With Goldwood taken care of, and the Black Wings defeated, our heroes find themselves on a path that leads to a landmark called "Druid Lake", a simple little area where large numbers of visitors arrive from across the world to relax. As they get closer, however, they can't shake the feeling that something may be off about this peaceful-sounding community.

"Finally! We made it to Druid Lake!" Ruby happily proclaimed. Justin and Gilded chuckled slightly at her enthusiasm for relaxing.

"What's wrong, Ruby? Tired already?" Justin playfully asked. "I've had an arrow in my leg, and I'm still walking!"

Ruby huffed, before replying, "Well it isn't my fault that you have powers, and I don't!"

Justin held his right finger up in a declarative manner, and said, "Actually, I wouldn't bet my money on it just yet, Ruby! I think you do have the capability of casting Magic, too... you just have to figure out how to use it, that's all!" Then he looked at the rings on his fingers, and added, "And besides... the magic that I use isn't coming from me, anyways! It's all about the jewelry that I'm wearing!"

Gilded nodded his head in agreement. "I'll have to agree with Justin on this one, Ruby... becoming an Alicorn requires unbelievably large amounts of Magic Capacity. You'll just have to read up on a few spell books first, though, so you don't end up blowing a whole continent up unintentionally!"

Justin and Ruby stared wide-eyed at each other once he made it to the last few words, before grinning sheepishly. "Yeah... we might want to get that taken care of the second we get to Draemarth." Justin said, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand. Ruby nodded her head in agreement, as the three walked past the gates to Druid Lake.

The minute they stepped into the lake's area, however, things began to get quiet... unnervingly quiet, in fact. Looking around, Justin quietly asked, "Huh... did everyone sleep in today, or what?"

Gilded squinted his eyes towards the map when he pulled it out of his bag, and unrolled it again. Sure enough, according to the layout of the waters that rested in the center of the large open area, they were in the right place. Looking around nervously, Gilded replied, "I'll have to go with 'or what'. This place was claimed to be active every day of the week, and every night. Something isn't right."

As if on cue, a few bushes began to rustle, followed by a masculine voice shouting, "HALT!" As soon as he shouted that, Ruby rushed behind Justin, who drew his staff in a defensive manner, while Gilded drew a scimitar from the back of his belt, and held it up.

They waited for a few seconds, until the voice that they heard sighed deeply, and said, "Sorry! We thought you lot were someone else. Please stay where you are, though! We need to check you three for any signs of hostility!"

When the voice was heard, a crowd of ten Horses stood from the bushes, and walked towards the three adventurers, who still held their weapons defensively.

The horses were all carrying bows, but the minute they stood from the bushes, they put them away, and slowly walked towards Justin, Ruby, and Gilded. Seeing that they had their weapons put away, Gilded sheathed his sword again, while Justin leaned on his staff, not wanting to appear threatening, yet remaining cautious, after the Iron-Hoof incident.

"Very well, then... but don't try anything suspicious with my daughter, alright? I've almost lost her once, thanks to that Iron-Hoof fellow." Justin said, as he placed the staff on the ground, and rested his chin on the tip of the staff.

One of the Horses gasped, and asked, "W-wait... was it you who defeated the Black Wings?!"

Justin looked around, noticing that these Horses were appearing to be looking at him with a hint of emotional pain in their eyes. He could easily tell that they also needed help.

Even so, he wasn't looking for fame and glory, due to the dangers that it could put both himself and Ruby in. Because of that, he was about to deny their question, until Ruby stepped in front of him, and replied, "He sure did! He saved me, and Gilded Blade here!" She pointed at Gilded, who closed his eyes, and sighed quietly, before waving his right claw at the Horse.

Justin mentally groaned, but managed to hide his annoyance, and added, "But if you're asking for autographs, then I'm afraid I'll have to decline your requests. I don't want to get a reputation everywhere we go, because that will only endanger the lives of my friend, my daughter, and myself." He pointed to Gilded and Ruby as he mentioned their relations with him, before placing his right hand on his chest when he got to himself in the list.

With a nod, one of the Horses stepped forward. This one was wearing a golden helmet with a long, thin line in the front that projected over his snout, and ended where his snout ended. It had a slight "Roman Warrior" type of appearance, with it's colors being gold with a white trim. On his chest, he wore a golden suit of fully plated armor, which looked like an average suit of armor, save for the hooves, which were as flat as a hoof should be.

The Horse, at this point, was up close to him, standing at eye-level, and asked, "Then we won't say a word to those who ask about your whereabouts... but if it doesn't trouble you... we really need your help!"

"I've already invaded the Black Wings, but in doing so, I've been wounded by an arrow. I don't think traveling to enemy territory will work, if that's what this is about." Justin pointed out.

The Horse shook his head, and replied, "Actually, it's the opposite of that!" He looked up at the sky, and found the sun starting to set. "The last two nights have been restless for all of us! You see... last week, we had around one hundred men in this humble little fortress... but since yesterday, our numbers have gone down to a mere ten!"

