Aqua

by Volron265

First published 14th of June, 2018

The story of where it all began for Aqua WindStorm, a mare who finds out she is not what she thought she was. Read through action, moments of humour, and incessant valour as she embarks on the quest of figuring out who she is, and what she is to do.

Aqua makes the journey from being a lowly filly, raised by herself, to being a prominent member of the Order of Protectorates, an elite group of warriors who take vows of protection to save others from danger. She faces danger, heartache, and far more near-death experiences than should be normal as she recklessly goes about trying to do the most good possible. Lurking around the corner, however, is a looming threat seeking to use what she is, or what she will become, as a weapon. She is not alone in her trials, though, and meets up with powerful allies. She learns of what she is, what her enemies want with that information, and how she ended up where she is. Cover art courtesy of theGraid.

1. The First Steps

Awake and alone once again. I rub sleep from my eyes before surveying my surroundings for a moment. Within the safety of the walls I have created nothing can harm me, or at least such was my thinking. I arise and stretch, another fear filled night passed. I exit the door of my hut, the ever dark forest surrounding me and casting its shadows upon me. Little light can actually penetrate the thick canopy above me. I look to the trail, which I had blazed over the past few years, in contemplative silence for a few moments. It was then I heard something, a noise. I tensed up, knowing that there was something in these very woods that crept upon me. It was ever near but never visible; it was always there but never palpable. Some kind of evil presence was stalking me religiously and I felt the horror of the situation edge in upon my soul. I darted towards the trail, much like I always did, bolting and crashing through the tiny pathway I had created.

It was for a little while that I galloped in such a panicked flight before I slowed my pace. I could see the light of the morning sun, now visible at the edge of the woods. As I left the boundaries of these cursed trees I began making my way towards the nearest town, seeing if, perhaps, there was somepony there that would have mercy and actually look upon me for once.

Once within the boundaries of the town I stopped momentarily to catch my bearings. This was a place I had seen frequently, indeed daily. I was no stranger here myself, but to the inhabitants of this little town I was. In here, I was a stranger to those who trotted about me. They never looked, just kept trotting like I was nothing. Perhaps they didn’t see me, I bargained. Shaking the thought from my head, I began my trot around town, hoping that somepony would take note of me this time.

It wasn't terribly long before somepony actually did took note. A few glanced at me, maybe pretending that my regularity meant I was another denizen. One in particular came up and spoke to me. I do not recall the hide, as this was long ago, nor the name or any other feature of this mare. All I recall is how shocked I was when she spoke to me. "Hey, I've seen you around here a lot recently. Why are you always alone?"

I didn't even know how to respond. Indeed, I almost didn't know how to speak. I had had nopony to communicate with, so I had no practice in speech. As such I could not even respond to the pony standing before me. My mouth opened but I was unable to mimic the sounds I had heard from other ponies so frequently as I passed, a frequency that led me to understand the language for the most part. "Uh...did you hear me?"

I nodded but was still unable to speak. "Why are you always alone? Where is your family? Who is your mother and father?"

I wanted to tell the mare I didn't know, that I had grown up solo, but was unable to communicate. I tried to make a few words and only ended up with a kind of mixture of babbling and 'uh' sounds. "...so...uh...where's your house? Maybe that will help?"

I pointed in the general direction of the forest I had come from. The pony looked past me to see the place that I pointed to. She sat for a moment looking before her eyes grew wide. She then turned back to me and spoke in a kind of shocked tone. "Wait, there's no houses over there. The only thing that's over there is the Everfree Forest!"

I nodded, assuming that the forest I was from was what she was referring to. "You're from the Everfree Forest?"

I nodded again. Just then another pony came trotting up, speaking the name of the mare and causing her to turn around. "What do you have here?"

"This little filly is from the Everfree Forest! Can you believe that?" I shrunk a little, perhaps wondering if I had said or done something wrong.

"What? There's no way. Are you serious?" Now I really figured I had done something. I slowly began backing away so that nopony took note of me. When I was far enough away I turned and bolted behind a nearby bush. After another moment I checked to make sure they hadn't taken note. The two were heavily engrossed in conversation, so I figured it safe to leave. I darted out from the bush over the large open space to the nearby house. Once behind the wall I began trotting around to the back. It was then I took a moment to breathe, but it was also then that I saw somepony else back here. The pony wasn't specifically trotting behind the house like I was, but was trotting a distance away. The pony was considerably different from the others, I took note, in many ways. The first was that a few of his teeth were more fang-like than not and protruded slightly from his closed mouth. His eyes were also different. Whereas others had whites, irises and pupils, his appeared to be nothing more than irises, a kind of light blue or teal in colour. This colour was also present in a patch he had on his back, almost like some kind of cover. He had a horn but it was curved, whereas others were typically straight. His legs had curves and marks that I had not seen on other ponies before. His hide was dark and he had no mane. I looked on curiously as he passed. When he left I decided to stalk him a little myself. As such I broke from behind the house and began to follow him.

The journey took us all the way through town with no turnout. When he reached one building in particular he opened it and trotted inside. I figured I couldn't go in, mostly because I hadn't seen a mechanism of the type that he had on his door. It was circular in shape and connected to the door with a rectangle. There was a hole slightly above it but I wasn't quite sure what it did. Since I could follow him no more I gave up my designs and trotted my way back to the forest.

The whole time I was trotting there I was practicing speaking. As I had seen first hoof, I was unable to form so much as a word. It was frustrating work at best. By the time I reached the shack I could manage to say one word: no. I decided to settle down for the night, having made that much progress at least.

When I awoke I sensed there was something outside my shack again. I carefully peeked out the front and saw nothing. Accordingly I took flight as quickly as possible. As I left the clearing I heard it stop moving nearby. As hard as I could, I galloped, eventually leaving it behind. When I figured myself safe I slowed my pace and began working on speech again. When I had broken the tree line I could say one more word: yes. At least I could get the basis of speaking now.

I arrived in town once more, albeit from a different part. I didn't want to run into those two that I had before. As I entered town I saw the strange pony now trotting towards me. I tensed up and stopped, unable to move. His appearance kind of frightened me now that he was close. When he was a body length or so away he spoke. "Hey."

I simply stared at him; I'm sure my eyes were stretched open wide at this point. He stared right back for a second before speaking again. "Are you alright?"

I nodded, then figured it best to practice my word. Stammering is not quite good enough to describe my speech. "Y-y-yes."

"Can I help you then?" I wasn't sure what to respond, so I simply sat and blankly stared at him. He stared back for a moment longer before turning to leave. I didn't know what to say or what to do, so all I ended up doing was staring. When he had distanced himself from me by several body lengths he paused momentarily before turning back around and trotting over. "Hey, are you lost?"

"Y-yes." I figured that was as good of a response as any.

"Who are your parents? Where do you live?"

"No."

"No? What do you mean by 'no'?" This question was too complex for a mere yes or no. I, again, didn't know how to respond. He sat and stared at me momentarily. "Who are your parents?"

"No."

"No? Like, you don't have parents?"

"Yes." He was the one at a loss for words this time. After a moment or two he spoke.

"Tell you what, I can take care of you. Judging by how many fillies are around you, or even anypony at all, I can tell that your appearance is what makes the big difference." My appearance? I had never thought about the way I looked. "You can come to my home then, since my appearance makes others nervous too. I'll get you cleaned up and figure something out. Sound good?"

"Yes."

He chuckled. "Alright. Follow me."

We took the short journey through the small town until we reached the house to which I had stalked him before. He turned the curious mechanism, which he called the doorknob, and the door opened. Once we were inside he closed the door again and made himself busy going to work. I found a nearby mirror, barely able to peek into the bottom-most fringes of it, to see my appearance. My hide was a light, almost sky, blue. My eyes carried a rose tint, but looked like most others aside from that. My white hair was very unkempt and rough, not to mention dirty. Since I couldn't see the rest of myself I looked back to do so. I had a small set of wings on my sides, wings I really hadn't ever used before. My tail was a long appendage of flesh, also a light blue, instead of a bundle of hair. I was short, the build of an average filly I'd venture to say, but was very slim. Once I had finished getting a look at myself I turned around to find the pony standing nearby. "The bath is ready."

I wasn't sure what this 'bath' was, but I figured he knew best at this point so I followed him. When we arrived I saw a basin filled with water. I could only assume this was the bath that he had referred to. He bid me enter the water so I did. Once I was in the water I sat there, not knowing what to do. He sat nearby as well, possibly hoping that I knew what to do. After a moment or two of me looking around myself at the water he spoke. "You don't know what to do, do you?"

"No."

"Alright, then, I'll help you out." He then proceeded to clean my body and hair. It took a little while for him to finish but by the end I felt very different. I was clean, something I hadn't been before in my life. After I got out of the bath and was dried off he started speaking to me. "My name is Terrn. What's your name?"

I sat and stared at him blankly. As far as I recall I didn't have a name. After a moment or two he spoke again. "Surely you have a name?"

"...no."

"No name? What the hay? Hm, we'll have to think of one for you then." He sat in thought for a while until an idea popped into his head; it was a very visible reaction. "I know! How about River?"

I thought about it for a second but didn't like that name. I shook my head. "No."

"Hm, how about Hope?"

"No." Again the same reaction from me.

"...Aqua?"

I sat and thought on that one. I liked that name and it felt good, like it was a name I could use. I finally nodded. "Yes."

"Aqua it is."

"A-A...Aqua." I now had three words, at least.

"Good job. But I have to ask you something, Aqua." I cocked my head in curiosity. "You're not much of one for words, are you?"

I didn't know how to respond. 'No' could mean two different things and I didn't want to give him the wrong impression, but 'yes' was not the right answer in any sense of the word. As such I simply stared at him. After a moment or two he spoke again. "Thinking on it you've only said yes or no. Why is that?"

"No."

He was perplexed by my answer, so I'm assuming it wasn't the right way to use the word. "Wait, you said you have no parents. If I may ask, where are you from?"

I figured I could try to learn a new word here. "F-Fuh-fffffff...forest."

"Forest? The only one nearby is the Everfree Forest."

"Yes."

"That's where you're from?"

"Yes."

"And you had no parents?"

"No."

"And did you live there your whole life?"

"Yes."

"You don't know how to speak, do you?"

"No." Finally we were getting somewhere.

"That's why. Well, I can teach you then." I'm sure my face lit up

"Yes!"

He nodded. "Alright. Wait here while I go get some supplies. I'll be back in a little bit, alright?"

I nodded this time. "Good. Stay here."

With that he left. It was a long while before he came back, but when he did he had all sorts of things. He identified them as paper, quills, ink and a book. He then sat down with me over the course of at least several weeks, painstakingly teaching me how to speak, nonetheless read and write. Once he figured I was well enough on my own he spoke to me again. "Now, I have to go do some stuff so I can keep this house. Do you think you can wait for me?"

"I can." Already the lessons were paying off.

"Excellent. I'll see you later." With that he was gone. I was now left to myself.

Over the course of several days I studied what I could, using what knowledge I had in the language, to learn more words and use them. But, as a restless filly does, several days of waiting drew out to be too long. I couldn't stand it anymore. I set out from the house exploring, seeing if I could find Terrn. After scouring the town I found no trace. I then returned to the house again, it now being about dusk. I took a few items from his house, namely food and a little glass to drink, and packed them in two little saddlebags that Terrn had gotten for me one day after I had made exceptional progress in the language. Once all the supplies were packed I set out to see if I could find him outside of town. By the time I left it was the middle of the night.

My journeying through the wilderness consisted of little more than wandering, scavenging and setting up tiny shelters using what branches and leaves I could find and stacking it up on my saddlebags in a hope of creating a makeshift hut. This repeated for probably about a week's worth of time and I was still unable to find Terrn. One night I purposed to return home once more. I decided it best, perhaps, to await his arrival.

When I awoke the next morning I found I wasn't anywhere near where I had been before. Indeed, I wasn't even outside anymore. I was lying in a bed in the middle of a building I did not recognise. I panicked slightly, arising quickly and making my way out of the building as best as I could. When I left through the door I saw what seemed like a walled-in town of some kind. Buildings were numerous, each with their own purpose unknown to me. I had no sense of orientation and was completely lost. Just as I was about to bolt in order to look for the gates I heard a voice a little ways off from the right. "Ah, you're awake."

I looked over to find a pony with dark brown hide and a sandy blonde mane. His eyes were a light blue, lighter than my own hide. He trotted over and I backed away from him as he did so. When he saw this kind of reaction he stopped. "Something wrong?"

"Where am I?"

"I found you huddled up alone in the wilderness. You were shivering in your sleep. I figured I'd get you a warm place to stay."

"But where am I?"

"This is a school for fillies. A combat school, really. It's to improve discipline and focus. We send a lot of our recruits to the Royal Equestrian Army or other such groups. I'm a teacher here. That is why I brought you in here."

"What do you want with me?"

"I just wanted to get you some real shelter, because you looked pretty miserable in whatever you had made. Since you're already here I can pick you up as one of my students if you'd like." I couldn't find any reason not to. I thought on it a little more.

"Will I have shelter if I say yes?"

"Absolutely."

"Will I have to join the army?"

"Only if you want. There are other options too."

"I guess I'll stay."

"Oh, and what is your name? I can't believe I haven't asked yet."

"Aqua."

"Aqua, excellent. You can stay in the room you woke up in. Classes will start tomorrow. I'll take care of the rest." I nodded. I'm not sure why but I just felt like this was something that I needed to do. I then returned to the room that I had fled from, barely managing to find it, and awaited further instruction.

When morning came I was awakened by my new teacher. He bid me to follow him, so I did. It wasn't terribly long of a trot before we reached our destination: a building, almost like a house, that had a large joining courtyard fenced in by a medium sized stone wall. When we entered into the building I saw many other students there, possibly around twenty or so. "Good morning pupils. I'd like you to meet our newest addition to the class. Please welcome Aqua."

The response seemed a little lukewarm, almost as if welcoming in a student was more of a burden than a blessing to them. I disregarded such, the feeling being a familiar commonality for me. Once pleasantries were out of the way, breakfast was had and we went to learn about combat.

At the end of the day I hadn't learned much. We repeated a simple activity throughout the course of the entire day. I cannot remember what exactly we did but I do remember it being an exercise to improve physicality of some kind. When the day was over, all of us tired fillies returned to our rooms after dinner and welcomingly embraced the sleep that would come.

This kind of a pattern continued for a decent amount of time, I'd say almost a year. We'd go, eat breakfast, train, have lunch, train some more, then partake of dinner and finally retire to bed. Over the course of the year we learned very simple things, tasks that seem routine or monotonous to any who have ever used any kind of weapon. It was, nevertheless, new and exciting for me. As there was an odd number of recruits I was always under the personal watch of the teacher. Because of this my capabilities were catapulted far beyond a few that had been there for longer than I.

After the year had passed with the lessons on physical fighting the teacher decided to give us a little test to see where we all were. He organised a kind of tournament for us to participate in, a sparring bracket of kinds. Each of us were paired with another pony in the class, and a few from outside were brought in to compensate when there weren't enough. The tournament itself was comprised of the twenty one of us and another eleven of the same age who were more than eager to compete against us. Once the event was all organized, they even invited a few other classes to skip their practice sessions to come and watch the tournament and evaluate us on our performance. When everypony was gathered in, the teacher spoke. "Alright, so we have a very special opportunity here. We will have each student spar against the other in a tournament of skill and strength. The winner will receive the prize of my own personal recommendation to a very selective organisation higher up, an organisation that holds those that I suggest in high regard. It is possible that you might even become famous one day because of that order. They can also train you far better than we can here, creating one-pony armies."

Just about everypony there was more than excited over the prospect of such ideas. I, myself, was very interested in winning. Those words spoken by the teacher made the tournament even more intense than it was before. It was a test of skill, but was now the opportunity for fame and unparalleled learning; every student wanted that. We were corralled into our sparring rings eventually, once all the chatter and excitement died down a little. Each combatant was given a wooden sword, and the tournament soon began.

Battling my way through the tournament proved easy in the first two matches, almost unfair. The first two before me were easily bested. As the bracket shrunk from thirty two to sixteen, and then to eight, the difficulty increased dramatically. I managed to defeat the third, but it took some effort. Once I had him out of the way, however, it left the final four. All of us were more than serious about what was before us, and each of us were very talented in combat. Those that sparred now had years of experience, except for me. Regardless of such I defeated the next opponent, but it was fairly close. At one point I wondered if I could beat him or not but I did pull it off in the end. After that, there were only two of us left.

We were taken into a single ring here, the several classes and those that were defeated all watching eagerly to see who ended up with the grand prize. Here I was, the underdog with one year of experience, against a larger stallion with almost six years of training in the school, and who knows how long before that. He had defeated each of his opponents easily, as I was told. As the teacher prepared the fight it grew deathly silent. There were a few whispers every now and then, perhaps bets or something. "Alright; Aqua, Rush, are you ready for this?"

We both nodded in accord. "Then let the fight for the recommendation begin."

With that, he charged me. I dodged to the side, keeping out of reach of his strike. I knew that if he hit me it would spell very bad news. As I sidestepped I managed to get one small strike upon his hind leg. He wheeled around, trying to close the distance that he had gained while stopping his charge. When he got in close he began swinging his sword in a show of supremacy over me. He was trying to overpower me. I barely managed to block each strike, the force causing me to react violently and threatening to tear the sword from my mouth. With his last attempt I rolled forwards, ending up very close to his legs. He kicked me away, but it wasn't without penalty. I landed a very solid slap with the wooden blade upon his leg that resounded through the courtyard. When I recovered tumbling I had to move quickly. Try as I might he still managed to land a heavy blow on my tail, sending pain shooting up my body. When I recovered I saw the next blow coming. I was unable to bring the sword around in time so I had to do what I could. I kicked my front hoof up, catching the 'blunt' side of the blade and forced it up, making it narrowly miss my head. I then sprung in with my own sword, hovering the blade very near to the neck of my opponent; the winning strike was delivered for the round. The teacher broke us apart. "Aqua: one. Rush: zero."

The other pony looked at me with a very determined look, almost as if trying to get me to concede. There was no way I could just give in now. This was a best two out of three match and I was close to winning. It was easy to see that the other pony was not about to let that happen. The signal was given and the next round began. He came at me with more vigour, more drive. I dodged, blocked, parried and rolled but it wasn't quite good enough or quick enough. In the end he managed to strike my leg with colossal force, bowling me over before hovering the blade by my neck. His sheer strength had overpowered me. Once again the teacher broke us apart. "Aqua: one. Rush: one. Final round. Begin."

The ensuing fight was intense, to say the least. His blows were vicious and my actions were strained heavily but it did pay off. Through excessive push I was able to keep myself out of the reach of his blade and out of the way of his strikes. I was managing to land a few myself, but they never really amounted to anything by themselves. At this rate the pattern would have to continue until one of us was too tired to out-perform the other. I feared losing because of such, but it changed when he made one slip up. He tried to strike me from the right side, but he tried to do so very heftily. I dodged, barely, and the ensuing force carried his head further than he could manage to react in order to swing at me again in time. I took the shot, but since I was still recovering from my own motion the shot consisted of no more than very strongly slapping his front leg with the wooden sword. The force caused his leg to buckle and he fell over, being unbalanced. It was then I moved in, as he was trying to arise, and got the sword to his neck. I sat momentarily, astonished by what had just happened. I'm sure the pony shared my exact thoughts at that moment. The teacher came in once the silent audience broke into cheers. When I moved my blade, the amazed student before me arose. We both put out blades down. "Well, that was interesting for sure. How long have you studied combat?"

"A year."

"A year? One year? Nothing else? How did you...?" At this point the teacher was here and the mini congratulatory conversation was ended.

"Those were very good spars. Aqua, Rush, I must congratulate the two of you for making it this far. You two are shining examples to the other students on combat prowess. Unfortunately for you, Rush, Aqua has gotten the upper hoof. He has come out victor and has earned the recommendation for advancement. When I am informed of another opening I will hold another tournament like this." He then turned to the rest of the audience. "I must thank you all for coming out today. As we have seen there are several great pools of talent here in this school. Aqua has come out victor this day and will move on to the next level. Now, return to your studies. Perhaps one day you can all become like him."

It wasn't long before the band was broken, each returning to their own places. I was left alone with the teacher at this point. He approached me. "Well done, Aqua. Now, follow me."

I nodded and we made our way to the teacher's house. Once inside we entered into a small office he had set apart. Once the doors were closed we took our appropriate seats and he began speaking. "So, after such a small time frame you came out on top. Your skills have improved very rapidly, and I am very impressed. I knew since the first day in class that you had great potential. It was also for that reason that I took you in under my care to personally train you. It seems as if it has paid off."

"Teacher?"

"Yes, Aqua?"

"What's going to happen now?"

"Well, I will put a request in to the group that trains ponies further than we do."

"What group?"

"It's an organisation called the Order of Protectorates. It is a wonderful group that devotes itself to the protection of others. Only the best and the brightest are allowed in there. Once the referral is put in you will be informed of the next opening that arises. You will then finish that year's worth of courses and head out for the next step in your life."

"Okay."

"I have faith in you, Aqua. You will accomplish many great things in your life. Chase the potential; you'll never know where it will leave you."

"Okay."

"Now, I'll see you in class tomorrow." With that I nodded and was set free. I returned to my room, almost unable to contain my enthusiasm. I still couldn't believe what had happened. It was almost impossible for me at this point to sleep.

I managed to do so and the morning came. Actually, several days passed uneventfully. The new year eventually started, and without a hitch. After a short while, however, it was becoming clear that some problems were arising. Envious ponies did not like the fact that a filly as small, or young, as I was could take such an honour. There was one group in particular led by the brother of the pony I had bested that was exceptionally toxic. They had adopted the habit of calling me 'pet', referring to the special attention I received from the teacher. I would occasionally get jabbing remarks like 'runt' or 'small fry' as well, mostly because I didn't seem to be getting any taller. I never understood that part, that is to say, why others got bigger and I didn't. But, despite this, the problems still arose. The first problems started showing a few weeks after the tournament.

After class one day I saw the group outside of the courtyard, just out of earshot of those nearby. As I was preoccupied with the teacher, all the others having left already, I was alone when I left the ring. When I saw them, more particularly when they saw me, they began heading over. I tried my best to nonchalantly change the direction I was heading, perhaps hoping to get to a more publicly visible area or to avoid them altogether. It was clear it was not working as I was soon surrounded. I could not venture further as the six of them formed a circle and began viciously pacing around me. The leader was the first to speak. "So, pet, I hear you won the tourney."

Despite his efforts to make as many jabbing comments as possible I kept my calm. "Yes, I did."

"Did your master teach you how to cheat too?"

"You're just jealous because I had the skill to win the tournament."

"Sure, whatever. Well, guess what? I think your 'teacher' might find that you've gone missing."

"And why is that?"

He stepped closer, the circle stopping their prancing. He was now directly in front of me. My heart was beating rapidly and I was very aware of every surrounding. "Oh, no particular reason. You just might not be able to make it to class ever again. You see, the thing is, nopony likes a showoff."

"How am I showing off if I'm just doing what you should have learned already?"

His face carried a look as if he had just recoiled in disgust. "Not everypony is as pampered as you are, pet. Just because things are handed to you on a plate doesn't mean we don't have to fight for it. Take a step down and join the rest of us here. Get real for a day, huh?"

"Maybe you should just try during class for once. You just need to put yourself out there."

"You just need to be put down." He swung a leg, hoping to hit me with a strong blow. I rolled underneath his swing and arose once more. "Hold still, pet!"

"I'm not going to put up with this. I suggest you stop."

"Why? Can't handle an actual fight? Heh, check it out guys. The little runt here thinks he's too good for a fight."

"No, it's because I know that you don't stand a chance." In fury he lashed out again but I easily dodged the reckless swing.

"Shut your mouth and get over here, runt!" He chased me with a vengeance, hoping to land a blow or pin me in some way. After a few failed attempts, with me dodging him while within the confines of the circle, he turned and barked at his accomplices. "You fools! Don't just stand there! Grab him! Hold him down!"

The others began to pursue me, closing the circle. I dodged one, managing to get outside of the circle. I tried my best to flee but it was clear that my smaller size left me an easy target if I continued. I decided that I couldn't be passive any longer. At this point I turned and made sure each blow, each movement, was calculated so that it landed perfectly to diffuse the situation as quickly and effortlessly as possible. The leader was the first one to arrive. Accordingly he was the first I nailed. I rammed my head forwards, jabbing it into his windpipe after I had ducked out of the way of one of his swings. He fell to the ground, hacking and coughing whilst holding his hooves to his throat. The other five paused for a moment. I could see their expressions change to pure fury as I was turning to flee again. They now began to chase me, enraged beyond any kind of reasoning. When it was again obvious that I would not be able to reach anypony else before they caught me I came to a screeching halt. They were more concerned about the fact that they didn't have to run as far now rather than what I was about to do next. As the first drew within range I bucked back. The blow connected with his chest, not quite sending him sprawling but definitely still knocking him down. I heard a slight crack as he fell to the floor. I dodged another and tripped him with a hoof as he charged by. The next I dodged and allowed him to stumble into his tumbling companion. I turned to see the next charging straight at me, trying to throw a kick simultaneously. I ducked down and kicked his other front hoof in, making him face plant onto the ground. The final one caught me right as I turned around. His strong leg wrapped around my throat and chest, keeping me restrained. I struggled as best as I could to free myself but his grip was stronger than my entire frame. As I continued the leader arose. He coughed a little blood out after he got up. He trotted over, his steps seeming to be unsure. He was now standing directly in front of me again. "You just crossed the line, pet. I was going to let you live, but I see that's not going to be an option anymore."

He swung a hefty blow, landing it directly into my midsection. I felt sick, highly nauseated, as he prepared the next blow. The one holding me was far too strong for me to escape. I was frantically thinking of something I could do to escape the situation. I finally managed to devise a plan and decided it best to enact it. I waited until he went to strike me the second time before I moved. I hurt too much at this point to be able to do anything radical, so all I could do was move to the side as far as possible. His hoof sped towards me as I pulled away, letting him nail his friend instead of me. The hit clipped me, sending pain up my body still, but it had the desired effect on the unwitting assailant. The one that held me firmly let me go, his grip loosening. I quickly slipped out of the grasp of the leader's lackey and, before he could react sufficiently, charged in and head butted the leader's neck again. As he fell down I could see he was bleeding this time, as if from a puncture wound or something. It was also clear he was far more debilitated this time than before. I then quickly dealt with his accomplice when he neared. It was a buck to the ribs to cause him to pause, another to drop him and a final one to assure he stayed down. The two that I had tripped were coming over, trying to give me some kind of payback for what I did to their leader. I quickly dispatched them with a head butt and a buck, barely keeping out of their grasp and only suffering one blow to the upper back that almost sent me sprawling. When the dust settled I fled as best as possible. I galloped away, sore and sick while they sat bleeding and broken on the floor behind me. I made my way directly for my room and awaited the end of the waves of pain.

The following day, when I looked myself over, it was very clear that I was bruised from the skirmish yesterday. The two most apparent were the one on my upper back and the one on my undercarriage. I'm sure it was nothing compared to the others but it was still more than apparent. I could only hope that nopony said anything.

In reality, just about everypony said something, even the teacher. He pulled me aside after class to ask me about my extracurricular activities. "Well, Aqua, would you care to explain the bruises you have there?"

"It wasn't my fault, teacher. I had to defend myself."

"Did they start it?"

"Yeah."

"How many of them were there?"

"Six."

"Kind of big?"

"Bigger than me."

"Then I suppose your training is paying off. I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself. It makes me very glad to hear that you didn't start the problem. Keep up the good work, Aqua." He smiled, a token I returned in kind. He then let me out of his office. I was almost expecting another run in but it was clear that there was nothing, and nopony, waiting for me.

The rest of the second year passed without any problems. My teacher was training me even harder than he had before, telling me that he was preparing me for what lie ahead. Once the second year was over we received the subject of the next year's training: magic and dealing with magic in combat. As I was unaware of any kind of magical potential I might have had, having seen no horn atop my head, I decided to be put in the group that had to deal with magic in combat.

The year rolled by fairly uneventfully. Perhaps the little scuffle I had with that one group was enough to keep others from trying anything. What we learned was a decent amount of dodging, recovery and even how to block it with either sword or shield. Indeed, we were the targets of the unicorns and others who could use magic, and although their spells were never really potent it was still not the most pleasant experience if one got hit. As the year ended we were all fairly excited for what the next year would hold. When the teacher gathered us together he informed us that he would be training us all to the level I needed to be at in order to join the organisation ahead of me. A few of the students, at first, did not find that kind of prospect very enthralling but all accepted it by the end. If nothing more they did it to show support. It almost seemed like I was earning the respect of the other students in some slow and strange way.

Just before the new classes began a new student came into the class. The teacher had told me that I had already learned all he had to teach, and that my capabilities surpassed what I should have been able to handle as a colt. As such he granted unto me mentorship of the new student. They were to move in to my quarters to more closely be in contact with me. I, of course, accepted the call gladly. I was told to await further instructions while within my chambers.

It didn't take terribly long after I arrived, no more than perhaps an hour, for the door to open and the teacher to be standing there. "Aqua, good to see you. I'd like to introduce you to your new trainee and the newest member of our class: Thunderstrike."

From behind the doorway stepped a small filly, perhaps no larger than myself. I would have said the age was around my own, but I had no idea how old I actually was. The hair on the filly was a sandy blonde, with the hide being a dandelion yellow. Brown stripes ran across the hide like designs. The filly kept their hair spiked or jagged. They were bashful, that's for sure. "Now, Thunderstrike, Aqua is a very kind colt who is more than willing to guide you and help you learn. Aqua, Thunderstrike is a very bright and intelligent pupil who is more than willing to learn. I know the two of you will get along very well. Now, I'll leave you to it while I see to the others in the class. See you two later!"

With that he departed. It didn't take terribly long for Thunderstrike to put their stuff away within the room. Once the door was closed, nothing else being on the agenda for the day, I decided to converse with the pony. "So you're the new one?"

"Yeah."

"Great to meet you. So where are you from?"

"A little town to the northwest. You probably haven't heard of it."

"Probably not. Especially with where I'm from."

"Where are you from?"

"The Forest."

"Which forest?"

"I think ponies call it the Everfree or something." The pony simply looked at me. "What?"

"You're from the Everfree Forest?"

"Yeah, why?"

"That's really cool! I've never heard of anypony being from there before. I'm just a simple little filly where I'm from, nothing really special."

"So what brought you here?"

"I wanted to join the army. I wanted to help others, to give them what we have here: freedom."

"That's good."

"What about you?"

"I just kind of ended up here and it turns out I was really good, so I stayed."

"So what do your parents do for work?" I sat and stared at her. After an awkward moment or two she spoke again. "Like, what are their jobs?"

"I...uh, I don't have parents."

"Aw, come on, surely you do!"

"No. I was all alone."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Ouch. That stinks. Well, mine were tailors."

"Tailors?"

"Yeah, like they worked with clothes."

"Oh." It fell quiet for a moment. "So Thunderstrike-"

"Sparky is fine."

"What?"

"You can call me Sparky. Everypony else does. I kind of like it more anyways."

"I was thinking. It's kind of late. Want to just turn in for the night?"

"Yeah, sure. That'd be alright with me. I was kind of tired anyways." I nodded. Within several minutes all preparations were made and we settled down on our respective beds. As I was climbing onto my bed I heard her speak from the other bed. "Wait, you're not a colt."

I wasn't sure what she was talking about so I stopped and looked over at her. "Yeah, you're not a colt at all."

"What do you mean?"

"Your body is different. It's not the same as theirs. You're a filly just like me." I still didn't really know what she was referring to, but decided it best to not push the subject.

"I didn't know that."

"Yeah. That's super cool. It means I can do cool things just like you. Everypony laughed at me and said that this was a stallion's work. If you can do it, though, that means I can do it. Mares can do it too." Now I understood. Before this moment I had sincerely thought I was just another colt in the school, but it was becoming apparent that there was something special about me. I smiled at her before speaking again.

"Ready for tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'm really excited!" I let out a small laugh.

"Alright. Good night." With that we curled into our respective beds. Before too long the two of us were sound asleep.

To be honest there wasn't a whole lot to note between the time when Sparky came and the time when I left aside from two things. The first I found while I was walking back from a personal excursion around the perimeter of the school grounds, while the second came from asking my teacher a question. The first thing I found was when I saw a group of ponies gathered in a ring, pretty close together, and they appeared to occasionally move. I was naturally curious, so I approached the group. As they would shift, as I got closer, I got glimpses of something within. When I was nearby I saw what was being handled within; Sparky was being shoved around. I tried to worm my way in the first time to get shoved back out. The second time brought the same result. Tired of watching this I turned about, lined up my shot and bucked back into the back of the hind legs of one of the ponies. He collapsed from the force with a shout. They all turned around; even I did to face them. Suddenly it all grew deathly still. One of them finally spoke. "Guys, isn't that the pony that beat up Rush's brother and his friends by himself?"

"Hey, this isn't a good idea anymore. Let's scram." Within a few moments, they left. The one I had bucked limping pretty hard. I was left alone with a very battered Sparky. I trotted over and helped her up.

"You alright?"

"I am now. What were they talking about?"

"Other ponies tried doing that to me too. It didn't go well for them."

"You beat them?"

"All six."

"Wow. I want you to teach me how to do that." I laughed a little.

"Alright. I'd be more than happy to." She smiled before we began making our way back to our room.

It was several months after this, the training of Sparky going very well, when I was called into my teacher's office once more. When the doors were shut he spoke to me. "Aqua, I have something very special for you. I got a letter and I think you'd be excited to read it,"

I was more curious than anything. He went and got the letter, bringing it to me. The letter seemed really fancy. There was a wax seal and everything. I opened it and began reading; it was an acceptance letter. It was penned as Guildmaster of the Order of Protectorates. I had been accepted into the Order of Protectorates. I could barely contain my excitement, as well my teacher, and I quickly bolted out to show Sparky. When I did she seemed almost a little sad. "Isn't this great? I got in!"

"Yeah, that's great."

"You don't seem very happy."

"I'm going to miss you, Aqua. When you go I won't have anypony."

"I'm not leaving forever. I'll still be able to write you, maybe visit."

"You were the first pony who took me in. I'll never forget that, Aqua."

"I won't forget you, Sparky. I'll see what I can do to get you in the order with me, how's that?"

"I'd love that! Could you do it?"

"I'm sure I can." She hugged me excitedly before letting me go to speak with the teacher again. When I arrived it was almost as if he was waiting patiently for me. "I have a question teacher."

"What is it?"

"Do you think Sparky will make it like I did?"

"Into the Order?"

"Yeah."

"No." It was like a stab in the heart how blunt he was. "She won't be able to follow you there."

"What? Why not?"

"Because where you're going, only colts and stallions can go. It is not work for mares."

"But that isn't fair!"

"Life isn't fair, and I think the sooner you learn that the better it will be for you and those around you." I fell silent. "But, I don't want this conversation to become that crushing. I have something I wanted to give to you."

I perked up. The teacher, with a smile on his face, went and retrieved a small wrapped package from the back of the room. When he came back he gave it to me. I then opened it to find a sword, freshly made and thoroughly polished, encased within a simply designed scabbard. I looked back up at him, almost unable to contain myself. "Now, this blade isn't sharp, much like your skills are only just formed. I designed this sheath specifically and specially. Each time you draw or stow your sword it will sharpen it, just as how practice will refine you in your career. Don't draw the blade unnecessarily, as it might wear down too much and ultimately be destroyed. I wish you luck in the next step of your life. You are to leave at the end of the year."

With that he sent me off. I, predictably, went immediately for my room to share the news with Sparky. I showed her my new sword and everything. I then, unfortunately, had to share the other news I received. "Sparky, you're not going to like what I'm going to say."

"Why's that?"

"I asked the teacher. He said that only colts and stallions can be in the order."

"Are you serious? That's not fair!"

"I know. I told the teacher that too, but he just told me life wasn't fair."

"But Aqua, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know how I can get you in. I'll figure it out."

"No, about yourself! If they find out you're a mare it could be really bad!" She had a point. I was kind of nervous now.

"Then maybe I shouldn't."

"No, you should. Maybe, if you do it right, when you show how good you are they might see that mares can do this too."

"Yeah, maybe. But if I mess up they might kill me or something."

"It's worth a try though, right?" I sat and thought about it for a moment.

"I guess you're right. I'll join the order and show them what we can do."

"Yeah! That's the spirit!" After a moment passed she spoke again. "I want you to teach me as much as you can before you go, ok?"

"Yeah." She happily hugged me, causing me to smile, before leaving. The rest of the day went uneventfully, the only thing of note being the training I was now giving Sparky full-time.

When the end of the year rolled around, being nearly wintertime, the teacher approached me, asking if I was ready for the trip ahead. I replied that I was. Shortly thereafter he prepared a small set of saddlebags with supplies sufficient to make it to the order. He then set me off through a back gate headed towards my new home.

The journey was hard, the weather brutal and the trail unforgiving. At one point the elevation was high enough that it snowed, leaving me near-hopelessly voyaging through the thick snowfall that nearly engulfed me each time I tried to take a step. Once I got over that part the rest of the trail was fairly easy, albeit very long and a little precarious. As I trotted along the path during one of the days I noticed a white object out of the corner of my eye. I decided to check it out, perhaps to break the monotony of hiking this trail. When I arrived and brushed the vegetation off of it I was horrified to find the skeletal remains of a pony hidden there underneath. I recoiled back, heart racing. After a moment or two of staring at the dead remains of the deceased pony I decided to keep moving. A few more of these skeletal remains littered the trail until shortly before the order. As I rounded the last curve the large building came into view past the tree line. It was basically a castle. The walls, high and seeming to be pretty thick, had massive wooden doors ornately designed, as I would find out later as I approached. From without, the only thing one could see above the high wall was a massive fortress-like citadel. At least two floors stretched above those walls, however high they were. It was all made of stone. It was impressive, to say the least, and I was now very excited to make my way there.

The journey through the night was uneventful. A little before dawn, however, it quickly became apparent that I was in trouble. As I was journeying I heard a few growls. Turning about to face them I saw a large timberwolf in my view. Thinking first on the sword I had, I unsheathed it and swung. The blade stuck in the muzzle of the wolf as it yipped and ran off. I was struck by a tinge of sadness when the sword was yanked from my grasp, as I had just gotten the sword not too long ago. I could not, however, afford to mourn or stay put, so I wheeled around and began galloping fiercely towards the castle-like structure. It wasn't terribly much longer after I had done so than I heard more yipping. It was soon followed by the sounds of larger creatures chasing me and a few growls and snarls. I used what adrenaline I could to make it as far as possible but I was certain my little legs weren't enough. I went to glance behind me, finding at least four or five wolves in hot pursuit. While looking back momentarily I felt my hoof catch on something, not only sending a very subdued wave of pain up my leg but also sending me sprawling and tumbling across the rough trail. When I came to my senses the wolves were circling around me. I frantically searched to try and find something else I could use as a weapon. Searching my pack revealed a little wooden sword with the word "Sparky" and a heart carved on the hilt. I decided this was better than anything, so I brandished it. A wolf drew near, causing me to wail it with the wooden blade. It did the trick in warding off the wolf for now. When the next came in I tried the same thing but the wolf grasped the blade in its mouth after taking the blow. The sword was then yanked from my mouth and ended up elsewhere nearby. The last thing I had as a shot was a branch that came off of the first wolf I hit, so I grasped that too. That plan didn't get very far either, as it was soon torn from my grasp.

It seemed ever more prevalent that my doom was approaching. I had one last option, so I waited for a wolf to move in. When it did I rolled past it, narrowly dodging the clasping jaws of death. I then recovered, being outside of the circle now, and bolted before the wolves could react. I decided it best to not look back this time as I determinedly galloped to the castle. As I was approaching I could swear I saw another galloping towards me, as if this pony was coming from the castle. It wasn't much longer after I had noted such that I felt my tail grasped firmly by one of the wolves. Within a moment I hit the ground roughly. I bucked back and connected with the wolf, forcing it to let my tail go. Then began a frantic pattern of rolls and shifts to narrowly avoid the snapping jaws of several wolves as they each, in succession, tried biting at some part of my body. Suddenly, from behind me, leaped another pony armed with a sword. He had on some kind of coat so I couldn't tell what he looked like. Swing after swing this pony warded off the wolves, even killing a few. When the dust settled I was simply sitting behind this stranger completely awestruck. He eventually turned around, revealing a bit more of himself. I could see the hide on his face was a sea-blue, his eyes almost amber. His mane was concealed, so I still didn't know what it was like. This pony stared down at me before speaking. "That was quite the display of foolhardy bravery you had there. I think if you dodged the wolves any further as you were doing you might just have reached the Sanctuary."

I turned about to find myself no further than a couple dozen yards from the massive wooden doors. "Go now, little one. You have a great fate to embrace."

Before I could even ask who he was he vanished, almost as if by magic. I was then left alone again in front of the massive doors. I turned, about to knock on the gates, when suddenly the two massive edifices of wood shifted, startling me. The gates opened and I had one option: enter. As I trotted in I was awestruck by the interior. Granted everything seems massive to a filly, but this was exceptional. I felt absolutely tiny in this place. What I was looking at was a kind of Main Square that seemed as if it could hold hundreds, if not thousands, directly in front of the massive castle-like building. To the left and the right were buildings, but they didn't matter as much to me at the time. As I began trotting forwards I heard the gates closing behind me. As they slammed shut I continued my journey. After quite a while I finally arrived at the front steps. These, as well, seemed to last a lifetime's duration just to climb. When at the top I pressed against the large wooden doors, barely managing to open one. As I trotted in I saw a singular pony sitting on a throne-type chair down a long hall with high vaulted ceilings. As I continued my determined approached towards the pony clothed in a white robe they spoke. "And who might you be?"

The voice was loud, but was not harsh. I wasn't sure I could respond that loud, but I tried my best as I continued moving towards him. "My name is Aqua."

Perhaps he did not hear me, as he didn't respond for a while more. As I continued my approach, being considerably closer now, he spoke again. "I still await your answer, little one. Who are you?"

I was only a few body lengths away from the small flight of stairs that led up to his seat when I stopped and spoke. "My name is Aqua."

"Aqua, hm? And what brings you here today, Aqua?"

"I'm here to join this group."

"Do you have the letter?"

I rummaged through my saddlebags until I found it. "I do."

"Then hand it over." With that I took the letter out of the bag and gave it to the pony before me, who levitated it out of my grasp to read. It seemed odd to me because he was the one who wrote it to begin with. I, nevertheless, remained silent until he had finished. "Excellent. Now, I have a few questions for you. Is that alright?"

"Yeah."

"What made you want to join the Order?"

I really hadn't thought about that much. "Well, I don't really know. I felt like I needed to. I guess to help other ponies so they don't end up like I did."

"And what does that mean?"

"Alone and unprotected."

"Very well. Do you think you have what it takes to join the Order?"

"Yeah." I actually had no idea what I was getting into.

"Now, I need to point out one thing. Here in this Order, we pride ourselves in being fighters of the highest capabilities. What that means is that we need to have training that is a notch above that of every other organisation on the face of the planet. We have managed such by implementing one slight change in our training routine: instead of dulled blades used for practice we supplemented fully sharpened and prepared weaponry. The training becomes infinitely more intense and those unable to keep up are, sadly, eliminated." I could only guess what he meant by that. "You will be training with real swords capable of killing other ponies. Do you feel up to the challenge?"

It seemed like a hefty burden to accept but I was getting an overwhelming feeling like it was what I needed to do. Determinedly I nodded. "Yes."

"Excellent. Rend here will show you to your room." From some other part of the hall appeared a large, burly pony. His gaze was very intimidating and almost frightened me. I nodded in accordance, more excited about the fact that I was now a part of this group. The large pony then spoke in a gruff manner.

"Come." With that, he began leading the way. I followed behind him. We eventually reached one of the buildings I had trotted past on my way over. Once inside, the pony pointed to an empty chamber. "Here."

I entered the room and set my things down, getting all things in order. Once there I sought out the guidance of the pony who had led me here. When I exited the doorway again I found that he was gone. Unsure of what came next I thought that perhaps I should simply return to the Main Hall. Upon arriving I found it to be bare. As confused as I was I figured that staring down an empty hall was going to do me little good. It was when I turned about to leave again that the pony in the white robe stood before me. "What brings you here again?"

"I'm sorry, mister-"

"Please, Guildmaster is what you may call me."

"I'm sorry, Guildmaster, I didn't mean to trespass."

"No, I was asking because classes are about to begin. You had best be off there then."

"Um, Guildmaster?"

"What is it?"

"I don't know where I'm supposed to go."

"Ah, well, I can show you the way. Follow me." It wasn’t terribly long of a journey to one of the buildings off to the other side of this place. Once we found the correct building the Guildmaster simply pointed me in. "I wish you the best of luck."

I wasn't sure what he was referring to but was too excited at the prospect of training to become a member of the Order to care. I trotted inside, crazily enough in time for the teacher to begin addressing the group that was therein. "Alright, to all of you who stand within the sound of my voice I can tell you this much: if you came here expecting some kind of simple, easy training that would somehow make you into what you needed to be you were wrong. This is beyond simple training and it will in no ways be easy. I will lay down for you a few rules of the order in case you managed to forget. Rule one: this Order runs on Vows of Protection. If you attempt to defend somepony you have silently taken a vow to protect them. You are to see they are delivered from whatever harm it is attempting to befall them. Should you fail, as I'm sure several of you will, your Vow will stand broken, a bloody testament against your effectiveness. Should reckoning come and you are found lacking it is very possible that your life will be forfeit to the Order, destined to whatever fate we deem worthy of such disgrace. If you attempt to run from your responsibility we will catch you and your punishment will be the same either way. Rule two, and this proves more a guideline than anything: do not attempt to uphold more than one Vow. If you do it will prove all the easier for you to fail and disgrace this sacred Order. Rule three is a tradition of the order and I will uphold it very fiercely: there are to be absolutely no mares in this order."

My ear flicked, as much as I didn't want it to, out of pure reaction. I resisted the urge to shift or cringe; I was already breaking a rule and I hadn't even joined yet. "Should I find a single mare in here she will be dealt with very harshly and very promptly. They are more subject to failure in tasks like this than we are."

His comment was, at the very least, upsetting. Regardless of his hatred towards ponies like me, I determined that I would prove him wrong. It was from hence that I would work harder than any of the other stallions on these grounds. "Rule four: celibacy is required. Relationships simply weaken your resolve and have led to the downfall of more stallions than we care to acknowledge; we are an honourable Order that will not be marred by stallions subdued by unholy vixens. Now, those are the four basic rules of the Order. I have some of my own as well that are effective only in this classroom. My first rule: if you cannot keep up with the others you will fail; if you fail you will die. Simple. These are real swords you're using. I will have none of you wimping out on your training and endangering the honour of this Order. Rule two: there is to be no crying and no whining. The workload of those found doing so will be increased, so suck it up. Rule three: Those who arrive late to classes will have their workload doubled each time they arrive late. Tardiness is failure and I will tolerate none such. Rule four: if you are severely injured, either momentarily maimed or a bone was broken, that's rather unfortunate. You will get no respite on the battlefield. You will get no respite here. Every fight here is synonymous to a fight out there; every fight here is a fight for your life. Am I clear?"

The class shouted in agreement. "Excellent. Now, get to it. Pair yourself with a pony that you deem worthy. If you can find one who you do not like it will be all the better."

Suddenly the class erupted into motion. Pair by pair the room emptied until it was just me and a stallion, probably one of the biggest that had been in the room. When he came over he looked down at me. "Well, shortstop, guess that just leaves the two of us, huh? Ready to move on from this life?"

With that, he chuckled a little before turning to go towards the one unoccupied room; I had to follow him. Once we were inside we saw two identical blades sitting on the floor of the room, one on each side. When we were both standing behind the blades the teacher came in. "Alright, an interesting combination here. The biggest against the smallest. Doesn't matter. This is a supremacy match. Whoever manages to put their blade to the neck of their opponent gains one win. Remember: you're not trying to kill the pony, yet. You're only trying to get the upper hoof. Take up your blades and begin."

I picked up the sword, which ended up being heavier than I thought it would have been, and readied myself the best I could. The larger pony then moved in. I parried the blow, ducking over to the side to help accommodate the force. He brought his sword around again, but I managed to block it narrowly. It was in this moment I knew that, because of the weight of the blade, I would have to win by speed and not by strength. When I thought this I changed my battle tactics. It was then I saw the stallion's blade descending towards me. I bolted in as fast as I could, more to dodge the impending strike than anything else, managing to get in between his straddling legs. I pulled the blade up as best as I could as I ran by. The sharpened edge cut into his legs, but because I wasn't able to maintain the strength behind the blade the cuts were not monumental or even very effective. He grunted, nevertheless, and wheeled around. His sword followed him shortly. I managed to duck, but I suppose it wasn't quite what I needed. The blade clipped my mane, sending a decent chunk of the white hairs tumbling to the ground. The blow also shoved my head to the side; I didn't know why, as he didn't actually manage to hit my head. While he was recovering from the whirling strike I took my shot, quickly bucking out his left front leg as he was finishing his circle, causing him to fall. All the weight and force was unsupported and forced him to tumble, giving me the perfect opportunity to place my blade at his neck. It was then the teacher trotted in. "My my, isn't this something to see? What an interesting turn of events. You had better hope this doesn't continue. It'd be embarrassing explaining to your family that you were defeated by a colt, no?"

The teacher then left again. I spat my sword out and waited for my opponent to rise. "You better watch yourself, runt. Next time I will win; next time I will kill you."

With that, he stormed out, still bleeding from his legs. I was left alone in the room. More out of curiosity I looked at the little pile of white hairs on the floor before turning to a blade to see my reflection. When I looked down at the blade I noticed now the tip of a horn sticking out from my jaggedly cut hair. I reeled back a little, shocked by what I had just discovered. For the majority of my life I had believed myself to be nothing more than a pegasus who couldn’t even fly. I realised now that I was far more. I was both a unicorn and a pegasus, but what it meant I had no idea. All I remember is that I knew that being both was something special, but that was it. I had no idea what was about to come of this recent development, but I was soon to find out. I left the room, the teacher being nearby. When he saw me it was almost like his visage dropped. As I neared, heading for the doorway, he spoke. "An alicorn, huh? Well, let's just hope your pompous attitude doesn't spell out the death of you, hm?"

With that he left me alone once more. It seemed like everypony in this place was so full of hatred towards me and I couldn't figure out why. I shrugged off the notion, having no other alternatives really, and continued on my way, determined as ever to prove my point. I was here to show what Sparky had said in that combat school.

The next day came and we found ourselves in class once more. Once we were all assembled the teacher spoke. "Alright, so you have a feel for combat now, what it's like to take a few blows. Unless I'm mistaken and you're some kind of masochist I think it'd be safe to say you don't want to keep feeling what happens when you get caught by a sword. That brings us to the topic of today's lesson: parrying and blocking. I need a pair of you to come forwards and give us a little demonstration of what it means to block and to parry. You two, in the back, the alicorn and his partner, come to the front."

He had signalled for us, and I'm sure I was the only one in here with both wings and a horn, so I arose and set forth to the front. My combat partner followed close behind. Once we were in the front the teacher brought out a little rack with two swords and two shields. With a hushed tone he spoke to the two of us. "Alright, the two of you are going to do something real simple. Take the sword and shield, then fight but focus on blocking and parrying, got it?"

We both nodded. My partner took up one of the shields, equipping it to his leg to cover the one side of him, and took the sword in mouth. As I was a little small for the shields I opted out of using it and decided instead to take just the sword. When the teacher saw that he spoke. "Think you're too good for a shield? Well, we'll see how far that'll get you. Good luck."

His comment stung but I disregarded it. Now more than ever I could prove at least one point: I was here to stay and join this order no matter the cost or difficulty. I grasped the blade, one that weighed me down considerably, and prepared myself for the demonstration. On the teacher's mark it began. My partner swung first, prompting me to parry the blow. I did, but it was a hard thing to accomplish. It gave me enough time to recover in order to roll under his next swing. I then took a shot, which he promptly blocked with the shield. After another bout or two of such the teacher stopped us. "Excellent. Do you all see how effective that was? Not one blow was landed on either. Blocking and parrying will save lives, not just yours. So unless you want to die I suggest you learn quickly today. You may now all go to your respective rooms and practice."

Again, everypony split off while we recovered a bit. After a short while we went to our respective room as well. The combat followed closely to suit with what we had done as a demonstration, just for a much longer period of time. When the day was over we were dismissed. For some reason, despite the success my combat partner had in blocking each of my blows, he seemed to be more than upset about something with regards to me. As he left, muttering something I didn't quite catch, I decided it best to discard the thought and head out myself.

I think it was about a month's time that passed before we finished training in the subject of defence. One day the teacher addressed us as a class once more. "Alright, so you've learned one kind of defence. That's good, but it's not good enough. It's time to teach you some other principle, something to safeguard you. The lesson is simple but the impact is profound. Emotions are not for the battlefield. Leave them out of it. How many ponies have perished because they let their judgement slip due to emotion? Too many. It's time you learn, and you better learn early, how to control your emotions or they will be the death of you. Am I clear?"

The answer was a yes, which then prompted the teacher to begin the lesson. It wasn't quite what I had anticipated, as a majority of the lesson ended up being him hurling insults at us. Once or twice, I'm sure, he created some kind of fictitious story to try and offend somepony. I'm still not sure how he managed to come up with an entire day's worth of fables and sharp words; perhaps he had thought on it for a while. I disregarded such a thought and sat as he continued his railing.

The day passed like that before we ended up going back to rest for the day. When the new day came he told us we'd be arguing with our combat partner. It didn't quite make sense to me but I decided to go along with it. It was interesting, to say the least, what my combat partner had to say about me in that moment, especially when he went into gruesome detail on what he planned to do in order to kill me.

The week passed and, upon the last day of said week, the teacher addressed us again. "As you have been learning to control your emotions I have been listening intently. Again, emotions are a tool your opponent can and will use to defeat you. This will be the last day of the lessons on such. I urge you all to continue learning. I believe, though I will check again, that one of you has already mastered it."

Each of us split off to our respective rooms once more. When my opponent and I were preparing ourselves for the session the door opened. We both turned to see who had opened the door, only to find the teacher trotting in. He closed the door behind him and sat down in the side of the room. "I believe that you, shrimp, have already managed to control your emotions to help you master the battlefield. That is why I am sitting here in this lesson instead of outside like normal. We shall see how it pays off. You may begin."

With that the two of us picked up our swords. My partner charged first, swinging the blade as he got in range. I parried the blow and dodged, using the force from the blow to help me get around his sword quicker. Just as it always was, his stance stood open wide after his first attack, letting me bolt underneath him with my sword trailing behind me. The blade, as it had done so many times now, scraped along his exposed legs to eventually leave a new set of scars to join the others. As I emerged from behind, narrowly making it out before he closed his stance, he wheeled around, blade swinging viciously in tow. I decided it best to dodge the blow entirely. I barely managed to do so with a roll that was very forced due to the weight of my own blade. When I got back to my hooves he was recovering, ready for the next blow.

The spar continued as such for quite the length of time. He was moving faster during this spar, that was for sure, but he couldn't hold the pace for the whole time. After probably about half an hour we were both getting a little tired. I needed to continue draining him like that so I could bolt in with one last effort to take him down. He did manage to land one very strong blow during the fight, but it didn't amount to much. Due to how I had moved it ended up being more of a hefty slap than my ultimate demise. It would leave a very sore welt later, but at least I was still alive. I landed a few more cuts on his legs before the teacher stood. We paused momentarily. "I have seen enough to know who would win this exchange. Perhaps you two should seek separate opponents; the runt is too good for the leader of the pack."

With that he trotted out. I was about to put my blade down, just as my opponent had done, when he spoke. "Don't think that this session is over. I will kill you, runt. Mark my words; this sessions will end in the death of somepony here, and it won't be mine."

I prepared myself as he picked up his blade again and charged. I dodged to the side this time, using a burst of speed that was almost uncharacteristic of what I had seen in myself up to this point. I turned my blade sideways and swung as hard as I could. It connected with his front legs, causing him to trip and tumble to the side of the room. I bolted over, placing my blade at his neck and pressing it in, causing blood to seep from around the edges of the blade. He simply looked up at me, almost fearfully, and I gazed back down at him with the full fury that a filly could carry. After a moment of sitting there like that, I pulled the blade away from the cut on his neck and spat it out on the floor. "This session is over. You lost. If what just happened isn't proof enough I can make sure you never trot again."

With that I turned around and left the flabbergasted pony lying on the floor. I still wasn't entirely sure how I had managed to defeat him, especially when he was so much larger than I was. My speed and strength in that moment seemed so uncharacteristic of what I was like normally, like a burst of something else kicked in. Shaking the thought from my head, I continued on towards the next point of business for the day.

The rest of the year passed. I didn't actually see my opponent from that day on. Perhaps he had done as the teacher taught and sought a different opponent, a different sparring partner. Another option is that he simply left. I wasn't sure, but it didn't matter much to me. I continued training under the hooves of the teacher, who made sure it was harder than necessary. When the end of the year came we, every Protectorate or student within the walls, were all gathered together for the news of who would advance into the Order. All the recruits were gathered together, a group of at least a couple hundred. The Guildmaster and a few others stood before us on the steps up to the Main Hall. "We have gathered you all together here because we have been observing the progress of each student and have taken into account the suggestions of each teacher. After much time spent deciding we have come to a conclusion. Three slots opened with the death of a few recent Protectorates and three of you will fill those slots. Once you have joined the Order there is no turning back, no quitting, except by death. Now, for those who have been selected. The first individual: Ajiin."

From the crowd stepped forth a pony with hide that was as black as night and a mane equally dark to match. Despite this, from what I could see, his eyes were a very starkly contrasting light blue, almost turquoise. He had an average build for a pony. When he stepped forth he bowed. "You have been selected due to your stealth capabilities and promise of being able to deal cleanly and quickly with identified and known threats before they put those you have vowed to protect in danger. Welcome to the Order. The second individual: Tigerfire."

Out of the crowd stepped a pony with a light yellow hide and very richly hued auburn, almost orange-red, hair. His eyes were amber in colour and very penetrating. His stature was a little smaller than that of a normal pony, but it was not because of any lack of physicality. It was easy to see he was fit. He, too, bowed when he stepped forth. "You have been selected due to your magical power and ability. You possess the ability to deal with threats in a means and manner they would not anticipate. Along with this you have proved to be an excellent tactician. Welcome to the Order. The third individual: Aqua."

To hear my name almost froze me with shock. I hadn't anticipated such, though I had worked fiercely to obtain it. Surely, I thought, there are many more within these walls more qualified than I was. As much as I thought that, I was humbled by the fact that I had been accepted, so I stepped forth. As I went to do so and bow, as the others had, I heard a voice that I recognised from earlier in my time here. It cried out from the crowd. "What? That is unacceptable!"

Eventually the pony made his way to the front, standing a yard or two away from me. I recognised him as having been my combat partner from the start of the year, except he was larger than I had remembered. He also had blue paint of some kind lining his body. "How could you call some kind of runt like this when there are ponies far more qualified?"

"My call is my own and I call Aqua to be the next Protectorate, not you."

"I challenge Aqua to a duel. The winner will be the next Protectorate."

The Guildmaster sat thinking for a while. "Fair enough. Let there be a duel. The winner will take the title of Protectorate. The loser is forbidden from entering the walls of the Sanctuary forevermore."

I then saw the pony heft up a large battle-axe, grasping it firmly between his very defined and muscular jaws. I had no weapon within reach. The pony charged, urging me to dodge to the side. I then shouted out. "Somepony get a blade!"

Until somepony moved to fulfil my order I had to simply keep moving. Dodge by dodge I barely managed to keep out of his reach; roll by roll I saved my life from extinction. As best as I could I kept away from the pony until I heard the clanking of metal resound a little outside of the crowd. I shot a glance over to see where it came from; about a yard behind me lay a sword. When I looked back the axe was coming directly for me. I quickly ducked backwards into a roll, ending up by the sword and narrowly dodging my death again. I picked up the blade and prepared for the next phase of the battle.

When he charged again I figured his strike would be too great for me to parry, so I dodged again. This time I took my aim and struck. Using the selfsame tactic he never seemed to anticipate, I ducked underneath his legs and galloped through. This time I swung the blade as hard as I could as I did so. The difference in damage was more than apparent from those wounds I had left during practice. I heard him grunt. When I turned around I saw his axe was coming already. I didn't have enough time to properly react before it arrived. Try as I might to parry the sheer force knocked my blade aside, slowing the axe, before it sunk within my right side just above my wing. I had fanned the feathers out to get them out of harm's way. The shot of pain was immense, almost freezing me. When I had control again, I swung my sword viciously against the hilt of the axe, severing the wooden handle that was in his mouth. The weight of the axe, as it was now left uneven and unsupported, dropped the blade from my side. This, too, sent deep pain up my frame. As soon as I could I bolted in towards him again. As he was now unarmed he was trying to get away from me, to get around me to get his axe again. With several vicious strikes I hit him time and time again, leaving cuts across his chest and legs. At one point he managed to get around me, bolting for the axe. Despite the lovely trail of blood I had now left across the Sanctuary floor I chased him with renewed vigour, as hard as it was. As he picked the shortened hilt up he began charging at me again, as he always seemed to do. As we neared I dropped into a slide on my right side, furthering the bloody streaks across the stone floor and causing me to grunt heavily in pain, in order to catch him with a sliding trip. He tumbled, rolling away as I quickly arose and galloped over. As he was about to get up I placed my blade at his neck, ready to end him. The blade was already well pressed against his now bleeding neck. He tried to get up once but was met with pain and a furthered cut. As such he stopped, panting heavily with a heavy scowl on his face. The battle had ended at this point, leaving me the victor. Our attention was pulled away by the voice of the Guildmaster. "An interesting display indeed. I see now why Aqua was recommended to be the next Protectorate. Not only was that a wonderful demonstration of combat expertise and total mastery of the battlefield. It was a shocking display of resilience and endurance. Not only did Aqua defeat an opponent far bigger than himself but he did so while unarmed to start and injured to finish. I congratulate you, Aqua, for your acceptance into this Order. Now, as were the terms of the duel Aqua is to be the next Protectorate. Battlescar, you are hereby banished from within the walls of the Sanctuary, the Order of Protectorates. You are to never return here. Should you do so death will be your reward. You may release him, colt."

I nodded, spitting the blade away. I felt dizzy and tired at this point, almost disoriented and distressed. Battlescar, as I suppose his name was, arose with a hefty snort, glaring at me in the eyes. "You should have lost. Mark my words this will not be the last time you see me. You will rue the day you crossed this line, colt!"

With that he left, pushing his way past me roughly. I just about fell over due to my weakened state. As I watched him go, the Guildmaster spoke once more. "Now, the next order of business is to treat the wounds of our newest Protectorate."

With the wave of a hoof there was suddenly a storm of ponies about me, taking me away towards one of the buildings within the group of buildings that constituted the housing section of the Sanctuary. Within moments they were frantically moving to get me taken care of. As they worked their magic in order to heal my side I was overcome by the dizzying wall of fatigue and drowsiness, ultimately succumbing to sleep.

When I awoke I was finally able to take note of my surroundings. The room had many beds similar to mine. Some were occupied by ponies with bandages about them, while others yet remained empty. I sat up, albeit with difficulty and pain. A pony came over after a short while. "Ah, you're awake again. Wonderful. We were wondering if you had passed or not. It's been a few days that you've been out, but we believe you've almost made a full recovery. The wound should have fully closed within the next week. You should be good to go by then, alright?"

I nodded, content at least that I was alive. I still kind of couldn't believe what had happened recently. I was snapped back out of my pensive state by the voice of the stallion again. "Oh, I forgot to mention, you've got visitors. They were waiting until you awoke."

I cocked my head, unsure of whom it possibly could be. "You can let them come."

"You got it." The stallion disappeared for a short while before returning. Behind him trotted the jet black stallion and the one that had the piercing amber eyes. "Here they are. I'll leave you all to it."

With that he left. The black stallion was the first one to speak. "That was pretty good. I'm impressed."

"With what?"

"You fighting that big stallion. I don't know how many other ponies would have been able to do it, nonetheless dared to do so. You got guts, that's for sure."

"Well, I didn't have much of an option. He's been trying to kill me for a while now." The look on their faces was priceless. The amber-eyed one spoke first.

"What? And you didn't tell anypony?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I knew I could take care of it."

This prompted a response from the black one. "You're crazy, you know that? But I can see why the Guildmaster chose you, Aqua. You've got potential."

"Hey, remind me of your names again?"

"I'm Ajiin." The response came from the black one.

"My name is Tigerfire." This came from the amber-eyed one. Ajiin and Tigerfire, as their names were. I got the feeling that we were going to be good friends from here on out but I didn't know why. I nodded after they told me their names, noting them. After a short silence, Tigerfire spoke again. "So now we just need to get a little bit more training to orient us as Protectorates and our work begins. Should you ever need help, Aqua, I'm here."

"As am I. Just call my name in the darkness and I'll be there."

"Ok. Thank you, guys."

"Sure thing. Well, Ajiin and I have to be going now. Rest up so you can join us here before too long." I nodded, causing them to turn and trot out of the room. I was then left alone, relatively alone, in that room again. After a short while I decided that sleep was the best idea I had.

