The train ride back from the capital was mostly uneventful, save for a few boisterous comments from the pink meness about my singing skills. In all honesty I had no real idea how I had sung so well the previous night, or how Bon-Bon an Lyra had known the words to a song they had never heard before. Then again, this was a land of magical talking ponies, so I guess it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to believe in some musical magic that could turn anyone into a world-class singer.

On another note, Twilight couldn’t stop smiling after the night Bon-Bon, Lyra and I gave her, and I had a feeling things were going to be a bit hotter in the bedroom if last night was anything to go by. Being turned into a man for a few hours was definitely not on my bucket list before I came to Equestria, but now that I had experienced it with the three mares I loved, I wasn’t about to refuse the spell if the girls wanted to do it again.

Swift was off to one side of the train car while the girls all talked about this and that, leaving me to my own thoughts as we made our way back to Ponyville. And boy was there a lot to think about. Not only had Rosie lied to me and the others, but apparently her father had no idea she was here in Equestria, even though the scroll asking for my training had been signed by him. So, either Rosie forged his signature and ran away from home, or there was something darker going on. I didn’t want to think that Rosie might be a traitor, but with the necromancers hiding somewhere in the Everfree, and the fact that Rosie just happened to be an auramancer, led my mind down a path that I would rather not see come to fruition. However, that would all have to wait until I got some answers from Rosie herself, because I wasn’t about to accuse her of anything until I got her side of the issue.

We pulled into the train station and exited the car as the sun rose higher into the sky, bathing the town in its warm glow as we walked out and onto the platform.

Lyra stretched like a cat and smiled, “Oh it’s good to be home. I don’t know about you, but I could really use a nap after all the excitement yesterday.”

Bon-Bon rolled her eyes, although the grin she failed to hide belied her irritation, “Since when do you need an excuse to take a nap in the middle of the day? I remember a time I had to pull you out of the cabinet because you climbed in to grab a snack and fell asleep with your plot sticking out for all of my customers to see.” She chuckled along with the rest of us as Lyra blushed, “Oh don’t worry about it too much sweetie, it was certainly a lovely view for me while it lasted.”

Lyra huffed in annoyance but smiled none the less, “You know I’m going to get you back for that little comment at some point later, right?”

Bon-Bon bumped her herdmate’s flank with her own, “I look forward to it.”

“If you two are done teasing each other,” I said through a cheeky grin, “how about you head home and join up with Twilight and me this evening at the castle? I could make you guys dinner and we could go over some of our plans now that we’re all a herd.”

The duo shared a look before turning to me and nodding, “We’ll be there,” Lyra replied, “just make sure to cook something from your homeland. I want to try some human food instead of the usual stuff we’ve tried.”

I nodded, “I’ll see what I can do.” I waved to them as we parted ways, leading Twilight and Swift back to the castle as the rest of our friends returned to their homes.

As we walked in through the front doors, we were stopped by the excited form of Rosie as she danced around on her paws like an excited child, “Oh, I’ve been waiting all morning for you to show up,” she managed to say as she walked up to me and Swift before enveloping us in a hug, “I was looking through some of the journal entries and I think I found a way to use the other colors of my aura without having to force it out.”

“Really?” I replied, honestly surprised, “What did you find out?”

She danced around a bit more before calming herself, “You see, it’s kind of like this. Instead of using the color I need directly, I can channel my aura into an object that can manipulate the power into a form that I can use.”

My eyes narrowed, “And where did you see that?It wasn’t in any of the beginning or intermediate chapters that I’ve read through.”

“Because it was all the way in the back in the advanced section,” Rosie replied, a prideful grin on her beak as she lifted her chin high, “I found it just after the section detailing how to make such items, so I went ahead and got the materials needed to make me an aura staff.” She pointed over her shoulder towards the back of the castle, “I even found out where I can make it without putting the castle or the town at risk. Come on, I’ll show you!”

Just as she spun around to race away, my hand came down on her shoulder and stopped her from going anywhere. She turned to look at me and her expression morphed from excitement to uncertainty as her gaze leveled with mine.

“We need to talk, and right now I’m trying my best not to drag you by your ear into Twilight’s lab and sealing you in there so you can’t get away. However,” I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment to bring my frustration under control, “right now we have somewhere we need to be.” I turned to Swift and jerked my head towards the main doors, “We’ll meet you outside in a moment, Swift. Rosie and I are going to go over the game plan of our day’s training. We’ll catch up with you once I’m done speaking with her.”

Swift nodded, although by the nervous glance she sent Rosie’s way, she must have had an idea what I was going to talk with the crimson hen about. The doors closed behind the earth pony, leaving the three of us in the foyer as Twilight glanced between me and the young gryphoness.

“What’s going on here?” She asked, “Is Rosie in some kind of trouble?”

I nodded without taking my eyes off of Rosie, “Our little trainee has been keeping a secret from us, and I want to know why she decided to lie to everyone about how and why she came to Ponyville.”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she turned her attention to Rosie, whose eyes had widened in fear and shock as she jerked her head in search of an escape route. Without even needing my request, Twilight’s horn ignited and created a bubble around the three of us, cutting off Rosie’s plans of running before she could act on them. The hen looked around for a few moments in a desperate search for a way out, but upon finding none she lowered her head and let out a gusty sigh of defeat.