Justin's eyes widened at that statement. "Wait... so you're saying that you lost ninety men in just two days?!" The Horse nodded his head. Hearing this caused Justin to ponder the situation that these guards must've been in. Should he help them, knowing that his capabilities could change the outcome of these people facing whoever, or even whatever their attackers are? Or should he just pass on by, and speed up his and Ruby's journey back to their home?

With a sigh, Justin mentally cursed his kind-hearted nature, and then asked, "Alright, then... where's the safest place that I can leave my daughter at?"

The Horse smiled, and replied, "There's a building just to the central island in the lake! You can keep your daughter in there, and we'll do our best to keep her under the closest supervision!"

Justin deadpanned, and said, "There's only ten of you, though..."

The Horse shook his head, and replied, "There's only ten of us men! And we're not just men, but the greatest soldiers sent from Diamond Peak, of The Highlands, itself!"

Justin's eyes widened, as he recalled the atlas that he held in his bag. "Wait, so you guys know how to get to The Highlands?!" The soldier nodded his head, which made Justin rub his chin in thought. "Very well, then... if I help you, then I'll need someone to help my group get to The Highlands, so we can go to Equestria without any confusion."

The horse smiled, and then replied, "It's a deal! Oh, and I'll just go on ahead and say that I will be the one who'll guide you three to The Highlands." He extended his right hand, and added, "My name is Swift Justice. It's an honor to meet you."

Justin smiled, shook Swift's hand, and replied, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Swift. Judging by your name, I'm guessing you're quite the skilled one, huh?"

Swift nodded his head, and was about to reply, until a loud bell began to ring in the distance. This caused Swift's eyes to widen, as he looked towards the direction the bell came from, and silently said, "Oh, no! Not now!" Then he turned his head back to Justin, and said, "We'll have to wait on the pleasantries. You need to get your friends over to the central island, asap!"

Justin nodded his head, and then replied, "Alright, Mr. Swift. When I get back, where should I defend?"

Swift pointed downwards, and replied, "This is the only gate that these creatures enter from. The other one has been sealed off by Magic, so there's no crossing it anymore!"

Justin nodded his head, picked Ruby up, and turned towards the center island, saying, "Alright, then. Don't worry, I'll be fast!" Then he, Ruby, and Gilded Blade began running towards the lake, until they were just inches away from the water. Quickly, Justin placed Ruby back on the ground, drew his bow, an shot a Ghost Arrow towards the island, while Gilded Blade spread his wings, and flew across. While the Ghost Arrow flew in the air, Justin picked Ruby up, and said, "Don't worry, Ruby. Mr. Gilded Blade will protect you from up here, while I cover you from far up there."

Ruby nodded her head, and replied, "A-alright, Daddy... j-just stay safe, okay?"

Justin chuckled lightly, and then embraced her in a hug, while the two of them were engulfed in a mist. "I'm not gonna make any promises regarding my safety... but then again, it's your safety that I'm doing this for." Then, once they landed in the center of the island, Justin gently placed Ruby on the ground, while Gilded landed next to them, and held his right claw out for Ruby to take.

At first Ruby was clinging onto Justin, not wanting to let her Daddy go, but after Justin gently patted her mane, she released him, and took Gilded's right claw, while the two of them continued into the tall stone building that rested in the center of the small island surrounded by water.

Then Justin took aim with his bow, and shot another ghost arrow towards the gate. While waiting for it to land, he turned around, and smiled at his daughter who watched him from behind the doorway, and waved good-bye. When she started waving, the arrow landed in front of the inside area of the gate, while Justin flew through a gust of wind to his destination.

As soon as he landed, he was greeted by Swift Justice, who had his golden tower shield and spear drawn, and aimed defensively at the front gate. "So, what exactly are we dealing with?" Justin asked him, right as soon as he materialized in front of the defensive guard.

Swift's eyes shot open, and out of fear, he turned around, and aimed his spear at Justin, only to lower it, and face the gate again. "S-sorry, Justin... I can't really describe what it is we've been facing too well... all that I do know is that they are weak to fire and light!"

Justin nodded his head, and drew his staff, as the gates began to make loud banging noises. The next sound caused Justin's hair to rise from the back of his neck... metal scratching noises that followed the banging.

Then some of the blades started tearing through the metal gate, which caused Justin's eyes to widen. Following the blades, a large black-furred paw broke a large gaping hole in the gate, revealing the creatures behind the gate... or rather, their glowing red eyes and pure white fangs that glowed from the moonlight, shrouded in the darkness.

"Um, Swift? What... in the name of Tartarus... was THAT?!" Justin asked, now noticing sweat pouring over his forehead.

Swift's eyes were widened even more, while he stuttered, "I... haven't seen THAT one before!" As soon as he finished saying that, the gates dented beyond repair. Finally, after it dented, there was an unnerving silence that followed.

