’My name is Vitali. But you already guessed that. And I’m what you could consider a sort of scholar, studying ancient history. And in this very valley, there’s the entrance of an underground dungeon. There. Right at the heart of that massive sinkhole.’’

The mare turned her back to everypony and pointed her hoof at the horizon. From where they were, it was quite hard to miss it. The size of the hole was massive. The ground around it had no vegetation whatsoever but the earth in the hole was worse. It was sterile, nearly gray in color.

It was like the land itself had been permanently scarred.

Curious, Hitch went closer and put his hoof above his eyes to better look far away, whistling at what he could see. ‘’My! I never saw a sinkhole as big as that one. Quite unusual. And you’re saying a dungeon is built… on this?’’

When Vitali answered him back, she still had her back turned at him. ‘’This is not just a dungeon. It’s an ancient place of great archeological value. What it is and why it was built are a complete mystery. Thus, for the sake of academia, I must ensure this location is made safe so that I and others like me can study it to its full extend.’’ She then faced everypony. ‘’That's where you come in. Dangers, traps, and above all else, monsters have made that dungeon their nest. That is why I hired you. To cleanse that underground dungeon so that it can be safely explore.’’

After a moment of silence, Zipp flew up and landed in front of that mare. ‘’Interesting. Well, from the start, I was expecting something of that caliber. Though, the thing I’m mainly interested in is… can you actually pay us? You had promised us riches didn’t you. You’d say you’re a scholar?’’

‘’Right. From the university of… Hoof… Ridge.’’

‘’Well, it’s true I don't know how it works in the Earth Pony Province but from where I come from, the salary of those working in the academic domain is… less than generous.’’

‘’Ah. I see your point. True. I don’t have the money on me right now but… When I said what was in the dungeon, I forgot to mention one thing. There is a fabulous treasure hidden in its depths. More than enough for all of you to be comfortable for the rest of your lives.’’

‘’Oh really. A treasure you say. You know, tales of adventures are filled with legends of mysterious places where valiants heroes conquer their dangers and come back with fabulous treasures. But as an adventurer myself, I know for a fact that those stories are just that. Stories. In truth, the loot adventurers find tend to be meager. That’s if they find any in the first place.’’

‘’The treasure exists. I saw it myself. Proof.’’ From her pocket, Vitali took a handful of golden coins and precious stones that she tossed at Zipp.

Zipp caught them and looked more convinced as she eyed the treasures. She took one coin, bit it with her teeth and then examined it more carefully. ‘’That bit is not fake! It’s real gold! And… it’s a Pegasi Kingdom currency! But I don’t recognize that mint.’’

‘’It’s because it’s a currency no longer used today. Proof those bits are olds. But it’s still valuable. Gold is gold after all. There is a mountain of these. I have no interest in that treasure. Only about clearing that dungeon of danger. Do it and I promise all the treasure will be yours.’’

‘’Hum, huhhh, oh I hum.’’ Zipp was unsure on what to respond, still eyeing the coins in her hoof. She took a look at her little sister and then back at Vitali. ‘’Alright. This job had become more enticing. Count on me and my sister, we will purge that dungeon.

‘’Glad to hear it. … On a side note. You did say you were an adventurer? You mean… an actual adventurer?’’

Zipp nodded, pulling her sister into a one armed hug. ‘’Both me and my sister are. We know that the profession isn’t as glamorous as the barbs tell us but still, we are dedicated to being true ones.’’

Vitali then turned her gaze towards all the rest of the group. And each one confirmed to her that they were indeed adventurers. ‘’You’re… all adventurers!’’ She looked so surprised and this perplexed the ponies. Hitch asked: ‘’I don’t get it. Didn’t you ask for adventurers in your notice?’’

‘’Yes, I know I wrote that but I didn’t expect… actual adventurers. And in such big numbers no less. I was more expecting sellswords or mercenaries at best. Adventurers are… not an especially popular profession. I even regretted later writing that. The reason I did was…’’ she paused answering and instead shook her head left to right. ‘’Doesn’t matter. It was a childish reason anyway. Back to the topic at hoof. Maybe the true question is: do you know how to fight? I see the sword at your flank, Hitch. But do you know how to use it.’’

Without a word, Hitch took his sword from its sheath and raised it high. The steel was shining bright under the sun, showing how polished its metal was. At first glance, it may seem that this sword was fragile due to how slim its blade was, but an observant eye would understand that its alloy was one of the most durable there is.