“Alright,” she muttered as she stared at her front paws with a dejected expression, “you caught me. I lied to you about why I came to Ponyville and I lied about getting my father’s permission to come here.”

“So, you forged his signature on that scroll you showed us,” I stated, “and you came here without telling him where you were going or why you were leaving.” I crossed my arms and tapped my foot, waiting for her to continue.

Her head hung even lower and her tail tucked between her legs as she rubbed one paw over her other foreleg, “I thought that if I asked my father for permission to leave then he would forbid it. He’s never let me leave the castle before and I just wanted to do something for myself for once in my life.” Her head jerked up and her eyes widened in fear, “He doesn’t know where I am, does he?”

I shook my head, although her relief was short-lived as I replied, “But he did come to the Gala to request the Princess’s help in locating you. He’s really worried that you’re lost and alone somewhere between Gryphonia and Equestria, possibly hurt and unable to help yourself. I asked Celestia not to tell him until I got your side of the story, but if the only reason you left is because you were afraid of rejection, then I am starting to believe that you are not worthy of being my apprentice.” I pressed my finger into the center of her chest and got right in her face, “A master and apprentice need to be able to trust each other, especially with the enemies we will be facing in the near future. If I can’t trust you then I am tempted to send you home in shame, so you can tell you father why exactly you ran away from home. I would like to see how your father would react when he finds out your own lies destroyed your only chance at getting stronger, and it was all caused by the simple fact you couldn’t ask permission before running off like an impulsive child.”

Rosie’s eyes were tearing up as she looked between me and Twilight. However, she got no reprieve from the alicorn, given she was sporting a disappointed expression that nearly matched my own. Finally, the realization that her journey was coming to an end came crashing down on the young gryphon, and she openly began to weep as she sat down and covered her face with her claws.

“I’m sorry,” she blubbered as she tried to wipe her face, only for more tears to take their place, “I’m so sorry. I just wanted to prove to my father that I’m not some helpless chick that needs to be taken care of all the time. I wanted to do something for myself, to prove that I have what it takes to lead my people when the time comes for me to be queen.” Her eyes narrowed in sudden anger as she pounded her fists into the crystal floor, her heated gaze locked on the crystal before her as she continued to cry, “It’s not fair. All I wanted was to get stronger. Was that really such a bad thing?” Her eyes closed once more as she lowered herself to the floor and curled into a ball, her wings covering her face and neck as she broke down completely.

I shared a look with Twilight, nodding once to the mare as she dispelled the barrier keeping us contained. I walked up and knelt down in front of Rosie, gently placing a hand on her shoulder as her body shook with sobs. She stiffened under my contact but didn’t resist as I slowly moved her wings out of the way, so I could see her face.

“There, there,” I said softly, wiping her tears with one of my thumbs as I lifted her head up so she could look me in the eyes, “it wouldn’t do for a princess to cry in front of others. You are stronger than that so take a deep breath and calm yourself.”

Her intake of air shook as she tried to get her emotions under control, her eyes still shining with unshed tears as she folded her wings against her sides, “What will you do with me?”

I glanced at Twilight before turning back to face the hen, “What do you think I should do?”

Her beak opened for a moment and she sucked in a breath of air to speak, only to pause and close it once again as she lowered her gaze to her front paws.An expression of contemplation overcame her face as she truly thought about what was to become of her, and I let her think things through as I stood up once again.

“I’ll tell you what,” I interrupted her thoughts as her head jerked up to meet my gaze, “from this point onward you will be on a probationary period, where any actions you take that are suspect will be taken as an act of insubordination and will result in your immediate expulsion from my teachings. Furthermore, you will send a letter to your father detailing exactly where you are, why you left, and what you did to fool us into teaching you combat skills. That includes the forged signature you put on that scroll asking for permission to train under me.” I paused for a moment to let that sink in, and from the look of utter defeat on her face, Rosie knew she was far from out of the frying pan. Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to simply kick her out, so I thought of something to help boost her spirits.

“However,” Rosie’s expression shifted to confusion as I held a hand to my chin, “it would be a shame to let all of that training go to waste, so here’s what I’m going to do for right now. You may continue your training under me and Swift Blade while your probation period runs its course, but if your father wishes for you to return home, then you will abide by his desires and return to your kingdom without question or fuss. Is that clear?”

Immediately, Rosie’s face lit up like a firework, and she leaped to her paws before wrapping my waist in a crushing hug. Tears of joy were now running down her face and soaking the front of my shirt as she repeated, “Thank you.” over and over again into my stomach. I turned my attention to Twilight and saw that my herdmate was trying not to let her own emotions show, although I could still see a measure of relief glowing from within her eyes. I smiled and wrapped my hands around my student’s shoulders, holding her as she ran herself out. She held me for a good two minutes, even after she had stopped repeating her thanks, before she stepped back and wiped her face with a claw. Her gaze met mine, and the determination I saw in those orbs was enough to get my own blood pumping as her back straightened and her tail thrashed behind her in excitement.

She held a fist against her chest and lowered her head in a bow, “What do you wish for me to do, Lehrer?”

Hearing her native honorific made me smile with pride, knowing that she at least hadn’t lost her sense of duty, to both herself and to my teachings.

“Today we’re going to do something a little different.” I replied, “We’re going to take a little hike through the Everfree in the hopes of finding something worth fighting.”