The week rolled by uneventfully until they released me. I was then immediately summoned to the Main Hall. From thence started the last phase of our training. We learned the importance of Vows of Protection and what it meant should one be broken. We also learned of how the Guildmaster would know our every move should he want to. As the days rolled on the training continued until they all figured we were at a point in which we wouldn't die as easily, either by their hooves or by the hooves of others. Once that was finished, they let us go to do what we deemed necessary. During my time in the Order, training and all that, I kept getting an urge to continue exploring, see if I couldn't find some fractional part of the cause of my shortness. It was true, even though I was probably the age of a full-fledged mare I was still the size of a filly. With that quest in mind I set out from the Order, seeking whatever impressions I felt I needed to follow on my journey.

After a decent while of wandering I found myself near the principle mountain, whereupon was a great castle-city built. I decided to have myself a little fun and ascend the face of the mountain. Indeed it was hard, taking a very decent amount of time to simply reach the castle-city. Once within I managed to get supplies to continue my journey up the mountain. After that, my journey continued. Step after step I eventually made my way up to just shy of the peak. The place I stopped for the night was a little landing characterised by a pool of water that ran off into a waterfall that cascaded down, at the very least, hundreds of yards from the cliff. I felt like it was here that I should camp, so I did.

As dusk was approaching I decided to enjoy myself a little, heading over towards the water. As I was frolicking in the cold pond I felt my hoof hit something. Unsure of what it was I stopped my adventurous playing and began searching for where it might have gone. After a decent while I found what I was looking for and pulled it up out of the water. It was covered in a bit of mud, as it had been at the bed of the little lake, so I carried it and myself outside the water. I put the object down, cleaned myself a little and got what I needed to get warm again before heading over to where I laid the object. After a short while of work I managed to clean the object entirely, finding a strangely blue pearl in my hooves. It beckoned to me more than anything else I had ever seen or heard of. I was intrigued by it. Thinking perhaps there was something I, or somepony else, could do with it I returned to my little tent and called for Ajiin as he had told me to. I then awaited his arrival.

It was into the night now, having waited for about an hour. I then heard the familiar voice nearby. "You called me, Aqua?"

"Yes. I did. Ajiin, I found this thing up here, but I'm not sure what importance it has. I feel oddly attracted to it, like it almost is something I need. It's not me being greedy. I just...I feel like I need to do something with it."

"So what do you need me to do?"

"Can you bring Tigerfire? He's better with magic. Perhaps he can unlock the reason why I feel so attached to this thing."

"Alright. Stay here." With that he left in a poof of smoke. I was alone for another decent while, possibly even several hours, before Ajiin returned with Tigerfire. I could tell Tigerfire was tired, like he had just been woken up.

"What do you need, Aqua?"

"Tigerfire, I figure you're better at magic than I am, so maybe you can figure out why I feel the need to use this pearl."

He trotted over. "Well, it is interesting indeed. Never seen a blue pearl before. As for reasons why you might need it I cannot help, but I can do one thing. I can make a chain for it."

"What do you need for that?"

"There's a book of magic in the Canterlot Royal Library that I've heard of. It's supposed to let you create something from nothing." When he finished speaking I looked over to Ajiin for a second. When he caught on he spoke.

"You expect me to break into the most heavily fortified library on the face of the planet and get a book that I don't even the appearance of so you can experiment with creating a chain from thin air?"

"Yup."

"I'm in. I've always wanted an excuse to make a heist in Canterlot, especially the castle itself. To best the Royal Guard is bragging rights indeed." I nodded, unsure of what he was trying to say but glad he was willing to help. Within several moments he was gone again. It was Tigerfire and I alone now just below the peak of the mountain. After a moment or two of awkward waiting I decided to speak.

"So when did you learn magic?"

"I've known since I was a filly. I was born with the ability to use it. Only through study have I managed to get where I am. It's kind of like being something already but teaching yourself how to be that thing better, you know?"

"Yeah."

"So what made you join the Protectorates?"

"I don't know. To be completely honest I have absolutely no idea."

"No incentive, no family push?"

"I don't have a family."

"Well, you do now. I mean, you've got two brothers right here." I smiled at him, glad for the support. "So other than the fact that you found the pearl, what makes you so sure there's something special about it?"

"I can't explain it. I just feel like it's something I need to work with. You know how sometimes you get those gut feelings but you don't know why?"

"That's why I joined the Order, plus I figured it'd be easy to learn how to control and use my magic better."

"Yeah. That's why I stayed in the combat school even after they gave me the option of leaving. It's why I joined the Order, too. So far, every time I follow that gut feeling something good comes from it, like it was what I was supposed to do. So I decided it best to follow this one too. It's what lead me to the mountain to begin with, and now that I'm here the pearl is all I can think of."

"Then I guess we should see what we can do with that pearl, no?" I nodded. Not many moments later Ajiin returned, a little out of breath. "Did you get it?"

"Yeah. It was pretty close, though. Here it is." He held out a book, which Tigerfire took. Once he had the book he began studying it intently, searching for something particular I suppose. Ajiin and I simply stared on in curiosity as he poured over the pages. After a long while he prepared a few things and began scratching out a design on the dirt around us. After possibly an hour he finished, a complex design swirling around us. When he finished he closed the book and looked up at us again.

"There we go. It's ready. I'm almost absolutely certain I got every last detail put in correctly." His statement made me curious as to what would happen if he didn't, almost making me apprehensive, thinking back on it.

"And if something is wrong?"

"The spell won't work. Simple." My fears quieted. I nodded to him and he began. After a decent while of his horn glowing the orange of a sunrise and him near-chanting words I didn't recognise he finished up. We all looked expectantly at the pearl, only to find that there was no chain attached to it as we had thought. Though it was nearly pitch black up here in the night we could tell the disappointment struck hard across Tigerfire's face. "No, no, no. I must have done something wrong. I must have missed some detail. Give me some time to read this back up."

I nodded. It was clear that Ajiin was growing impatient, though. "When you guys finish your little magical experiment up here call me again and I'll put the book back where it belongs, got it?"

"Yeah. I'm kind of tired. I think I'm going to turn in for the night. If you want to keep looking over it Tigerfire go for it. Wake me up when everything is situated."

"Alright. I'll keep at this until I get it. I swear I can." With that, Ajiin left and I went to my tent again. I settled down for the night, listening to the scuffling of Tigerfire outside trying to figure out what needed to change, paired with an occasional page turn.

When I awoke in the morning I was extremely tightly wrapped. I struggled and wormed until I managed to escape my binding wrap that had been my blanket. Perhaps I had rolled over or something and wrapped myself up. The tent seemed a little tighter than I remembered it, though. I was curious at best but decided to see if Tigerfire was still at it. I exited the tent, seeing him still pouring over the pages and the design. The sun was already up in the sky, a little before noon if I had a guess. He must have heard me leave the tent, as he spoke. "Good morning. You slept for a while longer than I thought you would. I figured out what I did wrong and I think the circle should be good now."

He turned to face me. "So whenever you're..."

His sudden pause caused me to cock my head in curiosity. "Is something the matter?"

"Uh...you might want to go check that one out for yourself over by the pond over there." I had no idea what he was referring to, so I headed over to the water's edge. When I arrived I was shocked, even before I looked within the water. Upon my head was now a short mane consisting of sandy-brown, almost light auburn hair. It barely reached my chin, freely flowing in whatever direction it chose. I looked past the dangling hair into the reflection. Sure enough there was the selfsame sky-blue hide face with rosy pink eyes. One difference, however, was the fact that my white undercarriage had been replaced with a cream coloured one. It was the same proportions and all as before, reaching the same places as it had, but in a different colour. Another thing to note was the startling maturity that had sprung across my face. I looked almost like an actual mare, but there was something almost masculine to my look. Perhaps a better way of putting it was that I looked like a feminine stallion. The horn atop my head protruded much further than it had previously, jutting clearly out from under my hair. My ears now matched any regular pony’s ears, both in dimensions and appearance. I decided to look over the rest of my new form real quick. Looking back revealed a very slender and tall frame. It was just like it was as a filly, but bigger and slimmer. Upon my hip was now a mark not unlike those that others I had seen carried. The mark itself very closely resembled the pearl I had found. As I looked at the mark I suddenly remembered the pearl and quickly went to find it within my tent. A thorough search revealed it wasn't within the tent. I burst out of it once more before speaking to Tigerfire in a frantic tone.

"Where is it? Where's the pearl? What happened to it?"

"Uh, look at your reflection again." I wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean but decided to do so. When I neared the water I saw nothing new, but decided to go a little further. Once my hooves were within the water again I looked down at the reflection in the pool. Right there, roughly right between the two front shoulder blades, a little more than half sunken into my chest, was the pearl. I tried moving it but found it was not going to go anywhere. I then turned to Tigerfire.

"What did you do? What happened with the spell? I thought it was supposed to make a chain from nothingness!"

"It was! I don't know what happened in the end but I think I accidentally put the rune for bind instead of chain, as they're so close together."

"So what does this mean? I've permanently got a jewel stuck in the middle of my chest?"

"Um, well...that's the thing. I, uh...well, I, how to explain this..."

"Just spit it out, Tigerfire!"

"Ok, fine. I believe I accidentally bound your soul in the pearl. Yup." I looked at him for a moment. "So, uh, instead of creating a chain I bound the pearl to you in the only way it could I suppose."

"So I basically have to keep track of this thing no matter what or I'll just cease to live?"

A third voice called us from the argument. "Exactly. Now, since we've seen that perhaps Tigerfire needs a little more practice with magic before he tries tackling such advanced magicks again I'll take that book back."

Ajiin was trotting up. "But, I suppose that implanting the pearl into your chest wasn't the only thing that spell accomplished. Aqua, I hate to say it, but looking at you tells me one thing: you are definitely not a stallion."

My heart began racing. It's very possible my doom was approaching now. "Please don't tell anypony, I beg of you."

"Woah, that was a sudden shift in tone. How come?"

"I need you two to swear to me one thing, alright?"

"Like what?" Tigerfire was prodding both inquisitively and almost apprehensively.

"I need the both of you to swear to not reveal that fact to anypony in the Order. If you do it will mean my ultimate death." The atmosphere suddenly got very serious. "If anypony else knew, especially the teacher or the Guildmaster, I'd be a dead pony."

"That's a pretty big thing you're asking us there, Aqua. If we chose to go through with it what could you offer us?" Ajiin was tough, that was for sure.

"I don't have a lot to offer. I don't have anything, actually. I trust you as friends to keep this between us. You wouldn't condemn a friend to death, would you?"

A moment or two of painful silence rode by as I looked at the two of them. They looked at each other before nodding. "We'll go through with it, but only because I owe you because I messed up that spell and did this to begin with."

"And you, Ajiin?"

"Eh, why not. I'm good at keeping secrets anyways." Relief flooded over me.

"Alright. Ajiin, you can take the book back. Tigerfire, clean up the marks up here and we'll all be on our way. Sound good?" They both nodded before getting off to work. It wasn't terribly long before all was in order and we went our separate ways.

I eventually found myself in what I considered to be my home town at this point. It was that same town that had finally delivered me from the nightmarish life I had lived. As I was trotting through town I found Terrn again trotting by himself. He wasn't hard to recognise, as he was the only pony with such a bizarre appearance. I approached him and, while still a fair distance away, called out to him. "Terrn!"

He turned and looked, finding me approaching. It was clear he couldn't really recognise me, but that I was still familiar to him. "Remind me of who you are?"

It seemed like a bit of a punch to me but I disregarded it. "It's me, Aqua."

Upon hearing my name it's like he snapped back to the memory of me as a filly. "Aqua? Where have you been?"

He hugged me when I finally approached, a token I was unaware of. I didn't know what it meant, so I kind of blankly stood there until he pulled away again. "It's been so long? What happened?"

"That's a bit of a long story."

"Then come home and you can explain it all to me." I smiled, glad to be welcomed back. Once we were seated within his home again he spoke. "So what happened over the past few years?"

"Well, after I had been in the house for a few days without you returning I headed out again, seeing if I could find you. I was found by somepony else first."

"Who?"

"It was a teacher in a school that teaches fillies how to stay alive in fights. It was a combat school that found me. After I studied there for a little bit it became clear that I was beyond what they could teach me. So they sent me to the Protectorates."

"The Order of Protectorates?"

"Yeah."

"And how did that go?"

"I learned a lot of really helpful things. I think I can keep my own in a fight now."

"What kind of things did you learn?"

"Well, I learned a lot of things like how to use a sword, how to stay alive in a fight, how to dodge and parry and block..." As I continued on the list of the various things I had learned it became clear to me that Terrn was not focusing on me for the words I was saying. I paused. "Is something the matter?"

"Huh? Oh, no. Everything's fine." I shot him a glance. I wasn't aware of what he was doing but I thought he was going to hear what I had done, not gaze at what I had become. "You've changed a lot over a short period of time, Aqua. It's nice."

"Thanks. I figured I might as well inform you of what had happened recently, and now that you know I think I'm going to go make sure everything's all good in town."

"Yeah, it'll be fine. You don't need to go out just yet. Criminals don't come out during the day."

"I think it'd be best if I learned how to carry a vigil first, no?" He sat, looking at me in almost a defeated or disappointed way.

"Alright. I'll let you get to it." I got up and began leaving. He spoke soon thereafter. "Stay safe, alright? One scar is enough."

Now I realised that he had been staring at my body intently, for how else could he have seen the scar that was almost entirely covered by my wing? I disregarded such a thought and nodded before leaving through the door. I set out, determined to uphold the values of the Order I had joined.

It was several hours after watching over the town, right before dusk, that something out of the ordinary happened. As I was sitting on a higher vantage point, staring down at the town from a nearby hill, I noticed some kind of a commotion near the middle of town. I thought that this was my chance to prove myself, so I got my blade and headed down. As I got into town, more specifically as I got into visual range of what was going on, I was surprised to see my teacher from the combat school. As I approached the situation became clear; the teacher was the one causing problems. He had his blade drawn, lashing out at anypony that neared. "Hey!"

He turned. "Ah, there you are. The blue one."

He let out a maniacal laugh, causing me to gaze around nervously. "I knew I could find you without much trouble."

"What do you want from me?" He simply let his head start drooping to one side, a wicked grin on his face. Simply looking at him filled me with fear. His head suddenly snapped back up and he charged in with surprising speed. I parried his blow, knocking him away. He then began attacking viciously. For some reason, try as I might as many times as it were possible, he always seemed to block my strikes with uncanny speed. Clash after clash was heard in the square as the fight became a very frantic struggle for my life. It became apparent to me that, unless I received some kind of help, I would lose. The time wore on and I was getting more and more tired with each passing swing. Suddenly somepony threw something, hitting the teacher. He wheeled around, ready to pounce on them. I took the chance, taking my shot. I sunk the blade within his body, roughly at his hip flexor. He simply laughed. I wasn't sure what to think so I went to yank the blade from his body only to be bucked harshly by his two hind hooves, the injury on his hip seemingly doing nothing to slow him. The force caused me to tumble and roll. As I finally got my ground, skidding a bit, I looked back up to see him suddenly upon me. I then felt a very sharp pain in my chest, my mouth opening and emitting a grunted gasp. I looked down as he chuckled again, finding his sword sticking out of my chest. He yanked the blade out before shoving it in again before I could recover. The pain was unreal. Regardless I managed to get him in a headlock with a front hoof, trying my best to deny the wall of pain erupting from my chest. As I held him tightly, as he struggled with the blade, he tried further and further to tear my interior asunder. After a moment or two longer, when I thought I had no more to give, he suddenly stopped. I took a moment to assess and speak to the pony, but I barely got my words out at this point. "Why would you kill your own student? What has gotten into you?"

The sentences were forced and spaced at best. The pony suddenly relaxed, almost shaking something from him. I was unable to hold on any longer and ended up falling over as I slid off of his sword. The teacher simply stared at me for a while longer, eyes wide in fear. "A-Aqua?"

I didn't have any kind of strength to respond. "No...no, no, no, this is wrong. It's not...no!"

He threw his blade on the ground and galloped off. The others nearby suddenly rushed over, some carrying cloths and others with whatever they could get. A few left, I'm not sure why. They were fighting as best they could to keep me alive and awake, some wrapping my wounds and others shaking me to keep me conscious. Several moments afterwards, several ponies dressed similarly to one another came over and carried me away. I was being rushed around places that I couldn't discern. We eventually settled in one place and it wasn't much longer after that moment when my endurance gave out and I succumbed to the growing drowsiness that enveloped me.

When next I awoke it was on a bed in a room by myself. Not too long afterwards Tigerfire entered. "Oh, good, you're awake. When Ajiin told me of what had happened I came in as quickly as I could. I managed to help a little with what magic I could but I'm still not a very good wizard."

I chuckled slightly, unable to accomplish more. "That's fine. At least you're here."

"Man, first day outside of the Order and you already almost died. You've got to be more careful, Aqua."

"I get the feeling that isn't going to be the only time."

"Only time for what?"

"Almost dying to save somepony."

"What makes you say that?"

"I don't know. Gut feeling?" I could see the apprehension on his face. He knew that had I felt something was going to happen it would. "It was weird this time."

"What was?"

"It was my teacher from the combat school."

"That attacked you?"

"Yeah, but like, after a while he realised something, like some kind of spell lifted, and then he galloped off. I don't get it."

"Well, you're safe now. You should rest up. When you're all good you can head out again." I nodded weakly. He then put a hoof on my shoulder in comfort before leaving. I was left to myself for a while more to rest, so I did.

It took about a week until they released me, telling me to keep it simple and not overwork myself. I nodded to them and they let me out. I was then left to my own devices. It was, of course, to Terrn's house I went for rest, as it was the only place I had.

After a few more days I finally returned to the vigil I was keeping through most of the day, and a little into the night. One day, during my last couple of patrols during the night before heading to bed I took a turn down an alleyway to get someplace faster. As I was trotting I was suddenly grasped from behind, a cloth placed in my mouth tightly. I grunted, trying to fight against my unknown assailant. Soon after the rag in my mouth was situated I felt a knife pressed to my neck. After a moment or two more a collar was placed around my neck. The voice of a mare resounded in my ear as she whispered. "Alright, this is how this is going to go down. You're going to trot forwards, clearing the alleyway before turning right and heading into the first house, got that? And don't try any funny business. That collar that you’ve got on you right now has a needle attached to a mechanism with a string that I hold. I pull the string and the needle shoots into your windpipe with a highly acidic poison and you die, got it?"

I nodded fearfully before complying with the mare's orders. Before too long I was within the house. It was then, once the door was closed, that she spoke again. "Alright, down to the basement."

I obeyed, forcibly, and descended to what I figured to be my ultimate demise. It wasn't too long after I had reached the bottom of the stairwell that I was hit in the head by a hefty force. The world blackened quickly.

When I next awoke, I found that I was chained down, spread apart on a table left at an angle. The gag had been removed, as had the collar. I was very dazed and sore, mostly in the head. As I groaned a little I heard a voice from the other side of the room. "Ah, good, you're awake. I was afraid I had killed you on accident. Now, you might be wondering why I brought you down here. Well, let me explain things here. You joined an Order, one I've been watching with interest for quite a while. I tried to join it myself but, as you might have heard, they don't allow mares. So until they do I figured I might as well keep their rules to the point. There are to be no mares in the Order of Protectorates, so I'll give you this one chance to decide for yourself. Leave the Order from this moment and never return or I will assure that your broken remains are sent to the Order."

I merely stayed in fearful silence, unsure of what to even say in order to try and protect my life. "Ah, I see you're not much of one for talking. There's more than one way of getting you to swear on your life that you'll never return to that forsaken place."

The mare was approaching but it was too dark to see her clearly. All I could see was her outline. I heard her pick up a metal object and my heart began racing frantically. I struggled fiercely against the chains that held me bound but to no avail. Suddenly I was hit by a sheer wave of pain as I felt something jabbed into my tail, around three-quarters of the way up. I let out, not a scream, but a cry of pain. "You really are a baby, you know that? As much as I bet that hurt it's not that bad. Suck it up."

I then felt the blade grasped again, as hard as I had tried to manoeuvre my tail and, accordingly, the hilt of the knife away from her grasp. She then began drawing the blade down the length of my tail, drawing another cry from my lips. It wasn't much longer after this that she reached the tip of the tail and pulled the knife out that I heard a heavy impact on the door leading to the chamber. The mare, nevertheless, continued her terrible work, then moving to my limbs and cutting the underside in the same way, starting from just beneath the body. As she was working on the second leg the door burst open, flooding the room with light. I couldn't see, due mostly to the rapid change in lighting, so I still could not discern the details of my assailant. I heard somepony rush in and the mare left me. She was kiting the pony. "Now you have a tough choice, hero. Stop the further torture and death of others at the cost of this one or save this one and risk having to find me again. Your call."

After a few more moments of scuffling I felt the bands around me being loosed. A few moments after that, I was being tended to. I was then helped out of the room by the mysterious pony. All I could note from our flight was the mask he wore over his face. It was metal, but designed in a way that made him not even look like he had a pony's face. I’m not sure what it was supposed to resemble, but it didn’t matter at this point; he had freed me. Once he had me safely delivered from the basement he left me, heading out to search for the pony again. I was frightened at best, making my way as quickly as possible to Terrn's house. Once there I locked up and made my way to the most secure place I figured was in the house before curling up.

Sleep had eventually found me that night. It was the next morning when Terrn woke me up that I explained everything. He was shocked, to say the least, at the recent developments. He forbade me leave the house for a while, which I was content in obeying. After a long enough while, however, I could not shake the feeling that I needed to leave in search of my assailant. Surely, I thought, if I was targeted then others would be also, especially anypony that helped me.

I arose one day, still sore and unable to perform full functions as well as I had hoped I could by that time, and snuck out when Terrn wasn't paying attention. Thankfully enough, mostly because the pony hadn't blindfolded me or anything, it wasn't hard to find the place I had been locked in before. With my blade within reach I carefully began my way over.

When I arrived at the house, I found it to be unlocked. To be more precise, I found the door to have been busted open previously, unable to close or lock. I cautiously made my way inside towards the basement. Upon arrival I found nopony within the room. Finding a light I flicked it on. I then began a full search of the room, making sure there wasn't anything that might have been left behind by anypony just in case. After several minutes of painstakingly thorough searching I found one little scrap of paper hidden underneath one of the legs of a table. I took the scrap of paper out and found there to be a bunch of seemingly random boxes. A few were circled, four to be exact. I simply sat and stared at the piece of paper, unable to make out any of it. Searching the rest of the house turned up nothing, no other kind of clue. I took the clue from thence to pace around in deep contemplation of the meaning of it.

As I wandered around town I eventually found myself on my vigil hill. I sat, holding the paper in front of me and looking at the town for a very good while. It still didn't make any sense to me at the time. In curiosity I turned the paper over a time or two, seeing the front and the back. Only one of the sides had writing on it. I decided to rotate the paper, as if it would have done any good. As I was rotating it I stopped at one point, staring intently at the paper. It was then I saw it; it was a crude map of the town drawn all lopsided and off-scale. With this realisation I headed out as quickly as possible to one of the circled boxes.

When I arrived I knocked first, being polite in case I was wrong. After a few knocks nopony answered. I checked the windows to see if any were open. Finding nothing, and figuring I'd take care of the culprit easier if I was inside, I bucked the door in. I headed inside and began searching the house. After searching all of the building and finding nothing I managed to discover the door to the basement, as it seemed all the houses had. This was locked. I bucked the door in, and wheeled around, ready to draw my blade. Trotting in and turning the light on revealed an empty basement. I then left the building to head to the next one.

Upon arriving I found the same result as the first, egging me to do the same as I had the first time. Another search similar to the first revealed the same results as I had the time before. I then found, after a bit more work, the entrance to the basement. This, too, I kicked in. Wheeling around I turned the light on. To my view came two ponies. One was situated as I had been previously, with just about equally as much damage dealt so far, but in a different manner. The other pony was cloaked and cowled, concealing still their identity. In a loud voice I cried into the basement. "Let the pony go and we will have no problems."

The mare turned, the tip of her rose-coloured snout sticking out. "Well, aren't you a bold one? I should have worked faster with you. I was just trying to have fun and look at where that got us."

"Let the pony go and I will have no need to harm you."

"Oh, but where's the fun in that?" She then went for a knife, which caused me to draw my sword. I charged in, making my way down the stairs. I saw her jut the knife in sharply to the abdomen of the pony. Before she had time to react to my arrival to the floor, I was upon her. In a very hefty slam I shoved her against the wall before backing up to let her fall. Figuring two against one was easier I cut the bands that held my previous rescuer in place. He dropped down, knife still in his belly. When I went to turn and face the pony, I found that it was she that was upon me. She returned my gesture, bowling me over and knocking the sword from my grasp. As I was on the floor she grasped my front left leg and yanked up while dropping her other hoof onto the shoulder part. The resounding crack could be heard outside of the house, I swore, and pain unreal and unknown to me shot up my leg and torso. I let out a cry, a louder groan, of pain. I heard the sound of metal scraping on the floor and the pony got off of me to see what was going on. As I sat trying to recover from what had happened the two of them fought for a short moment before the assailant fled once more. The other pony didn't chase her because of his own injuries. He came back over to me, dropping the sword.

"Now, I need your help badly. You're going to wrap this wound of mine, because I can't do it myself and if it goes untreated I might die. Here are some supplies for it. I trust you." I nodded, my tear filled eyes making the task ahead exponentially harder. As best I could, and with some help, I arose to a seated position but made sure to keep all pressure off of my throbbing shoulder. I then did what I could to wrap the bandages, I'm still not entirely sure how good of a job I actually managed to do, but I suppose it worked. He nodded in appreciation before speaking again. "Now, I can help you out of here again, but what I can currently do is very limited."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw something. When I turned and looked it was the mare from before with my sword in her grasp. She was charging straight for the other pony. Using what strength I could I shoved him aside, ultimately ending up in the way of the blow. The sword shot true, piercing to the other side of my torso. I couldn't even breathe if I wanted to, the pain was so fierce. The pony beside me reacted accordingly, beating down the mare before she fled his grasp again, battered and bloodied. The pony beside me then tried what he could to treat my injuries but they proved to be a little too much. Before too long my resolve broke and I collapsed, ultimately fading into darkness.

When I was aware of my presence again I was standing all alone in utter darkness. I was fully capable of motion, so I did what I could. After moving forwards a very short distance I ran face first into something, I backed up and stared for a little. To my view, in spite of the inky blackness, came a bar. Then several more continued. As I watched these bars fade into view I noticed the clearing behind me shrinking. I bolted for it, only to run face first into something else. Again to my view came a bar, which then became several until they and those that formed before created a full circle around me; I was in a cage. It was then I heard laughter. I looked around for the source but could find nothing. After a moment or two more a voice rang clear. "Welcome to your home for the eternities. You certainly didn't make it very far in your life."

Laughter from the voice erupted. Not very much longer after that, I saw the stranger that had become involved in my life recently. He trotted forwards and opened the cage. He then bid me leave, so I did. I wasn't expecting what came next. As I left, he entered and closed the cage again. As much as I wanted to protest I was snapped from the experience like waking up from a dream. As I arose and looked around I saw the pony that had helped me laying beside me. I nudged him, trying to get him to arise. After several nudges it became clear that he had passed. Unsure of what to do, I left the pony there and exited the building after grabbing my sword.

I set my heading directly for the last marked house on the crude map I had studied. When I arrived I went through a similar process as I had the other two. Searching the house thoroughly revealed nothing. I figured that the pony had been caught or had left town and I was now free to rest up finally. As such I headed back to Terrn's and settled down.

As much as I would have like to have slept and rested up I was unable to do so. The more I tried the more fiercely I was haunted by a repeating nightmare. After several days I decided that I must either suffer sleeplessness until I died or I had to sit through the extent of the nightmare, no matter how hard it may prove. Thusly, one night, I went to sleep with grave determination. As the horrific scenes played out before me, mostly tied to things that happened in the past, I was urged more and more to simply awake. Not the horrendous vision of the creature that had stalked me in the forest, nor the horrid memory of the shell that my combat school teacher had become, prior to nearly killing me, was enough to shake me. I came close when the recent events played through, urging me on to awake screaming. Once all these were done, however, the dream cleared. It became peaceful, almost serene. It was then I was approached by a stranger, a pony I swore I had seen before. With blue hide and amber eyes he kind of reminded me of a pony I had seen before, but I could not place why, when or where I could have ever seen him in my life at the moment the dream was happening. He spoke after a short while of me gazing at him. "Your purpose has not been served yet. Death will not overtake you until you have defended all those in the future that need your aid. You are not yet mature now; you have so much farther to go. Continue your training and one day you will unlock all the gifts and abilities of both sides of your heritage."

With that I was snapped back to reality, jolting upright with a gasp. I had absolutely no idea what he had been talking about. Both sides of my heritage? I shook the thought from my head, thinking it strange. Surely there was nothing special or unique about either side of my parents, whom I had never seen before. Whatever all of it meant, the only thing I knew was that I had finally obtained a proper night's sleep, the first in several days. As much as I had tried, though, I could not shake the thought from my head. I decided it best to spend a little time alone, wandering through the forest, to try and collect my thoughts.

I spent a decent amount of time wandering aimlessly through the forest, not coming to any set conclusion on what the meaning of the dream might be. As I was wandering through my ears picked up a sound. I stopped, trying to focus on what or where it was. I heard it again, coming from one side. I headed over there as best I could, not too quickly so I could still hear the noise. Sure enough, as I continued my march over the noise continued increasing in volume. Before long I heard it clear as day, and not much longer after that I saw what was causing it. A small group of ponies, some of which I recognised from town, were trying their best to stay out of the grasp of a bear. The problem was that this bear was not normal in any sense of the word. It was warped, twisted violently and almost unrecognisable. It almost seemed as if shards of bone stuck out from parts of the hide. As much as the mere sight of it frightened me I had a job to do. "Hey!"

I galloped closer, drawing the attention of the monster. When it turned and faced me another wave of fear crept up my spine; its face was wickedly misshapen to become a visage of natural mockery. I cried out to the others. "Flee from here while you can! I'll keep this thing occupied."

They didn't seem to mind the suggestion. As they began to flee the creature turned to chase them. It was then I drew my blade and charged in, striking the bear's matted hide. I heard a growl as the creature swung back around to try and hit me. Dodging the blow as best as I could, I rolled away from it. When the bear came charging back towards me I rolled to the side, barely keeping out of reach, and once again struck the thick hair hide it carried. Whether or not it was actually doing anything to hurt the creature I didn't know. After several more times trying to cut the creature I ascertained that my sword was not enough to penetrate the thick hide by simply slashing; I needed to stab the creature. How I was going to accomplish that I didn't know. As I continued dodging the creature I got an idea. Using what window of time I could I firmly planted the sword into the ground hilt first before fleeing the area. With the bear following me I knew it wouldn't disturb the blade. I then frantically, while still dodging the bear's viciously sharp claws, searched for any kind of stick or branch thick enough for what I was about to do next. I eventually found one, grasping it and heading back towards the sword while kiting the bear. Once I was there again I stood between the bear and the blade and waited. As it charged in I moved quickly, swinging the stick as hard as I could for the front legs of the charging mass of fur. I heard, and felt, the stick connect, snapping it and causing the echo to ring through the forest. The force alone nearly ripped my head completely back, sending me tumbling as well. Despite this, it worked well enough. The bear stumbled, ultimately falling forwards face first onto the sword. Due to the massive weight of the creature the sword ran straight through the head and neck of it. It wasn't much longer after that when it stopped moving. After poking it a few times with the stick I was holding, I used said stick to roll the creature over to extract my sword from its head. Once I had accomplished such I examined the dead creature once more. The only thing I could find on it was a little ornament, a brooch almost, of twisted thorns jabbing through a leaf. The leaf itself almost looked like it had a pained face. The brooch was stuck behind the head of the creature, between the ears. I decided to disregard it and quickly leave the area.

As I left the forest I noted that it was dusk. Hopefully the other ponies had made their way safely back home at this point. As I made my way towards town I eventually found myself under the blanket of night. It was at this point that I wandered very carefully, taking fervent note of my surroundings. I didn't want to get caught by that mare again, that was for sure. As I was thus proceeding I heard the slightest scuffle nearby. I froze and wheeled around. Nopony was nearby. I heard a few more shifts and decided to head out towards the sound. As I neared, looking around, I saw just the tail end of a pony disappearing around the corner of a house. I followed suit, eventually ending up before the door of the house I had been taken to. Upon arrival it was clear that the mare had spent some time to fix it up. I waited for a little while before busting the door open. I then went straight for the basement, doing the same with this door as well. My sword was already drawn at this point. As the wood splinters from the frame shot across the room I heard the voice of the mare. "Aw, come on! Now who is it busting in all my doors again?"

I flicked the light on. "You again? You really don't learn, do you? I can still see what lesson I left on your shoulder and sides. Give it up, hero. What makes you think you'll do any better than the last one did?"

As I had a sword in my mouth I didn't respond. When she saw this she spoke again. "Oh well, you know how it goes already. You come charging in with your sword, yada yada yada, I stab the pony and leave him to die before almost killing you. You don't learn, do you?"

I sheathed my sword, a radical idea popping into my head. "Tell you what, how about this: you let the prisoner go and take me in their place. It's me you're after. I'm the one that did what you never could."

I could see that phrase hit her hardest. After a moment of looking at her captive she spoke. "Yeah, ok. I'll do it. Why not? You'll just end up causing me more problems. This one has nothing on you. Drop the sword and we'll make the exchange."

As such I put the sword on the ground and kicked it away from me. She then let the pony go as I approached. Once the pony had fled she bid me trot to the table. As I did I made sure to approach her as well, drawing near. When I passed I snapped into action, bucking back as hard as I could. The hooves connected, sending the mare across the room, well, at least the short little five or ten foot distance there was. I then wheeled around and booked it for my sword. When I turned around she was upon me, knife in mouth. I parried the attempted stab, kicking her away in turn. She then returned in fury. The fight was intense but it was short. Although she managed a time or two to land a cut it ended very quickly when I sunk the blade deep into her leg. As she groaned she cried out. "Enough! I give! I give!"

I paused, maintaining myself at the ready. "I don't even care anymore! You can take the Order! It's just filled with a bunch of filth anyways. I promise I won't do this anymore."

I sheathed the blade in order to speak. "Do you swear on your life?"

"Yes! Yes. You can even turn me in to the authorities if you want. I'm done. I don't want to do this anymore." I glared at her for a little while longer.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer. Come with me. It's time you paid for your crimes." She was nodding, tearfully if I might add. When she had risen we made our way out. After a short trot we arrived at the police station. After explaining the situation she was incarcerated. The officer thanked me for my work and bid me leave, so I did. I felt good, at least, for what I had accomplished this night.

When I returned and went to go to sleep, at least hoping to do so if nothing else, I found Terrn in the doorway looking out at me. He didn't seem very happy. I approached and spoke. "Good to see you, Terrn."

"I have something I need to talk to you about, Aqua."

"What is it?"

"When you told me about your time in the Order of Protectorates you didn't tell me everything, did you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you join that group or not?"

"I did, Terrn."

"Then you are not welcome here."

This was not the kind of answer I was waiting for, or even expecting. As such I looked at him a moment longer. "Wait, why?"

"I cannot support such, especially not from you."

"Terrn, what is that supposed to mean?"

"I cannot accept you as a member of the Order."

"Why not?"

"They're nothing but a group of liars, traitors, brigands and hooligans brainwashed into some delusional sense of honour and commitment. Believing that they've been selected as the guardians of civilisation. It's absurd."

"Terrn, the whole point of the Order is to help ponies. That's why it's the Order of Protectorates. That is why we're called Protectorates. We protect ponies."

"By killing those you think are the problem."

"So you think I'm a murderer?"

"Not yet, but what would be stopping you?"

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard."

"Either you leave that order and never go back or you leave this house and never come back."

"I'm not about to back down from what is before me, Terrn. I will not leave the Order."

"Then leave here and never come back. I never wish to see your hideous face or your convoluted character around these parts anymore." With that, he slammed the door shut. I breathed in a time or two before sighing. I then turned and made my way towards the forest, lost deep in brooding thoughts. How could he believe that kind of talk? What had happened in the past with the Order that I wasn't aware of? There surely had to be some kind of cause for such, as having a pony that far in contrary to a group was never without reason. It hurt still, though, that he decided to leave me alone and homeless simply because of something I believed. I shook my head and continued my journey, trying not to dwell too much upon what had just happened. When I reached my little shack I curled up inside of it, albeit barely managing to do so, before falling asleep for the night.

2. The Dark Chambers

When the morning came I decided it best to head out to the town like I always had. It was a far shorter journey than I had remembered, most likely because of my longer legs. Once in town I managed to find a few supplies, including a cloak, before heading out for the Order once more. That trip didn’t take long, either. When I arrived I sought the Guildmaster. I was soon granted audience. He spoke first once I was within the Main Hall. "So what brings you here to this Order?"

"It's me, Guildmaster. It's Aqua."

"Oh? Back so soon? Were you not protecting Ponyville?"

"I was, am, but discovered I'm not as prepared as I need to be."

"So then what do you want us to do?"

"I need a mentor, somepony that can train me even further so that I run into death a little less while doing my job."

"Fair enough. We will search the land for a mentor and, when we have found one, we will contact you." I nodded. "It's always good that you look to improve. You can never be too prepared."

With that, he bid me leave, so I did. I decided I could probably stay within the Sanctuary at this point, as I had no other home, and what a wait it would be. It was several weeks later, as it turns out, that something finally happened.

I had been training as I could with what I had in the Order when a knock came to my door one day. I quickly threw the cloak on and opened the door. Before me stood a pony I had not seen before. He had a hide of light colour, almost a tan or khaki, and sandy blonde hair. His eyes were a vibrant green-brown mix. "Excuse me sir, but is this the dwelling place of a certain Aqua stallion?"

"That’s me."

"Oh, your voice is higher than I imagined." I had to play it up.

"Yeah, I get that a lot. I'm just a little younger, I guess is why. Maybe with a little more time my voice will drop."

"Yeah, don't worry about it. So, are you ready for your advanced combat training?"

"That I am."

"Excellent. Now, unfortunately I do not have my gear here with me." I simply cocked my head, unsure of why he was here then. "I do, however, have it all back home."

"How far away is home?"

"It's a couple days by train."

"Alright. Let's go then."

"Antsy to learn. I like it. Come then; I have a lot to teach you." We made our way out of the Sanctuary and eventually to the train station in Ponyville. As we began our journey we participated in some small talk, such as where we were from and all that. As the train ride rode on it became clear that the conversation would not. One or the other would end up falling asleep.

After the several days of journeying we arrived in a small town, smaller than the town where I had been previously. After disembarking the vessel the pony took me to his house, which had an ample space behind it fenced in by a stone wall. It wasn’t tall enough to obscure vision either from within or from without. Rather than head there, we trotted towards the door of his home. Once inside the walls of his house he sat me down. "Alright, so I need to know exactly where you are in your training and what you're expecting from me."

"I received four years of training in a combat school for fillies and then another year of advanced training in the Order of Protectorates. I want to learn how to better defend myself, because as much as I thought I could do so, I've already nearly tasted death on several occasions."

"I see. Well, I can teach you exactly how to best that. Come." We then headed outside. After staring at the nearby landscape, which was not much more than a few trees, he turned to me again and spoke. "Do you have your blade with you?"

"Of course. I wouldn't leave without it."

"Excellent. Show me how you use it." I nodded before unsheathing the blade and holding it steady as I had learned since my time in the combat school. He gauged me for a while, then looked over my body. Seeing the cloak he spoke. "Can you take the cloak off?"

I nodded and sheathed my blade before removing the cloak. The teacher looked me over momentarily. "Well, I haven't seen anything like this before. What is your tail made of?"

I looked back at my tail. Indeed it was different than the tails of others. As I had discovered, mostly in my run in with my kidnapper, it was a fleshy appendage. Much more than that I did not know. "All I know is that it's fleshy and bleeds."

"Do you think that perhaps it has muscle in it?"

"I have no idea."

"Shall we find out?"

"I suppose. I don't see why not."

"Alright, I'm going to give you a few orders. Try your best to go through with them. Remember, focus only on your tail." From thence he began giving me orders, such as up, down, left and right. After a couple of moments of experimentation with the capabilities of my tail he sat and thought for a while. "You know, there might be something we can do with this. It gives us a unique possibility, at least."

"And what's that?"

"I have a bit of an interesting task to ask of you. Not many ponies can accomplish such. I know of a few, but not many."

"What must I do?"

"I need you to stand only on your hind legs. Perhaps you can even use your tail to maintain your balance." I looked at him for a second, almost a little fearfully over the prospect of rising on only two legs. Horses are not bipedal creatures, I figured, and I had never tried. He quieted my fears and urged me on, so I eventually decided to do it. The first attempt didn't get me very far, as the next dozen or so failed to do as well. To be honest, we ended up spending much of the day trying to get me to learn how to rise onto two hooves. When nightfall came we headed in, partook of dinner and went to sleep, with me staying in a little guest room he had prepared.

The next morning came and we ate breakfast before heading out again to practice standing. The day rode by the same, interrupted only by lunch and dinner. As did the next day, followed by the next week. It took several weeks, to be honest, before I actually managed to rise on my two back hooves and stay there. It wasn't easy, that was for sure, and my muscles were not developed for such. When I accomplished it for the first time he came over and spoke. "Well, would you look at that? You can do it after all. That was pretty quick. I would have imagined that defying the very nature of your anatomy would have taken a little longer than a few weeks. You seem to learn quickly. Good job. Now, we'll continue working like this just to make sure your muscles learn to accommodate this kind of standing position, alright?"

"That's perfectly fine. It definitely changes your perspective being like this." Indeed, I actually stood well over top of him now. Most of the day was spent with that perspective before I would drop when it hurt too much. When I was rested again, free of pain or tightness, I would rise again until it hurt too much to withstand. Weeks more continued like this until I could remain upright like that for the duration of the day. The day after that, he began to teach me how to move around in that position. After a few days I became pretty good at it, able to manoeuvre in combat about a week later. From that point he began to teach me other things. One key thing he taught came with the invention of something. One day, during training, he brought the device out.

"Alright, so this device is a little peculiar to you, no?" I simply stared at the little thing. "So what it does it that you attach a blade to this circular thing here. The band here straps onto your leg, wherever you deem necessary. You then simply need to flick your leg and the blade will swing out, like this."

He flicked his leg out, causing the circular mechanism to spin. With another flick it rotated the other way. "Do you have your sword with you?"

"I do. I can go get it if you want."

"Please, do so." I nodded, heading back to the house. I climbed up the stairs and entered my chambers, looking for my sword. When I got it I brought it back down to him. After a couple of moments he had rigged the sword to the mechanism. He then placed it upon my leg and secured it. "Alright, there we go. Situated nice and snug. Now, give it a try. Rear up on your hind legs and flick your leg."

I did as he directed. The blade swung outwards, almost catching my leg. The rapid shift in weight nearly knocked me over on top of nearly skinning my own leg. "Excellent. Now, for the next chunk of time we'll work on swinging your swords like that instead of with your mouth."

As he had promised it was what we worked on. Day by day I quickly mastered the principle of fighting on my hind legs. As I was mastering it, ultimately able to fight more effectively than when the sword was in my mouth, I noticed that the teacher looked at me with a face that didn't quite read 'observing for training purposes'. It almost seemed like he was lost in thought. I wasn't quite sure what it entailed but was too focused on the training to care.

A couple of days later the teacher approached me. "Well, you've progressed so rapidly that I'm out of things to teach you. Take what you have learned and apply it to your fighting. I promise you that death will come less frequently to knock on your door."

I nodded, grateful for the help I had received. He then had me pack my things and head back to my home town. While I was leaving, a little outside of hearing, I turned back around. I found the teacher conversing with another pony; it was clear he was signalling at me and the other pony took note. I wasn't sure what they were talking about, perhaps how well my training went or something, so I continued on regardless. Having shaken the sight from my mind, I determined to arrive at the train station. Having done so, I took the next train available.

During the ride on the train I was peacefully sitting within the cabin. I heard the door open and simply glanced over but didn't pay much attention. A few moments later I heard "Yeah, that's the one."

I decided to try and look again when suddenly my view was obscured by a bag that was roughly shoved over my head. It cinched tight around my neck and I felt myself pulled from my seat. I heard the gasps of several of the other passengers, a few cries even, as I was quickly bound by rope. I heard a scuffle begin, the ensuing grunts and blows that follow it, before I was being dragged away. As hard as I was struggling the whole time I was being overpowered by several ponies. I then heard the cabin door open, and the increase in volume as I was taken outside. It was then I felt myself leave the ground, suspended in the air for a panic filled moment, before I hit the ground roughly and began tumbling. Each impact hurt immensely and to my mind I swore I heard a crack or two. After a while the sounds of the train faded into the horizon and I was left alone in the middle of who knows where tied and blinded. It was as I was attempting to get free, almost succeeding in making some ground, that I heard a voice. "So this is the one. Giving the boss a lot of trouble, you are."

As best I could through the bag over my head I yelled back. "What do you want with me?"

"We're here to teach you a lesson, one he didn't manage to teach you personally." I had no idea what they were talking about but, before I could protest, they picked me up and began trotting a little ways. I then heard the wheels of a wagon pull up and I was hoisted into the back. The other ponies laughed a little when I landed with a thud and groaned. Before too long we were slowly making our way wherever they had in mind.

Along the journey I sat trying to figure out a way to break free. I finally managed to manoeuvre enough to pull the cords attached to the bag. The knot came loose and, ultimately, came undone. I then continued slowly, and as quietly as possible, wriggling my way out of the ropes. It certainly was no professional job, as I found out. It didn't take long to undo the ropes. I left them upon me for a moment longer. It was then that I waited for the perfect moment.

When the cart stopped I heard the ponies approaching. It was then I snapped into action. I arose quickly, flinging the ropes from my body and managed to get the bag off my head in time for my eyes to adjust to see the ponies trying to grab at me. I leaped away from them, trying to gain as much distance as possible. When I was upon my hooves again they were nearby. I turned and bucked, finding that my training for bipedal combat had strengthened these muscles. The pony went tumbling several feet away, if not a dozen or so. The next one caught a hold of one of my hind legs, so I used the other to kick him in the face. I heard the resounding impact as he let go and fell limp. I, again, leaped and distanced myself from the astounded ponies. They almost didn't even want to come near, it seemed. It was then that they began circling, hoping to enclose me within. I took my window and bolted the opposite direction. They pursued closely but were never able to catch me. It was then that I saw my teacher's house. I didn't want to stop and think about how the dots connected, so I vaulted the stone wall to his back yard. The teacher was just coming out of his house when I skidded to a stop. When he saw me he cried out. "What are you doing here?"

As the others were clearing the wall now as well I didn't stop and talk. I bolted towards the teacher, possibly thinking that he could help me in the fight. What I found instead was that he tried to grab and pin me. It didn't take a lot of effort to kick him off, from whence I was stuck heading inside. As I bolted through the narrow passageways of the teacher's house I found a room that had the mechanism to mount a sword to, with a sword nearby. Perhaps this was his personal study or some similar type of room. Disregarding the thought, I quickly closed and blockaded the door before going to work with the mechanism. As I was attaching the blade I heard those outside making progress with the door. I finally got the thing set and placed upon my leg before heading over to the blind spot of the door. I reared up on my hind legs, whipped the blade out and waited. The door finally burst open, what little furniture there was blocking it being shoved roughly out of the way. A few entered into the room before I swung my blade in an arc towards the door. I felt it sink into a pony and heard a surprised gurgle. I then withdrew the sword from him and sprang upon those that were already within. They tried to fight back, and no matter how well I incapacitated them or disarmed them, they continued trying to either pin me or stab at me with their swords. As such, I had no other option but to end their lives as I had done with the first. The two that were in the room fell to the ground one after the other, a slash or stab in the chest or neck was enough to drop them. When the others saw what I was capable of they tried fleeing. As the passageway was narrow and, due to the high number of ponies within it, they were unable to make ground before I began cutting them down. Almost with primal rage beyond what I thought a normal pony could feel, I hacked them down. One by one they fell. Only when the house had been vacated did I stop. I returned back to the slaughter hall to find the teacher lying there as well. He had sustained a deep wound but was still conscious. I retracted the blade and stood over him on my four legs. "It was you that orchestrated this?"

"I had no idea..."

"Look at what you accomplished. A near-dozen lie dead in your house, you included here before too long. What were you thinking?"

"You became a threat."

"A threat? Are you serious? Do you even know who or what I work for?" He was unable to give a response. "I'm a Protectorate. I'm supposed to protect ponies. Unfortunately for you, the pony I had to protect was myself, and you gave me the tools and the means of doing it. My hooves won't be covered in blood like this again, but the fact that I had to do it to start with disturbs me. How could you betray me like that?"

He had grown unresponsive. I think he might have died from blood loss within those moments. His face, at least, seemed empty and dull. "Well, if nothing else you gave me some ideas."

I turned and left, leaving the bloodied hallway. I discarded the blade inside of his house, keeping the mechanism on my leg, before heading out towards the train station. I was still so highly disturbed by what had happened in that house that I couldn't manage to pull my thoughts away from it. I had just killed a little under a dozen ponies with my own hooves. I'm sure if I could have seen myself I would have noted that I was visibly shaken.

I arrived at the station, obtaining another ticket amidst questions on if I was feeling alright. The most confused of all was, perhaps, the ticket master, who recognized me from the last ticket I purchased. In the end, however, he left me alone like the others did. I had nothing to do at this point but wait. When the train came I boarded in silence.

Upon arriving at our destination a while later I talked with the station management. Indeed my things had been left on the other train. They did, however, have those items. It didn't take long for me to recover my belongings, what little I had, and continue on my way.

Several days later, while I was trotting around town and keeping my vigil as always, I noticed something out of the ordinary. Trotting around town was a filly, not unlike myself in appearance surprisingly. I could tell it was younger, possibly younger than I had been when I began wandering into town. Remembering what had happened in my past, and not wanting that to be the case with others, I decided to approach the filly. When I was close to it I spoke. "Hey."

The filly looked up at me. It tilted its head. "Who are you?"

It gave no verbal response, but the look in its eyes spoke volumes. Perhaps it was as lost as I had been. "Do you have someplace to stay?"

"No."

"Well, neither do I. It seems we're not too different, huh?" The filly giggled a little. "Tell you what, I'll find a place and we can go live there together, sound good?"

"Um...okay." Thinking back on it, that was probably the sketchiest thing I had ever either said or done in my entire life.

"Alright. Don't wander off too far now, alright?"

"Okay." It was bashful and reluctant, almost, but it complied. I went off to figure out where I could house myself. It was then I remembered those houses where I had been accosted and kidnapped by that one mare. I decided to go check it out. Upon arrival at the first I found it had been gutted by a fire. The second had been closed off, boarded up. The third was swarming with police ponies, probably trying still to investigate the whole mess with the mare. It was at the fourth I found a vacant home, still completely furnished. Of course the doorframe was broken; I'd have to fix that one. It worked, though. I then returned and brought the filly there.

"This will be our new home. Sound good?"

"Yeah."

"I just have a few touches to make and it will be as good as new, hm?" The filly seemed almost a little excited about the prospect. From thence I began work while the filly explored the nooks and crannies of the used-to-be abandoned house.

It took several days before the house was fixed up and ready for living. Not many days after that, a knock came on the door. I answered it to find an officer standing before me. "Oh, my apologies ma'am. Perhaps we were mistaken. We thought this house was vacant. It was a part of an investigation we were running. Maybe we got the wrong house. My apologies."

"No, no, it's fine. Don't worry about it. I wish you luck, though."

"Thank you, ma'am." With that he left. I closed the door and turned to find the filly nearby.

"Who was that?"

"Just some pony. They got the wrong house." I didn't want to tell her it was because they were investigating a long string of torture and murder and this was one of those houses that it happened in. She seemed content with the answer, at least, and went back to whatever she was doing before. After a few moments more of thought I called the filly back over.

"What is it?"

"You know, all this time and I never asked you your name?"

"My name?"

"Yes, what is your name?"

"Well, I don't have a name."

"You are so like me in so many ways. I didn't have a name either. Hm, let me think about it for a moment." After a second or two dozing through the names in my head I came to a conclusion: Lazuli. "I got it. How about Lazuli?"

She nodded emphatically. "Lazuli it is. Hey, tell you what, Lazuli, I got an idea."

"What is it?"

"Since you're so similar to me how about I teach you what I know about protecting other ponies?" One could almost see a smile light up her face after a moment or two of curiosity. She more than happily accepted the offer, and before too long the training began.

It was a few weeks into the training when I received a letter. Upon opening it I read.

Aqua,

Due to some problems that have arisen within one of the new colonies that the government has been establishing we call upon you to answer the need of your fellowponies. You are to leave for the Order as soon as possible for briefing and to receive appropriate gear, including armour and weaponry. We expect your prompt arrival.

Guildmaster of the Order of Protectorates

When I had read this I quickly sought out Tigerfire, who came quickly to the call we had established. Within a few moments of calling for him he arrived within the house. "What is it you need Aqua?"

"I was summoned by the Order for a special assignment, but I now have this filly under my care."

He looked over at her, then back at me, then back at the filly. Finally, upon looking at me again he spoke. "Aqua, did you...?"

"No. I don't know why she looks almost completely identical to me. What I need from you is for you to take care of her until I return. Perhaps you can even teach her some magic or something?"

"Sure. I'm sure she might like it too. Wish you the best of luck in your assignment. Didn't take terribly long for them to give it you, no?"

I chuckled. "I suppose not. Well, I must be heading out. I trust you, Tigerfire."

"Of course." I nodded before packing what little I had in order to head out. It didn't take long for me to find the path to the Order. Once I was trotting the familiar path I made ground quickly.

When I arrived at the Sanctuary it seemed like everything was in a commotion. Ponies were galloping around everywhere, dragging this, that or the other to whatever part of the grounds. It didn't take me too long to find the Guildmaster, who was overseeing the entire process from the steps of the Main Hall. I approached quickly, in which he took note. "Ah, Aqua, glad you could make it so quickly. Things have only gotten worse, as the reports indicate, in the colony. We must head out with full speed at once. Head to the blacksmith. He'll have a set of armour ready for you within an hour or two, should he work diligently."

"Yes, Guildmaster." I then bolted towards the armoury, busting through the door when I arrived. I could tell the furnace was under heavy use, not only because of the vast number of ponies working therein but because of the great amount of sweat that lined their brows. I neared one of them. "Who's in charge here?"

Almost without looking the stallion pointed to one pony in particular, who seemed to be working the furnace harder than the rest. I approached this stallion and spoke again. "Are you the one in charge?"

"That I am. Whatcha need?"

"I need a suit of armour." He looked up at me momentarily.

"Armour? The ones there don't work?"

"I was told specifically by the Guildmaster to ask for one made." The smith sighed.

"He's always putting so much on us. Maybe one day he'll come into the shop and see how hard we have to work at it. Perhaps then he'll upgrade the shop." I shrugged as best as I could. "Alright. I'll get that armour for you. Might take a couple of hours."

"Shouldn't be too bad. I can wait."

"Hey, you there! Come here and get some measurements on this one here. This armour needs to be shape fitting." It didn't take long for the stallion, a unicorn by nature, to come and measure my frame, noting it. It was then that I was dismissed from the blazing hot smith shop. Once outside in the cooler air I took a moment to look around. I then joined the others in the preparations that were being made.

Within the next several hours all was prepared, a little before dusk actually. Supplies were packed, a convoy created and my armour securely placed upon me. Despite it being late in the day we set out at a very brisk canter. It was clear that the mission we were on was urgent, so none of us really murmured about it.

It took a couple of days to arrive to the port we used to catch a ship. From there it was about a week's time before we landed in a distant land. As we neared the largest settlement, perhaps a fifth the size of my home town, it was clear to see that there were problems. We divided into two groups, one to protect the convoy and the other to rush ahead and resolve as many problems as possible. I was in the group that would rush ahead. With my leg mounted blade ready to go, bolted onto my armour, we began a fierce gallop towards the little town. As we arrived we found a very distinct difference between the two sides: one, presumably the settlers, had the traditional vesture and everything of an everyday citizen of Equestria. The other side, most likely filled with dissenters and whomever didn't want the land settled, wore painted faces in the visage of skulls or other ferocious marks as such. As we neared the side with the painted faces they turned and began assaulting us as well as the others. I reared up on my hind legs, snorting in an act to intimidate them, and whipped my blade out. Moving around tactfully I, along with the others who had rushed in, began to cut our way through the violent rebellion. As I was fighting through them as such I felt a few sharp points of pain, and looking to such revealed arrows jutting out of various parts of my armour. Despite this, we continued almost unhindered. Pony after pony fell before our blades until the town fell quiet again. When we were finally able to look around the carnage we took note of a few of our own among those that had fallen. We organised the dead, finding the losses between us and the settlers to be about the same. Those that had rebelled gave no quarter and refused to surrender until the last one had perished. The losses stacked about five to one, with about seventy or more of the enemy lying dead at our hooves. We dealt with the bodies before organising ourselves again. The ponies we had helped were, if nothing else, grateful. Seeing their relief and joy for our aid warmed my heart.

As the rush of fighting had died down, the roar of battle now having silenced, I went to drop back down to my hooves. As I did the shift in my body's stature caused the arrows that were lodged within my body to shift as well, further injuring me and forcing me to groan. I almost collapsed into a heap from the pain, barely managing to do no more than seat myself heftily. A few of the other Protectorates came over in a very concerned manner. They broke the arrow shafts before working my armour off of me and attempting to do what they could to treat the wounds and remove the arrows. I was feeling very dizzy and disoriented at this point, figuring I had lost a very great amount of blood. Thankfully enough they laid me down on my side, because, should they not have done so, I would have collapsed onto my side regardless and it would have proven worse. They continued caring for me as I felt like I was slipping. Whatever unicorns were nearby used their magic to keep me awake and alive, but I could tell it was putting an ever heavier toll upon them to maintain me. It was only when the carts caught up with us when proper medical supplies were brought. Once my wounds were treated and bound I was placed upon one of the carts. They put a pony to watch me as I lay in the cart to make sure I didn't die until they could get better medical care in a week or two. As I sat on the cart, lay on the cart would be more accurate, I ultimately succumbed to sleep.

I was awakened by shaking next. When I stirred, as much as it hurt, I could tell we were pulling into the dock, or perhaps we had already moored; I couldn't actually tell. The pony that had been watching me spoke. "Thank goodness you woke up. We were afraid we'd have to give you a burial at sea for a while there. Do you think you can get up? I can help you if you need."

I nodded to him and, with his help, managed to arise. From thence it was very uncomfortable trotting. Just about everything hurt, due to the numerous, punctured gashes covered by the bandages, and perhaps a few leftover arrowheads. The journey was near-excruciating, to say the least, as we made our way back to the Sanctuary from the docks. When we arrived they sent the other wounded and me to the infirmary to get our wounds treated further.

It was about another week before they let me leave my bed, nonetheless the room. Once I was outside I was approached by the Guildmaster. "You did an excellent job out there, Aqua. I only heard marvellous reports from your fellow Protectorates. I see the training paid off, no?"

"That it did, Guildmaster."

"Excellent. I knew a bright student like you would be able to learn a concept like that. You may return to your personal affairs until you have fully recovered. Taking arrows is never an easy experience and you simply brushed it off. Everyday I'm more and more impressed with what I hear of you. Go now, rest up. We will call you when more is required of you." I nodded and trotted away. From thence I took my journey back home.

When I arrived home I was met at the door by Tigerfire. "Aqua, I must speak to you."

"Oh? What happened?"

"It's about Lazuli." He must have seen the change in my face because he quickly responded. "Nothing happened. Everything is alright. Don't worry. I just have some news for you."

I calmed a little, finally arriving in the house. "So what is it?"

"I trained Lazuli in a little bit of magic while you were gone. She really likes it and she seems to understand the principles very easily. She might have a promising future as a spellcaster."

"That's intriguing news indeed. Perhaps, when you have time, you should continue training her and see where she can get?" He seemed to like the idea. "But for now I have returned. You can assume whatever other responsibilities you might have."

"Alright. Thank you, Aqua." With that he left, leaving me with the filly. I decided to simply rest for the time being, still hurting a little from the wounds. When Lazuli found out about the injuries I had sustained she consented that I should rest. I could have been mistaken but it seemed like she was bigger than before, even if just slightly.

Not too many weeks later, I received yet another letter. This one, instead of carrying the seal of the Order, carried the royal seal. I was intrigued, nevertheless, about what might possibly be within, or what I possibly could have done to have merited royal attention. When I opened it I began to read the words contained within.

Aqua,

We have heard reports of your fighting in the colony, and of the lives that you saved in accordance with the Order of Protectorates. As the reports we received denote you as a very talented and determined fighter we hereby request that you report to the castle at Canterlot. There is a delicate situation arising on our borders and it has become apparent that we must find the best fighters of Equestria to confront the threat.

Cordially,

The Princesses

I looked up to the filly, almost unable to believe what I was reading. "What is it?"

"The Princesses, the rulers of the land I think, asked me to head to the castle on the mountain to receive a special assignment from them because of my fighting skills." Lazuli seemed to get very excited at the prospect.

"Wow, you get to fight for a princess?"

I chuckled a little, her amusing and childish innocence catching me off guard. "That I do."

"That's so cool! Do you think I'll be able to do that some day?"

"I'm sure you will. Until then I must contact Tigerfire. I'm sure he can teach you a few things about spells, too." She seemed excited for that prospect. I then called for him again. Once he was standing nearby he spoke.

"What do you need, Aqua?"

"I have to report to the Princesses because I have to be in an army they're forming."

"Oh, well now, that's kind of a big responsibility. So you want me to watch over Lazuli again?"

"Yes."

"Got it." I nodded and he got down to business, preparing his things. I prepared what little I needed and headed out to the train station. I managed to get aboard a train heading for the capital. From thence began the slow journey up the mountain passes.

When I finally arrived I was directed towards the castle. When I arrived I found a vast number of ponies within the area, perhaps a larger crowd than I had seen before, or at least from this perspective. I recognised at least one or two of them as having come from the Order. I eventually wormed my way through the crowd to the castle. Standing there were the princesses, watching over all the preparations. When I arrived I bowed, figuring it to be courtesy. "Arise. We're glad you could make it. When everypony is ready we'll brief you all on what the situation is."

I nodded and began my own preparations, although I didn't have much to do. Strapping my sword to my leg was about all the preparation that I had at that point. They also gave me a shield to use, as all I had was a single blade. Once that was all situated things began to fall quiet. It was then that one of the princesses spoke. "Attention, warriors of Equestria."

The courtyard fell quiet, every single eye looking towards her. "You might be wondering why I gathered such a group together. It has come to our attention that there is a band of sphinxes a few lands over that splintered from their society. These sphinxes are not only endangering their own nation, attempting to wrest control of it by force, but are also threatening to expand their boundaries by conquering our lands. Not only this but, due to the magical order of things, it has become expedient that we defeat this splinter cell. They have been practicing the vilest of magicks to cast spells forbidden by both society and nature. We must put an end to their dark practice and secure order and justice for lands already established. Soldiers, are you ready?"

There was a resounding yes, from whence the Princess nodded. We then got our things in order and set out. Again, just as we did before with the Order, we took a train to a small port town. Within the port town was a ship of such grandeur that it was out of place among the small dinghies and sail boats. It was onto this ship we boarded. Before too long we set sail.

The journey, which took about a month's time, was filled with just about everything one would expect from a group of soldiers. Crude jokes, filthy laughter and the occasional bout of drunkenness seemed ever prevalent. Also among us were ponies of dignity and order, such as myself, who didn't stoop to such levels. We managed to find each other during that month and clumped together, evading the baseness around us. When the journey came to an end we disembarked the vessel. The landscape around us was new, foreign even. As we took it all in, the towering rock features and massive stone pillars that scattered the brown, dusty landscape, we were called to attention once more. "Warriors, today we embark to find the lair of these renegade sphinxes. We will bring them to justice and establish peace once more!"

There was a cheer throughout the group before everypony began the last little bits of preparation. It was then that we set out, navigating our way through the sheer cliffs and rock pillars that surrounded us. This drab scenery continued until nightfall, when we finally made camp. A night watch was set, but I did not have to participate in it. As such I gratefully retired to sleep.

With the next morning we set out, eventually running into a steep grade by noon. By about sunset we had climbed to the top of the hill. Looking around revealed an empty and entirely barren waste. We weren't sure what to do next, but as the sun was setting we set up camp for the night. By the time all was arranged the sun had descended and the darkness of night was upon us.

The morning came, and it wasn't but in the wee hours of the morning that we heard a cry from the night watch. We had just about packed everything when the news spread around camp. The pony galloped, crying "They're upon us! They found us!"

Unsure of what it meant we all equipped our armour as quickly as possible and readied our weapons. We could barely make out shapes on the horizon, shapes that were coming for us. We then sat in stone cold silence until they got closer.

When the approaching army came close enough that their physical characteristics were discernible one could hear the fear spread through the camp. What we were facing, what was charging directly at us, wasn't some army of ponies, nor was it gryphons; it wasn't even sphinxes. What was barrelling towards us was a literal wall of bone. Skeletal creatures infused with magic, their eyes aglow with the fire of hatred and spite, charged fiercely. Some were equine, while others were of whatever creatures there were in the land. As they neared, we raised whatever weapons and shields we had, forming a line of iron to fend them off. The closer they got the more unnerving their presence proved. We saw, several rows back, the same kinds of creatures that were charging as skeletons, but instead they were seemingly half-decayed manifestations. Our captains called out when we shifted back a little to form a tighter group. "Hold your ground and give them no quarter!"

