“Wakey wakey,” Steelhorn said as she popped up over Espirit. The zebra shrieked and pulled her blankets closer, trying to hide.

“What are you doing in my room... well... my covered off area?”

“Just making sure you're okay,” the changeling said before giving her a light nuzzle. “I see you had fun last night.”

“W-what are you talking about?” Espirit asked, before looking at the ground. She blushed when she realized she'd left her clothes out. “I was just curious how they'd look, okay?”

“Sure you were,” the changeling said with a wink. “Breakfast is ready, get up. We have a mission today.”

Espirit climbed out of bed and started picking up her things, before stopping. “Wait, we have a mission? What kind of mission? What are we doing?” She galloped over to the other mare, excitement bubbling inside. “Is it going to be fun? Dangerous? An adventure?”

Steelhorn softly chuckled before shaking her head. “Nothing too dangerous. We'll just be dealing with some trace slime monsters that have been popping up nearby. We think there's a big one. The stupid things have been popping up all over the place ever since Discord's appearance years ago.”

Espirit gasped. “S-so we're fighting things like Discord? The kind of things real heroes from the past would have fought?”

“Maybe, I don't know. Just clean up then meet us in the main hall. We need to eat a full meal before we go.”

“Okay, I'll be out soon!” Espirit said quickly, excitement boiling up within her and threatening to spill out. An adventure, a true adventure. Danger. Battles. Monsters. She'd really do it. She tossed her clothing in a small box she'd been given, before pulling out her new uniform. She put on the hat last and looked at herself in the mirror. “Oh yes. I look amazing.” She gave herself a small bat of the eyes, before galloping out of her section of the room. To her surprise Steelhorn and Gamry were already gone. She shrugged before running out the main door.

Her jaw nearly hit the floor. The building was crowded, each table packed. Not to mention the practical roar of everypony talking. No, everybody. There were every type of pony, dragons, diamond dogs, a few minotaurs, griffons, everything she'd ever imagined. All wearing armor, holding weapons. A few of them were even wearing armor that made her cheeks turn red as she stared.

“Enjoying the view?” Steelhorn asked, giving the young mare a nudge. “Subligars are a favorite of everypony. Let me tell you, it looks just as good on the stallions as it does on the mares. Best of all, it doesn't seem to block off either gender.”

“I-I wasn't staring,” Espirit said with a blush before turning to the changeling. “It just... reminded me of somepony.” She thought back to Cheesecake. Even more red flowed into her cheeks as she imagined some of her new outfits being put on that mare. “Where are we going to sit?”

“We woke up too late, place is too crowded. Can't wait for it to clear up, so we're getting breakfast to go. Come on.”

Espirit nodded and followed the changeling. They headed to the back of the great hall and the changeling yelled out an order over the counter. After a few moments a small bag was put in front of her. She opened it up and the smell of fresh cooked haybuns filled the air. “Good, your turn.”

“I-I'll have the same!” the zebra called back. After a few moments an identical bag appeared on the counter. Espirit leaned over the counter before looking back. “This doesn't make any sense. There's, well...” She reached over the counter and touched the wall it was pushed up against. “Where does the food come from?”

“You're in Crystalopolis. Just about everything is done here through magic. Almost all the fighting company houses are connected directly to a number of other companies dedicated to culinary arts. Well, or restaurants. You didn't think every company just had a few dozen chefs on hand, did you?”

“Well... I guess not,” the mare mumbled. “I thought most did...”

“Of course not. Our company takes on missions with lots of fighting and the like. We depend on others to take care of crafting weapons, armor, our meals, things like that. Just like they depend on us to keep them safe in battle,” the changeling said as she led her towards the exit. “Almost all the companies end up working together, one way or another. Otherwise we'd fall apart.”

Espirit nodded again. “That's fascinating.”

She nodded. “Though, sometimes we have others in the company doing things. Usually it's just easier to outsource the work and order directly from a company that likes doing those things. Or specializes in doing those kinds of things. Raw materials tend to be cheaper and better quality when the more specialized companies buy them, since they buy them en masse.”

“But what about adventurers who live off the land, scrounging up nuts and berries, eating grass and going day to day, surviving on what little they could find?”