‘’Feeling hungry?’’ Hitch asked. He smiled with his sparkling teeth and took an apple from his saddlebag. He took a bite of it. ‘’Mmm’’. He threw it in the air and cut with two swings of his sword. He was so fast that the ponies could only see brief shimmering trails. The apple, now in four quarters, landed on the flat of Hitch sword who embarrassingly scratched the back of his head. ‘’Yeah, in truth, it’s less impressive than it looks. Four is the maximum that I can manage.’’

Vitali took one slice and observed it with a semi-interested eye. ‘’Not bad. Well at least, you know how to use a sword.’’ She then just put the slice in her pocket without eating it. ‘’Now for you.’’ She’d say while pointing at Zipp. ‘’I don’t want to sound impolite but you and your sister don’t look like adventurers. Or… fighters of any sort. Do you know how to fight?’’

Zipp stayed silent for a moment and then, made a cocky smile. ‘’Do I know how to fight?’’ As her hooves left the ground and her wings spread wide, she held her arms forward. The swift motion tucked her sleeves away, revealing to the surprise of all, two mini crossbows attached to her hooves. ‘’Slick right. I made them myself. Hey Hitch. Throw those apples in the air.’’

‘’Huh, like this?’’

He threw the three quarters with his sword. When gravity took its toll and brought them down, Zipp swiftly held her right hoof towards them. Immediately, a click came and an arrow flew like wind and pierced a dilapidated stone wall.

The quarters landed on the grass. Only two of them.

Everypony looked back at the arrow. The last quarter was there, stuck in the tip of the arrow.

‘’Hah. How’s that.’’ Zipp said as she flew toward her projectile, plucked it out and snuggly ate the apple from the arrow. ‘’Impressive right? And it’s not the only trick in my bag. As for my sister.’’ She pointed at Pipp with the tip feather of her tri-colored wing. ‘’Take my word for it, she has amazing power. A magical one.’’

Pipp smiled timidly while rubbing her hoof. ‘’Yes it’s true, I do know some magical spells. I would like to show them to you but I cannot exactly do it right now.’’

‘’Yeah, she kind needs to be in the right mood and ambiance.’’

‘’What Zipp says. It’s… important.’’

The sound of clapping hooves filled the air. Sunny clapping. ‘’Wouhou! That was impressive! Oh I’m so lucky to be surrounded by such talented adventurers. Especially you Zipp. You said you invented those crossbows? That’s so unique!’’

‘’Well, it’s true pegasus like to use bows because we’re the masters of the sky but I personally never found it that reliable. Already hard enough to aim on ground level so imagine in the air. That’s why I made these portable crossbows. Easier to aim and powerful. It still takes training and skills tough.’’

‘’Yes, taking such a small target, what’s more, moving, must require a lot of sharpshooting skill. I certainly can’t do that. And while I could saw that you were trying to hit the three at the same time, you had the humility to be proud of your realistic result.’’

‘’GYAH!!! … aah… aah… …’’

Everypony was looking at Zipp. That poor pegasi had her smiling frozen, her mouth stuck wide open and her face was sweating profusely. As for Sunny, one look could tell there was not an ounce of ill intent behind her previous words. ‘’Huh, did I said something I shouldn’t?’’

‘’Huh, well, who do you think you are to judge me so high and mighty?’’ Zipp had said offensively while waving the arrow at the direction of Sunny. ‘’What are you capable of in the first place? … … Heh! Now that I take a good look at you… you have no weapon! How do you fight? Where is your weapon?’’

‘’Weapon?’’ Sunny made a cheeky smile, surprising everypony. That orange mare then jumped forward and did flip on her front hooves after flip on her back hooves and on and on. She was moving so fast it was hard to keep an eye on her and her movements were so swift they could hear the friction of the air from her acrobatics.

Sunny stopped her track right in front of Zipp, standing upright on her front hooves and then, with her two back legs, she snatched the arrow from the stunted pegasi. From below, she smiled at Zipp. ‘’My whole body is my weapon.’’ She did another flip, a backflip this time, and the arrow flew again and pierced another abandoned brick wall.

Sunny landed on three of her feet and used the last one to do a bow before Zipp. Zipp seemed to have forgotten how to close her mouth. ‘’Aaaaaah… a… a…. That. Was. So… cooool. By the gods, that was the most badass thing I ever saw!’’ Forgetting completely her previous hurt pride, she flew around Sunny praising her while the earth pony was melting from all those compliments.

Hitch and Izzy were similarly impressed. The unicorn ‘loudly’ whispered to the stallion. ‘’Hey Hitch. You didn’t tell me your friend could do that.’’

