Return of the Ura

Chapters

Prologue
Ch.1: A familiar threat
Ch.2: There be monsters...
Ch.3: ... and friends In the forest
Ch.4: Mementos
Ch.5: The Ura
Ch.7: Midnight raid
Ch.6: Snow and nightmares

Prologue

Return of the Ura

By: Brotato

Prologue

It was early in the morning and the beginning of winter. This meant that everypony would be wearing the latest scarves, boots, or other fashionable articles of winter clothing that suited their fancy. It was quite odd considering they had grown into their thick winter coats to already protect themselves from the cold.

This is what Kid thought as he stuck his hands in the crutch of both arms and exhaled, leaving a mist to float lazily away before disappearing in the air. Even with the white mittens Rarity was so kind to make him, the cold still seeped into his digits.

Zia was nice enough to give tips to Rarity on the Ura's cold-weather clothing. The result was him receiving a thick jacket to keep back the dreaded cold. Not only were they unique in color and style compared to other designer's lines, but the amount of warmth felt like he could survive even the harshest storm.

Too bad he felt like an over-stuffed turkey under the three layers of thick cloth.

The weather wasn't cold enough for snow yet, which Kid hoped the pegasai who handled the weather kept it that way. They settled with a partial overcast today, leaving several rays of Celestia's blessed sun to keep his exposed face warm.

The numbness in his hands started to dissipate as he passed by the market. It was still open and ready for business, but as the days passed by, the stock was clearly starting to dwindle. He still remembered Applejack asking him during the fall to help with her orchard. Of course, how could he not help? They were friends, and it never hurt to have a little more bits to add to his name. Although, he constantly told himself that the throbbing pain in his arms was worth it.

Finally passing by the market, he saw his destination in view: Twilight Sparkle's library.

While he was in Equestria, Rucks had suggested he study more about the new world. Of course he had to say that when Twilight was visiting, causing her to have the amazing idea of teaching him everything in her own library. She had little to do anyway during winter, besides the occasional party with Pinkie. It was a perfect time for studying.

Rapping his knuckle on the door thrice, he quickly stuck his hand back in its cozy home under his arm. No sooner did he knock that soft footfalls were heard, and then the door opening suddenly.

"Hey, Hammer!" Spike greeted happily. How the dragon managed to stay in such a chipper demeanor as a library assistant eluded Kid. The dragon stepped aside to allow him in, which Kid gave a quick thanks. "You're here for the lessons, huh?"

"Yeah... is Twilight around?" Kid eyed the library and took notice of the book shelves. It seemed a lot of ponies were checking out books because the shelves had large empty spaces, which were once filled with literature.

Spike nodded and pointed a thumb toward a wooden door on the opposite side of the room. "She's busy in her laboratory, I'll go get her."

While spike ran off to fetch his teacher for today, he unzipped the ungodly thick winter coat and tore it off. He hung the coat on the standing coat-rack besides the door and made himself comfortable on a chair in the modestly sized kitchen. Just as he found a comfortable spot on the chair, the door leading to the lab opened again.

"I'm in here," Kid shouted loud enough so Twilight could hear. Twilight entered the kitchen from the other open entrance across the room, a happy grin on her face. "Morning, Twilight."

"Good morning," Twilight replied. "I hope you're ready as I've already gathered every book available on today's subject." She pointed toward several large stacks of books in the corner of the room Kid had failed to notice. If he was careful enough, he could probably use the books as stairs to reach the second floor.

"Uh, Twilight. I appreciate the enthusiasm in helping me learn, but that's a lot to read."

Twilight smile didn't falter. "Well, we better get started then!" She levitated a book on one of the stacks and brought it over to the table.

"'So you want to know about Equestria'," Kid read the title with a drone in his voice. The front cover looked like something from a children's book.

"I-it's a good book for beginners," Twilight explained while poking both of her fore-hooves together nervously.

Kid sighed. "Very well." He picked up the book and opened it to the first page. "So you want to know about Equestria. Let's begin with some of its geography," hammer muttered to himself as he read.

Thankfully if he focused his mind on the task, he seemed to soak up the words in the books. He had already burned through a book called 'Pegasai culture and etiquette' before picking up another named simply 'Alicorns'. Strangely the front cover was a pony holding his hooves up to his chest. In-between them was the previously said title.

Before he could open the book, it was yanked away by Twilight's magic.

"Oops! sorry about that. Don't know how that got in the pile," she smiled sheepishly. "Uh, let's just say the author is one candle short of a birthday cake."

By the time he had gone through his sixth book, 'Magic and how to swing it', it was already lunch time. Kid was thankful Twilight had the idea of going out to eat. The thought of trying one of her daffodil sandwiches again brought unpleasant memories. Not that he was saying she was a bad cook.

"So where should we go?" Twilight asked as she gathered her cold-weather clothes involving only a simple purple scarf. "Oh! I know. Have you been to the establishment Zia bought?"

"The same place Zia sang and won all those bits?" Kid inquired. He was saddened he wasn't there to cheer her on.

"Yeah, I hear it's quite popular, but restricted for foals." Her voice held an edge of curiosity as to why. Kid only chuckled at her ignorance.

"Alright, let me just get my coat."

The establishment was located at the corner of a cross-way just a block away from Twilight's home. All the windows were covered with thick curtains to block the sunlight, or to provide the customers privacy from prying eyes outside. Other than that, there wasn't anything interesting about the single-story building.

Upon entering however, was a different story. The bar was stocked with an array of colorful bottles and liquids, the nearby hanging lanterns casting a vibrant array of color across the wall behind them. The floor had plenty of tables for parties of two, while the walls were lined with red-cushioned booths.

To the right of the bar was a small stage for performances, while to the left held more booths and larger tables. The set-up allowed everypony, weather coming to drink or eat with friends, to enjoy any shows.

"Hey, Kid! over here!" Rucks waved a hoof over toward him and Twilight.

The best thing about the establishment? Rucks owned the place. While Zia helped him buy it, thus making them technically co-owners, she declined the offer to help run the place. Leaving him, the kitchen staff, and the bartender known as Sudsy brew to keep the place going.

Weaving through the maze of tables, Kid leaned his elbows on the bar and greeted rucks with a nod of his head.

"What bring the both of you here to this fine ol' place? Thinking of drinking already after a hard session of studying?" He teased.

"We're actually on a break," Twilight piped up. "I've never been here before and I thought it would be a nice experience to try something new." She eyed the array of bottles and one caught her eye. "Oh my gosh, is that a bottle of black rye?" She said several octaves high that it caused her voice to break at the end.

The bottle in question was a thin and tall orange bottle with a black label. The liquid itself was a yellow-green, depending on what color of vineapple was used to create the almost stew-like beverage.

"You bet. The royal guards were nice enough to deliver whatever they could find still intact after the Bastion... well, you know."

The room was silent for a moment as if they decided to have a moment to remember the loss of the Bastion.

"So... " Kid began, trying to break the silence. "What's to eat?."

Rucks chuckled. "Well why don't you both take a seat and I'll see what the kitchen can whip up."

While Rucks disappeared through the kitchen's swing door, Kid helped himself into a seat near the bar. Twilight followed close behind and sat in the seat across from him. The single candle on the table gave the right amount of light to easily see the grains in the wood, but not bright enough to ruin the dim atmosphere.

"Hey, Hammer?"

"Hm?" He responded while his hand propped his head up as he lazily looked around the room.

"What do you have planned after these lessons are over?"

Hammer rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe visit the rest of Equestria. I've been known to have a insatiable hunger when it comes to exploration, and this world seems ripe with new discoveries."

Twilight was about to voice her comment when the front door slammed open and the short figure of Spike stood in the doorway. He ran toward Twilight as fast as his legs could carry him with a small scroll held in his claws.

"Twilight! letter! Celestia!" Spike spouted off quickly as he was out of breath. His message was still clear enough for Twilight to take the letter and not question why he barged inside the establishment.

She undid the wax seal and scanned through the letter with an experienced reader's eye. When she finished, a confused look settled on her face.

"I-It's a summons to see you, Hammer. Immediately." She levitated the parchment to him and he plucked it out of the air.

Dear Hammer Whirl,

This letter is a request for your immediate presence in Canterlot. Certain events with the Bastion have transpired that requires your attention. While the royal guard would normally handle this matter, what is happening is far more dire than I could've imagined. I feared this might have been by Discord's hand, but I haven't felt his presence ever since he disappeared when the Bastion was destroyed.

A chariot will be arriving shortly after you receive this letter. When you arrive in Canterlot meet Luna and myself in the dining room. Everything will be explained when you arrive. If you wish to bring anypony else it's their decision alone.

I apologize if this letter comes at a bad time, but know that I wouldn't ask for your help unless it requires your expertise.

Regards,

Princess Celestia.

Kid read the letter again in disbelief. The Bastion had crashed into the Delamare forest outside of Trottingham. What could possibly be going on that required his attention?

"I need to get back home and gather my equipment," Kid stated. He looked away from the letter and towards Twilight. "Do you think the others would want to come along?"

Twilight shrugged. "It wouldn't hurt to ask. I'll have spike send a notice to each of my friends." She glanced toward the kitchen with a sad expression. "Too bad we wont get a chance to eat."

After telling Rucks they had to leave, Twilight and Kid parted ways to their abodes. Kid still had the hotel room owned by Mr. Lime. The space was big enough for him to store all his possessions, including the weapons the royal guard managed to salvage

As he entered the door to his room, all the weapons rested against the wall to his left. The royal guards had only found his hammer, the scrap musket, and breaker's bow, but it was better than nothing.

His armor and city crest were laid out on his bed as if expecting him. He hasn't found a reason to put it back on ever since the Bastion was gone several months ago. The thought that he would need it again returned that urge for adventure he's been itching for.

Throwing his coat off and putting the armor on, he enjoyed the extra weight that he felt from the armor plates. He grabbed his Hammer, scrap musket, and Bullhead shield before shutting the door behind him and start toward Twilight's home.

Thankfully he didn't need his coat in the afternoon. The sun was at its apex and had already melted away the chilling cold that started at dusk until dawn.

When he saw Twilight's home in sight, he spotted the chariot already there. Twilight and the others were waiting for him as well. They already seemed ready to go since each of them had their packs strapped to their sides.

"That was fast," Kid admired. "Everyone is already here."

Twilight smirked. "You can thank spike. Celestia isn't the only pony he can send letters to." After everypony gave quick greetings toward hammer, she continued speaking to him. "I hope you have everything ready?" Seeing him nod, she smiled. "Good! let's get going. We wouldn't want to be late."

As everypony climbed aboard the chariot, Kid felt that something was about to go horribly wrong. He shook himself like he had a cold chill, breaking the sense of dread.

Don't be silly, Kid. This whole thing is probably something trivial Celestia needs finished...

I hope.

Ch.1: A familiar threat

Chapter one

A familiar threat

"Have you been enjoying yourself in Ponyville?" Twilight asked as all six ponies and Kid casually walked down one of Canterlot Castle's halls. The stained glass lining the walls beside them filtered Celestia's sunlight, creating a mixture of colors to dance across the floor. It was eerily quiet, with only the sound of hooves against the marble floor.

"Oh, the usual," Kid began as he motioned a hand in front of him. "Being Mr.Fix-it for anypony who needs a hand, and still trying to introduce myself to anypony I haven't met. Not to mention trying to get used to your winters in Equestria." He shivered at remembering how cold it was when he first woke up at six in the morning.

