"I told you already, ma'am... I ain't telling you, because that could risk too much..." Justin's voice echoed.

"YOU HAD MY BROTHER CAPTURED! NOW TELL ME WHERE GILDED BLADE IS, ALREADY!" Gilda shouted.

"Wait a minute... Gilda?!" Justin asked in a shocked expression.

"You... know me?!" Gilda asked, now confused.

Justin nodded his head. "Your brother told me about you... from what I heard, it was you who caused the flight from Gryphonia to Equestria to be cancelled out!"

A Minotaur walks into the room, carrying a plate of bug-filled gunk. "Time for lunch, maggot!"

"Please... tell me where my daughter is, and if she'll be okay, while I'm gone... I want to think of her... in my final moments." Justin plead to the guard.

The guard smiled. "Oh, she'll be fine, alright! She's been assigned to be our captain's future bride, over in Fort Shivercrest, deep in the Shaded Meadows!"

Justin spat in the Minotaur's face, who in turn, spat in the food.

The Minotaur choked on his own vomit, as Justin broke free, and unlocked the cages to the others.

"So... how deep do you think it is down there?" Gilda asked, as the four adventurers looked down a large hole in the ground.

The sound of guns clicking sounded through the dark room.

"Wait... you can see us?!" Topaz asked.

The group walked into a massive underground city. "Welcome to Undercity!"

"WHAT HAS BECOME OF MY SON?!" King Goldheart's voice echoed through the city.

"I'm sorry... I'm new here. Please, sir, may I know who you are?" Justin asked, as he bowed with his right hand over his chest, and his back arched downwards.

"I am King Goldheart... and Swift Justice... is my son."

Slowly, Ruby's eyes started to open. As they opened, the first thing that she noticed was that she was no longer in the cloth bag that the Minotaurs had her tied into. Instead, she was lying down on a stone floor, in a pure dark room. She closed her eyes, and curled into her knees; mixed feelings of fear, loneliness, misery, and coldness bundled within her little body. Without even saying a word, her eyes filled with tears, and she started to cry.

Mere seconds after she started crying, a sudden spark of light appeared from the distance, which gained her attention. As she looked towards it, however, her fears only got the better of her, as one of the Minotaurs that abducted her stood on the other end of the door. The light came from a torch that he was carrying in his left hand.

At first, he squinted his eyes, and scanned the room, until his eyesight reached Ruby, who scooted into the corner of the room. Then he smiled at her menacingly, before saying in a low-pitched gargled voice, "Ah, so you must be the Alicorn we've heard about..." Suddenly, he raised an eyebrow, and added, "Hm... shorter than I expected. Ah, well... I guess we'll have to make due with what we've got, eh?"

Ruby sat there silently, while she shivered out of both, fear and coldness. This caused the Minotaur's smile to only widen. "Well, the boss said I should bring you to him... so come on, then!" He walked closer to her, but she seemed to refuse to move. This caused the Minotaur's smile to drop, and out of annoyance, he lowered himself to her level. "Are you bloody deaf?!"

She merely responded with a whimper, while she closed her eyes, and flinched at his words. Then he shrugged his shoulders, before saying, "Welcome to the real world, Princess." With that, he reached his right hand to his left shoulder and, without holding back, slapped her across her right cheek, causing her to fall to the ground, unconsciously.

Justin was telling King Goldheart and the others around him about the journey that took him up to that point, until from out of nowhere, he yelled in pain, as his right cheek started to burn from an unknown source. The sudden outburst caused all eyes to widen, as Pinkie rushed up to him, and asked, "J-Justin?! What happened? Are you alright?!"

Justin breathed heavily, before shaking his head. "Did someone just... slap me?!"

King Goldheart hummed for a second, before looking towards a Minotaur that stood as tall as he, and said, "Boulder... you're my adviser here, what's going on?!"

The white-coated, black-maned Minotaur replied, "If what he said about his daughter being an Alicorn is correct, then I may have an assumption to why she doesn't have powers, yet he does... and maybe it has something to do with him getting hurt just now."

Justin looked up at the Minotaur, and nodded his head. "Any advice would be helpful at this point, sir..."

