Goldenseed awoke, covered in something warm and wet. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. “Huh? AHHHH!”

She screamed in horror at the sight around her. Bodies of ponies, griffons, dragons and zebras were littered all around her, covering her in their blood. “No no no no,” she cried out as she tried backing away from them, only to run into more. They surrounded her on all sides, no matter where she went, they were there.

“Why didn't you help us?” one of the bodies called out. “You left us to them...” Its dead, bloodshot eyes slowly opened and peered at her as the corpse rose. “Why didn't you save us?”

“I-I couldn't, I-I'm only one pony. I had to run, I had to! I just, I thought--”

“Why did you kill me?” a sea pony asked as she slowly sat up as well.

“I didn't! I was just with them, I was, you tried to kill us! I was just defending myself! I never wanted to kill anypony!”

“You killed us...”

“You left us to die...”

“You couldn't help us...”

The bodies chanted and started moving, surrounding her and moving closer. “No no no! I didn't! I never wanted anypony to die!” Her body was wrapped in their dead flesh. She let out a shriek as one bit her side.

------

Goldenseed let out a shriek as her head rose. Something was poking her in the side, making her turn to it. A stick.

“You okay down there? You alive?” a voice called down.

“W-who?” She looked up fearfully before letting out another cry. It was a crystal pony, glimmering in the sunlight. She shrieked and covered her head. “No no no! Please, no! Don't hurt me! I'm sorry, I won't try to escape again!”

“Escape? What are you talking about? You fell into our trap. Hold on, I'll toss down some rope.”

Goldenseed blinked a few times before looking back up. Now that she thought about it, it wasn't a voice she remembered. It was a new one. That meant it couldn't be the members of Crystal Pens. After a few minutes the rope was tossed down. She gripped it feebly, but couldn't pull herself up it.

“You okay?”

“Can't... climb it,” she mumbled.

There was an exasperated sigh from above. “Get ready to pull her out,” the pony said. A moment later he came sliding down the hole. “What's your name?”

“Espirit. I'm a conjurer. You... a-aren't adventurers, are you?”

“No,” the pony said as he looked her over. “What happened to you? How long have you been down here?”

“I... I don't know. I was so hungry and... and there were apples. I fell when I grabbed them...”

The stallion nodded and slowly began tying the rope around her. “Hold still, we'll get you out of here in a jiffy. Hold onto the rope.”

She nodded and was soon being pulled up and out of the hole. She let out a little yelp when she got up there. There were five more of them up here, helping to pull her up. Two unicorns, a changeling and two more crystal ponies. A moment later the rope was untied and she was let go. “W-what was this trap for?”

“Timberwolves. We capture and, some of them, can be trained.”

“Are you from Crystalopolis?”

“What, a small herd of crystal ponies, changelings and unicorns a few days walk from Crystalopolis being from Crystalopolis? Of course not,” the stallion said with a roll of his eyes. “We're all secretly from Cloudsdale.”

“Point taken, sorry,” she whispered feebly.

“Don't be so rude,” the changeling said as he moved forward, giving his comrade a glare. “What's your name, Espirit? We're a patrol from Crystalopolis. How did you end up in these woods?”

“I... I got lost. I fell into the river and got pulled with the current. When I finally got out I had no idea where I was. Then I found the pit and... well... that.” She looked down and gave a sheepish smile. “If... if you had anything to eat, I'd appreciate it.”

The stallion who pulled her out shook his head. “Our rations are pretty--”

“We can afford to give a lost traveler a bite to eat,” the changeling snapped. “She doesn't look like she's eaten in days, not to mention she fell into one of our pits. We owe her that much.”

The stallion sighed and nodded. “Fine. Go with her, zebra.”

She nodded and followed after her. She could hardly believe her luck. The pit had actually been deeper than she'd thought, it was a miracle she hadn't broken anything. Even more important, she was actually feeling pretty good. The aether in the areas around her was still pretty calm and she found she had no problem gently absorbing a little to help ease her aches and pains. The food was sparse rations, but even so it was some of the best things she'd ever eaten. She could have lived off the stuff.

“How long have you been out here?” the changeling asked. “My name's Stinger, by the way.”

“Stinger? I... haven't been here long. I am on my way to Crystalopolis. I... was traveling with some ponies but they... they weren't very good.” She sighed. “They were talking about... selling me...”

That made the changeling pause. “What? Who?”