Both sets of eyes widened in shock at my words, although it was Twilight who voiced her concerns, “The Everfree?! What in Celestia’s name could you be thinking going into a place like that, especially with the necromancers hiding somewhere inside those dark woods?!”

I placed my hands on my hips as I turned my attention to my herdmate, “I’m thinking that Swift and I can only teach Rosie so much about combat working as instructors. We can go over drills and do simulated combat all day long, week after week, but in the end it will mean nothing if she can’t hold herself in a real fight. So, I’m taking her into the one place I know that has things that she can battle with for real. Nothing holding her back, and nothing between her and death except her wits and skill. Think of it as practical application of everything I’ve taught her so far.”

Twilight’s eye was starting to twitch, but she was interrupted by Rosie before she could say anything further, “So it’s kind of like the hunts my father and I used to do back home? Are we going to kill whatever it is that we come across in the forest?”

I turned back to Rosie and nodded, “Indeed, although this is going to be harder than hunting a deer or something like that. The creatures of the Everfree are mostly predatory in nature, which means whatever we find will most likely be trying to kill you as well.”

I saw the fear starting to creep into her eyes, so I placed a hand on her shoulder in reassurance, “Don’t worry. Swift and I will be right there the whole time to help you. This isn’t a solo lesson, but rather a training exercise that will test all three of us on both our individual skills as well as our ability to work as a team. This will be a huge step into regaining my trust, because we will be holding each other’s lives in our hands, er, paws, hooves, whatever it is we have on the end of our limbs. If you can prove that you are willing to trust us with your life, as we will be doing with you, then I will be more then happy to reduce your probation period as a reward for your commitment.” I removed my hand and stood up straight, “Sound like a plan?”

Rosie nodded fiercely, “I understand. I won’t let you down, Lehrer. I’ll prove that you can trust me just as you used to before.”

I nodded my acceptance and turned to leave, only to stop as Twilight levitated a pair of swords into my path.

“You might want to have these,” she said with a raised eyebrow, “or were you planning on fighting the monsters of the Everfree with your bare hands and claws?”

Rosie and I blushed as we took the blades from her magical grasp, and I managed to cough out a sheepish thank you before strapping the scabbard to my belt. Rosie strapped her own blade onto her shoulders, just before her wing bases, and followed me as we once again attempted to leave the castle. Twilight sighed in defeat as she walked back the way we had come, allowing Rosie and I to exit the front doors as Swift paced back and forth on the road below.

The earth pony looked up at us and smiled nervously, “So, how did it go?”

“Rosie is on a probationary period until she can prove her trustworthiness to us once again.” I explained, “Right now we’re going to head into the Everfree on a monster hunt in order to give our student a more practical combat experience, along with working on our teamwork as a whole unit.”

Swift’s eyes widened much as Rosie and Twilight’s had back in the foyer, “You mean we’re going after things like manticores and hydras? Are you out of your mind?! What if we run into something we can’t handle? What if one of you gets hurt and we can’t signal for help? What if ̶ "

I cut her off with a finger against her lips, “We’ll be fine. I’m not planning on going too far into the forest. If anything, I was thinking we’d find a small pack of Timberwolves or maybe a single manticore. Nothing more than that. I’m not going to just run into the unknown and try to fight the first thing we come across. We’re doing this the smart way, not charging into danger like a bunch of idiots.”

Swift sighed as I removed my finger, “We’re really doing this?”

I nodded, “We’re really doing this. Now come on, we haven’t got all day and the more time we spend talking the less daylight we have to walk by.”

Swift shivered as she fell in on my left side, Rosie taking up the right as we walked around the castle and towards the dark forest, “Point taken. The last thing we need is to get caught out there at night. You think the monsters in the daylight are bad, then you won’t believe the kinds of things that come out in the dark.”

“All the more reason to get moving,” I replied, picking up the pace to a swift jog, “come along you two, the last one into the forest has to run ten laps when we get home.”

We charged into the forest in a wedge formation, leaving the brightly lit land of ponies behind us as we ventured further into the dark and foreboding wood. After a moment or two, we slowed to a walk as the trail leading through the brush thinned down to almost nothing, leaving us no choice but to forge our own way through the thick foliage. I used my sword to cut through the thick vines while Swift and Rosie simply used their bodies to shove the more stubborn plant life to the side. Before long we reached a clearing of somewhat decent size, and I figured that this would be a good place to set up our base of operations. The clearing was a good hundred yards circle, with shin-high grass that was a deep green in color.The plant life encircled the glade like a wall of dark matter but allowed sunlight to enter from the open canopy above us.

“This should be a good place to start.” I stated aloud for the benefit of my companions, “Let’s set up here and see what comes along. From the size of this clearing I’d bet there are more than one trail that lead to and from here, meaning we should have something come wandering along before the day gets too far ahead of us.”

“So, we hide in the plants and wait for something to come along?” Rosie asked with a raised eyebrow, “Doesn’t seem much like a hunt.”

“That’s because we’re using my hunting style,” I clarified, “it’s called stand hunting, although instead of using a shelter we’re going to use the natural environment to hide our presence from anything that might come along.” I turned to look at the duo, “Any questions as to what we’re going to do once something come along that we can fight?”

Rosie raised a claw in the air, “Um yeah, how exactly are we going to know if something is weak enough for us to fight and win against? I mean, there are some things in this wood that could eat a small village and not even lose their appetites.”