“Pray you never have to know what that's like,” Steelhorn said, before looking towards her. “You do. Did you really enjoy it?”

The mare shook her head. “No. It was horrible. My stomach always hurt and I kept falling down on things.”

“Exactly. It can be done, lots of ponies do it. But when we go out, we bring food. Living like that from day to day is no way to live. This mission is pretty standard and easy. That means we eat, do it, then come back. We won't even be more than an hours travel from the city.”

Espirit sighed and lowered her eyes a bit. “Oh. That's so... boring. I thought this would be a really big adventure. It's my first mission.”

“And we're going to start slow.” Steelhorn let out a soft sigh. “How long were you traveling on your own?”

“A lot longer than I wanted to.”

“It was hard, wasn't it? How often did you feel like you weren't prepared, were over your head, might even die?”

“Quite a few times.”

“That's why we're starting slow and easy. You're new at this. We're going to teach you, train you. Besides, not all jobs are grand adventures with slaying of beasts and rescuing of villages. A lot are like this. Just getting rid of dangerous monsters to keep ponies safe. Sometimes it's even something simple like escorting a merchant through some hostile lands. But the important thing is keeping ponies safe, one way or another. Well, that and getting paid for it.”

Espirit nodded. “So, kind of like there is no pain too small to take away? Unbalance so small it can be ignored.”

“Yeah, kinda like that.”

“I see. That... makes sense. I'll remember it,” the zebra said softly. She looked down the path and then shuddered. “Your colt friend is coming?” she asked. Near the gates she could see the griffon standing, alongside the dragon she had seen before. Swipe.

“Of course. Me and him are a team. Swipes is another member of our team, though he doesn't always join us. He does plenty of missions on his own, in fact. A few times he has even--”

“So he's an actual dragon, right? He wasn't turned by fantasia?”

“Yes. He's actually quite young as well, not much older than you. Though he has a lot more experience. He's been... well, that's for him to tell you.” The changeling moved a bit closer and shifted into a griffon form. She put a wing over the younger mare. “But relax. Ganry won't be trying to kiss you again, honest. It was just a little mistake. You don't need to be so bitter about it.”

“I'm still annoyed that he did it. He should have asked before just assuming.”

“Yes, he should have. But what happened, happened in the past. Everypony is allowed to make mistakes, are they not? Can you honestly say there's never been a time you misunderstood something and acted foalishly?”

“Point taken,” Espirit said. They came closer to the gate and she waved a hoof. “Hey! We're here!”

“About time,” Swipes said before hopping to his feet. He glanced to her and chuckled. “Wow, she almost looks like a real fighter. Not half bad.”

“Thanks,” Espirit said before bowing her head slightly. “I'll do my best. I know this is only my first mission with all of you, but I'll try not to--”

“You'll be fine,” Ganry said before reaching out and ruffling her hat with his claw. “Just stick behind Steelhorn, she'll keep anything from hitting you.”

The changeling chuckled before turning back to her normal form. “Of course. I should probably let you know how we tend to fight. I'm the front line, that means I get in and keep anything from getting past me.” She thumped her chest, making her armor clink. “My armor and natural chitin hide keep me safe from most things. Just keep me from getting too hurt and I'll make sure nothing gets close to you.” She then gestured to Ganry with a hoof. “He'll be near the back, with you. He's deadly with that bow, so don't worry about him. Just make sure to stay close, he'll cover you if anything goes wrong.” She then motioned to Swipes with a nudge of her head. “Swipes will be with me, though he'll move around a lot to keep things from hitting him. He'll be looking for any openings to strike. Any questions?”

Espirit nodded. “Well, one. I mean, how will you keep things from getting to us? Not to say I can't defend myself, but you're just one pony. My last group had two ponies doing your job.”

The changeling chuckled softly. “Oh, don't worry. There won't be anything getting near you guys. If you want, I could give you a demonstration?”

The zebra nodded, ignoring the rapidly shaking heads of the other two. “Sure, it'll be fun.”

“Okay. Ganry, Swipe, you two get behind me. Espirit, see if you can hit either of them.”

The zebra chuckled. “Really? That's not fair. I can just hit them with a spell, it's easy.”

“Oh? Well, go ahead and show me it then.” Steelhorn smirked as her horn glowed and the shield rose off her back.