Boulder closed his eyes, and looked down. "Well, you said that humans can't cast Magic, and Alicorns are the most powerful of all Magic Users out there... correct?" Justin nodded his head. "And you said that she couldn't cast any spells, no matter what the books said?"

Justin nodded his head again. "But when I wear the rings, I'm able to cast the spells..."

Boulder nodded his head. "I may be wrong, but... don't you think that maybe, just maybe, it was you who obtained the powers of an Alicorn, while she remained with the powers of a Human?"

Justin was about to reply, when the thoughts began to kick in. The magic was supposed to be natural for an Alicorn to cast, yet to Ruby, it was far more challenging than when she had to learn her first words when she was a baby... and that was a challenge that took Justin nearly a whole year to help her achieve progress doing. Indeed, it was seeming to all fit together, until the conflicts also began to add up.

"What about the fact that she can understand anything that's said to her, without having to learn the language? Or how she can read foreign words, and tells me that it's written in plain English to her? Or in this case, the language that we wrote and spoke back in our world."

This caused Boulder to hum again, before shrugging his shoulders. "Now that you mention that... I'm not entirely sure, now."

Pinkie hummed to herself, until her eyes opened widely. "Hey! What if the two of your spirits were mixed up when you both made it here? And what if what you feel is exactly what she feels?" The Minotaur looked at her dumbfounded, which caused her to raise an eyebrow out of confusion. "What?"

Then the Minotaur looked at Justin, and nodded his head. "As odd as it may sound... I believe the Earth Pony raises a point... and it would explain why your right cheek just felt like it's been slapped."

Suddenly, Justin's eyes widened at that statement. "Wait... so if we feel the same thing... that must mean..." Then he gasped, before his face started turning red with anger.

Gilda's pupils shrunk, and for the first time in her life, she felt true fear. The others backed away from him, while he looked up at Boulder, and asked in a hushed calm-like tone, "Boulder... where's a practice dummy?"

Boulder gulped, before pointing at a nearby training area for the soldiers of the city. Justin then gave a menacing smile, and nodded his head. "Thank you..." Then he walked up to the training area, and looked at the dummies that sat there.

He looked through them, and found the largest one that, according to some of the guards that Justin walked past, was meant to simulate the power of a Wyvern. Then he glared at it, and balled his right fist up, before taking a step back, and building up his power, before releasing a flame-covered punch that made a loud swishing noise. Then, with a loud yell, Justin's right fist made contact with the dummy.

Gilded Blade groaned in pain, as his eyes started to open up. As his consciousness began to normalize, he realized that he was no longer in Port Greenhold... or any known civilization, for that matter. He instantly felt extremely cold, and could hear the wind around him, yet the entire area around him was pitch black.

"Hello?" Gilded yelled, followed by the sound of his own voice echoing through the howling winds, surrounded by darkness. He stood up, and noticed right away that he was standing in snow.

From not too far nearby, he heard the sound of movement, followed by an all-too-familiar voice responding. "Gilded? Is that you?!" Swift Justice called out.

The next thing they knew, Swift quickly added, "Hold on! I'm coming your way!" Then, once he stumbled a few times, he stopped, and said, "Wait... I think I might have a torch nearby!"

After about thirty more seconds of darkness, there was finally a spark, and the next thing they knew, there was light... but it was just barely enough to illuminate the area around them.

"So where do you think we are?!" Gilded asked Swift, as soon as the two of them were close together. Due to the constant wind, however, they still had to talk loudly.

"There's no thinking required for me to know... we're somewhere in the Shaded Meadows!" Swift replied.

"MEADOWS?! But we're standing in snow!" Gilded retorted.

"I know... that just means that it's night time! Come morning, the snow will be gone!"

"Will we be able to see, though?!"

Swift went silent for a moment, before shaking his head. "No... it'll still be dark!"

Gilded yelled out of frustration, before kicking the ground... only for his right talon to hit a solid object, which caused him to grunt in pain.

Swift's eyes widened, and at once, he brought the torch closer to the object... a stump that was neatly cut three feet high.

"Gilded! Someone's been here! Maybe they left a trail of hoofprints, or something!"

"Well, great! Only one problem, though! Their prints would've probably been covered by snow at this point!"

"Then let's check for more stumps!"

After he finished that sentence, the sound of a loud bang echoed from the distance.