Rainbow Dash, who was staying airborne straight above him, laughed heartily. "Cold? Please, this is nothing. Wait until the weather team brings in the snow." She let out a smirk. "Not that it makes your whining any-" Rarity loudly cleared her throat and gave a dangerously look, causing Rainbow's wings to momentarily lock up. Luckily, she remembered to keep flapping before hitting the floor. "Uh... Right. Not that it makes your complaining any more valid."

Kid looked between the two mares curiously and thought best to not ask about it. Instead he focused his gaze on the golden double-doors ahead of him. The guards stationed on either side reminded him of the time he got chased by almost every guard on duty. He couldn't blame Twilight for it though, even if she was the unicorn who sent him to Canterlot; straight into Celestia's bowl of cereal no less.

Good times...

The doors opened on its own accord and the first thing one would notice was how bright the room was. Sunlight came through at just the right angle during its apex from a window above. It was enough to fill the room with light as if standing outside, but without the need to squint.

The dining table sat in the middle of the room, and it could easily allow a dozen guests per side. At either end was a single tall chair, which was where both Princesses were seated; their heads turned directly towards him.

"I'm glad that all of you decided to join us." Celestia stated happily. She motioned with a hoof for the group to join them at the table. As they pulled the chairs out and began taking their seats, with Hammer two seats away from Celestia, she continued. "I took the liberty of having the royal chefs make something small to eat, considering I summoned you an hour before lunch."

Just as she said that a doorway opened at the wall behind Celestia's chair, and out came several ponies garbed in the usual servant attire. While the earth ponies carried the covered platters on their backs, the unicorns had the convenience to hover it above themselves with magic. They all placed their platters down in a line across the table and, in one swift motion, lifted each silver dome to reveal what was underneath.

Kid's eyes lit up at the spread. The platter in front of him held dozens of stuffed bell peppers in several colors. Down the line he could spot several more dishes ranging from pastas, pastries, salads and, to his horror, bite-sized daffodil sandwiches. If Celestia truly though this was something "small" to eat, he'd love to see what a true feast composed of.

Seeing everyone staring at the feast in shock, Celestia cleared her throat. "Please, help yourselves. It would be a shame to throw away all of this good food." Nothing else needed to be said after 'help yourselves' since everyone broke into action to fill their plates. Except Applejack who took longer as she didn't know which dish to try first.

"Thank you for doing this, your Highness." Kid promptly popped a tear of soft bread in his mouth and swallowed after a quick chew. "But I'm sure from the letter you're not here to treat us to an emergency luncheon," he added with a small chuckle.

"Of course, but not now. Please enjoy the meal. We'll have plenty of time to talk afterwards."

The next hour consisted of the sound of polite conversation and appreciative hums when somepony enjoyed another delicious bite. Pinkie managed to somehow eat the rest of the pasteries before they went bad; consuming the whole platter then spitting out the plate itself. When everypony else had enjoyed their fill, the servants began clean up while the two Princesses and their guests made their exit. After traveling down several gleaming hallway did Celestia speak once more.

"Two days ago, we received a report listing several strange events during routine clean-up duty near your Bastion, Hammer. Strange lights that disappeared when somepony drew close, figures in the forest who looked unlike anything they've seen before, and sounds from a creatures that were unheard of. Just to name a few. However, what happened yesterday afternoon caused me send my letter to you."

She stopped in front of a pair of doors with an obvious large cross carved into the doorway; painted red. "The guards were attacked by something in the forest, and returned with wounds unlike anything I've ever seen." Seeing the confused looks on her guests' faces, she frowned. "It would be best to just show you." Without another word, she opened the doors with her magic.

A collective gasp came from everypony as they peered inside the long stretch of room. Ponies without their royal armor were laid out in white beds that lined the walls. Nurses and doctors frantically weaved through the lines of beds as they did their best to treat their wounds, or at least relieve the pain.

While the ponies stared in shock, Kid tentatively took a step inside. A teal stallion was sleeping peacefully on one of the beds, even with all the frantic movements and sounds going on. However, the pony wasn't what interested kid. It was what laid inside the small bowl next to the bed; sitting on a silver cart.

Kid picked up one of the many thin barbed projectile with utmost care, some of them still stained with blood; most likely from the stallion. He inspected it closely as a detective would search for clues, twisting it slowly with his thumb and forefinger. The purple barb had a menacing gleam to it, as if polished to a shine. He had seen them before, and had his share of being stuck with them in the past. The very fact he was holding one in his fingers made him realize how dire the situation was. He muttered a single word.

"Pincushion."

The very utterance of the word would have Caelonians diving for cover, even when behind the safety of the Rippling Walls. Pincushions were a native plant in the wilds; known for the barbs Kid had just held in his hand. They were hard to spot in the dense foliage due to their low profile, and could pierce any form of armor like a hot knife through butter. Not to mention that one could literally turn you into a pincushion in mere seconds. Hence why they were named that way.

The sense of realization Kid felt was not lost to Celestia. "You know about this?"

"I do," Kid replied while still looking at the dangerous deadly barbs. "They're from a very dangerous plant from my world, but that's impossible. What are they doing in Equestria?" He finished mostly toward himself.

"That..." Celestia started as she walked to his side. "Is what I'm hoping you can find out."

"Are you all positive you want to come along?"

Kid tightened the straps holding his armor plates in place while looking down at Twilight and her friends in front of him. After visiting the infirmary and confirming that several more injuries were from creatures of his homeland, he agreed to help her. The idea was pretty simple: Find out what is wrong with the Bastion and hopefully fix it. If not... Well, he'll just have to figure that out when he gets there.

They were all now waiting inside a room with a large opening to the outside, like an enormous marble hangar for chariots. Pegasai guards were most prominent in this place, and some could be seen actively pulling in and taking off while the small group stood to the side.

Kid didn't like the thought of bringing his friends here now. It would've been better if it was him alone. His world was too dangerous of a place compared to Equestria, and who knows what would be waiting in that forest when they entered.

"Absolutely! you're going to need all the help you can get." Rainbow Dash said with a determined grin.

Applejack stomped a hoof. "Yeah! we cant let some varmint hurts ya. We need to stick together as friends should!" The others nodded their heads in approval.

"Applejack is right, Hammer." Twilight piped up. "A group can achieve more than a single pony."

"Yeah, I know," Kid groaned. "But all of you being there is what worries me." Kid never had anyone else with him to look after during his life in the wilds. He was usually alone, with only himself to look after. The thought of having to hold off creatures while keeping six ponies safe made surviving the Calamity a cakewalk.

Rainbow dash let out a raspberry. "Don't be ridiculous. We've taken on Nightmare Moon, Discord... whatever that bug lady was during Twilight's brother's wedding" She motioned with one hoof as if counting with fingers.

"Queen Chrysalis?" Twilight suggested with exasperation.

"Yeah! Queen Crys-a-less!" Seeing twilight roll her eyes, she sighed heavily. "Whatever. The point is: We're coming with you no matter what."

Kid crossed his arms and looked over the group in front of him. "I hope you have some way to defend yourselves?"

"Of course, darling. Twilight and myself have our magic. Applejack and Rainbow Dash have their own... Brutish ways. Fluttershy has been known to intimidate even dragons; and Pinkie can... uh." She looked over at Pinkie who pulled a wrapped candy out of her mane and chomped on it.

"Mmm, lemony!"

"Erm... whatever Pinkie Pie does," Rarity finished with a cringe as she watched her enjoy her sweets.

Rubbing the side of his head like he had a headache coming on, he nodded. "Alright, I'll trust you all to know what you're getting yourself into."

Several minutes later, the same chariot that brought them here landed before the small group. He gave a small greeting, which the two guards simply nodded in return. When everypony was aboard, the guards rushed forward and dove out the opening leading outside with the wings wide open. A moment of vertigo gripped Kid when they dropped a good foot, but the guards managed to increase their speed before they fell from the sky.

Soon, Canterlot was nothing but a distant memory, leaving only the vast expanse of blue and spots of white fluff. Kid wasn't sure how long they have been flying, but the edges of Delamare Forest came into view. It easily rivaled Everfree in size; almost reaching the horizon while this high in the sky. Though the trees were not as dense, leaving dozens of open space to peek into the forest grounds. During Hammer's examination of the forest, he found himself descending towards it; the guards spiraling down toward a small camp just outside the edge of the forest. When the chariot landed with a soft thud against the green grass, the pegasai pulling it turned to look at him. His voice holding the smallest tinge of fear.

"We're here."

Ch.2: There be monsters...

Chapter two

There be monsters...

The forest surrounded half the cold camp, bringing a sense of discomfort to anyone who wasn't close to one of the meager campfires. The camp itself was sufficient to say the least, and with the winter season creeping in, blankets would soon not be enough to stop the stinging winds

However, the guards who set up the camp had a good idea to alleviate that problem.. Several tents were pitched in a the single campfire, creating a make-shift wall to take the brunt of the wind; effectively keeping the huddled ponies and single human comfortably warm.

Why couldn't the Bastion act like this during the warmer seasons?

Hammer grumbled in his mind while rubbing both hands in front of the campfire. Ever since winter started he had a small sense of jealousy for the natural thick coat ponies grew. And for a brief moment, he wished he was still a pony.

Right now they were playing a simple waiting game, which was the reason they were still in camp and not proceeding into the forest. A royal guard, whom had the fitting name Aegis Shimmer, told the group several others were still returning from patrols around the forest. Once everypony had all returned, they would go in as a single group. While Hammer tried to reassure him that they could take care of themselves, he was quite... insistent.

"How much longer?" Rainbow dash groaned in a lengthy manner.

Aegis gave her a dead stare. which Hammer swore his eyebrows were frozen shut. Or guard training in Canterlot involved a no-blinking policy.

"Patience, please."

The guard of many words has spoken.

Ignoring Rainbow Dash, who was now ranting on about showing him the meaning of patience, Hammer glanced towards Twilight. "Anything you know about this forest?"

Twilight used her magic to throw in another branch and kindle the fire before answering; stray hot ash flitting about from the already burnt wood being rustled.

"The forest isn't that much larger than the Everfree, though that's comparing it by square miles. While the Everfree's tree line is round in shape, Delamare takes on a sort of a crescent; circling around about a third of Trottingham."

"And this camp is the closest near the Bastion?" Hammer couldn't see the Bastion when they were descending, but Twilight had been asking questions and gathering information like a champ when they landed.

"From what the guards tell me we're about half a mile from the crash site. Also, this is the only camp that's brave enough to be placed near the forest anyway. So, yes. This is the closest camp near the Bastion."

Half a mile? Plenty of ground for something to go wrong. Hammer mused. The others in the party didn't seem too be worried about it though. Rarity was busy talking with Fluttershy over a scarf she had given to her after the shy pegasus had shivered. Applejack was busy pulling Rainbow Dash away from Aegis. And Pinkie Pie had pulled out a bag of marshmallows and was currently roasting them on a stick with twenty at a time.

He would like to believe he was being paranoid about this whole trek, but ponies haven't seen Caelondia's savage wilderness. It made the Everfree forest look like a children's playground. He will have to keep vigilant for his friends while in the forest, else something terrible may happen.

The sound of rustling brush brought the camp to full alert. The four guards and Aegis showed how prepared they were by bolting across the camp and putting themselves between the camp and whatever was coming. Hammer and everypony else joined soon after. The rustling got closer and soon the bush outside the camp moved, followed by a furry white monster of some sort. It skidded to a halt in front of the group of ponies, its eyes wide and whiskers wiggling menacingly.