“Then we know not to attack anything that is bigger than a carriage.” I amended, “Just listen for my signal, and I’ll let you know if whatever we find is going to be a possible target. Trust in your teacher, and trust in yourself. You’re a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for, you just need to believe in your skills and the skill of your instructors. We won’t let anything happen to you, so long as we are alive we will fight as a team, and that means we need to trust each other to do whatever it takes to protect each other. I trust you two with my life, will you do the same for me?”

Rosie nodded immediately, her eyes lit up with a fire of willpower and determination. Swift was a little slower on the uptake but nodded none the less.

“I know I’m going to regret saying this,” Swift said slowly, “but what do we do if something comes along that we can’t beat and it decides to make us into lunch meat?”

I tapped my leg with one hand and smirked, “Then we use the oldest trick in the book, we turn around and run like the fires of Hell are burning our heels.”

Swift rolled her eyes, “Yeah, that doesn’t exactly make me feel all that confident in our ability to survive. But, if you want to get us into trouble for the sake of training, then I might as well try to keep you two idiots from getting yourselves killed.”

I slapped her over the shoulders with one hand, “That’s the spirit, Swift. Now we just need to find a good place to hide.”

“Um, girls,” Rosie said behind us as her voice took on a sudden tinge of fear, “I think it’s a little late to hide. We’ve got company.”

Swift and I turned our attention towards Rosie and immediately followed her outstretched claw with our gazes, our eyes widening as we spotted what she was pointing at.

Standing at the edge of the clearing, were a collection of at least twenty undead, led by a familiar mare wearing a dark grey cloak. My eyes narrowed as the figure stepped forward, removing her hood to reveal the lime green eyes and white mane of Moon Song. Swift and I unsheathed our swords, Rosie doing so as well after a moment’s hesitation. I placed myself between my companions and the unicorn as she walked into the clearing, although she stopped well out of our reach as she smiled to me.

“Welcome, dear Captain.” Her voice was just as smooth and calm as I remembered, “it has been a while since our last meeting. Tell me, how did you manage to avoid falling under my control? That amulet I gave you should have been more than enough to start the transformation into a death knight before you even left the forest.”

“Take your magic and blow it out your plot.” I growled, “I’m not interested in anything you have to say. All I care about right now is removing your head from your body so we have one less necromancer to deal with. You got away last time because I didn’t know who you were. Now you’ve made the mistake of revealing yourself to me, and with only a few dozen zombies to protect you. You’re either really stupid or just that arrogant.”

Her lips never faltered from her calm smile, “And yet you come into my domain with friends this time. An earth pony of the Celestia Guard and a gryphon hen barely out of chickhood. You seem to hold very strange company, Captain Lovegood. Would you care to enlighten me as to why you have entered the forest once again?”

I fell into a combat stance and leveled my blade at the pale unicorn, “Well, we were here to do some monster hunting, but I guess taking you and your horde out will be just as good.” I glanced over my shoulder at the others, “Get ready. As soon as she makes a move, I’m going to take her out. Keep the zombies off my back until I can kill her, alright?”

Swift and Rosie nodded, although as I turned around I noticed that Moon Song’s expression had shifted from one of calm to one of contemplation.

“You intrigue me, Sarah, and yet I cannot fathom how it is that you were able to resist my magic. Is it a natural resistance of your kind, or is it something more?” Her lips returned to her calm smile as she closed her eyes and chuckled, “Ah such a mystery you are.” Her eyes snapped open and a predatory gleam began shining within her emerald depths as she stared me down, “I will enjoy discovering your secrets once you are under my control.”

Without any warning, the zombies charged at us with more speed than I knew they possessed, leaving us no choice but to engage them as the horde began encircling us. The first zombie I decapitated fell to the ground and did not get up, and I was slightly surprised how easy it was to defeat it. Yet as the first body grew still, the others began to press inward, leaving me little room to move as the un-living wall of flesh closed in from every side.

“Crazy bitch has us surrounded,” I growled out as I slashed through another zombie’s leg, leaving it to stumble for a moment as I lopped off the head of another, “I can’t get a clear angle to go after her.”

Swift grunted as she spun around and kicked another undead in the jaw, causing the rotting flesh to come apart under the blow’s force as the head literally exploded under the pressure, “You really think it would be that easy? She’s probably got hundreds of these things at her disposal, and we can’t keep fighting like this forever.”

Rosie hissed in pain as one of the corpses bit down on her shoulder, leaving her no choice but to use her claws to pry the undead off of her body and rip its head from its shoulders, “Yeah, I’m not sure how long I can keep this up. Your endurance training was something out of a nightmare, but this is even worse.”

I growled as I spotted Moon Song simply standing off to one side, observing our struggle against her undead with that same infuriating smile of hers. Finally, I had had enough, so I used a flash of my Auramancy to jump over the zombies in front of me, allowing me to flip over their heads and land behind the horde. For a moment I thought I saw Moon Song’s eyes widen in surprise, but it was gone before I could be sure.

“Very good, young one,” she said as the zombies behind me refocused their attention on my friends, “but you must be either foolish or the bravest being in the world to challenge me to a contest of combat skill. And yet,” she held a hoof to her chin as she looked me up and down, “you might prove to be of use to me. So, I think I shall test you.” I raised my sword to block as her horn ignited, but all it did was leave a glowing trail of magic on the ground, leading into the forest where she had first appeared. “Follow the trail until you come to the next clearing. I will be waiting for you there.”