They stopped for a moment, and both looked at the same direction that the sound came from. Then, after a small moment of silence, the two of them looked at each other, and nodded their heads in unison, before heading towards the source of the noise.

Zula grunted in pain and fatigue, as she continuously scrubbed the tables of the large tables, all while large groups of Minotaurs laughed, ate, and drank large portions of different drinks, continuing to dirty the tables up that she just finished cleaning.

"Hey, slave! You missed a spot!" One of the Minotaurs teased, pointing at a puddle of ale that he poured on the ground. Zula sighed, before slowly picking up the bucket of water and the rag that they had her use, and carry it towards the puddle on the ground. Then she lowered herself to the puddle, and was about to start cleaning it, until she felt a hand slap her inappropriately on her flank. This caused her to rise up, and glare at the Minotaur who poured his drink on the ground, as he pulled his hand back to where his dishes were. The others around them began to laugh, which caused Zula's cheeks to turn pink. "Have you no manners?" She asked, only for the Minotaur to turn towards her, and chuckle.

"You still haven't cleaned up your mess, Stripes!" He said, before shoving her in the chest with his left hand, causing her to stumble back a few steps, and trip on the maiden dress that they forced her to wear. "Don't make me tell you again!"

Her eyes began to water with the pain that she felt, but her glare didn't soften any. On the contrary, her glare even intensified, as the Minotaurs in the room continued to laugh at their "slave". Then she stood back up, and lifted the rag from the bucket, and rung it over the Minotaur's head, much to his surprise, and anger. The Minotaurs from the table he was in "Oohed", as the one who poured the drink on the floor glared at Zula, crushed the wooden mug between his fingers, and dropped it on the ground, before standing up, as his cold gaze was focused on the Zebra, who didn't even show the slightest hint of fear.

Then he raised his right fist in the air, and swung it at her face, only to find his fist deflected by her left arm, his chest caught in her left hand, and in the matter of seconds, he was swung over the Zebra's "feeble-looking" body, and onto the cobblestone floor, while the laughter silenced immediately.

Then she glared at him, and said, "Your captain's orders were clear, you fool! You may not harm the servants, and they, in turn, may live!" With that, she released his arm from her grasp, and went back to cleaning, while the entire room grew silent.

Ruby started to slowly wake up again, only to find that she was no longer in the dark room, but rather, in a well-illuminated room, and was lying on a red-cushioned, golden sofa, while nobody else seemed to be inside. When her vision was clearer, she managed to get a good glimpse at the area around her.

The walls were white, with golden trimmings around the borders, with a wall that had a golden fireplace on the side of the sofa where her feet were resting. On the floor of the room, a large red carpet was spread, with golden tiles below the carpet. In front of Ruby were two other sofas; one on her left, and the other across from her, while a white coffee table with golden trimmings sat in the center of the tree sofas and the fireplace.

From across the room, and to her left, she could see a tall white door with golden trimmings that crossed in the center, with a golden frame around it. The door rose up eleven feet high, and was well over eight feet wide, giving it an odd shape.

Slowly she started to stand up, until the sound of the golden handle of the door shaking filled the room. The sudden sound caused her to quickly jump back onto the sofa, and curl into a ball, while another Minotaur appeared to be walking into the room. This one, however, was different from the last one.

Standing ten feet tall, this Minotaur appeared to have a brown coat, with an even darker brown Mohawk, and was wearing a golden sleeveless shirt, a red half-cape attached to the back, and a pair of dark green shorts.

When he opened the door, the first thing his eyes focused on was the sofa that Ruby was curled up onto. Then his frowning face slowly turned into a smile, as he walked into the room, and closed the door behind him.

As he walked closer to Ruby, he could tell right away that she was frightened. His expression, however, didn't seem to change one bit. Then he merely sat on the sofa that was pointed towards her left, and motioned for her to look at the coffee table.

When she did, the first thing she noticed was a plate of fruits and flowers.

Slowly, she started to uncurl, and began to walk up to the plate, until she stopped, and looked at this new Minotaur with a hint of confusion and fear for her own safety.

The Minotaur nodded his head, and said in a low-pitched voice, "It's alright, Miss... they're fresh from the Market."