‘’But… that’s new to me too! In the whole time I’ve known her, I’d never seen her do… well all that. What is that?’’

Sunny could see that her old friend was confused. ‘’ I knew you'd be surprised, Hitch. Let me explain.’’ Seemingly refusing to stand still, Sunny hopped on one hoof and effortlessly balanced on it as she spoke. ‘’After I left, I had no destination in mind so I wandered a little everywhere. During my travels, I even went into The East.’’

‘’The East! Are you kidding, you went that far! How is it there?’’

Sunny quickly pushed off and then landed on one of her back legs, again keeping the rest of her body off the ground as she continued to pose and pace.

‘’Oh it’s a wonderful land. You would have loved it. Anyway, it was there that I met a bunch of monks.’’

‘’What!’’ Pipp had said. ‘’By monks you mean… like our monks? Those who seclude in monasteries, do constant hard labor and who take vows of chastity?’’

‘’Haha. Well, not quite but also, hum, very that in a way. Anyway, those monks had the kindness to harbor me. They practice something they call martial arts and they taught it to me while I stayed with them.’’

‘’Art you say!’’ Said the excited unicorn. ‘’What kind of art? Is it pretty?’’

‘’Quite so Izzy. It’s an art that uses your entire body. With training and discipline, I can move my limbs with the speed and the precision of a deadly dance. But the thing is, it goes way beyond that fighting with your bare hooves.’’

She took a few poses before standing up on only one lower-hoof while meditating. ‘’The true goal is to reach inner peace. The monks taught me a philosophy unique to them as well on how to use deep meditation to gain a sense of concentration and serenity unlike anything you can imagine. With those tools and years of training it’s possible to… how should I explain? To ascend your mind and unlock the hidden potential of your body. As weird as it sounds.’’

Sunny went back on her four hooves. ‘’To be able to fight any foes with bare hooves is actually a byproduct of that search for peace. You discipline your body and it becomes easier to discipline your mind. Increase your control on the external universe and it’s easier to believe you can have control on the one inside you. Sorry. I’m not sure I do a good job at explaining it.’’

‘’No. I… I think I do.’’ Said Pipp as she was rubbing her hoof with a forlorn look. ‘’I think I’m even jealous.’’ This left an uncomfortable silence that nopony was sure on how to fill it and Pipp realize what she inadvertently done. ‘’Oh well… anyway, I guess it leaves only one that hasn’t showed what she can do.’’

‘’Ohohoh that’s me. Me, me, me, me.’’ Proclaimed Izzy as she excitedly waved her hoof. ‘’I know how to fight too. I can do nice spells.’’

‘’Oh wow.’’ Said Zipp with a sarcastic hint. ‘’A unicorn that’s good at casting spells. I sure never saw that coming.’’ She then received an elbow from her sister.

‘’Haha, yes, yes, guess it’s not that fancy compared to all the cool stuff you can do. You have probably seen a lot of unicorns that can control the elements. Hum, why are you looking at me all weirdly weird?’’ As she said, everypony was fixed on her, their eyes wide with bewilderment. ‘’Seriously, what’s up with you all? You all making me nervous.’’

‘’You can manipulated the elements!’’ Said the excited Pipp. ‘’But… that’s… that’s amazing! The spells to manipulate the very forces of nature are very complicated. Not a lot of unicorns can do that.’’

‘’And the rare who do use Elemental magic are fearsome warriors.’’ Said Zipp next. ‘’Destruction follows their wakes. I shiver when I think of those I aaanyways, would mind showing some your tricks.’’

‘’Yeah Izzy.’’ Cheered Hitch. ‘’Do what you showed me yesterday. I know you’ll impress them with that.’’

‘’Alrighty then.’’ She lighted her horn. The staff on her back was caught in her fuschia aura and levitated before her. The staff was made of a rugged, white oak and at its tip, a blue crystal with wood wrapping tightly around the stone.

Staff in hoof, the unicorn took a deep breath. ‘’Time to do my magic. Oh wait! I literally do that! Anyway, feast your eyes.’’

As her horn was glowing with bright light, the crystal of her staff was doing the same. With a flick, she waved her staff and up above, arcs of electricity, glowing a bright purple, formed and converged in a spherical shape before disappearing in flash to the astonishment and wonder of all to see.

It was not over however.

Izzy, sticking her tongue out in concentration, caused mist to seem to form at first but in a glacial explosion, a star of ice with many sharp branches appeared before her. Light reflected in its core and went back as a bluish hue. The ice star then exploded and fell down as a snow of sparkles.