"Bunny!" Fluttershy somehow found the strength to push aside a royal guard and pick up the bunny, which she soon discovered was frightened from the way it trembled in her embrace. "Shh, it's alright. You're safe now," she cooed to the small critter, which helped calm it down. "But what frightened you so?"

The bunny pointed a small paw towards the forest, which Fluttershy looked towards. There was nothing but the trees and bushes. However, it didn't take long until the sound of cracking wood filled the air. Followed by a tree falling over with a dull boom. It repeated itself, each time getting closer and closer until they saw a tree fall towards them, making a small opening through the treeline. What came out shocked everypony. Even the guards.

A large blue creature that was almost twice as tall as Hammer. It didn't have feet, or legs for that matter. His bottom simply tapered off, leaving him to float above the ground. Around its head was an orange scarf, which held two glowing blue eyes; staring down at the group before it.

The ponies only stared back as they could make heads or tails of how to act after seeing such a creature. It was obvious what action to take when the creature began winding up his arm to slice through the group like harvesting wheat.

"Scatter!" Aegis shouted. Everypony jumped away to evade the blow. However, Hammer stood there with a grim look on his face.

"Hammer, get away from that thing!" Rainbow shouted. She bolted forward to grab him, but it was too late. The creature swung its pickaxe with one swift motion; aiming for him. Rainbow covered her eyes with a grimace as she could only imagine what would happen soon. Instead, the sound of metal hitting metal and a grunt was heard. Rainbow lowered her hoof and spotted Hammer holding the bull-shaped shield that had been on his back. Furrows of dirt showed he had been pushed several feet to the side, but he held his ground.

The creature continued its attack by doing an overhead swing, but just when it was about to connect, Hammer deftly rolled to the side. The blow he so narrowly missed left a jagged scar in the ground. When the pickaxe was pulled out, loose dirt spilled everywhere.

When he was back on his feet, he hung his shield back in place and pulled out his Scrap musket. Using only a second to aim, he fired. The sound it made caused everypony to cringe as it sounded like an explosion with 'nails on a chalkboard' for background singers from the razor-sharp projectiles leaving the barrel.

The shot flew true and most of the scrap embedded itself in the creature. Soon afterwards, it simply disappeared in a puff of blue smoke. Even the cloth on its head was nowhere to be found. Hammer looked around the area for any more targets before holstering his weapon and brushing the dirt and grass off his clothes.

"What the hay was that all about?" Twilight yelled as she glared up at him. "You could've gotten yourself hurt! or worse!"

Kid shook his head. "Twilight, you of all ponies should know I've fought my share of them before. So I know what I was getting myself into. They're called Gasfellas, and have quite a temper towards pretty much anything. Even their own kind." He looked around the forest again just to make sure there weren't any others. Gasfellas were notorious for being in packs. Especially with their little brothers: Squirts. While not very threatening by themselves, squirts come in droves and attack in overwhelming numbers.

Rainbow Dash, who held a look of anger as well, quickly changed to excitement in seeing everypony was okay. "Still, that was so awesome! You totally kicked his flank!" She shadowboxed and kicked the air as she spoke.

Pinkie Pie appeared behind Hammer's back with his Scrap musket in her hooves. "Oooh! I could use one of these with my party cannon!" Before, Celestia forbid, Pinkie Pie pulled the trigger, Hammer peeled her off and took back his weapon. "Hey!"

Hammer kneeled down to look level with Pinkie. "This," pointing at his gun, "is not a toy." She put on a puppy-dog eyes look, but he would have none of it. "Sorry, Pinkie. It's for your safety." Standing back up, he turned towards the guards and rest of the party. "Your patrol should have returned by now and we've wasted enough time. I'm entering the forest weather you agree or not, and for those of you who still wish to go, now's the time." When he finished, he began walking towards the forest

Ch.3: ... and friends In the forest

Chapter three

... and friends In the forest

Kid was somewhat disappointed the entire group followed him in the forest, but thankful nothing had attacked them. Yet. With the trees so far apart, Celestia's blessed sunlight safely guided their way, and prevented any surprises from attacking gasfellas. Though the quickly coming winter clearly showed as most trees were bare; their leaves now littering the ground in a mess of oranges, reds, and yellows.

The forest was quiet except for the footfalls and crunch of leaves under their hooves and Kid's boots, and the clank of armor from the guards. Natural would occasionally join in when a bird would chirp or the tapping of a woodpecker echoed somewhere in the distance. which Fluttershy followed up with a quiet squeal of fear, who acted more high-strung than Zia's harp guitar. It was a good thing Rainbow Dash was here to calm her nerves.

As the group found themselves in a small grove of brush, Twilight took a moment to look at her surroundings. "It seems very peaceful in the forest. Maybe these... gasfellas," saying it in a hesitant and awkward way, "might be avoiding us?"

"Doubt it," Kid answered with a grunt. "They know where we're heading and will probably attack in a group when we get there." He eyed the vegetation as well and noted nothing out-of-place. No Pincushions or Wallflowers yet. And Pyth forbid they run into a Lungblossom. Was it possible they haven't spread in this direction yet? Maybe the guards managed to weed them out before they got here?

"Ooh, what's this thingy?" Pinkie spouted from beind a tree. She then reappeared with a plant clenched in her teeth. The large yellow orb about the size of a grapefruit bobbed along with her bouncing. It faintly pulsed a yellow light that spread across the leafy floor whenever her hooves touched the ground.

"STOP!" Kid yelled in panic. To his surprise, Pinkie floated in the air mid-bounce for a brief moment before falling safely to the ground. "Pinkie," he continued cautiously while holding his hands out and palms facing her. "I need you to carefully put that back where you found it."

Pinkie tilted her head as if she didn't understand his request, but followed his order anyway. "Aw, okie dokie." She twirled the stem in her teeth and used the momentum to toss the strange plant back towards the tree she found it next to. Soon as it made contact with the tree, its glow brightened considerably. Soon afterwards the sound of a large balloon popping and an explosion filled the air as the plant exploded, causing the tree's trunk to splinter.

Everypony shielded their eyes as splinters harmlessly bounced off armor or got stuck in their thick coats, while yellow pollet dusted them. When the danger had passed they lowered their guard to find the tree had a pony-sized chunk ripped from it. However, the tree was wide enough to not be in any danger of tipping soon.

"What the hay was that?" Twilight shouted in anger towards nopony in particular. Her anger disappeared in confusion when a thick piece of pollen landed on her snout, which caused her to promptly sneeze. Rarity on the other hand, was panicking as the pollen began dirtying her beautiful mane.

"That would be a Vineapple." Kid informed as his left eye noticeably twitched once in agitation from Pinkie's antics. He wasn't surprised any of the guards were phased over what had transpired.

Pinkie let out a sheepish grin. "Hehe... oopsie?"

"Oopsie?" Rainbow took to the air and threw her forelegs in the air. "You nearly blew us up with that thing!"

While Rainbow and Pinkie had a discussion, which ended up in a hug to calm Pinkie's downtrodden frown, Twilight finally realized what a Vineapple was. "B-But isn't a vineapple used to make Black Rye? Why would you use something so dangerous to create a drink?" She nearly shouted. The logic behind creating such a drink without having it to explode in her stomach made her head spin. Not to mention being so delicious.

Before she could get an answer, a crow's squawk pierced the air from atop one of the trees. Nobody took notice of it except herself and Kid as their eyes scanned the treetops. The sound came again, but this time the culprit made itself known as it perched itself on a branch. Followed by another loud squawk.

Twilight's and Fluttershy's eyes lit up in wonder upon spotting the strange bird perched on one of the trees whos branches were bare. Though Twilight was more towards studying the bird for research than Fluttershy's wonder in all animals. The odd bird tilted its head at the two ponies and only stared back at them.

"I've never seen this kind of bird before!" Fluttershy said with enthusiasm, although sounding more like a whisper for everypony else. The bird lost interest in those staring at it and opened its black wing to reveal autumn colored feathers at the ends, which it then began preening with its yellow beak. Fluttershy took flight and slowly approached to look at the creature more clearly. When she did so, the bird's head snapped up to glare at her. "It's okay little guy. I'm not going to hurt you," she cooed. However, it didn't help ease its distress.

The bird opened its wings threateningly and let out a screech that rivaled Hammer's Scrap Musket. However, it still stayed perched on the branch. Fluttershy immediately retreated back to the others with her ears tilted down in rejection. "I-I don't understand. I've never had trouble speaking to birds before."

Even with Fluttershy far away from it, the bird continued to screech in anger. Kid had a mind to put his musket back to use, but before he could, a second Pecker landed on another branch. Slowly more and more Peckers joined the tree devoid of foliage. By the time it took for him to take out his Musket for fear of them attacking, the entire tree was now covered in Peckers, and they all stared down at the group below them.

Rainbow Dash looked back at the birds cautiously. "Looks like we got a fight on our hooves!" She took a readied stance with Applejack and the guards.

Kid grimaced as he weighed the outcome in his head. This many Peckers could easily overwhelm them at this point. Nothing short of possibly the Calamity Cannon or the billows would be very effective if they all attacked at once. However, it was odd enough seeing them organize in front of him like this. Usually they attack on sight of another without question, making Kid wonder if they've changed considerably last time they fought. He pointed this out to Twilight who had stepped back beside him.

"If they're organized like this then it's possible one of them is the leader," Twilight pointed out. "But I don't see an alpha in the group.

Another loud screech filled the air from high above the canopy. Everyone looked up to find a Pecker lazily float to the forest floor; keeping distance from crashing into the trees. When it landed it looked exactly like the others, only its size was twice as large, making it at level with Kid's chest. After tucking its wings back in, it stared up at Kid as if expecting something from him.

Kid tilted his head to the side as to why it was staring like that, but then the bird copied his movements by tilting its head as well. He tilted his head to the other side and the bird continued to follow him movements, like looking at a reflection.

It cant be... I wonder if he's too heavy to still do it.

Kid was hesitant to do it considering how big the bird was, but he had to know for certain. Letting out a high-pitched whistle, as if calling for a dog, he extended his arm out. To everypony's amazement, the bird shot towards his outstretched arm and perched on it as if it were a tree branch. Kid struggled for a moment from the sudden weight, but managed to keep his arm aloft.

"What in tarnation was that all about?" Applejack looked between the birds in the tree and the one perched on Kid's arm. "You two know each other?"

"You could say that." Kid stated with a smile. He rubbed the back of the bird's head and it let out a small croon. "I was the one who rescued him when he first hatched after all."

Author's Note

As I promised in the previous story, this is indeed the Pecker you save in the game. Only all grown up. (They grow up so fast... *sniff*)

Ch.4: Mementos

Chapter four

Momentos

Kid held out his arm and the Pecker returned to the others. He took notice that the others' behavior had turned to more looks of curiosity after his old friend and their leader proved they were trustworthy. Some were even being bold enough to greet Fluttershy, who was having the time of her life as she soon became covered with them.

Fluttershy nuzzled a bird on her uplifted forehoof. "Oh they're so loveable. I can see why you kept one for a pet." Unfortunately their curiosity had to come to an end because the leader let out a shrill cry, causing the others to return to the tree. She blinked in surprise before looking at Kid. "Um, your friend says they would like to help us in any way they could. Should we tell them what we're looking for?"

"You can understand them?" Kid said in surprise. "I mean... Go right ahead. I know you can hear animals, but i'm surprised you can do the same for Caelonian fauna." The thought made him wonder if she could speak with squirts and other types of animals.

"Alright." She looked back towards the group of peckers in the tree. "My friends and I are looking for The Bastion. Can you help us find it?" The lead pecker agreed with a shrill cry and took off, followed by the other peckers taking to the sky.