Not too much longer than they had said such the skeletons arrived. After the initial shockwave of skeletal remains bounced off of our shields and pikes I raised onto my hind legs, drawing the sword. It was then that we began our best to cut down the endless wave of unnerving abominations. The skeletons began making strange noises before too long, shooting anxiety and waves of disturbance up our spines. It was when the strange fleshy manifestations arrived that the moral of many broke. The gurgling sounds they made were simply too much for some. I had contemplated a few times turning and fleeing but my sense of duty kept me locked in the fight.

The scene around me could only be described as utter chaos. I could hear the sound of those around me dropping, falling victim to the weaponry of those abominations that swarmed around us. I felt a deep, soul crushing weight pressing upon me as I continued to fight. Try as I might to fight it off I simply could not deny the fact that dozens of my acquaintances and friends were dying on every side of me. Try as I might I could barely even manage to keep myself alive in the disorder of the fight. A moment arrived when it became clear who was meant to be a Protectorate and who wasn't cut out for it. As the slaughter amongst us continued I heard those that hadn't died yet turn tail and flee as best they could. Their agonised screams would ring out over the barren land several moments later. Unfortunately, in their panicked flight, paired with my intense concentration in battle, I was left entirely surrounded by the throng of bone and mass of flesh. It wasn't much longer after the desertion began than we became overpowered. In that moment a sphinx swooped down, landing behind the ranks of decaying corpses. It spoke shortly thereafter. "That one, the one standing, I want it alive. Take it alive and bring it to me."

As I was the only one on hind legs I figured he was referring to me. Thinking on this made me fight even harder. Before too long I was one of the last few standing. After a couple more swings of my own sword, hacking down a decent number of enemies, I felt a hefty shot in my hind right leg. Pain shot up my leg, causing it to buckle. I fell, landing in a position that allowed me to continue swinging my sword. I did as I could, taking another monstrosity or two. The area around me cleared suddenly, as if by some unspoken command. As all were without my reach, I took the moment to look at what had happened to my leg. Looking down revealed a long and wide cut in my greave, an appropriate amount of blood coursing out of the viciously deep wound. To my view approached the sphinx from before. When he neared I took a swing at him, narrowly missing due to his dodge. Again he tried to near me and received the same response. When he saw that he couldn't near me he let out a chuckle. "You've got quite the fighting spirit within you, don't you?"

"What do you want from me?"

"With your pitiful little mortal mind you can't even begin to imagine the smallest fraction of the plans I have with you."

"Why am I so special? None of the others worked?"

"Well, where are the others? Look around."

"I can't see past your wretched creations."

"Careful, now, they don't like being addressed like that. Make them upset and not even I can deliver you from them."

"I'm sure death would be a wonderful fate for me at this point."

"You have no idea what you're talking about, do you? Do you know what kind of magic I practice?"

"Necromancy."

"Ah, finally catching onto something. I picked well; perhaps you're not as unintelligent as I had previously imagined."

"So are you just going to let me sit here and bleed out then?"

"As tempting as it might be I need you alive. Besides, you didn't see that I took care of it already, did you?" My brow furrowed, unsure of what he was playing at. "Well, since you don't believe me go ahead and look, hm?"

I decided to do so and found the flow of blood had ceased. I looked back up at him, finding a wild grin on his face. "You certainly are an intriguing one; that you are. Pretty resilient. And if I'm not mistaken you have the capability of magical prowess. We'll see where I can get with you. Bring her to the lair."

The next thing I knew I was being grabbed at by skeletal creatures. I was actually successful in demolishing several more of them as they continued trying to drag me away. When the sphinx decided enough was enough he turned and looked at me with a vicious glare. Suddenly, and without explanation, the very veins that pumped the blood that kept me alive felt like they were about to rupture. So acute was the pain that I was paralysed entirely. Until the effect wore off each moment was another moment of unbearable agony. When the spell ended I was so drained from just trying to endure the torment that I was unable and unwilling to even try moving, nonetheless fighting back. As such I was now mercy to these skeletal creatures as they hauled me across a barren waste.

It was a little after nightfall when we arrived at another slope downwards, this one leading into an area much like the one where we had left. It was probably an hour or two after that when we finally reached a cave. The inside was pitch black, that is until you reached far enough in, where the light from torches couldn’t be seen from the entrance of the cave. From there, the cave turned from a roughhewn natural structure to a well-defined and very clearly artificially created lair. We continued in further until we reached a small stone chamber, a door made of rock opening to reveal the inside. I had no idea what I was looking at. On the walls, floor, and ceiling were markings that covered the whole surface of the room. I didn't know what the markings were for, nor am I really able to describe them. They were in a language that was very foreign to me or at least that's what I thought. Without much hesitation the skeletal creatures bound me in the room, standing upright. I'm sure it would have been fine and dandy if there weren't vicious hooks in the cuffs that came down from the outside and jabbed into my legs with their barbed points. Any movement I made to squirm away from any point of pain was met with even more. I tried to remain as still as possible at this point, a task that was fatiguing for my already exhausted body. The sphinx now stood before me, having worked his way through the crowd of skeletons. Then, shoving their way through the creations of the one, four more sphinxes entered, observing me. They spoke among themselves in a language I did not recognise. They frequently motioned to me. The one from the battle approached after several minutes of them conversing. "So, we have come to an agreement. We will spare your life, or at least spare you from misery, if you can prove that you can grasp magical concepts well enough to join us as we set out to usher in a glorious new day."

"If by a glorious new day you mean the death and destruction of all those precious lives you think are standing in your way I will have no part in it."

"So noble. So dutiful. So narrow minded. That's how you ponies are. I don't know how many of your kin have sat before me in the same way that you do now and said something similar to that. We've seen what happens to them," he then turned and finished his sentence in whatever language they spoke. The other four nodded. "So, here's what I suggest: rethink your plans and goals, and join us. You've been the most interesting find we've made yet. Don't waste your potential."

I simply glared at him. "So I assume the answer is no?"

"Seems you might have some kind of intelligence." I could tell the comment cut him, as he came over, grabbing me roughly behind the neck and yanking down. The shift in the shackles sent immense pain up my legs. "We're going to have some real fun with you, you know that? Your comment didn't help your case either."

With that he let me go before stepping back and speaking in their tongue. The others nodded in accord with something he said. It was then that the skeletons left, leaving me with the five sphinxes. I saw the visage of one of them change, as if focusing intently on something. Suddenly, from the runes on the floor, erupted a large number of tentacle-like appendages. They then slapped onto my body. As soon as they touched I could tell this was going to hurt. Each one of the appendages left wicked burns behind it, as if either by acid or because the temperature of the tentacles was immensely high. Either way, as they coursed over my body, it was leaving immense pain that I could only groan at. They reached no higher than the shoulder, but were vicious in running over every single last part of my body. They then reached a little higher, getting my neck as well. Then several grasped over my shoulders and began tugging down fiercely. The pain from the hooks in the shackles met fiercely the sustained burning agony that the tentacles were leaving. After several moments of tugging they released and caressed their way up to just below my jawline. I tried my best to extend my head as high as possible, barely managing to keep my face out of their reach. Before much longer the appendages began to work their way back down my body, ultimately sinking into the floor again. When it was all over I collapsed down from the sheer, unbridled pain that was coursing through my body. The whole of my body, except my face, was burned badly. When I collapsed, however, I felt the sharp spikes dig into my leg again, forcing me to remain upright. I stood as best as I could but it was clear to tell that my hind legs were shaking heavily, unaccustomed to holding my weight aloft for so long, nonetheless under such great strain. The sphinx from before spoke. "Now, we'll give you some time to figure out whether or not you will join us or if we need to subject you to a little more torment beforehand."

He then left, speaking to the others in their language as they followed him out. Once they had left I began frantically trying to figure out a way to escape. Try as I might the barbs in the hooks that had dug so deep into my legs prevented any kind of movement or escape. If I was to get out it would have to be a rescue, but I wasn't sure if anypony would even come. I mean, these creatures had just wiped out a very large number of some of Equestria's best warriors, and now I was all alone here in a hidden cave in the middle of who knows where. If anypony found me it'd be a miracle in and of itself. When I thought that, I gave up the idea of ever escaping. The only thing I could do was mutter one name in this dark chamber: "Ajiin."

Whether that would make any difference or not I had no idea. It was the only thing that came to mind. Other than that I simply stood in agonised silence, watching my blood drip slowly from the cuffs.

After what felt like an eternity the door opened again. At this point my legs felt like they were nigh to bursting from the strain I had been putting on them. I almost half expected to find Ajiin enter. My hope was in vain, as I found out. The five sphinxes returned. They almost seemed surprised. "Well, you have a much higher endurance than we could have imagined. Most ponies we've dealt with had given out at this point. Well, I suppose that takes us to our next point of business, no? Will you accept the call and join us?"

I looked at him momentarily, an enraged scowl showing on my face I'm sure. I, exhaustedly, spat out my response. "Never."

"So you'd rather suffer more?" I continued glaring at him. "Well, suit yourself."

He turned and spoke in their language; a different one of the sphinxes responded by moving closer. Again his visage changed, as if focusing on something. I suddenly heard a scurrying noise from the ceiling. I quickly and fearfully glanced up to find a horde of beetle-like creatures pouring forth from the rock. They were frantically climbing down the chains, a few falling off prematurely. As they arrived I felt their little mandibles begin digging fiercely into my flesh as they continued their march. It wasn't too long before they had spread over my entire body, biting viciously at the burned flesh. Suffering is not a good enough descriptor of that experience. It was brutal. It was hellish, and I could tell they were enjoying it. They were observing my writhing closely.

For how long it lasted I don't know. When it was over the bugs vanished in poofs of smoke. I was left panting, barely able to stand. When all had settled, with no other sound than my heavy breathing, the sphinx spoke again. "Have you reached a conclusion yet?"

As best as I could, through my breathlessness, I spoke. "No."

"We'll assume that you mean you have reached no conclusion yet."

"No, I won't join you." The sphinx turned, speaking again to the others in the room. Once he had finished speaking he turned back to me.

"You're proving to be a hard case." His tone suddenly changed. "I would suggest you stop."

I simply glared back at him. When he nodded I heard the next change in the room. It was grinding stone. When I looked I saw the ceiling raising up, the accompanying pain from the barbed shackles beginning anew. After several moments, not only when the pain from the cuts on my legs had become too much to bear but when I felt as if my shoulders would dislocate, I cried out. "Enough! I give!"

The sound stopped. I saw a smile shoot across the face of the sphinxes. "There we go. Three was the magic number. Still further than the others got. If only you had stayed resilient until the sixth. Ooh, that would have been fun. Well, what do you say?"

I was unsure of what to respond. "I'll join and learn your magic."

As soon as I said this the shackles released, the barbs almost removing themselves, as painful as it was. I fell to the ground with a thud and sat quietly bleeding and fighting back the desire to sob in pain. Forced breathing echoed through the room for several moments before one of them spoke. "So what do you know of magic?"

"I know absolutely nothing." It was silent for a moment.

"Nothing? Absolutely nothing? But you're a unicorn! How did they just let a unicorn go without learning any kind of magic? You can't even levitate a pebble?"

"No."

"Well, this is going to be far harder than I had imagined. No matter, we'll get you trained up. When you're ready for training, leave the cell. The skeletons will escort you to us." With that, they left, leaving me alone in the stone chamber. I sat for a little while longer, slowly bleeding from the numerous cuts in my legs. As I sat, I could tell the wounds were clotting far faster than any normal injury would.

Once I was ready I arose, barely managing to find the drive to do so. All the wounds had closed enough to cease bleeding, but the burns were still tender. As I took a heavy breath again I let slip one word from my lips. "Ajiin."

I'm not sure whether I actually thought that Ajiin would come or not. Regardless I headed into the hallway. Sure enough there were a few skeletons nearby waiting for me. With a few clattering noises they began to lead the way. To my perception the lair seemed more like a labyrinth than a simple cave. Nevertheless, as we were making our way, we eventually stopped at one set of doors in particular. I was taken within. The interior of the room was large and open. Other than that, there wasn't much of anything aside from one rock in the middle of the room. The rock was about the size of an average pony. Once I was within the room, the doors closed and the sphinx spoke. "Excellent. Glad to see you made it. Now, what I'm here to do is teach you how to use magic. First and foremost we will learn how to move a rock."

From thence started the lesson, which didn't get me very far before I was too exhausted to even stand anymore. As I collapsed down into a seated position I noticed that the sphinx looked on almost in disappointment. When he saw that I was no longer able to continue he spoke again. "Well, I suppose that will have to be it for now. Go and rest; come back when you awake."

I nodded before retiring out of the room. The skeletons that had waited patiently outside guided me to a small room with very little as it pertains to furnishings. I saw that the bed was no more than a slab of rock. I anticipated that this was not going to be a very restful session of slumber.

As I had anticipated I got little from the long sleep. When I awoke I again whispered Ajiin's name, perhaps thinking to help him locate me in case he was coming. From thence I left the chambers, no skeletal guides this time, and eventually found my way to the room I had been in previously. From thence the lesson continued until I could take no more. At this point I would retire to my chambers to rest up again, calling on Ajiin when I awoke.

This pattern continued for a good while. I wish I could give a timeframe, but I was within a cave and taking rests at random times. There was no sense of time. Regardless, progress marched on. After I had managed to levitate the rock the sphinx had me begin working on healing arts. How that correlated to necromancy I had no idea. When I asked him he told me that necromancy was the study of the forces of both death and life and how to use them. I still didn't see it but decided to not make any fuss about it.

It was a few more sessions before I began closing major wounds. At the end of the lesson, when I finally managed to close a fatal wound, the sphinx spoke. "Excellent. You have progressed very rapidly. For not knowing any magic you certainly do grasp the concept well. As you have progressed this far I will teach you how to bring the dead back to life."

"Like resurrection type of thing?"

"That will have to come first, yes, as it is easier than placing life into something that cannot have life." I nodded. "Before too long you will be one of us and we will have a glorious future, one of equality and an eternity for others to learn what we know."

I nodded, emptily this time. I would not join them. I kept that thought to myself, masking it with excitement. The day then ended and I was retired to my room.

After a few more days I was able to bring the subject in the room back to life. It was then when I was told I'd be working on animating skeletons the next day. I was against the prospect but went along with it, hoping to make an escape tomorrow if possible. I retired to my room again and called on Ajiin one last time.

I was awakened by shaking. I jolted awake, making sure it wasn't my approaching demise. I found Ajiin standing there. He silenced me quickly. "Don't make any noise. I'm going to get you out of here."

I nodded before arising. "It certainly was one heck of a time trying to find you. You certainly didn't make it easy."

"Wasn't exactly my choice"

"Regardless, I found you and we are going to get out if here." I nodded, excited by the prospect of leaving before I had to deal with the consequences of playing with the dead. Ajiin motioned for me to follow him as he made his way to the door. When he opened it, he peered around both sides, making sure the hallway was clear before moving into it. This he did with each hallway in turn, stopping just at whatever corner he could find so he could evaluate the situation. I was glad he did, as it ultimately delivered us, saved me, from the situation we were stuck in. As we turned down the last corridor I felt an eerie chill run down my spine, nearly forcing me to stop in some kind of unnatural paralysis. From what I could tell this was not some biological or even physiological reaction from the situation nor psychological shudder from the locale. No, it was almost as if it was a third party attempting to wrest my control away from me. I buckled my will down and continued marching onwards, hoping the feeling would stop should I not look back. It wasn't until we broke the mouth of the cave wherein lay my necromantic prison that the feeling ceased.

Once we had cleared the cave, the ravine included, and concluded an entire day's worth of forced marching we finally took a break. I was unable to take another step, almost collapsing when the chance of rest was presented. It was when I very heavily plunked down onto the dry ground that Ajiin turned to face me. His features were hidden in the prevailing shadows of dusk, so I couldn’t tell what his face was showing. He approached me before he spoke. "We have to keep going. You'll be safe once we're back in Equestria. Until then, we cannot stop."

"Ajiin, I'm not ready for that kind of strain. My body just won't do it."

"Forget what your body will or will not do. Make it obey. I get a very strong feeling that if you don't keep moving you will be overrun by the sphinxes again; I fear your fate would be much worse at that point."

I simply looked up at him before grunting. I arose to a stand, every fiber of my body sore. The most exquisite pain was in my legs where the barbed cuffs dug heftily into the flesh above my hooves. With each step a wave of sharp pain shot up my body, begging me to stop fleeing. With each step, however, I forsook the natural need for rest and continued to follow Ajiin.

Upon daybreak we arrived in the little port, the last ship soon to take sail and abandon the port forevermore. Thankfully enough, Ajiin galloped ahead and stalled the worker to help me arrive in time. When I got there the worker seemed very ecstatic to help us get off of that forsaken rock. Once aboard the ship, preparations being finalised, we set sail. It was then that Ajiin turned to me again and spoke. "Aqua, something happened out there, something horrible. You are literally the only survivor of this entire ordeal, and not even you escaped unharmed. I need you to tell me what happened out there."

I was so shaken by all of what had happened at this point that when I opened my mouth I couldn't even manage to spit the slightest consonant. I struggled and wormed for any kind of expression and got nothing in return. Ajiin sat and stared at me for a little while. It then became a long while, the time slowly marching its way onwards towards eternity. Finally, after eons of waiting for anything to come out I managed to squeeze out a sentence. "It was horrifying."

"Why? What happened?"

"It was a complete failure."

"Aqua, tell me what happened."

"They butchered everypony, everypony except for me."

"Why?"

"I can't express it properly, but one said something like 'you can't imagine the plans I have for you', or something like that."

"Who? Who said that?"

"The sphinx, the one that spoke equestrian."

"You mean the necromantic sphinx?"

"Yes."

"What could he possibly want with you?"

"I'm not sure. I don't care to try and imagine it either." At this point I wasn't going to mention that I had learned some of their black magic but with the purpose of twisting it into good. "I'm afraid that they might come for me even now that I've left."

"That they'll chase you into the very heart of Equestria?"

"Exactly."

"That would be an all-out declaration of war. They wouldn't do that. Not yet, at least."

"But then how big of a window of time do we actually have?" It fell silent. Nopony could have possibly answered such a question. "My life is now permanently in danger. No, not even my life; all of your lives are in danger right now."

"What do you mean?"

"They want me alive."

"Ok?"

"If they keep me alive, as they had, it means they will teach me their magic and unleash me as a fellow servant of darkness. My target? Equestria. It would be-"

"Catastrophic at best. I wonder what could be done about this..."

"I don't know. This is beyond the Princess. We've both seen that. Look at what happened to Equestria's best and brightest soldiers. Who all came back?"

"Just you."

"Because they wanted me to. This is beyond a simple army. I don't know what could possibly be done to stop this."

"Don't you give up hope, Aqua. We'll get something figured out, even if it's something you can't imagine." I couldn't think of what he might have meant with a statement like that but decided it was best to not pry into it. I was too tired to care anyways. With the immense swelling of my horridly gashed legs causing even more pulsating agony to course through my body, the best I could think of anything was sleep. I shared the idea with Ajiin, who agreed that it was a good idea. "We can get you patched up so you can rest easier, how about that?"

"That would be wonderful. Thank you, Ajiin."

"Anything to help a friend." Before too long he was digging around in the supplies in the lower levels of the boat. Within several minutes, perhaps no more than ten or fifteen, he returned with a wad of medical supplies. After several moments he had managed to patch up the mutilated legs I carried, along with putting a healing salve upon the magical burns that adorned the majority of my body. Afterwards he left me alone so that I could rest. Deciding it best, I took the opportunity and succumbed to the overwhelming drowsiness that encumbered me.

When the journey ended, the moment I had feared arrived in all of its heavy apprehension: reporting to the Princess about our horrid failure. When the massive doors to the palace chambers opened I trotted in ashamedly. Upon arriving at the thrones I bowed, as was custom. Instead of receiving a command to arise and present my subject I was instead met with a rather disgruntled voice, one I hadn't expected from a character such as her. "What in Equestria happened out there? I sent out over five hundred of the best soldiers in the entire kingdom just so that one can return like a dog with its tail between its legs? Explain the meaning of this!"

I took a very heavy breath in, still not even so much as glancing up at a face I could only assume burned with wrath. "We arrived in the port with no problems. The voyage proved simple enough. We made our way out towards the designated area to combat the target that was threatening the boundaries of our land. We didn't even manage to get close. As we were out there, trotting in a near-lost trajectory, we were ambushed by the sphinx with its necromantic horde."

"I specifically designed that route so that you COULDN'T be ambushed. How did you manage to do so anyways?"

"It was not so much an ambush as we were set upon suddenly by their forces."

"From where? Underground? Where could they have possibly jumped you to get the upper hoof?"

"The horizon."

"The horizon? You sat and watched them come over the horizon until they drew upon you all to begin the slaughter to feed their army?"

"No. They did come suddenly and in far greater numbers than we could ever have imagined. And their forces...just the thought of such twisted fiends..."

"So the best soldiers in Equestria chickened out and tried to flee?"

This question was a trap. To say yes was to acknowledge the misconception she had about us and the mission, but to say no was to flat out lie to the Princess. I swallowed hard, taking in a long, deep breath. "Several did flee. Most of us stood our ground and fought to our last breath."

"So, what you're telling me by the fact that you're standing here is that you turned tail and ran?"

"N-no! Never!" This was the first time I looked up. "I would never do such a spineless thing!"

When my eyes focused in their entirety it was very clear that disdain and disgust showed clearly on the face of the Princess. Indeed, we had led ourselves into a slaughter of nearly five hundred of the best blood of Equestria, so I could understand her fury. Still, just because I understood it doesn't mean it hurt any less to see her react as such. "Then why are you here and the others lie no more than corpses bolstering the numbers in a necromancer's army?"

"They picked me out. I don't know why but they singled me out. They spared my life, drug me back to their cave and began...began..." The mere thought of the horrible agony I experienced in that strange chamber choked the words in my throat.

"Began what? What did they begin? A ritual upon you?"

"No, they began to torture me. They kept at it until they broke my will, until I succumbed."

"Succumbed to what? What did they do to you?"

"They began to teach me the way of necromancy. I did my best to withhold my participation but it was in vain." The room fell deathly silent. After a painfully long silence the Princess spoke with the most sombre tone I have ever heard before in my life.

"What did they teach you?"

"Thankfully, Ajiin rescued me before they could get very far. I was only taught healing and resurrection of the dead."

"Healing and resurrection? Those don't belong to any kind of black magic schools that I know to exist. Those are white magic. What are, were, they doing teaching you that?"

"The only thing I can think of is that they had to teach me how to use any kind of magic, as I didn't know before."

"You mean you didn't know? You have a horn and everything!"

"But I had nopony to teach me. So they taught me. Ajiin rescued me before they began lessons on animating the dead."

"Ah, the true necromancy would have begun."

"But it didn't."

"So you are still clean of any kind of black magic. Still pure. Well, don't you fret yourself then, Aqua, because I have a plan. Since a frontal assault didn't seem to work I will enlist the help of Ajiin and several other choice individuals. They shall infiltrate their base and assassinate the sphinxes. You have nothing to fear now. Aqua, you are dismissed. Return home and rest up from your hardships. Heaven knows you need rest after that. Return to your Order when you are fully recuperated from the injuries, that is, when your injuries have fully healed. Your Guildmaster will have further instructions for you upon arrival." I nodded, unable to get another word out before I was almost shoved out of the massive palace gates. Once I was outside they closed again, leaving me one simple option: return home and rest.

I made the journey home in silence. Of course, I was the only pony on the voyage. Even if I was accompanied the sharp pain that resulted from each jolting step would not have permitted me to do much more than grunt and exhale. I arrived at my house after the long trek back and opened the door. When I trotted within I found, to my surprise, Tigerfire and Lazuli. They looked as if they had been waiting for me. Tigerfire was the first to arise, concern showing in his eyes when he glanced down at the bandages wrapped firmly around each of my legs. He was also the first to speak. "I was going to ask what delayed your arrival but it seems pretty apparent now."

I looked down at my legs before Lazuli got up, bringing my attention back up. "What happened to you, mom?"

I suppose she had developed the habit of calling me that somewhere along the way. She was now bigger than I remembered her to be before, which made me question how long I had been gone. "It's a very long story, one I don't even know whether or not I should tell."

Lazuli seemed fine with me withholding the story but Tigerfire was obviously not content. He pressed further on the matter, his curiosity not yet sated. After a few moments of prodding I decided it was best to not deal with the aggravation of his questions and just tell the story, so I sat them down again and began. "Well, I went out on the assignment like any other task. All was fair and good. The sailing was fine, we arrived in a timely manner and got everything established. We headed out towards our objective and were met beforehoof. We ran into one of the sphinxes out in the wastes, exactly where we could be slaughtered. And slaughter they did, but for some reason one of the sphinxes singled me out, ordering their army to preserve me alive. They took me back to their lair before torturing me, giving me these wounds."

"So they just cut open your legs? That's not very torturous. That just sounds like any other fight. Like, yeah, it'd hurt but I wouldn't consider it to be torture."

"That wasn't what they did, Tigerfire. The wounds on my legs came from what they used to secure me in place to start the torture. They used fetters, but these fetters had barbed spiked to keep me from slipping out. The further my legs slipped out of the fetters the longer the deep incisions became on my legs. They then did unseemly things to me, torturing me with all sorts of magical, sadistic spells. It was only when the ceiling started pulling away, ripping away at my legs, that I yielded. Once they broke me they began to teach me magic."

"Didn’t you say, when you went out, that these sphinxes practiced necromancy?"

"Yes. We wouldn't have had much reason more to go against them than that."

"So they taught you magic? Doesn't that mean you're a...a necromancer?" His tone was hushed but it was certainly condemnatory.

"Hardly."

"Hardly? These are necromancers teaching you necromancy! How does that not make you a necromancer?"

"Because they didn't get around to teaching me necromancy."

"Then what in Tartarus did they actually teach you?!" His voice was definitely not hushed anymore.

"Basic magic to build up to it. I didn't know how to use magic before, Tigerfire, so they had to teach me. They started with basic principles, healing and resurrection, so I could get a grasp on magic. If Ajiin wouldn't have arrived when he did they would have taught me to animate corpses and skeletons and whatnot, marking me with the dark brand of heresy."

"So they taught you healing magic."

"Yes."

"Are you safe now, at least?" Lazuli asked this one. She cared, after all, because I was her 'mother'.

"I wish I could say yes, my child, but it simply would not be true." Her countenance dropped, showing almost an apprehensive fear. "They know I escaped. They know where I come from. They will most likely try and find me, try and turn me into what they are."

"A sphinx?" Her innocence was touching, but in this moment it didn't have much impact.

"No, a necromancer, a character branded as heretical and worthy of death because of the forbidden magic they practice." The room fell silent. After a couple more moments I spoke again. "The Princess has sent Ajiin and several others like him to deal with the problem. She hopes that a small strike force will fare better than a full-on army"

It was Tigerfire that spoke this time, as Lazuli probably didn't know who Ajiin was. "If she has Ajiin on the job it will get done, that's for sure. I don't think any of us truly realise his potential. He'll get results."

"I imagine so."

"Until then, however, you'll have to do what you can to evade possible detection. For one, I'd say you shouldn't use whatever kind of magic they gave you, or any magic at all. Perhaps they would be able to track any kind of magical trace you use, and yours might be very unique to them, as they taught you and have felt it isolated already."

"I don't think I'll have to use it. My field of work isn't a very magical one."

"At least the way you go about it; I have the same position and I almost exclusively use magic." I nodded, disregarding the thought that it was a possible jab at the very physical way I go about work. "By the way, Aqua, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Lay it on me. Heaven knows I'll have a lot of time now."

"As I've been watching over Lazuli these last few adventures I've noticed that she enjoys magic more than physical combat. She seems to be able to use magic pretty naturally, almost without effort on these basic spells I've been teaching her."

"What kind of spells have you been teaching her?"

"Levitation, teleportation and other such minor unicorn magical capabilities. She sometimes seem to experiment with the traces of magic she can control."

"Experiment? Tell me-"

"No, no, it's nothing forbidden. She's been working on plants recently. Growth, germination, magical sustenance, other such things to make gardening easier."

"Well, what do you propose we do then to help her develop her rapidly growing magic?"

"Well, there's a kind of school for magic, almost like the combat school you went to. It's a guild for mages, an organisation that acts much like the Protectorates, but with their emphasis more on protecting arcane knowledge. I think she would do marvellously in such an organisation; she'd flourish."

I looked at Tigerfire, then at Lazuli. Her face was very excited at the prospect of such an opportunity. I then looked back at Tigerfire. "I believe that she should have the same opportunity as I had early in my life. I approve of her joining this guild you have informed me of."

After an exclamation of joy Lazuli galloped over and hugged me. I winced and fought back a grunt of pain as she slammed against the wounds on my front legs. When she unlatched I spoke again. "What kind of preparations need to be done in order to get her ready for this?"

"Not much. Just supplies for the journey. I have already filled her in with where it is and how to get there, whether that's through teleportation or regular travel. Basically, give her the food and raiment to get her there and she'll get there."

"I can certainly do that. Just tell me what is needed." He nodded before briefing me on the necessary supplies. It didn't take terribly long to get all the required items, no more than a day or two. It left me short on bits, hoping I would make it through until the next allotment the Order gave me. I didn't mind, though, as I could see my 'daughter' succeed in what she loved.

Once all the preparations were made the time had come. Tigerfire was already beside the door, ready to give her further instructions. Lazuli came trotting up to me before she would head to the door. When she was standing before me she looked up at me in utter silence. I noticed a tear in her eye as she gazed at me. She took a short breath sharper than normal and promptly latched onto my body again as she had when I first accepted the proposition. "Thank you, mom. I can't tell you how happy I am about this."

"Now, I want you to do your best, learn as much as you can and make sure you stay out of too much trouble. I want you to prove what you are capable of, but I want you to do it humbly. Go by example, not by show. Got it?"

"Yes mom."

"I'm proud of you, Lazuli." The embrace had been broken for a while but at this point she had finally stepped back. She smiled at me contently for a short moment. "I love you."

"Love you too, mom!" With that she had turned and was out the door, talking with Tigerfire as they trotted away. I was now alone. As great as it could prove normally to have a little down time it was not the case this time. I instead basted in the fear and apprehension of knowing that creatures far more powerful than me were in a very active hunt to find me. I did manage to settle down, calming my nerves a little, to get the much needed rest that everypony had been telling me to take.

It had been only a couple of days, my wounds nearly entirely healed at this point, when I received a letter from the Guildmaster. To see its arrival was perplexing to me. As I thought on it while bringing the mail in a sudden thought struck across my mind that filled me with immense worry. Perhaps because of the recent failure on the expedition I was to be placed under some kind of punishment. I nervously opened the letter and read the contents.

Aqua,

You are hereby summoned to the Sanctuary to receive further briefing on the situation surrounding you. Your presence is expected. Arrive in one week's time.

Guildmaster of the Order of Protectorates

It certainly was not a comforting letter. I placed it aside and rubbed my eyes, almost as if hoping that if I cleared my eyes the letter would contain some different content. When I found it to be the same I let out a heavy sigh before preparing my supplies. At least, I figured, I would be safer in the Sanctuary than here at home should the sphinxes attack.

Once preparations were made I set out. My pace was certainly slower as I was mulling over the possible outcomes for my life. Most of them lead to death or some horrid kind of torture, or exile. I swallowed hard and continued the slow march to what I figured was my imminent demise.

I eventually arrived at the gates of the Sanctuary, as reluctantly as I had made the journey. The two massive wooden doors opened in their usual sluggish manner and I had no other option than to trot within. When I was within I settled back down into the Order's housing, deciding to participate in whatever training I could until the fated hour arrive.

Arrive it did, to my disdain. I was summoned to the main grounds. Upon my arrival I waited anxiously for the answer I would receive from the Guildmaster that was standing before me. "Aqua, I have been made aware of the recent developments. I know of what happened under the direction of the Princess, of the failure experienced by that army she constructed. I do not hold that failure as any kind of irresponsible behaviour or unsatisfactory performance on your part. I trust that you tried your hardest to overcome the enemies that I'm sure you faced, whatever they were."

Suddenly a huge relief washed over me. The burden of the pressing fate was now lifted from off my chest. After a grateful breath or two the Guildmaster spoke again. "In fact, I wanted to entrust you with another assignment. We, as an order, have been tasked with transporting a very important dignitary from the lands northward as he returns to his own land from a council he was involved in. You will be passing through some dangerous regions in the landscape, so that is why they have trusted us with this assignment, and it is also why I trust you with it. You were the sole survivor of a massacre, and that is no play of fate. You have promise. I trust you will not disappoint."

Almost as with new confidence I responded. "I will not let you down, Guildmaster!"

"Excellent. You are to begin preparations immediately. There's a group already waiting for you. Meet in the south-west corner of the Main Square. You will set out shortly thereafter for your expedition. I wish you luck, Protectorate."

I nodded and set out, making my preparations as quickly as possible. When I was ready I set my heading to the Square, finding the group that had been mentioned before. I was briefed on the subject, about the role the Clydesdale ponies had in relation with the Princesses and the importance of keeping this ambassador safe in his travels. It was an exciting prospect, as I had never before seen a horse of that breed. I also figured this would be an excellent opportunity to redeem myself from the failure I had suffered at the paws of the sphinxes.

When all was in order we set out from the Sanctuary, all twenty or so of us. The initial journey carried us over to Canterlot, taking the train out of the nearby town. When we arrived at the magnificent castle town we were directed towards the embassies. When we arrived we found a group of ponies gathered together outside. Most of them were different from the average pony. They were larger, bulkier, than normal ponies. Their frames were not as slim as ours were. Indeed, on average they stood just a touch taller than us. They also had a small patch of hair around each hoof. As we approached we could tell they were a jolly group of ponies, almost never wiping the smile off their face. When we arrived we were warmly hailed by them. I was not the spokespony in this situation; the speaker for us was an older Protectorate, a seasoned veteran. "It is an honour to be able to escort you back to your lands of inheritance. We are ready to set out when you are. Just give us the word."

"Oho, how about we wait until tomorrow morn? The day draws a little late, hm?"

"If that is what you wish to do we will go with it."

"Well, then, we depart at the rise of the sun tomorrow!"

The spokespony nodded before turning to us. We moved out a little ways before he spoke to us. "Alright, so he is having us leave tomorrow when the sun comes up. Until then, in the couple of hours we have during the day, make any last preparations you need. I will pick two Protectorates to accompany me to find housing for the night. Try to be in this plaza by the time the moon comes over the horizon. We will lead you to the place we found then, understood?"

We all nodded. Our leader assigned the two others to accompany him and set us out upon the town. There wasn't much for me to do, so I simply sat in the plaza until then. I watched as the busy town went by, each pony with their own matters to tend to, until the sun set. The town calmed dramatically within minutes of the darkening of the sky, eventually leaving me alone in the chill of night. The peace was refreshing, while it lasted. Within moments of the moon rising the rest of our crew began to assemble in the square. After several moments the leader arrived. "I'm counting that everypony is here. Am I mistaken?"

We took several moments to count our numbers and make sure all of our colleagues were present. They were, as we found out, and we reported such. "Excellent. Now, follow me. I found a decent place for us to stay for the night. It's a hotel, a fairly nice one. In consideration of cost to the Order we are to have four to a room. We have the five rooms filled. When we get there, if you have already separated into groups of four, you can simply go to your room. If not I will assign any remaining ponies to the open slots in rooms. Let's go."

We began making our way through the town. I began to worry over the situation. I had to take this carefully or face very heavy consequences for my gender situation. A few possible outcomes flashed through my mind, and none of them were even gently malicious. The feelings of worry only grew as we trotted further towards our destination.

When we arrived most of the groups were already formed. Those groups that weren't formed were assigned to form, which didn't take terribly long. We all went to our respective rooms and got our things settled. I was extremely cautious in my behaviour during that time. As the hours continued to plow on, not terribly much further than midnight, the other three stallions I was with grew rowdy. They kept their volume down to a reasonable level, and thankfully we were on the first floor because they decided to start a wrestling match at one point. Amid the stifled laughter and thunks of their bodies against the floor I sat in utter silence completely out of the way and watched. After probably an hour or so, as they were panting, they glanced up at me. One finally spoke. "Why don't you join us, Aqua, is it? Blow off some steam.""

"Wrestling isn't exactly my thing."

"Aw, come on, we're having a heck of a time over here! I'm sure you'd love it if you gave it a try."

"I'm good without."

"You ever wrestled before?" A different one of my roommates spoke this time.

"Well, no-"

"Then how do you know you don't like it?"

"Well..."

"Nah, he's just playing chicken." The third one spoke now.

"I'm just tired is all. I'd just like to get to sleep." They looked at me for a moment.

"Then why not just go to sleep right now?"

"With all the laughter and banging I wouldn't be able to fall asleep."

"Then why don't you join us until we're all exhausted and we'll all manage to fall asleep then."

I looked at them almost in disgust for a moment. "No. I'm not going to join in. That is that, and I won't continue arguing the point, alright?"

My tone wasn't harsh, but it was certainly frustrated. I didn't want to join in their roughhousing because I was afraid they would discover that a mare had joined a stallion's organisation. My response caused the stallions to look at each other for a moment. "You know, maybe we should just go to bed. We wouldn't want to be tired for the next day."

"Yeah, he's got a point. It's going to be a long journey."

"I'm going to hit the hay. I don't know about you two." I smiled, albeit faintly, before getting accomplished my last preparations for the night. The other three were going about their business as I curled up into one of the two large beds. It was bad enough I had to share a room with them, but I was concerned about sharing a bed. I quieted my fears, rationalising it by repeatedly stating that I was far on my side of the bed, so I'd be safe. I heard them conversing amongst themselves for a while, but their tone was hushed and I really didn't care much about what they were saying. I disregarded their talking and decided to try and get some sleep. After several moments of laying there with my eyes closed the room fell quiet. I figured they had started crawling into bed or just didn't have any more topics of conversation.

"Ha ha!" The sound was sudden and caught me off guard, but I didn't really have time to react before I felt a weight press upon me. One of the stallions had jumped on top of me, wrapping one leg around my throat and biting my ear. He was trying to wrestle me, as if to force me into the activity they had going on before. I wasn't sure what I was feeling, so I decided it best to shake him off. I yanked violently to the side, rolling over with him still attached. His grip had loosened slightly, giving me enough leeway to mostly slip out. He renewed the grip, so I kicked off the bed, launching the two of us off. When he hit the floor his grip slacked again, giving me the window I needed to escape. The other two were practically upon me at this point. I ducked and weaved through their grasps, barely evading their attempts to wrestle. One got a hold of my tail and tried pulling me back but I whipped my tail around and knocked him down. When I was apart from them I wheeled around, getting down in my stance. They stood back a little, almost backing up. Perhaps they were sizing me up or planning their next attack. I wasn't sure, but I didn't want to find out.

"That is enough! I will not tolerate any more of this, you hear? If you try any more wrestling on me I will not hold back like I just did. I will assure myself that you leave with broken bones if you try to do that again. Am I clear?" Making such a bold threat ate at me, as I was always trying to keep others from some kind of injury. I had to shake the feeling of dropped morals, from stooping as low as threats, because I figured I really had to get my point across. Well, it worked.

"Hey, I'm really sorry. I didn't know you didn't like it so much." The one that had jumped on me to begin with was the one speaking. "I mean, I'd say you should have told us, but you told us a lot. This was all us. I hope you don't have too hard of feelings."

As I looked on their regretful expressions I couldn't help but feel a tinge of guilt for how I had acted. I eased my stance, let out a sigh and spoke. "No, no, you're fine. I reacted pretty harshly. There's no hard feelings between us."

"Well, we should probably get some sleep then. As much sleep as we can get should help us." We all nodded, now that the heat of the moment had died down. We all settled down in our respective beds, the propagator of the idea to wrestle me settled down on the opposite side of the mattress. As we lay there in the silence and darkness of night, the lights having been turned off previously, we quickly succumbed to sleep.

When I awoke I found myself laying almost directly beside the stallion. Had he not been asleep he surely would have had his wing wrapped more tightly around me. I tried my best to not jolt away, as it would raise suspicion, so I simply rolled out of his grasp. I then got off the bed and silently began my preparations for the day. I had no idea what time of night it was, but I was sure I shouldn't remain in that situation any longer. By the time I had gotten my last things in order there was a knock on the door. I furrowed my brow in curiosity before heading over. I opened the door to find the leader standing before me. "Oh, well you got up pretty early, or did you not sleep?"

"No, I got to sleep, but I don't sleep very long sometimes."

"Alright, well, it's time to get the other three up. We leave shortly." I nodded, causing him to go to the next room. I closed the door and turned around. The one that had shared a bed with me turned, taking in a breath before speaking.

"What was that about?"

"It's time to get up. We leave before too long." The stallion stirred, eventually getting up. I went over and shook the other two, relaying the same message. Before too long they were all awake and preparing for the day. Not many minutes later they were all ready. We were waiting at the door when the knock came. Opening it revealed the leader again. "Time to go?"

"Yes. The convoy leaves in thirty." We nodded and headed out towards the main entrance of the building. When everypony else had gathered we set out for the plaza. Due to the earliness of the morning there weren't many words shared amongst us.

When we arrived we prepared the carts. It wasn't much longer past when we started preparations than when the Clydesdales arrived. They hailed us in the same warm manner as they had the previous day. It wasn't much longer before we set out, the sun barely even peeking above the walls around us.

The entirety of the first day was completely uneventful. We took the train as far as we could, getting as close as we possibly could to their borders. At one point we reached the last stop and had to disembark. We were now in colder territory, frozen lands of frigid winds. When we were all outside, having put our best winter gear on, we realised just how cold we would be. It was bitterly cold, but it would prove to be the only way to reach their closest method of transportation. We could only hope that they improved the route as time went on, but for now we had to escort these ponies back to their homeland. We set out, bracing ourselves against the stinging air.

We made camp for the night, trying our best to stay warm. I was paired with the same stallion as before. We began talking, seeing if we could pass the time a little until we were tired. "So, Aqua, is it?"

"Yeah."

"I still feel kind of bad for what happened last night. I didn't mean for it to get out of hoof like that. We just thought it'd be a little fun to wrestle it out and saw that you weren't joining in. We just thought you were being a poor sport, so we agreed to make you wrestle. They had me instigate."

"It's fine. It was innocent fun. I'm just not the wrestling kind. I can get kind of a little too competitive, it seems." He chuckled.

"Well, we all made it out without any broken bones." I laughed nervously about that. I still felt bad about the threat I had made. I decided it best to drop the thought.

"By the way, I never figured out your name."

"Mine?"

"Well, you're the only pony here aside from me, right?" This merited a laugh or two.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"So what is it?"

"My name is Blaze."

"Blaze, huh?"

"Yeah. I joined the Protectorates not too long ago. I don't know yet if I should have or not."

"Well I think it's worth it." He smiled, almost reassured by my response. Shortly thereafter he shivered. "You cold?"

"Yeah, it's bitterly cold out tonight."

"Yeah, the air has a pretty strong bite to it."

"Hey, Aqua?"

"Yeah?"

"You know that two bodies are warmer than one, right?"

"In a way, yeah. Why?"

"Oh, well I was wondering if, perhaps, we should, you know, like sleep close together tonight."

"Like how close?" I almost had an idea of where this was going but I wasn't sure.

"Well, I was thinking sharing a bedroll. Maybe even rigging the two together." I'm almost entirely certain my face got even just a little bit flushed. "You know, if that's alright with you?"

"Uh, sure. Guess it wouldn't be too bad of an idea." I was trying to hide my bashfulness on the subject.

"It just felt kind of nice last night being that warm, you know? I almost imagine that's what it's like to cuddle with a mare." Now I'm sure I really was blushing by this point. "What is it?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing, sorry." He looked at me before, presumably, disregarding the statement. From thence we began preparations. I was still reluctant on the idea, as it might lead to my discovery, or worse, but had to play along with it. After a few moments we had jerry rigged the two bedrolls together to make it as warm as possible.

We barely managed to stay warm during the night, even with my reluctant permission to cuddle up for warmth. When morning came I awoke earlier than him, as was normal, and prepared everything. The cold eventually woke him up and he prepared everything as well. When all was in order the camp set out.

While we were adventuring out here we figured nothing would happen. I mean, this is a barren, icy plain buried in several legs worth of snow. However, we were wrong. We heard some kind of rustle and felt the shifting of the snow beneath us. We tried our best to figure out where it came from but we were not native to this kind of terrain. The emissaries knew, however, and quickly picked up their pace. Where most of the Protectorates followed in their wake I hung behind, making sure nothing happened. It wasn't much longer before we heard an eruption of snow amidst the still, wintery air. It sounded no further than perhaps five yards behind my companion and me. We turned about and our hearts stopped. We heard fearful shouts from our fellow Protectorates. Almost before I could think of any other plan I shouted to the stallion beside me. "Get behind me! Now!"

Perhaps he was more shocked than anything, as he complied with my order. I had barely managed to get my shield on my leg by the time the first strike from this massive foe came. It bowled me over, sending me tumbling several yards back. My companion wasn't too much further away, fleeing from the creature to get support from his fellow Protectorates. I found my ground again and looked up. At this point my jaw dropped in terror. Before me stood a massive reptilian foe, perhaps standing ten times taller than we did. From its body protruded not one head but nine; we were being confronted by a frost hydra. One of the heads opened their mouth, forcing me to buckle down and raise my shield. Shortly thereafter a massive force hit my shield, almost forcing me to tumble. I was shoved back several body lengths, that was for sure. The weight of my shield was increasing with each passing moment until the force stopped. When I raised my view up, changing the angle of my shield, a very large blanket of snow slid off, revealing several large ice spikes sticking out of the front of the shield. I had to quickly react as I saw one of the heads descending, fangs first. I tumbled to the left, barely dodging the mouth that would have easily consumed me and the entire area around me. I managed to get my sword attached to my leg before the next strike came. I didn't have much time to do anything other than tumble my way around the massive creature. Bite after attempted bite came raining down from the massive edifice of scales as I rolled my way out of the way of each attempt. By the last tumble I had gotten somewhat dizzy. Thankfully enough, the rest had arrived in time to take some of the attention away from me. What the other Protectorates were doing, or even how they were faring, I didn't know. I just made sure I kept my attention plastered on the head that was still trying to eat me. The next time it descended, instead of tumbling to the side like I did before, I leaped forwards and rolled, getting underneath the neck of the creature. I did my best to swing my sword the whole way, managing to leave a small scratch running down the throat of the beast. It barely managed to draw any blood at all over a short period of time, meaning it was a pitiful attempt.. As the head raised again I rushed underneath the beast. I managed to stab into the belly of the creature and swing down, as much of a strenuous effort as it was. This attack certainly had a much better effect, drawing a large amount of blood, even spilling down upon me. I stuck my sword into a second location but the creature pulled away before I could do much more. The shift in force made me lose my balance, forcing me to stumble. A sudden shout came ringing out from the group of Protectorates outside of the reach of the hydra. "Aqua! Look out!"

Before much longer, not even enough time for me to react, I was hit by a massive force. The crushing impact pummelled me, launching me deep into the snow below. I was not entirely incapacitated at this point, due to the cushion of the snow. With a groan of pain I shifted and got back up. When I was able to, I grasped my sword again and climbed out of my little dugout. I managed to get back up and rise back out of the snow. I was currently barely underneath the front of the hydra, so I moved forwards a little and repeated the kind of strike I had made before. This was also successful, as it was not expecting that I was still capable of anything. After the strike, having learned from my mistake the last time, I didn't try to stab again. I, instead, slashed mightily at the leg of the beast. It left a massive gash, but this came at a heavy penalty. The hydra had stepped back, which helped my swing to cause more damage, but had done so far enough to swing one of its heads. Perhaps it was intending to consume me but missed, I'm not sure. Either way the force was monumental. I was catapulted far off into the distance, rolling and tumbling. By the time I stopped sliding across the snowy plain I was so disoriented that I barely managed to figure out which way was up and which was down. All I knew was that the hydra was not in front of me, or perhaps I simply could not see it. As I struggled to a sit I heard a sound that would have caused me to freeze had I not known what caused it. It was not unlike a roar, but this roar, I recognised, was the breath weapon of the hydra. I found my shield had been flung from me on the left, sitting just within reach. I strapped it on my left side as quickly as I could. Quickly was not, however, quick enough. As I brought my shield around a very sharp pain tore at my lower back. The force itself would have forced me across the landscape had it not pinned me firmly to it. I raised my shield behind me, hoping it would cover me from further projectiles. All I could do was grunt through the pain and maintain my shield as best as I could to protect me. The force itself shot immense pain up my left shoulder. I was not entirely covered, as I discovered, as a few ice spikes whizzed past my head, one even leaving a large gash on the side of my face. One collided with my ear, sending heavy pain down my spine and forcing me head even further down than it already was. It took a while with me sitting in intense agony before it stopped. I couldn't even drop down to hide in the snow. I was stuck in my sitting position, my leg jammed behind me, and left to groan in wretched suffering.

Now, I don't blame the others for the delay in assistance. Indeed, they had to make sure the hydra was dealt with. Even nineteen Protectorates would be heavily tied up by such a massive and intimidating creature. Perhaps the frigid air or the frozen projectile slowed down the rate of blood loss. I'm not sure. All I know is I sat in the numbing pain for a very long time before I heard things quiet down behind me. Once they had, though, I heard numerous hooves crunching in the snow until they arrived. The first thing they did is try and make sure I was alive. They did so by shaking me, causing sharp pain to radiate up my body from the clotting, frozen blood that had scabbed between my interior and the icicle. "Aqua, speak to us!"

"Stop it! Stop!" The shaking ceased. I could only groan from the pain I was dealing with.

"We'll get you taken care of, Aqua. Just remain calm and try to tough out the pain while we get this taken care of." I nodded, the tears of pain unable to be restrained. It was then I heard the voice of Blaze.

"Just don't break any of our bones, huh?" His comment made me chuckle, which was a huge mistake. As the chuckles stopped I squirmed through the accompanying pain. "You ready? Stay still, we're going to pull it out."

Again I nodded. I felt the icicle shift before pressure was applied. As it shifted out of my body, the most intense pain I had felt so far burned through me, causing muffled screams to erupt from my throat. I tried my best to remain silent but the pain was too much to withstand. After several moments I felt one last yank, one last wave of ultra-concentrated pain worm up my spine, and I suddenly collapsed. I heard a crunching thunk nearby as they chucked the ice spike away. I then felt them grasp my contorted left leg, turning it about. This pain was just as bad as the ice spike. It continued until I heard a pop, causing pain so sharp I nearly blacked out. They gently laid my leg down, telling me to wait a short while until they retrieved something to carry me to the nearest town. It was true, as several moments later they plunked two rods nearby with a cloth between them. They stripped me of as much of my gear as possible, pack and weaponry included. They momentarily removed the majority of my armour to begin taking care of my wounds in some kind of rustic manner. Thankfully enough, much to my relief, they didn't have to deal too closely with the lower hip area. Once they patched up the large hole, sealing it the best they could, they wrapped the side of my face with a bandage, as well as dealing with my ear momentarily. I could only imagine how I looked at this point. As much as I could have mused over my miserable state I decided it was best to not do so. As such I sat in silence for a decent while.

We trotted in a blanket of silence for a good duration. It was probably several hours of being hoisted around by five ponies on this piece of fabric with rods that I grew antsy. After probably another hour of a crawling stir crazy I spoke. "I feel bad for making you all carry me like some kind of burden like this."

Blaze, who had eagerly opted to carry me, spoke. "You're not being a burden to us."

"Well, you're carrying my sorry rump to wherever to see if you can't get some kind of medical attention so I'm not permanently maimed. It seems kind of burdensome to me, especially when I should be trotting there myself."

"You've done more than plenty."

"I mean, yeah, I stalled a hydra until you all showed up."

"You didn't just stall it. You orchestrated its demise. Had it not been for the major wounds you left on its underbelly we would never have been able to defeat it."

"But what I did was reckless and could have gotten me killed."

To my surprise the leader of our group spoke next from his position at the front. "That it could have, Aqua, but had you decided against such actions it could have gotten all twenty-five of us killed, permanently marring relations between us ponies and our relatives, the Clydesdales, and horridly scarred the reputation of the Order. So, yeah, what you did could be seen as idiotic and suicide, but I firmly believe it was exactly the kind of headlong heroism we needed. Thank you."

I was silenced. No, I was speechless. It was heartwarming to hear somepony above me say something like that. As sweet as the joy of saving them was, I felt a tinge of guilt as I would be unable to help if something else happened. I took a heavy breath as I dwelt on this thought before settling down again. It wasn't too long before I was overwhelmingly drowsy. Whether it was from the recent encounter or blood loss I couldn't tell. I took a chance and guessed it better to simply fall asleep.

I was awakened by shaking next and repeated calling of my name. I grunted and shifted as best I could. I was stiff and sore, paired with being unwilling to do much in the condition I was in. I heard collective relief from those around me and the shaking stopped. "Good, he's still with us."

"Well, Aqua, we have arrived in town. The emissaries are offering to have you checked in to one of their care centres at no cost to you or the guild. What do you say?"

I looked sleepily at him before responding lethargically. "I think that would be a good idea."

I could see the concerned looks of those around. Perhaps the way I spoke was so far different from normal that they feared I was nearing death. Whatever they were thinking I couldn't tell. All I knew is that, within minutes, I was being wheeled into their centre. After a certain point the others were not allowed to follow, leaving me alone with the doctors. It was then that I spoke. "You might think me crazy for saying this, perhaps that I have become delusional because of blood loss or something. You might disregard what I say because of that, but I have something to ask."

That certainly got their attention. "We're listening."

"Whatever you do you cannot tell them that I am a mare, nor address me as 'she' in the third person. For all intents and purposes, pretend that I am a stallion."

"That certainly is an interesting request. We'll keep that in mind."

"No, make sure you do it. If they found out I was a mare it would spell my demise or exile." The doctors nervously looked at each other as they continued wheeling me down the hallway. "It's kind of a select group that very strictly chooses only stallions. To know that a mare had been accepted by accident would mean death, perhaps for even more than just me."

They nodded solemnly. "We'll do what you ask."

I was grateful for their assistance in this matter. Content now as I was, I lay back down while they finished wheeling me around. It wasn't very long before they put me to sleep for the following procedure.

When next I awoke I was alone in a room different than the one I had been in before. I groaned and shifted. It was moments after that when the door opened and a few of the Protectorates entered. They came over and sat at the bedside. After a few short moments one finally worked up the courage to speak. "So, uh...how do you feel?"

"Pretty weak." It was true. I was pretty drained from what had just happened. I wasn't entirely sure why.

"The Order has ordered that we return as soon as possible. How long do you think you'll have to remain here before they let you go?"

"I don't know. You can ask." They nodded before one got up and left to ask. It was about a minute or two later when he came back in. "Well, what's the verdict on me?"

"They said you should be good to leave whenever as long as you didn't walk further than the doors of the centre."

"That's not a very long distance, but if the Guildmaster wants us back we better not keep him waiting. Get me signed out. I guess you'll have to carry me home." It almost hurt to say a phrase like that; to be so dependent was painful to me. They agreed emphatically, however, so I guess it was all fine and good. It didn't take them long to get things in order. Shortly after that, we left the medical centre. The same five stallions that had carried me before were hoisting me again this time. We set our heading for home and set out along the frigid path to get there.

The trip was pretty uneventful in and of itself. We made it to Canterlot, received the thanks from the Princesses that were deserved, including a special honour given to me for what I did with the hydra fight, and headed back to the town nearest the Sanctuary. From there we started up the trail towards the Order.

All seemed to be well and good on this stretch of the journey. We were winding our way up the mountainous forest trail, the usual route, just as we always did. I was, of course, still confined to the wagon due to injuries. As we were going along we heard some rustling in the bushes nearby, perhaps a dozen or so yards away. The others were not as concerned about it, continuing their conversations, but I perked up. I was listening intently to the sounds around us now. The rustling continued, paired with the occasional snap of a twig or some other sound that was similar. I managed to locate the general location of the sounds and kept my eyes locked in the direction. I must have been focusing very intently for a while, as I drew several chuckles from those trotting beside the cart. "Whatcha find in the brush there, Aqua, a squirrel?"

"Shut it. Shh. There's something out there."

"Probably just some forest critter."

"A forest creature wouldn't follow us for a quarter mile." They stopped their chuckles, looking at one another. One or two of them even began looking around with me. "Something, or somepony, is following us. It's on the right."

They turned their attention that way. As they did, and as I paid closer attention now that they weren't making as much noise, I noticed that the sound was moving forwards, moving faster than we were. When the realisation of such dawned on me I suddenly spoke. "They're kiting us. They're trying to get in front!"

Those around the cart began readying their things, preparing for combat. I then turned and shouted to the front of the convoy. "Look alive! We've got company!"

As those in front of us were reacting to my statement suddenly, as if from nowhere, a pony burst through the thicket. The pony was clad in wooden adornments and armaments, armed with a weapon inlaid with wickedly sharp rocks. A mask hid its face from us. The mask itself was a violently contorted imitation of a pony's face, causing some slight unnerve among us Protectorates. Aside from the wooden masked helm and the stony weapon this pony did not carry much more. Ivy and vines twisted around to cover a large portion of his body. I wasn't sure how nature could even grow in such a manner. It felt almost like it was twisted by some foul magic, which wouldn't surprise me by the appearance of our assailant. Those around me chuckled as the one pony jumped out. One against nineteen was not an even match, they must have thought. Two of the Protectorates in the front drew their blades and approached the lone warrior. Just as they were about to draw near I heard more rustling. It quickly increased in volume until even those around me noticed. Soon everypony had drawn their weapons and had turned to face every direction. Had I been able to I would have happily joined in the fight. Alas, I was stuck in the cart with a dislocated shoulder and a major wound near my hips. Out of the woods burst nearly a hundred of similarly clothed ponies. As all was getting settled I heard our leader shout a command. "Fall back! Form a protective circle around the cart!"

Within moments my fellow Protectorates had moved into position, forming a tight circle around the cart I was in. The wild ponies were closing in, waving their stone weapons menacingly. In turn, my fellow warriors would swing their swords to keep the ponies at bay. I continued looking over the crowd fearfully. It was only after several passes that I noticed a similarity in their garb; every single one of these wild ponies carried some kind of visage of an animal, either on their mask or in a carved medallion. Just at the moment I thought our forces were going to pounce upon the enemy and decimate their numbers we heard the sounds of wooden pipes. Within seconds there were darts protruding from each member of the convoy. Not too long after that, before they could pounce upon these assailants, each and every one of my nineteen companions dropped. In fear I arose as best I could, biting through the pain and grabbing my shield. I then heard the wind pipe, with the accompanying sting. An overwhelming sense of drowsiness overwhelmed me and I had no option but to succumb to sleep.

When I next awoke, groggy and disoriented, I was upside down. Or I was, for a moment or two. I was cut loose shortly thereafter to fall into an agonised heap upon something soft. My landing pad shifted and pushed me off, grunting through it all. As things settled I heard a voice that was all too familiar at this point. "Well, Aqua, guess they got you caught up in this mess too."

Looking over only confirmed what I had already assumed: I had landed upon Blaze in this pit. "I wonder what they want from us."

"Probably to eat us or something." As much as it hurt to talk I decided it was best to do so.

"I wouldn't be surprised. I don't know what they did with the others. There's only four of us down here. You and me, along with Whisper and Thunder."

I looked around the tiny dugout. Sure enough, two other ponies were down here with us. It was too dark to see their features really; shapes were the only discernible thing. "I'm going to figure out how to get us out of here."

It was momentarily silent before Blaze spoke again. "Like Tartarus you are. You can barely stand, let alone climb out of a hole or gallop."

"What other option do we have?" Again, silence reigned. I began my search, but the utter darkness proved too big a challenge to overcome. Just as I was about to speak again I heard a voice from above. It, and the accompanying voice, carried a thick accent I didn't recognise.

"Which one?"

"The one with the big tail." My heart sank as I realised it could only have meant me. Suddenly ropes were thrown down and, despite the best efforts of Blaze, Whisper and Thunder, I was lifted out of the hole. As I emerged I noticed a few things. One, the light level was much higher out here, the camp illuminated by torches mounted into the ground. Two, I was not the only pony they were preparing. Four others stood nearby, bound and, seemingly, beaten. They had submitted to the awful punishment they had endured. They grabbed my legs and yanked them closer together. Them doing so with my front left leg shot pain up my body intense enough to cause me to groan and collapse. I received a kick or two from my nearby captors before they paused. "It cannot run. No need to tie it."

Instead of tying me they simply lifted me, carrying me a short distance before throwing me onto the ground. Again the pain coursed up my body. It eventually calmed as I was raised to a sit. Before us was a trough, and this circling an altar of sorts. Upon the altar, which was really just a stone slab set in the ground before this irrigation ditch, there were skulls of four animals set on it; I could only guess they were of a bear, a tiger, a lion and, easily guessed, a horse. A pony stood before the altar. This one wore a cowl of leaves woven through ivy. Atop his head was a crown with the visage of a ram, a fox and some kind of cat-like creature. He was chanting for a while before he stopped and addressed us. "You five have gifts worthy of the gods: a strong spirit, a valiant heart, true blood, a sharp mind and a proper vessel. The others proved too weak. They will be feeding fodder for our master. Four of you will be his parts. One will be his host. As shaman of this tribe I shall use the knowledge passed down to me by my ancestors, knowledge known only by me, to call upon our master. First, we must sacrifice and let run true blood."

My eyes grew wide just thinking on it until I saw one of these tribal ponies trot forwards with a special knife. It was headed straight towards a unicorn, one I hadn't seen the kind of before. He was white in hide with a yellow mane. Gold eyes looked fearfully at the pony with the knife. He had nothing more than a long beard from his chin reaching down for facial hair. His tail was also different from the normal. It was a long protrusion, but not like mine. Mine was wide, whereas his was very narrow. At the tip was a tuft of yellow hair. Also adorning each of his hooves was the same yellow hair, much in the style the Clydesdales had. Perhaps what they meant was that this pony was a pure unicorn, something that almost didn't exist nowadays since the races mixed. My heart began to race as it approached my fellow Protectorate. I couldn't just sit and watch them gut his jugular before my eyes. I arose, as much as that immensely hurt. It was only with a grunt and concerted effort that I made it to my hooves. It warranted a response from this pony on the altar I could only assume was their chief. "Slit the tendon of the vessel."

The knife wielding pony began to approach me. My heart raced even faster at the prospect of what was to happen. As this pony got into range, probably expecting me to await my demise at his hooves due to my bound injuries, I snapped into excruciating action. With a groan of pain I wheeled around tail first, a tactic I hadn't really seen myself capable of doing. To my surprise it worked exceptionally well, blasting the pony with the weighted mass. He tumbled, dropping the knife. I made my way over the best I could and retrieved the knife, grasping the hilt firmly in my jaws. In actuality, clenching upon it with full force was the only way I was able to deal with the tear-inducing pain. "Don't just stand there! Stop the vessel!"

Suddenly there were more than a dozen of these strange ponies coming over in fierce vengeance. I had no options left, so I turned my attention to the chieftain and began plodding my way over in my handicapped trotting speed. I shouted out in wrathful agony as I charged into range, short on time. I was suddenly stopped when a large plant erupted from the ground before me. A hefty spike protruded from the blossom, pointing directly at me. I tried to flank it but found that it followed my motions. I turned and looked at my fellow Protectorates. I saw their panicked expressions, almost pleading for me to do something. I then turned back to face the chieftain. I dodged the little thrust the plant made, took a deep breath that lead to a sigh, and acted. I realised the plant was near enough to the chieftain that it was possible to reach him. It would come at a steep price, however. I decided it best to take the shot. With one last effort, one last heave of pain, I leaped forwards. I ran myself directly onto the spike, almost causing me to spit the dagger out. I barely managed to hold on, using the momentum to shove the plant back far enough to slide the blade of the dagger through the throat of the shamanic chieftain. I heard his gargled screams, not only of terror but of wrath, before he dropped whilst holding his throat. It was then that the dagger fell, clanking against the stone altar as my mouth hung open wide. I took a very pained, gasped breath before looking back. The tribe had stopped, staring fearfully up at the scene before fleeing. I turned back to the chieftain, who began to fade into spores that drifted away. As scenic as it might have been it was ruined when I hacked up an immense amount of blood. I looked back down at the plant, which was now withering to nothing, to find it cleanly through one side of my chest, impaling a lung. I figured my time was over, but I had accomplished my job. With another cough, more blood splattering on the already soaked altar, my force faded. The plant dropped me and I merely crumpled up on the stone below with a thud. It wasn't long before everything faded.

3. The Twisted Fortress

After a few blinks I came to, realising that I hadn't passed yet. Up to that point, everything had seemed surreal. I groaned and stumbled to my hooves. My shoulder still throbbed, but it wasn't quite as sharp as it had been. To my surprise the pain in my lower abdomen had subsided. My chest still ached, however, and urged me to glance down. When I did I blinked and rubbed my eyes. Once my vision cleared I looked again. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. As best as I remembered my hide had not carried any spots of orange. I began stumbling my way to see if I couldn't but find something in which I could see myself.

I did manage to find a little puddle and glanced therein. The sight caught me off guard. Instead of the blue hide that had covered my body it was now replaced with a light orange colour. My hair was no longer its sandy brown colour, but rather carried the bright white like the hair I had as a filly. My eyes had remained the same, so at least I knew it was me that I was looking at. No other pony I knew of had rose coloured eyes, at least. My ears still resembled those of any other pony, though, unlike when I was a filly. A horn still stuck out of my hair.

After gawking at myself in the water's surface for a while I turned and looked back. My frame seemed larger, bulkier. Indeed, I realised, I had not awoken in armour, although I had blacked out while wearing some. I shook the thought and continued looking. My tail was the same, just a different colour now. I turned back around and looked at my chest, hoping the pearl embedded therein was still there. It was, thankfully enough, which caused me to release a sigh of relief. I then turned from the water's edge after having thoroughly examined myself.