Yet, even then, Izzy had not finished. She proudly held her staff up and a fireball, looking almost like a mini sun, came over. The flame was cracking and with a final swift gesture of her horn, it disappeared in a firework like explosion.

The whole crowd was speechless and Izzy bowed to them. ‘’Thank you, thank you. It was a pleasure.’’

‘’Izzy.’’ Said Pipp. ‘’You’re on fire.’’

‘’Nah, it was nothing—

‘’LITERALLY, I MEANT LITERALLY. YOUR ROBE. IT CAUGHT FIRE.’’

‘’Huh? Wha!!!’’ Izzy realized a little late that her shelf had indeed caught fire and it was spreading. The poor unicorn danced in panic while trying to smolder the fire by hitting it with her other hoof. ‘’WHA hot hot hot hot!!! I totally meant to do that by the way. Wo wo wo wo WOOO!!!’’ She unfortunately missteps and tumble down along the hill. ‘’ Aaaah, I’ll be back everypony—

As Izzy had disappeared, all weren’t sure on what to do until Sunny spoke. ‘‘O—kay. I think it would be best if I see if she’s alright.’’

‘’I’m coming with you.’’ Replied Zipp as she flew behind her.

Once they were out of sight, Vitali was pressing her forehead in resignation. ‘’Alright, I suppose that in a way, this was better than I was expecting. I guess… your group should be fine.’’ She turned her back to them to look at the sinkhole.

Her expression darkened and something, not quite sorrow and nor quite fear, twisted her face in a dejected sight. ‘’Not that I have a choice anyway.’’

‘’WAAH! Ouch ouch ouch. That was quite a fall. Oh! Well at least I’m no longer on fire.’’ All that rolling had managed to extinguish the fire. Her right sleeve was now gone, leaving a charred border. Luckily, her hoof wasn’t too hurt, only some of her fur had burned. Though it was hard to not notice.

But in typical Izzy fashion, she just brushed it off. ‘’Bah. Could’ve been worse. But ouch, my butt hurt a lot. I must have landed on something.’’ She got a little back up and levitated in front of her what she was sitting on. ‘’Huh!’’

She was surprised. The object in her magical grasp was a helmet. ‘’A battle helmet!’’ It was battered and had seen better days. The metal was eroded and covered with old brown stains of… rust? There was also a hole in the middle. Its size, just right for a horn.

‘’An unicorn battle helmet! Why– huh?!’’ Her hoof caught something. Another object hidden in the grass. A long spear. She took it with her hoof but as soon as she lifted up, the rotten wood crumbled and the spear snapped in two. As for Izzy, she could feel her throat drying up as her anxiety was rising up. ‘’But… what are they doing– huh!’’

It was at this moment the wind started to blow and something danced in the air. She hadn’t noticed until now that beside her, there was a metal pole stick on the earth. And attached on top of it, there was a red flag. No, not a flag.

‘’A banner? Why– *gasp*!!!’’

Once she looked at it, it was as if her heart had stopped. Her pupil shrunk and they were shaking as much as her lips.

‘’Where is she? She couldn’t have gone far.’’

‘’There, Sunny! I see her.’’

Both Sunny and Zipp had found their unicorn friend. But they could tell something was not right. She was just standing there, without moving and she didn’t seem to react to their voices. They looked at each other and each gently put their hooves on Izzy's shoulders.
‘’Heh Izzy. What’s wrong? Are you hurt?’’ Questioned Sunny.

‘’Yeah.’’ Said Zipp. ‘’You worried us. Why’d you look so… spooks… oh gods.’’

Both mares looked at what Izzy was so transfixed. The red banner that was dancing on the wind. It was easy to deduce it had been here for quite some time and that the elements hadn’t been generous on it. Its dye was discolored and it was torn apart at many places. Frankly, it was a miracle it was still attached today. But still, it was not enough to erase what was embroiled on it.

A golden unicorn horn. Emanating blazing rays of light from its tip.

The symbol of the Unicorn Kingdom.

*wooosh*

*wooosh*

Like in a trance, both Sunny and Zipp turned their head towards the valley. Now that they knew what to look at, they saw that the whole place was littered with many things. Like broken pieces of armor. Or discarded weapons of all kinds.

‘’This…’’ murmured the disbelieving pegasi. ‘’This is an old… then… even far-there, it didn’t escape…’’

No voice could come out of their throat. And the only sound there was was that lamenting wind brushing on the valley. That valley of death. Without a word, Sunny, as well as Zipp, gently raise up Izzy. ‘’Come on Izzy. It’s not good to be here. Let’s go back to the others.’’