"I'll take that as a yes," Kid muttered with a shrug before nodding towards the rest of the group. "Alright, everypony stay close now. We don't know what we'll find when we reach our destination." The others silently nodded and followed single file with the guards flanking the group. Though Rainbow spread her wings to prepare to take off.

"Actually, Fluttershy and I will keep watch from above as well. Come on Shy," she said with a nod towards her friend.

"Huh?" Fluttershy blinked in response before understanding what her friend tried to tell her; a smile spreading on her face. "Yes, we'll be watching the birds-I mean ground! We will be watching the ground. In the sky that is." She let out a sheepish smile while hoping her cover up worked.

Kid shook his head with a smile of his own. "Go on, but be sure to keep an eye out for danger." That's all he needed to say because Fluttershy shot into the sky almost as fast as Rainbow Dash. Motioning with his hand for the group to continue, he soon found Twilight trotting up to his side.

"Hammer?" The questioning hum from him was enough. "I know we're here to prevent whatever is happening to the Bastion, but I get the feeling you're here for something else. It probably isn't my place to ask, but are you hoping to find something?" Seeing the angered expression as he furrowed his brow, she frowned and lowered her ears. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"It's alright," Kid sighed as his expression softened. "I'm more angry with memories of what Discord did. You're all helping me with this, so you all at least deserve to know." Looking at the sky and passing trees, he sighed. "If you knew the world would change and lead to the passing of friends, loved ones... family. What would you cherish the most?"

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but slowly closed it. Looking behind at her friends, she came up with an answer. "The memories of them," she answered in confidence. Kid only nodded.

"Back on the Bastion Rucks and I kept a... memorial of sorts to remember the good'ol days; before the Calamity. Newspaper clippings, advertisements, even random bits of mail. Sadly, most of them never reached the ones they were sent to."

"So, what is it you're looking for exactly?" Twilight inquired.

Kid rubbed the back of his white-haired head, ruffling the already spiky look he had going. "A picture of someone I loved dearly." He saw that starry-eyed look Twilight gave him at the corner of his eye. "Not like that. It's a picture of my mother. Though I'm starting to wonder: Am I that obvious?"

Twilight chuckled. "The Bastion is a part of who you are," she responded matter-of-factly. "It's only natural for you to come back and retrieve things you have lost." Kid only nodded in response.

Not a single peep came from the others as as they continued further in the landscape, which was slowly changing. Small brush and vines covered the ground, making it difficult to see where they were stepping. Kid had to warn the others about thorny and poisonous plants that starting appearing as well; getting to the point where the two ecosystems starting strangling each other. Although with Caelondia having more aggressive flora, Kid didn't doubt it had the upper hand.

"This is amazing! I've never seen so many new plants." Twilight had a notepad out and was currently making rough drawing and notes about a Caelondian flower. Anything new she found it immediately went into her notes. Although she learned quickly to ask Kid first. No such thing as never too careful when it comes to hostile plantlife.

"Wah!" Which Twilight has once again stumbled upon, causing her to bring up a transparent shield in front of herself; the dozens of needles sticking in the magical cover. While her gaze had been focused on a stumpy looking fern, a pincushion had grown near some tall grass and rocks; making it difficult to spot.

"Twilight! you alright?" Applejack attempted to reach her friend's side, but a volley of needles kept her at bay.

"Dont worry. I think I got this," Twilight said confidently. While keeping her shield up, she focused her magic on the hostile plant itself. With a great heave of magical prowess, the pincushion broke free of the dirt. She quickly finished it off by chucking the poor plant into the sky and somewhere far away from here; hopefully in a fire.

"Interesting way to get rid of it," Kid admired while watching the plant sail through the sky; disappearing from view behind the treeline. "But please be more careful next time." The light light sound of flapping wings could be heard from above.

"What the hay was that thing?" Rainbow Dash asked while landing next to Twilight, while Fluttershy followed close behind with a smile on her face.

"A pincushion that I might have thrown it a little harder than I should have," Twilight admitted sheepishly. "So, now that that danger is dealt with, did you find the Bastion, Rainbow?"

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Yeah it's not far from where you're heading. Probably another minute and you'll reach the hill it landed on. Just look for the dozens of fallen trees from the impact."

"Did you see anything else besides the Bastion? Possibly any more Gas Fellas?" Kid asked. His shotgun was already out at the mention of the Bastion being so close. Seeing Rainbow only shake her head, he rested the weapon on his shoulder. "They're probably hiding in the ground somewhere. Can you and Fluttershy keep watch while we approach? We might be walking into an ambush."

Rainbow gave a hoofed salute. "No problem. Come on Fluttershy."

"Oh, okay. Um, stay safe everypony." With Fluttershy's small wish they returned to the sky.

"By Pyth's mighty horns..."

The Bastion, or what parts of it he could recognized in the catastrophic mess, had been tossed around like a foal playing with blocks in a playroom. Though he noticed that the royal guard had done their best to clean up most of the uprooted tree's, piles of tree trunks and dirt still dotted the crash site. Some trees were even stuck inside the buildings.

The nearest building was the distillery, which had been reduced to nothing but a pile of wood and glass from the shattered bottles, with one of the previously mentioned trees sticking out a crumbled wall. The armory's sign peeked over the hill and no doubt would be in the same shape as the distillery.

"I didn't expect it to spread so far. Why don't we split up, but don't stray off alone," he looked up in time to spot Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy circling overhead. "Even if we have Rainbow and Fluttershy watching our backs."

Rarity eyed the piles of dirt spread out across the hill in distain. "Well the place defiantly could use some sprucing up. Care to help me, Twilight?" Said pony's ears perked up upon hearing her name.

"Sure. Why don't we move the rest of the fallen trees first," she offered as they both trotted away to work. The rest of the group decided to split up as well with the guards staying together, while Kid and Applejack searched through the Distillery. Kid shook his head in disappointment at what rested inside.

Piles of broken glass and partially whole bottles littered the floor. The cabinets they hid inside were also filled with glass; some of the doors even dislodged from their hinges. It was enough to make a drinker such as himself break out in tears. Kid took a moment to compose himself and hoped Roathus, the god of thirst and plenty, is enjoying Rucks' personal stock.

"You alright there, partner?" Applejack eyed Kid after noticing him standing in the middle of the room with his hands folded together.

"I'm fine. Just saddened to see so much of Rucks' hard work wasted. Plenty of good memories happened in this room." He picked up an empty bottle of Bastion Burbon and twisted it around for inspection. "Sad that most of the ingredients for these drinks are on Caelondia." Tossing the bottle back to the floor he jumped over the counter where all the cabinets were located. While the guards said they had found all they could it never hurt to double-check. The squeak of opening and closing cabinet doors broke the quiet air in the distillery as he searched for any hope of spirits. To Kid's surprise, he found a chipped bottle of Stabsinthe hiding in the corner located inside one of the bottom cabinets; the black stopper on top missing its sharp point. "Hello there."

Might come in handy later. Or right now... His mouth did feel a bit parched after the long trek, but then he noticed the drink's consistency in the bottle looked closer to tar thanks to the cold weather. Eh... Guess I'll wait.

"Find somethin?" Applejack inquired with her front hooves resting on the counter.

Kid glanced at Applejack as he stood up with his small bounty. "Hm? Oh, just found a bottle left over that the guards missed." Since he didn't have any bags to hold it he took his shotgun out from its holster and secured the bottle inside it for later. "I doubt there's anything else here. Lets go find the memorial." Leaving the distillery behind, Kid and Applejack continued uphill.

"You're taking things pretty well, Hammer. This being your previous home and all," Applejack pointed out. "I know i'd be mighty sad if I lost mine." Her ears lowered momentarily at the thought.

"I was more confused then sad when the Calamity first happened. Now I just want to get revenge on Discord destroying my second home. I'll have plenty of time to mourn my losses when everything is back to normal," he finished with his eyes cast towards the ground.

When they reached the apex of the hill, they both stared at the rest of the Bastion laying in ruins. The lost-in-found was nothing more than a pile of wood that spread down the hill. Next to it sat the shine in all its shattered glory; the pool that was once rested on top now empty and cracked in half on the ground. Several of the idols that represented Caelondia's gods were scattered among the rubble.

Kid picked up one near his feet with the form of a teal tower. It belonged to Jevel, the god of health and atrophy. Setting the small statue upright on a nearby log, he shouted in surprise as a piece of paper flew towards him and latched to the right side of his face.

Applejack did her best to not laugh, but still managed to chuckle a bit. "You alright there, sugarcube?"

"Yeah, just dandy," Kid said while peeling the invading parchment from his face. He quickly recognized the paper as an ad for helping work on the Rippling Walls. They were posted all across the city and he had seen plenty of them after the Calamity.

Looking up from the paper and towards the direction it had come from, he saw the memorial; still covered top to bottom with various mementos, but laying on its side. He approached the memorial in reverence as this building held the only link to honoring his past. He remembered Rucks once saying, 'By paying tribute to the past one may better prepare for the future.' By remembering past mistakes, he learned from those experiences and grew stronger.

"Article about the Mancers... recruitment poster for the Gunslingers... where is it?" Kid muttered to himself as he searched for the picture. Some of the items had ripped off from either the crash or natural elements such as wind or rain. He was reaching the other end, or bottom, of the monument when he saw it.

A fair women in her late thirties resting against the kitchen counter at home. It was only in black and white, but he knew his mother's hair was pure white like his. She always had her apron on when at home and this picture was no different. Kid kneeled down to carefully plucked the picture from the monument and rubbed his thumb over her face in fondness.

"That's her, huh?" Applejack inquired while looking over his shoulder.

"Yeah," Kid simply said. Happy to have a piece to remember her by, he slid it between the space where his chest armor and clothes were. "You probably would've liked her. She was kinder than any person I knew, yet she knew when to be brave or strong in trying times." He sighed as memories of his past decided to spring up, but he pushed them away. "Come on. Lets see how the others are doing and fix this mess."

Before another step could be taken, a loud rumble shook the earth as several shouts of surprise rang out from the armory. Shortly afterwards, the three royal guards that had accompanied them bolted out of the buildings and sprinted towards him.

"What's going on?" Kid shouted as he readied his shotgun to fire.

One of the guards held up a hoof as he took a moment to catch his breath. "We were searching your armory for anything helpful when another one of those blue things came bursting out from the ground. We managed to wound it, but it only seemed to make it angrier and began trashing the building with its pickax." Just as he finished his explanation, the entire wall of the armory exploded, sending bricks across the side of the hill and into the forest.

Twilight and Rarity soon joined them as they galloped over the hill. "Is everypony alright? What was that noise?" Gasfella smashed the rest of the wall apart and stepped out. It looked at the group on top of the hill before raising its pickax in the air and smashing the ground with the side of it; sending a rumble across the hill. It continued to repeat this while Kid blinked in confusion as to what it was doing.

"All of you stay here. I'll take care of-" Before Kid could finish, the ground underneath him exploded, sending him flying backwards and knocking the wind out of his lungs. Groaning in a daze, he picking himself up only to find another larger Gasfella glowering down at him, while several more burst from the ground to join the fight. Grabbing for his shotgun, he silently cursed when he saw it laying further down the hill.

Shit...