I lunged forward, my sword aimed at her neck, but she disappeared in a flash of light before I could even get close. I slid to a stop and yelled in frustration as I spun around in search of her, “I hate it when they teleport like that. Cheating bitch.”

I glanced over at Swift and Rosie, who were doing a remarkable job of cutting the zombies apart. Rosie had started using her Auramancy to blast the zombies with fire and lightning, even though her skills were still too weak to do any permanent damage. Yet it did give her and Swift enough room to move about as they cut the remaining corpses to pieces, and I realized that if I helped them, our true enemy could very well get away again. Taking one last look over my shoulder, I charged off into the forest, following the glowing trail through the plant life until I came upon the second clearing. This one was only about fifty feet square, although the lack of size made it much easier to spot my enemy.

Moon Song was standing at the opposite side with her back to me, and I was just about to charge at her again when my eyes detected movement on my right side. I raised my blade and blocked the downward strike of the broadsword that would have cleaved me from shoulder to groin and redirected the blow to drive the tip into the ground as my assailant grunted from the surprise movement. I barely took the time to look at my new opponent before I raised my booted foot and kicked it in the gut, sending the dark form flying over by Moon Song as the now ownerless sword clattered to the ground.

Moon Song barely passed a glance at the fallen warrior, who I now recognized as a dark blue earth pony wearing some kind of jet black armor. His head was covered in a visored helm that blocked off the top half of his face, while the rest of his body was encased in what almost looked like obsidian that had been molded to his flesh like a second skin. The fallen soldier pushed himself to his hooves and stood next to Moon Song, towering over her form by at least half a head as he glanced at the unicorn.

“Mistress,” his deep voice seemed to have an unearthly echo to it as he spoke, “this one is far more skilled than the members of the Royal Guard. I suggest you take care to avoid direct conflict.”

Moon Song nodded once without taking her eyes off of me, “Indeed, Cobalt, she seems to have a measure of skill far beyond that of the rank and file. She will make an excellent addition to our ranks if she can be turned to our fold.”

I fell into a proper combat stance once again as I sized up my new opponent, watching as his blade lifted off the ground and flew through the air, returning to its scabbard on his left side like some kind of boomerang.

“Quite a nifty trick you got there,” I called out to the stallion as he drew his blade and drove the tip into the ground at his side, “what’s next, going to pull a rabbit out of your helmet?”

He growled at me but stopped short as Moon Song held up a leg in his path.He backed down and bowed his head as the unicorn stepped forward, her gaze locked with mine as she spoke, “You challenge a necromancer and her death knight alone, with no magical assistance and no way to call for help. You must be a fool to think you stand a chance against our combined might.”

I figured it would be better to go down at full power then to allow this bitch to take me out like a chump, so I subtly began charging my aura in my legs and arms as I began walking forward.

“You don’t know a thing about me, Moon Song.”I stated confidently as I marched towards her, “I hold powers that you could not comprehend at my fingertips, making your own powers over death completely meaningless.”

Her smile faltered into a scowl for a brief moment before her grin returned, “Then I guess we shall have to test those so-called powers of yours. Cobalt,” she called over her shoulder to her death knight, “why don’t you show our friend what a warrior of the ancient bloodlines is capable of?”

The earth pony smiled from beneath his helm, “I though you would never ask, Mistress.”

Moon Song teleported to the far side of the clearing, leaving me alone with Cobalt in the center of the glade as the stallion stared me down.

“You will find that you cannot defeat me as easily as you would those undead you faced before.” He called out, “I am infused with raw death magic, making me impervious to physical harm. You cannot kill me, but I can certainly kill you. Surrender now and my Mistress might allow you some measure of free will when she turns you into one of her servants.”

“You can take your surrender and choke on it,” I said, stopping about fifteen feet in front of the stallion, “but I’ll gladly accept yours if you don’t want to die.”

His deep chuckle reverberated around the clearing as he threw his head back in mirth, “Did you not hear me before? I am impervious to physical harm. You cannot kill me. However, that does not mean anything concerning your own survival.” He drew his blade from the ground and turned to face me with the blade in his mouth, “Haff ath thee.”

He closed the distance much faster than I had planned for, forcing me to block low as he swung his blade at my legs. He followed up his first strike with a rearing overhead blow, aimed at removing my head by splitting it in two. I stopped his blade and quickly disengaged, remembering Swift’s lessons concerning the tribe’s power in physical strength. We exchanged several more blows, each one more powerful than the last, until the ringing of our blades echoed around the clearing like thunderclaps.

Finally, I decided that playing the fool wasn’t getting me anywhere. If the enemy was going to find out about my abilities, then I would rather use them to take out one of their ranks then to die with the secret unbroken. I jumped back as Cobalt swung at my legs again, putting a good eight feet between us as we paused to catch our breath.

He sheathed his blade and smirked at me, “Running away so soon? You should know that once you entered this clearing, you set off a seal spell that will not allow anypony to leave until my Mistress wills it. You are trapped, and there is nowhere for you to run.”

“Who said anything about running?” I retorted as I fell into a wider stance, my legs spread wide and my arms held at my sides at an angle, “I’m just getting warmed up, and I mean that literally.”