Even as they climbed up, it was hard for the unicorn to look away from that banner.

Some time later

The earth of that sinkhole was quite dusty. Very dusty. Like totally not cool and icky dusty. Pipp words. ‘’Yuck. Who was the genius who put a dungeon here? My dress will be ruined.’’

Zipp made a hoof face. ‘’Pipp. Seriously, don’t act so sissy before we even begin. Besides, you can fly, remember.’’

‘’…Wait, that’s true!’’ She flapped her and hovered over the earth. ‘’Guess being cooped-up for so long affected me.’’

‘’Hum! You're scared of being dirty!’’ Said Vitali as she was leading the whole group toward the dungeon. ‘’That doesn’t sound very professional. And I meant coming from an adventurer.’’

‘’Oh, hum, I mean, of course I get dirty all the time on… the many adventures I went on. I meant I just don’t like it, haha.’’

Vitali looked at her weirdly for a moment before getting back on her track. Zipp went beside her sister and whispered to her quite loudly. ‘’Sis. Be careful, you’ll give a bad image.’’

Pipp seemed to immediately shrink in embarrassment, losing her prior bluster. ‘’I’m… I’m sorry Zipp. I didn’t meant to.’’

Hitch, as the gallant stallion that he was, came closer and went into the conversation. ‘’Oh don’t be so hard on her. I had my fair share of roughness and even I don’t like to be dirty or any form of disorder. Yeah, I may have a problem. What’s more, that earth is nasty. It's like walking on a beach, only far less pleasant. Even sand has more life than this.’’

‘’Wait!’’ Said the intrigued Zipp. ‘’What’s this talk of earth and sand having life?’’

‘’I’m an earth pony, remember. We are natural at feeling the energy of the earth through our hooves.’’

Zipp slapped her forehead. ‘’Of course. How could I forget that basic fact?’’

‘’I, personally, practice hard to perfect that gift. That’s why I can tell the ground I walk is deprived of all life.’’

‘’You think then…’’ said Pipp, eyeing the massive scar on the land. ‘’That’s the reason for that big sinkhole?’’

‘’I’m pretty sure, yes. The less life there is in the earth, the less it can support itself and eventually crumble. It happens more often than you think. Though I confess, this one is unusually large. Even on the hill we were, there was barely any life in it. With just a few steps, I could tell the grass was nearly devoid of nutrients.’’

‘’Hum.’’ Pondered Pipp. ‘’It’s true that I felt that the grass was pretty dry. Is that the reason you left ton of food for your dragon?’’

‘’ Yeah. I want to make sure that my little Sparky is well fed for at least the day. He certainly wouldn’t be able to find any food around here.’’

‘’Oooh, how sweet. You must really care for your dragon.’’

‘’Hehe, yeah. I… sure do.’’

‘’Here, my little Sparky. A whole bag of your favorite apples. And remember. You make sure to not all eat it in one go.’’

The happy little fella did his usual joyous babbling, as he rubbed his face against his beloved master bambling on joy. ‘’Haha. Sparky. Yes yes, I love you my little baby.’’

‘’Heyyyy.’’ Say Vitali further away as everypony else went down the hill, towards the dungeon. ‘’We’re all ready to go. Hurry up.’’

‘’Coming. Just a moment.’’

Once everypony was out of sight, Hitch's smiling face darkened. He put his forehead against that of his precious dragon.

‘’Listen. There’s something important I have to tell you. I’m going to be gone for… I don’t know how long. Of course, you’ll have to stay on that spot until my return but… …’’

It was hard for him to finish. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. ‘’If I don’t come back for… let’s say, one day. And a half. Please. Go without me.’’

The green dragon backed off and made a cry of protestation. It was the last thing he wanted to hear.

‘’Please Sparky. It’s important. You have to promise me. You promise me?’’

At first, he was just staying silent. It was reluctance, great reluctance, that Sparky sorrowfully lowered his head as a yes towards Hitch.

‘’Hey, don’t make that face. It’s… just a worst case scenario, nothing more. Of course I will come back. I am one of the best knights there is, remember? And even Sunny is with me. Nothing will get us. There is no reason to worry.’’

The green dragon looked at his master with a hopeful look. Say master embraced his scaly head and gave him a hug. ‘’I will come back. That’s my promise to you. I will come back.’’

He went away to rejoin the others and waved him goodbye. All while smiling because he wanted to make sure to not show his hidden worries. ‘’At least, I hope I will.’’