Ch.5: The Ura

Chapter five

The Ura

Kid rolled away from the first overhead swing the gasfella threw at him, effectively dodging the blow as it punctured the ground upon impact.. While it attempted to heave the weapon from the ground, Kid took the brief moment to sprint for his gun. Tucking into a roll as he passed over it, he crouched into a firing stance and finished it off with a blast in the back. With the other gasfellas getting close, he fell back to the rest of the group who were huddled together further up the hill. The three royal guards were handling their own against two others with their spears pointed at it, making sure to keep a safe distance from its powerful swings. When Kid got within arm reach of the group, he waved towards Twilight.

"Twilight, can you-" Kid stopped in surprise as Applejack had lassoed a gasfella and hung on as it tried to throw her off its back.

"Yee-haw!" Applejack yelled before bucking its back hard enough for it to disperse in a puff of smoke, much to her confusion upon hitting the ground rump-first.

"Anyway," kid slowly said. "Can you use your magic to take their weapons from them? I know you're all not keen on the whole killing part of fighting, but it will make our job easier." She gave him an uncertain look.

"They look heavy, but I'll try." Twilight took a step away from the group as he horn started to shimmer. A pickax being held by a gasfella approaching the royal guards started to shimmer as well. Before it could reach the group, its weapon was suddenly torn from its grip, much to its distress. Twilight grinned before bringing it down on the creature's head in an act to stun it, but turned out to accidentally kill it in a burst of smoke. Twilight eyes widened in horror at what she had done. "I-I didn't mean to kill it. Just knock it unconscious!"

Kid had to stifle a laugh and hide his smirk from her reaction, else get glared at by her. Or worse a lecture on the value of life, or something just as boring. He turned his attention to the sky and now showed a smile. "Dont worry. Looks like we have a solution to our problem." Everypony except the guards looked to the sky to find the group of peckers from earlier finally join the fight, with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flying beside them. Although Fluttershy didn't dive along with them to attack.

They rained down upon the gasfellas in a flurry of pecks that left the enemy unable to fight back against the flock. Wherever they would swing, the peckers simply evaded the attack and renewed theirs. Seeing the fight turning badly for them, they shrunk back into the ground to desperately get away from the rampaging peckers. When the last gasfella in sight disappeared back into the ground did Kid wave at the flock as thanks for their assistance. The flock did one more quick circle around the crash site for any stragglers before dispersing into the forest.

Rainbow Dash joined the group shortly with a grin on her face, with Fluttershy following close behind. "That was awesome! did you see these little guys? They were all like," Rainbow made several dive bombing noises while flying in a tight circle around the group.

"I'm just happy everypony is alright," Fluttershy stated while looking over a nasty bruise one of the guards received, despite the guard turning down the offer.

The leader of the guards approached Kid. his golden armor looked like it has seen better days, but it had obviously done its job. "It would be best if we hurry and do what needs to be done, before more of these things show up."

"Agreed," Kid said with a short nod. "We just need to find the core." Helooked out across the hill for spots that haven't been checked yet. The sound of somepony clearing her throat turned his attention towards Rainbow.

"This is just a wild guess, but would it happen to look like a black metal cauldron?"

Kid stared at her for a moment in surprise before nodding his head. "Yeah, that sounds like it. Where did you find it?"

"Spotted it while flying with that flock of peckers," Rainbow said casually. "Probably wouldn't have noticed it if a bunch of liquid rainbow was laying around it. I'll see ya where it is." Rainbow glided down the hill with the rest of the party following behind; warily keeping watch for anymore gasfellas. After moving past a pile of logs, which used to be the lost'n'found building, did she finally stop. "Here it is."

Kid let out a disappointed sigh at seeing the heart of the Bastion in such a state. The black dome had cracked like an egg, causing its contents to spill out on the ground. It was most likely what caused the changes in the land and the appearance of Caelondia fauna and flora. He would've believed that it was just an accidental spill, but there was one glaring issue: What was it doing out here in the open?

The heart of the Bastion had been surrounded by, at least, several feet of dirt, piping, and metal bulkheads. It should be buried underneath all of that, making Kid believe somepony, or someone, had dug it out. The only thing that came to mind was Discord, but nopony has seen him for several months. For now he could only rely on speculation as to what caused all of this. He had been staring at the Bastion's heart for so long, he almost didn't realize somepony was calling his name.

"You alright there? You kinda spaced out on us," Applejack said with a tinge of concern.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just beginning to wonder if this was more than an accidental spill." He eyed the still glowing droplets of swirling rainbow liquid with disdain. "The core was under tons of dirt and metal. Who could've pulled it out?"

Twilight lifted some of the liquid with a beaker made of magic and swirled it around. "Can't say that I know. Right now we should focus on what evidence we have in front of us. Also, I hope you don't mind if i take some for research. This liquid is infused with a lot of magic."

"Sure, help yourself. Just be careful. Discord messed with the Bastion's energy so who knows what it can do now," Kid warned before turning towards the guards. "I believe we're done here. Unfortunately we cant stop the liquid that has already seeped into the ground. I suggest keeping this part of the forest under close watch. Last thing we need is somepony getting killed, or a gasfella escaping to cause mayhem."

"Of course, Hammer," the guard leader responded. "Let's head back to camp. Princess Celestia would want to hear about this." Kid simply nodded as the group made their way back to the camp. Although Kid couldn't help himself to look back at the shattered remains of the Bastion.

A place he once called home.

"I'm relieved to see you all made it back safely," Celestia said with a smile while sitting on her throne. Everypony except the guards, who had returned to the barracks, and Rarity, who stated that she 'really needed a bath', were left in front of her. They had managed to visit at the right time before her daily routine with her little ponies. "Did you discovered what the cause was?"

"Yes, Princess." Twilight procured the stoppered vial from her bags and floated it towards Celestia, who took it with her own magic. "From what I've collected, with the help of Hammer, this came from the core of the Bastion. It's a chaotic version of the energy his island used, after Discord found it."

"Did you happen to run into Discord?" Celestia looked up from the vial.

"No," Kid spoke up this time. "But I'm beginning to wonder if he had a hand in this. I don't have any proof that he had, but who else would wander near the place besides the guards?" Glancing to the right, he spotted Rarity trotting back towards them; free of dirt.

Celestia hummed in thought before returning the vial to Twilight. "I wish I had an answer, but I trust you will find out much on your own. Sadly, this discussion must end as my little ponies are expecting of me and I cannot turn them down. Goodbye, and I hope you get to the bottom of this." The group made a collective bow, which Celestia did in return, before departing out the front gate and past the long line of ponies waiting outside.

"I don't know about ya'll, but after that I'm feeling mighty hungry." Applejack's stomach growled in agreement. "Anypony know a good place to get some grub?"

"Oh, I know the perfect spot," Rarity began, until she noticed applejack's deadpan stare.

"And I'm not talkin bout no fancy shmancy... what do you call them things? Or dervs?"

Rarity closed her eyes and lifted her chin. "The proper term is Hors d'oeuvre, and I'll have you know that they're quite delectable to the palette."

"Right... them Horderves just ain't fillin. What we need is a big ol' apple pie!"

"Or maybe a foot-long veggie sub with everything and the kitchen sink," Rainbow suggested.

Pinkie bounced in front of the group. "Oh! how about a dozen of Joe's glazed doughnut's? I can even convince him to put the 'secret powder' on top, if you know what I mean," she whispered at the end while waggling her eyebrows.

"You do realize it's only powdered sugar, right?" Twilight deadpanned. She had been at Joe's Doughtnuts long before Pinkie ever set hoof in the place, so she knew his 'secret powder'. She moved her head back when Pinkie poked her nose against hers.

"Lies and slander!"

"Calm down all of you," Hammer ordered. "How about everypony goes to get their own food. We'll meet back here and sit at one of the cafes. Sound good?" Seeing everypony nod their heads and leave to retrieve their edibles, Kid decided to look as well.

He rubbed his arms a bit as a cold wind blew past him. With Canterlot being higher in the mountains, the cold air brought goose-bumps to any expose skin his armor didn't protect. Though it wasn't as cold as the Tazal Terminals back in Caelondia, where the Ura people lived.

The more he thought about it, he never did know much about Zia's people, except from the stories she told about her father. They respected tradition greatly and were very close-minded with foreigners. Simply speaking their native tongue was a great insult to them. They were also amazing, if not ruthless, fighters. It was no wonder the guilds under Caelondia learned to keep their distance from-

What is that delicious smell?

He felt silly for his stomach to take the lead, but after all that fighting he was hungry enough to eat... something that wasn't a horse. Any other thoughts were quickly brushed away as he took several sniffs in the air. Down the road and to the left was a small restaurant with several tables for outdoor dining; the metal tables covered in frost from how cold it was. Being careful to not bump into anypony while crossing the street, he made his way towards the building. Sure enough, the scent got stronger and he could pick up spices that tingled his nose; urging him to investigate further.

A bell above the door gave off a chime as the door opened, greeting Kid to come inside. Warmth greeted Kid as well, which he shut the door quickly to not let it escape. The restaurant, to his surprise, was empty. At least half a dozen tables with four chairs each stood beside him; allowing customers to walk in the middle towards the front counter.

Kid's boots made heavy thuds against the laminated white flooring as he stepped towards the counter. The sound of sizzling could be heard somewhere in back, and he could see somepony moving around back there; making him wonder if this place was run by only one pony. Noticing a small ringing bell on the counter, he tapped the top of it with a finger; producing a small ringing sound that broke through the silence. Followed by a dull thud and muttering under the counter.

"Give me just a moment!" a voice kindly requested from under the counter. Kid waited patiently and silently admired the cleanliness of the room before the sound of a cabinet shutting brought his eyes back forward. "Sorry about... that..." the mustard yellow unicorn slowly trailed off as he finally looked at him. He wasn't hyperventilating or running in a panic upon seeing him, much to Kids relief, but he was staring with wide eyes. A small clearing of the throat from Kid snapped the pony from his trance.

"I can say I've had worse hello's, so congratulation on being one of the few to see me and not scream in terror," he explained with a smirk. "Name's Hammer Whirl, and I couldn't help but be drawn to an aroma coming from here." He motioned with a nod of his head towards the kitchen.

The pony forced a smile. "S-Sorry. Never seen quite a sight like yourself, but that's not gonna stop me if you're a paying customer. That smell is my friend currently preparing our famous vegetable stir fry for today's dinner rush. Want a order of it?"

"That's what I came here for," Kid said with a chuckle. "How much? Also, do you do take-out? Have some friend I need to meet up with."

"Five bits. And yes we do take out." The pony levitated a smell white box on the counter while Kid took five coins from his purse. The unicorn put the money in the register and nodded. "It will take a minute for the food to cook. Why dont you have a seat and I'll call you when it's ready."

"Oh, sure." Kid took a nearby seat facing outside and hoped it wouldn't take too long. He wouldn't want to come back to find the others wondering where he was. Watching ponies move past the window with a bored expression, his mind slowly drifted back to the Ura. Mostly to a thought that worried him.

If I made it to Equestria, does that mean the Ura made it here as well?

Two days ago. Somewhere in the cold north. Near the Equestrian border

Snow as far as the eye could see. That's all the royal guards saw day in and day out near the northern border of Equestria. It came down on them tirelessly during the winter, making their duty more towards shoveling snow from their stone walls and camps rather than keeping watch. It was a thankless job considering nopony except their families knew they were here, but somepony had to keep the borders safe. Even if the attackers were flakes of harmless snow.

"Private!" The Captain of this section of the wall barked from above towards a pegasus near the bonfire surrounded by large tents. "Get the shovel again. The snow is clogging up this wall faster than a pony binge eating doughnuts!"