I saw Moon Song’s eyes narrow in interest as Cobalt drew his blade once again, although I was more focused on drawing up my power to the full extent of my ability without letting it show on the outside of my body. If I could keep the secret for just a little longer, then maybe I could get out of this without the rest of the necromancers finding out about my power.

Cobalt apparently wasn’t interested in waiting for me, because he charged straight at me with his blade aimed at my left leg, probably in the hopes of removing it or at least forcing me to dodge. However, what he didn’t know was that my mechanical leg was far stronger than this puny sword, and I used that to my advantage as he swung at my artificial limb. Instead of using my own blade to block, I lifted my leg and caught the edge of his sword between two of the plates, a loud clang echoing around the clearing as a large chip came flying off of his sword. His eyes were probably wide with surprise under his helm, even though I couldn’t see them, and he lost his grip on the hilt as his power overcompensated for the complete stop of his forward momentum. He spun around a good quarter turn, leaving his blade embedded in my leg as I used my own sword to slash at his shoulder.

The sword bit into the metal of his armor and cut deep into his flesh, only instead of blood a deep black mist began seeping from the wound. I only had a spilt second to react as he spun around on his forehooves and bucked at my midsection, forcing me to jump out of the way as his blade came loose from my leg and clattered to the ground. Like before, it flew back to his scabbard and he drew the blade as he spun around to face me again, the chip in the metal reforming as his wound slowly sealed itself.

“Fucking regeneration.” I growled as I blocked his next strike and countered with another of my own, “I hate it when magic cheats.”

We returned to our back and forth, and by that point I was getting the impression that Moon Song was starting to get bored, if the lack of interest in our battle and the complete disregard for her own soldier had anything to say about it. However, I could tell she was still paying attention to us, lackluster that interest might have been, so I knew the instant I revealed my Auramancy, she would see it.

However, as Cobalt pounded away at my defenses, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to get out of this alive if I didn’t use my abilities, because I could feel the sting of several cuts along my arms and torso that had managed to slip past my guard. I didn’t know how he kept going, other than the possibility of his death magic keeping him from tiring, but I was starting to run out of steam and I knew the instant I dropped my guard I was a goner.

“Screw this,” I muttered under my breath as I charged my power to its maximum, “I’m not going to die in some forgotten forest when I have more important things I need to do.”

I allowed my aura to show as I roared out a challenge, pounding away at Cobalt as my strength and speed increased to outmatch his own. I even added some of my energy to the blade, using a trick I had learned just the week before while going over some of the more advanced techniques in the journal.

Cobalt staggered under my assault, and I could feel his guard breaking as I slashed and cut at his body with my sword. The amazing thing was that the cuts I made with my blade now refused to heal, bleeding black blood instead of the healing mist from before. Cobalt apparently was aware of this fact, because he jumped out of my reach and then retreated to Moon Song’s side. Said unicorn was watching me with wide eyes as her knight fell in on her left, her mouth hanging open as she took in the flickering flames that covered most of my body.

“You’re an auramancer.” She said, almost too softly for me to hear, “That explains how you were able to resist my amulet and how you have managed to wound my death knight.” Her face darkened in anger for the very first time as her horn ignited with sickly green magic, “You’ve won this round, Sarah Lovegood, but know this. Just because you hold the power of the ancients in your grasp, doesn’t mean you are invincible. I will find a way to defeat you, and then your power shall be mine to command.”

With that, she and Cobalt disappeared in a flash of light, leaving me alone in the clearing as the dust from our battle settled to the ground. I slowly lowered my blade and then let my aura dissipate as my breathing came back to a normal pace. Rustling in the bushes behind me caught my attention, and I spun around in preparation for a surprise attack. However, all I saw was Swift and Rosie running into the clearing as the two of them looked around for new enemies.

“You just missed them.” I said as I jerked a thumb over my shoulder, “Moon Song and her pal Cobalt left a few seconds ago through some kind of teleportation spell. No idea where they went, but I have a feeling we won’t be seeing them for a while.”

“Who’s Cobalt?” Rosie asked, her eyes still scanning the area around us for more enemies.

I walked up and lowered her blade with one hand, “Cobalt was the name of Moon Song’s death knight. I managed to wound him a couple times, but I imagine with Moon Song at his side he’ll be ready for round two before too long.” I glanced over my shoulder at the spot the duo had previously occupied, “They were a lot stronger than those zombies, I can tell you that much. I had to use my Auramancy just to stay on par with that death knight, and it was only by infusing my blade with aura that I was able to even wound him.”

“So, you’re saying that only an auramancer can wound a death knight?” Swift asked, “How exactly is that supposed to make us feel better?”

I shook my head as I began walking back towards the castle, “It’s not. Knowing that death knights are impervious to physical harm is a valuable piece of information, but right now we need to get back to the castle. We need to let Twilight and the other princesses know what we found out, and what the enemy found out about us.”

“What did the enemy find out?” Rosie asked, her eyes wide with both fear and wonder as we came back through the first clearing.

“They found out that I’m an auramancer.” I stated bluntly as I glanced over at the now re-dead bodies. “I had no choice against someone as strong as Cobalt. I would be dead if I hadn’t used my abilities to level the playing field.”

“So now the element of surprise has been lost,” Swift added as we continued through the forest and out onto the rolling plains, “the enemy knows about your abilities and will be planning for them when the final battle comes. What do you plan to do about it?”