‘’At least, I hope I will.’’

‘’What are you muttering Hitch?’’ Said Pipp.

‘’Huh! Oh oh, nothing important.’’ Hitch quickly moved on ahead while trying to play off what he’d just muttered.

‘’Heya folks.’’ Said Izzy as she was happily bouncing into conversation. ‘’What are you talking about? Can I join in AAouch!’’ The unicorn stops. She grabbed her hurt hoof and she was wincing between her teeth because of the pain. ‘’Eeeeeh, I was sure it would be gone.’’

‘’Izzy!’’ Shouted a very worried Hitch. ‘’Your hoof!’’

‘’Oh that little thing! Naaah, it’s nothing serious.’’

‘’Let me see.’’

‘’No I swear, it’s alright. Just a little uncomfor—

‘’Let me see, I’d said.’’ Hitch said In a tone that left no place for compromise.

‘’Hum… al-alright.’’ Izzy held her sleeveless hoof before him. Hitch took it gently and meticulously examined it. ‘’Hum. These burns are superficial. Nothing life threatening but as you mentioned, you'll experience some discomfort for a while. And it might get worse if nothing is done. Let me help.’’

Hitch took his whole sword, scabbard and all.

‘’Wait what! What are you gonna do with that!’’ Said the scared Izzy.

Hitch didn’t answer as he came closer to her.

‘’Heh wo wo wo wo, I don’t need amputation! I’m sure I don't need amputation!’’

She closed her eyes, afraid of what would come next. But to her surprise, no pain came. Quite the opposite, it felt… nice. She opened her eyes and was surprised by what Hitch was doing. The handle of his sword was emitting a pretty green light as the earth pony was in deep concentration. Yet, despite his meditating expression, his smile was the most gentle there was.

Izzy noticed that that light from that sword was flowing on her wounded hoof, the magic softly caressing her skin. The sensation was hard to describe. It was a pleasant sensation, but there was more to it. It was as if… the very caring feelings of Hitch were flowing into her very flesh.

Gradually, the light disappeared and Hitch opened his eyes, satisfied with his work. ‘’There. That should do it. Now, how do you feel?’’

Izzy ears perked up. ‘’It’s… gone! The pain! It’s gone!’’ She looked at her hoof. She was squirting her eyes hard but she could no longer find the slight burn skin hiding under her coat. Speaking of it, there was no longer even the faint trace of burnt fur. The unicorn tapped her blue hoof on the ground, one, two, three times and there was not an ounce of pain. ‘’Oh! Oooooh! It’s good as new! Thanks a lot Hitch. You didn’t tell me you could do that.’’

‘’Oh well, there was just no occasion and I’m not a bragger.’’

‘’Hitch! That was amazing. Your healing magic has improved that much!’’ Sunny shouted as she grabbed her friend, happy for him. ‘’It’s wonderful. You must have worked hard.’’

‘’You’re a healer!’’ Shouted Pipp. ‘’You know how to use healing magic! That’s impressive.’’

‘’Haha, I just wanted… … *sigh* I just wanted to help the most ponies I can.’’

‘’ I’m still confused though. I thought you were supposed to be a knight?’’ Izzy pondered while still marveling at her healed hoof.

‘’He’s both.’’ Said Zipp in a strange tone as she barged into the conversation. ‘’Knights of The Order of the Holy Way are trained to be both warriors as well as medics. Their doctrine says that to truly praise the sanctity of life, they must both know how to mend it and protect it. And before you ask how I knew you were one, I recognized your sword the moment I saw it. Take a good look at it folks, you will understand.’’

Although taken aback by the weird attitude of Zipp, their interests peaked. They look more attentively at Hitch's sword. Izzy especially was the most intrigued because what she was seeing felt awfully familiar. ‘’Ooooh, there’s a pretty crystal in that handle. Wait? *gasp*’’ Then it hit her. That green crystal encrusted by the spiraling metal of the handle was a near perfect image of her own wand. ‘’It’s a wand! That weapon serves both as a sword and a wand! Oh that’s smart. Sneaky smart.’’

‘’You are correct.’’ Confirmed Hitch as he waved proudly his sword-wand. ‘’With this convenient sacred tool, it’s easy for me to fight and heal just by swinging from one side to another. Receiving one is one of the greatest… *sigh* honors from.. the Order.’’

‘’Then, why did you quit?’’

To what Pipp thought was an innocuous question, Hitch's ears stretched up and his whole body tensed up. ‘’I’d… rather not talk about it.’’ Nopony noticed it but Sunny had the exact same reaction.