The Private looked up to only see a flurry of snow and the outline of his superior. "Yes, sir!" he yelled back before grabbing a red snow shovel with his teeth and walking up the steps towards the top of the walls. He knew better than to fly in this kind of weather, even if the trip lasted several seconds. Strong cold winds and near-blinding snow storms doesn't make for good flying weather.

Reaching the top of the wall, he got to work shoveling the snow and tossing it out the other side from the camps. He quickened his work as cold began to chill his face and the thought of returning to the bonfire further urged him on. Finishing up shoveling the stone floor, he used the handle to push the snow from the indents that allowed the guards to look on the other side.

The torches did little to keep the snow at bay, but everypony who was up here stood around them for warmth. If it wasn't for the small wall of stones to protect them from projectiles, it would be impossible to stay up here this long. Everypony was thankful nopony was crazy enough to attack in this kind of weather anyway.

Finishing up the last bit of snow, the pegasus walked back towards where the Captain was, only to find him missing.

"Captain?" He looked down either side of the wall and down at the camp, but he was nowhere in sight. "I finished shoveling the wall! gonna go back to the camp!" he yelled, hoping the Captain heard him. Shrugging, he made his way towards the steps until he heard the sound of something metallic land on the floor beside him.

It was a small metal claw with a rope attached. He was about to touch it when it came to life and dragged towards one of the indents in the wall and grabbed hold. The rope it was attached to went taut as somepony or something, was climbing the rope.

The Private's eyes widened with fear upon realizing what was happening. They were under attack. Before he could yell out an alarm, he found out the others already knew, because they were already fighting them off. Bi-pedal creatures covered head-to-toe in winter clothing, yet moving fluidly as if wearing nothing at all. They came over the wall; slowly overwhelming what little resistance the ponies could muster.

He always thought of going to battle against something he knew. Other ponies, gryphons, maybe even a dragon. But he has never seen creatures like this before. He couldn't bring himself to help his brothers in battle, or even take a single step as his entire body became frozen in fear.

Before long, a figure dressed in blue jumped over the wall where he was and drew a wicked looking halberd from its back. The Private finally had the urge to move, which was directly away from the creature. He didn't get far as the wall was only several feet wide, and he soon found the blade of the weapon touching his chest. It shouted at him in a foreign language he had never heard before and prodded his chest as if questioning him.

"P-Please don't hurt me," he whimpered. Looking to his sides he found his comrades already dead on the floor, while the ones who killed them moving towards his direction. He thanked Celestia when the blade left his chest, but felt a small nick where it had rested.

The creatures gathered around him and began talking to each other in their language, leaving him in the dark as to their plans. Their conversation grew to shouting for a moment before one wearing beige clothes and holding a halberd taller than himself pushed the others to the side. He must have been the leader as the others immediately shut up as he shouted at all of them, pointed at the pony on the ground, and left. The others slowly began leaving as well, except the one holding the halberd. To the pony's surprise, it spoke in a rough dialect of his language.

"I... sorry." He brought down its weapon.

The beige clothed human took his gloves off to feel the warm fire; something he hasn't felt since suddenly appearing in this strange land. Although the plains of snow reminded him of his homeland, the strange short horses were an odd sight to find in a place like this. Glad to finally get rid of the numbing in his hands, he put the gloves back on to find another of his kind approach. This one wielding a crossbow and wearing orange.

"(Did you make sure none of them escaped?)" The one in beige asked in his foreign dialect.

"(Of course. None were left alive, so it will take a while before anyone will notice our invasion.)"

"(Good. If what the strange creature says is true, the one who sent us here is somewhere in this land. I hope the creature didn't have us trek through snow for two days only for us to be betrayed. The others don't trust me enough already. they only follow me because I was the only one that decided to lead.)"

"(He's quite the shady fellow, but what choice do we have? We would be frozen stiff in the cold if not for your leadership and his directions. Don't doubt yourself, and we'll be home sooner than you know.)"

The one in beige rested his own hand on the others shoulder. "(Thank you, Tama. You have no idea how hard this is for me.)" He couldn't see it, but he knew the other was smiling from the sound of his voice.

"(No problem, Zulf. See you later.)"

"(Yeah, you too.)" He watched his friend leave and head back up the wall to help others climb. Meanwhile the ones already on the other side joined him by the fire or searched through the tents. Even after all this time, they still kept their distance from him due to what he had done. They still remembered his mistake for leading Kid to their homeland.

Zulf had underestimated how determined Kid was, and even after the near-destruction of the Bastion, he came after him. He traveled across miles of shattered land and kill droves of his people just to gather the last shard to finish the very thing he wanted to stop. Now here they were. A broken people with no homeland, left to wander a land they know nothing about.

He couldn't remember anything after being beaten to the ground by his own people and Kid leaving him behind. The last thing he remembered was closing his eyes and waiting for the end. Next thing he knew, he was surrounded by snow with confused Ura trying to understand where they were. That was when the strange creature came, offering to help Zulf's people escape the harsh land with a promise to return the favor: To kill the one responsible for sending them here.

Such a deal was hard to turn down. To get revenge on the one who attacked their homeland and be sent back? No one had turned down that deal, and soon Zulf found himself leading hundreds of Ura across a barren land of snow. Because no one had the will to lead. So with only a promise for revenge and an urge to fix the wrongs he has caused to his people, he had trudged through endless miles of snow.

Zulf looked at the warm fire for a moment longer before standing up, the others around the fire watched him closely. Some were filled with hatred towards him. Others with fear for what would happen to their people. Some even had a dull gaze as they looked into the fire as if trying to search for an answer.

Slowly each person left to get some rest in the tents, while those who could stay awake took first watch. Several stayed on top of the walls while there were some surrounding the camp; their sharp halberds keeping any encroaching animals at bay.

All the while, one person continued to stay awake and quietly sing to himself.

Ch.7: Midnight raid

Chapter seven

Midnight raid

"Zulf, look!" Tama shouted in excitement. His outbursk would've made any of the Ura marching along with him believe he had found a way home. Instead he found something just a good, because in between his gloved thumb and forefinger he spun a green blade of grass. "Finally the snow is lessening!"

Zulf unraveled the scarf around his mouth due to the warming weather, though everyone's breath could still be seen "Quite a blessing indeed. I don't think we could take another day in such weather without proper supplies." Even if their people were accustomed to the snow of their homeland, they didn't have the supplies needed to survive such weather. So it came to no surprise that the first sight of grass had lifted morale. While there were still patches of snow dotting the ground, the land head of them began to turn into rolling hills of grass and clear blue skies. The addition of not needing to wade through waist-high snow banks was nice as well. "Perhaps Discord could finally help us," he added after taking in the view.

To help his people trust him more, he had begun to speak in the Ura tongue rather than common. Albeit a bit rusty from all those years in Caelondia, he was happy at the immediate effect it took.

"Discord! Where do we go from here?" He looked to the sky for his strange guide, expecting him to appear out of thin air like he normally does.

"You called?" Discord spoke with a chuckle while resting on the branch of a nearby tree. While the Ura have seen him several times, his sudden appearance still startled several of them. "Honestly I don't know why you continue to use that language of yours. I can understand you quite clearly." He snapped his fingers and an apple appeared in his palm, which he proceeded to eat.

Zulf frowned. "They cannot understand you and I refuse to speak the same way." He glanced at the ones Discord had startled. "After what I have done, they at least have the right to know every word they hear."

"Oh right, your little 'downfall'," Discord said with air quotes. "I have to give props to that Kid. He sure knows how to fight." He spoke between bites of apple. When he finished the apple and found himself left with the core, he tossed it behind the tree.

"I know what happened, Discord. Now which way from here?" Zulf grated out in repressed anger. Something about his carefree attitude rubbed him the wrong way, and the thought of spearing Discord with his weapon crossed his mind. However, he felt such an action would only give Discord a good laugh. Which is something he quickly learned he enjoyed doing. "Also, if we are to continue, we're going to need food. Could you summon some more apples for us?"

"I could," Discord picked at one of his claws before continuing. "But where's the fun in that? How about you go visit that town over to the east." Discord said while pointing a thumb that way. "You want food? You need to cause a little chaos for me. Ta ta!" With that said, he snapped his fingers and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Zulf closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. The further he helped Discord, the more he began to hate it. But what choice did he have besides telling his people they were stuck here; something they probably wouldn't enjoy hearing from him. How did he know Discord would even keep his promise anyway? Letting out a deep sigh, he looked for his friend for advice. "Tama."

"Hm?" Tama hummed after lifting his head. He had been taking a short rest on the soft grass until Zulf called him. "What is it?"

"You know our warriors better than me. Who of us know the art of stealth?"

Tama stood up and and brushed stray blades of grass off his clothes. "Without a doubt I'd choose Zondra and Sterg. Zondra helped us sneak towards the stone wall when we arrived, and Sterg, from what I hear, can sneak past an anklegator back home." He raised an eyebrow. "Why? You have something planned?"

Zulf nodded and noticed the people nearby resting in the grass had their own looks of confusion to what he was planning. "We need food. From what Discord said, there's a settlement to the east. Get Zondra and Sterg and meet me on that hill." He pointed towards a tall hill leading to the east.

"Of course, Zulf. What of the others though? It wont be hard to spot such a large group in these hills. These ponies Discord warned us about might have patrols."

Zulf thought for a moment while looking at his surroundings. Everywhere around them consisted of hills and grass except to the south where the tops of trees could be seen. "Have everyone move to those trees to the south. With luck, they'll be dense enough for us to hide in without being spotted." Tama only tilted his head forward in a small bow before departing.

While Tama ordered his people towards the forest, Zulf made his way up the steep hill. As he reached the crest, he saw the village Discord mentioned about a mile away. It didn't look like anything spectacular from where he stood, but most of it was blocked by the hills. He'd have to get closer to make a better estimate to what they would be dealing with. With the elevated view, he could also clearly see the sunset; maybe another hour or two until night; assuming time acted the same with his own world.

You may like chaos, Discord, but I wont become a part of it. Zulf thought with his arms crossed. Most likely Discord expected him to raid the village in full force, but Zulf didn't like the idea of getting into another conflict with these ponies. Discord said the ponies were not to be trusted, but after what he saw at the Equestria's border made him question that warning. With the power Discord showed off, why couldn't he simply transport them to their target? Or Kid to them? Why wasn't he helping them with surviving this new world? The answer came easily to Zulf, and he didn't like it: Discord was toying with them.

"Hello Zulf." Zulf turned his head to see Zondra and Sterg a few steps behind him. Zondra wore primarily green and had a rifle on her back while Sterg's had blue for his primary color. A halberd as long as Zulf's rested on his back. While Zondra had a lithe form resembling a cat, Sterg had a more muscular and thick frame. How Sterg could sneak past an anklegator, Zulf would never know. "Tama here tells us you wish to speak with us."

Zulf fully turned his body around to properly greet them. "Hello as well, Zondra. Yes I had called the both of you on a mission. As you've no doubt noticed, we're running out of food. We've had to ration our supplies to mere one meal a day, and even then it's only water, crackers, and tough jerky. We didn't have much food to begin with when Discord brought us here, but now our supplies are down to some of us skipping meals. The plan is to resupply in the village to the east. You're both here because of Tama's recommendations in stealth."

"I don't have any problem with stealing, but four of us wont do it," Zondra spoke with a thoughtful look. He gaze drifted to the village. "We'll need more people. Maybe have another team to double our bounty? Right now, even with the each of us carrying heavy loads worth of food, it would last our group several days. And we have no idea how long until we reach our destination."

"Being spotted is worse," Zulf argued after a shake of his head. "You'll double the bounty, but double the chance of being caught. And I'd rather rather avoid killing any more of these ponies."