“At the moment,” I replied, “nothing. I know that letting the enemy see my power was a risk, but we still have an ace up our sleeves, so to speak.” I placed a hand on Rosie’s shoulder as we walked up to the entrance to Twilight’s castle, “Rosie here is also an auramancer, and Moon Song doesn’t know that she also has the power to destroy the undead. That is our new secret weapon.”

Rosie’s eyes widened as we pushed the doors to the castle open, “Me?! What do you mean I’m the new secret weapon? I thought I was still just a student learning to control my abilities.”

I nodded, “While your training is far from complete, we can’t afford to let this opportunity to slip from our grip. Moon Song will most likely make some kind of move now that she knows about my abilities, so we must keep your own powers a secret as long as possible, or else our enemies will know everything about us before we even begin to fight.”

Rosie nodded but otherwise did not reply, following Swift and me into the castle proper as I called out for Twilight. The purple alicorn appeared in a flash of magic before us as we came into one of the meeting rooms, her expression filled with worry as she looked us up and down.

“What happened?” She asked, “You were only gone for an hour.” Her eyes widened as she spotted the blood leaking from our numerous wounds, “You’re hurt! Wait there, let me get my first-aid kit.” She disappeared once more in another flash of light before returning with a large med-kit in her magical grip.

As she fussed over our wounds, Twilight bombarded us with questions at such a break-neck pace that we were left unable to answer any of them.It was only by silencing her with a finger against her lips that I was able to get a word in edgewise.

“Calm down Twilight.” I said slowly, trying my best to keep my lips from curling into a grin, “We’re all fine. We had a run-in with some trouble while we were in the Everfree. We got a little banged up but we all made it out fine. Now, before we get too ahead of ourselves, I need to send a letter to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna right away. Can you get Spike for me so he can send it?”

Twilight nodded, although confusion was plainly evident on her face as she packed up what remained of the med-kit, “I-I’ll see if I can find him. He should be in the upper floors going over the arcane reference section of the library.” She cast a worried glance over her shoulder as she turned and spread her wings, “You’re sure you’re alright? I could do a scan to make sure there aren’t any other injuries that I missed.”

I waved her off with one hand, “Go get Spike, Twilight, and I’ll make sure to let you know if anything comes up while you were gone.”

Twilight nodded once more, flying into the deeper sections of the castle and leaving Swift, Rosie and I alone for the time being. I turned to my companions and felt my calm façade dissolve as I looked them over. They were covered in bandages to the point both looked little better than mummies. Even though I had managed to hold my own against Cobalt and Moon Song, I was fairing no better than my friends. We had gotten lucky, and it was a miracle the only wounds we suffered were scrapes and cuts, although the most crushing blow was the loss of one of our biggest trump cards. Moon Song, and thus the necromancer coven as a whole, knew about my Auramancy, and that meant that unless we could keep them from finding out about Rosie, there was nothing we had that we could use against them that they wouldn’t see coming. My own life was now most likely at the top of their hit list, along with everyone who I held close to my heart. My mind quickly shifted to Bon-Bon and Lyra, who still lived in their house on the other side of town, and I realized that if they continued to live apart from Twilight and I, it could very well spell doom and destruction for all involved. As soon as they came over for dinner, I was going to ask them if they could join us here at the castle, and I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I didn’t care if I had to explain the entire truth to the two of them, Celestia’s wishes be damned. These mares were a part of my family now and I wasn’t going to let them get hurt because of some stupid secret.

My inner musings were interrupted as Twilight returned with Spike on her back, both of them looking worried and uncertain as to why I had summoned them. Spike hopped off of Twilight’s withers and walked up to me, a scroll and quill in his grip ready to go as he looked up at me.

“What do you need to send to the Princesses?” He asked.

“Just write down what I say and you’ll get the general idea from that.” I replied, “It’s not going to be good news, but the Princesses need to know what happened to us in the Everfree.”

I explained the entire encounter to Spike, who dutifully recorded the events on parchment, even as his claws shook with fear as the story unfolded. Twilight’s eyes were the size of dinner plates, and as I got to the anticlimactic result of my battle with Cobalt, she rushed up to my side and leapt onto her hind hooves. Her forelegs wrapped around my shoulders and her face buried itself in the crook of my neck as she shivered in fear, her wings wrapping around me in a tight embrace as she looked up and met my gaze.

“Why didn’t you tell me from the start you got in a fight with Moon Song?” She asked, her voice cracking in fear as she held onto me even tighter, “I could have come to help you, I could have gotten my friends and we could have tried to stop her from getting away.” She paused, her breath hitching as tears started rolling down her face, “I could have protected you, like a good herdmate should. I could have gotten you out of there so you wouldn’t have had to fight at all.”

She shuddered as her shoulders shook with silent sobs, her face finding my neck once more as she held me like her life depended on it, “I’ve finally found somepony I can care for with all of my heart. You, Lyra, Bon-Bon, I couldn’t bear to lose any of you after only being together for a few days.” She pulled her head back and met my gaze, her eyes firm as they shimmered with unshed tears, “Promise me you won’t do anything like that ever again. Promise me you won’t do anything rash until we can confront this enemy together.”