“They were--” She cut herself off and looked at the other mare. She needed to go quickly, there was no telling how much time she had left. But if she had to answer a whole bunch of questions they might want to detain her. Not to mention it was just her word against theirs if it came down to it. She was also a traveler in the lands. Once she got home, it would be better. She could send out ponies to find the Crystal Pens. “Bandits. They were just bandits. I don't know their real names. Three... crystal ponies out here, near the Sashafrash Caverns.”

The mare nodded. “Can you tell me a bit about them?”

“Two of them wore armor. One fought with a spear and axe, the other fought with magic.” She gulped. “I'm sorry, but I do need to go. I... I've been gone for so long. The ponies back home must be worried sick about me. I--”

“Are you traveling alone?”

Goldenseed gave a small nod.

“Aren't you a little young for that? I mean, you're barely older than a filly. You should stay with us until we return to the city. We'll be heading back in a month, but we should receive a messenger in a week. You could send word home then.”

“N-no! I can't wait that long,” the zebra shook and stared at the ground. “I-I have to get home. Please. It's very important. So very important. I just... I just have to.”

The mare stared for a moment before sighing. “Very well. We'll take you to our base camp and show you how to get to the road from there. Listen, you look like you've been through a lot, why don't you--”

“No. I can't. I'm sorry, but thank you. I have to go home.” She didn't want to imagine what would happen if she arrived at the city as herself again. Her father would be furious thinking he ran off like he had.

“You live in Crystalopolis?”

“No. But I can get home from there. It should be a lot easier and faster. I'm... not in trouble, am I?”

“No,” Stinger said. “Being lost in the woods isn't an offense. Though I'm sure there's plenty you aren't telling me, we don't have the mare power to take you home. Just be careful, okay? Children shouldn't be running around where it's dangerous.”

Goldenseed sighed and gave a stiff nod. She wanted to correct the mare, but she was pretty sure being seen as a child was the only thing stopping her from being imprisoned and more thoroughly questioned. “Thank you.”

“We'll be keeping an eye out for these bandits you mentioned, too. Unfortunately, they have been more active lately. The sea pony tribes especially.”

“They aren't like the ones from Canterlot, are they?”

“The pony tribes rarely are,” the changeling muttered. “You don't decide to wage war on your species and all their allies without having a few problems.”

She nodded and glanced back up to her. “Thank you, for helping me.”

“It's a pleasure. But... we won't be able to give you many supplies. A few meals, but you'll need to make due on your way to the city. We--”

“I'll be fine. There's grass and other things to eat.” She gave a small smile. “I was just... well, I'll make due. I know how to make a meal last longer if I have to. I'm a conjurer, after all. I can feed a little bit off the land.”

“You can? I wasn't aware of that. Is that normal?”

“Only when the land is calm,” Goldenseed closed her eyes and felt out with her magic. The land was calm, the magic swirling in it gentle. There were a few places where clots were beginning to form, but they were few and far between. “It's not something we like doing, though. It is a little damaging to the land. But once I get back home I can use my powers fully to help heal any damage I cause. Well, I can try to come back. I'll just make sure not to use much.”

The mare nodded. “I see. I'm not really familiar with all that, but if you say so.” The changeling glanced back up. “The others are coming. Come on, let's see about getting you back on the road.”

Goldenseed got back to her hooves and followed them. With a full meal inside her, she was starting to feel a lot better. Already energy was flowing back into her weary bones and her aches and pains were disappearing. Their outpost wasn't much, just a few small tents that they apparently carried with them when they traveled. Their supplies were quite meager as well, she couldn't help feeling guilty for the little she took, but she knew better than to decline it. She received a few odd glances from the group, but was soon walking off on the roads again.

The moment she was out of sight she couldn't help but feel panicked. She gave them small descriptions of the three, but what if Crystal Pens tried to track her down and find out more? The idea of facing those three again chilled her to the bone. Even worse, thoughts of her nightmare spread through her mind. She'd only been on an adventure for a week. Maybe two. How many ponies were now dead because of her? Those she'd left in the cages because she'd been too afraid to fight the centaur. The ones who had died under her care, who she hadn't been strong enough to heal. Worse of all, those who she'd helped them kill. The sea ponies were bad, she was sure of it. But so were the members of Crystal Pens. Was she bad as well?