I arrived at the forest clearing, where we had been taken to by the tribal ponies, after a short while of trotting. I found the camp to be entirely empty; not even those stuck in the pits were still here. I could only hope that my fellow Protectorates had escaped. As I continued searching around I could find nothing of value, not even my own armour, as strange as it seemed to me, so I headed out, determined to find some sign of civilisation.

My forest-bound wandering seemed to be of little value. I had trotted for what felt like hours with no sign of even a thinning of the trees, nonetheless the tree line itself. As I continued, I heard the creaking of wood. I figured it to be nothing, mere branches moving from wildlife or something similar, and continued trotting. After several more minutes of listening to the sound I suddenly felt a sharp pain shoot up my tail. Instinctively I leaped forwards and wheeled around. Before my eyes stood a creature made entirely of wood. Two green dots glowed in the equine head of the creature to signify some kind of eyes. It made no sounds aside from the sound of creaking wood I had heard earlier. Indeed, this creature did not even have a mouth. I took my gaze from off of it for a moment to assess my tail. Several large rake marks seeped blood, located about three quarters of the way down. I turned back around in time to find the creature charging, claws first. Due to the training I had received in combat I simply blocked the strike with my leg, taking another scratch or two, and swung my leg heftily to pummel the creature. As I found out my strength far surpassed that of my previous body. The wooden creature was almost entirely disassembled and the twigs scattered across the forest floor. I decided it best to not take my chances, so I set out with an increased pace.

After possibly an hour or two I heard the sound of creaking wood again, but this time it was louder. It was accompanied by the pounding of hooves. I felt a tinge of fear, causing me to turn about to face the possibility of the creature returning. Sure enough, moments later, it came charging out of the trees. It still seemed small to me but the proportions matched more closely to a regular pony. I found it bizarre but did not dwell on the subject. All I knew was it was bigger this time. As it charged in I wheeled around, swinging my tail as a weapon to see if it was remotely effective. What I found reinforced my discovery with the tribal pony; the weighted mass, now even larger, pegged the creature with even more force than I had hit it with originally. Again the creature, devoid of features more than two glowing dots, shattered across the forest floor. The branches and twigs of the monster fell limp. Accordingly I began moving at the rate of a forced march, hoping to get out before this thing found me again.

My hope was, in part, vain. As I continued my flight I heard the shifting of wood and heavy steps. I feared what I might find if I stopped so I continued, carefully observing behind me from time to time to avoid an ambush. After several minutes I spotted not just two dots, but four. Out of the woods crashed a wooden creature as large as I was. Logs made up the majority of its body, something that wouldn't be quite as easy to scatter. This time, though, it had a mouth. "Ah, you still haven't escaped."

"Why are you attacking me?"

"You killed my shaman. You sacrificed the wrong part. You defile nature. I have come to exact my revenge upon you." I could only connect the dots and assume it was whatever god creature the tribe had been trying to conjure. "Every time you slaughter this form it will come back more powerful than the last. You will not leave these woods alive."

It charged in, forcing me to roll to the side. I swung my tail across the ground, catching the legs of the creature. Several branches broke away from the logs and the creature tripped. More branches scattered as it tumbled. Before too long, thicker branches began growing from the gaps. The creature chuckled as it came in again. When it arrived I did as before and swung my tail. The impact landed, scattering much of the material that consisted of its torso but it wasn't quite enough. I didn't wait, however, for it to regenerate. As I finished my spin, ending up receiving claws to the flank and the accompanying pain, I brought a hoof forth with as much force as I could into the weakened spot. Sure enough this was sufficient to split the creature in half. Instead of waiting around, or even trying to finish it off, I bolted in the direction I had been heading.

I crashed through the underbrush the best I could, barely ever breaking the speed of my gallop. After a good while fleeing as such I heard heavy impacts in the distance. My time was limited before I had to face the creature again. I picked up the pace as best as I could but my breath was already so short I felt nauseous.

After another window of indiscernible time I heard the thumping hooves too close behind me to ignore any longer. I could also see just the faintest sign of an exit in front. It was too far for me to reach before the creature had caught me. As such I skidded to a halt. The beast burst forth from the trees, already swinging a massive, clawed paw. Trunks constituted most of the body at this point, so breaking it would be very challenging. As the monster came forth I kicked back as hard as I could. My legs connected, the combined force sending a shiver of pain up my spine. The wooden abomination was all but halted and several parts came detached. As it stumbled I began to spin myself about in a full circle. By the time I reached a full rotation I near-shouted with the effort, swinging my tail in as best I could. The blow connected, hollowing out a large portion of the beast’s chest. My tail was immensely sore and now coated in sappy gashes. I panted heavily as the creature dropped, momentarily incapacitated from the blows. I took the window and began galloping towards the little speck of hope I had. I was progressing very quickly, but it wasn't long before I heard the sound of the creature behind me again. I simply galloped quicker, ignoring it. Hoof after hoof pounded the dirt as the goal rapidly approached. Just as I was about to break free I was tripped by a vine. I fell forwards, rolling and tumbling painfully through the thicket. I tried my best to regain my bearings so I knew from where to defend myself. When I realised where I was I saw myself outside the forest. The wooden god creature let out a roar and a threat before turning and heading back inside. I sat for a moment to regain my breath.

After several moments I began moving again. I had to get back home, obtain proper attire and head back to the Order. It took several moments to gather my bearings again, but once I had it was easy travel back to my home.

It was around sunrise when I finally stumbled into town. As I made my way in I heard a bit of a commotion. I headed over to investigate. When I arrived I found two things. One, and mostly irrelevant to the situation: I was surprisingly taller than everypony else now. The second thing I noticed was a grey stallion amidst a group of ponies. His mane was grey with highlights of turquoise or teal. As I drew nearer, however, I could tell something was wrong. He was lashing out at the ponies around him. I couldn't tell what they were doing or what was even going on, really. I stepped in, shoving some of the others aside. When I was reasonably within the group I asked in a very loud tone a very simple question. "What is going on here?"

One from the group responded. "We don't know. He just started attacking folks here. He's been here before and was the sweetest stallion. We don't know what went wrong. We've been trying to restrain him but he's too strong. We don't know what to do."

"Give me a clear shot."

The pony looked at me, perplexed and puzzled. "What?"

"I said let me take a shot at him. Give me a shot." The pony nodded before backing away. "Everypony, stand aside!"

They looked at me like I was crazy. When the stallion broke from their grasp they found no qualms in moving aside. As I was nearest to him the stallion tried to charge me. I turned myself about, preparing my hind legs. When he neared I let him have it, bucking him violently. The force was enough to send him airborne, probably several yards high and certainly a dozen yards across. I turned back around and trotted forwards, putting distance between the crowd and me. When one or two went to move towards him I barked an order back at them. "Stay back! I'll handle this."

The stallion got up, almost unfazed, and tilted his head. Looking more closely revealed an almost unnatural look to him. I still cannot place what caused it but simply looking at him made your hair stand on edge. I decided that it might be easiest to talk him down. "What do you want from these ponies?"

He remained in silence. After a moment or two he began trotting over very slowly, menacingly almost. "Why are you attacking them?"

This question only merited a toothy grin from a cocked head. I suppressed a shudder before trying one last question. "Who are you?"

"Me? Well, that's not important. You don't know who I am, but I know who you are. Oh, yes I do, Aqua the Protectorate. The first of her kind."

"Shut it! You will not say that again!"

"I'm sorry, you don't want them to know, do you? You don't want them to come for you, or discover what you truly are. That'd be a shame, wouldn't it? But then again, I know you have no family, so why pretend like you have something to show them? What are you really after, drake?"

"What are you talking about?" I didn't even know what a drake was. Before I could ask another question he charged in with a hiss. I ducked down and swung my tail. It hit, but he also caught it, dragging me down with him. I tumbled onto the ground, ending up upon my back. In the time it takes for lightning to strike he was standing above me, that unnerving face staring right down into my eyes.

"But it's the end of the line. The sphinxes are coming for you, but there won't be anything sane left for them to find. Your pearl, hidden in your chest? I'll take that." He reached for my chest. Unwilling to let him go through with it I kicked my legs up with full force, again launching him away. I got up, turning to the crowd.

"Somepony get a sword or something. I can't take him down without one." When I turned back around the stallion was charging already, nearly in range. All I had time to do was kick forwards with one leg. It stopped him but didn't do much else. When he could, he leaped upon me. Our bodies locked in a wrestling match, not too far distant from the one I had with Blaze. As we squirmed and kicked our way around it always seemed like he would get the upper hoof. It continued for minutes, if not a dozen or more, before I heard clanking metal skidding towards me. A quickly stolen glance revealed a couple of knives being thrown in by the townsfolk. I figured this was my best option so I broke the grapple and kicked him away. I then headed for the knives. Just before reaching them I felt my tail yanked on, causing me to fall short. I then began sliding backwards. I looked back to find the stallion dragging me, my tail stuck in his teeth. He then hefted mightily, causing me to lift off the ground, and swung me in a little less than half circle vertically. I was then released and landed with a thud, nearly knocking my wind out. As I got back up he spoke.

"Ah-ah-ah, we don't want that, now do we? I know how you are with the sword. Too bad you won't get them." I glared at him for a moment before he charged in. I swung a hoof as he neared, which was predictably deflected. As I was carried back around by the force I bucked. It didn't do much more than cause him to stumble. He recovered by the time I was ready to move, so it didn't prove effective as to my end goal of obtaining a knife. When he began charging again I decided there was no reason I shouldn't do the same. As I approached him, however, I leaped and tumbled to his left, narrowly escaping his grapple. I recovered in a fluid motion and continued galloping. I did manage to reach the knife by the time he grabbed my tail. Instead of waiting I yanked my tail around, shooting pain up my body but also launching him forwards. As he stumbled towards me I turned to meet him. Within a moment the entirety of the knife's blade had sunken deep into his lower neck or upper chest. I then pulled it out and backed up a little. He coughed before speaking. "A clever girl you are. You're a slick mare. Look at that, she bested-"

Sick of hearing him refer to me as female in front of the crowd of ponies who would eventually realise I was breaking Protectorate tradition I sunk the blade in through the bottom of his jaw, keeping it firmly held within his skull. As best I could I twisted the blade violently before pulling it out. I watched the horrifying smile slowly drain of life before the pony collapsed in a heap on the ground. I sat and stared at the freakish thing, still smiling unnaturally even in death, before spitefully spitting the knife out and leaving.

After dodging the crowd, as they came galloping over to the stallion’s body, I successfully made my way back home. As it was in the afternoon I decided I would wait to arrive at the Order until tomorrow. It would also give me a break large enough to assure myself that I had sufficient time to make all the preparations I needed. Once that was done, I retired for the night.

I was awoken by a knock on the door. I did my best to wake up before I reached the door. I was still groggy as I began to open it. When the door opened my heart sank. Standing before me was the stallion I had killed the previous day. "Oh, uh...hey."

With heart pounding I went to close the door, hoping to buy me a little bit more time to get any supplies I needed for the fight. The stallion stopped the door from closing, leaving his hoof in the doorway. I backed up, unsure of what to expect. Fearful could be a fitting word to describe the situation. As I left the door the stallion opened it and trotted inside. I was forced to stop backing up when I hit the wall, but the stallion was still approaching. "What do you want from me?"

The stallion stopped. I was getting ready to swing my tail, debating the idea, when he spoke. "I wanted to thank you."

I was suddenly stopped, staring at him. I couldn't believe what he had said. Perhaps I had heard it wrong. "What?"

"I wanted to thank you."

"How are you even here? I killed you!"

"Well, yeah, but I've got some pretty powerful friends."

"What?"

"I have a few friends that know some very powerful magic. They made sure I was fixed up properly to avoid what had happened."

"What had happened? What was that? That was insanity!"

"I'm not sure what it was."

"Well, ok, I guess. It’s not really fine, but we’ll just ignore it for now. But is it going to happen again? You know, you attacking ponies?"

"No."

“How can I trust you?”

“Because those powerful friends are going to be keeping their watch more vigilantly over me. It’s not going to happen again, I assure you. Not without their intervention, at least.”

"Good, because if it did I would end up doing the same thing to you again." I saw him reach up and touch the bottom of his neck, before reaching for where I had stabbed him in the jaw. "So who are you?"

"My name is Greylak WindStorm. What's yours?"

"Aqua."

"Aqua what?"

"Just Aqua."

"You don't have a last name? A family name, you don't have one?"

"No."

"Interesting enough. Why's that?"

I looked at him for a moment. Whether I carried a trace of a glare or not I'm not sure. "That's a bit of a personal question, isn't it?"

His face changed expressions from inquisitive to apologetic. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to pry where I'm not needed."

"I never had a family."

"What?" My sudden answer to his question might have been what threw him off the most.

"That's why I don't have a last name. My first name might not even be what my name was." He was entirely dumbfounded. I don't think he was waiting on that kind of a response. After a moment or two he finally spoke.

"So where did you grow up then? like, since you didn't have a family I'm assuming you didn't have a home?"

"You'd be correct. I raised myself in the forest. But if I may ask a question myself-"

"Go for it."

"Why are you so nosy for my information?" He became shocked.

"N-no, no, that's not what it is."

"Seems like it to me."

"I'm just kind of curious."

"You ever heard the phrase that ponies use? You know, the one like ‘curiosity killed the cat’?"

"Are you saying you'd kill me for asking questions?"

"No, but it's best to not stuff your snout where it doesn't belong, hm?"

"Well, geez, sorry for asking." He turned and left, leaving me feeling kind of bad about how I had responded. After a short while I left the house, looking for him. I found that he was trotting away. I battled the thought to simply let him go. Instead, I called out to him.

"Hey, look, I'm sorry. That was a little uncalled for."

"You think?"

"I've just never really been terribly socially involved, and ponies asking me questions just kind of sits uneasy with me." He simply cocked an eyebrow. "You can forgive me if you want, but just know I'm sorry."

He simply looked at me for a moment before nodding and trotting off. I hoped it was enough, but I had no way of knowing. I shook my head to try and clear the guilt that was stalking my conscious before heading back to my daily preparations. It wasn't long before I had everything set for the day ahead of me.

I set out, marking my destination for the Sanctuary once again. As far as I knew, none of these ponies knew I was even alive at this point. Getting them to recognise me was an entirely different subject. I chuckled before sighing, unsure of what I would do.

The journey didn't take long, relatively speaking, and I soon found myself trotting within the gates of the Sanctuary. To my surprise the Guildmaster was standing on the steps of the Main Hall. I figured getting him to acknowledge my existence was a good first step, so I approached. When I neared him I spoke. "Guildmaster."

He turned about to face me. "Yes? Oh, now I don't recognise you, stranger. From where do you hail?"

"It's me, sir. It's Aqua. I have returned."

"To my recollection Aqua was neither that tall nor that orange. I also received reports of your demise being sure."

"I'm not sure either why I'm like this now, or even why I’m still alive at this point. All I know is that I managed to find my way back here after the convoy was attacked and I was left behind in those woods."

"Wait, the convoy? Like the one we sent several months back?" Several months? I hadn’t realised that it had been that long. I didn’t know how long I thought it had been, maybe a few weeks, but not several months. I disregarded the thought and continued the conversation.

"The one that was headed towards the homeland of the Clydesdales to deliver them safely, yes."

"What were you doing in that convoy?"

"My assignment and duty: ensuring the safe arrival of the clientele. It was after the first attack, when we were on the way back, when it happened. This little band of warriors I was in was ambushed and we were taken captive. I sustained heavy injuries in the end, but the rest went free."

"If you really are Aqua, how are you standing here before me speaking? Your fellow Protectorates brought the lamentable news of your demise. They said you were undoubtedly fallen from injuries."

"I did take serious wounds, fatal I’m sure, and I still haven’t managed to figure out how I'm still alive or why my body changed, but I have returned."

"M-kay then, I suppose I should welcome you back, Protectorate. See to your duties." He turned and trotted off, seemingly not satisfied with the responses he had received. I shrugged off his strange display and continued on my way.

It was actually several weeks later when I was next approached by somepony with an assignment. I was back in my home town, tending to the vigil I kept, when the pony approached. It was a stallion. His hide was a dark amber, almost borderline brown. His hair was split between two colours mixed together: light orange and grey. When he approached, I could tell his face read solemnity. "Aqua, is it?"

"You have the right pony. What can I do for you?"

"I need your help."

"That's generally why anypony approaches me."

"It's about Blaze." My lighthearted countenance fell.

"What happened?"

"Nothing, yet."

"Yet? What are you implying?"

"My name is Ember. I'm Blaze's father. There have been some hunters out looking for us. Somepony put a price on our heads and it's falling to Blaze. They want to kill my son."

"Who? Why?"

"I don't know. Last I heard it had something to do with the lass he was with. She's something different, so I guess they're hunting us to get to her."

"Who's the mare?"

"The one my son is with, Lazuli." This statement hit like a ton of bricks. Not only was this a brutal realisation that Lazuli herself was in danger, but that she was spending a lot of time around the stallion I had been camped with on the excursion. I sat, practically blank faced, and stared at Ember. "Please, you have to help my son."

"I will keep him alive and well. You have my word, my vow as a Protectorate, that I will keep him safe."

"Thank you, Aqua. He's currently at the Order." I nodded solemnly before gathering my things as quickly as possible. My journey was flight indeed, practically being galloped the entire distance.

When I arrived at the Sanctuary I was out of breath. I searched around the grounds as quickly as possible, looking frantically for Blaze. When I finally laid my eyes upon him it was utter relief, but I could not revel in it. I decided it to be in both of our best interests to not run up to him, state his life was in danger and stick beside him like a sheathed sword. As such, I simply watched him from a distance, trying my best to make it as nonchalant as possible.

The first day went without a hitch, but it was during the second that he approached me. "Aqua, is there any particular reason explaining why you've been following me so closely recently?"

I sat and thought for a moment. I could either try to fib my way out, and utterly fail at doing so, or I could simply tell him the truth. I breathed in before letting out a sigh and explaining myself. "Your father is genuinely concerned for your safety."

"So he sent you to protect me?"

"Yup."

"Well, I hate to be frank, but you're not the first that has approached me with a mission like that. And, to be quite honest, I'm surprised he didn't choose better." I went to interject, to refute him on his attack on his dad, not to mention on me, but decided against it. I didn't need to make the pony I was protecting hate me. "You know, knowing how well you seem to survive when you protect ponies, I don't really feel much safer anyways."

He had me there, but it still didn't feel good to hear him say it. "Still, though, I suppose an extra set of eyes never hurt. If my dad would actually be patient for once, I have a solution in the mix."

"A solution?"

"Yes, but I'm not sure my father would approve of it. You, yourself, might be opposed to the idea." My heart was beating harder now. He couldn't possibly mean that he meant to kill himself, could he? I was almost too scared to ask for clarification. "There's a spell I know that severs blood ties. It would make it so that I wasn't a part of my father's family; his blood wouldn't flow through my veins anymore."

"Excuse me for sounding a little pessimistic here, but regardless of how powerful and mystical magic can be I'm not sure it would even be able to pull off something like that. That isn't just changing physical properties. It's practically rewriting history."

"Not quite, but I suppose yes in a way. I want what's best for Lazuli," but I didn't dare blurt out what was on my mind right then, "and since she's sincere and attached to me I can't just let her go. If I'm no longer my father's son the assassins won't pursue me further."

"Are you sure this will work? They have a name and a description; would this spell even make a difference?"

"Only one way to find out, right?" I opened my mouth to talk but quickly shut it again. I wasn't sure whether or not arguing the point would do any good. If anything, it would have caused him to break away from me and get himself killed anyways. As crazy as it was I suppose it was still worth a shot.

"Alright then. What must you do to complete this spell?"

"I'll need about two weeks’ time and a few supplies that I have already gathered. Silence is all I need, solitude. Do you think you could do this for me?"

"Yes, but don't expect me to leave you completely alone. I will still patrol outside of wherever you choose to cast the spell."

"Fine, just don't make a ruckus." I nodded before he turned and began trotting away. Regardless of what he was doing I was bound determined to keep him company to assure he remained safe.

Several days passed within the Sanctuary walls as he finalised all of his preparations. It was then that we headed out. We trotted for quite a while, almost a whole day and part of the night, through the woods before we stopped at a rudimentary shack that would have rivalled mine for minimalism. To be honest, I'm surprised that the shack was even managing to remain upright. Blaze trotted forwards towards the plank-like door, looking back at me. "Stay out here and don't disturb me."

I nodded, needing to give my affirmation before he was content enough to enter. Once he was inside, I began my trot around the shack. Though minimalistic as it was, I noticed that it was still built well enough to omit gaps in the walls. The hut was tight, almost as if intentionally well built, except for the door and general appearance, it seemed. I wanted to ask him about it, but I also needed to let him work, and that took a higher priority. As such, I sat down in front of the plank door.

Several hours passed with me staring almost blankly off into the forest. Most of my attention was diverted to my ears, focused on what I was hearing. As time passed, the sheer monotony of watching the shack's surroundings taking its toll, drowsiness began to catch up with me. I decided it best to get up and perhaps patrol around the perimeter of the shed for a little while, see if that wouldn't keep me awake.

The trotting helped, that's for certain, as several more hours passed. Night eventually found us, although it didn't quite have the effect I was expecting. Rather than becoming more tired than I had been before I ended up feeling more alive. Perhaps it was the added strain, as I could no longer rely on sight to help me detect possible threats, that kept me awake. As such, the night passed without a hitch.

As day broke, the strain and lack of sleep started catching up with me, although it was not enough to drop me that day. The day became night, and the night again became day. It was here that it was beginning to feel like it was too much to bear, and I didn't know how much longer Blaze needed to finish the ritual. All I knew was that my exhausted legs begged me to rest. Figuring I could spare a sit I decided to do. Since the best place was probably in front of the door, that was where I planted myself. I just needed a moment to sit and rest my legs from all of the trotting.

I jolted awake, sitting upright almost the instant I was conscious. My breaths were rapid and shallow: fearful. I had almost calmed myself when I noticed that the scenery beside me was different from that which I was looking at prior to my collapse into sleep. I arose, sore and exhausted, and quickly began searching the nearby landscape for a landmark. Thankfully enough, not too long after I began searching I found the shack through a grouping of trees. I burst into the best full gallop I could muster. Upon arrival I found that the door had been either busted off or thrown aside. Either way, it was not clean. Suddenly, a deep panic struck me, forcing me to burst into the shack. When my eyes had finally adjusted better to the dark lighting within, my heart sank. Before my view was a very carefully assembled ritual circle. There were a few problems with it, however, and the first one was the destruction and disorganisation that now prevailed the room. Almost immediately after I noted such I found, to my utter horror, Blaze sitting in a pool of his own blood, the horrid wounds of blades racking his body. I'm not talking several deep gashes. No, I mean his body had been near-eviscerated, leaving it nothing more than a bloody puppet, a shade of its own former self. It was too much for me to look at, forcing me to turn away and leave the shack. Nausea ate away at my stomach as I distanced myself from the scene. After I spent some time trying to breathe, all the while hoping against hope that what I saw wasn't real, I managed to recover enough in order to brave another trip to the shack.

When I reached the door I barely peeked one eye around the corner. When again the grisly view assailed my eyes I noted what I could before stepping back. I turned away again, unsure of what I was actually feeling at that point. I wasn’t sure if I was deeply saddened by the death of Blaze, or if I was burdened by the shame that my own mistake caused his death. It could have been that I was burning from the unbearable rage I felt kindled against those responsible. I couldn’t pinpoint the source of the strange burning, apprehensive sadness eating at me in that moment. All I knew, all in all, was that I was a mess. The thought then struck me: with Blaze having been murdered, a vow broken, my life was now over. When the Order found me it would prove to be the death of me. My heart sank even further than I thought was possible, being over-encumbered by all these things, leaving me to sit for a moment longer.

Once I finally recovered enough to begin moving, I swallowed hard, realising what I had to do next. Just as I went to head out to meet my death at the Order a thought popped into my mind. What if I practiced what the sphinxes had given me? What if I tried to bring him back from the dead? I pondered deeply for a few moments on the outcome of both possible choices and decided that an attempted resurrection was better than not trying. I then went back into the shack, the disfigured form of Blaze crumpled in a pile before me. I took several deep breaths, letting out the last almost as if it was a sigh, and focused my energy on any myriad of spells I needed to fix him. The pearl slotted in my chest glowed brightly as I channeled the spell. I watched what I could, seeing Blaze's body starting to reform into its proper self, before the effort became too much for me to do anything aside from wince and close my eyes in effort.

After a while of this strained effort I felt a sudden relax. Unsure of whether it was my magic giving out or the spell completing I decided to look. Standing before me was Blaze, whole and undefiled. I was about to rejoice when he suddenly collapsed like a noodle, falling to the ground in a heap. I fought the lightheadedness, which threatened to collapse me as Blaze had collapsed, as best as I could have and trotted over. I nudged and prodded him, making sure that all things were actually in place. Amidst all the stimuli he didn't even rouse once. Fear caught my heart again as I realised that all I could do was simply reconstruct him; I was unable to bring him back to life. My heart sank as I finally accepted my reality, realising I was far too drained to try and resurrect him. I let out a pained sigh before picking him up and putting him on my back, starting the long trek home.

My first destination, by nature, was the Order. I didn't return home, nor did I dare head towards Blaze's father. The journey was made in silent terror for what the Guildmaster’s reaction would be. I was only certain that it would lead to death in every case. The reaction of the guards when I reached the gates certainly didn’t do anything to qualm my fears. Their own expressions seemed to bleed uncertainty or apprehension, and it was getting to me. When I finally reached the Main Hall it seemed like I had a little band of followers collected. I thought I saw Ajiin sneaking around in there, but I wasn’t quite sure. I disregarded the thought and gazed up at the looming doors. I swallowed hard before opening them and proceeding inside. As I was trotting up towards where the Guildmaster was I could tell that he perked up. He began coming towards me, swiftly if I might add. We met around halfway down the Hall. “Aqua, what happened? What news do you bring me, and is it about Blaze?”

I looked at him for a moment before looking away. I dropped the corpse of Blaze on the floor between us. A moment of silence prevailed before he spoke again. “Aqua, I must know what happened.”

“I couldn’t do it.”

“What do you mean you couldn’t do it?”

I turned my gaze back to him, staring him straight in the eyes. “He’s dead, Guildmaster. I wasn’t good enough. I failed.”

“Aqua, you know that is a very serious thing to us.”

“I couldn’t uphold the vow.” Silence prevailed in the Hall for a few moments more. My gaze dropped to the floor, more specifically to Blaze’s body. I fought back the urge to let slip a tear, believing that I had to maintain a strong appearance. The Guildmaster breathed in before addressing me again.

“Aqua, you knew when you joined this Order that failure meant death. As bright of a future as you had, it must come to an end now.” He ceased his more personal tone to address those nearby. “Gather together in the main square tonight. We must speak of recent events.”

The crowd dispersed quietly. I was left standing there with the Guildmaster, Blaze’s body and a few nearby guards. “Aqua, I must take you into custody in order to hold you until tonight’s proceedings. Come along peacefully, please.”

I nodded, unable to refuse. Two of the guards moved in at his signal and began escorting me down into the belly of the Main Hall. Three floors we descended to reach our destination. It wasn’t large, but it was foreboding. A doorway rested at the end of a straight stairwell down. Inside the door were two cells, each big enough for four horses. I was placed in one of those cells. One of the guards left, leaving the other one there to stand within the room to watch me.

The time passed agonisingly slow. Of course, one can only expect such when death is the only thing before them. As much as I hoped the dreaded hour wouldn’t come it did. The door to the stuffy chambers opened, the one guard addressing the other. They then opened the cell door and began leading me out. Up the many flights of stairs, through the winding corridors, and finally out the doors of the Main Hall, our journey was taken in utter silence.

When the great doors opened, the view that met my eyes was not what I had anticipated. Rather than the empty main square there was a very large gathering, perhaps even all the Protectorates in the Order itself. They all stood on the opposite side from the Hall, staring towards nothing short of a wooden head cradle. A phantom pain shot in my neck as I imagined what would come next. The two guards escorted me all the way down to the block, stopping me right before we got there. We waited a moment or two before I heard the telltale voice of the Guildmaster. “Fellow Protectorates, as you all know, we had recently lost a member of the Order: Blaze. The one you see before you, Aqua, had vowed to protect him and failed. As is tradition, we must now carry out Protectorate law upon him. The evidence is irrefutable. Guards, lower him.”

With that, I felt a hoof upon my back, pressing me down. I had to comply, being forced into a prone position. My head fit within the little divot in the wooden block. It was now that I felt all the marks from previous cuts on the block, as the irregular face sat uncomfortably upon the bottom of my neck. “Prepare the blade.”

Clattering armour signified the motion of guards, followed by the sound of a sheath being removed. The two nearby me left momentarily, coming back over on either side. From the way the light cast shadows, I could tell the blade was positioned over my neck. I swallowed hard, looking at the long, two handled sword that the guards held firmly between the two of them. “On my mark.”

A moment or two of silence quickly passed. “Ma-“

“WAIT!” A solemn voice cried out from the crowd, causing those directly nearby me to pause. The entirety of the crowd shifted to try and see who it was that said something. After a few moments of shifting in the crowd a familiar pony trotted forwards: Lazuli. I began rising, only to find the sword behind me. After it cut into the flesh on the back of my neck I was forced back down by a nearby guard. “Wait!”

“What do you mean ‘wait’? By virtue of this Order, this stallion is condemned to death.”

“For what?” Her tone was harsh.

“Breaking or failure of an Oath of Protection.”

“Is there no other way for this pony to live?”

“Unless Blaze magically comes back from the dead this pony is to die according to our customs.”

“So if Blaze is resurrected, Aqua is free?”

It was silent for a few moments. “…I suppose so. The Law doesn’t strictly forbid renewing the Oath by resurrecting the pony.”

“Then let me see the body of Blaze and give me three days’ time.”

“Do you believe you possess the White Magic necessary for such?”

“Yes, and I will prove it. If Blaze lives, Aqua lives. If Blaze remains dead…”

“Fair enough. Guards, take Aqua back into the cell. He is to wait for three days, marked on the coming hour.” I saw the shadow of the looming blade taken to one side. I then felt a guard begin lifting me. “If this pony delivers, he is to be set free. Otherwise, he is to not leave that cell unless it is his corpse.”

I managed to steal one last glance at Lazuli; whether it was fear, apprehension, or some kind of repressed hope that showed upon my face I’m not sure. I was then hurried off again by the guards around me. The procession was broken up, the other Protectorates disbanding to continue business, while I was shepherded into the Main Hall. The doors closed behind me, leaving me begging that Lazuli would fulfill her promise.

As expected, the days rolled on agonizingly slow. I was provided the basic necessities, but that was it. As poor as my experience was in that cramped, musty dungeon I almost wished the third day wouldn’t come. It did, however, and my heart began racing from the moment I was awakened by the guard. “Get on your hooves. It’s time we leave this stuffy room. The summons have come. Follow me.”

Seeing as I didn’t have any other options I decided to follow behind him. We eventually snaked our way up the long stairwells until we were again in the throne room. Before us were the great wooden doors. I pleaded silently that what would meet my gaze upon opening the doors was a celebration for Blaze. What I saw when my eyes adjusted to dawn’s first rays was none other than the same foreboding scene that met me the first time; the Order was gathered, with several armed guards nearby, and an executioner crew stood directly next to the block. I spotted the large metal, two handled sword and swallowed hard. Lazuli hadn’t come, or if she had it was to admit defeat. My heart sank to new depths.

I was escorted to the block and forced to lay down in front of it again. As they went to place my head down, I heard a commotion. I kicked my head back against the unsuspecting guard. He wasn’t able to stop me as I looked on towards the sounds. In vain he tried to put my head back down. After a few more shoves I felt a sharp metal tip bite into the back of my neck. I froze up, realizing what it was. I felt it press in and decided to not fight anymore. No sooner had I started lowering my head than Lazuli finally broke through the crowd. Gasps erupted moments later when Blaze came trotting up beside her. I heard movement behind me, followed by the Guildmaster’s voice. “Well, I have to say: I am impressed. I see you are a mare of your word. You have successfully brought Blaze back from the dead. You have my congratulations. As promised, Aqua will be released of any punishment or guilt. You may carry on. Guards, release him.”

Within moments I was free, not held at sword point. I quickly made my way down to Blaze and Lazuli, embracing them in a very warm hug. “You came for me.”

“Well of course I did. Did you seriously expect me to leave you?”

“Well, no, but with how long it took, I started getting worried…”

“I can explain what happened, but I’d rather do it privately, ok?”

“Yeah. Want to head back to the house?”

“That’d probably be best.” I nodded and started leading the way back home. If nothing else, I was thankful for help.

Upon arriving in town, Blaze began complaining of discomfort in his legs. He described it as fatigue, so Lazuli brushed it off. After another block or two he practically collapsed. I situated myself under him the best I could to prop him up. I heard Lazuli mutter something under her breath, but I didn't catch what due to the effort of holding up Blaze. Once he was stabilised, with him using me as a crutch, I turned back to Lazuli. Concern showed on her face, but I felt like that wasn't the only emotion. Perhaps it was frustration I saw in the lines of her mouth. I couldn't be sure. I decided the best course of action was to rush him home to rest before asking. Because my home wasn't too far, and a lot closer than his, I turned my path there.

Once inside, I plunked him on the sofa and turned to my adopted daughter. The same emotion was still plastered on her face. "Lazuli, what's wrong?"

"I think Blaze is tired out."

"Concern isn't the only thing you're showing right now. Your body tells me that." She looked at me for a moment before sighing. "What?"

"I didn't have enough energy to fully stabilise him after resurrecting him, and I'm still too drained to do it. If nothing is done, he'll be dead by dark."

"You could have told me. I know some restoration magic. I mean, I did reassemble his body." She nodded, but didn't say a word. "So do you want me to see if I can fix it?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Here goes." I turned my attention back to the now-deathly looking Blaze. Using every fibre of my soul I began concentrating on the magic needed for this task. The effort was colossal, and at one point I wasn't sure I could manage. I finished, nevertheless, with a massive wave of lightheadedness nearly completely overcoming me. Had I not already been seated I'm sure I would have collapsed. Lazuli rushed over to me, probably to keep me from reeling, but was soon distracted by Blaze. She stared intently as colour washed back over him. He arose as if nothing had happened and embraced Lazuli. I rose to my hooves once more.

"Wait, you don't have to get up." Lazuli's tone was that of worry.

"I'm fine."

"No, really, take a seat."

"No, really, I'll be ok. Don't worry about it. You can take Blaze and celebrate his return to life now. He's stable." She looked at him, and him at her, before huge grins broke across their faces. Blaze turned to me first.

"Thank you, Aqua. I'll see what I can do about that ritual. I'll also make sure to get a squad of ponies to protect me instead of just one while I'm doing it." I nodded, letting silence take over. The two of them began leaving before Lazuli spoke.

"Thank you, mom."

"A life for a life. My debt is paid." She smiled before the two left, laughing and generally having a good time as they trotted off. I followed them outside to watch them leave, unable to wipe the grin off of my face. A couple of minutes passed as they got smaller and smaller before I heard a voice.

"Look at them go. Happily ever after, no?" I turned to see who was speaking. My heart skipped a beat, forcing me to yank myself away from the presence. Beside me stood a darkened pony, seemingly tattered and flayed. Shadows bled off of it as blood from a wound. "What an adorable sentiment."

The creature grinned, the sharp fangs showing. Its eyes were nothing more than black pits with two pitch-coloured pupils staring directly through you. "It's not going to be a sentiment for you, though. No, you won't even have a tomorrow."

The creature started trotting over menacingly, forcing me to back up. "What do you want from me?"

"Your destruction." The shadows began to form around him like plates of armour. A sword materialised as well, forming between his clenched fangs. Despite the hilt occupying his mouth he still spoke to me. "You'll die eventually, so why not now?"

"I have things to live for."

"Like what? A stray filly who's abandoned you for some stallion? A stallion you murdered before finding him alive still? An order that would kill you as soon as they found out who you really are? Face it, you have nothing special."

He was a body's length away when I hit a wall. I knew I had to act fast, and soon at that. My blades were inside the house still. Perhaps that was my only option. The shadow was soon upon me, swinging the blade. I ducked and rolled to the right, narrowly escaping the warping blade. With how my head was spinning after that manoeuvre I knew I would be handicapped; I hadn’t fully recovered from casting the magic to stabilise Blaze. Regardless, I began bolting for my door. The tattered pony reappeared before me, swinging. I barely managed to stop him by simply careening into him, forcing the blade to twist. The shadow slapped me, leaving a mark that stung but nothing more. As it stumbled back I took the chance to make my way inside. No sooner had I grabbed my sword and turned about than I had to deflect a blow. It tried a few more swings, each being effortlessly redirected by my own blade. Swing after swing continued as it began taunting me. "The last time I fought a mare this slippery was when I tried to interrupt Lazuli's magic. What a shame I arrived too late."

When his next strike came I initiated a dodge instead of a parry. I took a hit, a skimming blow across the back that merely took some of the hide off. I returned the blow with a vicious strike, but as my blade made contact, the creature vanished. It soon appeared again, another swing arriving with him. I narrowly blocked this one, causing my heart to pound. "How adorable. You thought you could hit me? Cute. Tell you what, try it again. I dare you."

After another couple of swings I could feel the exhaustion of my healing spell catching up. I soon slipped up, taking a large gash in the leg. My response was a sharp grunt of pain as my leg buckled, causing me to kneel. I barely managed to defend myself from this position, eventually taking another major shot in the side. The blade narrowly missed my wing, clipping the end off of a few of the feathers. In a moment of desperate rage I focused my energy. A sudden burst of energy shot from my horn, blasting a hole through the shadow. It grunted in a wheezy voice for a moment or two, completely frozen. It began to reform, but slower. Another, much smaller, blast shot out again, causing it to stagger. It began to back away, trying to maintain coherence. "This is not the end. Mark my words, you will die!"

It suddenly collapsed into a pile of black smoke before whisking away out the bottom of the door. I sat there for a moment or two, breathing heavily. My head was spinning from exertion, my body's sharp pains almost entirely drowned out by vertigo. I barely managed to get to my hooves when I heard a knock on my door. I grunted and groaned my painful way over, hoping it was a friendly face on the other side of that door. When I opened it I saw the stallion, that pegasus, I had fought before. Storm, as his name was if I recalled correctly, stood before me. His eyes shot open wide before he could even speak. Perhaps it was the blood, or maybe my limp, who knows. All I knew was he ran off shouting something along the lines of "Wait right there! I'm going to get Bane."

I didn't know what this 'Bane' thing was he was talking about, so I disregarded his statement, closed the door, and began searching my house for anything I could use as bandages. No sooner after I had acquired a towel did I hear another knock. As I slowly began my way to the door, barely standing, the thing was just about busted off its hinges. In the doorway stood a pony, a stallion, with deep blue hide. His hair was dark and mostly covered, but the thing that caught my attention most of all were his eyes. They were a bright gold-amber, a colour that was familiar. Realisation struck when I remembered the eyes of the stallion that saved me from the Timberwolves when I was a filly. The realisation was so grand and so monumental that I had forgotten my limp, trying to take a step only to collapse on my own weight. The blue stallion rushed over, placing me back on the couch. "Hold still and I'll get these wounds treated quickly."

"You...you're the stallion that-"

"Wasn't the first time. I've been watching your development closely. I thought you could handle that creature alone, so I didn't pay it any mind. I suppose you did, so I'm kind of right, but it still did quite the number to you."

"Why are you-?"

"You've got quite the future ahead of you. I can't have you wasting your future accomplishments by dying."

"How do-?"

"I work, work being a very loose term, for a pony with deep connections to the Continuum. Time, to be specific. Though she's gone crazy recently, I'm still bound to her."

"So why do-?"

"The less time you're asking questions, the more time I have to answer them. That's why I'm interrupting all of your questions. And yes, before you ask, I already know what you'll be asking. Perks of Time Vision. And...done. Your wounds should be completely healed now. Take a look." I looked down, and indeed were my wounds completely healed. Scars replaced the bleeding slits now. My head was still reeling, so I didn't even try to comprehend the whole situation. I was thankful, at least, for his help. "Keep me in touch, Storm. And keep an eye on her."

With those words he quickly left, leaving Storm and me in the room alone. "Well, we've got to make sure you're fully recovered before something like that happens again."

"I'm more curious as to how you keep ending up around me."

"Bane certainly helps with that. Plus, I do owe you a great deal for saving me before."

"I think we might have different definitions of 'save'." He sat quietly for a while, not leaving the room. His gaze wandered for a while. "You know, you don't have to wait in my house all day."

"Bane told me to make sure you were safe, so I plan on doing that."

"You can also wait outside my house, you know."

"Safer this way."

"Mhm." More awkward silence drove by. I was getting sleepy, and it might have been showing. It was getting harder to keep my eyes open either way.

"You know, you're quite the interesting story."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know of any other ponies who grew up in a place as twisted as the Everfree."

"Thankfully."

"The only mare in the Order."

"Don't say that. If you knew the significance of that then you'd keep your mouth shut about it."

"Not hard to figure out. A quick glance at your face, or at least it used to be that simple. In this form you've certainly broadened. You more closely resemble a stallion now."

"Well, good. I'm that much less likely to die by my own Order." Things got quiet again, most likely because he ran out of things to talk about. It didn't take long for me to start dozing off again. As such, I laid my head down and gleefully embraced sleep.

The resting process took around a week before I felt like myself once again. Storm still hung around awkwardly the whole time. He, at least, took the liberty of preparing meals, most of them to be honest. He did so in a very caring manner that occasionally made me curious. Around one of the last days Storm spoke. "You know, Aqua, I like you."

I simply cocked an eyebrow. "Thanks...?"

"You've got heart, I'll give you that much."

"I'm just doing my job."

"Takes a lot of character to do a job like that one."

"You don't eternally have to be in my debt, you know. You owe more to the Order than you ever will to me."

"But I'm not watching over your Order right now. I'm watching over you."

"Well, I appreciate the notion, but I still really don't even know you. To me, you're just a pony I saved by murdering them, as much sense as that makes." One could almost see some kind of crushing weight fall on his face before he squared up and recovered his composure.

"So what happened in the past that's made you so...disconnected?"

"I'm not sure that would be the right way of putting it."

"Well, you never much seem to show much emotion. Something had to have happened for such a barrier to exist."

"That's a personal matter."

"Well, I mean, the last time you said something like that, you had to come back and apologise for it." Touché.

"You really want to know, don't you?" He nodded, making me sigh. "Well to start, I grew up completely alone in a forest that was trying to kill me. The stallion that took me in as I grew older tried making a thing out of us, and I wanted to believe it was real. When I returned again and he knew of my recent developments with the Order, he cut me off like I was nothing. Been strictly avoiding a lot of things since then."

Storm sat in silence, probably trying to piece together anything he could say in response. "With the number of times I've almost died and all the crushing burden of pretending I am something I am not, it's no wonder I don't get the chance to be very emotional. You can't fight off death when your vision is blocked by tears."

"Wow...Aqua, I had no idea."

"Nopony ever really does. Not for anypony, at least."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Just get me back into the fight as fast as you can. I hate sitting around like this when I know ponies need my help."

"I think you should be good to go. How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine enough."

"Well, I guess you don't need me watching you anymore. You're free to go." I got up, having eagerly awaited the chance to do so. "Just, don't forget to open up sometimes. There's beauty hidden in you somewhere."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Thanks."

With that, he made his way out in the silence that prevailed. Not long after that, I prepared some supplies for another trip. Once finished, I turned my attention to the Sanctuary.

When I arrived I was greeted by the Guildmaster. I thought it a bit peculiar, but went with it anyways. "Ah, there you are, Aqua. We hadn't heard from you recently."

"Uh...it's only been a week, Guildmaster."

"Really? Huh. Feels like longer. Anyways, there's a new opportunity that's opened up for you to improve yourself further. Do you feel up to the task?"

Any chance I could get to improve was eagerly accepted. "Yes, Guildmaster, I'm more than ready for what you have next."

"Alright, well, there's somepony I'd like you to meet. He's currently in the forge. Follow me." I nodded and followed him closely. When we arrived in the stuffy building I was escorted up to a pony who looked like he was entirely clad in armour. "Aqua, this is Aldorn. I'll leave you under his watchful gaze. I'm sure he'll be happy to tell you all about himself. I have other matters to tend to, so I won't be around for the lessons. I wish you the best of luck!"

"Thank you, Guildmaster." He left, leaving me in the scorching hot forge with this pony in armour.

"Pleasure to meet you, Aqua. As you know, the name's Aldorn. I'm a master forge smith and well trained in metalworking. The Guildmaster approached me a little while ago. One of the things he wanted from me is to help out around here. Most I can do is teach them how to work the metal faster."

I heard the smith pipe up from the back. "It's about time he did something for us lads back here!"

Aldorn chuckled, but continued. "He also asked me to talk to you about metallurgy. Says it might be a safer route for you, but that you're free to do with it as you deem necessary."

"Metallurgy?"

"Working with metals. I can teach you all about smithing armour, forging weapons, what metals create what alloys, and perhaps even open your mind to some new ideas. What do you say?"

"I'd love to learn that."

"Excellent! What do you know about metal?"

"It makes weapons and armour. That's about it." He looked at me and nodded before diving in to very deep conversation about the subject. If nothing else, this pony's knowledge was extensive.

By day's end he had shown me how to use the forges, along with shaping metal to create armour and weapons. By the end, he had me create a whole new set of armour for myself. When we finished he stepped back, drinking in the armour I had made. "Not bad for a first time. Keep it up and you might be as good as me one day. You've got a knack for it."

"I prefer being at the front, protecting ponies."

"Never said you couldn't do both. But, my job here is done. I've taught you all that I know. You just lack practice now. You're smart. Maybe it's just part of being an alicorn, hm?"

I grew bashful. I didn't like when people thought higher of me simply for how I was born. "Anyways, I must be on my way now. Keep up the good work. You've got quite the future ahead of you."

I nodded, gleeful. He quickly said his goodbyes and left, leaving the forge crew shaking their heads. "Ah wonder what kind of pony can wear armour in a place like this? Anyways, Ah'm just glad for the help."

"Is there anything you guys need from me?"

"No lad. Ah think it best ye get some rest. 'Twas a lot ta drink in." I nodded and took my leave as well. As I made my way back to town, my mind began to wander. By the time I arrived I had brainstormed several ideas for what I could do for a new set of armour. Your survival was as good as your defences, and my armour was far from flawless. Just as I sat down to begin sketching some kind of concept I heard a knock on my door. It was pretty late at this point, late enough to be completely dark outside. When I arose and opened the door it was cautiously, to say the least. What stood before me was hard to discern. I grew slightly fearful of the return of that shadowy creature. My fear was quelled when it spoke in a feminine voice.

"May I come in?" It wasn't harsh, nor was it loud. It was suave, but still seemed to command respect.

"Who are you?"

"You don't know me. Not yet. Allow me to enter and I'll explain everything." I sat for a moment or two before finally accepting.

"Alright. Come on in." I opened the door, allowing the mare, or I assumed it to be, into my house. When it entered, finally illuminated by the dim candlelight I was using at this hour, I could finally tell what it was. She was, indeed, a mare. She was an alicorn, to be precise. Her hide was jet black, blacker than anything I had seen before. She had long hair that might have reached lower than her hooves if it didn't flow about. I would describe it with a colour, but 'galaxies' isn't a colour. Purples, blues, and other dark hues of universal colour were contrasted by what appeared to be stars that formed galaxies. Though, when it flowed the positioning of the stars didn't change. It was almost like looking through a portal to space. A horn jutted out of the midst of the strange hair-shaped head adornment. Around the base was a decorative metal ring, most likely silver or steel. Her eyes were a kind of fuchsia colour, and carried a regal air of peace about them. Her black ears, her left one to be specific, carried four rings similar to the one on her horn, but as piercings instead that ran from top to bottom. Her body was a very typical stature to that of an alicorn and was adorned with wings to boot. Her tail was the same as the mane on her head, both in style and in properties. She had more rings along her legs in varying counts, never more than four but never less than two. The mark upon her flank was almost indiscernible, consisting of a dark circle filled with several tiny groupings of stars. When she spoke her voice was low and gentle, almost motherly.

"So, we finally meet face to face, child. You may address me as Galaxia. I am the ruler of the Endless Voids, a space beyond this plane of existence."

"So what brings a pony like you to me? I'm basically nopony."

"You have no idea what lies before you." I cocked my eyebrow. I had heard ponies saying things like that for a while now, but could never figure out why. "You have potential that remains hidden to you."

"I've heard that from a few ponies, but nopony has ever explained it. What is so special about me?"

"Part of it stems from your parents."

"My parents?"

"Yes."

"My parents that had no part in my life?"

"When you learn of them fully, things will begin clicking into place, most particularly their contribution in your life."

"Then can you tell me about them?"

"No."

"Well why not?"

"There are more preparations that you have to make before that kind of knowledge needs to become available to you."

"You're withholding information on my parents, maybe even their whereabouts, because I need to learn more?"

"To be frank, yes, but it's more complex than that. There is a technology that I need to give you, that you need to study, that will change the way you fight." I almost grew excited at the prospect. Then, almost from nothing, she procured a little box, no larger than a pony's hoof in surface area and half as wide as it was broad and high. It glowed with a faint light-blue or turquoise tint. "This is a technological marvel that your kind has yet to discover. Tell nopony of what it is."

She handed it to me, leaving it in one of my front hooves. "And what is it supposed to be, exactly?"

"It's a warp core, powered by changes in kinetic acceleration and kinetic energy."

"A what powered by what?"

"A teleportation device that generates its own power when you move. It took my realm's best minds over a millennia to figure it out from nothing but concepts and ideas. Now I give it to you."

"Why?"

"It will play an integral part in the next few chapters of your life, more than you will ever comprehend. I very strongly suggest that you figure out how it works by the time morning comes, and perhaps even how to recreate it."

"A team of immortal engineers worked for a thousand years, and you expect me to solve it in one night?"

"They had to create it from nothing. You already have the blueprint in your hooves. Use the knowledge Aldorn gave you to craft a set of armour that can work with this."

"Any other vague clues you want to give me about what might or might not happen before I start figuring this thing out?"

"No. You're intelligent, thanks to your mother. You can figure it out."

"Right."

"I bid you farewell, Aqua. You'll be hearing from me frequently in the future." She walked out of the doorway before vanishing in a small burst of magic. It wasn't bright magic, no flashes or glowing was involved. It just kind of happened and she was gone. I shook my head, baffled, before turning my attention to the peculiar item she had given me. I placed it down at my desk and sat in the chair before beginning to pick at it.

Morning found me exhausted and exasperated. I had almost pieced together how the machine worked before accidentally dozing off in the wee hours of the morning. When I was awake enough to move I decided to get breakfast before continuing my work. It didn't take more than a few more hours before I had figured out both how the little machine worked and how to recreate it. When the knowledge came, I broke into a lethargic victory celebration before collapsing back into my chair. I set the papers aside, stowing them in the desk, and took the device to figure out how to secure it to my body. It wasn't any more complicated than a few cloth straps I fashioned together of whatever I had lying around the house. Once it was secured I decided to go test the device before getting some sleep. I figured I'd just trot around a little in some private sector of the woods before using it to warp back home. I set the coordinates for my room before heading out.

I hadn't made my way much farther than the edge of town when I suddenly got a cold feeling. It was almost like dread mingled with fear. Whatever it was, it caused me to freeze and look around. My eyes eventually focused on my own shadow. I wondered why, but eventually noticed that something was off about it: fangs. I leaped back just in time to dodge a shadowy spike-like tendril that shot up from the ground. When it settled back down the area began to move. Up and out of the shadow rose that same creature I had blasted before. As it stood before me I realised I was without a weapon. "Well, well, we meet again."

"Why are you here?"

"Didn't I tell you? I was going to make sure you were dead." I charged up a blast of magic and let it loose. It parried the beam away with a wave of its hoof. "Nuh-uh-uh! Not this time. My master taught me how to protect myself from that. Magic attacks aren't going to work anymore."

I didn't trust its word on that, but I knew I'd have to test it out when it wasn't expecting it. I decided the best course of action, and most convincing, was to try and turn around and flee. As I did so, the creature burst into a cloud of smoke, quickly flying past me. It reformed about two body lengths away, causing me to come to a screeching halt. I narrowly avoided the tip of its sword as it swung towards me. I tried a few runs to circumvent it, but nothing was working. It was quick, able to turn on a bit and possessing the speed to boot. All I could do at this point was evade its strikes.

Several minutes in, as I was dodging like a maniac, I felt a little shock on my chest. I looked down to see the machine glowed brightly. I looked back up at the shadow, finding the sword plunging straight towards me in a stabbing attack. I braced myself for whatever happened next.

In a flash of light I felt my entire weight shifted. When I looked up I was safely within my home, breaking the peaceful silence with my heavy breathing. I patted myself a few times to assure myself I was still alive. I let out an excited gasp and laughed a little. Once the reality of the machine working settled I decided to grab what weapons I could find. All I had was my leg mounted blade, but the straps didn't fit my larger form. I grabbed the next best thing, a knife from the kitchen, and carefully made my way to the window. Just as I was about to approach it I saw wispy black smoke trailing in through my door. I did what I could to dispel it, but it was persistent. Eventually, enough of the stuff had made its way in to reform the creature. "Oh, you're just so predictable. Any other place and I would have had the hardest time finding you. At least you had the decency to choose your own home to die in, though."

I tried a swing of the knife and watched the blade whiz right through its body before it reformed. "You don't learn, do you?"

I backed up a bit, staying out of range. It charged, swinging the sword. I deflected the blade, narrowly, and made another attempt at hitting the shadow. If I could reflect the blade, why couldn't I hit the wielder? To my dismay, though, the knife passed through it again. I then felt a very sharp pain in my lower chest area, just beneath the ribs, that caused me to pause and grunt in pain. I quickly glanced down as best I could to see its blade jutting from my body. I let loose a blast of magic, barely clipping the end of his hoof as he deflected it. "Enough!"

Its voice turned suddenly harsh as it picked me up by the sword in my body. With a heave the creature threw me out of the nearby window, sending glass shards across the grass outside. Many sharp pains followed the impact and landing, presumably from the shards. I was free of its blade, though, so I arose with a strained grunt or two. The creature jumped out of the window after me, landing with a slight poof. I backed away from it the best I could, barely keeping out of range. I could feel the stab wound draining me of strength, and I wasn't sure how much longer I had. I tried another blast or two of magic, but it was fruitless. The creature dissipated before reforming inches from me. It picked me up with clawed hooves, a strange sight I had never seen before. The claws sunk deep into my ribcage, sending shooting waves of pain up and down my body. Each breath was a cascade of discomfort, and each heartbeat was another concussive blast. "Your time is up, hero! You never had what it took anyways."

It hurled me back towards the house, leaving rent gashes in the wake of the claws. It then reappeared before me again, kicking me across the grass. I struggled the best that I could to resist, but I was half-lifeless already. Another powerful kick in the ribs, a resonating crack and boundless pain following it, sent me skidding until I hit the side of my house. The shadow trotted over, giving me barely enough time to rise. Blood openly dripped from my torso, and I could feel its warmth running down my neck and legs from the glass. My breaths were short and raspy, but the shadow gained gleeful pleasure in such. He revelled in it. "Pitiful. This is the best that Equestria had to offer? What a shame."

It bucked me again, with force enough to blast me through the wooden wall. Wood chips flew across the kitchen floor as I skidded across them. Pain had practically paralysed me at this point, and in the wake of my slide was a streak of blood. I felt a shock on my chest again, the pain of it being heavily amplified by my condition. It was then that an idea formed itself in my head. I barely managed to undo the straps and get a hold of the device before the creature picked me up again, using the same brutish and clawed manner as before. I winced and moaned my way through the wall of pain as it spoke. "Any last words? Or will you die, as the disgrace you are, in silence?"

I coughed up a spat of blood that fazed through its body before I had enough leeway to speak. Do not be mistaken. It took nearly a full minute just to form my short question. "What happens when you unleash a torrent of arcane energy all at once?"

"What are you getting at?" It was then it saw the warp core in my hoof. I saw its eyes widen as I swung the core with as much force as I could muster. "NO!"

The machine hit the wall, fracturing. The pent up energy vented all at once, creating a massive wave of energy. The creature holding me was blasted into sheer nothingness as I was catapulted through the kitchen wall first, bouncing off of my couch and heavily fracturing the outside living room wall. I slumped down, sinking into the floor. I was soon bathing in my own blood as things began to fade. With the last few blinks I could recover from I saw Storm come bolting in. As the world blurred into nothing but mixed colours I thought I could make out Bane in the room too. I went to clear my eyes to see if I could tell who it was.

I startled awake, bolting upright only to collapse as the wall of pain hit. I let out a moan of pain and heard shifting nearby. I panicked, causing deeper pain to rack my body. I let out an agonised cry as I fell from the bed, trying to see what I was fleeing from. When I saw that it was Storm that rounded the bed my worries faded. The pain, however, remained. I wasn't able to fight it as well as before and eventually succumbed.

I awoke again in the bed once more. I made sure to avoid any sudden movements, as everything still hurt beyond what I had known before. I heard a voice this time. "Please don't freak out again. Bane doesn't want to have to realign your spine and snap your ribs back into position again."

I glanced over, seeing Storm standing there. I let out a groan of pain and flopped my head back down. "Good. Just rest for now. You'll be better in no time."

I closed my eyes. Perhaps Storm was right. At least, with him around I was safe enough to rest and recover.

The next time I awoke enough to look around the room I quickly noticed it was empty. I shifted a bit, raising up as much as I could without a paralysing wall of pain. As I looked around again I managed to speak, although it was still a bit raspy. "Storm?"

No response. I shifted again, making my way to the edge of the bed. Again I called out, a bit clearer this time. "Storm?"

Since this generated no response I decided to explore as best I could. I managed to get to my hooves. Simply standing hurt like a bed of nails. Trotting proved even worse, nonetheless when I descended the stairwell. "Storm?"

This call was through clenched teeth, but it wasn't an aggressive cry. It was more of desperation. As I approached the front door it opened slowly. Bane trotted in, eyes closed, as he was humming a foreign tune. He closed and locked the door behind him and turned back around. He suddenly stopped his song when he saw me standing before him. I was the first one who managed to talk. "Where's Storm?"

What I got in response was almost as if my question bounced off of his face. "What are you doing out of bed?!"

"Where's Storm?"

He came over to escort me back up. "We need to get you resting."

"I'll rest when you tell me where Storm is."

"You won't rest if I do. I already know that. I don't need Time Vision for that; it's pretty obvious."

"What's obvious?"

"As much as you deny it, you feel something special for him."

"It's called duty."

"You said 'concern' wrong."

"If you think I'm so 'concerned', why won't you tell me what happened to him?"

"In your condition, it's out of your league."

"Try me." He just looked at me, scoffing and shaking his head.

"Rest, then I'll consider it." I was defeated. Without the cooperation of Bane I wouldn't know where Storm had ended up, but judging from Bane's reaction I could tell nothing good happened. He escorted me back upstairs and set me on the bed. With a huff, and a groan of pain, I settled back in and prepared for sleep.

A couple of days later, when I couldn't take it anymore, I got off of my bed and snuck my way to the stairs. I heard talking downstairs. I hushed as much as I could and listened in. Bane's voice was conversing with another. It was female, and the first of the two that I heard. "Are you sure she won't hear?"

"Positive. She's out cold. You saw for yourself the state she was in. I'm just glad MoonDusk's shadow puppet never returned to her to inform her how Aqua was. It would have been the end of the line for all of this."

"You seem to love riding the edge."

"Makes plans more meaningful."

"Uh-huh. Well we've got to get Storm back somehow, and we have to do it quick. Who knows what they're doing to him, or what he might say?"

"The problem is he wouldn't say anything. He's persistent enough that they'd kill him before they ever got as much as a peep from him."

"So how do we go about this? A full on assault?"

"Suicide. It'd blow our cover, and we have nowhere near enough numbers to stand up to them. Just look at what happened. A small raiding party sacked the group and ran off with a pony of interest."

"Then what, sneak in?"

"What else can we do?" It was silent for a moment. "I just don't know who we can send with that kind of a mission."

"Maybe somepony that's clueless about us?"

"They wouldn't know who Storm was, or what he looked like." I saw this as an opportunity, but was unsure of how to approach it, so I began carefully making my way down the stairs, restraining the grunts of discomfort.

"So then what other option do we have?" I must have crossed the threshold of the stairs, because shortly afterwards she spoke in a different tone. "Oh, great. I thought you said she wouldn't hear us!"

As the room beneath came into view I saw Bane wheel around. Standing across the table from him was a mare in a white robotic suit. Accents of red ran across the frame of the armour. Her face, and every other distinguishable feature for that matter, was covered by the white metallic plates. She stared at me through the two angry looking, red-glowing "eyes" of the suit. Bane stared at me in utter silence. I was the first to break that silence. "Who are you?"

"You already know Bane, but it's best you never learn who I am."

"Alright then...Well, what happened?" The two looked at each other. "Tell me."

"Bane, inform her."

"Well why do I have to do it?"

"Because I told you to." He looked at her for a moment before sighing and turning back to me.

"You've been asking where Storm was. This is the answer."

"What do you mean?"

"You see, Storm belongs to a group of ponies that my boss has been trying to hunt for a while now. I'm not going to tell you their name in case things go south, but suffice it to say, MoonDusk wants them gone."

"MoonDusk?"

"She's the current Time Sage, the only one in charge of pulling the strings and bending time to change scenarios and outcomes. Needless to say, she's gotten pretty lazy in the last couple of centuries. By pretty lazy I mean really slothful. She hardly ever checks the Continuum anymore, and if she does it's to make sure nopony is trying to depose her."

"What does she want with this group?"

"They've been trying to depose her. Anyways, long story short, she sent a raiding party from one of her not-quite-so-secret splinter groups. Completely overwhelmed Storm's forces and captured him."

"So you're trying to get him back."

"Yes. Storm is essential in that plan, almost as essential as you, even though you're entirely clueless."

"Hey."

"Regardless, it brings us to the matter at hoof. I'm not sure how much you heard, but-"

"I can sneak in." They both looked at me for a second before Bane responded.

"You? Sneak in? I feel more confident that a pack of explosives was stealthier." I clenched my teeth, biting back a response. "However, you do have your perks. Tenacious, frighteningly hard to kill, and clueless. Even if they captured you..."

"I'd be no use. Thanks."

The mare spoke. "That's a good thing. The less they know of us the better. I like where Bane is going with this. We can get you outfitted in a stealth suit within a week's time, because you are...larger than most, and send you out."

"A week's a long time that they have Storm for."

"Better than months to find and train somepony new."

"True. Alright, Aqua, prepare your things and follow her. Do not, I repeat, do not ask her anything other than details absolutely necessary to saving Storm. It's for your own good." I nodded, resolute. I headed upstairs to pack what few things I figured I needed. When I limped my way back downstairs the mare began leading me out.

We wandered for a while before she told me to close my eyes. I didn't quite trust her, but as I had no alternatives to try and help them rescue Storm, I obliged. Many twists, turns and path changes followed.

We wandered for possibly an hour or more with my eyes closed. Before too long, though, we stopped. "Step forwards. There's a little raise, but don't open your eyes yet."

I did as instructed. The whirring of machinery sounded out in suit. It took a great deal of trust and hope to keep my eyes closed. I felt weightless for a moment before landing. I barely kept my ground as I touched down again, eyes still shut tightly. I heard a masculine voice ring out this time after some shuffling. "Identify yourself immediately, stranger!"

I kept my eyes closed as I responded. "Aqua."

"We do not recognise you. Come forth and subject yourself to us peacefully as a prisoner." Great. I had been led on and was now in peril, and entirely at their mercy. Regardless, being unarmed and still unsure of what was going on I stepped down. I then heard the whirring machine again and another pony land behind me. "Ah, Cul-"

"Shh! No. Nope. Do not speak my name. Not yet." It was the mare from before

"Alright, geez. Anyways, we caught this intruder sneaking in. What should we do with it?"

"Release her. She's under my direction." I wasn't even bound to begin with, but I wasn't going to argue that. "You can open your eyes now, you know."

"Oh." I had to blink a few times before everything came into focus. When it did I was left awestruck. I was nowhere that I knew before, that was sure. The walls were almost pearly white, mixed with accents of industrial-esque metal along the walls and floor. These metallic parts accentuated walkways and paths to follow, was my guess. Every square inch of the place was pristine, even the guards' armour. They were created from bright steel, almost the colour and sheen of aluminium. Red lines, squared at the edges and turning in ninety degree angles, accentuated the armour. A singular visor ran across the front, possibly large enough to be some kind of glass mask on the helmet. Between the two guards was a rectangular doorway, taller than it was wide. I was about to look around further when the mare’s voice snapped me back to reality.

"Now, follow me. We must get you to the fitting stations." I followed behind her in silence after she trotted ahead. Down the narrow, two pony wide passageways we worked our way. I barely fit past another pony when one came down the hall. They also shot me glances filled with mixed messages of concern, disgust, and almost fear. They were smaller than normal ponies, so I don't blame them for being frightened of a pony the size of a fully grown alicorn, nonetheless one as bizarre as I was.