Espirit sighed and gave a nod. She focused on Swipes and thrust a hoof forward. This was going to be so easy, all she had to do was--

The shield slammed into her face, toppling her over backwards as stars filled her vision. She laid there for a few moments, her head lolling from side to side. “Errr, are you okay? I held back but that still might have been a bit much.”

The zebra just laid there for a few more minutes before finally working up the ability to speak. “I... I think I see what you mean about... things not getting through you.”

“Yeah, it's pretty hard to go charging after the back line of your forces, when the pony in front is busy shoving ten pounds of steel and magic into your face. Here,” Steelhorn said before holding out a hoof to help her up. “How's your head?”

“Dazed, but think I'll be fine,” the mare said before wobbling a little bit. “Can... can I lean on you for a moment?”

“Of course,” Steelhorn said as she pushed up against the mare's side. She looked her up and down. “Surprised you didn't do that whole... aggressive caster thingie that Clearpond always does.”

“Aggressive what?”

“I don't know. But whenever she fights with us, she changes the magic and... well, I think it's a form of arcany. Something to allow her magic to be used for destruction as well. I thought it was a conjurer thing. Maybe it's just her.”

The zebra let out an annoyed huff before pulling away. “Well, I know nothing about arcany, nor would I want to. Any kind of magic like that sounds like it's designed to damage the balance we are supposed to keep.”

“Relax, she wasn't trying to insult you,” Swipes said with a chuckle. “Touchy about arcany? You know, we have a few arcanists in our company. Great fighters. Think a bit too much, but great at strategies and things like that. You shouldn't knock it just because you don't understand it.”

“I am not... knocking it because I don't understand it. I know what arcany is very well. It's a destructive force used by ponies. I won't deny the need, but if a pony is going to try to become a healer, they should learn the arts of conjury. At least then they won't damage the world when they help ponies.”

“Very touchy about arcany. And here a moment ago you said you knew nothing about it.”

Espirit turned red up to her ears. “I-I meant I don't know any of the spells they use! My magic comes from nature. It is a much kinder, gentler art. I know how arcany works, I just choose not to study it.”

“Okay you two, break it up!” Steelhorn ordered before stomping her hoof down. “We've got to work together, I don't want any fights breaking out before we go on the mission.”

“He started it,” Espirit said darkly.

“Just like a kid, blaming everyone else,” Swipes said with a smirk.

“Both of you, enough,” the changeling ordered. “We're working together to get this job done. No fighting. Got it? Good.” She started walking. “We'll be heading towards the mission objective for a few hours, so basically just following the road. From there we've got to find the source of the monsters and eliminate it.”

“The source?” Espirit asked softly.

“Yes, the source. Slime monsters don't tend to just pop into being. There's usually one big one that the others break off from. We eliminate the big one, we destroy all the small ones too.”

Espirit nodded. “I see. So likely a place where the corruption has grown strongest and the aether of the world is being drained or corrupted?”

“I think she's got it,” Ganry said with a chuckle. “Missions like this usually require some sort of mage to find the source, that or we're brought in by a group that has the resources to find it, but not kill it. It's usually pretty cut and dry.”

“You've killed them before? The corruption, I mean?” The conjurer found she had to start walking a little faster to keep up. Even Swipes, with his dragon legs, seemed to have a longer stride than her. “That's not easy. Back home they had to train all the soldiers to be able to hurt those things, since most blades go right through them.”

“It's simple enough,” Swipes said with a low chuckle. “Any adventurer worth their salt can do it. Without it, you'd be dead in a few weeks once you wake up the wrong thing. Adventurers who can't wrap a thin layer of magic around their weapons find it almost impossible to get into a decent adventuring group anyway.”

Steelhorn nodded. “Mages tend to have it the easiest, since their magic can hurt them anyway. Archers, on the other hoof, tend to have it a bit harder. It took Ganry almost a year before he could make all his arrows get properly magicked. He had to use special training arrows before that.”

The griffon glared at her. “It's a lot harder, since too much magic will make the arrow not fly right, not enough and it won't hold. Once you know how much, though, you can do all kinds of other spells with it. Making arrows that fly around your allies is a common trick most professional archers can do.”