She occasionally nibbled at the grass as she walked. It wasn't a filling meal, but it was a decent snack. Her eyes were drawn off into the distance, the great walls of the Sashafrash Caverns. What if Crystal Pens was waiting for her? What if they were watching the road? She stopped and considered running back to the others. She then shook her head. “Need to keep going. Just... need to be careful. That's all. I just need to be careful. They're probably searching down river for me. There's no way they'd come on the road already.”

She went silent though and kept her ears up for any sound of another pony catching up behind her or ahead of her. The road itself was flat and featureless on both sides, leaving little where she could hide. The trees of the forest weren't far off. But it also meant the others couldn't hide from her if they wanted. She'd see them a mile away.

Unless they were hiding in the forest. Waiting for her. She started walking faster, her steps quickly taking her forward. She let out a soft sigh of relief when she realized the road she was taking did take her past the caverns, but it was a separate one from the one they'd taken. It only ever went within sight, never actually entering it. Her pace quickened and soon the caverns were in the distance behind her, not quite disappearing from view but no longer in her forward vision. “You're safe, you're safe, you're safe,” she repeated to herself over and over. Despite her promises to herself, she kept walking as long as she could, only finally stopping when her legs felt as if they were going to fall off.

She groaned and looked up at the sky, panting with exertion. She then blinked and looked back the way she had come. She couldn't even see the caverns any more. “How long have I been walking?” she muttered to herself. “Eeeee! Hours! I'm getting more endurance, yes! Just a true hero! I'll probably be able to run all day and all night soon, yeah!” She pumped a hoof into the air, before going limp on the ground. “Maybe... maybe a little nap...” She closed her eyes.

“NO!” she said quickly before sitting up. “Nuh uh. Bad, bad idea.” She trotted off the road, moving into the tall grass that surrounded her and laid down, making sure she was amply hidden from sight before closing her eyes and letting out a soft yawn. “Okay, not such a bad idea,” she muttered to herself. She still had days before she could make it to Crystalopolis, there was no telling what was going to happen. But it wouldn't do her any good to exhaust herself on the way.

------

The next few days passed slowly, though the tension soon began to die in her. The road she had traveled finally joined with the one she had taken to get to the caverns, but there was still no sign of the three. She was truly beginning to feel as if she was safe, that they would never find her.

Even better, despite the fact her supplies were meager, there was plenty of grass to eat and nibble on as she went and she had enough food to help when she needed something with a bit more substance. The hardest parts were the night, where she had to curl up on the side of the road, wrap herself up in a small blanket she'd been given with the supplies and wait for the sun to rise. But even that wasn't so bad as the nights were still quite nice, only getting very cold a little before dawn.

Best of all, though, is she finally knew what it was like to be an adventurer. She could barely believe how quickly her stamina was growing, allowing her to walk for hours each day while only drawing a little bit of aether from the world. Her connection with the world felt stronger than ever before. Being able to finally use her magic was doing wonders.

Unfortunately, as she traveled closer to Crystalopolis, she found she had to call on this magic less and less. She could feel it, pressure slowly building like a rope that was slowly having rock after rock put on it. It was already pulled taut and now all it took was a little more weight and the entire thing would snap. She couldn't tell if it would be one last big spell, or even a little bit of drawing of nature to do it, but she couldn't take the risk. She had to conserve her energy and didn't dare do more than the minimum to help fix the land, gently guiding the aether around to relieve pressure where she could.

She was also discovering one more tiny little fact she hadn't noticed before when she was reading her adventurer books. “This. Is so. Boring,” she grumbled. Even though she was on a time limit, she couldn't help feeling a little disappointed that nothing had happened. The most exciting thing to ever happen was occasionally she'd hear people traveling behind her, hide on the side of the road and wait for them to pass. But the adventurers were nowhere within sight.

Then, when she last expected it, it happened. “Goldenbit?” she called out, her eyes widening as she trotted faster to catch up on the pony.

“Oh buck, what do you want?” the stallion asked, his eyes going wide as he turned to face her. He was pulling a cart behind himself, filled with the treasures they'd helped him acquire. He then looked confused. “Where are the rest of your group?”

She stared for a moment before pausing in step. “They... they weren't good ponies,” she muttered softly.

The stallion stopped and looked back at her. “Are you okay? What did they--”

“They...” She slowly walked to catch up with him. “They were selling ponies to the centaurs. They were planning to do the same to me.”

The stallion nodded, waiting for her to walk besides him. “Really? Tell me everything.”