After what seemed like several minutes of dead silent trotting we finally turned and opened one of the very numerous doorways. She took me inside, chuckling when I had to duck under the top of the doorway. There was a group of ponies standing behind a counter that nearly filled the front of the room. Behind them were a few vertical pod-like structures. There were eight in total, lined up with four on one side and four on the other side of the long room. Numerous wires and cables fed into the machines. The wires led from the pod into a stand with a flat screen on it, most likely some kind of interface. The cables led into the ceiling. The pods were separated by frosted glass, granting some form of privacy. Each pod was created of a grey material with low sheen, and a turquoise, opaque glass front. Posters lined the front of the room, modelling different suit variations. There was seating nearby as well.

My attention was snapped from the curious room and back to the main counter when one of the ponies spoke. "Welcome to Suits of the Soul. What can I do for you?"

"My friend here, Aqua, needs a suit." I could see the ponies behind the counter, every one of them, look up at me. "Can you hook her up?"

The pony looked over at the others. "Uh...well...it'll be a tight fit. We've never had a pony this big before..."

One of the others spoke up. "What kind of suit? If it's our Heavy Combat gear it'll be too big."

"She needs the stealth suit."

The first one picked up again. "Which version?"

"She needs the best you've got."

"It would be the STALKER Prototype, with cloaking, Hide-A-Way armour, advanced life detection and Trot Muffle technology. Does that sound about right?"

"Perfect."

"That will run you-"

"I know the cost, but it's a price I'm willing to pay. Put it on my chit."

"You got it. Anything else for you?"

"That'll be it."

"Alright then. The bill will be sent in the next week. In the meantime, follow me." All eyes rested on me and I took the hint. I trotted in past her, the ceiling a mere inch or two from my horn's tip. "And right this way into the last pod here. It's the biggest we have, normally for the Warhound series."

I could only imagine how bulky that armour was if these smaller-than-average ponies filled a tank that could hold an alicorn when the armour was completed. I shook the thought from my head as the pod released a low hiss of air. It opened up, revealing the inside. Seeing the little tools that lined the interior so smoothly, I was unsure of whether or not this was a good idea. I bit back my fears and trotted in. "Alright. The pod will close and the process will complete itself. You'll be given an inhaled sedative to put you to sleep for the process in order to help you remain calm and unmoving. The pod will then scan your body, 3D map it, and then print the suit directly onto your body. When you emerge you'll be taught how to perform all the basic functions of the suit. We'll also include a start-up guide to help you turn it on, as well as instructions you can pull up right on your display."

As the pod closed I heard her speak one last time. "We hope you enjoy your new suit!"

I sat in silence for a few moments before hearing air hissing gently in. Figuring it was what the pony had referred to, the 'sedative', I breathed calmly and fully. Within a minute, I'm sure, I was having extreme difficulty keeping my eyes open.

The pod was opening next I thing I knew. I felt stiff and jittery, but weak at the same time. I managed to make my way out of the pod in time for it to close. I was having problems keeping my eyes focused, barely able to recognise the fact that the white armoured pony stood before me. Nearby was another shape, a pony most likely, but I couldn't focus well enough. "Yes. It looks perfect."

"Excellent. We'll administer the counter-sedative and give her some time to recover. Shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes." I saw the shape move closer, the sound of magic singing softly. After a few seconds the sound of metal folding upon itself plate by plate echoed. It didn't last long, and a sharp pain in the side of my neck followed. Before I had time to react, it was over. The metal plates unfolded again, covering my body once more. My senses were still foggy as my mind tried to wrap itself around what was going on. Just at the point of giving up my vision began clearing and strength returned to my limbs. The inherent desire to quake fled as things improved. Soon, I felt as if I was actually a part of the world again. When I figured I was well enough I spoke.

"Is it finished?"

The mare that had been at the counter when we first arrived responded. "Yes. How do you feel?"

"I feel a lot better now that I can see again."

"Excellent! Now, trot over to the mirror there and tell us what you think." I did as instructed, making my way to where she was pointing. When I turned and looked I was almost shocked at what I saw. I was roughly the same size, the plates of the armour hugging very closely to my form. The plates themselves were jet black. Very deep and dark blue lines, that were surprisingly thin for glowing strips, ran across the surface much like the red strips on the mare's armour. The faceplate, which went from my jaw to the base of my horn, was indistinguishable from the rest of the armour aside from the slightest little line around it. The suit didn't even part for my wings. Instead, it had coated those too. I went to stretch them out and found full functionality. I turned back towards the two mares. The one that had helped us spoke. "So what do you think?"

"It's amazing." My vocal tone when I spoke threw me off. It sounded crystal clear, despite the fact that my ears were sealed off from the rest of my body.

"Excellent! Now, let me just show you a few features that come with the suit. You can study the rest with your in-display instruction manual."

That was exactly what she did. From how to activate and deactivate it to bizarre functions such as wall and ceiling movement, I learned 'the basics' of the suit. Needless to say, I was very excited to learn what else it could do. She opted out of teaching me more on how to use it, saying it was best for me to explore the functions. We bid our farewells, thanked them for the service, and left. It was once we were outside and the door had closed that the mare accompanying me spoke again. "I have to be completely honest with you: most ponies here think stealth is a disgrace. You'll get very dirty and judgemental glances while you're running around with that suit on."

"So I should pack it up?"

"No. It's against the law to travel anywhere within the city without a suit on."

"So I'm basically stuck being second class?"

"No. People dislike stealth suits because the most powerful figures wear them. Every single pony here, aside from those who wear one, fear the unparalleled skill, speed, and decisiveness of our stealth ops." At this point, I wasn't sure what to think. "I'll escort you to the OpC and they'll brief you from there. Remember: try to learn only about your mission with Storm. Don't ask names. Don't learn the route. Nothing. The less you know, the safer you are."

"I think I've got it at this point."

"We cannot be too cautious. Now, follow me." She began trotting forwards, swiftly if I might add. I was having a hard time keeping up with her as she weaved in and out of the tunnels. After a while, we came upon a small hole, which she slipped right into. I did my best to follow, but I almost didn't make it to the other side of the cramped drain. When I arose once more I heard metal clanking. Looking around the dark room was immediately met by her voice. "Stop looking, start moving."

I just went straight for her voice, approaching the very dimly lit gate. We trotted in near pitch-black darkness for most of the way, her voice being the only indication of where I needed to go. She carried on about the weather outside for ages, longer than I've ever heard any individual capable of doing. Eventually, we reached another door. This one opened and revealed a set of steep stairs. I went to ask about it, but decided against it. So, instead, we made the climb in silence.

When we arrived at the top she opened a hatch, sliding it out of the way. She beckoned me up. I followed, seeing as I had no alternative. When I got the chance to look at my surroundings, of which she made sure I didn't see much of, I saw a grouping of ponies in similar armour to mine. Before I had time to react, the mare spoke. "Alright. You've all received your briefing, right?"

The answer was a resounding yes. "Excellent. No information is to be given to our newest helper, Aqua."

One stallion's voice piped up. "Isn't she a little...large for a stealth op?"

"Any disadvantages she might have are more than made up for by her advantages."

Another mare's voice echoes from the back. "And what would those be?"

"She's willing to do anything to rescue Storm, and is entirely clueless about us."

A second stallion spoke. "So her being massive and most likely unskilled in stealth is compensated by that?"

"If she is caught, she'll be useless. She'll be going in alone to minimise risk. We will be tracking her every step, so do not worry. And yes, it will be monitored from well without the city. Short range communication will be used between multiple nodes to finally send communication back here. You all have your jobs. Now get to it." Commotion followed as ponies scrambled towards their posts. "Aqua, there will be a cart waiting for you just down those stairs we took. You'll be underneath cover, unable to see. It is like this that you will be transported outside the city. You'll be dropped off at the halfway point with a set of coordinates in your suit. Those coordinates are the city where Storm is. The rest will be up to you. I wish you luck, Aqua. You might need it."

Before I could speak, she had opened the hatch again and pushed me in. When I was completely inside, she closed the hatch. I heard it lock behind me. There was only one way to go now.

I eventually stumbled my way down the inky darkness that prevailed the stairwell. When I collided face first with the door and, eventually, opened it, I heard a stallion's voice. "Get in the back and drape the cloth over you."

I did the best I could to follow his orders. In the end, he ended up having to cover me himself, muttering something I couldn't understand. He trotted away and the cart began moving. From here, I could only hope for the best.

The ride was long, ridiculously so. I can't recall whether or not I dozed off during the ride, as I had no indicators to tell me if I had done so. We did stop though, eventually. I heard shuffling outside, followed by the removal of my cover. I heard the same voice from before, but could see who it was this time. Their dark green armour barely reflected the dim grey skies. "This is the stop. Get out and pay no mind to where we return to."

I nodded and disembarked, seeing the little blip of the objective on a little bar at the bottom of the visor. I began trotting my way over, trying my best to ignore the rolling of the cart behind me. Only when the noise had completely faded for over a long span of time did I begin to gaze around me. The first thing I noted was how I could not see the wagon that dropped me off; without that little blip I would be completely lost. Further observation revealed that the sky was a dark grey, unnaturally dark. The ground around me was like no other dirt or soil I had ever seen before. Perhaps it was just the grey skies that drained colour from the material under my hooves. Either way, the ground was a pale grey, like that of clay. It was, however, too hard to be clay, as if it were a bed of solid stone. Aside from that, there was nothing; for miles and miles around me there was nothing but grey waste, and it was the only thing in sight. I sighed at the depressing sight and found the blip once more, trotting towards it.

It didn't take nearly as long as I would have anticipated before high, rust-orange and industrial-green walls came into view. I continued my march towards the walls, getting as close as I dared at this point. There was no cover out here, and I didn't want to get spotted before I had even entered the city. I decided to camp it, as nopony on the walls would have any way of seeing me, or knowing I was there to begin with.

As I passed the time waiting for nightfall I explored the in-HUD instructions, as I remember they had been called. I figured out several of the features I hadn't yet used, such as cloaking. As soon as I discovered that my suit could actually do such, I cloaked up and made my way towards the city.

There was no dusk. I mean, there wasn't even the sun in the sky. The day just got darker until it was pitch black. I wouldn't have been able to see anything if I hadn't already figured out how to activate the night vision that was included in the suit’s functions. It didn't reach far, maybe a hundred feet or so, but it worked for me. It was enough, at least, so I could make my way to the walls. From there, I began looking for any kind of an entrance.

After trotting my way around the entire city I had found nothing. I wasn't sure how much of the night had passed, as there was no celestial activity. I decided, since time was limited, to scale the wall. I activated the proper mechanics and started my way up. After the first hoofstep I made while completely suspended, I found the wall to be very echoing. Each step rang out a cacophony of metallic echoes, probably alerting any guards on the rim. I froze immediately after the first sound rang out, hugging as closely as I could to the wall. I saw a light begin to make its way over, and all I could do was hope the cloaking was enough. They shined the light on me for a while before looking at the nearby landscape. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but the light disappeared eventually. I then began creeping my way along. Even the slightest shuffle was brought to extraordinary levels of sound.

The sky began to lighten by the time I crested the top. I carefully looked around to make sure no guards were nearby before vaulting the lip. I took just a moment to check where the blip was pointing, seeing the large castle-like metal fortress in the middle of town. I checked the surrounding area before I quickly made my way to the other side of the battlement, sliding down the city side of the wall as quietly as possible. Once I was on the ground I began searching for a sewage drain, as I figured a place like this might have one. Sure enough, a few streets over, I found a small circle with the words "Drain" inscribed on the lid. I checked to make sure nopony was around to watch a drain lid move on its own before sliding it off. I squeezed down into the hole as best I could before sliding it back over me with my horn.

Because I barely fit in the space provided, the descent was not only very slow but also filled with palpable anxiety of getting stuck. I didn't get stuck, thankfully, and successfully splashed into the water beneath me. It was pitch black in here, so I turned on the night vision mode. Even as it were, I couldn't see more than a few feet in front of me. I decided to simply take whatever tunnels I could to try and make my way towards the blip. Surely the main fortress also had a drain.

I had crept my way through the stagnant and, frankly, disgusting water for what seemed like an eternity before a fence blocked my way. On the other side were dim lights, or perhaps they were distant. The fence was littered by signs warning of disease. Perhaps the waters were contaminated, I thought, but this section was right where I needed to go. Brushing aside any fear of the situation I searched until I found a gate. It was locked with a chain and padlock. I simply bust the lock with one of my armoured hooves before moving in. The makeshift gate creaked and groaned behind me, both when opening and when closing, before the dank passageways fell silent once more. I made my way as best as I could around the walkways, homing in on the blip of navigation that I had. I was stopped in my tracks when I saw light coming up from ahead. I crept along, the splashing of stagnant water on the walkway echoing. As I rounded the corner of an intersection I turned to the light. A small fire was burning in a rusted out barrel. How they had gotten it dry in this musty air was a mystery to me. One pony, draped in tattered cloths and holding the appearance of death, stoked the fire, while another nearby warmed their own decrepit body. I just about recoiled from the sight, disgusted that such plight could exist. I then heard another voice coming from down the tunnel. It was that of a mare. "I'm back."

"Ah, what did you get this time, Scarlet?"

"Not much. Most of the waters had been covered already."

"The other camps didn't give you trouble, did they?" Other camps? Was there an entire Undercity? How did a population discard so much material that a large number of ponies could survive off of their waste?

"No. They were long gone." I saw the mare begin to hang items from her tattered saddle bags. Most of it was cloth or paper. "Did the hunt get anything, Orion?"

"No..." The third pony's tone was very dejected. I'm sure the mare's next comment didn't help.

"Isn't your talent hunting? Why else is that your cutie mark?"

"I can't hunt if there's nothing to begin with!" Man, seeing these ponies like this made me burn with desire to aid them. That wasn't my job, though, and I had a responsibility to stick to. I sloshed my way as quietly as possible across the intersection, hoping the ensuing argument was enough to drown out my movement, before continuing on my way.

I skirted several more groupings, some even being as advanced as figuring out how to create tents out of the scraps they had collected, as I continued my way towards the blip. After passing the mark several times, I figured out that the closest entrance was still a fair distance away from my target. I took the exit beside me, climbing my way to the surface. As I was climbing I was being barraged by a torrent of runoff. Opening the lid and stepping out of the caustic sewers revealed that it had started to rain in my time down there. I climbed out and closed the lid again, turning my attention to the mark. All that was in front of me was a wall. It wasn't the wall of a house or other similar structure. No, it was a massive wall, most likely of the fortress. As far as I could tell, there was no lip to vault. It looked like my only way in was either a gate or hoping the sewers or wall opened somewhere within.

I went with the gated option, heading around the wall until I found the main pathway. The gate was closed, and two guards stood at attention, looking out down the road. Above were several holes in the wall, from where I could faintly see others waiting. I wasn't getting in unless they opened the gate for something else. I remained in the alleyway near the wall, peeking around the corner to watch for incoming openings.

I had just about fallen asleep, the rhythmic pounding of the rain on the roofs above creating a symphony of lazy sounds, when I heard the guards announce something. I perked up and peeked around the corner. Surely enough, the guards stepped away. I took this moment to creep out, positioning myself nearby, but still under the cover of the overhanging roof above. The guards thoroughly inspected a cart drawn by two stallions before signalling the all clear. I heard loud chunks and moving chains as the gate began to open. As it widened completely I took my chance. I quickly fell in line beside the cart, still cloaked, and crept within alongside it. Once inside, the gates closed, I broke away and hid in the nearby foliage. Indeed, this interior section was far lusher and more thoroughly cared for than the abandoned, industrial exterior. It was like stepping through a portal into another world. I couldn't gawk, due to the necessity of the mission, so I continued my march.

Through the front doors and around many winding corridors I made my way. I typically spent most of the time on the ceiling, dangling some twenty feet above the ground. I progressed deeper, eventually reaching stairs. I took the lower route first, figuring prisoners would be down rather than up. My suspicions were correct when I saw a door labelled 'Dungeons'. I dropped from the ceiling with a thud before creeping my way in.

It was extraordinarily easy to dodge the jailers, as well over half of them had dozed off. I made my way to where the blip was. As I entered the doorway, the rest of the cell came into view. The medieval appearance of the rest of the area was heavily contrasted by the technological barrier that stood before me. This wall of energy barred my way. The only thing I found that might do the trick was a single button beside it. I looked around, making sure nopony was around, before dropping my cloak. I saw Storm perk up at the sound. When he turned around and saw me, his face read 'perplexed' more than 'relieved'. Since time was limited, I spoke first. "Storm, I'm here to break you out."

He looked at me for a second before his face lit with recognition of my voice. "...Aqua?"

"Don't ask questions yet. I need to get you out of here first, and silently is the expectation." He nodded. I then hit the button, dropping the energy wall and allowing him to leave. He followed after me as I crept to the doorway. I peeked my head around to make sure there were no guards. Upon finding it empty, I continued on my way.

We managed to make our way to one of the drains I had found on my way in towards Storm. I lifted the lid and beckoned him within. I then followed in after him and quietly closed the passage behind us. We both plunked into the water beneath, almost entirely directionless. I took the lead, heading towards where I thought we needed to go. I saw a window pop up in my vision stating 'incoming transition', so I told it to accept. Lines of static popped up in the window now, and I heard a voice heavily distorted by both interference and distance. "Report back. You reached the objective. Is it secure?"

"Yes. I'm awaiting direction, mostly because I'm a little lost."

"Why not take the route you came in with?"

"Storm can't stealth."

"Right, and from what our spies had informed us a few years back, the drains for the executive sector don't connect with the residential or industrial sectors, nor do they lead out; they just seep into the ground through grated floors." We sat in silence for a moment, thinking.

"I have an idea."

"Whatever it is, pray that it works. Ending communications now." With a beep, the screen closed, leaving me staring at the dark passageway. Storm spoke up next.

"So what's the plan?"

"I'm going to create a diversion when the main gate opens, drawing away the guards. Once they've left, book it around to the left. There's another drain not far from the gate that you can quickly slip into."

"And what about you? Are you planning on dying?"

"No. My suit has stealth capabilities. I'll be able to evade them with that."

"I hope you know what you're doing." I did too.

"Don't worry. We'll both make it out." He nodded, signalling me to begin moving. I did so, guiding us back through the twisting underground sewers. I wasn’t sure how these tunnels ran exactly, but I had forged a heading and we had a decent window of time to figure out all of the details.

When I had navigated us back to where I thought was close enough to the wall, I paused. I reiterated the instructions to Storm before heading up. Once I had peeked over the ledge I quickly noticed that we were outside of the fortress, sitting in the foliage that seemed out of place; we made it to the courtyard. When I saw that there were no guards nearby I carefully moved out, leaving Storm to do the same. When we were both concealed within the foliage, the sewers closed behind us, we waited patiently for the gate to open.

Open it eventually did. My heart began to race at this point, but I knew I couldn't mess up. With a deep breath I bolted from the foliage. They hadn't seen me yet, so I paused behind the wall, the last safe place. I nodded to Storm, who moved in closer. I then rounded the corner before whipping my tail to plaster the guard on the left. Once he was unconscious, the ring of the impact on his metal armour dying down, the other guards began to pursue me. I bolted off to the right, drawing them away from where Storm needed to go. I glanced back to see Storm slip around the corner and head to the entrance of the residential sewers. I turned my attention back around to navigate the maze of houses.

Turn after turn I was slowly evading the guards. I found myself eventually heading back towards the main road. As I approached, I picked up speed as best I could, bolting across in a full gallop. As I made my way across the wide road, a loud banging sound echoed out. Suddenly, tearing pain shot up my hind left leg, causing it to freeze and collapse under the step it had just taken. I skidded and rolled, thankfully with enough force and momentum to make it to the other buildings. I groaned, but didn't have time to look at the wound; I had to keep moving. As best as I could, I arose and stumbled my way to the first alleyway, turning to the right. I then cloaked before veering back onto the main side street. I had stumbled another building down by the time the guards reached the area. It was then that I scaled the wall, pushing myself up into the corner of the wall and the roof. I noticed an open window and slowly limped my way across the wall. I ducked within, maintaining my cloak, and began searching for a place to hide. As I made my way through the house, however, I found it to be empty. I then comfortably dropped my cloak and began looking at my hind left leg. A hole was cleanly punched through the exterior side, or at least it looked like it, but the metal on the interior side was heavily warped and shredded. Blood seeped from the hole, flowing onto the floor beneath. I groaned again, the heavy wall of pain sitting mightily on my leg. I got up, limping my way back to the open window. With my cloak back up I peeked out, finding the area littered with guards. I couldn't wait, seeing as how much blood I was losing, so I slipped out the window and onto the wall once more.

In a mixture of sliding painfully across the wall and limping my way around the buildings, I successfully managed to get back to the drain. I quietly slid the lid, ducked within, and closed the passage behind me by the time I heard motion above. Once the commotion died down, I finished descending. I dropped my cloak so Storm could see me before I approached him. "There you are. I was getting worried for a while there. Everything go alright?"

"I was injured."

"What? Where?" He quickly came over.

"Hind left leg. It was just this tearing pain. I don't know what caused it."

"Was there a bang?"

"Yeah."

"You've been shot."

"I've been what?"

"You've been shot. Sit down and let me see the damage."

"In this dark passageway, I don't think that will do much good."

"I want to take a look anyways." I looked at him for a moment. "It'd probably make me feel better."

"...Fine." I plunked myself down, feeling tired after the expended effort of fleeing. I extended the injured leg as best as I could, but it wasn't far. "And what does being 'shot' mean?"

"The weapons these ponies use are designed to lob melted scrap metal that's been formed into spheres. They call them bullets, but we tend to refer to them as biological weapons. Some of the scraps are rusted or, in some cases, still coated with blood from somepony somewhere. That's why I wanted to have a look, see if the thing's still in your leg."

"I don't think it-AGH! Careful with that!"

"Sorry. I guess the area is in worse shape than I thought. It's unfortunate that I don't have any medical supplies with me. We'll have to get you to some kind of care quickly. You have communication with the others, right?"

"Yeah."

"Contact them, tell them we're safe, but that you've been shot and will need medical assistance. Tricky part, though, is we have to keep moving. If you faint from blood loss, well, I can only carry you so far." It was looking grimmer with each sentence he spoke. I heard him stand, so I did the same, and begin trotting off. I did my best to follow him, limping along behind him. As I did so, I explored the communication features of the suit until I finally figured out how to activate a transmission. Shortly thereafter, I was greeted by the same voice as before.

"I read you, Aqua. What's your status?"

"Storm is secure and we are leaving the city via the sewers." My speech was disturbed to a minor degree by my need to grunt through the pain with each step.

"Which side of the city did you enter to start with?"

"The front, I'm guessing. Whichever you left me on."

"The drain leads out the back of the city. You'll have to make your way there. We can add the blip to your HUD."

"No need. Storm has taken the lead."

"What do you mean? Why?"

"I'm slowing us down a bit."

"What happened?"

"I've been shot."

"What?! Where? How many times? Will you make it? Do we have to send an extraction team?"

"No. I took a hit in the leg, so I should still be able to make it.

"And you're trotting around their sewers? Are you trying to die or something?"

"I would have stayed on the surface if that was the case." It was silent for a moment. "I'll inform Storm of the change of plans. Just make sure there's some kind of transportation when we're outside the sight of the city." Storm was looking back at me, possibly confused.

"Will do. Try not to die. She spent a lot of money on you." I heard the transmission end. As such, I turned my attention back to Storm. "We're going to have to leave through the drain at the back of the city."

"That's a pretty far distance, and we'll practically be swimming by the end. Are you sure that wound is going to be alright?"

"Even if it weren't, what can we do about it?" Storm grew silent. He knew that there wasn't anything we could do at this point, so he turned about to face, what I assumed to be, the way we needed to go. From there, we began the long trek.

He was right on both accounts. It took what seemed like an eternity to get to where we were needing to be, despite the conversation we had, and the putrid water covered me to the neck; Storm was actually swimming at this point. Soon, though, we saw a little bit of light ahead. It was small, tiny even. We excitedly began making our way towards it, finding that the light was far closer than we thought. The force of the water increased dramatically, but it was heading towards the sliver of light. Storm ducked under the surface, leaving me above. I thought I could just barely make it, but hit my head pretty hard on the roof of the tunnel. I was flipped backwards into the water, tumbling in the current. I had no idea when I'd be clear of the water, so I held my breath as best as I could. I was running out of air, and desperately holding on to what little I had left.

I suddenly felt a slight drop before I bounced on the ground. The unexpected impact forced all of the air out of my body, or what little there was left. Out of instinct, before I could stop it, my body attempted to draw in a breath to recover. Water rushed into my mouth, the foul taste unlike any other I had even so much as perceived. I felt myself being drug out as my body made coughing and retching actions. My breaths were inefficient and quick as panic was taking hold. I heard Storm's voice urging me to calm down and breathe. Each breath ended abruptly after it started with another cough. No, coughing wasn't a good enough word for it; hacking more closely describes the desperate attempts to force the putrid water out of my body.

It took a while before I had actually recovered. Storm stayed nearby the entire time, trying whatever he could to no avail. Once I had recovered, I stood once more. I was severely light headed at this point, watching the world spin slowly. I shook my head in an effort to clear it, but that just made things worse. I put a hoof to my head, causing some concern for Storm. "Aqua, are you ok?"

"We need to get to that rendezvous."

"Are you sure you can make it?"

"No choice. Let's just go, yeah?" His sideways glance spoke volumes of his concern, but he continued nonetheless. We first had to make our way around the city before the trot to the midway point. As we were making our way around I could see raindrops begin hitting the ground around us. Before too long, a little after we cleared our way to the front of the city, the little drops became a massive torrential downpour. As it was picking up I heard Storm mutter something about it being just his luck. I wasn't sure what he was referring to until the ground began to absorb all of the standing water. The grey rock-like material became a thick mud. At first, we sank to the tops of our hooves, still mostly unimpeded. However, as the massive rainstorm continued, this small leeway was quickly turned into a massive obstacle as we began having to pull half of our leg out of the mud just to take a step. When I would look back, the places behind me where I had sunk within had already been filled with water saturated by the mud. I turned back around and continued forging.

By the time the rain let up we had been sunk up to our chests. I heard Storm's voice as the rains died down. "Get yourself as dug out as possible. This stuff dries fast and dries hard. The further you are encased in it, the harder it will be for them to dig us out."

I did my best to comply, but was making very little progress. "Aren't they going to be stuck, too?"

"No, they know when the rains will hit and act accordingly. Tell the others that we'll need to be dug out."

"Why didn't they warn us?" I could feel the ground getting stiffer, and it was happening very quickly.

"Maybe so we'd get as far as we could without tracks. Rain's already washed the other ones away."

I began initiating communications again, waiting for a response. My efforts to dig myself out were now all in vain. Between the effort it took this far and the fact that I had lost a lot of strength to the one injury, my hope of escape quickly faded; I was stuck, still submerged up to my lower chest. "Storm."

"Yeah?"

"I'm stuck." I looked up at him, finding him trying to chip away what there was around his hooves.

"I should be out in a little, as soon as I free up just one hoof." I sat in silence, suppressing the panic as I waited for communication. I took several deep breaths until I heard the pony on the other end.

"Aqua, report."

"We were caught out in the rains. We, well, I'm stuck." Storm had freed himself and was chipping off the rock from around his hooves.

"We'll send an extraction team shortly. It should only be a few hours."

"A few hours?"

"Yes." I took several deep breaths, fighting the horrid, creeping feeling of claustrophobia. "Are you alright."

"Yeah, yeah. Just, uh, tell them to get here quickly. I'm probably still bleeding, and the sewage didn't help, I'm sure."

"Alright. We'll get them to hurry. I'm ending communications in order to contact them." The line ended shortly thereafter, leaving me in silence with Storm again.

"So are they coming?"

"Yeah. They said a few hours."

"Well, I guess all there is left for us to do is wait."

"I mean, there's talking, too. Might make things less stressful for me. Since, you know, I'm kind of stuck." He chuckled.

"Well, I guess I am still a little curious about where you came from."

"I had already told you where I came from."

"I know, but it's still so...I don't know. Alone in there for all those years? How did you manage?"

"I didn't, really. Any chance I got, I left. The forest was the only place that didn't try to kill me at night, but was the only place that tried to kill me during the day."

"And you have no idea about who your parents were?"

"No. The only clue I have is that a pony named Galaxia knows who they are."

"Galaxia? Like the dark alicorn with the space-mane?"

"You've heard of her?"

"Bane's told me about her."

"I need to figure out either how to find her or how to contact her again. If she's got information on my parents, I want to know."

"What made you decide to be a Protectorate? Not a very popular occupational choice."

"Well, it's a bit of a tale. I ended up wandering around and almost getting killed. Bane saved me."

"How'd you know it was Bane?"

"When I saw him again later, I recognised his eyes. Yellow eyes aren't very common."

"Fair enough."

"After he saved me, he dropped me off at a combat school that was just a ways up the road. I learned how to fight from there and was selected to be a Protectorate for my abilities. Kept at it with the hopes of being like that pony that saved me."

"Well, you've saved me twice now, so I think you're doing something right."

I chuckled, feeling almost flustered at the compliment. "Well, thank you."

The conversation continued for a while, a few awkward breaks coming now and then. My lines were being regularly interrupted by yawns, and I could feel myself getting extremely tired. We ceased talking when we saw a cart on the horizon. I yawned again, which prompted Storm to bid me to stay with him. After a short while, the cart arrived. My head was drooping now, and my eyes were having problems remaining open. The ponies on the cart quickly unloaded, getting their supplies set. Within moments, I heard them breaking away the stone around me. I felt my head dip once or twice. Storm grabbed my face and pulled it to look up at his. "You're not going anywhere, Aqua. You're staying here, and you're staying with us. Aqua, look at me. We'll get you help and you'll be ok."

I nodded, trying to focus on him. Sure enough, however, the overwhelming tiredness overtook me. My head slacked and my eyes closed.

When I awoke next it was to the jostling of a cart. I felt stinging pain on my leg, forcing me to look down. Two ponies sat overlooking it, changing out tools and working around the area. They had a set up to keep the cart clean with regards to my blood. I put my head back down, noticing they had bundled cloth together to form a pillow. I sat and waited as long as I could before passing out again.

The next time I awoke was in a bed. The room was silent and peaceful. Not even the typical sounds of a house were heard. You know, those background noises you hear but never think about. There was none of that. Just...empty air. I sat up and looked around, still feeling too nauseous to do much more. Aside from the bed that I was tucked in to, a single chair and a table adorned the room. Most of the room was either white or lightly coloured. There were a few soft-red trim details about the room, but they weren't worth paying attention to. I was still too tired to contemplate getting up, so I laid back down to rest.

When I woke up again, I found the same silent room. I decided that I wanted to steal a glance at my leg, which still carried a dull throbbing. As I began moving the blankets, I heard the door click. It silently opened shortly thereafter. I saw Storm trot through the door, a small bouquet of flowers grasped in his teeth. Being, at the time, unaware of social customs, I cocked an eyebrow lazily. "What are the flowers for?"

Once he put them in the glass container on the table he spoke. "They tend to be like a get well soon kind of thing. A lot of ponies also give flowers to ponies they are interested in."

"Interested in what?"

"Well, you know, like, a love kind of interest. They do that. B-but it's when the pony is feeling well, and, well...Since you're not in the best shape, I decided that these are get well soon flowers."

"Thank you. I appreciate the sentiment." He smiled and nodded. He seemed to be bashful at this point, going so far as to stumble over one of his words. It was absolutely adorable, whatever it was. He sat down in the chair with a bit of a sigh.

"You know, you push yourself too hard."

"I push myself as far as I have to."

"You didn't have to take that bullet if you didn't make the diversion."

"How else would I have gotten you out?" He sat for a moment before sighing.

"I know, you had to do it. It just doesn't feel right that you had to be hurt just to save me."

"If I could go back and redo it, I'd pick the same outcome."

"But why, though?"

"Seeing ponies like you safe and happy again is the most rewarding thing I've ever done. Saving, not just helping, other ponies just makes me feel alive." Again, he sat in silence.

"Maybe I shouldn't be hard on myself for getting into that situation."

"No, you shouldn't." He looked over at me before a chuckle broke from him. A smile stole across his face shortly thereafter.

"Well, I guess it just means I end up spending that much more time around you. I definitely don't mind that."

"I have to admit, I do like having you around. Gets lonely sometimes, being alone."

"So, um, I have a question."

"Go ahead. It's not like I can go anywhere." He laughed a little.

"Since we both like spending time around each other, and end up looking out for each other too, what would you say if I asked if it was alright that we bunked together? Like, same house, but different rooms?"

"I wouldn't mind. If you want, my house is pretty big for just me."

"Sure, I mean, I don't see any problem with it. I guess I'll get my things when I can and head over. I mean, after you've been sent back home, that is. Can't do it before, you know?" We both chuckled before he bid farewell. When he left, I remained in silence in that room. It wasn't long before I started dozing off again.

Some time passed and I was finally allowed to head home. Because of stigmas surrounding being suit-less in the city, they sent me home with it on still. When I arrived home I began dissecting it to figure out how it worked. I was entirely baffled by that kind of technology, so I wanted to figure out how it had functioned properly.

Perhaps a week or two passed as I scratched my head in vain over this machine. I had figured out how the armour folded down, how the temperature control worked, and how the communication, specifically the clear hearing aspect, was hooked up. Aside from that, I hadn't grasped much. At one point, in frustration, I packed the suit back up and placed it in the corner. To my luck, it wasn't much later than that when the mare came back looking for it. When she had it secured, she left.

A day or two later, as I began drawing up designs for how I could get similar armour, I heard a knock on my door. I opened it to find Storm, much to my pleasant surprise. I bid him enter, which he happily obliged. As he set up his things in one room I continued my work on the designs. I had also written a letter and sent it to Aldorn, and was now waiting for his response.

4. The Forged Plates

By the time Aldorn arrived, I had mapped out every nook and cranny of the machine. By using what I had studied of the stealth suit, I had created an advanced system in my own armour. The design was simple, nothing too elaborate at the very least. Hydraulic pumps lined the legs of the suit to help me bear the full weight of the massive thing. A slot was created in the chest piece to accommodate the warp core that Galaxia had me study. The entire suit of armour was closed off, needing a respiration system to work properly. The temperature control was implemented, and swords had been added to the front two greaves. Compared to the suit I used to rescue Storm, this was rudimentary. Knowing my record with near-death experiences, it wasn't quite adequate. I needed to improve the suit's strength, but adding more material would make it far too cumbersome.

I was locked in this perplexing problem when I heard another knock on the door. Figuring I needed a break from what I was doing, I arose and opened the door. To my surprise, and pleasure, Aldorn was standing there. "I heard you summoned me?"

"Yes! I did. Come in." I waved him in, a gesture which he accepted. Once the massive, metal-clad pony was standing inside the house, the door being closed again, I spoke. "Feel free to take the armour off if you get too warm. You don't have to keep it on in here."

He looked at me blankly for several moments before I spoke again. "What?"

"I AM a suit of armour, Aqua. I can't take it off. It'd be like me telling you to take your hide off."

"Wait, you're a suit of armour?"

"I am, indeed, a suit of animated armour."

"Animated armour?"

"Armour brought to life by magic."

"Well, it'd make sense then why you're so skilled with metallurgy." He chuckled. "Speaking of which, I have a question regarding that."

"Regarding what?"

"I've been designing a suit of armour, but I need it to be tougher. Putting more weight, more metal, would encumber things too much. Do you have any ideas?"

"Hm. A tough question. Give me a moment to think..." His words trailed off as he began to lose himself in thought. After several moments, he spoke again. "I have a solution. There are two metals I know of, both unknown to ponies of this plane. Normally, you can't do much with them, but given the right magical input, they become far more effective than steel. You won't be invincible, and you'll still likely end up injured, but that's from things that would normally kill you."

"How heavy is it?"

"About as heavy as any other fortified metal."

"So it won't weigh extra?"

"The difference will be negligible."

"I'm in. Where do we find it?"

"I will get it for you. It's far too dangerous for any mortal pony to try for, nonetheless one without armour." I bit my tongue, realising he was right. "I should be back on the morrow, and can help you figure out how to forge the armour. I'll also help you finish it as well."

"Thank you, Aldorn. I really appreciate the help."

"It's my pleasure." He began heading for the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

I nodded as he left, the door clicking behind him. I turned my attention back to the schematics I had created for the armour. It was then that I realised that I had forgotten to reforge the warp core. I set out on that task as soon as possible.

By the time I finished, it was nearly dawn; an entire day had flown by working on that intricate device. Accordingly, I flopped into my bed for some rest, but heard a bit of commotion in the house. It didn't sound like light work, either. Figuring Storm wasn't one to cause such a ruckus, I began to climb out of bed. I had to groan as I did so, tired from the day. I made my way to his room and knocked on the door. I called out his name, but there was no response. I did so again, but louder. Still nothing. I went to open his door, finding it locked. Again, I knocked and called, but with no response. I was getting concerned. "Storm, answer me or I'm busting in the door!"

A moment of silence rolled by. No response came. "That's it..."

I backed up a little before charging into the door. The frame buckled, allowing the door to swing inwards. When my eyes focused on the details of the room, my heart stopped. Debris and objects were scattered haphazardly around the room, shattered glass and blood sitting by the broken window. I had frozen in disbelief, but finally found the strength to move, if only to gawk further over the scene of destruction before my eyes. Even the furniture was out of kilter. As I was deeply searching the room for any clues, I heard a knock on the door. Knowing Aldorn was supposed to return, I turned from my endeavours to answer the door. Opening the door revealed the character I was hoping it would. He had two large saddle bags, heavily weighed down, resting on his back. "Ah, Aqua, good to see you. I have the supplies."

"Aldorn, that session might have to wait. We have an emergency." He had been trotting into the room, the door being closed behind him.

"What happened?" As he said this, he stopped.

"I think Storm was taken."

"By whom?" His tone was concerned. The bags on his back slid off, clunking heavily on the ground.

"I don't know. His window's broken and everything was messed up in there." He paused suddenly.

"Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"There was a surge of energy. It just washed over here like the reverberation of an explosion."

"No. I didn't feel it."

"I think it came from towards the capital mountain. I'm going to check it and return as quickly as I can. Stay here." Before I could even ask what he was talking about I saw his armoured body go stiff. A light blue wisp of light darted out of the helmet, careening towards the door and slipping out within seconds. I was left alone with an inanimate suit of armour. Seeing nothing else to do, I turned my attention to the bags he had been hauling. I trotted over, taking hold of the saddle strap with my teeth and pulling. The thing barely budged. As I yanked harder I could feel the bag sliding across the floor. I eventually managed to haul it to the table where I had studied the suit of stealth armour. By the time I put it down, my breaths short, the wisp came back in through the door. It entered the armour once more, reanimating it. "You're going to need that armour."

"What?"

"With what's up there, and what's happening up there, you're going to need all the protection you can get." He quickly came over to where I was standing, picking up the bags of metal effortlessly. He dumped the contents out onto the table before me. "I'll help you craft the armour to speed up the process. Where are the designs?"

"They're here." I pulled the sheet of paper out of the desk, unfolding it to reveal the very detailed blueprints of the armour I had drawn.

"Alright. I need you to step back into an open area where it's not so cramped." I nodded and made my way to the middle of the entryway room. "Right there's fine. Now, don't move. I'm just going to form the metal straight onto your body, so it's very important not to shift."

Again I nodded and watched as, seemingly without any intervening force, the metal lifted up and started hovering towards me. I took a deep breath as I watched the chunks of ore fuse together before forming into plates. Once formed, they clunked together as they began to cover my body according to the detailed design I had drawn out. As a few of the plates neared my face I closed my eyes. Once the sound stopped, I finally opened my eyes. My vision was restricted, forced to view the world through the slits of a helmet. I looked around, mostly at myself. "And what do you think?"

I took the time to see how the plates overlapped as they ran down my body. Aldorn had formed every single last detail meticulously, I was certain. "How do I remove it?"

"Best idea I had was mentally. Give it the command to fold down and it will." I cocked an eyebrow, unsure of how that would even work. Thinking back on it, I’m sure he didn’t see the motion due to the cover of the helmet, but that detail isn’t as important. I tried giving the command, nonetheless. I gave my best to tell the armour to fold down. After the last word passed through my mind, the armour started making metal-on-metal clanking noises. My vision was cleared and I watched as the suit folded down into two large cubes on either side of me, supported by the main plate of metal across my back.

"Woah."

"Now tell it to fold out again." I did so excitedly, hearing the response from the suit. Before too long, the armour was encasing me once more. "Good. I did manage to create it right. I also took the liberty of creating two sheathes for built in swords. Check out your front two legs."

I raised one of my legs to my view. Upon it was a large box-like object. "This is the clunkiest thing I've seen in my life. You couldn't have streamlined it?"

"Open the blade. Same idea as before." I put my thought to it. Suddenly, a large blade, about the size of a broadsword, shot out. I heard a hum in the quiet air of the house, causing me to look on with furrowed brow. Suddenly, the blade began to change colours and emit light. From the red it had been, running through the spectrum of hot metallic colours, the blade turned white. If I wasn't fully encased in armour I'm certain I would have been able to feel the heat radiating from the glowing blade. "That's why it can't be streamlined. I took the liberty of creating that system for you. When the blades come out, an electric circuit is completed to allow the blade to heat. When it is withdrawn, the blade cools and the circuit is broken. Should help you do more damage."

"Thank you, Aldorn."

"Now, enough wasting time. We have to get to that mountain."

"It'll take me days to get up there, though."

"Not with that core you got from the dark pony." I could only assume he was referring to my reassembled warp core. As such, I pulled it out to show him. "Yes, that."

"But how in Equestria am I going to get to the mountain with this? I need coordinates."

"I already input them." I went to interject, to ask how he managed such. I wasn't given the opportunity to do so, merely causing me to gawk like an idiot. "So build up the momentum and let the core carry you."

He placed it back in the socket as the armour folded around it again. I began trotting around until I heard a slight ding. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That ding?"

"The core's ready. Go." I nodded and activated the device. Within moments, as soon as my eyes adjusted, I could tell I was on the mountain. I heard a shout from the cliff above me and looked up. I didn't see anypony, so I flew up there. It was strenuous, to say the least, flying that much armour plastered onto me. When I landed I heard the voice that shouted before speak again.

"I was wondering how long it'd take you to...wait, you're not Aldorn. You're not even Bane. What is the meaning of this? Are they too afraid to face me?" I took a moment to glance away from the robed pony before me. To my dismay, I found Storm collapsed beside him. I turned back to the figure in the black cloak and spoke.

"What have you done to him?"

"Oh? Boldly heroic, aren't you? Not even questioning what I am doing with him. Just want to get him out of this place. I see how it is."

"Answer the question."

"Tell you what, I'll offer you a little deal. You can have Storm, but you will take his place." I paused, thinking on the offer. "I think MoonDusk would much rather have you."

Upon hearing the name I was instantly closed off from the deal. "No. I won't submit to her."

"Foolish filly. You don't have the choice. Since a peaceable offer wasn't enough to persuade you, I think I'll offer one a little more...violent. Storm, maim and capture the drake." I watched Storm's beaten body rise up onto its hooves, a bit shakily at first. Once it was standing, he was stable. I then saw a dark mist begin to form from the air around the two of them, congregating more around Storm than the other pony. It then latched onto his body like some kind of intelligent creature before reforming into plates that resembled armour. A blade formed in his mouth as the last detail. "Go."

The last word muttered by the robed pony caused Storm to snap into action. He came roaring over, barely giving me enough time to draw a blade. I blocked his first several hits with ease, as they were grossly predictable. He drew back a little, giving me the window of time I needed to rise onto my hind legs and draw my other blade. By the time I had done so, his next flurry of blows had caught up with me. I could block all of his shots with one leg, but it was tiring to do so. Whenever I did, I opted the take a swing at him with my other leg. A few of the shots connected, causing a sizzling sound to echo out. Some of the mist evaporated away from his body when I did so, causing a few parts of his armour to shift. We repeated this in-and-out pattern a few times before I heard a grunt from Storm. I went to deflect his blow, but found that he wasn't swinging. My sword missed as he charged headlong into my gut, bowling me over. Within moments, we were plummeting over the cliff I had flown over. I tried my best to wrest control of our flight from him, but I was unsuccessful. With a great thud we landed. He was barely to the side of me, his impact greatly cushioned by my body. I grunted and kicked him off, sending him across the plateau-like landing. I groaned as I rolled over and rose to a stand. It was clear we were both recovering, but that he was doing so at a much faster rate. He eventually came charging over again. In response, I used a hoof to shove his face aside, redirecting his momentum with a kick. As he sprawled and tumbled to a stop I found the chance to speak. "Storm, you don't have to do this. You can break away from it, snap out of his control."

He grunted and shook his head, speaking in a tone that was alien to him. "No, I cannot. You're too late, Aqua. MoonDusk is coming, and you're going to help her."

"I will do no such thing."

"You don't have a choice, drake." He charged in again, finding himself flying away from me a second time.

"Enough, Storm. You're better than this."

"MoonDusk will win, and I will make sure of that."

"Then I have no other option than to make sure you never leave this mountain alive." I drew my blades again, allowing them to heat back up. Storm was already charging in as I rose to my two legged position once more. Swing after swing, Storm tried to cut me down with no results. It gave me plentiful opportunities to whittle down his armour, though. After a while, perhaps when he saw that his armour was thinning beyond what he would have hoped, he broke away again. I saw his armour reform away from his body as he whirled about in a three quarters circle. The shadowy mist became a massive cudgel as he finished his full circle. I didn't have enough time to react before being swept off of my hooves. With a bounce, tumbling head over hooves in one entirety, I slammed against the rock wall of the cliff face. Before I could react well enough to defend myself, Storm was upon me. The shadowy mist had reformed into armour, but more specifically had formed an appendage with digits extending out of it. This grabbed me by the helmet and proceeded to smash my head into the rock. After several hefty impacts that left my world spinning, I managed to abandon all pretence and buck as hard as I could. With what little visual I still had I watched Storm fly over the lip of the plateau, falling off the side of the mountain. I sat, entirely dazed, as my body fell limp. I maintained consciousness, but it was the numbest existence I had ever felt. I took the time to recover, taking as steady of breaths as possible.

After several moments, Storm had managed to claw his way back over the lip of the plateau. I remained in my limp state, trying to get a firmer grasp of what was going on. He came over, getting a hold of my face and pulling me close. After shifting, rotating, and examining my blank helmet he dropped me, apparently satisfied that I had been maimed enough. He then grabbed me once more, placing me upon his back, before trotting towards the upper cliff. I decided that now was the best of any time to snap into action. I whipped my front legs up, getting a kind of choke hold on Storm, before yanking back. The sudden force caused him to stumble and fall over. Before he could react, I was on top of him. I kicked his face with my front hooves time and time again, watching the black mist dissipate slowly. I had worked off enough to reveal a portion of his now-bloodied face before he bucked me off. I skidded to a halt before getting back up. When I got my bearings I could see Storm charging at me, his armour having been completely converted to become his sword. I reacted as quickly as I could, drawing a blade and rising to my hind legs, but I wasn't quick enough. As I went to parry, Storm's sword jabbed violently into my hind right leg. A wave of pain caused me to collapse from my elevated position, breaking the shadowy sword in half as I came down. Indeed, I had almost landed upon Storm as well. Our gaze met eye to eye as I let out a groan of pain. He was without weapon nor armour as he stared at me. He went to attack me, turning about with a degree of speed fuelled only by savagery before he stopped. He turned back around, the wild look in his eyes gone. He looked me over, I suppose in an effort to recognise me. "You don't have to do this, Storm. We can both leave this mountain alive."

"Aqua? What are you doing here?"

"Saving your sorry hide." Perhaps he noted the strain in my voice as I tried to bite back the roaring pain in my leg.

"Are you alright?"

"You stabbed me in the leg and smashed my head into a rock wall repeatedly. What do you think my response is going to be?" As Storm went to respond, he was cut off by the voice of the mystery stallion.

"Well now, that doesn't sound like aggressive banter." The cloaked pony leaped down, landing a short distance away from us. "Sounds like you broke my puppet, Protectorate. No matter. Your time to play hero is up. With or without your stallion companion, I WILL bend you to serve MoonDusk."

"No. I won't let you do that to her." Storm stood forth in defiance.

"Oh, please, look at how far that got you last time you said that. You nearly ended up bashing her skull in and permanently crippling her leg."

"Doesn't matter. I'm not alone now. Your time has come, mage."

"As if you could even approach me." Storm ran in, I suppose attempting to zigzag, but was blasted by a bolt of arcane energy. As he skidded to a halt, ready to bound forwards again, I stopped him by placing a hoof on his shoulder. He turned to look.

"That's not going to work."

"Any other ideas?" A thought crossed my mind, one involving the warp core and foolhardy bravery.

"Yeah. Follow my lead." He looked at me with uncertainty, but nodded anyways. I started trotting back and forth, my heavy limp making it more difficult. I began talking to kill time as the charge finished building. "So what does MoonDusk want with me anyways?"

"That would be a question for you to ask her yourself when you're standing before her."

"Do you not know?"

"I do, but I won't tell. Put simply enough, it’s not my place to do so."

"Why are you working for her? What do you have to gain?"

"The better question is: why is one of your friends working for her, and what do they have to gain?"

"Who? Who is working for her?" I already knew the answer to that one: Bane. I just wanted to stall him further.

"Guess you'll have to figure that one out yourselves, hm?" I heard the telltale ding of the machine. "MoonDusk is waiting for them to step out of line so she can act. They're being far too cautious for that, though. Now that they have you to do the dirty work, I'm not sure they'll ever step out."

With the distraction having worked, I activated the machine. As it turns out, the coordinates were not terribly far behind the robed stallion. Before he could react, I smashed myself against him, forcing him to stumble and fall. As he was recovering, Storm galloped in, yanking him to his hooves in a choke hold. The stallion tried to resist, but was unable to. In desperation, he began firing off random spells. Fireballs, lightning bolts and ice shards mixed with pure arcane torrents. "Hurry, Aqua, I can't hold him like this forever!"

I began making my way over, the sheer force of the numerous spells bouncing off of my armour nearly pushing me back. As I neared, the stallion was breaking Storm's grasp. I drew a blade and ran it through the storm of spells, having run out of time. Just as the stallion had broken out of the grip, my blade sunk into him. The sudden halt in forces caused me to lose balance and fall forwards, sending the blade all the way through his chest and into Storm's. As the blade began to heat up I heard a sizzling noise and either grunts or screams from the both of them. I sheathed the blade and arose when I could. I limped my way over to the stallion, finding him unable to move very far. I took the blade out once more, heating it up as much as I dared, before driving it through the stallion's chest again, pinning him to the ground. As he squirmed and screamed, I could see the strength fading and the light dropping from his eyes. Soon, he went limp. The sizzling stopped before I managed to pull the glowing blade out of the cauterised wound. I sheathed the blade after doing so and took just a moment to make sure he was dead. Gazing at the wound gave me the impression that either his lung or heart had been stiffened by charred tissues. It was enough, either way, for him to be dead. As such, I turned my attention to Storm. He sat on the ground, clenched up in pain. As I approached I could barely see him look up. As I sat down before him, he spoke. "You stabbed me."

"Wasn't on purpose."

"What kind of a sword was that?"

I began to focus on the magic I needed to heal him, watching as the blackened flesh broke apart to reveal the raw red underneath. This caused him to groan in pain. "Heats up, does more damage and pierces armour. It was Aldorn's idea."

When his moan was finished he cracked out another line. "Quite the idea."

"As we found out, it's effective." The wound closed, sealing up into a scar. By the time I finished casting the spell, the scar had all but faded. "There, you should be all good now."

"Thanks. Hardly even hurts anymore. That’s pretty impressive, to be honest. Where'd you learn to do that?"

I stared at him for a moment, not wanting to answer that. "Just picked it up along the way. Come on, now. We need to get you out of here."

He nodded and rose to his hooves. After a moment his face lit up, like he suddenly had a stroke of realisation. "But what about your leg?"

"Should be fine until-"

"Aqua, the last time you said that you nearly died on the back of a cart."

"What medical supplies do we have?"

"Your magic." I blinked as I stared blankly at him. "You can use magic on yourself, you know."

I turned and looked at the armoured appendage, the small trail of red seeping out of the opening in the plate. I attempted to have the armour fold down, which it did. As it folded away from my leg it was like a floodgate as all the pent up blood that couldn't flow out suddenly found a way out. A red puddle quickly formed under my leg. When the plates had finished folding up I began to focus my magic again. Perhaps it was the blood loss or maybe the faithlessness in my own self-healing capabilities, I'm not sure, but the most that my magic accomplished was causing the blood to stop flowing out of my leg. As the last drop slipped down my hoof I heard Storm speak. "Oh come on, you aren't going to heal it completely?"

"I tried to already. All it did was stop the bleeding." He looked at me with an expression so muddled with different emotions that I couldn't read it.

"Fine. Let's go. There should be a trail this way. He drug me up the path, surely we can make our way down." I nodded before putting my armour back on. "Why do you need that equipped?"

"Easier to carry it that way. Suit can practically carry itself with what it's got. I'll have Aldorn fix it up and improve it." He nodded, satisfied with the answer, before turning to head towards the path they had taken. Thusly, we began the long trek back.

I had anticipated that the trip would take a while, but instead of heading for the base of the mountain, Storm turned our heading instead to the castle town built on its side. As much as I would have liked to have protested, the throbbing pain in my leg bid me submit. Once we were in the town he quickly had me admitted into a care facility.

Once I had finally recovered enough to be released, a few days after I got in, the staff sent me on my way. As I was leaving, they warned me about not putting too much weight on the hoof. From thence, we made our way to the train station and departed for home.

The journey went without a hitch, the peaceful ride being a relief after what had just happened. We made our way inside and placed our things down. Just as we were doing so, a knock was heard on the door. I raised a quizzical eyebrow at Storm, who responded with a shrug. I trotted over to the door and opened it, finding that dark mare standing there again. "Galaxia, right?"

"Yes, child, that is my name. I have a matter of business I wish to discuss with you. Do you have a moment?"

"Of course. Come on in." I stepped aside to allow her entrance. When she was inside I closed the door.

"Ah, I see Storm is here."

Storm spoke up. "We figured it better that we shared the house so we were both safer."

"A wise idea, considering what just happened. Aqua would have had no idea. Kudos to you both, by the way. It was a stellar performance."

It was my turn to respond. "How do you know about what happened on that mountain?"

"From where I sit, I get to see a lot of things."

"Then why didn't you intervene?"

"Several reasons. The first: you both had it under control. The second: just as it was a trap for you, which you resisted in a stellar manner, it was a trap for me; the spell that that stallion used wasn't to turn Storm, but rather to open a portal should I arrive by magical means."

"And it didn't open when I got there because...?"

"Because you arrived by technological means."

"Right."

"The third reason is that I'm locked in a bit of a struggle in my domain."

Storm spoke this time. "What domain is that?"

"I am the ruler of the Endless Voids, home to creatures you can't fathom in your worst nightmares. It stretches beyond what the imagination can create, and it's my job to keep order. As you might imagine, that's a large task for any pony, god or not. So I acquired some help. I found servants, ponies willing to learn my ways and help me in my duties. One of them, the most brilliant if I might add, has rebelled against me. He calls himself the Messenger of Death now, and has made it his mission to kill those that escape death through extreme magic."

"Like necromancy?"

"Yes. However, all this power had gotten to him, and he now goes about killing if he thinks somepony cheated death."

"It's a wonder he hasn't come looking for me yet."

"He has, but because he lacks the knowledge and means that I possess, he can't track you like I can. He knows where you tend to be, but that's about it."

"So just keep changing up when I am at certain places?"

"Just watch your back."

"Got it. Anything else I should know about?"

"If you get the chance, which I doubt you will, kill him for me." The request shocked me a bit, causing me to recoil slightly.

"Galaxia, you know I don't do that."

"It would save more ponies in the long run. Besides, you and I both know that it won't be the first time you've covered your hooves in somepony else's blood."

"I had no choice!" She smirked as my voice filled with desperation.

"Frankly, you don't this time, either. I'll leave you to decide if you'd rather soak your hooves in the blood of one or struggle with damage control as he runs rampant." With this, she vanished. Her magic left behind a smoky poof of colour similar to the night sky. Storm was staring over at me when I finally gathered myself and turned.

"What was that about blood?"

"I've killed ponies, Storm, but it wasn't my choice. I didn't want to, but it was them or me. They kidnapped me, stole me away, and tried to murder me when I broke away."

"Then their blood isn't on your hooves."

"I still don't feel any better about killing any number of ponies. That's not what I signed up for."

"Sometimes you have to take a life if they've dedicated their life to taking somepony else’s." He was right, but it didn't make me any less troubled about it. After a couple of moments of awkward silence, Storm proceeded to his room, most likely to see what he could salvage. I made my way over to the table to see what I could do with my armour, opening it up and diving in as soon as I could.

About a week passed, giving my leg enough time to heal. As well, Storm repaired his room, and I repaired my armour. I even managed to make improvements to the design in that time. But the day came when I set out again to patrol.

It was around the fringes of town, near the place where nopony typically travelled, that I found something of interest. I heard the commotion before I saw it. The noise caused me to canter my way over, arriving just in time to see a pony chasing down a familiar figure. I bolted into action, teleporting as close to the galloping duo as I could. My trajectory landed me in front of the chase, but not terribly far ahead. The pony in front barely had time to react, stumbling to the side before falling. I immediately stepped between the two, standing near the fallen pony. The second pony screeched to a halt, standing mere inches away. I stole a glance back at the pony behind me, as it rose once more. To my surprise, it was Terrn. As much as I wanted to react, I didn't want to keep him around any longer than necessary. Thus, I turned back to the pony before me, finding them attempting to bolt around me. I shoved the pony away brutishly, the force causing it to stumble back several feet. "What do you want with this pony?"

As it rose back to its hooves I managed to get a good look at it. The pony had dark grey hide coated in white-steel plates of armour along parts of his body were it would have been vulnerable from the outside. Above each eye, slightly above the brow, was what resembled horns of armour. "His time has come. He must answer for his crime."

"What crime?" I was sure that, by now, Terrn's gears might have been turning and processing who I was.

"He has committed crimes against the laws of nature and time, cheating death what is rightfully death's to have. He must be punished."

"I won't let you kill him." As I finished this statement, the realisation finally clicked. "I won't permit it, Shade."

"Ah, so you know of me then? I didn't think Galaxia would be weak enough to call on a mere mortal to help her. Perhaps my time has come to take what is rightfully mine. But first, I have a loose end to tie up. Stand aside."

"No."

"I said: stand aside."

"Again, no."

"So you wish to take his place?"

"Nopony is dying here. Leave."

"His debt can be forgiven if yours is paid in advance. The choice is yours: either give up his life or surrender yours."

I turned back to Terrn, finding the pony's fearful expression gazing up at me. "Run. Get as far away from here as you can. Start again elsewhere in another land."

"But who are you? Why do you care?"

"You left me to die because of what I was. I'm not doing the same to you."

"...Aqua? But you weren't sup-"

"Just get out of here already! I'll handle this. It's my job, after all, to prevent murder." He swallowed and nodded, scrambling to his hooves. I heard the sound of magic coming from Shade, so I turned to look. Pain shot up through my left shoulder before I could process the scene. When I looked down I beheld a sword that carried a faint orange-red glow. Upon what little of the blade was left that I could see what seemed like runic carvings of some kind; these glowed with the same colour as the blade emitted. As I began reacting, Shade twisted the blade and yanked it out. The pain nearly stopped me, but was ultimately unsuccessful in doing so. I managed to rear up and draw one of my blades, the other one useless due to injury. Shade attempted a stab at my abdomen, but it was deftly parried. With his next attempted strike, again parried, I shot my leg forwards, barely managing to sink the side of my blade into his shoulder. He groaned as a sizzling sound echoed off of the white-hot blade. Predictably, he reeled away from it.

"Well, it seems we both have formidable weaponry. The one with runes of penetration; the other with a heated blade. Seems you are no stranger to murder."

"I am no murderer."

"That's not what your past tells me."

"Coming from a pony bent on killing others. Your perception is warped, just as twisted as you are."

"Trying to lecture me on morals. How adorable. Grow up, baby-faced idealist, the world is far from perfect. Now, I'll offer you the chance one more time: surrender Terrn or die." I adjusted my stance, readying myself for his next assault. "Suit yourself."

He charged back in swinging. It wasn't hard to parry his strikes, and my elevated position definitely made it easier. After several attempts that failed, Shade changed his plan. I watched his sword dematerialise, disappearing into thin air. Before too long, a large war hammer replaced it. I noticed the strain that Shade was exerting to hold up his new weapon, so I figured I could simply outlast him until I got my shot. As such, I prepared for his first swing, readying my blade. As it came, and as I attempted to parry it, I found the force and speed he put behind it was far greater than I had been expecting. My leg was knocked aside, hardly slowing the jagged hammer, and it collided squarely with my side. The crushing blow shot immense pain through my wing as I gained air, eventually landing several yards away. I let out an agonised groan as I rose once more. As much of the force as my armour took, the walloping shot still managed to knock the air out of me, and perhaps even break something. Shade was charging back in before I could recover, so I could only do so much to prepare. Regardless, I ducked under his forceful swing, effectively flopping onto my right side. This gave me the shot I needed, and the shot that I took. I sunk my blade deep within his hind left leg, cutting up towards his hip. He stumbled, falling over and dropping the hammer. As it hit the ground it vanished. When Shade arose again he turned back to me. I had enough time to get back to my hooves, as painful as it was. As I did, I saw a glow from his two horns as the magic combined in the midst of the two, almost as if there was an invisible horn between them. I sheathed my blade and started limping my way over. As I did, I was suddenly swept off of my hooves by a very forceful hit on the left. As I finished my tumbling, all I could do was groan. I hadn't even seen the shot coming, nor had I expected magic to take such a physical aspect. When I went to get up, Shade kicked me back down. "Well, we've had a good little run. You were quite the fighter. Nopony has ever maimed me like that, and I'm not sure anypony ever will again. Unfortunately for you, this is the end of the line. You made your choice; time to pay up."

I saw his sword appear in the air once more. Using what strength I could, and what little window of time I had, I unsheathed both blades and launched them up. My body protested mightily the movement of my left foreleg, but I had no other options. The two blades sunk into the area between his chest and his two shoulders. I cursed myself, mostly for not having better aim while in this crippled state, before pulling my right sword out. Right as I went to stab back up again I felt immense pain in my neck. Suddenly, my breathing stopped and hacking was all I could manage. I felt the warmth and tasted the nauseating flavour of blood as it rushed into my mouth with each cough. My eyes shot open wide as I froze in pain. When I worked up enough drive I stabbed upwards again. He managed to dodge this shot, taking a glancing blow in the shoulder. My head started spinning as I began drowning on my own blood. The only reaction I could muster was bringing my hoof to my throat. The tip of my greave caught the edge of a puncture in my neck's armoured plating. Shade loosed himself from my other blade and trotted over, apparently satisfied. Moments later, I couldn't fight any longer. The world turned black as the misery faded.

I sat in pitch black darkness, unsure of my surroundings. Everything felt surreal at that moment. I felt I could move, so I decided to do so. As I continued on my way, I found the world lightening ever so slightly. It did so until the stone corridors were bathed in the soft blue light of magical torches. It wasn't bright, in fact it was barely light enough to see my way around. I continued trotting around the endless labyrinth of stone passageways, utterly lost, until I heard a voice. It was male, but it didn't sound like it could have been a stallion I knew. I had no idea who was speaking, but figured it best not to ask. "Young child, your story does not end here. You have more, much more, to perform on the surface. Death's cold embrace cannot warm your weary soul yet. Return, and continue your journey. War is coming, and your presence is required."

The voice faded again, leaving me in silence. I trotted my way around again aimlessly. Eventually, the chamber started darkening as I passed the last blue-flamed torch. Once the world was pitch black, I felt an overwhelming urge to get something off of my head. I struggled to do so fruitlessly before I felt extreme agitation in my lungs. I arose, apparently having been on the ground, and mentally pled for whatever it was that was on me to get off. I then heard metallic plates clanking against each other, forcing me to open my eyes. The grassy hills around town were what met my gaze. When the faceplate folded back, I couldn't stand the agitation any longer, coughing violently. It can be most closely described as a fountain of blood. The sheer volume of the red liquid was startling to me. When it stopped I took the moment to sit down, wheezing as I did my best to get around what was left in my throat. Every pain I felt before blacking out returned in full, causing aching nausea to creep in at the fringes. I had to find Storm; it was the only thing I could think of. I arose, but quickly found that the weight of my armour was too much for me to carry in this condition. I equipped it again accordingly and set out.

I barely managed to limp my way to the house before I collapsed against the exterior wall. The impact was in no ways gentle, and, due to injuries, happened to fall on the left side. My leg screamed in pain, both from the exertion and from the impact, forcing me to stop. Eventually, I heard the door open and Storm's head peeked through. When he saw me he spoke, but it wasn't a concerned tone that was carried in his voice. "Aqua? Was that you?"

I nodded, still unsure if I could so much as speak. After a moment of silence, he spoke. "What's up?"

I went to say something, but the strangled words didn't get very far. It was then that I saw his face suddenly shoot from question to concern. He came over quickly, doing his best to help me inside, granted that hauling a pony as large as I was with that much armour was no easy task. "I can't carry all of that armour and you. You're going to have to drop it out here."

I nodded again and folded it down. He undid the saddlebag-like harness and let the machine clunk heavily on the ground. He hadn't actually seen what had happened yet, as he was so focused on getting me inside. Once I was within, the door being closed behind us, and I was seated he finally stepped back to start analysing the damage. It was then that absolute shock struck him. He was entirely speechless, gawking at the damage. After a few stutters he finally spoke. "H-how are you even alive?"