“I guess you won't need me for any of the fighting things then, at least,” Espirit said softly.

“We won't yet, but it'll make the job go easier if you eventually learn how to properly use your magic to fight,” Steelhorn said with a smile. “We're pretty good fighters, we won't need you keeping us up all the time. Fighting with us would go a long way to getting the job done and preventing us from getting overwhelmed by greater numbers.”

“Greater numbers? How many of these slime things are we expecting?”

“You can never tell. Sometimes it might only be a few, other times it can be a few hundred. It really depends on how bad the corruption is, how much the slimes have fed, how long they've been infesting an area. It's been about a week since they started showing up, so there's no telling how long it'll take to find and eliminate the worst one. It'll probably start running off once it realizes what we're doing.”

Espirit nodded. “I... I see.” She took a slow, deep breath and focused ahead. Her mane was on end and she could feel nervous sweat starting to billow up. Her first mission, what if she failed? What if she did a horrible job? What if she ruined everything?

------

The zebra tried to avoid throwing up as they came ever closer to their destination. She could feel the corruption in the air, the way the aether was twisted and drained, slowly being pulled free from the land, forcefully. A steady destruction of the land. It was powerful, more powerful than she would have ever been allowed to deal with on her own. Her own father might not have wanted to deal with it without backup. The stress kept building up within her until she was a walking bundle of nerves, terrified she would ruin everything and too scared to let the others know how ill she was feeling. She struggled to keep it down, to ignore it, but it wasn't helping.

“Can you feel the source of the corruption?” Steelhorn asked, making her jump. “We should be near where the slimes were popping up, soon.”

“I can't feel the exact source, but I know it's around here somewhere. I'd say...” Espirit closed her eyes and reached out into the aether. At least she was getting stronger, it felt far easier doing it now than it had before she had come here. Unfortunately, a stinging pain shot through her skull, making her recoil when she drew near. “Ow! I-it's to the east. Owie...” She rubbed her head.

“You okay?” Steelhorn asked as she moved over, nuzzling the zebra gently.

“Y-yeah. It just kind of... lashed back. It's to the east, I can't tell the exact area. It's--” She froze. She could feel the corruption coming closer. Dragging along the earth towards them. “It's coming at us!”

“What?” Swipes asked. “Why would it come at us? What did you do?”

“I-I don't know, I just reached out to feel for it and it started coming at me!”

“Get in positions!” Steelhorn ordered. She moved to the east facing part of the road, holding her shield up. Swipes moved a few feet behind her while Ganry grabbed Espirit and the two moved to the opposite side of the road.

“It's going to be okay,” Ganry said quickly as he drew his bow and nocked an arrow. “We're here, we'll make sure everything goes well.”

Espirit nodded. “R-right. I'm ready.” She didn't feel ready though. Her stomach was twisting and turning inside her and the closer the thing came the worse she felt. She stared at the tree line, willing the thing to come out faster. But the closer it came, the more her stomach twisted.

They smelled it before they could see it. Espirit tried to avoid gagging as the scent of mold and rotting fruits filled her nose. It made her stomach twist even more, but despite her watering eyes, she kept staring straight ahead. Then the trees pushed aside and she saw it.

A big, red, gel-like blob. It had little red stubs that seemed to work as its hands and a big gaping maw. Little tiny red globs started to fall off it, moving towards them. “No you don't!” Steelhorn said. She raised her shield and sent out a burst of magic, singeing the blobs. They descended on the changeling.

Espirit held her breath and watched with horror. The mare was going to be swallowed whole, absorbed into the blobs.

Except she wasn't. The mare shoved her shield out and moved around, circling the creatures around in a tight circle, keeping them from getting at her from the side and instead making them lock up and run into each other as they tried to get at her. Her shield struck out and, rather than being absorbed, the magic coating it kept the monsters back, knocking them aside as if they were solid.

Espirit shook her head before lifting her cane in her magic. She cast a small healing spell on the changeling, enough to remove the small amount of damage she'd taken. Then the other two charged forward. Swipes sliced one of the blobs to pieces in a moment, before moving to the next one. Ganry's arrows shot forth, impaling and leaving little holes in the big blob.