She looked at him for a moment, there was an odd glint in his eye. But he'd been attacked by them too. He had to know they weren't as good as she'd believed. He'd listen to her. She smiled and soon told him everything. How she'd met them, why she was with them, what they tried to do when they were alone. By the end he was shaking his head with a sad look in his eyes. “Such a shame. To imagine, tricked by such evil ponies. To think they would do such a thing to one so young.”

She nodded rapidly, ignoring the young comment. “I'm... sorry about what they did to you. I didn't... I swear I wasn't a part of that. I had no idea I thought... I thought we were just doing the job.”

“Of course you did,” he said in a soothing tone. “But, you're still partially responsible, you know. But I don't think you're a bad child. You were just misguided. You're smart, too. Quite the little fighter.”

“I'm really not. I was just... I was just barely helping when it came to fighting. I mostly just healed.”

“Still, perhaps I could help you. You're looking for work now, aren't you?”

“Well... no, not really. I mean...” She frowned and thought about it. She had no bits, no pony she could turn to. Worst of all, she had no way to get home without those things. She sighed. “I guess I do kind of need a job.”

“Well, I do a lot of travel in my line of work, how about you work for me for a little bit?”

“I... I don't know. I mean, I don't know if--”

“Here,” the stallion said before pulling over to the side of the road. She looked into his eyes and shuddered. “How about we take a break here, I'll draw up a little contract. Simple bodyguard work. You can't read, can you?”

She paused and almost answered, watching him as he turned around to rummage through his cart. “No, I can't,” she lied.

“I'll make the contract simple then. Don't worry.” She could almost hear the excitement in his voice.

She ground a hoof into the ground, watching him. The stallion wrote onto a wide parchment, before quickly handing it to her. “There, just sign on the line.”

Her eye twitched as she looked over it. “I... see. What would this have said if I had told you I could read?”

“What?”

“Just because Crescent tricked me doesn't mean I'm an idiot.” She read the words with annoyance. “A five year contract? Severance penalty? Ninety:ten percent split on anything acquired?” She tore the contract up and glared to him. “I take back what I said, you deserved everything Crescent did to you. Were I any--”

“How dare you,” the stallion said, digging his hooves into the ground. “You can't speak to me that way, you're just a chi--” He let out a yelp as the ground erupted in front of him, a small spike shooting into the air.

“I am young, yes. I am also a fully trained Conjurer,” she said, her tone turning dark. “The others had me out numbered three to one and were trained fighters. You, however, are not. Did you really think you could trick me into signing my life away?” She glanced to the contract again. “Did you think it would stick? Did you think anypony would even enforce such trickery used on a... child?”

“Y-yes,” the stallion said with a nervous gulp before taking a step back. “I-I was just... please. Don't hurt me.” He looked down at the small spike of earth.

She stared at him and dug a hoof into the ground. It would be so easy, he wasn't trained. She could just hurt him a little. He deserved it. He not only saw her as a child, he wanted to take advantage of what he thought was her ignorance and force her to be indebted to him. Ponies like that deserved to be hurt. She took a deep breath. “I'm going. If I see you again, I will hurt you. I'm not sure when I'll stop hurting you.”

“W-what?”

“I'd travel slowly if I were you.” She turned and started walking down the street again, guilt flooding through her. She'd been so close to just hurting him. What kind of monster was she? Even worse, what kind of monsters were these ponies? She barely managed to keep from crying. She just wanted to go home, to be safe again. To not think about hurting ponies, or fighting ponies, or letting them die. She just wanted to go back to her normal life. Aetherbind was probably going nuts, too. Being a prince wasn't easy. The mare would probably be so happy to get back to her adventures.

She perked up quickly. Sure, she wasn't the greatest pony around. But she was a good ruler. She knew that. When she got back she'd prove it. She'd pass her test, have her coronation, everything would be great. It was all going to be okay. But would her home really be okay with her as the future prince? She'd always believed she would one day be a great ruler, and possibly an amazing adventurer. What if only the latter was true? What if she was an amazing adventurer, but adventurers were like Crescent and his crew? She was cold, merciless. She barely cared when others died around her. She helped them kill so many. She'd almost attacked the merchant just because he lied to her. All those things she'd been taught were wrong as a conjurer. She was supposed to be compassionate and loving. Not cold and heartless. She was supposed to care when ponies died in front of her, not become numb to it.

What kind of monster was she?