I went to respond, hoping to say that I had no idea, but by the time the words left my throat they were incomprehensible. It was followed by a small hack of blood launching onto the floor before me. Storm carefully came over and poked at the wounds once or twice, causing me to react accordingly, before rushing off to call for Bane. I took the chance, fighting through the wall of pain, to get up and look in a mirror. What I saw shocked me. My face was pale, my eyes were glazed over, and lifelessness seemed to hang over my face. There was a large vertical slit of clotted blood covering most of my neck, and the shredded remains of my left shoulder was disturbing at best. On the right side, where I had taken the hit from the warhammer, I could tell that the wing had been severely damaged, not to mention the massive bruise on my side. Perhaps my ribs were spared by the padding my wing provided. The left side, the brunt of Shade's magical attack, wasn't anywhere near in bad of condition as the other side. Regardless, I groaned at the sight before making my way back to the couch, hoping that seating myself would be enough to take the weight off of my injuries.

In a way, it helped, but even so much as sitting still hurt. Storm did come back before too long with Bane in tow. When Bane finally saw me he recoiled. "Storm, when you told me it was bad, I didn't expect this! She looks like she just died!"

I wanted to sarcastically respond that I had, but I still couldn't manage to spit out words, just blood. "Think you can still heal her?"

"Yeah, but we might want Galaxia in on this too."

"She can heal?"

"No, but she can put her to sleep. It'll make things a whole lot easier."

"Then go ahead and call her." Bane nodded, focusing on a spell for a moment. Before too long, Galaxia appeared within the room. Her entrance wasn't grand, but it was still spectacular. It was as if a rift into space opened up and gave her entrance directly into my house. The portal then sealed behind her. "Galaxia."

"Ah, Bane, what a surprise. I wasn't expecting you to call, not after that one-"

"Yes, but that's not important. Look at Aqua." Galaxia quizzically looked over at me, her eyebrow cocked as she drank in my deathly appearance. "I'm going to need your help."

"You should know that I am not the one in my family that heals."

"I don't need you to heal her; I can do that by myself just fine. I need you to put her to sleep so she doesn't have to feel all the realigning and reforming that her body needs. It won’t be the most pleasant of experiences, to say the least, and I don’t want her to just sit there and suffer her way through the whole thing."

"Fair enough, but are you not able to do so?"

"I'd rather have the absolute certainty that you can provide on that one."

"Good to hear you've seen things my way."

"Uh-huh. Just put her under."

"With pleasure. I cannot wait to see what she accomplishes next." Her horn began 'glowing' in its normal fashion. Before too long, I was being overpowered by a very heavy drowsiness. Not long after that, I fell into slumber.

When next I was aware enough to sense the world around me, I heard Bane and Galaxia in conversation. It was Bane speaking at first. "...need to see the Oracle."

"As soon as you visit them, MoonDusk will be all over you."

"But we're ready."

"No, we're not."

"Storm's got his group prepared, your fight with Shade was put on standby following the injuries he sustained from Aqua, and I've prepared what I needed. All I have left is speaking with the Oracle."

"But Aqua isn't ready yet. You were the one that stole the glance in MoonDusk's chambers to find out what would happen. You should know by now that there are several things that still have to happen." It got quiet for a moment. "I appreciate your eagerness, Bane, but we can't go in yet."

"Alright. I'll see to the other preparations then." Bane started leaving, turning back one last time. "When MoonDusk is out of the way, with somepony more competent observing fate, things will get better."

"I hope so." He left, prompting a sigh from Galaxia. She then turned towards me. "Oh, you were awake. How much did you hear?"

I simply groaned as I sat up. "Easy now. How do you feel?"

"Bad."

"That was to be expected. Feeling good after something like that would be more troubling. Not only did we have to fix several broken bones inside your wing, but two of your ribs were fractured, your left shoulder was demolished entirely, and let's not even mention the trouble it caused trying to heal that neck. Judging by your condition, I'd say Shade is still out there?"

I looked away. "Yes."

"Couldn't bring yourself to kill him?"

"I missed."

"At least you crippled him and forced him into hiding until he recovers."

"Why does MoonDusk want me?" Galaxia stared at me momentarily.

"I'm not sure you're ready for-"

"I'm done with this 'not ready' thing, Galaxia. I need to know; I need answers." Her brow furrowed, evidence of frustration that didn't seem to cross her face frequently. It was slight, barely noticeable, but still there.

"MoonDusk wants to use you to prevent the pony that's after her, Bane, to be specific, from dethroning her."

"And how will she use me, exactly?"

"By removing your free will and making you a living engine of destruction. As much as you will want to deny it, part of your blood screams out in bloodlust. It's part of what's made you as good of a fighter as you've become."

"I don't want to believe that." My tone was almost a frightened one. It caught me off guard, to say the least. I hadn't ever heard a tone like that come out of me. "I can't, there's no way I'm bloodthirsty. I protect ponies. I don't kill, not when I don't have to."

"Regardless, MoonDusk would take that hope out to make you engage in a bloody, murderous rampage. It would take great effort and a lot of lives to stop you, if we even could."

"So we have to stop her at all costs."

"Yes, but some costs can be mitigated if we are patient. Bane and I are already working on it. It won't be long before you're ready."

"Let's hope she doesn't find me before then."

"She won't. That's a promise. Shade won't be a problem for a while, either."

"Good. I'm not ready for another fight with him."

"And Storm will be here in just a few minutes. I have business to tend to back in the Voids, so I must take my leave. I wish you the best of luck, Aqua." With that, without even waiting for a response, she vanished. Having nothing else to do at that point, I put my head back down, exhaling from the severe discomfort as I lowered myself down. I then closed my eyes and waited for sleep to take me.

I found myself trotting around, seemingly in an abandoned waste. As if from nowhere, buildings were appearing where I hadn't been looking; an entire town formed outside of my vision. It was rustic, old, and with a country feel, the dusty ground beneath only aiding in reinforcing the notion. I then heard screams, forcing me to turn and face them. Burning buildings met my view, the air a ghastly orange from the fires. Ponies were scattering, fleeing. One or two were caught inside the fire and began burning alive. As I looked around, the whole town had fallen into such poor fate. As I gazed upon it the grisly scene, an underlying sense of guilt creeped in. As I made one last turn and glanced up I noticed a burning, screaming pony, with facial features I cannot recall, leaping down towards me. As it would have crashed upon me I startled awake, bolting upright. I was panting heavily, gazing wildly about me. I swallowed, a difficult task with all things considered, and began calming myself down. "Are you alright?"

I hadn't realised Storm was nearby, and his sudden voice startled me further. "Woah, woah, calm down. It's alright; you're going to be ok."

My breaths were slowly recovering, my heart racing slower as time passed. "What was that, Storm? It was horrible..."

"Most likely a nightmare, a bad dream."

"But it was so vivid...the buildings...the fire..."

"Deep breaths, Aqua. None of it actually happened."

"Then why do I feel responsible for it?" He was silent for a few moments. "Why was I so guilty about a burning town?"

"I don't know why, but it wasn't you." I nodded, trying to find comfort in his words. I eased myself back down into a resting position, content for the time being.

It took about a week for me to finally feel capable of anything more than resting and eating. In that time, however, the nightmare returned twice. The last instance was the night of my full recovery, and it was far more gruesome than the other two. More were dead or dying, bodies were eviscerated, and none were left alive by the end. The sheer horror woke me up, forcing me to rise to my hooves. It wasn't even dawn yet, the night still prevailing, but I had to move around. Perhaps, I figured, I could determine the meaning of the dream if I trotted at this hour. The princess of the night was, after all, shepherd of dreams. With that in mind, I secured the warp core to my chest in case I got lost.

I made my way out of the house quietly, making sure not to disturb Storm, who had fallen asleep on the couch adjacent to mine. I began wandering under the soft moonlight, pondering the haunting nightmare. I wasn't directing my movement, but rather following where my hooves led me. When I next thought of where I was I found myself trotting within the bounds of the Everfree forest. I continued moving, figuring I could handle myself at this point.

My thoughts were interrupted after a while by creaking. I stopped and looked around, trying to find the source. I found nothing in the near-pitch black forest. I focused what magic I could to create a glow from my horn, hoping the light would help me see. The gentle, white glow my horn gave off was, indeed, enough to light a small area around me. I heard the creaking and swishing sounds again, but was unable to find it. I looked to my left, squinting into the darkness and raising a hoof as if to set off in that direction. I suddenly felt something grab strongly onto my raised front right hoof before yanking back. I was caught off guard and ended up being swept off of my hooves. I got the chance to see what it was at this point. Wrapped fiercely around my leg was a green maw, a plant of kinds. It wasn't any plant I had normally seen, nor that I had known of. A long vine drew back from the middle of it, or what would be the middle if it was open. I tried what I could to kick the thing, but the position I was in while being dragged was not conducive to such. I was, unfortunately, at the mercy of this plant, as the grip was too strong to break.

After a few moments we broke into a clearing. It was then that I saw the monstrous creature. Its appearance, at least from the ground, was that of a large flower bulb. Tendrils and vines ending in clamps, similar to the one secured around my hoof, extended out of the bulb in a jumble that spread across the entirety of the clearing. I felt myself being lifted by the hoof until I was dangling above the bulb. The bulb opened, revealing the interior. It seemed to be like any other plant or flower, that is, until the half-opened flower became a pit of massive thorns. The thorns came out of the walls and base of the plant, almost seemingly without preface. They were barbed and jagged, thick as branches at the base, and pointing vertically. Fearing what it had planned for me, I quickly wrapped my tail about the stem of the maw on my hoof. No sooner had I done so than it released me. My weight began dragging the unsuspecting limb down, giving me barely enough time to squirm my way outside the reach of the bulb. I then let go, hitting the vine covered ground with a thud. As I was getting up I felt the vines under me shift. I was knocked over and tumbled for a few short moments. When I was next on my hooves I turned and looked. The bulb had risen, rotated, and now faced me. It had also closed again. I backed up a bit before I felt a vine wrapping around my hind left leg. I quickly kicked it off before turning back to face the bulb. I found the plant ejecting a liquid from the opening. It was a clear, but visibly viscous, material. I rolled out of the way as the glob splattered against a nearby tree. I shot a glance back to find the trunk whittling away under the liquid. Soon enough, the tree was falling down, following the pattern that the acid ate. I was so focused on the tree that I hadn't noticed the plant spit another bout of viscous liquid. I felt the impact on my front right hoof, almost knocking me off of my hooves. I let out a surprised gasp, but had to move to get out of the way of the tree. It took a quick roll to evade the falling lumber, but I successfully managed. With a loud thud the tree landed, crushing what was in its path. When I turned and looked, I saw that at least half of the bulb had been caught by the trunk. The remaining bulb leaked the acidic liquid at a constant rate, coating the vines beneath it. When enough time had passed, perhaps seconds, I saw the vines begin curling in around the tree trunk, trying to force it off. The efforts were unsuccessful, but continued until the vines themselves seemed to give up and die. A few moments later, the bulb ceased to produce the viscous liquid, and ultimately drooped. All went still in the forest, even the nearby sounds. I took a moment to catch my breath and calm myself, the rush of the encounter still fresh in my body. As I calmed down, I felt an intense, burning pain in my front right hoof. My eyes shot open wide as I remembered the impact I took. I looked down to find the goop, normally clear but now soaked crimson, still resting on my throbbing leg. Figuring the dirt wasn't what I should wipe the open wound on, I activated the warp core.

Within a few blinks' worth of time I was standing in my own house again. I quickly made my way over to the upstairs sink, being as quiet as I could. My three-legged trot was hard to muffle, however, so I just hoped I didn't wake anypony else up. When I was within the bathroom I closed the door and turned on the light within. I then turned the water on and stuck my hoof under it. The cold water stung excessively, forcing me to either bite my lip or scream. After several moments, I couldn't take the pain anymore. I yanked my leg out of the running water and carefully observed it. It was true that I had washed a lot of the goop off, but there was still some left. Accordingly, after a deep and agonised breath, I stuck the hoof back under the cold water. I quieted my moan as much as I could, biting my lip with enough force to draw blood. Once I was sure that I had washed it all off I ripped my leg out from the stream again, barely containing the groan of pain that so fervently wished to be set free. I didn't catch myself in time before I plunked down heavily onto the floor in a seated position. My heart began racing that, perhaps, I had awakened somepony. I sat as still and quiet as I could, listening intently. When I didn't hear any noise I turned my attention back to my leg. All that was left of my hoof was a bleeding stump. I sighed and turned my attention to the doorway, hoping I could sneak around until I found some bandages. Instead of finding the closed door I found Storm standing in the doorway. His eyes were still adjusting to the light levels within, whereas mine had already done so. My rapid heartbeats kept my eyes open wider than normal, enough to express the fear I had been under. "Aqua, what are you doing?"

"Uh...I can explain."

"Aqua, what happened to your hoof?" Perhaps he was so tired that he didn't skip a beat.

"Well, that's a bit of a story..."

"Just tell me so I can call Bane."

"I started wandering while lost in thought and ran into a plant in the Everfree. It spat acid, and the acid hit my hoof. It's dead now, the plant, I mean." Storm turned and trotted out of the doorway, leaving me alone in the bathroom. I took another moment to look at what was left of my hoof. What I saw shocked me. Rather, what I didn't see. The entire bottom section of my hoof had been eaten away, and some spots on the leg, just a little above where the hoof would have been, had dissolved so far that blood-covered bone revealed itself. I groaned again, the throbbing pain still present, as I forced myself to look away from the utter destruction that had been my hoof. I couldn't even set the thing down to help me adjust my position. Again I grunted in dissatisfaction and pain before turning back, unable to stop looking. It was then I noticed the red pool gathering on the floor. As I gazed down apprehensively, I heard movement in the house again. Within what couldn't have been more than seconds Bane was bursting in.

"...and always running off to- Oh. Oh..."

"What?" I had never heard him that speechless before. It was frightening.

"Storm, get Galaxia, now." I could barely see him nod in the faint light cast outside the doorway. He very quickly left my sight. "Any time wasted is time we already don't have."

"You're talking like I'm going to die."

"You are." I shot him a frightened glance. "You haven't noticed, but your leg is still getting shorter even after you 'washed' the acid off. It's hydrophobic, in a way. It's a magical substance, a very dark one at that, at least if it's what I think it is. That acid will continue eating your leg even after you bleed out and die. Won't stop until your body is nothing more than red paste. Galaxia will put you out so you don't feel what comes next."

"What comes next?" My fearful tone betrayed my terrified apprehension.

"Amputation." I stared blankly at him for a second.

"Nothing else can be done?"

"Nothing in the small time frame we have. You've lost too much blood, and getting medical personal involved will only complicate things as they try to study the acid instead of removing it."

"So you're going to just lop it off instead? Won't it still be destroyed either way?"

"At least this way, it won't continue up your leg while we work something else out." As he finished this statement, Galaxia trotted into the room. She paused for the slightest moment as she quickly drunk in what had become of my hoof.

"Storm already filled me in. Are you ready, Bane?"

"Yeah. Storm, you got everything set?"

"Yeah, just as she asked."

"Good. Galaxia, put her out." Galaxia's horn glowed with that same strange magical aura before I felt the wall of sleep descend quickly upon me. Before too long, the world was black.

I was waking up groggily when next I was aware of things. I shifted as best I could, managing to come to a sitting position. I finally noticed Storm nearby, but he had dozed off in the chair he was in. Without thinking, I went to get off of the bed. Almost as soon as I went to step on my right hoof I was on my face. I let out a groan after I thudded heavily against the floor. I heard a quick shift from the chair nearby and knew that Storm had been awakened by the noise. He let out a gasp as he rushed over, helping me up onto the bed again. "Come on, now, we can't have you doing that again."

"Sorry. I wasn't expecting to miss my shot."

"Which hoof did you go to place on the floor?"

"This one." I raised my right leg up, which allowed the limb into my view. "Oh..."

What used to be my hoof was now nothing more than a wad of bandages. My heart still sank at the sight, hoping I could disbelieve it. "Yeah, that would be why. Aqua, we can't have you stepping on that hoof yet. It needs more rest."

"How much longer?"

"A couple of days."

"Just a few days to heal that? Was it accelerated?"

"No. You've been out for a couple of weeks."

I stared blankly at him. "...what?"

"Galaxia decided that having you asleep for longer would improve the chances of that hoof healing, so she kept you under for several weeks."

"What about the Order? I have responsibilities!"

"I mean, you can't perform those responsibilities while crippled, can you?" I looked at him for a moment before sighing in defeat. "Besides, it lets me spend time with you, and I'm more than ok with that."

"Well, I guess that could be an upside to this all."

"I still have to ask, though: why did you go out alone? You were still weak from your injuries."

"I managed well enough, but I needed air to think."

"What do you mean?"

"That dream; it disturbed me too much. I had to contemplate what it could possibly mean."

"Did you come to any conclusions?"

"No. A giant, acid spitting plant stopped me."

"Right. Well, is there anything I can do for you at the moment?"

"Um...let me think." I took a moment, an idea suddenly shooting into my mind's eye. "There is one thing."

"Yeah?"

"Get Aldorn to come here. I have a request for him."

"Aldorn is...?"

"A suit of possessed armour that happens to be an expert in metallurgy."

"And how am I supposed to contact him?"

"You can try asking the Guildmaster of the Order of Protectorates or, if that doesn't work, you can ask Galaxia; I'm sure she'd be able to find him."

"Alright. Can I trust you not to trot on that hoof while I'm away?"

"Yes."

"Good. I should be back later today, hopefully with a suit of armour following me." I nodded, causing Storm to take his leave. I was then left alone again. I settled back down into the bed to await his return.

I dozed in and out of sleep several times waiting. Night had found its way to town by the time Storm returned. Before he had even arrived at my room on the second floor, I heard the telltale thudding of Aldorn's greaves as he approached. Soon, the door opened and Storm trotted in; Aldorn squeezed through the doorway shortly thereafter. I sat up in the bed to greet them. Aldorn managed to speak in his metallic voice first. "Ah, Aqua, I was told you needed my assistance."

"Yes. Took a bit longer than I had expected. You weren't busy, were you?"

Storm piped up before any response could be given. "No, he wasn't. There was a slight delay on my part."

"What do you mean?"

"Turns out, your Guildmaster has a deep-seated hatred for my Order. He fought me on all levels except physical to probe me for a reason, and to deny me the information I needed."

"What did you tell him?"

"Nothing, the same that he gave me. I had to find Galaxia to find Aldorn. He's here now, though."

"I await your request, Aqua. I have proven loyal to the Order of Protectorates, and this falls well within the bounds."

I raised my hoof out into view, the bandaged wad showing small splotches of crimson throughout the white of the cloth. "I can't fight on an unstable stance. I need something, anything, to level me."

"I will have to think about this one for a while; it is not a simple request. Give me some time to devise a schematic." I nodded, hopeful for anything he could do for me. He then left the room, leaving Storm and I alone once more.

The conversation shared between the two of us was novelty at most, the occasional comment every now and then followed by a question. It took nearly an hour before Aldorn returned, his echoing hoofsteps signalling him before he arrived had even arrived. Storm and I both stared in high expectation as the door opened. What he was carrying looked little more than a metal, cylindrical block with clamps. My hopeful expression turned into curious bewilderment as I continued looking at the little device. "This is what I came up with."

"What is it?" Storm and I answered in tandem, showing the curiosity we both shared. A quick glance stolen at each other almost broke us into laughter.

"It's an artificial hoof."

"So how does it work? Does it anchor into my leg or something?"

"More or less." I shot him a nervous glance. "It half cinches, half attaches to your leg, using both exterior and interior mechanisms. When attached, it should feel like a normal hoof, for the most part, and shouldn't impede your fighting capabilities with unwanted movement."

"Then I guess we should put it on me, then." Aldorn nodded and trotted over. In the meantime, Storm undid the bandages to reveal an almost entirely healed stump. I gazed at the appendage before looking back up to find Aldorn standing a few inches from my leg. He and Storm both positioned my leg and the contraption before it activated. I felt moderate discomfort as the mechanism securely attached to my leg. This warranted a little squirm from me, as I repositioned. In turn, Storm turned his gaze up to me. His face dripped with concern. "I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. Is it about done, Aldorn?"

"Yes. It should be ending right about...now." On cue, the discomfort ended. He stepped back, which caused Storm to do the same. I looked at the metal block for a few moments. "Test it."

I looked up at him momentarily before turning my view to the floor. With my right hoof leading, I climbed off of the bed. My pace was unsure at first, but after a lap or two around the room I was at my normal canter. I let out an ecstatic chuckle before speaking. "Aldorn, this is amazing!"

"I'm glad you like it. Is there anything else you need me for?"

"Aside from adjusting my armour to account for the new changes, I don't think I have anything else I need help with."

"Then I'll adjust your armour accordingly before heading out."

"Thank you, Aldorn. I don't know if you know how much this means to me."

"I can make an estimation, but you are welcome." He turned and left, heading down towards where I kept my armour. Storm turned from the doorway and looked at me.

"It's been a crazy ride, that's for sure. I'll leave you for the night, then."

"See you in the morning." He nodded before heading out and closing the door. I trotted around a little while longer, still entirely baffled and amazed at the work Aldorn had accomplished, before retiring for the night.

When morning came, or just a bit before it did, I heard knocking on the door. I managed to make my way down the stairs and open the door, finding Tigerfire standing before me. "Oh? What brings you here?"

"Lazuli went missing about a week or two ago, but we found her."

"She went missing? Why wasn't I told?"

"Storm said you were under, but he couldn't come help us because he had to watch over you."

"Right."

"We were going to organise a team to get her back, since we heard she might be in danger. Did you-?"

"Yes. I can be ready at a moment’s notice. Just give the word and I'll be there."

"Ask Storm if he wants to come." I nodded and headed back inside. I made my way to Storm's room and knocked, hearing him bid me enter shortly thereafter. I opened the door and headed within. The room had been repaired in my 'absence', and had even be rearranged. Storm was inside finishing up a few minor tasks. He stopped and turned when I entered.

"Storm, Lazuli's been found."

"When did you find out?"

"Just now. You were planning on telling me, right?"

"Yeah. So she's been found?" He was obviously diverting the conversation from him not telling me back to the main issue. I didn’t push any further into the matter accordingly.

"Yes. They're assembling some ponies and we're heading out. Did you want to come with?"

"Absolutely. Somepony's got to watch your back, right?" I shot him a glance, causing him to chuckle. He then cleared his throat. "Right. I'll get my stuff."

I headed out and grabbed my armour, equipping it. Indeed, the new suit still fit perfectly. When I turned around, following the quick inspection, I found Storm suited up and ready. An exchange of nods occurred and we made our way out. Tigerfire was still out there, tapping his hoof impatiently. "Oh, that didn't take long."

"Is everything all set for the journey?"

"Yes. Are you?"

"Yes."

"Good. Let's get rolling then." Upon these words, the three of us began heading out. Around the edge of town we met up with a rough looking crowd of ponies. "Aqua, Storm, meet your new allies."

"Where'd you find these guys?"

"They're mercs."

"Mercenaries?"

"Yes. Our guild, or rather, Lazuli’s guild isn't one that normally relies on physical intimidation and brute strength, so we occasionally have to pay for some help."

"We're willing to help, you know."

"YOU are willing to help. Your order isn't. That's not their line of work, and it's only yours because you're protecting Lazuli." I bit my tongue, accepting that he was right. It seemed I had forgotten what the Order would go for. After a moment more of silence, perhaps Tigerfire simply waiting for an angry response from me, he spoke again. "We head out. Remember: our primary goal is recovering Lazuli."

Before long we set out. Our journey was in no ways conventional. Rather than taking our entire journey by train or by hoof, we boarded an airship when we were a considerable distance from any of the nearby towns. Our journey then took us to one of the nearby pegasus villages. Those of the group who were not pegasi had a spell cast on them that would allow them to walk upon the clouds. We then disembarked the vessel and split up to begin our search. The town was almost completely devoid of life, giving us an eerie feeling of apprehension. Tigerfire spoke to break the silence. "We'll split off into groups to explore the town. Keep your wits about you. I don't like this; it's far too quiet."

Storm and I, accompanied by Tigerfire, began heading away from the others. We checked every building and alleyway that we could. It took hours, to be honest, in order to check every nook and cranny, every closed space, where she could have been. As we were making our way back to the main square, the others caught up with us. The gruff sounding pony in the front spoke first. "Our scout here's found a trail. Best shot we've got, boss."

"Alright. We'll follow it and see where it leads." The others nodded and we began heading towards a different path. Storm and I took the back positions, with Storm slightly ahead of me. Suddenly, a quiet noise pricked my ear as we were trotting, causing me to look around. I looked at the others, waiting to see if they reacted at all. After a few more moments of the sound teasing my ear, and the utter lack of reaction from the others, I quietly split away from the group. Their sounds of conversation covered my absence, giving me the opportunity to investigate. I did my best to triangulate the location, eventually managing to do so. As I trotted towards it, the sound became more intense. It remained the same volume, but the intensity changed. It sent a crawling sensation up my spine, causing me to look around. A pony was standing at a nearby fountain, a sight I would have missed. I couldn't quite see who, due to some obstacles. I decided to trot over and investigate. As I rounded the last corner and got a clear view, I noticed it was Lazuli. My heart skipped a beat in relief, causing my tense body to relax. I began trotting over.

"Lazuli!" She turned towards me. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. What's with the concern?" By the time she finished her sentence, I was standing next to her.

"I had been told that you were missing. What happened?"

"I was up here studying pegasi and their ability to stand on clouds. Not too bad if I managed to remain aloft here, I suppose. Research was a success."

"We have to get you to the others. They're heading off somewhere else."

"The others?"

"Tigerfire brought a group of ponies up here to look for you."

"Well, you found me."

"So let's go report then. It'll be a relief for all of them to see you again." I turned and began trotting, but my hooves were the only ones I heard. I turned about to ask why she wasn't coming with me, only to find her silently brandishing a dagger. "Lazuli? What are you doing?"

My question was out of curiosity, the feeling reflected by my tone. She finished drawing the blade and looked squarely at me before levitating it out of her mouth. She then spoke. "Your way of protecting ponies is too brutish. You have to learn the finer things in life, like magic. Maybe then will you finally understand."

Suddenly, the dagger hurtled towards me, forcing me to react instantly. I rolled to the side, leaving me surprised that the gentle cloud landscape supported that kind of shifting mass. When I was on my hooves again my anxiously bewildered tone sounded almost fearful. "Lazuli, what are you doing?"

"Magic will best physicality in all aspects, Aqua; work, care, combat, and even saving lives. I know what you will become, and I'm not about to let that happen."

"Lazuli, if you keep this up, I will have to kill you. You do realise that, don't you?"

"Better to die a martyr than die a coward. You'll end up killing me either way." She began casting a spell, forcing me to begin galloping towards her. The distance was short, a few body lengths perhaps, but it was just long enough. She unleashed a fireball, the spell barely travelling a few feet before haphazardly bouncing off of my armour. The force caused me to slow a bit, but I pressed on. As I arrived, aiming to tackle her, she teleported away. She was out of my sight, but I looked frantically for her. I saw her behind me right as a large icicle shot towards me. I ducked, but not quite fast enough. The side of the large chunk of ice hit my head pretty hard, about whipping my head into the cloud beneath me. I let out a slight groan, but pressed on regardless. I turned about and began charging again. This time, she let out a bolt of lightning. The deafening crack echoed across the landscape as the electric bolt collided with my armour. It moved too fast for me to react. Once it hit, I froze, discharging the leftover energy into the clouds. It was intense discomfort, but not anything quite fatal, that I experienced from the overflow of electricity. I almost collapsed down as I fought a convulsion, but remained upright. As I recovered, it was clear to see that Lazuli was drained. Indeed, those were very potent spells she had cast, and she wasn't as experienced as she might have led herself to believe. I began moving again, but her reaction wasn't another destructive spell. Instead, she conjured a weapon and began desperately swinging. I took the chance I had to rear up on my hind legs and draw both swords, as much of an effort as that was post-electrocution. Newfound fear worked itself into her eyes. She took a desperate slice at me, but the sword bounced off of the strange metal Aldorn had used. With a few quick motions, I pinned Lazuli to the ground, swords crossed over her neck. The blades were heating up now, and I could see her squirming under the heat. I saw her attempt one last spell before something happened. The spell fell completely flat, not even leaving her horn, but her skin began changing. It went from the light blue I knew to a darker grey-blue. The hide also changed from a typical one to a more leathery-looking, taught skin of sorts. Her eyes changed from their gentle green to a sharp orange-yellow. The mouth seemed to all but disappear, as did the hair. The creature tried to buck me off, but between my overwhelming mass and its weakened state all it did was slap its hooves in futility.

"What have you done with Lazuli?" Stone cold silence met my question. "Answer me!"

"You're already too late. She's played her part. Time to play yours." It tried hurling one last lightning bolt, but its intent was too predictable. When I moved out of the way, my blades released from its neck. The creature tried to squirm away, but I quickly reacted by plunging both swords into its chest. The blades pierced all the way through, sizzling in both the blood of the creature and the water content of the cloud. A few more squirms further damaged the creature before it gave up. All fell silent once more in the square, aside from the hum of my blades. I sheathed them once more before looking around. I found nothing nearby, so I turned my attention back to the creature's corpse. I noticed a dim glow, perhaps no brighter than an ember's light, around the creature's face. I furrowed my brow and moved closer. As I drew my face near, I suddenly felt like my mind was torn from my body. I could no longer focus on my surroundings as my vision faded into something else.

Eventually, I focused. My surroundings were completely different than I remembered, but I didn't feel out of place or even confused about it. I didn't even feel the urge to look around, simply to keep my vision locked on something. Before me stood one of those creatures, addressing a group of us. "Your target is the blue one with the strange tail. Any others who get in your way will be left behind as bodies. If you need to, infiltrate and assassinate to get ground and get closer to her. Erazul wants her alive. You may now move out."

Commotion broke around me as I was carried about in the memory. After a short period, and several jumps through blurry remembrance, the creature I was following had made it close to Lazuli. Close enough, in fact, that it was her acting assistant. It wasn't more than a few more days of hastened memories before I saw the creatures act. While Lazuli slumbered, the one I was following let the others in. Within moments, they had fully bound and gagged her, carrying her off despite her best efforts. They made their way out, travelling quickly in their small, streamlined airship. A large building, hidden amongst the billowing clouds left behind by a dragon's smoggy breath, drew ever closer.

I was suddenly torn from the memory, a sharp pain shooting up my leg. I tried to pull my leg away from the source, but found it to be stuck. I wheeled around, blade drawn, to find one of those dark, steel-blue creatures with a magically glowing pike. The head of the polearm was jammed fiercely into my hind right leg. The creature next seemed to be preparing a spell, but was very quickly stopped. A bolt suddenly protruded from the creature's neck, causing it to gain a terrified look. Shortly thereafter, it dropped. As the creature slipped down to the ground, I could see Storm and Tigerfire cantering over. Behind them stood one of the mercenaries, still at attention with his crossbow at the ready. He relaxed when the two arrived at where I was. "So, that's where you snuck off to. Storm lost you halfway out of the town and had us searching all over the bloody place."

I quickly looked back at the other creature, the one whose memories I had accidentally delved into. The faint glow was gone, causing my heart to sink a little. "Now what in Equestria are you doing all the way over here? Especially alone?"

"I figured out where Lazuli is, or at least where she went."

"Well it bloody well isn't here. Are you planning on stalking any more doppelgängers?"

"No, we won't have to."

"Good. Now, let's-"

"We'll be raiding them instead."

Tigerfire looked at me for a moment, shocked disbelief turning into heavy annoyance. "Are you out of your bloody mind?!"

"You put me on this team to find Lazuli, didn't you? I've managed to find a trace at where she could be and I don't plan on wasting that."

"Running headlong into there is suicide. I'm not risking the lives of everypony here like that."

"It wasn't a proposal, Tigerfire. I'm going there whether you follow or not. Your call." He sat in silence for a moment before turning to the mercenaries. They were all nodding in approval. Even Storm had stepped closer to me, practically standing with our shoulders touching. Tigerfire finally turned back.

"Fine. I can't have you going off and dying. Lead on, then."

"We'll need the airship."

"Why?"

"Because she's not even close to this cloud formation. She's in a building hidden by a dragon's smog."

"Captain, there are only four known hibernating dragons on the continent. To which shall we go?" One of the mercenaries piped up. Tigerfire's response followed accordingly.

"I don't know. Aqua, since you seem to know where we're going all of a sudden: where to?"

"Do you have a map?"

"On the ship."

"Then we go to the ship and I will show you."

Our journey to the airborne craft didn't take long, perhaps no longer than an hour. The sun was about three-quarters of the way across the sky by the time we had set our heading. We departed shortly thereafter.

Night had fallen by the time we saw billowing black clouds on the horizon. The crew had us all put on a set of gear designed to filter out the smoke before we arrived. A few lights out of the front of the ship helped us find our way, but it was in deathly silence as we focused intently. When, at last, we broke from a wall of smoke we found a large building. The lights were killed before I could get a good glimpse, but it almost seemed like there was a pocket of clean air around the building. We pulled in around what I assumed to be the back before disembarking. As we were leaving the vessel, I heard Tigerfire speak. "So what's the plan?"

"Have the ship ready to leave at a moment's notice. Anypony that comes aboard is to be taken captive and held until you know for a certainty that it's not one of these creatures. Storm and I will go in." As soon as the last word had slipped my tongue I heard one of the mercenaries pipe up.

"Wait, we aren't even going in? We're just here to make sure you can run at the end?"

"No. I need the ship ready so Lazuli can run at the end. I also fear I'd end up killing more of you than I would the creatures. You came here for Lazuli; I intend for you to leave here with Lazuli, whether I'm there or not."

Storm interjected. "You sound like you're not expecting to return."

"Well you bloody well better come back out. Don't get yourself killed over her, especially if we can avoid any deaths period."

"Tigerfire, I appreciate your concern, but what do you think the Order is about? Were we not told that we had to be willing to die for others?" It grew deathly silent, perhaps because they were hoping I wasn't going to pursue this. "I will get her back, no matter the odds and no matter the cost."

"You're bloody insane."

"Sometimes you've got to be. Stay here. Storm, follow if you want. I won't hold it against you if you don't."

"No way am I letting you go in there by yourself."

"Then let's go. Every moment wasted is another moment closer to her death." Storm nodded and quickly trotted after me. It didn't take us but a few moments before we had rounded the front of the building. The doors were large metallic edifices, but not absolutely massive. It was clear that they were sturdy, however, and I wasn't sure I could break them. As I was sizing up the door, I heard a click and a beep. Suddenly, the door opened. I turned to find Storm standing beside a tiny protrusion on the wall. He turned and looked at me with a smug, accomplished smile. I nodded before galloping in. When my eyes focused in the bright, industrial lights of the lobby, I found just that: a lobby. It looked like any other kind of medical store front, including the chairs, cushions and decorations. The front desk, which cut the space of the room roughly in half, was empty. Behind it lay a set of double doors. I made my way over and climbed over the counter, my heavy armour scraping across the surface. When I turned back, I found Storm trotting through a chest-high wooden door. He simply looked at me, wondering why I was looking at him. I tried the two doors and found that they were locked. Storm came over to try his luck while I turned to the one doorway in the patient portion of the lobby. I easily trotted straight through the two-way door, so I turned back around to call Storm over. When I peeked my head out, I heard his voice.

"Find something?"

"A hallway. I don't know if it will turn into anything." He came around the corner and followed me back into the corridor. He began checking all the doors on the sides of the hall. Meanwhile, I continued straight towards the other set of double doors. I pushed my way through, finding what looked to be a small rectangular room with some buttons. I trotted closer, inspecting them. The buttons were numbered, from B-1 all the way to 12. Curious as to what it was, I pushed the B-1 button. I didn't hear much of a reaction, if any at all, so I looked around. I found that two highly polished metal doors had closed behind me, cutting off access. Suddenly, I felt much lighter, almost weightless for a moment. It quickly balanced out, but eventually I felt very heavy. It stopped, and immediately afterwards a ding sounded. The metal doors opened, revealing the other room. I trotted out slowly, being careful how much noise I made. No sooner had I left the room than the doors closed again. I turned to open them, but found myself unable to. Seeing as I was stuck down here, I decided to investigate. It took a while for my eyes to adjust, but, after they did, I could more easily discern my surroundings. The walls and, really, any metal object were either rusted or crusted over with a deep green. There were many strange machines with dials and circular meters. None of the labels made sense to me; they were either written extremely poorly, or it was actually in a different language and typeset. Realising where I was, it didn't seem to be too estranged of a concept. I continued my way around, finding only set after set upon set, after set, of these machines. There seemed to be no end, like the basement was larger than the building above it. I eventually tripped over something while looking around. I got up and tried to figure out what it was. I pried at it, finding a hatch to open. I quickly looked around to make sure I was alone before heading down. It was even darker in this small place than it had been in the dim and rusted room above. The stench of the place was foul, almost nauseating. As my eyes adjusted, I looked around further. Lining both sides of the wall were what probably used to be iron bars; the bars were so far rusted that they appeared more painted than anything. Inside were piles of hay scattered about. I went cell by cell, trying to see if there was any point in me coming down here. It was about halfway down the row when I heard a noise to my right. I quickly turned and drew a blade, allowing it to heat up. The glow illuminated the dark cell enough for me to realise it was a pony standing at the bars. I sheathed the blade again and began conversing with it. "Who are you?"

"You're not one of them, are you?"

"No. I am a member of the Order of Protectorates. Who are you?"

"I'm from a pegasus town. Skies, we never suspected a thing."

"These creatures, doppelgängers I think I heard them called, are they responsible?"

"Yes."

"I didn't know they conducted raids."

"They don't. Subterfuge and trickery led us all here. Whole town, gone. I don't know where many of the others are. A few of us have already died from their experiments."

"Experiments? What kind of experiments?"

"I don't know what they're after, but they are using unicorn tests on us and punishing us when we fail."

"So you're basically being tortured."

"Yes. They'll fill these halls with noxious gases, absurd temperature fluctuations, and sometimes even magical entities. You'll see the results of their tests when you see the bloodstains splattered across the walls of the cells." I swallowed hard, my mind running off with a few ideas of inhumane experiments going wrong.

"I'm looking for somepony, and I don't know if you could help me. Her name's Lazuli. She's got blue hide, white hair, and a thick, fleshy tail."

"I saw her, but she must be in another block."

"Another block?"

"Yes. Every set of machines you saw above us connects with a different cage. There should be a way up or down in each row, I think."

"I don't want to just leave you. Is there any way I can get you out?"

"Not without them knowing. Once they know, the fiends will come out of their research room. By the time they all arrive to check out the problem, the armed ones will be arriving from the elevator."

"Couldn't fit more than a dozen of them, right?"

"They have two elevators. One for unsuspecting 'guests' and one for shipments and larger things. They'd take the second elevator to get more monsters down here."

"How many would that fit? Do you know?"

"Fit our whole town plus our captors."

"So that's too many for me to hold off for long enough to free you all."

"At least, by yourself. I'm sure at least a few of us would be willing to help out."

"Do you know where the others are?"

"We're all over this level. It would take us a while to get all together."

"How long?"

"Shouldn't be more than fifteen minutes."

"I should be able to hold them off for that long. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Alright." I began looking around for anything to open the cage. "So...where is...?"

"There's a master switch by the entrance of this block. Opens all the cells. Otherwise, one of the stones by each cell pushes in."

"Alright. I'm going to hit the switch at the stairs. Get ready to run." The stallion nodded. I made my way back up towards the entrance, finding a small button against the back wall. I took a deep breath before hitting it. A line of lights suddenly flashed on, nearly blinding me. A few short moments later, several heads popped out down the line. I shouted down the hall at them, hoping they could hear me. "Find and free the others! I'll hold them off!"

The ponies down the hallway began either galloping or quickly limping their way towards the steps. I led the way, busting open the hatch door and quickly making my way up towards the skywalk. By the time I arrived, the doorway on the other side opened up, revealing a large number of those creatures. I burst my way over, slamming into the first and knocking them all back into the room. I quickly closed the door, shutting them in, before drawing a blade. I felt a strong effort from them fighting back, so I let go before raising up on my hind legs and drawing my other blade. When the first broke out of the doorway, I drove both blades through the creature. After slashing them out again, letting the body drop in pieces, I readied my next strike. The creature behind it hesitated before moving in. With a quick slash of both blades, the creature fell in half. The creatures behind it paused before backing away. "Stay in there and none of the rest of you die. Do you understand?"

Probably between my towering size, hostile tone, and the two dead bodies on the floor, the doppelgängers nodded before turning away from the door. I closed the door, closing them in. I then turned my attention to the ponies down below. The commotion had grown greatly since I first left, with anywhere between fifty to a hundred ponies making their way quickly to the others. It was then that I heard a loud, industrial clank. Steel began grinding, causing me to look. Two large metal doors, perhaps the height of an entire floor, began slowly shifting and screeching their way open. I sheathed my blades and leaped off of the skywalk, landing with a loud thud and nearly breaking through the floor. I quickly galloped my way over, placing myself in front of the large doors. I reared up and drew the two blades again. When the doors had opened wide enough, the creatures within began launching things at me. The objects, which travelled faster than I could see, bounced fruitlessly off of my armour. The only effect it had was attempting to knock me over, but my tail prevented me from falling backwards. The creatures began trying to get out, some coming directly for me with what looked like little more than polished black sticks. Others carried the same, but theirs coursed with electricity and were mounted on long rods. Any who got close enough to me were cut down with swift, effortless swings. I heard one speak out from the back as three managed to slip by me on the sides. "Get the mechs. This pony is tearing us apart!"

The massive metal doors began closing again, the last few that had been left standing quickly making their way through. By the time I had sheathed my blades and dropped to all fours again, the door was closed. I quickly turned my attention to the others, remembering that three of the monsters had escaped and made their way towards them. When I arrived, I found them subdued. Perhaps they had expected there to be less resistance or more backup, but there was neither. The expectant ponies looked up at me. "How many more rows are left?"

The stallion from before spoke. "Four or five. We stopped in order to distance ourselves from them."

"Good. We have a problem, though. We don't have a lot of time. They said something about mechs." I saw their eyes widen in fear. "So get the last rows and make your way to the conventional elevator. Storm will be up there, so he should be able to escort you out."

Hope and relief washed over their faces before they bolted off to find the last of the ponies. Within several moments, more ponies were standing before me. "Is this all then?"

"Should be." I took a moment to look over the crowd.

"Where's Lazuli?" The crowd looked around. "Did you miss a block or something?"

"No. We got them all."

"Quickly then: make sure all of the gates opened. With as rusty as this place is, I wouldn't doubt that a cell door or two got stuck. The rest of you: start going for the exit. It can’t hold all of you, and I can only hold them off for so long." Before too long, the fastest among them had been selected and were making their way to the cells, while the rest began climbing the stairs to the metal doors above. I turned back to the leftover crowd. "What were these things even trying to research?"

A mare spoke out of the crowd of pegasi. "They wanted to see if we could possess magical powers in even the slightest level."

"They were trying to make alicorns?"

"I guess you could say it like that."

"If they were saving Lazuli then..." My words trailed off, not even wanting to finish the statement.

"What's so special about this Lazuli pony?"

"First of all, she's my adopted daughter. Second, if she's anything like myself, MoonDusk will want her to see if she could replace me."

"What do they want with you?"

"To destroy the world, I think. Something like that." The mare looked at me for a moment, blinking in silence. "Yeah, things are pretty interesting for me."

Before she could respond, the others arrived. Several of them had nothing to report. It was during the last reports when the news came. "There were cells in my block so far rusted over that they didn't open. Several ponies are still down there."

"Lead me there. I will free them. The rest of you: continue heading to the elevator and get as many of you out of here as possible. Time is very limited." The others nodded as the stallion and I began galloping to the cell block. I kept up easily as we made our way over. It didn't take long for us to find the first cell. I drew a blade and waited for it to heat up before cutting the bars open. When the bars fell out an alarm began sounding. The pony within quickly came out and joined the stallion. The two led the way to the next cell, and subsequently to the other two. Within the last cell was Lazuli. She grew excited to see me, but her excitement was stunted by the very clear distress she had been put under. Words cannot begin to describe the poor shape she was in. Injuries were numerous, but the dead look in her face spoke the most volumes. "Lazuli...what did they do to you?"

She simply looked me down with a cold, exhausted gaze. "Never mind. We need to get you all out of here. Follow me."

We made our way out again, just in time to hear that metal door opening again. I quickly looked over, finding it still mostly closed. "Get to the exit. I'll hold them off."

I didn't hear much protest as I began galloping my way over. I skidded to a halt just outside the door, waiting until it was open enough for me to get inside. I reared up on my hind legs and drew my two swords before making my way over. As I arrived, one of the creatures tried to emerge. I very quickly cut it down and made my way inside. The elevator was packed full with several rows of the creatures. They were armed, at least more heavily than the last crew. Large mechanical versions of the creatures stood behind them, their presence a little intimidating. As they raised their weapons, I began whirling my blades into their forces, cutting down as many as I could. I soon felt a large number of impacts, the sounds of metal hitting metal, and accompanying bangs. Flashes of light lit up the otherwise dim elevator shaft as the battle raged. After cutting down the last one on the left, I turned about. A loud burst of sound rang out as a heavy impact knocked me from my hooves. I got back up, being forced to sheathe my blades in order to do so, to find the mechs lining up along the other side of the lift. I went to move in, but numerous sounds like the one I had just heard rang out. The ensuing force was immense, pinning me to the wall opposite their position. I barely heard the faint commands through all of the fire. "Move! The mechs have this one. Get those subjects back in their cells, but focus most on getting the one with the strange tail. Mechs, continue your suppressing fire!"

I tried my best, using every fibre of my being, to fight back so they couldn't get Lazuli, but the overwhelming force from the line of machines was more than I could resist. Surely the barrage would end soon, but it felt like it was taking forever.

Eventually, the fire did break, allowing me to whip into action. It was difficult and strained, but my motion was decisive. I leaped out of the corner of the wall, galloping over as they attempted to reload the weapons. I drew my blades and began hacking the mechanical systems apart, leaving one after another torn to pieces. The last two fired upon me in an attempt to keep me down, but it was unsuccessful. I managed to catch them and give them the same fate as the others. I then made my way as best as I could to the other elevator. I found the creatures there, but only a small number of the subjects. Lazuli was one of them. I was making my way over, just about ready to climb the stairs to the skyway, when I heard one speak. It was the same one that gave the orders from before. "If you place so much as one hoof on those stairs, these ponies die."

I halted immediately. "Oh, so you do care about them then. Sentiment, a strange weakness you ponies have. So tell me, what are you after?"

"I'm here to free Lazuli."

"Then why free the others? You don't even know who they are. Can you tell me even just one of their names?"

"No."

"Then what are you up to?"

"I am a Protectorate. It is my duty to help others, and seeing the conditions these ponies were in moved me into action in their behalf."

"You are a strange one, but you seem to fit the bill."

"What were you doing to Lazuli?"

"Hm?"

"Her look is completely flat and dead. What did you do to her?"

"We tried to get her to fit into a very specific requirement range. Not easy to replicate an alicorn, but we had extensive research on unicorns thanks to that one town. Never seen so many in one place."

"Why do you need an alicorn?"

"That answer is confidential, horse. But tell me, what do you plan to do now? Your plans were just foiled."

"So you need Lazuli to fit an alicorn requirement?"

"Yes, but she doesn't fit the bill, so we're making her."

"What are you looking for, then?"

"You seem to be closer to the description."

"So you need me, then?"

"It would appear so."

"I destroyed your mechs and slaughtered your warriors. You don't have the strength to capture me, but what if I told you I could hand myself over?"

"What are your terms, horse?"

"Let those ponies go, including Lazuli, and I'm yours."

"Fold down the armour so we know it's the pony we're after." I folded back the helmet of my armour, revealing my face. "Yes, that is her...alright, Aqua, we accept your offer. Take the armour off, step away from it, and we'll let the ponies go."

"Don't do it! Don't give yourself up like that!" Lazuli's voice echoed out. I took a deep breath, fighting the tough choice. If I refused, they could die, but my acceptance could lead to my own death. I swallowed hard before powering down my armour. "No!"

"Get the ponies to the ship and head out."

"I can't just leave you here!"

"Do it. The deal was made. Just make sure they all make it out safe."

"Excellent. See them onto the elevator. We have the alicorn." The ponies were taken to the elevator when it came down and were shoved in. The doors closed before they turned to me. "Now, follow us to your cell. Any motion to your armour will be met with severe injury."

I nodded solemnly and waited for them to come down. They came and took me away to one of the holding cells. When the door closed, the lead creature spoke again. "Contact MoonDusk. We have what she was needing."

My heart began racing. It had been a trap. I had to escape before she arrived. I waited for them to leave the cell block, and gave it a long while to ensure they had given me enough room to work. Once I was sure they were out of reasonable range, I turned my tail towards the cell door, sticking it out of the bars. I began feeling the wall with the tip of my tail, eventually finding a block that moved. I pressed into it with my tail, finding that it depressed. The gate opened, allowing me to leave. I very quickly made my way to the hatch and carefully examined my surroundings. As far as I could tell, there was nothing nearby. As such, I quietly left it and began galloping towards my armour. I was getting closer when I heard a shout. It was shortly followed by a loud bang, followed by a biting sting in my left hip. I barely managed to adjust my gallop in time to avoid falling, ending up tucked against the machines on my left. I stumbled and crawled my way over as I heard running on the skyway. I barely reached my armour in time to put it on as I heard the next bang. The shot bounced off of my armour as it fully plated me. I arose as best as I could, groaning through the intense pain in my hip. I began making my way up the stairs with the most effort I could afford, my heavy limp slowing me down significantly. I reached the top amid the fire and cut down the creature in my way. I then turned my attention to the elevator, hitting the button to call it. I then waited out the ride, the weapons of the creatures doing absolutely nothing to stop me. The elevator arrived as I heard a shouted order. "Load the mechs and send them to the entrance. Don't let her escape!"

I boarded the elevator, stabbing one of the creatures that tried to get on as well. I sheathed the blade as the door closed, slumping down into a sit as the elevator rose. Rather than hit the lobby button, I chose to go to a higher floor. As I was going, I got the idea to warp. I fiddled with the coordinates, placing them somewhere else rather than my own home, before activating the machine. I heard the ding of the elevator as I warped. When my eyes focused, I was falling a short distance. I braced myself as best I could, the impact with the ground still paralysing me, as I bounced a little. I sat in agony for a while longer before I could finally loosen up. Once I managed, and arose, I took a moment to look around at where I had warped. I had warped into an open field, but it wasn't completely without landmarks. The great mountain jutted up on the horizon to my left, but a smaller landmark barely tipped on my right. Figuring the smaller landmark was most likely closer, I began limping my way there, leaving the rising sun to peek over the plains ahead of next.

The sun was set, the night halfway done, by the time I arrived. The nauseating pain had gone numb from the extended duration. I felt sick and lightheaded, barely able to focus on my surroundings, but I knew I had to keep at it. I wasn't able to find anything by the time the sun rose.

As the town awakened, my exhaustion threatening to overpower me, I began to see ponies out and about. I approached one, at least one that didn't get away from me as quickly as they could, and went to ask for directions. As I tried, the words wouldn't leave my mouth. As I spent more effort focusing on the words my legs collapsed. I very quickly found myself on the ground, struggling to get up. The pony was trotting away, my hope of help slipping. I powered down my armour and let it fold up, the left side getting stuck underneath my weight. Perhaps there was blood loose in my suit, but the pony's eyes shot open wide before it wheeled around and began yelling for help. I laid my head down, unable to hold it up longer. I let out one last groan before shutting my eyes. I eventually heard commotion around me and I was rolled over onto my right side. Some ponies began working on the wound before they were eventually cleared from around me. I was loaded up and taken away, eventually dropping out of consciousness.

When next I awoke, it was in a simple room. I was drowsy and not able to move very far. A pony trotted into the room shortly after I awoke. "Oh! You're awake."

The mare trotted over to me. "How do you feel?"

"I hurt. Where am I?"

"The hospital. The wound in your hip was pretty severe, and it seemed like you had been waiting on it for a while. What happened?"

"One of my tasks went south real quick and I took a hit. Teleported out but missed the mark. Didn't have enough energy to try again."

"So you trotted here? How long?"

"About a day and a half." She was deathly silent.

"Please tell me you're kidding." I shook my head. "How are you even here?!"

"I'm stubborn?"

"Pssh...I can't...what...?" She turned and left, leaving me alone again. I waited for a little while, seeing if she would return. When I found that she didn’t, I laid back again and closed my eyes.

My recovery took a while longer than I had anticipated, but I was eventually released. I recovered my armour from the local police and boarded a train towards home. Once I was on board, I laid back for rest and awaited our arrival.

When I made it back home, I found my home unlocked. As the door opened I found Storm talking with Galaxia and Bane. "...so you can see why I'm concerned. That's...that's...Aqua!"

He came galloping over, hugging me. He then punched my right shoulder. "Why did you leave me like that?"

"I had no idea what the buttons did."

"And you didn't return? You didn't come back up?"

"I got distracted by what I found."

"And what did you find?" Galaxia's unmistakably calm voice rung out.

"The whole room was filled with strange machines, and underneath every machine was a holding cell for a pony. They were experimenting on them and using the results to experiment on Lazuli. They were trying to recreate me." Bane's face dropped as he got close.

"There's only one reason why anything would want to recreate you. They were working with MoonDusk."

Storm piped up first. "Not everything with an interest in Aqua works for-"

"They were." They all looked at me. "They were holding Lazuli as a ruse to get me, but decided to try and recreate me by using her and a long string of sickening experiments."

"So why did she come up first and you...Aqua, please tell me that you didn't trade places with Lazuli."

"I traded places with Lazuli."

Galaxia managed to speak first. "What you did was incredibly stupid and dangerous, but I suppose it worked."

"Where's Lazuli?" Bane, Galaxia, and Storm all looked at me. "I need to see her. Where is she?"

"Upstairs. Storm and Galaxia made sure she was alright." I started making my way up there. "I'm not sure that's the best idea."

Disregarding Bane's comment, and the subsequent mutters, I made my way to the upstairs room that she stayed in. I knocked gently on her door before opening it and trotting in. "Lazuli?"

It was silent, not to mention dark, as I made my way to her bed. She was sitting on the middle, staring out her window. I sat down beside her bed, unsure if my weight would be too much. "Lazuli?"

My tone was little more than a whisper at this point. Her tone came back as just under a whisper, a voice so quiet that it would have been missed if you weren't intently focusing. "Why?"

I sighed a little. "I'm sorry I couldn't get there faster."

"Why did they want me so badly?" A question so painful that my own injury pricked me upon hearing it. I let out an actual sigh before answering near-reluctantly.

"They didn't want you; they wanted me."

"Then why did they take me?"

"They wanted to make you into me."

"Why did they want you so badly that they tortured me with their sick experiments?" The tone in her voice had raised in intensity. In volume, it had jumped to a loud whisper, too shaken to reach anything higher.

"I don't know what MoonDusk wants from me specifically, but she wants me very badly, enough to hurt anypony around me."

"Why haven't you gone after her yet?"

"We don't want to lose. If we lose, it's over. Everything, gone."

"So what will it take? What will it take for you to take her on?"

"I don't know. I wish I did." She turned to face me finally. The moonlight in her room reflected in her tears. I climbed onto her bed. Before I had gotten very far, she had launched into my chest. I hugged her for a moment in silence. She eventually broke away. "I don't know what they did to you, but I made sure they paid dearly. When MoonDusk arrived, she must have found that I was not there. My curiosity begs me to find out what happened to them, but my instinct already tells me that it was nothing short of absolute ruin."

"At least they won't make more suffer. Thank you." She got off the bed, trotting towards the door. I followed suit, closing the door behind me. I trotted back downstairs, following her down. Storm was the first to speak when we arrived.

"We'll figure out what happened to Lazuli in a moment, but I need to know something: what is with the bandages on your hip?" I looked back at the bundle of white bandages before turning to him again.

"You remember what happened in that Serpanian fortress?"

"When you got shot?" I nodded and remained silent. "You got shot again, didn't you?"

I nodded again. "Aqua...what is up with you and getting hurt? I mean, I know it's kind of in your job, or at least it can be, but near-death experiences shouldn't be a normal part of it."

"I get in over my head. A lot."

"She's pushing herself closer to what we need." Galaxia's voice silenced us all. "If she doesn't have as hard of a time as she does, she would never be prepared for what is going to come. MoonDusk won't wait for her to take the easier road. The trials she has is accelerating her growth, and that's exactly what we need. Aqua, I think you've earned some rest. It should help that hip heal faster anyways."

I nodded, unable to object to her request, before I made my way to my room. Once inside, I closed the door and got everything set for the night. I then eased myself into bed and waited for sleep.

When next I was aware of my presence, I was standing in a town, one that was hauntingly familiar. I had never seen it before, but I still felt I had been there at some point. Before too long, the town was set ablaze. The memory was too blurry for me to remember if I took part in setting the fires or not. Either way, I was alone in the street, looking around at the carnage that was to ensue. I felt a wicked grin cross my face shortly before coughing ponies came running out of the buildings. Some were grabbing water, others going back in to find somepony they knew. Every now and then, a pony would catapult themselves out a window on the second floor, flames clinging onto their frames. Ponies would do their best to extinguish the screaming balls of agony, but the cries rang out still. After a short duration, I began to leave. When somepony noticed, they shouted. "He’s getting away! That murderous wretch is escaping! Kill the drake!"

As they went to lay hooves on me, and as I subsequently went to fight back, I suddenly snapped awake. My breaths were short and panicked, my face moist with tears. When I eventually calmed down, taking note of where and who I actually was, I laid back down and began pondering the dream. Eventually, I drifted back into sleep.

5. The Tainted Pearl

Several weeks passed as I recovered, and helped Lazuli recover, before a letter arrived for me. It was sealed with the Royal seal; a letter from the princesses. I sat down at the table and opened it, taking out the letter stashed within, and read the contents. Storm and Lazuli were also nearby, curious and intently waiting to hear what it said.

Protectorate Aqua,

It has recently come to our attention that one of the necromantic sphinxes survived. Recent intelligence has revealed that it is planning to assault a nearby pegasus town. You are to report to the castle immediately for further instructions on this task. You are free to bring whoever you desire, as long as they are competent in combat.

-The Royal Duo

I looked up at Storm, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, he spoke first. "I'm coming with you."

"Me too." Lazuli's determination was more than apparent in her tone, a nice change from the flat tone she had obtained over the last several weeks following the incident with the doppelgängers.

"Then we shouldn't keep them waiting. Prepare your things; we set out as soon as possible." The house suddenly exploded into activity as we rushed about to get the needed items. It didn't take long for me to be armour clad, nor for Storm, nor for Lazuli to prepare her few arcane supplies. Once everything was set we set out.

The trip didn't take long, particularly because it was taken in haste. Once we were at the royal palace we reported in. Shortly after we finished reporting Tigerfire also arrived. He trotted in with a different set of ponies this time. He trotted up to me when he saw me. "Well, well, looks like I'm not the only Protectorate they called. I wonder if Ajiin will be here as well."

"I will be." The familiar voice caused us to both turn and look. Sure enough, that same black pony was trotting up. "Surely you didn't think that the princesses would let me leave the job undone, did you?"

"Ha-ha, you're bloody right they wouldn't. Are we ready to kill ourselves a necromancer?" I nodded, as did Ajiin. "Then let's bloody well get in there and kill that thing!"

With that, we entered into the main palace hall, where we were debriefed on the situation and placed on an airship heading for the pegasus town.

When we arrived, two things became very clear. The first: this was the same town that we had just searched to find Lazuli. The second: the sphinx was very close. The town was in commotion, running to one end. We rushed in, moving in the opposite direction. It didn't take long for us to find the sphinx, nor his undead minions. How they remained on the clouds was a mystery to me in the moment, magic I'm sure. Almost as soon as we arrived I heard it speak. "Ah, I thought I sensed your tainted presence, betrayer."

"Your terror is nigh to end, necromancer. I'll finish what I started." Ajiin's tone of disgusted defiance rang out across the square before I could so much as respond to the sphinx’s accusation.

"Ah, the pony that butchered my friends and slaughtered my fellowkind. It will feel rewarding to end you."

"You're a bloody disgrace to magic, you know that, right?"

"You're so ignorant to the true face of it that your assumed righteousness is absurd. But none are more absurd or outlandish than the traitorous snake in your midst. We saved your life, took you in, and taught you healing magic. Now you're here, murdering us and twisting your petty little friends to your convoluted lie. So tell me, horse, who is the real villain here? Because I only see blood on your hooves."

"You desecrate the dead and expect to guilt shame me for what happened when you abducted me?"

"A peculiar lie that you know to be false. We taught you what we do, but you chose to ignore us. I'm here for retribution." Magic began to flow, raising up a few of the dropped skeletons around him. With a silent command, they lurched forwards, charging towards us. I rose onto my hind legs, drawing my blades, while the four others with me drew their weapons, of whatever form that may be. It didn't take long for us to defeat the skeletal monsters, eventually turning our attention back on the sphinx. As I looked up, two streams of energy that resembled fangs or claws knocked me several yards back. I finished tumbling and arose again, turning back to the battle. The amount of arcane energy the Sphinx was using was outlandish. The other four were having difficulty fighting it. Indeed, they were barely dodging their impending destruction. I rushed back in, very quickly being engulfed in an aura of energy threatening to blast me out again. I got into a low position, trying to resist. Suddenly, the sphinx created a shockwave, blasting the other four out of the square. I skidded several feet, but my lowered position kept me from getting airborne. I arose when I felt the decrease in force. I galloped in while it recovered, but was stopped just shy of reaching it. Some unseen force was pinning me where I was, preventing me from touching the sphinx. "You appear to love headlong combat. How...barbaric. I would have thought one of such untapped, untamed magical prowess would be a little more...cautious, hm?"

I began reaching a hoof out. "You cannot reach me, horse. Your physical disgrace of magic cannot do anything to me."

When I figured it in reach, I extended my blade. It pierced the lower chest of the sphinx, perhaps no further in than the skin. It had effect enough, as I dropped from the force holding me back. I went to strike again, but was stopped by something significantly more powerful. It felt as if my very being was being torn from me or being torn apart. Whatever it was, the agony paralysed me. I barely managed to curl up enough to see my pearl, finding a trail of near-invisible magic, black in colour, extending from him and going into my pearl, sneaking underneath my armour plates. I couldn't even emit a gasp as I slowly dropped, losing focus. I faintly heard the others coming to my aid as I continued withering. Before too long, I lost all focus, though I knew things were going on.

By the time I knew what was around me, Lazuli was directly in front of me, seated. Storm and Ajiin were in my peripherals. Lazuli was working magic, and before too long, Storm and Ajiin helped me to a sit. I looked at the trio before me, my being slowly recovering, before realising that one was missing. When I was able to, I spoke. "Where's Tigerfire?"

The suppressed smiles on their faces dropped to sombre looks of depressed worry. I saw Storm's head shake. My hope suddenly crumbled. Lazuli moved to one side, unblocking my view of the square. The first thing I noticed was the corpse of the large sphinx, or at least the charred remains of it. Tigerfire must have hit it pretty hard, my guess being from the surrounding carnage. The next thing I noticed was the large red streak that broke from the radius of destruction. My eyes followed it to find the shrivelled corpse of an orange pony. It was hard to tell the colour of its hide due to the massive volume of crimson liquid that coated the body. Not believing what I saw, I tried to get up. Ajiin went to sit me back down, but perhaps Storm understood my intentions. He allowed, even helped, me to rise and trot over. Upon arriving, getting a closer look, I concluded that it had to be Tigerfire. The body was shrivelled up, looking like it was entirely without any fluid. There was no pool of blood beneath his corpse, just the massive streak before it. "What happened?"

Ajiin spoke. "We tried to take advantage of his weakened state from channeling into you. The wound might have helped too, but it wasn't enough. We got it off of you and continued the battle. Ultimately, fearing you died, Tigerfire charged as much magic as he could in a bout of vengeful rage. Anypony a mile off could see the strain on his face. He launched it, the massive fireball, hoping that it was too distracted to block it. As a reaction, perhaps hoping to extinguish the massive ball of fire before it hit its mark, the sphinx ripped all of Tigerfire's blood out of his body, but the transfer didn't fully happen before the fire hit, killing the sphinx. So Tigerfire's blood, his entire body's worth, is strewn between the two corpses."

I sat down again, overwhelmed. Lazuli was the next to speak. "I know now might not be the time, but we need to get back and report, both to the princesses and to your Order. Tigerfire was a member of it, wasn't he?

"He was."

"I agree with Lazuli. Storm might object, but we need to move."

"You can rest at home, Aqua. I'll make sure nopony bothers you, not even Bane or Galaxia."

"Thanks, Storm. I guess you guys are right." I sighed before struggling to my hooves, even with the help of my armour. "Let's get going."

Ajiin picked up the remains of Tigerfire before we made our way back to the airship. From there, we set off from the town, eventually arriving at the palace docks once more. From there, we entered the palace. The report was given, my memory of it dull from my numb mental state, before setting out towards the Order.

When we arrived, naturally, the Guildmaster ordered a report. Ajiin stepped forward in the little meeting in the Main Hall. "So then tell me, Ajiin, what happened up there, and why do you have Tigerfire's withered body accompanying you?"

"When we arrived in the pegasus town, it was pretty routine finding the sphinx, but that's where it ended. The combat was quick and highly intense, and Tigerfire gave his life to ensure the sphinx died. Aqua nearly lost her life as well buying time."

"So the threat was eliminated?"

"Yes. Charred remains are all that remains of the sphinx."