The slime that Swipes had slashed up began to reform, but then Espirit's eyes widened. She could feel the corrupted aether that made the beast up. A grin formed on her lips as she reached out. The ooze bubbled and popped, but she managed to draw the aether out of it and return it to the land, healing some of the damage the corruption had caused. The remains of the ooze sunk into the ground, its power gone.

Her eyes widened and a grin formed on her lips. She had a purpose now. Piece by piece she was able to send the oozes back into nature as the others tore them apart. She was even able to do it to the big chunk as they tore pieces of it off. Occasionally she had to send a small healing spell out to Steelhorn, but most of her energy was focused on sending the aether back where it belonged. Before she knew it, the large ooze was little more than a puddle and even that quickly fell to their assault.

She sat down once it was over, sweat dripping down her body. The tension was gone and her stomach was once again steady. She couldn't help it, she started giggling. “Did... did you see that? Did you see what I did? I did. Me. I was able to, did you see?”

“I saw,” Steelhorn said with a chuckle. “Normally we just beat them until they stop reforming. That was pretty clever, I didn't think you'd be strong enough to do that.”

“It's just a conjurer thing. Settling the energy, sending it back, healing the land.” She paused. “We're not done yet.”

“Of course we are,” Swipes said with a chuckle. “The ooze is dead. That means our mission is complete, no more ooze, no more problems.”

“The damage is still there,” Espirit said softly, her stomach clenching up again. “I can... feel it. The ooze was just a symptom. It'll come back if we don't fix it.” She slowly got to her hooves. “Can we?”

Steelhorn nodded. “You're the conjurer, I think this falls under your authority. Just lead on.”

Espirit nodded and stepped into the woods. She reached out with her magic, feeling the lines of aether that spread throughout the world. They gently nudged against the world, filling the trees and flowers as they went. She could feel, off in the distance, where the magic had been blocked. Changed. It made her stomach turn a little as she got closer, each step making the stress build up and threaten to boil over.

She found the tree and gasped. Red crystal fragments had been jammed into the base. Most of the crystal had apparently been snapped off, leaving a few large shards embedded in the wood. They drew out and corrupted the aether, before spilling it into the air. She used her magic and forced them out, expelling them with the aether of the tree. She then lifted a hoof and pushed it to the trunk, letting her magic run out and slowly heal the bark, closing the wound. “There...”

“What do we do with these?” Steelhorn asked as she looked at the crystals. “Are they dangerous?”

“No,” Espirit said. “This was a crude way to draw aether from the world using a crystal to store it. These crystals might be worth something, but I doubt much. They aren't holding much aether. They aren't dangerous in and of themselves, though. No more than any other crystal, at least.”

Swipes picked them up and tossed them into his bag. “So I guess we're done?”

Steelhorn looked to her, she gave a nod. The changeling nodded back. “Looks like it. Well, that was a lot faster than I expected. I figured we'd be out here a few hours at least. It usually takes longer.”

“They usually don't come running at us,” Swipes said with annoyance. “What did you do?”

“I was just feeling for the source of the corruption,” Espirit said softly, lowering her eyes. “I didn't think it would find me because of it. I'm sorry, I was just trying to help.”

“It's fine,” Ganry said with a chuckle. “It made the job easier. It was a pretty weak corruption, so it coming to us just made it all the easier to get done. We can head back now.”

Espirit nodded. “If you two want, I can find my own way back. I just have to follow the road.”

Steelhorn chuckled. “There's no need for that, we can--”

“It's fine, really,” the zebra said with a shake of her head. “I have food and I plan to take a nice slow, relaxing walk home. You two have wings so I'm sure you'd rather fly off and head home early.”

Ganry shrugged and spread his wings. “Come on, Steelhorn. They'll be fine. Swipes will be with her.”

“Hey! Don't leave me alone with the kid,” the dragon snapped.

“Right. Okay, Swipes, take good care of her,” the changeling said before she started galloping off. “She's your responsibility!” She took to the air, Ganry following after her.

“Hey! Get back here!” the dragon yelled after them, but they ignored him. He glared at their retreating forms before glaring back to Espirit. “Don't think I'm foal sitting you.”

“I can sit myself,” Espirit said before walking besides him. She looked up. “Why do you hate me?”