At first she hesitated to reply, until her stomach started to grumble. Then she lowered her head, and took the plate, before walking back to the sofa she woke up on, and started to slowly eat a red apple from the plate.

The Minotaur raised an eyebrow at the sight of the filly eating as much as she was. "You must've been starving, eh?"

She stopped mid-bite, before swallowing the food, and nodding her head. "Y-yes, sir... m-my daddy was about to... to feed me, when we were... you know..."

The Minotaur nodded his head, and looked at the fireplace. "Yeah... I'm sorry for the way my men treated you... don't worry, though. I made sure that the one who slapped you was... well, let's just say that I don't appreciate my future wife being treated with such disrespect."

His last statement caused her to nearly choke on the bite of apple she had. Then, after coughing a few times, she asked, "W-wait... WHAT?!"

The Minotaur scratched his chin with his right hand. "I know it's sudden, and all... but don't worry! You won't have to worry about that until you're the proper age." Then he looked back at her, and asked, "Tell me... how old are you, exactly?"

Her cheeks were burning red at that point, but she stuttered, "E-eight, sir..."

This caused the Minotaur's eyes to widen. "Ah... that is quite young, isn't it?" Then he smiled again. "Don't worry, though... I'm a patient man, and can wait until the time is right." Then he leaned closer towards her, and asked, "So now I'd like to ask... what is your name?"

She closed her eyes, and looked away from him. Then she whispered her name, but it only came out as a whimper.

The Minotaur noticed this, and sighed, before standing from his sofa, and sitting next to her, while gently patting her on the back. "I couldn't catch that... but if you want to know mine, it's Lord Stonefist!"

Then he stood back up, and walked back to the door. "Anyways, I want you to stay in here. The others won't take too kindly to seeing an Alicorn roaming out and about. I'll send a few slaves up here to serve you... don't bother with the ownership rites, though. You may treat them as you wish." With that, he opened the massive door, before walking out of it. Then, as soon as he was about to close the door, he commented, "Farewell, my fiance." With that, he closed the door, leaving Ruby alone in the room.

She sat there silently for a moment, and pondered the thoughts that she was going through. Her life was pretty much written in stone at this point. "There's no way I can get out of this... unless Daddy were here..." With that, she burst into tears again, and cried for well over five minutes. Then, as soon as she felt too tired to cry, she opened her eyes, and eyed the plate that the food was on... the golden platter. Slowly, her blood started to boil, and her eyes began to crunch up into a glare and, before she could even bring up any positive thoughts, she ended up throwing the platter across the room, smashing it into the fireplace, where the fire still burned. Then her rage was lost in a split second, as the thoughts of poor innocent people were probably going to suffer should she lose her temper... and her friends would most likely be in danger if she didn't go through with it.

Slowly she walked up to a mirror on the wall, and placed her right hand over her cheek, where the red mark where she had been slapped still showed. "Daddy... if you can hear me... please... hurry..."

The soldiers that were training with the dummies, the group of heroes, the king, his adviser, and the entirety of the city stared wide-eyed and slack-jawed at the sight that they just witnessed. Justin was standing in front of a crater where the life-like dummy of the strongest Wyvern ever written in history once stood; now a pile of ash scattered across the wall of the large building that served at the barracks.

Justin's right fist was still smoking from the impact, and his face still didn't show any signs of softness, as his glare continued to show. Then, after taking a few deep breaths, he turned towards King Goldheart, and asked, "Pardon me for the lack of manners, but where may I find this 'Stonefist' person?"

The people around him gasped, before King Goldheart stuttered, "Y-you can't be serious! Lord Stonefist lives deep inside Fort Shivercrest!"

Gilda then raised an eyebrow at him. "Fort Shivercrest? I thought that place was a safe haven for adventurers!"

King Goldheart shook his head, and replied, "Unfortunately, it was a safe place, until the Black Wings took over, and overthrew me from my throne in Diamond Peak. Then things went downhill from there... and before we knew it, the original guards from all across The Highlands were thrown down here, where we managed to colonize, and form a new city... Undercity."

This news caused Pinkie's expression to lower into a saddened look. "Wait... so you all were the guards, and might still have family up there?!"

King Goldheart was about to respond, when a familiar low voice spoke up. "That is correct... and that's why I left the first time... to see my wife and son again."