"Excellent. As sad of news as it is that any of our Order perished, it is comforting that his sacrifice was not in vain. We'll begin searching for a replacement. You may leave the body here for proper burial, and return to your lives." Ajiin nodded, bidding me to do the same. We then took our leave. As we were trotting to the entrance, he spoke to me again.

"Well, Aqua, I think you might need some rest. You still seem shaken."

"I am. It's hard not to be when something tries destroying your soul rather than your body."

"Followed by what you saw, I don't blame you. Even I'm taking a slight break after that display. I've never seen anything so violent..." He shook his head. "I should be back within a few days, if not a week."

"Alright. I don't know how long it will take me."

"I'll see you eventually then, huh?"

"Yeah, seems so."

"Alright then. I'll see you around Aqua. And, as always, you know how to call me." I nodded. "See you."

He disappeared in a poof of smoke, leaving me alone. I turned my attention back to the trail outside of the Sanctuary. I then began the lonely trek back home.

When I arrived back home, however, I found something I wasn't expecting. Standing by the front door was a pony clad in hide and cloth, two large axes on his back. His stature was large, his frame broad, and the strength of such a stallion was undeniable. His coat was painted with blue lines, from the tip of his muzzle all the way to his hind hooves. As I trotted closer I slowed down, eventually calling out to the pony. "Can I help you?"

"I seek for Aqua."

"You found me. What can I do for you?" He drew one of his axes, causing me to take a step back.

"I demand a rematch. I will win what was mine."

"...you're kidding, right?"

"Are you mocking this fight?"

"Yes, I am. Look, I'm going to be honest with you: I'm exhausted and shaken from some recent, very brutal events. I have neither the desire nor the time to deal with this diversion. I need rest."

"There is no rest for the weary. Prepare your weapon or die!" He came charging in, forcing me to roll out of his reach. "Cowardice as always, I see."

"It's called exhaustion, Battlescar."

"At least you remember the name of the pony you stole a destiny from." He came back in, causing me to whip into action. As he swung his axe, I kicked in the opposite direction, connecting with the swinging hilt. It launched his head back the other way, almost knocking me over from the force. I recovered faster than he did, so I issued a few swift kicks to his face, jaw and neck. This ultimately caused him to drop the axe. I slammed into him before he could recover, forcing him away from the weapon and giving me enough time to grab it myself. "Weh-hell, would you look at that? You've got some guts in ye now!"

He drew his other axe and charged back in. I parried his blow with ease, moving towards him. I applied my presence and strength, pressuring him heavily. He could tell that his headstrong, direct approach was failing him, my own brutish strength outweighing him. Within a few minutes, the battle of dominance had ended, the axe in my control held closely to his neck. I eventually spat it out, letting it clunk down beside him. "As predictable as ever, Battlescar, you lost. Please just give it up, return to your tribe, and just let me rest."

I turned and began trotting away. After a few paces, I heard a grunt. Within the time of a few blinks, a sharp pain caused my back right leg to buckle, making me fall. I wheeled around to look at the pain, finding a small throwing axe stuck in my leg. I yanked it out, grunting in pain, before turning about to face Battlescar. He was getting up, reaching for his axe. I hurled the axe with as much force as I could muster. If I didn't sink the blade, at least it would knock him out. The axe did, however, sink into its target, hitting so hard that it froze his left shoulder in place. He fell over, giving me time to limp over. With a gruff tone, I barked at him. "I gave you a chance to surrender, but you refused. We could have avoided this, Battlescar, but you refused. Now look at where we are. A severe injury to both of our legs, highly limiting our mobility. Is that what you wanted? To cripple us both?"

"I wanted what was rightfully mine." His response was grunted, perhaps interrupted by his pain.

"It never was yours to begin with! You lost to me in every single battle! You were never meant to be a Protectorate; your fury closed that door."

"So then what do I have?"

"Are you not one of your tribe's best fighters?"

"I am chief."

"The act like a chief! Be the leader they need you to be! Being down here is basically abandoning them."

"I would do no such thing!"

"Yet here you are. Look, go back to your tribe. Be their leader. You were born for that, so do it. You have an entire tribe relying on your protection. I don't, and it's not like I get benefits like you do. Your job is better than mine. I mean, for Celestia’s sake, more outsiders recognise your title than mine."

He sighed. "You're right. Thank you, Aqua of the Order. I was blinded by the aspirations of my youth. I will not forget this service you have rendered unto my tribe. If you are ever in need of our assistance our weapons are yours."

"I don’t need anything at the current time, but I can have your injuries tended to. If nothing else, I won’t have you leaving here in a terribly weakened condition."

"It would be appreciated, my fellow warrior." I nodded and limped my way inside. Storm arose when I opened the door.

"Everything alright?"

"I need healing, for Battlescar and me."

"Battlescar?"

"He's out front, got an axe lodged in his shoulder."

"Oh. But who-"

"We go a ways back, but this isn't the time for small talk." I looked back at my leg, which caused Storm to glance at it. When I looked back up at him I saw his expression change, most likely when he finally noticed the long red gash and the crimson that seemed to lazily leak from it. He quickly got into motion, wrapping the leg tightly and sitting me down within the house. He then went outside, leaving me on the inside. Rather than rest on the couch, I decided my room might be a better option. I limped my way there, making my way up the stairs before heading directly for the bed. Once I had climbed onto the bed, an interesting task in and of itself, I laid down to rest. At this point, I openly welcomed the chance. Before much time had passed I closed my eyes and embraced the sleep I knew was sure to come.

It was almost a week later, my leg having mostly recovered, when a knock on my bedroom door bid me to make my way downstairs. I opened the door to welcome the guest inside. Rather than finding Storm on the other side of the door, it was Bane who trotted in. Knowing that Bane only came for matters of significant importance, shifted my general attitude. I quickly adopted a sombre expression rather than the welcoming gaze I had to begin with. I then addressed him. "What is it, Bane? You don't normally visit unless there's something that needs doing."

"Storm's group has been captured."

"They what?"

"Storm was on a reconnaissance mission when he was beset by the Serpanians."

"Weren't they the same group that captured him before?"

"Yes."

"So he's in pretty grave danger?"

"Most likely, yeah."

"Help me over to my things."

"Wait, are you seriously thinking about going out there while you're injured?"

"Yes."

"You're insane! It's highly dangerous while completely healthy; while injured, it will be suicide going in there!"

"I'd rather die trying than sit around knowing he's in danger."

He shook his head, letting out a scoff. "And you say you don't care about him."

"Just get me to my armour."

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you." He did, indeed, help me, making sure I successfully limped my way over to my armour. While I was putting it on, I heard the door of the house open. We both turned as the clanking of metal plates unfolding echoed. Storm stood in the doorway, and behind him stood a suit of white armour. A closer look revealed to my mind the familiarity of the armour. Before we could even speak, Storm, the armoured pony, and about a half-dozen more trotted inside. The pony in the White armour, a mare, spoke.

"Well, we meet again."

"You again?"

"Yes. If it deals with Storm, the Serpanians, the order Bane is in or even MoonDusk, you can be certain that there is a good chance that I will be involved."

"So am I going to learn anything about your order, if I'm going to be involved in it? Or are you going to keep me in the dark forever?"

"I suppose you are entitled to information now, seeing as we can trust you. My name is Cularix Frosthoof. The name is my father's, so before you ask: no, my hooves don't leave frost in their wake. Irrelevant information aside, it’s time you know who we truly are. Our band of desperate fighters is known as the Bruising Initiative. We are far outnumbered by the Serpanians, as much of an understatement as that is."

"Why haven't they attacked your city yet?"

"The landscape's special properties when it rains, and how unpredictable the weather is, make it impossible to move a large force across the Gap. Indeed, did you not get stuck while returning?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Then you know from experience the danger of the Gap. That point aside, you should know why we split from the Serpanians, our brothers and sisters in arms. When our leader met with MoonDusk, and subsequently swore our allegiance to her, not everypony agreed. In the ensuing protest, the military cracked down hard. Nearly a third of the original population revolted after the violence started, but we were in the wrong position for that kind of attack. We were easily defeated and hunted down mercilessly. The order was shoot first and ask questions later for any with even the slightest tie to the revolt. We were driven out of the city, left in the Gap, which used to be called the Mud Plains. After immense difficulty, we managed to find a small cave. We used it for shelter, and over the course of a few years we managed to construct this city. As far as we are aware, the Serpanians still don't know our location. I fear what may happen if they did, which is why we always strike first with misleading signals. Every drop off point is different. Every pair of short-range communication devices is placed differently. It's kept us safe for well over several decades now."

"Decades? How long has MoonDusk been around?"

"Many of us who are growing were mere fillies and colts, if even born, at the time MoonDusk came to us. Those who first swore allegiance have almost all passed from this life, granting their hatred for us to their young. As it pertains to the timeline of MoonDusk’s reign, the Serpanians were among the first to join her, but we could tell from the dark glint in her eye that her intent was evil. Apparently, our leaders were too oblivious."

"Ok. I don't think I have any more questions, aside from asking what Storm is doing here if they were attacked."

"He escaped with the rest of his group."

"Except for one." Storm's voice rang out above our own. "I don't think she's as stubborn as I am with information, so we could be in grave danger if we don't rush to save her."

"Storm, do you have the ponies and the ability to intercede?"

"...no." It grew silent, as if impending doom rested before these ponies.

"I can." My voice echoed out almost before I could think. "I can free her."

"What about your leg?" Storm’s concern was genuine, but I wished it hadn’t arose at that moment.

"It's fine. Even if it wasn't-"

"Which it isn’t." Bane's voice cut over mine, causing me to pause momentarily.

"Even then, I'd rather go while injured and save a city than just sit back idly."

"Aqua, I believe we discussed this while I helped limp over to your armour."

"My armour has hydraulics to help me. It's also stronger than a lot of conventional weapons, so it will protect me from their weapons." It grew quiet once more. After several moments Cularix finally spoke.

"Storm, are you certain you cannot head out, that you have nopony else?"

"Yes."

"...well, I guess we have no other option. Aqua, you're up. Scour their base, find the mare. Stealth does not matter, as your armour is clearly different from ours. You are to leave as soon as you can."

"Then let's get to your city then. I'm ready now." I equipped my helmet, having the last few plates unfold to cover my head. When they had, Cularix had already opened the door. I followed her out as we began to traverse the same route as we had trotted before. At least, I think it was the same route; my eyes were closed the first, and only, time we made the journey to their base.

Cularix took the teleporter first, leaving me to take it afterwards. As I arrived, it was clear to tell how uneasy the guards were. Trotting through the hallways was difficult, requiring that any of the small ponies coming from the other direction either turned around or ducked into a nearby doorway. This time, however, instead of getting a suit and heading for underground tunnels, we took the direct path. The narrow tunnels eventually opened up into a large cave. It was about two and a half stories tall, spanning the width of several buildings and extending some several hundred yards over a gentle downgrade. At the end was a wall, one of polished rock and metal. There appeared to be what looked like slots for weapons to fire from, a feature more noticeable the closer we got. We eventually made our way to the doors, which were nothing more than one hoof thick metal plates that slid open, and entered. We climbed up to the second story, finally ending up in the one room I recognised. Again, there were several ponies gathered around a table with a map and other information on it. As we entered, the other ponies all looked up. One of them spoke first.

"Cularix, what's the news?"

"You all remember our friend Aqua, correct? She freed Storm from the Serpanians not too long ago."

"Yes, we remember fondly."

"She stands before you once more." Commotion broke out in the room before Cularix managed to silence them again. "She is here to rescue our captured warrior."

"That's not her stealth suit. What is the plan for her then?"

"She will go loud. The more of them she eliminates, the better."

"Now hold on. I'm not going in there to murder an entire civilisation." My protest was, as I had imagined it, well placed and sincere. Unfortunately, this wasn’t exactly the place for such a concern.

"No, you're not, but don't feel hesitant to lower their numbers. It would help us out in the long run."

"That's not who I am, and it goes against everything I believe in."

"Then perhaps you should believe in a group of ponies who fear the rising dawn of each new day, a group of ponies who dread the thought that they could be discovered at any time and murdered like hapless, helpless cattle by a force much larger and equipped in a manner far superior." The room grew deathly silent, Cularix' comment refusing to leave room for response. "You head out immediately. You will receive no transmissions, no communication or direction; the task of finding her is entirely up to you."

I nodded, letting the chatter of those in the room die down. When things grew quiet again, Cularix spoke. "Follow me. I will lead you to the front gate. From there, it's all in your hooves."

Again I nodded. She then led the way out of the room, navigating the narrow, twisting labyrinth of hallways. After a while of weaving our way about the many tiny halls a small metal gate, built into the side of the rock, opened and allowed me out. I had to duck underneath the top of the doorway, and barely fit through with regards to my sides. Shortly after I left through the opening, the small entrance closed behind me once again. I turned my attention to the dreary, grey landscape before me. Having the general heading from Cularix, I set out, hoping I successfully found my target.

Perhaps it was later in the day than I had figured, or that it took longer than anticipated, but it was well into the night by the time I arrived at the barely-illuminated, rusty city wall. I trotted my way to the front gate, eventually managing to find it in the near-pitch black of the moonless night. I unsheathed a blade and waited for it to superheat, the faint glow acting like a full-fledged torch in such dark conditions. Once the blade was white-hot I drove it into the wall as far as I could, eventually placing my hoof on the surface of the wall. Using all the strength I could muster I pulled the blade around in a circle that I figured would be large enough to fit me. Once the circle was complete I turned around and bucked it as hard as I dared. The wound on my leg echoed paralysing pain after the heavy impact. When I turned back around, I found the chunk shoved inwards, but not quite out of the socket. The deafening noise that had run out from the hefty metallic impact certainly drew the attention of the guards, though. A form of alarm sounded off, eventually ringing louder than the metallic wall. When I was able to, I pulled my legs in for another round. I took a deep breath, anticipating the wall of pain. The strike brought it, predictably, but I heard a lot more commotion after this impact. I barely managed to turn about, a heavy limp slowing my motion. A hole sat in the middle of the wall, granting me entrance. I eventually trotted within, at least when the pain had subsided enough to allow me to, only to find a line of guards having re-formed around the circular block of gate. Several red streaks led up to the chunk, indicating the unfortunate death of at least one of them. When I entered I heard them give the command to 'fire at will'. I was suddenly getting pelted by little metallic spheres, most likely the kind that Storm had told me about. As far as I could tell, I didn't feel the sting that signified that they were penetrating my armour. I reared up onto my hind legs and drew my two blades. Perhaps the sight of me becoming so large shot terror amongst those trying to stop me. So much so, in fact, that few remained nearby. After the last few shots, the path was emptied entirely. I was alone, so I withdrew my blades again and dropped down to all four once more. I was glad to get a lot of the weight off of my injured leg, if nothing else. Seeing as the path was now completely open, I began trotting towards the main building where the prison block was.

Upon arriving at the gate, I found quite a few more soldiers garrisoned. They also had larger weaponry than the last group, including a few wide, open-mouthed metallic cylinders. Upon seeing their reluctance to move, I reared up onto my hind legs and drew my blades. Suddenly, a loud boom echoed out. A large, metal ball, misshapen by the scraps it was made from, hurtled towards me. I didn't have time to avoid the ball and was very swiftly carried off of my hooves. Once my legs clipped the ground again, almost immediately flopping me onto the ground, the ball rolled over top of me, momentarily pinning me down. When it passed I arose once more. With a grunt, the blunt trauma of such a large strike stinging, I shook myself and began charging at them. It was hard to gallop, my injured leg slowing me down, but I was making good ground. I heard a few more booms and saw the corresponding orbs flying towards me. This time, however, I had more time to react. I ducked into the alleyways to the right, making my way between the houses. I continued my pace, but set the warp core for the other side of the street. I heard the ding as I galloped between the houses. I also heard shuffling and orders for them to watch their left. I activated the warp core, being placed onto the other side of the street. My coordinates put me inside of a house, so I had to leave before continuing my approach. Once outside again, I began galloping towards the gate. I burst from the alleyways, finding mostly their sides to greet me. I reared up as quickly as possible, drawing my blades. I didn't wait for them to heat up, as the guards were now turning their attention towards me. I began cutting them down, the crimson stains flying. Before they had time to so much as draw their weapons, I had sundered every last one of them. I turned to the gate before me before sinking my now-heated blades into it. Once more I cut a circle big enough to fit through. I then turned around, taking in a deep breath in anticipation of the ensuing pain. I bucked back, feeling the pain I knew would come. When I turned around, I found the section had moved, but was not fully removed. I turned back around with a groan and kicked again, this strike being significantly weaker than the others. Upon hearing the lack of impact from the section falling, I bucked again. I heard the metallic clanking and knew the piece had finally fallen. I turned about once more, at least when the pain subsided, and trotted within. The familiar garden-like interior greeted my eyes, with one exception: guards again lined the path before me. I sighed, but was very quickly cut off by the sound of guards behind me. Turning around revealed them to be clumping around the hole in the other side of the door. Out of curiosity, I looked up the wall. Standing at the top, lined up in the neatest row I had seen, were yet more guards. My attention was drawn back to the front, causing me to face the crackling sound I heard. A pony stood in front of the rest of the guards, a cone-shaped object before is face. "Surrender now and we might let you off with light torture."

"You know, that doesn't seem like something I'd be willing to submit to."

"We have you surrounded and grossly out gunned. Give yourself up or face the consequences."

"Your silly little weapons don't do anything to my armour. You're the only ones that should surrender. I won't have to kill you then."

"Our heavy ordinance is in place, with sights on you. Last warning, intruder: give yourself to us as a prisoner or die." I looked up at the large structure, finding a dozen or so points sticking out of it. I tilted my head. "Do I need to spell it out for you? Fire a bolt!"

I got into a low stance, ready to dodge. One of the points fired. Behind the projectile was fire, coming out of the back of it and pushing it forwards at a faster rate. I rolled to the side, barely managing to get out of the way of the hurtling ballista bolt. The jagged, wicked head of it sunk deep into the ground a few mere inches to the side of me. I quickly looked back towards the ponies before me. "So, are you going to surrender? Or will we pin your eviscerated remains to the ground with those things?"

I rose to a stand once more and began trotting to the side. I read my coordinates and adjusted a teleportation location to a rough estimate of where the enemy was. I continued trotting back and forth, hoping my warp core would charge. The spokespony was having none of it. "You're wasting our time. Ballistae, open fire!"

Suddenly, the area became deafeningly loud as all the projectiles fired. The bolts careened towards me as I broke into a gallop. As soon as the ding resounded in my suit, I warped. I was directly behind the spokespony, who went to look around wildly. I drew a blade and sunk it straight through the back of his head, feeling his weight as his body quickly fell limp. I kicked his body off, the storm of propelled bolts finally hitting the ground where I had been. I raised up on my hind legs and drew my other blade. As I did so, the courtyard erupted in another deafening roar, but this time it was from the weapons the ponies had. Sounds of ricocheting projectiles rang out, and a few of the guards suffered friendly fire from the deflected scrap balls. I quickly set out to cutting down those around me. Within a few mere minutes, my shot to the sewers was open. As this was the route I knew, and the one I knew would have the least number of ponies that I had to murder, I bolted for it. No sooner had I opened the hatch and begin squeezing myself down, than I heard the ballistae fire again. I barely managed to slip my tail in after me when I felt the impact of the bolt as it collided with the ground beside the entrance. The jarring force helped launch me down the hatch and into the waters below with a heavy thud. I heard distant shouting from above, pertaining to the sewers, but disregarded it and began my gallop.

I vaguely remembered the path I had taken to escape the last time and followed it as closely as I could. It took several guesses, each leading to an empty room with things like showers, before I managed to find the one to the prison. As I was approaching the exit, I heard the sound of rushing water. It didn't increase in volume, but it still caused me to look for the source. I found it to be the water at my hooves. Wait, no, it was above my hooves; it was rising. I quickly turned my attention to the exit and climbed up. When I arrived at the top, I carefully lifted the lid and looked around. There were no guards in the immediate vicinity, so I climbed out and closed the grate behind me. I began making my way down the hallway, cell by cell. The first few had no prisoners, so I continued moving down the block. As I rounded the corner, I came face to face, rather, chest to face with a guard. "Hey!"

Before he could say more, I quickly unsheathed a blade and sunk it into his neck. His gurgled attempts of fear filled communication were cut off when I yanked the blade out to one side. I then doubled back, sending the head rolling across the floor. I sheathed my blade before dragging the corpse, and its respective head, into an empty cell. I activated the lock, leaving the corpse behind the wall of energy, and continued on.

The search took longer than I thought it would, and left more bodies than I had hoped I would have to leave. Not all died in the same brutal manner, but none were left alive. As for the prisoners, each time I found one I'd ask where they were from. Most responded with something along the lines of 'the outer city'. One pony, however, became defensive. My approach was as it had been before. "Prisoner: from whence do you hail?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Her shrill tone caused the sentence to come out as an attack rather than a spat remark.

"Yes, I would, thank you."

"I've told you scum a thousand times: it doesn't matter how much you whip me, I won't tell you."

"So you're not a Serpanian?"

"No! To have the inference that I was one is plain insulting!"

"Good. You're exactly the one I'm looking for."

"Based on how blatantly ignorant you are of the very clear, physical differences between us, I'd say you're an outsider. Either that, or a really stupid Serpanian."

"I'm an outsider. I was sent to break you out."

"By who, exactly?"

"Cularix." Her face changed immediately, as did her tone.

"If you know her name, then you clearly are a friend of ours; none of the Serpanians have even heard of her, and we intend to keep it that way. I was starting to wonder when aid would arrive, though, so I’m glad you came. Get me out of here and let's get moving. The next patrol arrives in about ten minutes."

"How do you-"

"I've been here long enough."

"Fair enough." I trotted over and deactivated the energy wall, allowing the mare to leave.

"Follow me. I know which way to go." She began trotting away before I had the chance to respond. When I had caught up to the quietly cantering mare I finally got the chance to ask.

"How do you know which way to go?"

"The reason I was here in the first place, and the reason I got caught, was because I was mapping their underground tunnels. It would have been my intel that you used to rescue Storm last time. Unfortunately, it was flawed. I know the way now."

"Is it through the sewers?"

"That's one way."

"Not any more. They flooded it."

"You came in loud, did you?"

"Mhm."

"There are battlements that we might be able to fit out of. Once there, we'd be out of the palace and into the courtyard."

"If the holes are still there, we'd have a straight shot out."

"And then...wait." She halted suddenly, bidding me to do the same. I listened intently to see if I could figure it out. It was then that I heard several sets of hoofsteps approaching. I drew a blade in anticipation. "What are you doing?"

Her tone was little more than a harsh whisper. Mine was a bit gentler. "The same thing I did with the other guards."

"You're going to kill them?"

"Quick and quiet, just like the others."

"...alright then." I reared up onto my hind legs and drew the other blade. By the time they had both heated up, the guards rounded the nearby corner. I made my way over quickly, relatively at least, as they drew their weapons with shouts. Within seconds of my arrival, the six guards were decimated; their scorched and cauterised bodies lay limply upon the ground. I sheathed the blades and lowered myself to a regular stance again, just in time for the mare to trot up. "I can see why they sent you in loud."

"I would have preferred stealth."

"Either way, they know we're here; let's get moving."

"Lead on, then." She nodded and began trotting forwards once more. All I could do was follow behind her.

We made our way through twisting passageways, barely managing to evade a few patrols along the way. We eventually made our way to a set of decently large doors, which she bid me towards. I trotted over and kicked the doors in, an easy feat in and of itself. There were a few ponies within, standing beside what looked like it could have been a ballista, who turned in surprise. I reared up and drew my blades, but the five of them dropped their weapons and began backing away with their ears down. I dropped down onto my front hooves after sheathing my blades, eventually addressing them. "Stand down, leave your weapons, and forget you ever saw us. Do this and you will live to see tomorrow."

Their fearful faces were all I needed to see. With the mare now by my side, I turned my attention to her. "Lead on, then. They won't be a bother anymore."

She nodded and trotted over to one of the slits from where the ballistae protrude. She then worked her way out of it, slipping out of view. I decided to follow suit, trotting up to the slit. A quick glance and it was clear that I wouldn't fit. I turned about and bucked back as hard as I could. I grimaced and groaned, the pain hitting once more. I limped out a 180 turn and looked at my work. A large chunk of the window was warped and broken, most likely giving me room to slip out. With such an idea, I began squirming through the expanded gap. I eventually popped out the other side, free falling for several moments before landing with a thud and a wave of pain in my leg. When the area came into focus I was amidst a pile of rubble on the grassy exterior of the citadel. The mare was trotting up quickly. "First of all: get up. We don't have time to sit around. They'll know now. Second: were you trying to kill me?!"

I grunted as I arose. "There's a hole in both of the gates. It's a straight shot out."

"Then let's go." She began galloping away, leaving me to limp as best as I could behind her. I made my way out of the gap and looked down the road. There was a grouping around the front gate, and what looked like the chunk of door being raised. I was making my way down when I noticed the mare hiding in the buildings to the right. I glanced over to ensure she was safe before continuing. As I was approaching, the guards turned about.

"There it is! Open fire!" They raised their weapons and began pelting me with their ordinance. I limped my way over, the ponies backing up before me. I raised up onto my hind legs and drew my blades. My stance was shaky at best, my injured leg unable to support this much weight anymore, even with the help of the hydraulics in the suit. Several of the guards lowered their weapons, cowering in my shadow, while others began fleeing. A few remained armed, continuing the barrage in vain. They outpaced me, so I retracted my blades and dropped to my front hooves again. My limp was quick enough to catch one, the small leap helping me to pin the guard. I held it firmly, drawing a blade with my free leg. With a swift strike, a large gash was left in the pony's throat. I then dropped the body and turned to the remaining forces.

"Which one of you wants to paint my armour next?"

Within a few moments, the area was cleared. Within a minute after they fled, the mare was beside me again. "The gate was closed."

"I just have to buck it out again."

"Each time you bucked things, your limp got worse. Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Even if I couldn't, it wouldn't matter; I'd do it anyways."

"Alright then..." I turned my back to the gate again and pulled in my hind legs. I kicked back as best as I could, shifted backwards, and kicked again. I repeated this pattern as best as I could, eventually being worn down to shoving with one hoof. The metal chunk fell eventually, but I could not apply any pressure to my leg afterwards. "You're crazy. I don't know how you manage to do all of this. Can you still even trot?"

"I can manage."

"...alright then. Let's go. I can lead us back." She exited the hole in the wall, bidding me to do the same. My three-legged trot barely got me through the hole as I fought fiercely to catch up.

An accurate description of the two day journey was 'fought fiercely'. It's never an easy task trotting on three hooves, especially not when the simplest motion sends shockwaves of discomfort up your numb leg. Regardless, we eventually made our way back to the hidden city. When we arrived, the cave was silent for several minutes as we stood about. After that, we heard the sound of motion as the gates opened. We trotted our way in, finding the familiar armour of Cularix standing not too far in. "So, another success. Follow me to our headquarters to report."

I began trotting behind her, the other mare accompanying us, but was losing my strength to continue. It wasn't much farther in than the first few intersections before my body gave up. Not even the hydraulics could maintain me anymore. Cularix whipped around when the resonating of my armour rang out from the impact with the floor. "Aqua!"

She galloped over. "Are you alright?"

"I'm exhausted."

“You’re in worse shape than that.” The mare spoke out.

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.”

"How is she not?"

“Her leg is injured."

"How injured?"

"I don't know. I can't even touch it without searing pain shooting up my spine."

"That's pretty messed up then. We need to get you to the medical bay." She tried to lift me, finding my overwhelming mass to be too much. "Can you help me help you?"

“Can’t you manage the three-legged trot any further, even with our help?” I groaned, forcing myself as best as I could. I managed to get into a seated position, as painful as the shifting was. It was with the help of the two mares that I was able to rise again. After I accomplished such, we began trotting once more; Cularix continued to glance back at me in a concerned manner.

We eventually made our way to a medical bay, the familiar symbol hanging off the front to signify it. Once inside, the personnel began addressing us. Orders were given, my armour eventually being powered down. I heard a gasp from the mare I had rescued, an expression of disbelief from Cularix, and shouted orders from the personnel. I turned back to look at my leg. What met my view was the bloody remains of my leg; the wound from Battlescar's axe had split open and compounded. I couldn't tell where the actual cut had been, or where the splitting occurred; the red-soaked hide was the same colour as the flesh beneath it. When I turned back around, a large cart had been wheeled in. The personnel around it were trying their best to get me onto it, eventually lowering it and shoving me onto it. They were preparing things as they carted me away, eventually putting a mask on my muzzle. Before too long, the world was falling out of focus.

When next I awoke I was in a room by myself. It wasn't large, obviously, and I hardly fit in the bed anyways. I went to get up, finding my hind leg to be stiffer than I remember. I pulled aside the blanket to find thick wrappings on my leg. I didn't manage to catch myself before words slipped my mouth. "What the...?"

I did the best that I could and got out of the bed. The pain I felt in my leg seemed distant, but real enough to keep me off of it. I barely managed the stumbling three-legged trot that I did, making my way to the door. I opened it and trotted out side. I then made my way down several hallways, entirely lost, before I heard a gasp and something hit the metallic floor. I turned around, barely managing to do so thanks to my size in these narrow tunnels, to find a stallion standing there. His eyes were wide in fear, his mouth agape. Before I could speak, he was practically blurting out his response. "What are you doing out here?! Your leg has hardly healed! You need to lay back down!"

"Where am I? How long has it been?"

"A few days, hardly enough time for your leg to recover."

"How much longer would it take?"

"Weeks, maybe a month."

"No. I can't wait that long to return home. I must leave now."

"You can't!"

"Where's my armour?"

"I won't let you!"

I looked at him blankly for a moment. "Are you threatening to try and stop me?"

My tone was hushed, but intense. It did the trick, as he took a step back. "N-no, but I won't let you leave here, not this soon, at least."

"Look, I'm about twice your size. I defeated an entire army, broke two metal doors, shattered a stone wall AND fell several stories on this injury. If you think it's going to stop me from finding my armour and getting myself back home then you've clearly lost your mind."

"You're the one that's lost your mind! You're trotting around on something like that? Did you see the spider web of-?"

"Just tell me where my blasted armour is, whelp!" My tone rung out, the frustration getting to me. Such was unbecoming of me, but I could not contain myself. Perhaps what was causing the distant feeling was also causing my lack of emotional control. Whatever it was, the outburst caused the pony to swallow hard and develop a slight tremble.

"R-right. I-it's at the front d-d-desk. They have it."

"And which way is that?" He was silent for a moment. "Tell me!"

With a sudden burst of speed in his voice, he responded. "It's down the hall behind me. Take a left, go straight until you can only go right, then take the first left after that. You'll be out in the waiting room."

"Thank you." He nodded and swallowed hard, backing up into one of the nearby doorways as I trotted by. I followed his directions to the full extent, albeit slowly with my limp, and found myself in the lobby as he had described. Several of the ponies therein turned and looked, curious expressions on their faces. They all wore suits of armour, much like the tight fitting one I obtained previously. I recalled the words of Cularix regarding such, and another glance over the ponies revealed an underside of disgust in their looks. I barely made my way to the counter, standing before a mare. She was seated in front of some kind of display, looking between it and the paper she had. When she finally looked up, the tone of her voice changed entirely. "How may I help...what are you doing here?!"

It was a hushed, but intense, question. "I need my armour."

"You're assigned to be down for six more weeks!" Through clenched teeth she responded in her whisper.

"I can make it. Just give me the armour, please."

"Look, I don't care who you are. I can't just disobey the doctor's orders like that. Go back to the bed and resume your needed rest."

"No."

"What do you mean, 'no'?"

"I'm not going back to that room. I'm returning home."

"So you wish to disobey direct orders from a professional?"

"Yeah, basically."

"It's a wonder you can hold a job."

"My job is what put me in this situation to begin with. Give me the armour so I can recover back home."

"No."

I let out a sigh of frustration. "Look, if you want to be this stubborn, you can ask the nurse what happened."

Just then, the pony from the hallway trotted behind the desk. "Is this true, Darelin?"

"Give her the armour."

"Wha-?"

"Do it."

"You know the doctor's orders. She's not supposed to-"

"She also wasn't supposed to be awake for four more weeks, but that didn't happen. Give her the armour."

"I can't go against the doctor's orders like that."

"I don't want her in here." He began trotting back to the door from whence he came. "She frightens me. Could be dangerous."

With that, he left. The mare turned back around to face me. "...um...right...ok, well, I guess I should see you on your way then."

"I'll need my armour first."

"We're placing it on the conveyor belt. It'll come out of the little chute on the right of you." I turned and looked, finding a small section of the front with a strip of elevated ground. Atop it was a black strip that constantly moved in one direction. After a few moments more, I heard grunting from the back of the room, followed by a loud thud. Within several moments, the familiar mechanism rolled out along the belt. I limped over and retrieved it, putting it on and letting out a sigh of relief. I began limping my way to the door and turned around before leaving.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Her tone was flatter than the wastes outside the city. Not wanting to overstay my welcome, I left.

I managed to limp my way to the command centre, eventually managing to find Cularix. She had her back turned, as she was addressing a group of ponies. "Cularix."

She turned about, recognising my voice. "...Aqua? I thought you had several more weeks in the hospital?"

"I don't have time to be hospitalised. I have matters to tend to."

"Well, I guess, since you're here, you might as well give the report." I nodded, to which she turned back to the other ponies. "I will continue your briefing after she has given her report."

They acknowledged her remark and departed. Cularix then turned to me, bidding me follow her. Through the twisting hallways we trotted, or rather one of us trotted while the other limped, until we made our way to the same chamber I had been in before each of my missions. When we arrived Cularix spoke into a small device with slits in it. I was curious what kind of machine it was, but decided not to ask. "Now that I have radioed the other leaders, we wait. You will report when they arrive."

We waited for a few minutes before four other ponies entered. They, too, were clad in different armours. Two of them had large, bulky suits with weaponry clearly plastered all over them. The other two, like Cularix, had sleek suits. Unlike Cularix, however, theirs were dark colours, stealth suits as I could guess. One in the heavy suits spoke first. His voice rang out as a deep echo, as if a low baritone. "Ah, so you must be the one. Cularix told us of your merits concerning Storm. You've outperformed yourself yet again. It takes serious willpower to fight until you collapse, but it can also be reckless. I'm interested in a report you could give that pushed you to that point."

"It's neither complex nor overly heroic. I cut a hole in their front gate, murdered some guards, cut a hole in their inner gate, escaped the guards, took the sewers, arrived at the dungeons, murdered some guards, found the target, murdered some guards, made our way out, left the inner gate, arrived at the outer gate, murdered some guards, and then escaped."

"That is not the kind of effort that would cause collapse, and I know you're not so weak as to faint from such. You cut holes in thick metal plates and kicked them out, I'm assuming."

"I did."

"Then what's the catch?"

"Since she won't answer, I will." Cularix' voice rang out. "She was injured prior to the mission. A deep laceration and muscular damage to the hind leg, if I recall from the medical reports."

"So you performed a full frontal assault while injured? I wouldn't take Serpanian defences so lightly if I were you."

"If I managed what I did while injured, I'd more than be able to wipe them out while healed and at full strength."

"Don't flatter yourself. Their defences-"

"We get it, Polcriax, you were in charge of their defences before you were removed by force. Cularix has shown us a very powerful ally, one that could turn the tide of battle."

"Just because I can destroy their entire military doesn't mean I'm going to; that's not my fight."

"So you would abandon us?"

"No, but going out and committing genocide is not what my job as a Protectorate entails, or even supports." It fell quiet. After a few awkward moments, I spoke again. "You have your report. I will take my leave now. I have resting to do."

I turned as best I could and took a couple of limped steps before hearing the male voice again. "Thank you for your assistance. It is a shame you refuse to save us from this fate."

I paused, without looking back, and uttered my response. "I'm not a changer of fates. I'm just a pony with a sword."

I left, hobbling my way out of the room. As I was going down the hallway, Cularix caught up and began speaking. "You'll have to forgive Polcriax. He's still bitter over being deposed, and he wants to burn the whole city because of it. We only kept him because of how competent he was at commanding the battlefield."

"I don't blame him; if I lost my home or was overthrown by back-biting wretches, I'd be pretty upset too."

"I would like to personally thank you, Aqua."

"For what? I've already been thanked for my performance."

"With the blow you landed, perhaps the Serpanians will be slower to search for us. Not only did you save one of our members, but you bought us time too. I won't forget that."

"You're welcome. I just wish my Order had a better opinion of yours. I don't know why the Guildmaster is so violently opposed to your order. After all, you were kicked out for resisting MoonDusk, right?"

"Yes. If he hates us because of that...by the stars, I hope it doesn't connect like that." I limped in stone cold silence for a few moments, first connecting the dots before the realisation hit. It couldn't be true; the Guildmaster wouldn't swear allegiance to MoonDusk.

"I refuse to believe that he would. You can't make an order like the Protectorates, then turn on them to slaughter in somepony else's name."

"Perhaps he didn't create your order. Perhaps he inherited it." A few more moments of silence, drug on by disbelief, passed before she spoke again. "Watch your back out there, Aqua. Things might not be as they seem."

At this point, we were at the teleporter, with me on the platform. "I'll do my best."

She nodded before I was whisked away back to the other platform. I oriented myself before hobbling off of the teleporter. From thence, I slowly made my way back home.

When I arrived, I found Storm unpacking his things. When he heard the door, he turned about. Upon finding me standing in the doorway, his face lit up and he came trotting over. "Aqua, you're back!"

I began limping over to him on three legs, which almost instantly caused him to stop. "What happened? Why are you limping?"

"You remember my battle with Battlescar?"

"Kind of. Why?"

"Do you remember what injury I sustained?"

"Wasn't it on your hind leg?" I nodded. "Is it acting up?"

"Not only did I gallop on it, but I also bucked in four thick metallic gates, and put my whole weight on it a few times." He sat in dumbfounded silence. "I ripped my leg to pieces. Your order bound it up, but I wasn't going to stay there for another month."

"So it's still injured?"

"Yes. If I was going to rest, it would be here with somepony who cares." He smiled and looked away momentarily; I could have sworn his cheeks seemed a bit flustered. He eventually looked at me again.

"I guess you should take the armour off so I can assess the damage."

I nodded before trotting over to the corner where I kept my arms. I powered the armour down and, with careful manoeuvring, managed to slide it off of me without touching my hind leg to the ground. "Well, I can definitely tell which leg it is that has the injury."

I looked back at the wrapped appendage. "Yeah, not terribly hard when I'm without my armour."

I trotted over to the couch and laid down, orienting myself to keep my injured leg on top of my other one. It remained extended beyond my good leg, mostly so Storm could analyse it. He trotted over to do just such, unwrapping it. He had to do so carefully when it got down to the last layer; the bandage had stuck to my hide and threatened to tear it open whenever he pulled on it. "By the stars, Aqua, you really messed this leg up."

"I'm well aware of that."

"Did you at least manage what you were sent to do?"

"Yes, she's safe."

"So I guess that justifies this for you then, huh?"

"Absolutely."

"You're still something curious. I've never met a pony that will drive herself to such extreme conditions. I admire that about you."

"Thanks." That comment made me feel strangely accomplished.

"I'm going to call Bane and see if he can do anything about this. Stay there." He starred trotting away.

"Well, it's not like I can really go anywhere with it exposed like this." This comment caused him to chuckle and shake his head as he left the room. After a few moments of being alone, I began looking over at my leg. Seeing the exposed wounds was mildly sickening; I had never seen anything so violently wounded, aside from Tigerfire's drained corpse. My leg looked like a roadmap of torn flesh that slowly leaked blood, enough over time to form a small pool on the floor below. I shook my head and looked away, unable to stomach the sight any longer. Not much longer after that, Bane was trotting into the room behind Storm.

"You always accomplish the worst injuries I've seen, Aqua. How do you manage to get so torn up?"

"By getting in over my head, mostly." He chuckled before responding.

"Maybe you should calm down on your job just a touch, yeah?"

"No." Galaxia's voice caused us all to turn. "You're going exactly the pace you need to."

"Oh, I didn't know you were going to help us, Galaxia. I thought Storm had called me alone."

"I've been keeping track of Aqua more closely, as things are developing very quickly. She's making up for lost time."

"I'm still confused as to what you two are expecting from me."

"You will know soon enough."

"I need to know now, Galaxia. Cryptic clues and misleading quotes aren't going to satisfy me."

"I'm not the one that can give you what you're looking for. That's why I haven't answered."

"Then who can?"

"Erazul." The room fell deathly silent.

"Wait, so you mean to tell me that I'm going to have to interrogate the pony trying to capture me?"

“How do you know of his motives?”

“I was pulled into the thoughts of one of the dying dopplegängers, a memory where they were discussing Erazul’s demands.”

“Well then, I suppose that is good information for you to have.”

“Regardless of it, you still haven’t answered my question.”

"If you ultimately have to beat Erazul for information, then perhaps it might come to that."

"Uh, I hate to interrupt this session, but are we going to fix her leg or not? She's bleeding all over Storm's floor, and I'm not sure how much he appreciates that."

"Um, it's her floor, actually. I just rent a room." Bane looked at Storm for a moment before turning back to Galaxia.

"Then she's bleeding all over her floor, and I-"

"I get it, Bane. Let's get this over with then." Galaxia closed in, approaching Bane, who was already seated beside my tattered leg. Galaxia's horn began 'glowing', as loosely as I can call it such, before I ultimately drifted off to magically induced sleep.

When next I awoke I was in my bed. When I felt awake enough to look about the room, I found Storm seated nearby. He was distracted by something in his hooves. When he heard me shift in order to get a better view of the object he had, he quickly put it away and turned to face me. "Oh, you're awake."

"Yeah...don't really feel the part though..." He chuckled before responding.

"Well, I suppose that would make sense. Bane reconstructed the hide on your leg. Shouldn't be but a few days and you'll be back at it."

"Well, that sounds a lot better than a month."

"I agree."

"Oh? Didn't want to spend that much time watching me?" He grew surprised and slightly bashful, being caught off guard by the question.

"You mean watching over you, right?" I chuckled.

"Sure." After a moment or two of silence, he spoke again.

"So...I've got a bit of a question for you."

"What is it?"

"Well, it's kind of a matter to discuss between us."

"Can it wait until I'm a bit more rested and in my right mind, then?" It almost seemed like his face fell.

"Uh...yeah, sure." I looked at him for a moment, but he didn't look back at me. I decided it best to curl back up and see if I could rest more, as the awkward silence was painful at that point. Eventually, I drifted off again.

When next I awoke I was sitting in the Serpanian fortress. I jolted upright, looking around. I didn't appear to be in any apparent danger, so I calmed a bit. I was still befuddled as to how I ended up back in this place, despite my vivid recollection of returning home and being tended to. I decided it best to not stay put and try to dwell on the thought, especially since I was without armour, so I arose and began trotting about the hallways. Before too long, I found thick streaks of blood painting the walls. There were no bodies nearby, just the pulpy remains splattered about. There were char marks as well, a curiosity in and of itself. The Serpanians, as far as I was aware, didn’t use any weapons that produced fire. With brow furrowed in fearful curiosity, I continued my way about the fortress. Eventually, I found a shadow moving down the hallway: it was moving towards me. I began desperately searching for somewhere to hide, realising that I had, along with no armour, not a single weapon with which to defend myself. I found nothing, nowhere to hide or to flee, and the unease and terror only grew the closer the shadow got. Eventually, it came around the corner and into my field of vision. The creature was bipedal, with horns protruding from many various places where horns don't normally protrude, like the arms and legs. Long, thick claws adorned each appendage at the end of its arms, as they did on the feet as well. It stood as tall as the corridor, even when hunched over. It had dark red flesh, or perhaps it was just so thickly coated in blood that I couldn't see its true colour. The eyes were orange portals of pure terror, and its maw was nothing but razor-like teeth. A snarl adorned its face, most particularly when it noticed me. It let out a growled roar before rapidly approaching. I began back-pedalling violently, making good speed. Suddenly, the creature began warping about unnaturally, as if where it was actually wasn't where it had been. It jumped about in my vision as such before it was suddenly upon me. The claws of one of the hands dug deep into my chest, shooting horrific pain up my body. My breath was gasped in a raspy manner. I was raised up to its chest-level before I felt the other hand firmly grasp my flank and hind legs. My eyes shot open wide when I realised what was about to happen. The creature began pulling, and unfathomable pain coursed through me.

I awoke suddenly, shooting upright with a scream of terror. I looked about, making sure I was still whole and unscathed. I checked my chest and midsection, finding nothing wrong. I felt something touch me and reacted violently, trying my best to kick it away. It was then that I finally heard the voice. "Aqua! Calm down! It's alright. I'm here; nothing will hurt you."

My breaths were heavy and difficult, but I began to regain control of them when I figured out it was Storm talking to me. I eventually calmed down, prompting him to speak. "What happened?"

"It was the fortress. Something's wrong."

"What fortress?"

"The Serpanian fortress."

"Why there?"

"I don't know, but it was horrifying."

"What happened?"

"Everypony was dead, and there were these big creatures roaming around. Their only goal was death. One was about to rip me in half when I jolted awake." My breaths were short again, the terror of the moment vividly coming back again.

"Hey, hey," he spoke in his quiet tone, "everything's going to be alright, alright?"

"Yeah...you're right." I swallowed hard and fought to regain control of my breath. Once I had, Storm spoke again.

"You good now?"

"Yeah. Thank you, Storm."

"That's why I'm here." I curled back up and closed my eyes. Soon enough, sleep found me again.

When I awoke again, it was in lieu of another dream related to the Serpanian fortress, one that was far less memorable. Storm was still nearby, stretching as if he had just awakened himself. Before he had time to notice, I spoke. "Storm?"

"What?"

"I have to go back."

"Go back to what?" He was rubbing his eye, trying to fully wake up.

"I have to go back to the Serpanian fortress." Well, that certainly woke him up.

"What? Why?"

"I had another dream about it. I get this feeling that something's wrong."

"But they've teamed up with MoonDusk. Why do you want to help them?"

"Because what could be murdering them is beyond that division. They're monstrous creatures, and who knows if they'd stop with just the Serpanians?"

"You think they know where the rebel group is?"

"No, but somepony might, or they might go for a more apparent target. Either way, even if I'm wrong, I have to be sure." He looked at me for a moment.

"Alright then. You know where your armour is, and where the teleporter is. Don't get caught, or killed, alright? I still have something I want to discuss with you."

"Will do." I climbed off of the bed, taking a moment to test my leg. No pain shot up my body when I put weight on it, so I began trotting my way to my armour. Once downstairs, I equipped it and set out.

It didn't take long for me to find the teleporter again, and from there I made my way to the front gates of the underground base. As I approached, a pony drew near. He was clad in heavy armour, that was for sure, but its dark blue plates were nowhere near as grandiose as the leader's, nor did it have as many visible weapons. "Halt! State your business for approaching the main gate."

"My name is Aqua, and I'm headed toward the Serpanian fortress."

"What for? Has Cularix given you a mission there?"

"No."

"Then I cannot grant you your request."

"This is of the utmost urgency. I ask that you let me go."

"Without orders from Command, I cannot open the gate."

"Do you have family there? In the fortress?"

"Whether I did or not doesn't matter, what matters-"

"They could be in very grave danger. Something is going wrong and it could be slaughtering everypony in there." It grew silent for a second.

"What kind of 'something' is it?"

"Something big, something terrible, something that can easily tear alicorns in twain." I heard his breathing change for a moment. To be fair, even mine did while recalling the vivid dream where it happened."I need to get over there and stop it."

"I'll let you out this time, but you better be good at explaining things to Cularix, 'cause she'll have your flank faster than you could teleport." I nodded. "Alright then. Opening the gate."

He did as promised, allowing me to leave before he closed the gate behind me. I was then left to trot through the grey waste they called the Gap. I set my course and set out.

I eventually reached the massive metal city, finding the hole still in the gate. Something about that didn't sit right with me, especially if I had been down for a while recovering from my injury. I cautiously trotted within, pointing myself to the other gate. I trotted my way up, noticing a small bit of blood along the pavement that I hadn't put there before. I poked at it with my greave, finding that it wasn't entirely dried; not too much time had passed since this blood was spilt. I turned my attention back to the other hole and began trotting to it. When I entered the inner courtyard, I began looking around. There had definitely been conflict here; ballista bolts stuck out of the ground like trees in a forest, blood soaked the green grass, turning it into a crimson canvas that told tales of desolation. Turning my attention to the entrance of the citadel, I found the gate to have been fiercely clawed open. Both the size and location denoted that a creature far larger than I was had destroyed the gate. I decided that this was my best option for further investigation, so I delved into the thrashed entry.

It didn't take long for me, wandering about the bloodstained halls as I was, to find a hallway that was strikingly familiar. Even the bloodstain on the wall seemed to scream familiarity at me. It wasn't until I saw a shadow moving towards me that it clicked: I was in the hallway of that nightmare. The creature approached ever nearer, causing terror to course through my veins. The memory of that nightmarish ending haunted me still. It forced me to look at myself to make sure I was armour clad, which I was. As the shadow grew closer, I swallowed the fear and reared up onto my hind legs, drawing my two blades. When it rounded the corner, however, it was not what I was expecting. Yes, it was the same monster, but just in looks. The thing was smaller than the ponies that had inhabited this place, which was really saying something. When it noticed me, it began charging at full speed, a pace which I might have been able to out-pace by limping, and let out an adorable little shrieked growl. I could barely reach the thing while reared up. With one swing, the creature was felled. Before I could lower myself and trot over, however, the creature set fire. The sudden combustion caused me to jump backwards a bit in fright before moving back in with curiosity. By the time I arrived, there was nothing left of it aside from a scorch mark, conveniently located where the one in my dream was. I turned my attention back to the hall before me and trotted forth again.

I wandered about the halls, gawking at the unparalleled destruction that seemed to lie before me. Scorch marks lined many surfaces, and in high quantities. Streaks of blood coated much of the floor, and every now and then there was nothing more than a pile of eviscerated remains, entirely undistinguishable masses of flesh piled up messily. I heard the sounds of claws further down the hallway, so I turned my attention from the nearby fleshy mass. I found several, if not dozens, of creatures vaguely similar to the first. The main difference being that they were both larger and more inherently dog-like. Their growls echoed down the empty hall next, letting me know that it was certainly an aggressive approach. I reared up onto my hind legs and drew my blades, letting them heat up. When the hounds closed in, I began hacking them apart. There were enough that they managed to latch onto my armour and begin yanking and tugging, threatening to topple my stance. Thankfully enough, they weren’t quite strong enough to ever pull my legs out from under me. When the last one had combusted into nothing more than a pile of ash, I withdrew my blades and dropped again. With the thought of the devastation, seeing just how numerous these creatures might have been, I leaned against the wall beside me. When I did, I felt a slight shift and a click. Moments later, after I had stepped away from the wall to examine it, the section of wall about where I had been standing shifted inwards. It then slid to the side, revealing a passageway within. I cocked my head in curiosity and decided to trot within. Moments after I entered, trying to figure out what the passage was for, the door closed behind me. I quickly turned around and tried to stop it, but it was futile, as it was mostly closed by the time I actually arrived. When it fully locked itself again, I was left in nothing but the pitch black silence of a dirt tunnel.

After a moment or two, I decided to use the same spell that I had employed in the forest a while back. As such, I focused my magic as best as I could. Eventually, the small tunnel lit up, if no more than perhaps three yards ahead and behind me. It wasn’t very conducive to navigation, and I’m sure it would be very easy to get lost, but I decided that it was my best option at that point. Accordingly, I began trotting into the tunnel.

As I continued my way down the passageway I noticed that it eventually began descending. Shortly after the gentle slope there were a set of stairs. I saw no other way to go, so I followed. As I began climbing this spiral stairwell in the depths of the fortress, I noticed that the walls eventually were coated in the same material as the walls in the hallways of the fortress. It shared the same sleek design, and, frankly, it was the same kind of design that was used in the splinter group’s base as well. It’d make sense, considering that it was the architecture that they knew best. I shook the train of thought from my head suddenly as I was faced with a decision to make: there was a small passageway, perhaps the size of those ponies who lived here, that I could squeeze my way into or I could continue ascending the stairs. I decided to go with the latter, and continued the tiring climb accordingly.

I’m not sure exactly how many steps I trotted up, and I lost track of the number of splinter passageways that I passed, as I continued my way up. Surely, I thought, there had to be an end to such a stairwell, and that the end couldn’t just be the ceiling. My legs felt like they would give out at any moment, but it was around this time that my light illuminated the end of the stairs. I silently praised my luck upon finding the end, before ultimately sitting down once I cleared the top step. I waited for several moments, perhaps minutes, until the burning subsided in my legs. I then arose again, my hind legs threatening to shake when I did so, and headed for the opening before me. As I trotted through the passageway, I quickly found a wall at the end. I stared at it blankly for a moment, and I’m still not entirely sure what I felt in that moment. Perhaps it was rage or frustration, perhaps exasperation or like the universe was tugging me around. Whatever it was, it wasn’t a pleasant feeling, so I decided to hit the wall. I’m still not entirely sure why, but I reached out and kicked the surface before me. It sounded almost hollow, and, shortly after I hit the thing, eventually the wall opened up. The light more than dwarfed the pitiful little glow that I was creating, so I dropped the spell. The spell itself wasn’t anything major, but dropping the drain was still a relief. Once my eyes finally adjusted to the new light level I trotted out of the passage. I heard the wall close behind me again, causing me to turn around once more. Indeed, I couldn’t even tell there had been a door there, just the plain texture of the smooth wall. I shook my head and turned around again, as there seemed to be a small lip to stand on, perhaps no longer than the ponies that inhabited this base.

When I approached the lip, I got a heavy sense of vertigo. What I thought might have been a few yards drop off of the side turned out to be a few hundred yard drop. No wonder my legs burned so much, I thought; I had just climbed up this entire distance that I was now staring down through. I reactively took a step away from the lip, which was entirely without any kind of protective stop or preventative barrier, and stopped when my flank touched the wall after a step or two. I began looking around the space that I was in, seeing if there was anything to note. The first thing I noticed was the ceiling, and how it extended another dozen yards up. Despite this, there really wasn’t anything up there of special value. Fixed in the center of the roof, and taking up most of the space up here in the small, circular platform, was a large chain. The chain itself was thicker than my entire body when I was curled up or seated, and it was fixed to the ceiling with bolts that looked to be wider than my body was long. Along the walls were glass windows which were formed with colourful patterns, but they didn’t seem to represent anything. Granted, a stained glass window this far up would be completely impractical. Perhaps it was to bathe the walls in more colours of light than the grey outside, at least when it was still daylight out. Another thing that I noticed while up here was that the colour of the walls was different. Rather than the white-grey that they had been, the walls carried a light turquoise or pale aquamarine colour. It was subtle, but still very noticeable, or at least I thought so. I decided to drift my way slowly to the lip again and look down. What I saw initially was absolutely breathtaking. I had never seen such exquisite crafting in all of Equestria. The building widened the further down it went, and the turquoise walls became more of a pearly white again. There were a few lips along the way, much like the one I was standing on, and each had sets of stained glass windows. The chain in the middle of the open air went down a long distance, and looked like it ended at the last lip. From this point, the chain connected to a large chandelier. This chandelier, however, was nothing I had ever seen before. Rather than having an upward facing design, with candles or some other light source, the chandelier hung down like digits of an appendage. Each of these digits seemed to cast light from it, so I’m assuming there was something within that lit up the area below it.

When I finished admiring the chandelier, I finally took note of what was directly underneath it. Covering the entirety of the floor, which seemed like it could have been larger than the Royal Duo’s main court, was a sea of red. It wasn’t blood, nor was it stationary. There was a little clearing near an elevated platform. Upon this area stood a creature that wasn’t red, nor did it have the little white spots that indicated the bone protrusions. The creature was a dark purple or black, some kind of mix of the two. Accenting lines drew their way all across the body of the creature, and the light and colour pulsated periodically. It grew brighter and more yellow when the creature would smash something, and cooled to a low red otherwise. I didn’t want to jump down, as it would have been my certain death, and the chandelier was out of range. I also didn’t want to fight a horde of monsters that couldn’t even be counted, at least not in this concentration. I knew I’d have to clear them out eventually, but now was not the time. I went to leave, but something caught my eye before I had drawn back from the lip; the large, dark creature cleared a section of the floor before it. Suddenly, as if the fabric of reality itself ripped in twain, a hellish looking portal opened, and the dark creature leaped within. Moments later, the portal closed and the creatures began moving. I decided that this was my cue, and left the ridge.

It took a considerable amount of time for me to descend the stairwell once again. By the time I got to the bottom I was both out of breath and exhausted, so I sat down on the darkened dirt floor beneath me. I dropped my horn’s glow for the time being, hoping that such an action would help me recover faster. Whether or not it did, I’m not sure. I did, however, eventually recover enough to stand and head down the tunnel once more.

I eventually made my way to the wall, and tried the same thing I did with the wall in the spire, although with a much lesser force this time around. Conveniently enough, knocking on the wall opened it. Once the wall had cleared out of the way I trotted outside of the hidden passageways once more. I then looked around. I eventually decided on a direction to travel before trotting further inside of the fortress.

I spent a considerable amount of time within the bloodstained passageways. I would trot down the extensive hallways, attempting to find any of those strange creatures I could. When I found some I would cut them down with extreme prejudice. I only stopped my efforts when my stomach began growling too loudly to ignore any longer. I decided it best to figure out how to get out of the inner fortress and see if I couldn’t get any of the ponies in the residential areas to give me food.

As I left the inner gate, cutting down whatever opposition lay before me, I turned my attention to the houses around me. I trotted to the first one, knocking on the door and waiting patiently. It was quiet, almost deathly quiet, out here. I couldn’t recall if it was more silent now than it had been before, but it was almost unnerving. I knocked again, waiting one last bout to see if there was anypony inside. I then opened the door and entered the house. A quick exploration of the interior of the home revealed that it was entirely devoid of life. There was no blood, nor bodies or scorch marks, just the empty interior. I was unsure of what to think, but decided that, if nopony was here, that I could take what few supplies I needed. I brushed that thought away, rationing that I needed to check more homes to make sure that I wasn’t just stealing from ponies that happened to be gone. As such, I left the front door, closing it behind me, and began exploring the nearby houses.

It didn’t take exploring more than three or four of the neighbouring houses to come to the realisation that these homes had been hit by the invading force. It was mostly blood and mushy piles of flesh left over from the massacre that I found within these dwellings. A few of the doors were broken off of their hinges, or rested tediously upon them. Upon finding this, I began rummaging for supplies. The ponies couldn’t object if they were eviscerated piles on the floor, I figured.

By the time I had thrown together a meal and consumed it the sky was darkening. I decided to rest for the time being, so I picked the first house, which had the working door and lack of dead ponies inside of it, as my base of operation. Once I trotted inside the home I closed and secured the door, trotting around the home and making sure everything was very securely closed. I then made my way to the upstairs bedroom. Once inside, I closed the door, barricading it with a nearby dresser and bookcase before removing my armour. Once the plates had folded down I set the bags of armour on the floor and made my way to the bed. I climbed into it, fitting quite nicely in the surprisingly large frame, and tucked myself in for the night. I soon drifted into sleep, as warily as it was.

When I roused myself from sleep again I climbed out of the bed and trotted over to my armour. Once it was equipped I removed the barricade from the door and trotted out. I checked to make sure that I was still the only creature inside of the house, finding it to indeed be the case. With such a discovery, I decided it was safe enough to prepare and consume breakfast with what little supplies I found in the house. Once my simple breakfast had been eaten I set out of the house, making sure the door was closed behind me.

From there I made my way back to the interior of the citadel-like castle. When I arrived I began my patrol anew, slaying anything and everything that I found. I would leave the fortress when hunger began to creep upon me so that I could sate my appetite with a simple meal at midday or so. At the end of the day, or what I guessed was the end of a day, I would leave the fortress, scavenge supplies from nearby homes, and return to the one I had camped in. I would prepare a meal, eat it, and head upstairs after ensuring that the perimeter was clear. Once upstairs, I would barricade myself inside of the bedroom in the same manner as before, hoping to remain as safe as possible.

This pattern continued for what I can only estimate as weeks, perhaps two or three. After the first week the thought crossed my mind wondering if the gate keeper pondered on where I was. Perhaps he thought me dead, that I shared the same fate with all those within the wall. At this point, however, what he thought didn’t matter to me. I was worn, exhausted, from the constant fighting. Each rest was an attempt, a vain one if I might add, to try and recover to some fraction of what I had been at the day before. By the last day, the day following my last sweep of the now empty fortress, I almost could not arise out of the bed. I eventually managed, equipping my armour. I hadn’t looked at the condition of the plates since the first week, as I was too tired to even think at that point; most of the fighting was pure, survivalist instinct driving me from scuffle to scuffle. Regardless, the plates still functioned and performed their task of protecting me, so it really didn’t matter to me what shape they were in. On this, the day of my return, I both rejoiced at the prospect of getting proper rest and dreaded the thought of having to trot through the Gap. And so, with a bag of mixed emotions, I set out into the depressing grey waste.

Thankfully, the rains that came only started during the last leg of my journey, so I galloped at what pace I could in order to enter the tunnel I knew so well to be the entrance to the base. As I made my last few steps from the outside I could tell that the ground had begun to soften severely. I gladly made my way into the shelter provided and kicked off the curious grey stone that had stuck to my greaves. I then turned my attention to the gates that remained before me, turning myself towards the only thing preventing my return. I trotted up to them, eventually knocking upon the plates. I heard a small shuffle of something from the wall, so I backed up to see if I could find the source. I didn’t manage to do so before the shuffle sound closed off once again, but it didn’t matter; the gate began to open. Once it had opened enough for me to trot within I did so. The same pony from before was standing, looking at me. Unamused would be the emotion I would use to describe his face. “So, you’re not dead.”

“No.”

“So I take it you managed to do what you went in planning to do?”

“I did, for as long as it took, yes. I had hoped it would be over in a week, but there were more of them than I had anticipated.”

“Well, as long as it’s clear, I don’t think any of us will mind how long it took you. Now go rest up. I think you’ve earned it.” I nodded, the gate closing behind me. He then nodded his head in the direction of the base, signalling me to leave. I did so gladly, eventually making my way towards the teleporter room. Once inside the room I stepped upon the pad, waiting for the process to end.

When the bright light had calmed I looked about and moved off of the small platform. I oriented myself and began trotting towards where I knew was home. It wasn’t long before I broke out of the tree line, and from there it was a straight shot back home.

I eventually arrived back home, worn and exhausted. I had no idea what condition I was in, or what my armour even looked like for that matter. As soon as I entered my house and Storm saw me, however, it wasn't hard to tell. He arose quickly, but didn't move closer. After he gazed at me silently for a few moments, he spoke. "By the stars...Aqua, what in Tartarus happened to you?"

"What? Do I look that bad?"

"You look like you got ground up underneath a landslide before being spat out onto a steep cliffside fall, and then coming to a halt after rolling down a hill of jagged rocks."

"Wow. That was quite a description. Well, if nothing else, I'm exhausted."

"What happened over there?"

"The whole fortress had been overrun. I'm not sure if there were survivors or not."

"Overrun? By what? What killed them all?"

"I don't even know what to call them, but they were in no ways any natural creature. They were sickeningly disfigured abominations bent on pure destruction."

"So what took you so long to come back? If the Serpanians were all dead, why did it take so long for you to return home?"

"I cleaned out the fortress; I hunted down as many of those wretched things as I could."

"Why? What was the point of clearing it?"

"Their leaders might have teamed up with MoonDusk, but not every single pony in that fortress lived and breathed war. That's simply not how demographics work."

"...explain to me how that makes a difference."

"Proper burials can be had now, should there be any bodies left. Ponies can retrieve their stolen property. Perhaps with time, or when MoonDusk falls, they can finally move back into their own city. I don't know what caused those things to show up, but I doubt it will happen again."

"Well, if it's closure enough for you, it's closure enough for me. You'll probably have to repair your armour, won't you?"

"Yeah, but I really need some sleep first. It's been days since I had the chance."

"...why do you always do this to yourself?"

"I don't seem to have any other option."

"What about somepony else?"

"Who?"

"I don't know. What if you sent somepony with a higher rank or something?"

"The only rank in the Order is Guildmaster, Storm. Once we're accepted, we can take any assignment." He was silent. After a couple of moments, I began heading towards the corner where my workbench was. I paused as my armour deactivated. "If there was any other way to do it, I would, but I feel like this is what I have to do."

Storm nodded and went off to his room, apparently content that I was not seriously injured. After my gear unpacked, at least far enough for me to wriggle out of the damaged plates, I looked myself over. I had a few cuts, mostly from squeezing out of my armour, but was generally ok. As such, I made my way to my room upstairs, flopping onto my bed when I arrived. I then sat for a moment in exhaustion before sleep overcame me.

It felt as if my rest accomplished nothing, but, at the very least, I had more energy than moments before I went to sleep. Once I couldn't sleep anymore, I decided to head downstairs and begin working on my armour.

While performing repairs, Storm approached me. I was about halfway done when he spoke. "Aqua?"

"Yes?"

"Would now be a time that I could talk to you about the thing I wanted to ask you before?" I set down my repairs and turned to face him.

"Sure. What's on your mind?"

"Well, we've been together, well, like, living together, for a while now. I think we've gotten to know each other fairly well."

"What about it?"

"Well, I was thinking, what if we made it so that we were closer? Able to help each other more, no stipulation of different rooms, and so on."

"So you want to share a room with me?"