For what felt like an eternity, the only sounds that could be heard was the wind, the feint breathing of the ten guards that stood at the front gate, and the distant trees rustling. After that, the gates started to make a small creaking noise, which caused all guards to raise their golden tower shields up, and aim their spears forward. Following that, silence again.

The noises from outside the gate started to lower, almost like whatever it was that was behind it was retreating. This caused some guards to drop their defenses and ask, "Did they give up?"

Justin had a bad feeling about the situation, and said, "Everyone get to the sides! I think they're about to charge in!"

The guards nodded their heads and did as requested, while Justin lifted his staff, and began charging a spell with his ruby and diamond rings. As he charged the spell, the wind began blowing towards him, and the sound of countless footsteps could be heard from behind the gate, getting louder and louder.

*CRASH*

The gates suddenly flew into the air, revealing a giant black-furred creature that had the anatomy of a gorilla, but standing up, it towered over Justin by five times his height. A large number of smaller shadow creatures began pouring into the fortress as well, but the minute they started getting inside, Justin aimed his staff at the large one, and shot a giant fireball that was engulfed in light towards it.

Then, once it made contact with it's target, the giant shadowy behemoth roared, as it vaporized into thin air. The other creatures looked towards where their fallen leader was, and then at Justin. With a glare, they all started rushing towards Justin, who held his staff in a defensive position.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a white and brown blur flew in-between the creatures and Justin, while slicing through a few of them that weren't focused on him. Then, once the blur revealed itself, it turned out to be Gilded Blade, who was standing in a combative position, holding two reverse-gripped scimitars, and glaring at the shadow creatures.

Justin looked from him to the island, which appeared to have a beacon of light in the center, which was being guarded by a few of the knights. Then Justin smirked, then said to Gilded, as they both began fighting the creatures, "Well, now! Look who took their sweet time this time!"

Gilded deflected one of the creatures' attacks, and sliced it in the stomach, replying, "I was just giving you a head start! Now that I'm here, you might get less kills in!"

Justin smirked while knocking one of the creatures' weapons out of their hands with his staff, and asked, "You sure about that?" Then, with his staff held like a baseball bat, he hit the tip of the creature's sword into the skulls of three creatures, pushing them into a Shish Kabob-like position.

When he looked at Gilded Blade again, he raised an eyebrow when he saw Gilded Blade standing in the center of a circle of corpses, while he smiled slyly at Justin, and replied, "Yeah, I'm sure!"

Then Justin spat on the ground, and silently said to himself, "Showoff..." before pushing his staff into the chest of one of the creatures, impaling it once it landed, and in one fluid motion, Justin lifted himself onto the staff, and did a "U"-shaped kick, while his foot was engulfed in a flame by his ruby and diamond rings. When he landed, the group of creatures that were hit by the flame kick fell into piles of ash, while Justin continued attacking the rest of the creatures. In the background, the six guards that stood at the gate watched silently as the two adventurers continued effortlessly slaughtering the creatures that killed their forces mere days ago, all while having a casual conversation.

"Should we go help them?" One of them asked.

Another replied with, "I don't know... I think they might have it under control, actually!"

As if on cue, Justin and Gilded Blade ended up swarmed with the creatures, which caused the guards to quickly rush towards them, only for a large gust of wind and blades to vaporize the creatures that surrounded the two adventurers. Justin was standin upright with his staff held behind his back with his right hand, and his left hand stretched out. Gilded stood slightly leaned downward, and towards the back, with his right scimitar over his head, and his left scimitar in front of his chest in reverse-grip.

With amazed expressions, the guards looked around, checking to see if any more of the creatures showed up. When none seemed to appear, they started applauding their heroes, while Justin smiled and bowed his head politely, while waving his right hand.

Gilded, however, was unfazed by the attention. "Justin... do you get the feeling that this was a little... too easy?"

The cheering stopped, while Justin's happy face turned into a serious one. "You know what? You raise a point..." Then he drew his staff again, and turned towards the gate, only for his eyes to widen.

The corpses of the creatures melted into puddles on the ground, and started moving in the center of the piles of corpses, while the group just watched in mixtures of terror, fear, and anger. Then, once the puddles combined, a huge blob of, what appeared to be black sludge, started to rise. It continued rising, until it was the size of a five-story building. When it opened its eyes, it looked down at Justin and Gilded Blade, then opened its mouth, revealing it's pure white fangs the size of Longswords. Finally, with the volume of a dragon, it gave a loud roar, which caused the guards to back away, all with looks of fear in their faces.

Justin held his staff in a defensive manner, and said while glaring at the behemoth, "Gilded... go to Ruby!"

Gilded nodded his head and flew towards the central island, while Justin stood his ground, and said, "Alright, then! It's just you and me!" When he said that, he shot a fireball into the face of the creature. When it made contact, however, it didn't even cause the creature to feel even slightly injured. Justin's eyes widened, while he silently whispered to himself, "Ah, crap..."

The creature's glare intensified, and before anything else could be said, it gave an even louder roar, while it swung it's right fist downwards, aimed at Justin, who held his staff up, and braced himself for an extremely heavy impact.