“I don't hate you,” the dragon said as he walked.

“You really seem to...”

“I think you're too young and ignorant to be doing this kind of work. You're still a kid and don't have any idea how to actually fight, you'll just end up getting yourself, or one of us, hurt.”

“But I'm trained to heal ponies who are hurt.”

“Then you should be kept inside where they can be brought to you, not out here fighting with us. You don't know how to fight and, healer or not, what we need is a fighter, not a healer. There are going to be times where there won't be other ponies to save you. Where you'll have to fight without us. What will you do if all you can do is those weak little stones?”

Espirit gulped. “But... I'm a healer. Why would I need to be able to fight? I just--”

“And that's why you're useless. You can only do one tiny little thing. And that thing doesn't matter when we need you. Since we can't count on you to watch our backs.”

Espirit nodded, lowering her eyes. “Oh. I... I understand. I'll try my best and--”

“Your best isn't good enough when it gets people killed.” The dragon walked faster, letting her fall behind. She didn't try to keep up, her head low.

She wanted to help, she really did. But she couldn't fight. She slowly raised her head before galloping after him. “Wait!”

Swipes sighed. “What?”

“What if I learned to fight?”

The dragon chuckled. “I thought you hated arcany?”

“I... I do. But I'm sure there has to be plenty of ways for a conjurer to fight. I just need to learn them. I... I will learn them.”

Swipes let out a low snort, a little flame flickering out of his mouth. “We'll see. If you could learn how to fight, then, well, you wouldn't be completely useless.”

She nodded and grinned. Of course, all she had to do was learn how to properly fight. There had to be something she could learn, something she could do. Conjurers fought on the front lines all the time, they had to have some kind of secret that allowed them to do it. It was probably some super hard, difficult, nearly impossible skill to master, but she would. She had to.

------

“Oh, it's called the cleric stance. It's a very basic technique, I'm amazed you don't know it. Most conjurers learn it before they learn the barrier spell,” Clearpond said as she walked through the hall, gathering some supplies. “Listen, I'm on the way to a job, can you find somepony else to teach you it?”

“W-what? But how will I find a pony who knows it?”

She sighed and rubbed a hoof over her temple. “It is a very, very, very basic art. Just about any conjurer beyond a very new beginner could teach you. The fact you don't know it is, well... quite disheartening.” She grabbed a bag and pulled out an apple, taking a bite.

“It's not arcany, is it?”

The pegasus swallowed. “No, it's conjury. Just try to find a proper conjurer and they'll teach you.”

“But--”

“Listen, I've really got to get to this meeting. I might see you later.” She paused. “Just stay out of trouble, okay? It's a simple technique. I'll...” She looked the zebra over and sighed. “On second thought. Come here.”

Espirit slowly walked over, looking up at the mare nervously.

“It's simple. You know when you feel the magic run from nature and into your body, correct?”

She nodded. “Uh huh...”

“Then you use that magic, send it with a little bit of your own and direct it gently into a pony or into an enemy?”

She nodded again.

“The cleric stance is like that, only the means is different. Instead of gathering the magic into your body and sending a little bit out, you directly open your body to nature's magic. You let the aether flow through you like a hose, in one end and out the other. You do little more than guide it. It dampens your healing ability, however, as you give up a lot of control for raw power. Healing is a refined, precision skill. Destruction is not. Practice with our training dummies. When I get back, I'll teach you more.”

“I thought you wanted me to find another conjurer?”

“Don't. You're one of the members of my company, that means you're my responsibility. But for now, just practice. We can talk more later.” The pegasus let her hoof go and trotted out.

Espirit nodded and then, once the other mare was gone, headed out from the building and around the back to the training dummies. She stood facing one of the dummies and nodded. “I can do this.” The zebra held out a hoof and connected herself with the aether in the land. Then, just as the pegasus had said, she let the aether flow directly through her and out her hooves, without pushing or guiding it with her own magic. The stone lifted up and shot across the arena, slamming into and rattling the dummy. However, the force of the blast knocked her head over hooves backwards.

Espirit laid there for a few moments, staring at the clouds overhead. “Okay. That... that's going to take a bit of getting used to. But I think I can do it. Yes. Just going to... rest for a few moments. Owie.”