"Only if they get in the way," Sterg commented. Zulf frowned, but reluctantly nodded his head in agreement.

"How about this? We have a larger group at the outskirts to deliver the food the rest of the way. With it being split among more people, they can travel faster. Doesn't make it easier to be spotted, and we can begin another round of looting sooner." One by one each of them nodded their heads in agreement to that idea. "Great. If there's nothing else, let's head back to camp and find more volunteers. We'll meet back here at midnight."

"Everyone set? Wait, where's Tama?" Zulf asked; his voice a bit muffled from the thick dark cloth around his face. They had taken their brighter cloth layers off and either stayed or switched to darker hues to blend in with the night. Everyone was at the hill except Tama. Though several seconds later, the sound of heavy footfalls reached the group.

"Sorry I'm late. Can you believe they didn't have dark biege?" Tama explained while catching his breath. In Ura society, the color and style of your clothing represented things such as wealth and fame. In the military it also showed rank.

"Nice outfit," Zondra commented while admiring Tama's choice of dark brown and blue. "When did you decide to become a farmer? Just cant handle the life of a captain, eh?" Her grin only widened when Tama gave a half-hearted laugh. Sterg grunted loudly, earning their attention.

"You both can play dress up and braid each others hair later. Right now we got a village to raid."

They each nodded their heads and moved as one down the hill. When they reached the bottom they broke out into a sprint towards the village. What little light the moon gave barely revealed the four fast-moving figures closing in on the unsuspecting town. When they reached the outskirts, they took cover behind a large rock nearby. Now with a closer look, they began to discover how big the village really was. However, there were two thing missing that made the mission that much easier.

Tama peeked above the rock. "No walls or guards anywhere in sight. Is this place really this carefree from danger?"

Zulf joined Tama. "I wouldn't know, but nevertheless keep your eyes and ears open for anything," he whispered before bolting across the small clearing towards the nearest building. All of the buildings were made from wood and thatch roofing, with colorful paint schemes on the walls that arrayed in every bright color he could imagine.

Peeking inside the nearby window he chose, he found it lead straight to the kitchen. He pulled out his halberd and used the flat blade in an attempt to lever open the window. To his surprise, after a bit of wiggling, it slid open with ease. Unfortunately he had to leave his weapon behind since it would be unwieldy in such a tight space. "Tama and Sterg watch outside. We'll send the bags through the window." Zulf climbed through shortly after saying that. With Zondra following after.

Zulf got to work going straight for the icebox. Inside he found some fruit, mostly apples, vegetables, and cheeses, which were deftly tossed in the burlap sack he had set on the floor. He wasn't surprised about the lack of meat considering what the normal diet of a pony was. To make up for the lack of protien, he grabbed a tin of peanut he found in one of the cabinets.

"Wow, whoever lives here sure loves pickles," Zondra whispered while four jars of pickles disappear in her bag. However, when she shifted it to move to the next cabinet, the jars clanked loudly together; causing them both to tense up.

Zulf stared at the only door in the kitchen and strained his ears to hear if anyone was coming. He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but if the pony did hear it, they would've been here to investigate by now. "Either find some way to cover those jars or put them back," he whispered harshly to Zondra while tossing a bundle of bananas he found in a basket beside the fridge.

Zondra frowned and put the jars back. "Right... no glass."

They continued for several more seconds before tying off both bags and handing them to Sterg outside. When everyone was outside, Zulf closed the window behind him.

"Not bad for our first haul. Let's get the next building then meet up with the others."

Zulf lead the way once more to the next building: another two-story home. Thanks to how the town was built, they could easily sneak behind and raid the buildings on the outskirts of the town without worry of being caught. Zulf peered into the only window in the backyard. It lead into a living room with two couches and a coffee table. To the far left sat a bookshelf stuffed full of literature; beside it a fireplace with still glowing embers. And beside that a white doorway leading into a hallway.

Not seeing anyone inside, he repeated what he did to the first window and hefted himself inside. The floor squeaked from his weight, but thanks to the soft carpet he didn't make any noise from his boots hitting floor. The room had another door straight head with light shining underneath that he hadn't noticed while standing outside. He considered moving on to another home, but the lack of sound coming from the room dismissed the idea. It was possible a pony could have accidentally left the light on.

As he took several steps towards the door across the room, he heard footfalls on the carpet behind him from Zondra's entry. He tried to peek under the door, but he could only see laminated tiling. He had several idea as to approach this. If there wasn't a pony in there, he would get a chuckle at how cautious he had been over a left-on light. However, if there was a pony in there going for a late-night snack, he'd have to somehow knock it unconscious. Lucky for Zulf, there happened to be a very heavy looking bust of a pony in the corner of the room to his right.

"Alright, if there's a pony in there, I bash it in the head with this thing," Zulf explained while hefting the bust. "Hopefully the noise wont attract too much attention. Ready?"

Zondra shrugged. "I've been a part of crazier plans, but don't worry. I'll be right behind you."

Happy with that answer, Zulf laid his hand on the door and took one final exhale. With a deep breath, he pushed open the door and lifted the bust over his head threateningly; aiming to smash it over anything that looked close to a pony. But what he saw in the room stopped him in his tracks. A loud pop entered his ears when he went through the door, followed by the sound of cards falling on the floor. Three of the four ponies in the room that were playing cards stared with jaws agape at him. The fourth continued to play; not knowing what was behind him.

"-so then I say... I say, that's why you never use peanut butter to... Hey, what's wrong you guys? Is Flare back from his nap?" The pony turned around with a smile to see what they were all staring at, but quickly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end when he slowly tilted his head up. A moment of silence settled in the room as both sides weren't sure how to respond. Zulf took note of the gold armor all four of them wore, and the helmets laying on the table. Their surprised state didn't last long as they sprang into action to surround the intruder. Sensing that things were quickly going south, Zulf chucked the bust at the nearest pony; knocking him out cold.

"Zondra, run!" Zulf dodged to the side and bolted out the door after one of the ponies tried to tackle him to the ground. He heard several shouts for him to stop by order of the royal guard, which only made him realize how much he screwed up. Zondra managed to reach the open window and lunge out like an arrow. But when Zulf got close, the window slammed shut with a strange purple glow surrounding it. Whipping around his body, he found one of the ponies had a horn, which gave off the same color glow.

"By order of the royal guard you will come quietly!" the pony with the horn yelled while the other two guards closed in on him.

"Yeah... not going to happen." Zulf glanced at the other doorway to the left. He'd have to lunge over one of the couches to reach it, but he might be able to make it before they caught him. Taking the chance, Zulf went into a sprint towards the couch and jumped over it. However, he quickly realized how bad of a decision that was when a pony tackled him mid-air. They both fell on top of the wood coffee table, with Zulf landing back-first; knocking the air out of his lungs. He gasped for air before putting a elbow directly to the pony's face, stunning it long enough for him to stumble away. The sound of the two other pony's hooves not far behind.

Zulf found himself in a long hallway with a stairway leading up to the second story. Far down the hallway stood freedom: the front door. As he ran for the door, he lost his balance when one of the ponies behind him jumped on his back. The sudden weight change caused him to lose balance and slam into the front door; causing the entire wall to shudder from the impact. Zulf growled in mixed annoyance and anger as he smashed the pony on his back against the door, intending to be rid of him. The pony grunted in pain, but refused to get off.

"For Celestia!" the last pony shouted as it charged Zulf, tackling him directly in the chest. However, what they all failed to notice from their tussle were the cracks that began to form around the door from their tussle. When the group hit as one, the entire door snapped from the wall; sending the entire group outside into the street.

"What in blazes is going on?" A voice shouted. Zulf groaned in pain, but managed to lift his head to see several ponies out in the streets; all of them staring at him. "Up both of you! restrain that thing!" He felt something cold and metallic wrap around his wrists with a click. He was then left on the ground unable to free his hands, while the other two guards were helped up. "Come on now. I don't like repeating myself!"

"S-Sir," the pony who had tackled him out the door spoke up. "We found this creature breaking into this house, so we decided to investigate... Sir." Zulf twisted his head to see who he was talking to. Standing no more than five feet away was a pony dressed in blue pajamas and matching blue teddy bear slippers. The tired looking pony rubbed his muzzle.

"I'll let you off the hook from your card playing today only because you actually caught some... thing." He gave a flat look when the guard's mouth went agape; wondering how he knew. "Don't give me that look. Why else is Gale Chaser with you when he's supposed to be patrolling the other side of the town." He pointed towards the building where the pegasus who had tackled Zulf onto the coffee table was stumbling out of the front door.

"Reporting for doody, sir!" The pegasus promptly fell on his face, unconscious. The officer muttered something about pegasai not being as durable as earth ponies before eyeing Zulf.

"I don't know what you are, but you chose the wrong night to come here." He left Zulf's view, leaving only his slippers to stare at. "Lock it up in a cell until tomorrow. I'm going back to bed."

"Sir!" The two ponies nearest Zulf saluted until the officer left view. They then grabbed him by the arms to drag down the street.

Zulf silently hoped his comrades had made it out safely.

Author's Note

Let's see how rusty I am...

Ch.6: Snow and nightmares

Chapter six

Snow and nightmares

Kid fell in pitch darkness with the rush of wind in his ears. He wasn't sure how he got here, nor how long or far he had been falling, but eventually a chunk of floating grassed land approached rapidly from below. He closed his eyes and braced for the coming impact, but all he felt was the sense of falling suddenly stop, and himself standing on the island without a scratch. When he took a step to peek over the edge, another swooped from below and placed itself in front of him. As if guiding him.

I'm dreaming about Caelondia? His thought echoed in the darkness as if he spoke in a cavern. He continued to follow the islands that popped up; taking random turns that lead to nowhere until he saw something ahead of him. A humanoid figure that could be barely seen against the void behind it. Only its dark feet could be seen against the green grass it stood upon. It spoke.

"I've come to warn you." It said with a familiar voice that also echoed in the darkness, yet Kid couldn't place who it was.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"Let it fall. You should not go back," the figure said while ignoring his questions. Before Kid could say anything else, he found himself sliding past the figure and eventually moving away. A sigh left the figures lips. "If that's the way it is... Then I won't stop you."

Further he slid until the figure could barely be seen. Yet even from how far away he was, he still spoke as if right next to him.

"Because my countrymen will."

Kid stumbled and fell into the darkness when an invisible force pushed his shoulder. As he fell he felt the same force continued to push and shake his arm until muffled sounds replaced the sound of wind in his ears. It gradually grew in volume until two words dispersed the darkness.

"Wake up!"

"Mmmmph," Kid groaned. He opened one eye to see Pinkie poking him in the chest with a hoof; a smile on her face. He grabbed her hoof to stop the incessant poking, but it only widened her smile.

"Yay, you're awake!"

Kid ignored Pinkie and opened his other eye as his mind recollected where he was. After having the dinner at Canterlot, everypony agreed to take the train back to Ponyville. The ride was a vague blur, but he could remember finding a seat in the middle of the train and closing his eyes for a quick nap. Unfortunately the nap must've lasted the whole train ride because it had stopped moving. The insistent suggestion from Pinkie to get off the train before it leaves the station was another obvious clue.

As he groggily started to get off his seat, Pinkie bounced once with a grin before continuing her way out the train while still bouncing. Kid followed suit, minus the bouncing, and found the train stopped at Ponyville train station with a setting sun giving everything a light-orange hue. With the sun disappearing from view, the cold air soon took its place as he felt a chill breeze go across the station. There wasn't much time left before everypony began heading home.