‘’Oh! Why—

‘’PIPP.’’ Screamed Zipp at her sister. The white pegasi looked at her severely and silently nodded her head in resignation. Pipp seemed to understand and lower her ears in shame.

In fact, the whole air seemed to become uncomfortable as all the ponies couldn’t quite look each other in the eyes and instead, were reassigned to find their hooves captivating. Only Vitali kept her cool, muttering to herself a simple: ‘’Ah. I see.’’ But seeing how tense the discussion was going, she judged it would be best to cut it short. ‘’Alright, I think we lost enough time. I said it’s best we stay focused on the task at hoof.’’

Though they all thought that what Vitali said was quite insensible, none complaint and deep done, were glad they could take their mind off… anyway, they went back on their track. All, except Sunny. She didn’t move from her spot and her eyes and ears were downcast. She felt conflicted. ‘’Oh gods. I know it’s best to leave that subject closed but… I can’t shake the feeling it would be best if we openly talked about it. Gods, please forgive me because I feel I’m about to commit a great sin. WAIT!’’

Everypony stopped walking.

‘’Vitali. I have a question.’’

‘’… … Yes?’’

‘’Did… did… the war also happens here?’’ She had to blurt out the last words. Otherwise, she feared she might not have the courage to say them out loud.

Once the words were out, Sunny could tell. Everypony wasn't just uncomfortable. They were scared. It was as if the air had gone frigid. But she had already opened that door. So may as well go all the way. ‘’When we searched for Izzy, we found vestiges of a battle. They were old. Very old. A lot were from the Unicorn Kingdom. Which I found weird. We are between the Dominion and the Province. The Kingdom is literally at the opposite of here. Also…’’ She turned her head towards Hitch. ‘’You had said this place was called ‘The Valley of Desolation’ and that you had a idea why.’’

‘’Well…’’

‘’I know you may not see the point but… it’s important that I know. Was this valley the site of a battle?’’

At first… only silence was the only answer to Sunny. Vitali didn’t even once turn around to face her. But then, it was as if Vitali was… chuckling! But yes! To the surprise of all ponies, that mare was indeed chuckling under her breath.

‘’‘One’ battle. Oh no. It wasn’t just one. Before any of you were born, this valley was the theater of countless battles. Forty years ago to be exact.’’

Her back still facing them, Vitali waved her hoof in jest. ‘’First, the Unicorn Kingdom occupied the region during the Takeover Border Event. So not worth it. Stealing that border was a massacre for them and the unicorn forces had become so thin and widespread they quickly lost those lands against the Pegasus Dominion in just two months. Who ever thought that would be a good idea?’’

She facehoofed herself in what was great exasperation. ‘’What’s next? Ah yes. Then the pegasus fought against the Earth Pony Province for possession of this valley. The earth ponies got it back but continued the fight against the pegasi. So dumb. Those lands are useless and far from everything. They hold absolutely no strategic values. Anyway, both sides in the end understood it, but sure took their damn sweet time, and in the end, they abandoned it. Today, it’s really contested if this region belongs to the Province or the Dominion but nopony cares because, as I said, that valley might as well be at the edge of the world.’’

Vitali took a long sigh. That history lesson seemed to have taken some toll on her. Nopony could blame her. ‘’Well, it was a little lengthy but there you have it. Hope it answers your question Sunny. Though you were only half right on why it bears the name of ‘desolation’. As for the other half, you will get it once we go back to do what we’re supposed to do. Without distraction.’’

Once the discussion was closed, everypony went back on track. Except Izzy who just sat there, dejectedly and kicked some dirt. ‘’And here I was hoping I would at last get away from it.’’ In an uncharacteristically fit of anger, she trampled the ground, her jaws clenching. ‘’When will that nasty Hundred Years War finally go away?’’

Vitali stopped dead in her tracks, her ears went up. After a moment of silence, she looked at the group with an expression of… nopony was quite sure of what. ‘’The… Hundred Years War! That’s what it’s called today?’’

Everypony looked at her, quite bewildered. This was supposed to be common knowledge. ‘’Why… yes.’’ Said Hitch. ‘’Since at least three years ago, I would say.’’

Vitali raised her head up and looked at the sky in what appeared to be an intense pensive mood. ‘’Really! That damn war has now lasted for more than a hundred years! Huh. … … Let’s go.’’