When the source of the voice revealed itself, it turned out to be the black-furred, white-horned Minotaur that was thrown into the hole the first time.

When he made it to Justin, he punched his chest with his right hand, and said, "I've heard about you, adventurer... you are seeking to infiltrate Fort Shivercrest, and destroy Lord Stonefist, correct?"

Justin nodded his head, and replied, "I mostly aim at saving my daughter... but yes, I also don't see him surviving, once I'm done with him. If anything, I plan on making him suffer for what he did." Then he placed his right hand on his face, and took another deep breath. "If any of them slapped her... I swear, I won't hold back a single punch!"

Then the Minotaur smiled at him, and nodded his head. "Well, you may need someone who knows their way around the Shaded Meadows... perhaps I could take you to them?"

Justin looked at him for a moment, before nodding his head. "If you're willing to help out, then I see no reason to decline. Welcome aboard, Mr... um..."

The Minotaur stretched his right hand out, and said, "Shiver Tusk, first-class Warlord, and former guard of Fort Shivercrest."

Justin nodded his head, and shook his hand. "Well, Shiver... I'm glad to have you with us." Then he looked around, and asked, "So... how do we go about getting through the snow, and the darkness?"

Shiver smiled, before replying, "Oh, don't you worry about that... I have it all taken care of!" As soon as he finished saying that, he turned towards a small brown goat female, and said, "Grubby! Prepare the Snowflake!"

Grubby nodded her head, before replying, "Baa! Aye, sir!" Then she pulled a keyring from her pocket, and then searched the keys through it, until she found a small, thin whistle. After taking a deep breath, she blew on it, only for it to not produce any sound.

For five seconds, there was pure silence. Then, the sound of a train's bell rang through a distant hallway, which led through a massive-looking tunnel. When the entire group looked at the source of the noise, Justin's eyes widened at the sight of a large ship that looked like it was sailing on the ground, and was made entirely of snow.

Justin looked at Shiver confusedly, before asking, "Is that made of real snow?!"

Shiver nodded his head, and then replied, "Of course it is! Don't worry, though... it's been enchanted to feel natural, and adjust itself to the passenger's liking. You could prefer the heat, and you'll feel heat, while the others around you feel cold, should they prefer that one!"

Then he motioned for the group to follow him into it... only to be stopped by King Goldheart. "If I may, Sir Shiver... I would like to aid you all on this conquest."

Boulder stared at him wide-eyed, before stuttering, "Y-your majesty! Please tell me you are joking! Do you realize what could happen to The Highlands, should their great king end up falling in battle?!"

King Goldheart chuckled heartily, before replying, "Of course I do, Boulder... but what do you think would happen if the king never fought for his kingdom?" Then he looked towards the city, and said, "You lot nearby might want to cover your ears." After saying that, he cleared his throat, while the group did as they were told. Then, with a thunderous voice, he spoke to the entire city in a volume that, according to Pinkie Pie, resembles the infamous "Royal Voice".

"ATTENTION ALL OF MY SUBJECTS!" At once, the entire city's population stopped what they were doing, and looked towards the king, and bowed their heads in unison. "THE BLACK WINGS HAVE SHOWN US NO MERCY THESE PAST FEW YEARS... AND THEIR THREATS HAVE BECOME MORE RELENTLESS... BUT NOW IT IS TIME THAT WE SHOW THEM HOW RELENTLESS WE CAN BE! I WANT ALL ABLE BODIES TO BOARD THE SNOWFLAKE, OR ANY ICE BOATS THAT THEY MAY HAVE AVAILABLE, AND FOLLOW US, FOR TONIGHT, WE ARE TAKING BACK OUR HOME! TONIGHT, WE ARE BRINGING THE WAR TO THEM! TONIGHT... WE ARE GOING HOME!" As soon as he finished saying that, the entire city filled with applauds, as the countless citizens started headed towards the stairs in a surprisingly orderly line, and at the speed that they were moving, it was clear to Justin that these "able bodies" were more experienced than they seemed.

"Wow..." Justin began, before looking up to the king, and smiling. "... I can see that you are a great leader... but I would like to ask that you leave their leader to me, if that's alright?"