I couldn’t say no to the hard resolve in her eyes, “I promise, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to take this lying down. If they know about my skills, they I’m going to give them something to worry about.” I turned to look at my friends, “We’re going to ramp up our training, and this time, we’re going to make sure we push ourselves to the very limit, because I’m not going to lose any of you to those dead-raising lunatics.” I turned my attention to Spike, “Send the letter if you would. I’m certain Celestia and Luna will want to know what happened.”

He saluted me before torching the letter, the scroll whisking away on a cloud of smoke through one of the open windows. I nodded to him before turning to Twilight, finding our current position somewhat compromising.

“Um, Twilight, would you mind getting off of me?” I tapped her side with a finger to demonstrate the fact that my arms were pinned, “I can’t really move that well with you holding me like this.”

Twilight glanced down at our bodies, her cheeks flushing red as she jumped off of me and stepped back a few paces. “Oh, sorry, I guess I just got caught up in the heat of the moment.”

“It’s fine,” I reassured her, “it’s not like it was a bad thing. I just like being able to use my arms.”

Smiles flashed at my small joke, and I could feel the mood lightening slightly as I turned back to Rosie, “By the way, you have a letter to send as well, do you not?”

Rosie’s expression immediately turned into one of dejection as she hung her head and shuffled her paws, “Do I really have to?”

I rolled my eyes, “Oh course you have to.I’m not going to have your father wait on baited breath with worry about your safety when you can tell him yourself that you are alive and well. Have some respect for your family’s feelings. The least you can do is own up to your mistake and tell him the truth. I sure as Hell don’t want to find out what would happen if he discovered you were alive and training under me when I told him myself that I hadn’t seen you.” I pointed a finger directly at her chest, my gaze hardening as I narrowed my eyes, “You must own up to your mistakes and take responsibility for your actions. Is that not what a princess should do in order to best serve her people?”

Her head hung even lower, if that was possible, and she glanced up at me before sighing in defeat, “Come on Spike, I need you to send a message to Princess Celestia so she can pass it on to my father.”

The duo left, leaving Twilight, Swift and I in the foyer as the sun began its journey back towards the horizon. It was only early afternoon, and yet it felt like a lifetime had passed since the morning light of dawn.

“I don’t know about you girls,” I said as I covered up a yawn, “but I feel like I could really use a nap.” I turned to Twilight, my gaze warm and hopeful, “I don’t suppose you could join me for a little midday siesta?”

Twilight’s wings flared for a moment before she nodded with a wide grin, “I would love to. After all the stress of this whole event I think we could all use some rest.”

I nodded in agreement before turning back to Swift, “Well, I guess you’re off duty for the next couple hours. Why don’t you get some early dinner or something once Spike finishes up with Rosie?”

Swift’s stomach rumbled, and the earth pony blushed as she held her gut with one hoof, “That would probably be for the best. Have a good rest you two.” Her lips curled as she cast us both a seductive look, “Try to keep the noise down if you get frisky, there are impressionable young minds here that would be traumatized by the experience if somepony happened to hear you.”

I swatted her playfully in the back of the head, “I’ll remember that little joke when you finally get up the courage to ask out Rosie. I’m sure she’d love to hear about how you were pining after her flank for weeks after seeing her for the first time.”

Swift’s expression immediately morphed into a look of horror, “You wouldn’t dare.”

I shared a knowing look with Twilight, who matched my mischievous smile as I turned back to Swift, “Try me.”

Twilight and I laughed as Swift marched off in a huff, her cheeks flushed bright red as she turned a corner and disappeared from view. I followed Twilight through the castle and up to the top of one of the towers, finding her own chambers behind a set of double doors as she opened them with her magic. I felt a sense of nerves overcome me as I realized that I was in Twilight’s room for the very first time, although my thoughts were interrupted as I felt a gentle shove from behind.

I glanced down and saw that Twilight was pushing me towards the bed, her horn igniting as she stripped my clothes off of me, leaving me in just my underwear and bra as she folded back the sheets and climbed into the mattress. She beckoned me with one hoof as she tapped the bed beside her, her eyes lidded and sultry as I walked up and climbed onto the bed with her. No words were spoken, not that we needed them, as I pulled the sheets up and over our bodies and settled into the feather-soft mattress. Twilight rolled over and slid back so her withers were flush with my hips, her wings tickling my stomach slightly as her head came to rest just under my chin. My arms wrapped around her form as I pulled her close to me, her breathing catching slightly as my fingers ran over her soft stomach fur and up over her chest.

I curled my chin and breathed into one of her ears, barely louder than a whisper, “I love you Twilight.” I opened my mouth and nibbled on the tip of her ear, feeling my lips curl into a smile as she stiffened under my touch.

She hummed in pleasure and turned her head to look up at me, “I love you too, even though you’re a terrible tease.”

I chuckled as she rested her head on the pillow once more, our breathing slowing as she pulled the blinds shut and plunged the room into darkness. The last thing I remembered was Twilight wrapping her tail around my hips, and the soft brush of her wings as they shifted slightly between our bodies.

Author's Notes:

Finally, I'm past the 200K word mark! Free punch and cookies for everypony!!

But seriously, I never imagined that I would end up saying that about one of my books. It has truly been an amazing ride up till this point, and the story is only just beginning. From this point on the action is going to get better, the characters will face trials they never could imagine, and all the while Carpet Sense is still going to be driving Celestia up a wall.

Love to hear from you all, so leave a like, comment in the towel section below, and give me a follow if you have enjoyed the book thus far.

Hope to see you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.