She went back as if nothing happened. Yet despite feeling very weirded by her, everypony was in a quite gloomy mood. Too gloomy to really care about anything. So they did the same and kept trotting towards the dungeon. Sunny went side by side with her childhood friend Hitch. Pipp, not wanting to be alone, flew close to her big sister. And Izzy was behind the whole group. Just walking. No longer jumping. And no longer smiling.

‘’I’m sorry Hitch. For talking about… you know… the war.’’

‘’…’’

‘’Are you mad at me?’’

Hitch sighed lightly as he continued to walk. ‘’No. No I’m not. And you should not say sorry. I know it’s dumb to just keep quiet about it and make it as if it never existed. It’s just… god, it’s so hard.’’

‘’Still, I’m sorry. It’s this place. This valley. I don’t feel quite right being here.’’

‘’I know what you mean. Not only is the earth we are walking is devoid of life but I think the whole valley is nearly as dead as this sinkhole. For a lack of better words. But it happens sometimes. Thought I confess, not to this magnitude. Hey, maybe all those battles are the cause of it and made this place sick. Yeah, as if.’’

‘’Haha. Yeah. Right. It doesn’t work like that.’’ Her chuckle was devoid of any kind of mirth. ‘’… But… is the lack of life in the earth… the ‘only’ thing you can feel?’’

‘’What do you mean Sunny?’’

‘’Nevermind. Just my nerves talking. Of course he can’t feel it. He doesn’t have the gift. But what on earth could cause that terrifying aura? I got a bad feeling. A very bad one.’’

‘’Zipp. You’re acting weird. Please, tell me what’s wrong.’’

‘’Everything is fine.’’ She said bluntly.

‘’Don’t lie to me. You put up a front but I know you've been acting weird since we met those ponies. Why’s that? And don’t tell me it’s because you saw different kinds of ponies together. I mean, I was surprised too but I could tell it was a different reason for you.’’

‘’… I’m not seeing what you’re talking about.’’ Zipp still tried to deflect and avoid the topic but Pipp wouldn’t have it.

‘’But… you looked spooked.’’

‘’I think you’re overthinking stuff.’’

‘’I… look sis, if you don’t want to talk about it then I will not push it. But if you’re ever in need—

‘’We’re getting close. She’s right. Better concentrate on the task at hoof.’’

Zipp trotted ahead of her flying sister without giving her a glance. Said pegasi was crestfallen on how weirdly distant her big sister was. ‘’Oh Zipp. What are you hiding from me?’’

Her pondering would have to wait. The leading mare, Vitali, had stopped and everypony followed suit. They saw they at last reached their destination.

‘’We’re here.’’

The mausoleum was quite simple. Rudimentary even. Just a plain curved stone roof supported by five plain stone columns. The floor under it was of the exact same material. It was nearly at the same level as the gray dirt, some of it already burying the border of that stone circle. The true and only point of interest was the hole right at the middle. In it, they could see steps of a stair leading down.

Despite its simplicity, by just looking at it, the ponies could feel in their guts a feeling of dread. Inexplicable. Indecipherable. Growing larger and larger beyond all their control and in a matter of seconds. Until…

Terror itself took a grip of their hearts.

In the deepest depths of the dungeon, blackness filled every corner, the entire structure likely having never felt the faintest presence of light. Not natural light at least. And hidden within the heart of that penumbra, a lifeless thing was resting. A corpse as silent and inert as the darkness. A perfect companion for what may as well be a land of the dead.

The skeleton was wearing a long and discolored robe that had been long ravaged by time. On its head was resting a golden crown of a simplistic design. Despite no longer having any trace of skin left, hairs were still on its skull. A long and overflowing white mane that may as well have been a cape.

But then… something that should in no way be possible… happens.

That corpse started to rattle its naked bones by itself. In a brusque swing of its head, that pony skull looked up, its mouth, full of rotten teeth, wide open.

Something unnatural was flowing in its empty orbits. Darkness, even more dark than the surrounding blackness. Filled with all the evil of the world.

Author's Note

As you may have understood, I took inspiration on the setting og A New Generation and twikc to a... ummmh, less light-hearted tone to fit this more dark fantasy alternet universe. Basically, each pony tribe live in their own realms and they're in constant conflict with each others.

The Unicorns live in the Unicorn Kingdom ruled by a monarchy.
The Pegasi live in the Dominion ruled by a coucil of noble houses.
The Earth Ponies live in the Province ruled by the church and its holy knights.

As for The Hundred Years War, I took inspiration of the actual Hundred Years war between France and England during the Late Middle Ages. It last 116 years and it a period of innovation in military technology and tactic as well as an increase in national identity for better or for worse.