King Goldheart nodded his head, and smiled back at him. "Of course, Justin... but it wasn't just me who made these men so willing to lay their lives on the line, if that's what you're thinking." Justin looked back at the men, and then returned his sight to King Goldheart, before nodding his head, and motioning for him to go on. "I'm certain that you and your daughter are not on a journey to see the world for what it is... you both must be headed for your home, correct?"

Justin's eyes widened again, while he asked, "W-wait... how did you know that?!"

Goldheart chuckled again, before patting Justin's left shoulder. "You have that look, my friend... the same one that all of those men, women, and even children, all have in common. The look of determination... you all are on a journey back home, and will do whatever it takes to ensure that you get there... and even if it kills you, you are not concerned about your own safety... but of your daughter's."

Justin nodded his head, and replied, "Wow... that's... amazing, your majesty!" Then he looked back at the Snowflake, and hummed to himself. "I only hope we can make it before it's too late, though..."

With a sly grin, King Goldheart replied, "Oh, I know we'll be able to get there quickly... after all, it's not like we haven't gone there before, you know!" With that, the entire group headed into the massive Ice Boat, and prepared for movement.

After five minutes of waiting, the Snowflake took off at fifty miles-per-hour, which caused Justin's coat to flow backwards, yet he held onto the front of the deck, keeping a keen eye on the distance, while a few of the crew members stared in awe at the figure.

"Now that I look at him..." one Diamond Dog began, "...he looks just like the Hero of Goldwood!"

Another replied, "What the... he does look like him! At least, according to the descriptions!"

The two Diamond Dogs looked up at the sudden extra pair of hooves that towered over them. When they saw the source of the hooves, their eyes widened as King Goldheart stood between them with his massive arms crossed, and a smile to show on his face. "That's because he is, my friends!"

"K-King Goldheart!" The two said in unison. They were about to bow their heads, until King Goldheart placed his hands on their heads, and chuckled.

"Please, you two... I'm not really that formal now, am I?" With that, he looked up at Justin, and his smile lowered into a more serious one. "But still... he carries a serious burden on his shoulders... one that I, too, am carrying as we speak. We both have a child that needs us now... and the devotion that he puts in his child's safety tells me that she is, without a doubt, the world to him." Then he looked back down at the two Diamond Dogs, and said, "That is why we shall ensure her safety, and honor his devotion."

The two Diamond Dogs nodded their heads, and looked worriedly at Justin. Then the first one that spoke said, "I hope he finds her safe, and unharmed... devotion like that is rare to find, nowadays."

The other one nodded his head, and replied, "Me, too... for him, I shall fight the Black Wings with double my might!"

Up ahead, the tunnel appeared to end, which caused Justin to raise an eyebrow, and turn towards the ship's captain, Shiver Tusk. "Captain... are you sure that this is safe?!"

Shiver chuckled, before replying, "Of course it is, my friend!" Then, as soon as the ship landed, the entire wall in front of them blew open, and the next thing they knew, the ship was surrounded by a magic force field, and was exiting a giant mountain, while a few smaller boats followed.

Justin looked around, and noticed right away that they were in an extremely dark area. "This must be the Shaded Meadows, huh?"

After the ship was a safe enough distance from the snow that fell from the mountain, it came to a complete halt, followed by the others that followed it. Then Stealth walked up to Justin and nodded his head, while examining the area around them.

A smaller boat, which carried a young Horse child, rested at the outskirts of the large number of boats, and the child looked around the area with a pair of magically enhanced goggles that made him see through the heavy blizzards. Then, once he saw a pair of figures coming their way, he shouted, "CAPTAIN! I SEE SOMEONE!"

Justin looked towards the child at the same time that Shiver did, and gasped. "Survivors, perhaps?!" Shiver asked, before pulling out a magic telescope with the same effects of the child's goggles, with the addition of a zooming feature.

Once he saw who it was, his jaw dropped, before he turned to Justin, and said, "Justin... you might want to see this!"

With a nod, Justin accepted the telescope that Shiver offered him, and looked through it himself. The second he saw who the two figures were, he slowly lowered the telescope from his eye, and turned towards King Goldheart, Gilda, and Pinkie Pie, who were all three standing next to a few of the miscellaneous crew members and Stealth Paws. "Gilda, King Goldheart... you will not believe who it is..."