"Jeeze, it took Pinkie forever to wake you up." Rainbow stated with an annoyed frown.

"Four minutes and fifteen seconds actually," Twilight corrected. "I started counting when we departed," she added with a smile.

"Exactly! that's like forever in Rainbow Dash time. I could've flown to my home and back several times over by now."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Then why the hay are ya still doin here for?"

"So I can say goodbye, duh!" Rainbow retorted before trotting up to Kid and holding out a hoof. Kid bumped his fist against it to complete the signal. "We really kicked flank today. Think we could hang out tomorrow?"

"Maybe," Kid responded while scratching the side of his head with a finger. "I still need to finish up on Twilight's..." he looked at the corner of his eye towards the purple librarian who was busy talking with Rarity.

Literary torture.

"Studying," he blurted out. "I need to finish up studying about Equestria. With books." He let out a sigh at the thought of those stacks of books still waiting for him. "Lots and lots of books."

"Which we should totally pick back up tomorrow morning!" Twilight said happily. Kid wished he had a desk of some sort in front of him so he could lie his head against it. "How about seven?"

"Of course, Twilight," Kid drew out with a sigh.

"No problem. Maybe another time." Rainbow laughed at Hammer's downtrodden look before lightly punching his shoulder. "Cheer up. At least you're working with the best unicorn on the subject," she said with a grin, and earning a smile from Twilight for the compliment. "Anyway, goodnight!"

The others soon said their good nights as well and departed, leaving Kid to walk home alone. Not that he didn't mind. He enjoyed alone time as much as being with friends. It gave him time to think about things. Like strange nightmares involving shadowed talking figures.

It was too real; almost like reliving a memory rather than something my mind made up. What the shadowed figure stated also sounded familiar as well, but it also doesn't make any sense. What should I have let fall? The Bastion? And who are these countrymen... Kids eyes widened at that last word. He whispered the word several times over as he had a name at the tip of his tongue. Maybe if he just thought about it a little more... Ugh! why cant I remember this?

"Ah, welcome back my friend!" Kid's gathered thoughts dispersed when he heard the keeper of the inn, Mr. Lime, still awake and watering some of the plants in the lobby.

"Hey, Mr. Lime," Kid greeted, which the pony let out a chuckle.

"Just Lime is alright. How was your trip?" For once ever since leaving Ponyville, he looked down at himself. His armor had several smell and large dents, and underneath that the leather vest and clothes had gotten soiled and torn from the tussle against the gasfellas. No doubt his face and hair was covered in dirt and sweat to complete the look of finishing a grand adventure.

"Very... eventful," Kid stated while keeping it to the point. Lime only nodded with a smile before moving on to the next plant. "I'll see you in the morning, Lime." With that said, he walked up the stairs to his room.

"Of course. Goodnight, Hammer."

Kid found himself back in the surrounding blackness, except now he stood in the middle of the Bastion. That alone gave him the courage to explore his bleak surroundings. Everything looked exactly the same before it had crashed. All the buildings were in working order. The distillery still had plentiful stock. Even the grass under his boots held a healthy green color to them. The only thing that stood,out of the place was Rucks, who sat on a pile of bricks beside the armory. While his bushy white mustache made it difficult to tell if he was smiling or frowning, it was obvious he wasn't happy about something. As Kid walked up to him, Rucks began to talk in a sad tone.

"I should've seen it coming, Kid. Now look at this place." Rucks threw his hand to the side to show the Bastion in pristine condition. "They tore this place apart."

"What are you talking about, Rucks?" Kid gave him a confused look. The sound of crumbling stone and splintering wood snapped his head towards the six buildings around him. They decayed at a rapid pace as if years had become seconds. Enormous spike of black and red jutted out of the ground to rake at the black sky as the earth underneath his boots cracked and splintered to the edge of falling apart.

"The Ura attacked the Bastion because of what our people had done. To get back at us for the Calamity." Rucks rested heavily on his cane as he leaned forward. "They even took Zia."

Kid remembered this conversation. It was after leaving Burstone Quarry with the shard. They had torn apart their sanctuary because someone tipped them the truth about what the Calamity was made for. The only thing missing from the memory was who told them. Just like before, a name balanced at the edge of his mind, yet he couldn't place it. It was like something prevented him from remembering.

"Who told them, Rucks? Who caused all of this?" Kid demanded, but to no avail. Rucks acted as if he wasn't even talking.

"We need to finish what we started, and get Zia back. The Ura came from the east, so at least you know where to go to find them. Good luck, Kid."

"Wait, you still haven't answered me!" Kid felt himself falling backwards as the Bastion slowly disappeared in the darkness.

"Wait!"

Kid opened his eyes half-way and glanced around to find himself still in bed at the hotel. The blinds were cracked open, allowing enough sunlight to light up his room and cast several orange bars of light against the wall opposite of where his headboard was.

"What was in that stir fry?" Kid mumbled as he sat up, only to find he still wore his armor. Huh. I must have been more tired than I thought. He rubbed his arms when the chill in the room hit him; his body yelling at him to return to the warm bed. His stomach wasn't asking to be fed, and he didn't need to use the restroom, so the idea of going back to sleep was quickly becoming a good idea. Another hour or two of sleep wouldn't hurt. He slid back in the bed and turned over on his side. As his eyes slowly closed, he caught sight of the clock hanging in the room.

It's half after nine?! He shot out of bed in a panic to prepare for today. I promised I would wake up to get ready for more studying, and here I am sleeping the day away! While he didn't enjoy studying even while in Caelondia, preferring a more hands-on approach for learning, he didn't want to break his promise and disappoint Twilight. As he began to make his bed, he noticed the strong smell of dried sweat in the sheets and himself.

Ew, shower first. Worry about angry purple unicorn later.

"Why is it so cold? Why is it snowing? I swear I'm going to have words with Rainbow Dash to fix this mess. Can a pegasus be bribed to change the weather?" Kid questioned as his foot sank ankle-deep in snow and hit an edge, almost making him fall face-first into the side of a building.

During his shower he had the idea to ask Rucks in person about his strange nightmares since the Rucks in his dream wasn't of much help. Unfortunately real-life Rucks had awoken before him and wasn't in his room. Zia, being always helpful, told him he went to visit Applejack. Why he was over there she did not know, and while Kid would love to trudge across Ponyville to find out, he was late enough as is for Twilight's lessons.

Kid would never admit it, but he was never truly fond of snow, even with Zia's coat on. Sure it was beautiful to look at as it slowly fell from the sky, but after that? It would become the enemy and make you lose your footing from uneven ground. Or worst, make you slip from packed snow turned to ice. Not to mention it always found its way in whatever crevices and openings you forget to cover up.

It took longer than normal because of the deep snow, but he soon found found himself standing outside Twilight's home. He took note of the lack of snow on the front steps, which meant Spike must have cleared it this morning. However, the welcome mat was missing; replaced with a scorched rectangular outline.

Wonder if Celestia has a use for a new doormat, he mused with a chuckle.

He knocked thrice on the door and it flung open soon as the third knock finished. In the middle of the room sat Twilight with her nose currently buried in a large book; surrounded by piles of even more books. Normally Kid wouldn't find anything strange about this, but Twilight always at least acknowledged him upon entry. Plus her mane had several strands sticking out, which either meant she was freaking out over something, or she forgot to brush her mane. Even poor spike ran to-and-fro between bookshelves in a panic to help Twilight find whatever she looked for.

"Is everything alright, Twilight?" Kid asked while hanging his coat up. The look Twilight gave him already told him what she was going to say.

"Is everything alright? Yes, everything is just fine. Four inches of snow overnight despite scheduled sunny skies is certainly nothing to be worried about! No siree!"

"Twilight?"

"Yes?"

"Please take a deep breath." Twilight's eye twitched in defiance, but she managed to relax her neck and slump forwards a bit. After several deep breaths with her eyes closed, she opened them. Her mane looked the same, but when the technique was finished she as least didn't look ready to kill someone if they said pi was exactly three. "Now, from the top, tell me what happened."

Twilight rubbed a hoof against her right temple. "I woke up at six in the morning to find Rainbow Dash banging on my front door. Being that it's her day off I knew something was wrong because she should be asleep, and usually somepony pounding on your front door means they're trying to get your attention, but I digress." Twilight lifts Spike with her magic and sets him on the floor next to her. Telling him to take a break, which he is thankful for, he turns her attention back to Kid.

"So Rainbow Dash comes in with a panicked look in her eyes saying that it's snowing when it shouldn't be considering that Pegasai control the weather. I asked if it's possible that Cloudsdale changed the schedule, but they never do that unless it's something small like a rain cloud for parched crops."

Kid scratched his chin. "So if it's not the pegasai causing the snow... what is?"

Twilight shook her head. "I have several theories, but nothing solid yet. I'm still waiting for Rainbow Dash to come back. She said she was going to Cloudsdale to get to the bottom of this and left around the same time she woke me up. Hopefully she should be here soon." The room was quiet except for Spike who was helping himself to making a sandwich, while Twilight and Kid thought over the situation. It was soon interrupted by a loud slam on the front door, as if somepony had bucked it. Twilight opened the door to find Rainbow Dash in the snow, on her back. "There's a door handle you know-ahh!" Rainbow Dash was back on her hooves and grabbed Twilight's shoulders in a flash.

"Twilight! Celestia! letter! now!" she shouted while shaking Twilight like a maraca.

"O-Okay j-ust s-stop s-shak-ing m-me!"

"Oh... sorry," Rainbow apologized as she released Twilight, who fell on her back in a dizzying daze.

Twilight managed to sit up and steady herself with a forehoof. "Spike! Ugh spinning room, go get ready to send a letter." she shouted before looking at Rainbow Dash. "Now what's the problem?"

"Well, when I went to Cloudsdale's weather factory, it was utter chaos. Everypony was too busy coordinating how to collect the snow, or figure out what was causing it. I was lucky enough to get the attention of a manager and ask what was going on." Rainbow took a deep breath and shook her head. "Apparently it's Windigos."

"Windigos?" Twilight's eyes lit up as she lifted a book out of a nearby pile and laid it over the one she had been currently reading. "I remember them now. They're known to feed off of hatred and other negative feelings towards others." Twilight lifted the book for Kid and Rainbow Dash to see. On the page was the picture of a transparent horse-like creature in the sky. "According to this they're known to follow around ponies who have hatred in their hearts, and the pony who is hated.

Kid held his hands up. "Wait, so either somepony in Ponyville is causing this, or somepony in Equestria has a serious grudge against somepony in Ponyville?"

Whew, say that three times fast.

"Correct! meaning a Windigo overhead acts as an ill omen of sorts. While they can also move freely, they can't go far. Without a steady supply of hatred to feed from they quickly dissipate."

"Uhm..." Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head, catching the attention of Twilight and Kid. "Yeah, about that. What if there are close to 20 above Ponyville among the Cirrus clouds?"

Twilight furrowed her brow. "Then we should really get this letter sent. Which mean on the double, Spike!"

Spike ran in with a quill and parchment in hand and stopped beside Twilight. "I'm here! so what's this all about?"

"Windigos, Spike. And there's only one pony I know who would be perfect for getting rid of them."

"Celestia?" Spike offered.

"Your... brother?" Rainbow Dash said with a shrug.

Twilight facehoofed. "I'm talking about Princess Cadance. Hate is the opposite of love, and if there's anypony who knows how to love, it's her!"

"I'm sure she does." Rainbow Dash let out a laugh, which Twilight responded by smacking her upside the head with a book.