"A bit more than just that, yes." He took a deep breath before seating himself before me in a different manner than I had seen anypony sit before. It was almost as if he was kneeling, which is an interesting concept with four legged creatures, all things considered. Within his wing, which he now extended towards me, was a small box. The thing was red in colour. He spoke once his wing was fully extended. "Aqua, will you marry me?"

I stared at him, cocking my head. I had no idea what he was doing. "...uh..."

My confused response and body language caused a defeated look to shoot across his face. "Oh...well...um..."

He began putting the box away, so I quickly stopped him. "Wait."

"Yeah?" His tone was flat, downtrodden even.

"What's 'marry'?" He looked at me, expressionlessly this time. He blinked once or twice. "I don't know what you're asking me to do."

"You've never heard that word?" I shook my head. His blank expression spoke volumes of his confusion. "Ok. Well, I guess that answers why you didn't say yes, or really answer in general."

"Can you explain what it means?"

"When two ponies are married, it's like the binding thing that makes a family. Married ponies usually have foals."

"So you want to have a foal with me?"

His expression reddened more than I had seen it do so before. "N-no, not like that. I mean, if we're together like we are now, the only thing we're missing is the recognition, a vow, and a few minor details. The reason I said usually was just because it's what they normally do, but not everypony decides to do that."

"So, you want to marry me for...what again?"

"We're sleeping in separate rooms. Logistically speaking, it'd be easier for us to monitor the other if we shared a room. Plus, I think you're pretty attractive..."

"Oh..." My face felt like it got a little warm.

"I would also like to be able to call you my own, before some other stallion steals that honour."

"Wow. Well...I'm flattered. I...I don't even know what to say."

"Well, it's either a yes or a no." He smiled, looking directly into my eyes. I still wasn't entirely sure what it all entailed, but I gave my response anyways.

"Then I say yes." He quickly arose and hugged me. He pulled away after I hugged him back, eventually pulling the box out again. He opened it, revealing the contents held within. It was a singular pearl, attached in a gold loop that held it firm. The loop sat on a gold chain, long enough to fit over my head. Storm put it on me, letting the chain rest against the back of my neck. The pearl hung down to where the one embedded in my chest was resting. Storm then looked back up at my face.

"I thought you might like it, since it was kind of like your pearl. I thought it might be a nice sentiment."

"I love it, Storm. It's beautiful. I don't even know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything." I looked back up at him, seeing the warm smile that broke across his face. I smiled back, looking at him momentarily.

"Thank you. I wish I could savour the moment, but I have to finish repairs and head back to the Order."

"That's fine. I should figure out how to move my stuff into your room anyways."

"So you'd prefer the second floor over ground level?"

"After being kidnapped from my room, definitely." We both chuckled a bit before he headed off and entered his room. I then turned my attention back to my repairs. That is, after I took a few more moments to look at the pearl he had given me. I smiled before working the metal again.

By the time I finally finished my work on fixing up my armour night had fallen. I decided to rest for the night. As such, I headed upstairs. When I opened the door to my room, I found Storm moving around a few of his things inside. He glanced back at me. "Hey Aqua."

"Still figuring out where to put everything?"

"Yeah. Moving takes a while, even if it's just between rooms."

"How much longer do you think it'll take?"

"I was actually just finishing. You tired?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. And...done." He closed the last drawer that was left open. "Yeah, I've got to say, I'm pretty tired myself."

I climbed into my bed, speaking while doing so. "I imagine; moving all of that stuff up here must not have been the easiest."

Once I was settled, I felt a depression of the other side of the bed. I turned and looked, finding Storm there. I looked at him for a moment, causing him to speak out in curiosity. "What?"

"I'm just not used to anypony else being around. It might take some getting used to."

"Easiest way of getting used to it is doing it to begin with." He settled down beside me, the two of us now curled into the bed.

"Yeah. I suppose you're right. I mean, I'd say it's sudden, but there's not really any other way of going about it, huh?"

"Not really, no." It grew silent for a moment before Storm extinguished the candles beside the bed. It was now dark, or at least darker than it had been before, in the room. I was about to close my eyes when I heard his voice again. "So what plans do you have for tomorrow?"

"I was planning on reporting back to my Order. It's been a little while."

"Do you think they'd mind if I tagged along?"

"The Guildmaster doesn't particularly appreciate you, as it sounded like, but I think the other ponies are fine."

"Cool. What time were you planning on leaving?"

"Shortly after waking."

"So then we should get some sleep, huh?"

"Might be a good idea."

"Well, sleep well, Aqua."

"You too, Storm." The room grew quiet as we both settled in for sleep. It felt strange having somepony else in my room when I was healthy, nevertheless in my bed while I was curled up for sleep. Despite this, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

When I awoke, I felt Storm's wing on my body. More out of natural reaction than anything, I quickly shifted away. When I realised how close I was to falling off of the bed, I shifted back over. This movement woke up Storm, who let out a tired groan before speaking. "You alright?"

"I'm not used to anypony touching me, especially not in this setting."

"Has to do with the whole ‘not being used to having anypony else around’ thing, doesn't it?"

"Mhm."

"Well, you don't have anything to be afraid of." He sat upright finally, rubbing his eye. His mane was a mess and the feathers on his wings disorganised, but aside from that, he seemed fine. "How was your sleep?"

"It was good. You ready for today?"

"Yeah, just got to get rolling is all." He let out a slight chuckle. I wasn't sure what was humorous about his statement, so I disregarded it and climbed off of the bed. I turned my attention downstairs, heading towards my armour. I made sure I had finished all of the repairs before turning around. I suppose my inspection took longer than anticipated, especially when I found Storm trotting out of the kitchen with a plate of food for me. He set it down beside me before going back for his own. Not much conversation was shared over the meal, so we finished in a decent amount of time. We then split up for our respective preparations. When the last plates folded over my body, I set myself towards the door and waited for Storm to come. He did eventually, with a few things packed in his saddlebags. His armour looked about like any other steel plate, but considering the large difference in danger between our two occupations it was understandable. When he approached he nodded, giving me the signal that he was ready to go. As such, I trotted to the door and set out. He closed it behind us before we began trotting to the Sanctuary.

6. The Broken Order

Our arrival at the Sanctuary didn't take horribly long, and we were granted entrance when we got there. It wasn’t long into our time within the walls, as I was making my way towards the stairs of the Main Hall specifically, that I saw a familiar sight. Trotting across the square was a pony with dandelion-yellow hide, brown stripes on the body, and sandy blonde hair atop their head. I sat for a moment, looking at the pony before it clicked. "Sparky?!"

I saw her turn, looking around for where it came from. I began trotting over to her, calling out to her again. “Sparky!”

When she finally put two and two together she furrowed her brow. "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

"Well, that's kind of relative. A lot has happened, and-"

"So...yes or no?" I folded back my helmet, maybe hoping she recognised me. "So that looks like a no."

"It's me, Sparky; it's Aqua." Now her brow really furrowed.

"Aqua was a blue pony with white hair. You might have white hair, but she definitely wasn't orange."

"Like I said, a lot has happened."

"How do I know it's you?" I went to open my mouth and remind her of my scars earned in combat, but remembered that those were given to me within these very walls, rather than the school.

"Because I was the one that told you I was going to do what nopony else could, so I joined the Order. I mentored you, saved you from a ring of bullies, and delivered the heartbreaking news that there could be no mares in the Order. Any of this proving it?"

"If it really is you then what happened?"

"I don't know. I died in a forest and came back out like this."

"You what in a where?!"

"I died in a forest."

"I don't believe you."

"I have the scar to prove it. I have the scars to prove several deaths." Her expression read heavy doubt, so I powered down my armour. My entire orange hide came into view. "This one on my chest was from the forest, the one on my neck is from a fight, the one on my side here from a basement of torture, these two on my chest were-"

"Ok, I get it. You don't have to list them all. I can already see that you're pretty messed up. What happened to you?"

"I wasn't ready." She blinked. "So I made myself ready. I have this armour, I have advanced fighting methods, and I've acquired allies. The list could go on further."

"Well, it's good to see you're still alive...somehow."

"And what are you doing here?"

"I was accepted to come here."

"...what?"

"Yeah, I got a letter last night that said I was a special case, but that they were investigating another, so they cleared it. So made my way here. I actually just finished putting all of my stuff away and was trotting over for armour when you called out to me from the front gate." My brow furrowed.

"...something's not right. The Guildmaster wouldn't make an exception like that, at least not the Guildmaster I know."

"So...is it a good thing that I'm here?" She still looked up to me for guidance and support, if nothing else.

"Yes. I think it's wonderful that you made it this far." But regardless of that, something was off, and I needed to figure it out. "It was good seeing you here, Sparky. I have to report to the Guildmaster real quick, but I'll be around."

"Okay! See you around Aqua." She trotted off, leaving me to turn to Storm.

"You're not content with something."

"No, I'm not. If Sparky's here then the Guildmaster intentionally brought in a mare, which means he either changed the rules or isn't playing by them anymore. I have to figure this out. That means I have to speak with the Guildmaster. You can stay outside if you wish."

"Alright. I probably shouldn't go in, since he doesn't take too kindly to my group." I nodded before making my way to the Main Hall. I trotted within, finding the Guildmaster sitting on his throne.

"Ah, if it isn't Aqua returned from his latest adventure. And what do you have to report to me today?"

"Well, it's an interesting report indeed, Guildmaster."

"Oh? How so?"

"Duty called me to clear an entire city filled with unnatural monsters to help a group of ponies."

"Well, did you succeed?"

"I did; the city is safe and the ponies can continue in peace."

"Wonderful news indeed, Aqua."

"That is my report." I turned to leave, as was customary.

"Now, Aqua?" I turned back around.

"Yes, Guildmaster?"

"Would you mind explaining to me a few of your...um…extracurricular activities, if we call them that?"

"Uh...I don't understand the question, Guildmaster."

"You've had quite the life, Aqua, and I know of things you've done recently." I wasn't sure if I was confused or concerned at this point. "I'm aware that the city that you helped clear was the capital of our enemies."

"They needed my help, they reached out to me, and I rendered my assistance. Is that not our call?"

"You were furthering their cause."

"I was killing murderous creatures."

"However you want to justify that betrayal, Aqua, feel free to try. But that's not the only information you've kept from me. You see, this organisation runs on honesty."

"I came forth in my failure before. You know I'd be honest in this task."

"Yet here you are with somepony, one in particular. You and I both know who I'm talking about, Aqua. He works for the enemy."

"How are they our enemies? I've seen nothing but help and hope from them for our Order."

"They rebelled against our allies in a civil war. Besides, that pony with you is of interest. That stallion isn't just any other stallion to you, Aqua, is he? You're not even a stallion yourself. More than this? You've betrayed our rules again, as the two of you are now a singular unit." That happened last night. How did he already know?

"So you're spying on me?"

"Oh, I'm not, but my friend is."

"Oh yeah? Who is this 'friend'?"

"Oh, she'll be here any minute now. Probably right about...now." Suddenly, an explosion echoed off outside. My attention naturally turned to the sound before I turned back to the Guildmaster. "Oh, now you're surprised, aren't you?"

"What's going on?"

"That's for you to figure out. In the meantime, organise the defences; we have a fight ahead of us." I looked at him in disdain, his smug expression filling me with immeasurable anger. Suddenly, another explosion sounded off, forcing me to leave the painfully smug pony behind.

When I got outside what met my view was definitely not something I'd hope to ever see. The entire Order was in commotion, running this way and that. There were several flaming chunks of ordinance laying about the square, with a few still coming up over the walls. The wooden gates were severely damaged at this point, and taking rhythmic hits from the other side. The armoury was swarming the most, with ponies entering and exiting like some form of hive. Suddenly, there were shouts echoing from the building, and it quickly emptied. Seconds later, one of the chunks of ordinance hit the building directly, demolishing it entirely. It was at this moment that I snapped into action. I galloped over to where my armour was and activated it once again. My armour plates had completely folded over my body by the time I continued attempting to piece together any kind of direction for these ponies. I shouted out with as mighty of a tone as I could as I approached the chaos in the main square. As it turns out, it was far louder than I anticipated, echoing out a commanding presence. "Those of you without weapons and armour: salvage what you can from the remains of the armoury. If there's nothing left of use, head to the forge. We must be armed!"

Without even flinching, these Protectorates, by far my superiors, moved out to obey my command. "The rest of you: get any archers that we might have on the walls. Position yourselves before the front gates and be ready to hold the line!"

They looked at me for a moment before moving out. To be honest, I had no idea what I was doing, or why, but I knew that somepony had to take command of the situation. As I was finishing up my last orders to the group Storm approached me and spoke.

"I didn't know you were that respected here, that they would consider you as their superior."

"I'm not, and they don't."

"Then why do they obey you?"

"Because I'm the only pony giving any kind of direction or orders." I still wasn't entirely sure why I was, but I was. Before Storm could respond, however, another explosion sounded off from the ordinance. A few blinks worth of time later the gate finally gave way. In one final shout, I charged in. "Hold the line!"

I reared up onto my hind legs when I arrived and drew my blades. From this angle, I got a clear view of the incoming enemy. They were equine in nature, but they were not ponies. These creatures shifted and appeared as if they had at least some part of their body as glowing sand while the rest appeared as glass or some kind of other dense, clear material. It wasn't anywhere near as unnerving as the skeletons summoned by the sphinxes but it still wasn't natural in the least bit. It didn't take longer than a few seconds before the creatures were upon us, and it took about that amount of time for me to work my way to the front. As the creatures arrived, swords first, they galloped straight into a wall of pikes, followed by a wall of swinging swords. Our efforts proved effective, or at least would have if it wasn't for one circumstance: for every two of them we killed, one reformed. What made this worse was that I could see the group of them extend down the trail and out of sight; a long and tiresome fight was before us with no signs of escape. Naturally, however, I broke out ahead of those around me so that I could more effectively use every last bit of me that I could to destroy these creatures.

Quite a bit of time, or at least what felt like quite a bit of time, passed while we were locked in combat. Of course, several of those guarding the entrance fell, but most held the line excellently. Suddenly, and much to our disadvantage, a rumbling sound echoed through the area. Moments later, large, worm-like creatures burst through the ground within the Sanctuary walls. It was enough to distract many of the Protectorates, who quickly fell because of it. "Focus on the fight! Stay alive and hold your ground!"

My voice rang out again, though I can't explain why or how I was finding these words. Regardless, it seemed to be just what they needed to hear, and the moderately reduced number of Protectorates fought on once more. I continued my work of death until I saw motion out of the corner of my eye. It came from the worms, so I paused momentarily to look. The weapons of these creatures was unable to penetrate my armour, so I was able to safely turn away. Creatures were pouring out of the worms, and another quick glance down the trail revealed several pockets where they were not anymore. I quickly put two and two together. "They're inside the walls. Protect the Main Hall!"

Those in the way of the gate began tactically retreating, making sure they weren't hacked down by the ever pressing tide of glowing half-sand creatures. Several in the far back, who were free of aggro, quickly bolted towards the Main Hall to intercept the incoming forces. I withdrew my blades and dropped back down to all four hooves again, intentionally landing on one or two of the creatures to smash them. I then bolted towards the Main Hall, barrelling over many of the creatures that had tried to surround me. I made it to the doors just in time, much like the others, to prevent the creatures from opening them. I smashed a few of them against the doors brutishly, as I hadn't received the opportunity to draw my blades yet. When I finally did I drew them as quickly as possible. Those of us who bolted here managed well enough to hold off the stream of enemies until those that were tactically retreating arrived. I noticed the group was smaller now, perhaps no more than about a hundred; this was a significant drop from the original populace, though, and was highly concerning. Once the line had reformed, however, my voice rang out again. "Hold this line. As long as you draw breath you will not allow these creatures to enter! I must speak with the Guildmaster."

One of the ponies finally spoke up. "Wait, why do you get to take a break and talk with him?"

"Because this isn't going to be a break, and I get the feeling that talking is going to be the last thing that happens within the walls of the Main Hall." The pony looked at me, a new kind of concern growing in his eyes. "Hold the line! I will get this sorted out as soon as I can and return to aid you."

They seemed content with the answer this time, so I entered the massive wooden door. I closed it behind me to ensure nothing came in. Once it was closed, I turned about. The Guildmaster was sitting upon his throne again, looking rather peaceful considering the exterior conditions. I began trotting determinedly towards him. "There is a lot of explaining that you have to do, Guildmaster."

"Well, why don't we start by having you explain your activities, then?"

"Because we don't have time for this nonsense. You can execute me for all of this later if it makes you happy. Either way, you have a lot to answer for."

"So you dare to come here and challenge me when you are splattered and tainted by the filth of the enemy?"

"I could describe you the same way. Why are you in league with MoonDusk?"

"Well, now isn't that a bold accusation?"

"The reason the splinter group that Storm is in split from the Serpanians is because the Serpanians teamed up with MoonDusk. If Storm's group is your enemy it means that you are allied with MoonDusk."

"Well, you're using your brain now, aren't you?"

"Doesn't take a lot to connect the dots, Guildmaster, especially not when you've connected half of them already."

"Well, if you are so intelligent and self-aware, then are you aware of the why behind it all?"

"She wants me."

"Why, though? What's special about you, then?"

"If you have to ask that, you've been very unobservant."

"Well, it doesn't matter either way. I managed to corral all of Equestria's best and brightest fighters into one, easily assailable location. Without all of your friends, MoonDusk can have you without a hitch."

"I'm not going to let that happen." I reared up onto my hind legs and drew my blades. "And that starts with taking you out of the picture."

"Oh, so you're going to murder me, then?"

"If that's what it takes, then yes."

"Always so quick to violence. Well, ‘Aqua WindStorm’, if that's how you want to play, I'll play along then." He jumped off of his throne, sending a magical shockwave out when he landed. I skidded back a few feet, but was generally unaffected. I noticed, however, that his cloak had finally come off, revealing what he truly looked like. His light purple, almost lavender, hide was marred by different markings and scars, which almost seemed to flow around each other in cyclic patterns. He had a horn and wings, meaning he was an alicorn as well. His charcoal-grey hair was generally unkempt, but remained of average length for a stallion, and was starkly contrasted by his searing turquoise eyes. "If it's a fight you want, you had better be prepared to die!"

His face had twisted into exaggerated expressions of rage, his irises shrinking with his crazed intent. He broke into action, casting some kind of spell. I saw his deep-purple magical aura glow around him, rather than just around his horn, for but a moment. Suddenly, he began changing, shifting into something entirely different than what he had been. I began making my way over, but by the time I arrived he had fully transformed. With the swing of an arm he sent me flying into one of the nearby stone pillars. Due to my circumstance, I had to sheathe my blades in order to rise to my hooves again. When I looked at him once more it was clear that he was entirely different. His hide had been either covered or replaced with some kind of chitinous material about the same colour as his hide had been. His horn now emanated from most of his head, rather than a singular point. His wings had developed into a set of arms, which actually appeared to be a second set of arms which sprouted from his back. He manoeuvred on two legs rather than four now, and his tail had entirely vanished. There was no longer any hair on him, but his turquoise eyes remained the same colour, if not gaining a more intense look to them. "How does it feel to finally fight something that can kill you, horse?"

"Just like the last dozen things I've fought with that exact same capacity. You're nothing special."

"You don't know the power she has given me. Let me show you, whelp." From one of his hands he generated what I assumed to be a ball of pure energy. Once he was content with the content he flung it at me. I rolled out of the way, hearing the explosion echo behind me. "Running as always, I see."

I waited for him to throw the next ball and rolled out of the way again. I then began galloping in a circle around him until he threw another ball of energy. Rather than stopping or rolling to the side, I quickly changed direction, the skidding of my metal on the floor shrieking out. I had just about reached him when the next ball was primed. I ducked down into a slide, narrowly missing the projectile, and drew a blade. I sunk it into his leg and, using my momentum as extra leverage, yanked forwards and up. I flipped him over, hearing him land with a thud. As quickly as I could, I wheeled around and went to sink the blade again. As I went to thrust, I saw all four of his arms charge up separate balls and fire them off. I was launched away from him, hitting one of the walls by the corner of the ceiling, some fifty yards up. As I recovered, I did my best to slow my descent. Regardless of my efforts, I landed with a painful thunk, breaking apart the stone floor beneath me. I arose to my hooves with a groan, finding him quickly approaching. His hands were charged with energy, meaning it wasn't going to be a gentle blow. I rolled out of the way, as much as my aching body protested, and extended a blade in time for it to lightly cut his leg. He managed to stop before hitting the wall and began firing the bolts he had charged. I managed to dodge them, until the last one. He had managed to lead the target: me. The bolt hit my armour with a decent amount of force, pushing me back a yard or two, but otherwise was harmless. I made my way back in, galloping straight towards him. He began unleashing a torrent of those bolts, trying to shove me back. I managed to push through, locking my leg around him. He began pummelling my armour accordingly, hoping to break free from my grasp. With my free leg I unsheathed a blade and ran it through his side, after which he blasted me with four bolts again. I tumbled away, being ripped away from him, before hitting the wall with massive force. Several chunks of the wall came loose, bouncing off of my armour. I managed to rise once again, the rubble rolling off of me. When I was on all four hooves again, however, I noticed something that made me brace in fear: he was already upon me, four bolts charged and swinging. I barely managed to duck out of the way once my body responded to my commands, watching one arm pass within inches of my face. I drew a blade as it passed and went to sink any part of the sword into his body once again. The force of the blast caused by his arms hitting the wall behind me was enough to cause me to use the blade for balance instead of damage, losing my shot at hitting him. In the wake of the explosion, a large hole occupied the side of the Main Hall. As he wheeled around, arms swinging while they charged bolts again, he spoke. "Hold still, horse!"

I managed to dodge the wild swing, and his momentum carried him well past me. I was given a perfect shot, which I gladly took. I shoved one blade up through his lower back, the blade pointed upwards. I quickly arose onto my hind legs and drew the other blade. No sooner had I sunk it sideways into his ribs than his arms came back with charged bolts. The explosion knocked me away and out of the hole in the wall. I ricocheted off of the wall as it happened, bouncing and rolling my way across the open square outside. I was on the side of the Main Hall at this point. At least I knew such when the world stopped spinning. As I got back up with a groan, the transformed Guildmaster exited the hole. An excessive amount of blood was coursing out of his side. The extent of the injury became very apparent when he turned his torso a small bit; the large severed gash split open every time he tried to move, causing him to groan. "A lucky shot, horse, but your time has come to an end!"

"Speak for yourself, traitor!" I saw his face twist in either rage or anguish, or both, as he hunkered a bit. Suddenly, membranous filling shot out of the arms on his back, completing a set of wings. He then bolted for me, using the newly formed wings to hurtle towards me at higher speeds. I reared up and attempted to draw my blades, but he had a firm grasp of me by then. He then lifted off of the ground, the fierce effort of carrying my weight heavily pulling on his gashed body. When I got the chance, I extended my blades. They shot out, but didn't accomplish more than stabbing both of his legs. I felt his grip loosen a little, which I took advantage of. I violently twisted my body, freeing one of my legs. He tried to grab at it with one of arms but I managed to keep my leg free of his grasp until the blade had superheated. Once it was primed I took whatever shot I had, curling my blade in with as much force as I could muster in such a compromised position. I didn't hit the exact mark, the valley of a gash that consumed most of his side, but the searing blade cut straight through my arc of movement, and did its job effectively. The top half of the Guildmaster's twisted form accelerated beyond his lower half, which began plummeting down towards the ground again after a short while. The grip of the arms began slacking, and the beating of his wings was feeble at best. I looked down below me as I began to slip from his grasp, only to find a fatal drop below. I was at least a dozen stories above the top of the Main Hall, which rose higher than castle walls. I was suddenly released, and my panicked recovery began. I did what I could with my wings, but feathered wings can only carry so much flesh and metal. As I frantically worked to slow the acceleration of my descent, I saw the twisted torso of the Guildmaster plummet limply past me. It bounced off of the roof, leaving a splatter of blood at the collision site. That impact, however, was nothing compared to what was to come. My drop landed me directly onto the roof, and I smashed through almost unhindered. I was twisting and tumbling every which way as I bust through the next few floors of wooden platforms and crossbeams. I eventually stopped a few more floors down, a large chest of drawers absorbing all of my momentum. I sat in silence for a moment, processing everything that had just happened. I eventually groaned as a wave of pain washed over me. I eventually managed to fight through the wall of agony and get off of the splintered furniture. Once I was on my hooves, a painful enough prospect in and of itself, I set my aim on finding my way out of this section of the Main Hall.

I eventually stumbled my way to the main doorway, leaning against it momentarily. I took the best breath that I could, although it was little more than a gasped trickle of air, before opening the door. What met my view was a pleasant surprise. Ponies clad in mechanical suits of armour were tearing the last few of the glowing, half-sand ponies apart. I noticed that even Cularix and the other, Polcrix I believe his name was if I recall correctly, were present. The whole of them were unleashing pure destruction upon the enemy, finally giving me an idea of what their war suits were capable of. Eventually, though, the square fell silent. It was then that I heard a few ponies gasp, and others began telling those around them to look. Sparky was actually the first one to approach me. "Aqua, you survived! When we saw you two burst out the side of the Main Hall, and fly up too, we though you weren't going to make it."

I went to respond, to say something like how tough I was or how it would take a lot more than that to kill me, but my words were instantly stopped before even the first syllable managed to escape. I coughed, feeling something in my throat. When I got it up into my mouth I noticed the metallic taste. I decided to fold back my helmet and see if I could clear the rest of it. As such, I either coughed or hacked, and I'm not sure which it was. A large splatter of blood shot from my mouth, which I looked at momentarily before I lost whatever sense of balance I had feigned. Next thing I knew, I was on the ground, with several ponies rushing over. I gave the command for my armour to retract, but it was stuck and would not respond. Storm was nearby, his voice easily recognisable. "Alright, I'm going to get Bane and Galaxia again. Make sure she stays awake."

"Ok. Get them quickly. She looks pretty bad." That was not a reassuring phrase to hear from Sparky. "Now, you're going to stay with us, alright?"

I nodded. "So in order to do that, I need you to do one thing for me. I need you to sit up. Think you can do that?"

I looked at her for a moment before planting my hooves onto the ground. Cularix came rushing over. "That is not a good idea. We have to think about blood flow and the loss of it and-"

"Trust me." Her confidence confused both Cularix and I. Regardless, I decided to go through with the order. It took a bit of concerted effort, and help from the two of them, to get me up. As I neared the peak of the seated position I hacked up another spurt of blood. Once I was finally upright both Cularix and Sparky let go of me, forcing me to remain upright by myself. It took a considerable amount of effort to do so, but I managed. As I waited for Storm to arrive with the promised aid I ended up hacking up several more large globs of blood. After the fourth or fifth, Cularix spoke.

"She's bleeding internally. A punctured lung, perhaps."

"Exactly. I knew she didn't have exterior injuries, although her armour does look compromised in a few places. A quick analysis revealed that she didn't have any major wounds on her exterior, but her ribcage has sustained heavy damage. If Storm doesn't return with whatever help he's bringing, or at least quickly, she'll promptly die." That wasn't very reassuring news.

"How did you determine her injuries that fast..." Another hacked blood glob caused Cularix to pause momentarily before continuing the sentence. "...and without even removing her armour?"

"I figured out how to do it. My plan in joining the Order was to be a combat medic. I just don't have the magic for it because I'm just a simple earth pony. That won't stop me, though!" A dramatic change of tone; that much was certain.

"Well, we always have need of proficient medical personnel in our base."

"This is my home, and I'm staying with Aqua."

"Suit yourself, then." As she finished her statement, Storm arrived with Bane and Galaxia. I coughed up another glob of blood as they arrived, causing Bane to react in suppressed disgust. Galaxia was the first to speak.

"Considering just how much blood she's spat up, and the blood trickling out of the midsection of her armour, I'm surprised she's still up." As she finished the phrase I lost my bearing, eventually finding myself on the floor. From the next sentence she uttered I’m assuming that Sparky and Cularix attempted to raise me up again. "Leave her; it will be easier like this. It's in our control now. Bane, get ready to fix things."

"I don't know what's-"

"Her lungs are punctured." Sparky's now dull voice caused them to both look at her. "That's why she's coughing blood, so you might want to focus your magic there."

"Alright. Worth a shot." Galaxia's horn began to glow. Soon, my grip on reality began to slip.

When next I awoke it was in one of the beds of the Order. When I stirred and sat up there was cheering. It wasn't very loud, nor deep, but there was genuine excitement. Looking over the crowd of ponies revealed perhaps a dozen or so standing or sitting nearby. As the noise died down, and as Sparky approached, I spoke. "Is this everypony?"

"Yes." Ajiin's voice rang out. "At least, those that are something more than maimed corpses."

I sighed. Before I could respond, however, Cularix did. "You did some really great work out there, Aqua. I'm surprised you came back from that."

"With Bane, it shouldn't be surprising, Cularix. You should know that much." I saw her blankly staring at me, or at least her helmet's cold visor was staring at me in a very blank manner.

"Aqua, I know this is kind of sudden, but..." Sparky spoke, but her voice was almost reserved or withheld, as if she wasn't trying to continue with her words. "...uh...we have no Guildmaster now. While you were asleep, we talked about things."

"What kind of things?"

"We want to elect you as Guildmaster, Aqua. Sparky and I spoke about it with the other Protectorates. It's almost entirely unanimous."

"I appreciate the notion, Ajiin, but I'm basically the newest member of this Order, aside from Sparky. I don't know how this Order truly works, nor do I think that I'm fit for any kind of rule."

"We'd be honoured to be under your direction, Guildmaster Aqua." Ajiin's words ended with him kneeling down beside the bed, an action mimicked by everypony else in the Order. I was speechless, but feeling rather unworthy. It was then that something else came to mind, something that simultaneously frightened me and gave me hope that I wouldn't have to lead the Order.

"There's something you should all know before you swear your allegiance to me." I sighed, especially when I noticed that only two of them raised their heads. "I'm not a stallion; I'm a mare. From day one I've been directly disobeying the standards of the Order."

That revelation turned a lot of heads from the floor. The shock in the room was palpable. Ajiin spoke once again to respond. "Aqua, you must realise why the Guildmaster sustained that law. He feared that mares were weaker than stallions, which they tend to be on average, and feared that the image of the Order would be marred by that difference. You have since demonstrated just how wrong he was. You're a stronger, faster, and a more competent fighter than many of us here combined. You're being chosen because you've earned it."

Most of those that turned to look at me returned to their bowed position. "I...but how? I don't know anything about ruling or most the ins and outs of administration for the Order. Why me?"

"Because, Aqua," the voice of Cularix rang out, causing several ponies to turn, "your behaviour most exemplifies your order's morals. You selflessly gave yourself to beat an opponent far stronger than you. Your fellow Protectorates are awed by your behaviour. You don't have to lead by word. Lead by example. Continue your exemplary behaviour and they will follow it."

I sat for a moment before nodding. "Then I guess my first order as Guildmaster is to secure the perimeter and deal with the bodies."

Those seated around me arose and shouted out their affirmation before setting out. I was soon left with just Storm and Cularix. She went to leave but I stopped her by calling out her name. "Cularix, why did you come to our aid? After everything the Guildmaster did to your order, why did you decide to aid us?"

"Because we knew that your Guildmaster was the one with that mindset. Everypony else with it would either die in the fight or change their minds by the end of the ordeal anyways. As well, Bane stole a look into MoonDusk’s Orb of Oracles. He saw in MoonDusk's timeline that two of you would survive the fight otherwise: you and Ajiin. She would have easily stomped Ajiin herself, and without him it would have just been the two of you. You still would have been injured, much as you had been, so her supremacy over you would have been as easy as stealing candy from a filly, had you even survived. As such, we did what neither time nor MoonDusk could predict: we broke the cold silence and came to your aid as we had done before, before our civilisation split."

"Thank you, both of you, for helping. I owe you."

"The only thing you owe me is a sit rep of what happened on your rogue mission to the fortress." Ah, right. I hadn't reported yet.

"You're not going to like the report."

"I already don't, considering how you went against protocol and risked endangering us for it."

"The entire population of the fortress was decimated."

"You went out and murdered the entire city?!"

"No. I killed their murderers." She was silent, perhaps quietly fuming. "Strange, twisted creatures had killed them all. I spent the entire time, at least several weeks, killing off the creatures and scavenging for supplies to maintain myself."

"...so the fortress is entirely devoid of life?"

"I believe so. If not, then there aren’t a whole lot of creatures, something manageable considering what that war-based armour did to MoonDusk’s minions. I don't know what caused those creatures to arrive in the first place, or who invited them, but I strongly believe that everything inside the fortress is dead now."

"...well...thank you, I guess. I must bring this news to the others. Perhaps we'll get the chance to resettle our old homes." She turned and left, I'm assuming taking the others with her. Storm was still nearby, however, and didn't show any intentions of leaving any time soon. I decided I should get some rest before setting out. As such, I laid myself back down and waited for sleep.

I was awakened not much later by Galaxia. It was certainly a surprise to me, at least. "Good, you're awake. We don't have a lot of time."

"What? What's going on?"

"Everything has lined up; MoonDusk is vulnerable. Bane and I have agreed that the time to strike is now, and she knows."

"Where's my armour?"

"Aldorn has fixed it for you, and it's resting in the Main Hall. The rest of us will await your arrival there. Come as quickly as possible." With that, she warped out of the room, leaving her usual darkened space behind for a moment. I got up after rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Storm wasn't here, I noticed, so perhaps he was waiting for me in the Main Hall. Once I was up I made my way over.

Upon opening the door, I found Lazuli, Storm, and Sparky all within. Aldorn was there too, along with Bane and Galaxia. She was the one to speak as I approached. "Excellent. Now, here's the plan: Bane will assist me in teleporting you within MoonDusk's realm, and Aldorn will get you inside. It's up to you four, Storm, Lazuli, Sparky and Aqua, to find and defeat her once and for all. Once we receive word of your victory, we'll warp you back here to recover as Bane and I establish things."

"Anything we are to expect from MoonDusk?" I wanted to get any advantage I could before waltzing in there.

"The unexpected."

"...thanks." My flat face and flat tone paired perfectly to show my lack of enthusiasm in response to her answer.

"MoonDusk doesn't fight with a single fighting style; she changes it every time."

"Fantastic. Well, I guess we should go then."

"I wish you all luck. Bane, are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Send me in, Galaxia." Aldorn's voice rung out as Bane and Galaxia's horns both glowed. Galaxia nodded a response, their joint magical auras enveloping him as well. Before too long, we were whisked away.

When I adjusted to my surroundings I noticed that it seemed like any other castle's interior; there were high ceilings, many windows, torches, carpeted walkways, and a general theme. The patterns in the windows, on the floors, and the walls were swirling, much like the patterns that had been on the Guildmaster's hide. Each line flowed gently between the next, creating mesmerising patters within which one could, simply by staring for long enough, get lost in time. Thankfully, I was brought back to attention by Aldorn's voice. "They got us in as close as they could, and I'm surprised they managed to teleport you this far. Judging by what Bane has told me, this is the North Wing, the entryway into the castle. I can get you inside, but once you're in, good luck. And, Aqua, you'll be needing this."

I heard a clunk and turned to see what it was. Aldorn had set down my armour, which was stashed inside of two large saddlebags. I trotted over and put it on, waiting for the plates to finish unfolding before speaking. "Thank you. I believe we're ready now."

Aldorn trotted forwards towards the two large doors before us. "Now, it might be best to use stealth for as long as possible. Otherwise, you can expect to fight a lot of minions. Thousands might have fallen during the siege, but she didn't use her full force. It was anywhere from half to three-quarters of her army, so there will still be a considerable number of them here, and she might be crafting more."

"What are they? They're not natural in any sense of the word." Ajiin spoke out this time.

"Since MoonDusk is currently the baroness of time in this place, she has some control over the sands of time. Other barons use it to redirect events and prevent disasters in order to keep peace and prosperity, shoring up the banks of the river of time in that place. Of course, things still happen as the flow is redirected, but it generally works. MoonDusk, however, uses it for something else." He opened the door, looked through it for a moment, and ultimately closed it. He began trotting the other way shortly thereafter. "Sorry, wrong way. These castle halls always look the same, and I'm never sure where to go."

He was trotting over in silence, as if forgetting what he had been saying. Lazuli spoke up a few paces later. "How does MoonDusk use the sand?"

"Oh, right. MoonDusk uses it to create her unique army. As a few of you noticed during the fight, every two that fell became another full creature, so it continued until too much of the sand had scattered to reform any of them. That's the unique property about MoonDusk's timeless warriors: that regeneration. That's why stealth would be the best option here. I don't doubt your prowess in combat, but having to kill over a thousand of those soldiers, and all their halved subdivisions, would wear you out pretty fast."

"Got it. Thank you, Aldorn."

"No problem. After these doors..." He opened the large doors that he had pointed to. "...there's a gate that'll bar your path. That's where I come in. Because of what I am, I can leave this armour, slip through the cracks, and open the gate. From there, you'll be on your own."

I nodded, trotting behind his massive frame as he turned back around to guide us to the gate. Once we were there, Aldorn's suit went stiff. His small, wispy core left the plates behind, slipping through the grate of the gate. It looked like nothing bigger than a small berry could fit into the holes, or perhaps several grains of sand. As I was contemplating how small the grate was I heard the clanking of mechanisms. The gate began lifting, granting is access. The four of us trotted to the other side accordingly, finding Aldorn's wispy frame barely managing to hold the lever down. Once we were in, he let go. This caused him to shift backwards with a sigh of relief. I then noticed the gate close behind us. "I wish you four the best of luck. You'll need it."

"Your help is appreciated, Aldorn." Lazuli's voice sounded out before mine. "Now, you should probably return to Bane and Galaxia."

"That was the plan. Go get her." With that, he slipped through the grate again, leaving us alone. I was entirely clueless at this point, which made me glad that we had Storm with us. He began trotting forwards, causing Sparky to question him.

"Where are you going?"

"Before we came here, I spent considerable time with Bane in an attempt to memorise the building schematics. I know where her chambers and her throne is."

"Wouldn't she know where we were going to fight her because she can see through time?"

"No. That's the reason I memorised the entire schematic, just in case we needed to find her while not getting lost at the same time."

"Well then, if that's the case, let's get moving." We continued trotting, but in silence from this point on. Indeed, we were all training our ears to block out the sound of our own movements while, at the same time, keenly listening for any other sounds.

We made our way about the winding, labyrinth-like hallways of the castle successfully. There were a few times when we had to find cover, or another route entirely, because of patrols and stationary guards. Eventually, however, we found what we were looking for. After opening the massive, and very ornately designed, doors, we trotted into the chamber. The ceiling was massive, reaching so far up that we couldn't even see it. The supporting pillars, which resembled massive helices of stone, simply vanished into the darkness above. The first couple of yards from the bottom up had torches to illuminate the way. Their orange glow washed out all other colour in the room. The floor was all flat, but some places appeared raised. It carried the same swirling patter as everything else in the castle, but with a variation so subtle that you could notice it, but not why or what exactly it was that was different. Before I had time to think on the matter any more than I had I heard a mare's voice, an alto, call out from the darkness ahead. "Well, would you look at that? You finally decided to rear your heads. And who do we have here? The filly of prophecy, the traitor, an interloper, and a misguided mage. Well, aren't you precious?"

Suddenly, more torches sprung to life, fully illuminating the way towards a throne that appeared from the darkness. Seated upon it was a pony with deep, dark purple hide, and hair the colour of night. Her eyes, two piercing portals of blazing orange, glared viciously down at us through her expressionless face. A horn protruded out from her hair, and a lack of wings told me she was simply a unicorn. "Now, you three can just go back home. You've helped me enough."

"We're not leaving, especially not without Aqua." Storm's determined tone rang back at her.

"Oh, well that's quite a shame. It means I'm going to have to kill you then. Those are your two options: surrender or die. Simple. You do know who I am, I assume."

"They've given their answer, MoonDusk. They won't leave without me. We know your plans, and it's time to end them."

"Hopefully you'll be more entertaining than the last disappointment to trot into these chambers." We saw her horn begin glowing, the radiant orange-yellow glow creating an aura much larger than any other unicorn's magic that I had seen before; the aura was two, if not three, times the size of a normal unicorn's aura. She arose from her throne and leaped towards us, launching much farther than any pony could. As we assumed our readied stances she landed before us. She released the magic as a shockwave. I was shifted back a few yards, while Lazuli remained unmoved thanks to a magical ward she placed around herself. Storm skidded and rolled a bit, maybe going a dozen yards back or so. Sparky, however, was launched harder than anypony that I had ever seen launched. She rebounded off of one of the helix pillars, flopping and rolling across the floor until she was little more than a limp yellow spot by the door. I wheeled back around to face MoonDusk, only to find her obliterating Lazuli's warding spell with sheer, unbridled magical might. As she recovered, and before we could act, MoonDusk's orange-yellow aura surrounded Lazuli for a moment before she simply disappeared in a flash; MoonDusk had teleported her away was my only guess. It was then that I heard the doors to the chamber bust open and numerous shuffling hooves galloping in. Storm and I charged in quickly, but she dodged my swinging kick and blasted Storm back towards the doors. He was engulfed by MoonDusk's army before he could recover. "Take him to the dungeon. Any leverage I can use to get my way is appreciated."

I went to swing my tail, but she grabbed it and used my own momentum to hurl me to the other side of her. From this view I watched them shuffle as one large body until the chamber was only occupied by MoonDusk and myself, along with two of the remaining soldiers. "Follow them. This battle is mine, and just between this drake and me."

They quickly left, closing the doors behind them. It was now just the two of us. "Now, you have something that I want, and you're going to give it to me."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you don't have an option." I reared up onto my hind legs and drew my blades.

"Then you'll have to pry it from my dead hooves."

"Tch. Typical." Her horn glowed, a normal sized aura this time, and armour formed around her body. As I drew near, swinging my sword in an effort at a preemptive strike, a sword materialised in her mouth. She barely managed to block my strike, but my strength was clearly superior and I began pushing her down to the ground. I saw her horn glow as she teleported away, causing me to lose balance and begin falling forwards. I converted the fall into a roll, finding MoonDusk behind me. She swung her sword, which nicked my tail's armour, as I finished my motion. I stood upright again and shot a glance back at the point of contact. A small divot was carved into the armour, but I couldn't continue staring at it. The sound of her movement caused me to wheel back around, narrowly parrying her blade. By this point, my swords were heated and aglow, a reassuring notion. A few more bouts of unsuccessful sword strikes on both sides left us wearily at attention. My next movement was a two-sword swing from the right. She attempted to parry, as I anticipated, which allowed me to knock her blade aside as I continued my hasty circular motion. My tail swung around heftily, quickly stealing her ground from underneath her. I reacted as quickly as I could, jabbing both swords down to where she would have been, but found that she wasn't there. I rolled forwards, using the leftover momentum to flip myself over my blades and narrowly dodge her strike from above. As I got back up onto my hooves she was charging in. She tried a swipe, but I caught her sword between my two, trying to pin it. I saw the blade begin to heat up as she tried to wrest it free. When it softened enough to bend was when she could yank it away. Her total force carried her back a step or two. "Most entertaining."

I didn't give her, or her sword for that fact, a chance to recover. I came at her with a few vicious swings, which she made sure to parry with the harder portion of her sword. I then repeated my double swing from the right, which was again parried. I continued around much like I had the first time, but raised my tail at the last moment to catch the jumping foe off guard. The colossal force of my tail swing connected square on, launching her across the chamber. She hit one of the stone helices, severely cracking it as she quickly flopped to the ground. She grunted and arose in the time it took for me to sheathe my blades and gallop over. As she realised where I was she went to raise her blade. I leaped forwards, barely managing to kick her blade a little to the side. The sword dug into my armour, but I remained unharmed. It did, however, give me the window I shot for. I slammed straight into her, busting her through the weakened support. She tumbled in front of me as my momentum ended. I quickly bounded over, pinning her back to the ground. When I could, I began pummelling her face with jabs from the left and right, watching her head react violently. Her horn glowed the massive aura once more before I was blasted by a spell. It launched me about a dozen yards up, roughly as far as high, until I rebounded off of the floor several times. When my tumbling stopped I arose and groaned. She was trotting over, her stride a bit unsure. "Pathetic fool. Surrender already."

"Why? You're the one that's nearly half dead." She growled in disgust before her sword rematerialised. She charged over again, causing me to rear up and draw my blades. I parried a few of her swings before ultimately landing a sword into her left front leg. Unfortunately, this also gave her a chance to stab into my abdomen with her sword. I decided to collapse down onto her, trying to crush her beneath me. She barely evaded, but caused more damage to both of us. As I adjusted to the shift, finally withdrawing my swords, I noticed her swinging hers. I tried to react quickly, to draw a blade to parry the strike, but wasn't quick enough. My motions barely pulled my head out of reach, or so I thought. That was until I felt an exquisite pain hurtle through my forehead, causing me to reel backwards violently and grasp at the source with a hoof. When I touched at the area I found a frighteningly empty space. Looking down at the ground revealed my severed horn, rolling casually in a circle, beside the hooves of MoonDusk. Deep, unparalleled rage built up inside of me as I tuned out the agony of my injured horn. I leaped at her, a howl of seething rage emitting. She didn't even manage to raise her sword to the proper stabbing position before I was upon her. It was true that her blade still left a decent injury, but my blinding fury didn't permit me to feel it at the time. Rather, I grabbed her head between my two front hooves, squeezing viciously before beginning to repeatedly bash her head against the ground. The stone floor cracked further with each successive impact. She channelled her magic into the massive aura again, but I could tell it was shaky. The blast hardly knocked me back a few yards, but it gave her enough time to get up and stop me from charging in again. The glow of her horn was mimicked by the glow around me as I froze in place. When she spoke, her speech was slurred and unclear, seemingly requiring great effort.

"Ah, there it is. Now you see it. Your father's genes cry out for blood. You really are no better than that murdering abomination. Typical. Well, now you're mine and I will do with you what I please when I recover. It's been fun, but it's time for you to become the engine of Equestria's destruction like you're supposed to be." As she finished this statement I let out one more enraged cry, forcing myself out of her magical grasp with sheer might. When she saw that I was breaking through her hold she began frantically trying to renew it, but was unable to do so successfully. Finally, she used what magic she had to conjure as many weapons as she could and levitate them. As I reared up and drew my blades, she sunk her arsenal, around a dozen swords, axes, and polearms, into my body. I groaned my way through the pain in order to send both of my swords straight into her chest. As the blades began to heat up I could see her squirm more. Using what strength I had left I lifted her up, letting her sink down onto my blades. She conjured up a few more weapons to sink into my body before her magic failed her. Eventually, the life drained from her eyes and she slumped, her last cry of agony escaping moments before her death. When she fell completely limp I hurled her onto the ground, sheathed a blade, and lowered myself down. I trotted over and stood over top of her. I sunk my free blade straight between her eyes and waited, ensuring she was absolutely dead. I then cut what protruding polearm handles I could reach before sheathing the blade, a decision spurred by the further damage caused by landing upon their hilts. I breathed deeply for a few moments, perhaps venting my rage, before the pain kicked in. It was at this point that I figured it was time to go. It was then that I remembered that Sparky had been launched at the start of the fight. I trotted over as best as I could and nudged her a few times in some kind of vain hope before picking her up. She slid down my neck and rested upon the hilts of a few of the weapons, sending shooting pain down my spine. I pressed on, nevertheless, and called out Galaxia's name. Perhaps, I figured, she'd be able to find me like Ajiin could.

It wasn't Galaxia that found me, but rather Storm. I had just about collapsed from the effort of remaining alert while balancing Sparky across my destroyed back. When he entered the room I limped over. "Aqua? You did it! Let me contact Bane immediately to let him know. I think he will be pleased with the outcome."

Through grunts of discomfort and pain I spoke. "How did you escape?"

A moment or two of silence rolled by until Storm answered. "The guards just stopped. They ceased acting and simply crumbled into sand. I wasn't sure what it meant, so I cautiously began making my way over here. Judging by what I'm seeing, though, she left quite the damage."

"Yeah." After the last little grunt, Storm finally caught on to the whole situation.

"Let me take Sparky. You shouldn't carry her on those injuries." I happily obliged, lowering my head so Sparky's body slid off. As she slid, the shift in weight caused me to fall to the side. I landed on the weapons sticking out of my side, driving them in to the hilt, or farther, and causing me to barely lose control of the cry of agony I was suppressing. Storm had no sooner gone to pick up Sparky than he came rushing over, trying to lift me back up to a seated position. He eventually managed to, right as Galaxia trotted in through the doors. She paused momentarily when she saw the situation. Suddenly she spoke, her tone bleeding with suppressed rage despite the unchanging nature of her face.

"Did you make her fight MoonDusk alone, though I expressly forbid it?"

"MoonDusk separated us. Look at Sparky. Where's Lazuli? We didn't choose to leave her alone with MoonDusk, Galaxia."

"Whether you chose to or not doesn't matter. The fact that she was alone with her is sheer-"

"It's fine, Galaxia. I won." My grunted voice cut her off, causing her to glare over at me through her neutral countenance.

"But if you had lost to her the aftermath would have been catastrophic."

"But I didn't, so the other possibilities don't matter." She looked at me for a moment before looking to Storm.

"Well, then, let's get Aqua back for rest and recuperation. Once Bane's healed her he can take MoonDusk's place as the seer." I nodded in thanks. It was then that I barely managed to see the absorbing glow of Galaxia's horn. Within a moment or two the four of us were back in the Main Hall of the Sanctuary. Bane was standing nearby with Aldorn at his side. The two of them quickly came over, especially when they noticed my condition.

"Getting yourself into this kind of situation already?"

"Bane, now isn't the time for lightheartedness. Aqua needs help, and a lot of it."

"I can break the swords, axes and polearms, as well as get her armour off." Aldorn's hollow, echoing voice rang out. Galaxia simply nodded to him, signalling him to begin. The heavy suit of armour trotted over, using magic to break the weapons that were lodged inside of my body. The breaks were just beneath the armour, allowing Aldorn to eventually remove the heavy plates. No longer supported by the hydraulics of the suit I collapsed into Storm's grasp. He was having difficulty holding up my entire mass, but managed to do so. When I was cleared of obstructions, aside from Storm holding me up, Galaxia began casting a spell. Before I felt the effect, I could already tell it was going to be the deep slumber spell she always used. As I was drifting out to sleep, I felt sharp pains as Bane began removing the weapon fragments. One drowsy glance revealed that all of the weapons, axes included, were serrated in some fashion, like barbs in a sense. Before I could dwell on the thought I slipped under.

I awoke with a start, panic coursing through my veins. My heart was racing and my eyes darting as I tried to get a hold of my surroundings as quickly as I could. I couldn't tell why, but I was frightened for my life. When I found that it was my house surrounding me I began gradually calming. I eventually let out a deep sigh before settling back down. The overarching drowsiness of morning hung about me, beckoning me to succumb. I didn't see a reason not to, so I closed my eyes and let sleep embrace me.

When next I awoke I stretched myself and arose. I was a little curious as to why I had been on the floor, but soon figured that such a question was the least of my concerns. The floor, rather than being the wooden planks I had known from home, was made out of a dark stone, or at least that was my guess. I looked around, but thick darkness surrounded me. I went to call out, but found myself incapable of making sound. Regardless of this, it was as if something had awakened. I heard the reverberations of a growled intake of air and a small glow began to take shape. It started beside me, but rose up well beyond my height within a few moments. Two orbs, presumably eyes, began to glow, with lines that outlined a general face shape. Before much more of the thing illuminated, I saw a fanged smiled break across the hidden face, the internal temperature of the creature lighting it up from the inside. Suddenly, the creature roared, causing immense fear to shoot up body.

I suddenly jolted awake again in the same fashion as before. After panting in terror for a few moments I consoled myself enough to realise I was in no real danger. As I was laying back down I noticed that Storm wasn't present at the time, meaning I was alone in the room. Regardless of such, I closed my eyes and hoped for rest.

Once again I was on the floor, that same darkened stone floor, and trying to figure out where I was. The glow began again, but I was able to move this time. I backed up, running tail-first into a wall. At this point, the glow of the creature was enough to dimly illuminate the walls, which were also made of that same darkened stone. From this position I could see much more of the creature. When it roared, fiery veins illuminated more fully, barely highlighting the shape of obsidian plates around its body. The creature was bipedal, with claws on the end of the arms and legs. I saw one of the arms swinging towards me, claws extended. I bolted away from it, bursting into a full gallop in line with the swing. I barely dodged the strike, the only thing saving me being a leap of colossal might towards the monster. I barely managed to see one of the legs raise, forcing me to bolt again. When it collided with the floor I was sent airborne about a yard or two. As I recovered and looked around I saw that the floor had severely cracked. Suddenly, the creature burst downwards through the floor, sinking into a pool of lava that now illuminated the room much more clearly. The floor completely broke apart as the ripples of lava rocked the cracked ground. The monster rose once more out of the pool, being submerged to its midsection. It was, however, now entirely illuminated, if simply from a strange angle. It had the maw of a wolf, but facial features not too foreign to those of a pony. It had no ears, but rather large horns that curved forwards in a little more than a half-circle. Its hide was what appeared to be pure obsidian, its eyes little more than two burning pools of fiery-orange hatred. Lines ran all across the body of the creature, like plates of armour, and glowed with fire. Their glow intensified when the monster roared, and subsided shortly thereafter. Before I could note much more about the creature, however, I saw a claw, dripping with the lava it just emerged from, swinging directly towards me. I bolted, trying to leap between platforms. I was barely successful in doing so, and each platform hit was another lost chunk of precious ground. It was after the loss of about a dozen or so of these floating chunks of rock that I actually remembered my wings. As soon as this realisation came to mind I took to the skies. Before too long, however, the creature tried to swing at me. Due to how close I was to the wall, the monster's claws collided with the rocks beside me. My flight pattern was momentarily interrupted as I was showered with debris. When I recovered I noticed severe damage to the wall, signalling that it could have been my death in my unarmoured state. I saw the claws reaching again and evaded once more. This time, however, the creature didn't connect the hit with the wall, almost catching me with the change in its swing. I then heard more rocks tumbling and looked towards the source. The wall that had been damaged before was now collapsing in the area. Behind the rocks, which got blasted out by the end, was the lunar princess herself. She bid me come, and I figured it was my best course of action, so I sharply turned my flight path. I narrowly dodged the swipe from the creature and began my quick approach to the hole in the wall. As I was about to dive for it I felt a force connect from above and I was very quickly hurtled downwards. I tumbled against the wall before abruptly stopping on one of the rocky islands beneath. As I groaned and raised back up, barely managing to move in time, I heard the princess' voice ring out. "Hurry! Time is of the essence and you are in the utmost danger! You must escape!"

I was trying, but decided to double down. I began my flight once more, taking note to dodge the swings of the creature. My spiral path took me upwards, along with the motion around the exterior of the room. When I had the chance, I veered over to fly over the creature's head. It took carefully manoeuvring to dodge the two-sided clap of the claws, but I managed. It gave me enough time to adjust my flight and hurtle down towards the hole. The princess was not there, so I took no precautions. As such, my landing was in no ways gentle, forcing me to tumble. As I tumbled through the open space, almost finally at a stop, I fell off of one last drop.

I hit the floor, forcing a groan out of my body. I managed to get to my hooves eventually, trying to figure out where I had ended up. Suddenly, a door burst open. I turned my attention, finding Storm at the other end. His expression instantly changed and dropped when he saw me. Immediately, and without even asking how I was or if I was alright, he bolted out of the doorway and back down the stairs. I trotted out, as seemingly fatigued and tired as I was, seeing if I could figure out where he had gone. I had gone all the way to the front door, trotting out, before I figured that he was already long gone. As such, I turned my attention back inside and entered once more.

By the time I had climbed the stairs again, my front right leg ached immensely. I hadn’t given much thought to the dull pain until I remembered something: my front right hoof was the one that had the artificial hoof, that mechanical support that latched into my leg. When I looked down I was so shocked by the sight that I stumbled backwards, losing my ground and eventually tumbling my way down the stairs. I groaned as I sat back up. Once upright once more, I looked back down at the strange sight: my front legs were blue. I decided to quickly make my way to the nearest mirror, the bathroom upstairs to be specific, to look myself over and make sure everything was alright. As I slowly careened into the bathroom and turned on the light I was shocked. The first thing I noticed was my form. Rather than being my large, bulky form with orange hide, I was my smaller, lither form with blue hide. My hair was the light brown once more, rather than my stark white hair I had become accustomed to. My eyes were still their rosy pink, but they were dead and lifeless. In all honesty, I looked like a complete mess, if not like I was mostly dead. My hair was severely unkempt, my eyes were dull, my face drooping and filled with major sleep deprivation. The sight caused me to wince before searching for an answer. When I discovered that I could find none, I decided I should try and fall asleep again. As such, I returned to the bedroom. When I opened the door and looked inside, and before I could react in any other way, words of disbelief slipped from my tongue. "By the stars..."

My bed was absolutely soaked in blood; my bed was completely soaked in my blood, specifically. From the sheets on the bed to those that had fallen off with me, the deep crimson colour unmistakably showed a large loss of blood, one that seemed like it should have killed me. Before I could react further I heard Bane behind me. "Aqua, Storm said that something had happened to you. Aside from changing forms, what...oh."

I had turned around at this point. "Oh dear Celestia...you look like you came straight from a nightmare."

"I did. I didn't know anything that happened in the dreamscape would have sway in the real world."

"It shouldn't."

"What happened to me? Am I going to survive? Can I even sleep again?" My worried tone sounded almost panic stricken. Hearing such a tone emitting from my own throat was even more terrifying than the nightmare I escaped from.

"I can't answer the first, but I can say 'yes' as the answer to the second and third questions. Storm, if you would be so kind as to call Galaxia as well. I think this goes beyond just me." I saw Storm's eyes widen in concerned fear before he turned and bolted downstairs. "Let's get you seated for the time being, yes?"

I nodded emptily, but didn't move at first. I figured that he would lead the way. After a short moment, he trotted forwards and beckoned me inside the room. When I moved out of his line of sight, finally granting him view of my stained bed, I could hear his audible disbelief. "Luna have mercy on us...A...A-Aqua, h-how are you even alive right now?"

I looked at him worriedly. His sudden stammer of disbelief certainly didn’t help. "That looks like it's more blood than a normal body can hold, alicorn or not. To lose that much, if it all came from you..."

He shook his head, unable to entertain the thought any longer. "Never mind. Let's just hope that Galaxia gets here soon."

"I have." Her voice rang out, but there was a different tone to it. It seemed more concerned than usual. "Judging by what I see before me, I can only assume that I was called because Aqua's life is in severe danger."

"We don't know. All we know is that she changed forms and bled everywhere in her bed." Storm’s voice was the one to answer her assumption.

"It was a nightmare." They looked over to me, all three of them.

"What happened?"

"There was this monster, a huge creature of fire and obsidian. It was trying to kill me. I only escaped because the princess of the night blasted a hole in the side of a wall that the creature had broken apart with a swing. I took a hit in the dream, but nothing that could cause this."

"If the princess of both night and dreams interfered, then it was because it was monumental. Did she say anything?"

"She said I needed to hurry and that I was in danger." Bane let out a kind of scoff before speaking.

"She wasn't kidding. If your dream caused this much damage, I can only imagine what would have happened if you had stayed for much longer." A sudden wave of pain from the mechanism on my hoof caused me to both wince and barely shift the corresponding leg in the process. This drew the attention of Bane.

"By the stars, Galaxia we have to do something about that artificial hoof." I saw Galaxia turn her head to look at the metallic hoof that was far too large for my leg. It was at this point that I finally looked down at the hoof rather than my legs in general. I saw the flesh of my leg being pulled apart and stretched to nauseating proportions by the mechanism.

"Storm, call Aldorn. I must have a discussion with him concerning this matter, and we need his expertise to remove the prosthesis properly." Storm nodded again, with a bit of a sigh, as he bolted away once more. "In the meantime, Bane, I will render Aqua unconscious. It is your task to maintain her vitals."

"Happily."

"Good. Hopefully they arrive soon." Galaxia's horn began its strange glow, sapping the light from around it.

“No, don’t send me back to that nightmare, please.” A strangely pathetic tone rang out from my throat.

“Do not worry. The sleep induced by my spell is devoid of dreams.” Before long, a heaviness not unlike the one I was already subject to fell upon me. Within mere moments my eyes drooped and I succumbed to sleep.

When next I awoke it was upon my couch. I groggily rubbed my eyes as I raised myself up to look around. Storm was seated on the nearby chair. His head was drooped and his breaths rhythmic, signalling that he was asleep. I looked over myself once more, making sure that the last night was neither a dream nor a hallucination. It wasn't, unfortunately. A thought then quickly shot into my mind, forcing me to look down at my right leg. I found the same style of artificial hoof attached, but rather than being too large it fit snugly. There were scored lines running from top to bottom around the entire outside of the thing, forcing me to cock an eyebrow and examine it more closely. As I was pouring myself into studying the new mechanism I heard Galaxia's voice. "Ah, finally awake. I see Storm finally became exhausted from watching over you all night. No matter. I see you've noticed the change to your prosthetic as well."

"What's so different?"

"It's dynamic now."

"Dynamic?"

"It will change sizes as you do."

"Uh, I don't know if you noticed how big of an ordeal my change was, but I don't believe I will be doing that again any time soon."

"Actually, that was exactly what I was about to discuss with you. You see, as you are something special, something very much out of the ordinary, you have access to spells that most ponies will never even know about."

"Like what?"

"A spell that will cause you to change forms, shifting between the form you're in now and the form that you had been for the last little while."

"And how exactly does that work, and why am I so different like that?"

"Needless to say, it's like fast forwarding and rewinding yourself through time repeatedly. The further into the future you traverse, the older you are, the more dominant your father's immortal genetic code becomes. The more dominant it becomes the more submissive your mother's mortal genetic code becomes."

"I assume you're still not going to tell me who they are, are you?"

"No, but there is a way in which you can discover such for yourself."

"So we've made progress."

"You will not appreciate the prospect, unfortunately."

"What do you mean?"

"Erazul will be visiting my kingdom for a discussion-"

"Wait, isn't he your enemy?"

"Yes."

"Then why allow him entrance?"

"It is clear that you are unfamiliar with the intricacies of royal courts. Because he is my enemy, I must keep communication with him open in order to avoid the onslaught of total war. It's also the only way you'll get a clue about your parents."

"So I just talk with him?"

"No. Erazul is much too crafty for simple talk. He'll try anything to get you under his dominion."

"Right. I had forgotten that he was out to subdue me." My tone was slightly sarcastic, but it seemed to just bounce right off of Galaxia.

"Before you fight him, however, there's still the singular matter of business that we need to settle beforehoof: transforming."

"I already told you, Galaxia, I'm not going through that mess again and I'm not having you clean up after me a second time."

"What happened to you last night was in no ways normal, or even remotely similar to what I'm talking about. This true form of transformation is natural, unlike that unnatural ripping that occurred last night."

"So there will be no horrifying nightmares or profuse bleeding?"

"No. It won't hurt, either."

"And I'll have access to both this form and my larger one?"

"Yes."

"Although I don't know why I would ever use this one. It's inferior to the other form."

"It might have its purposes. For now, however, that doesn't matter. What matters is that I teach you the required magic. I will do so in my realm, which has a chamber that can alter the flow of time to allow us more of it to train you in this matter."

"Alright. When do we leave, then?"

"I would prefer now."

"Like right now?"

"Yes. Time is of the essence, and has been against you since day one."

"Alright then. I still feel pretty exhausted."

"Well you still look like you just came back from the dead, so I can only imagine how you feel." I arose, unsure at first if I would have been able to. Once I was on my hooves she spoke again. "Let's go."

Her horn glowed as usual and within a few moments we were briskly whisked away. When we arrived at the destination, I could barely even see. It took a while for my eyes to adjust to the darkness of what seemed to be a moonless night. "Are you coming?"

After a brief moment I was able to discern where she was. She had turned about to face me. "Yeah, my eyes just had to adjust."

"You mortals can be strange...regardless, follow me." She turned back and began trotting. I made sure to follow closely behind her, as the dark halls made finding her difficult.

Eventually, however, we entered a chamber. Either the light had increased or I was more accustomed to the dark surroundings that were bathed in the low light of her dim torches. Whichever it was, seeing things was a much easier task at this point, and I was thankful for such. It did give me a chance to look around, so I took a gander at the room we were in. The chamber itself was very large and open, entirely barren of any decorations or furniture. The walls were so far distant, it seemed, that darkness enveloped them just out of sight. All in all, it seemed like empty space. Galaxia's voice echoed out, pulling my attention back. "Now, are you ready to learn the magic needed to change shapes?"

"I suppose I am, but I have a concern, Galaxia."

"No, it's not going to kill you or make you suffer."

"No, it's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"My horn was severed during the fight with MoonDusk. I can't use magic anymore."

"There is still a way, young Protectorate."

"How? Isn't a horn a focus, like where the magic is created?"

"Whereas that may be true, you must remember that sources can be things other than horns."

"So then what do I use?"

"An idea is stuck inside of your chest." At first I wasn’t sure what in Equestria she was referring to. She must have noticed the confused look on my face, as she motioned towards my chest. I looked down, finding the glowing pearl embedded therein. It was then that the dots connected.

"Wait, you expect me to use the very thing that keeps me alive, and for something like that?"

"Unicorns using magic tap into their soul through desire for an outcome. Now imagine the power that would be behind your magic if you, rather than merely tapping it, used it wholeheartedly."

"So what's the catch? What's the downside?"

"The more powerful the magic, the more drastic the reaction. The reactions change based on your spells and magical composition, so accurately predicting a pattern is nigh impossible."

"So I use it and hope for the best?"

"Unfortunately, yes." This didn’t sound like the best plan for going forward, but what other option did I have?

"Well, then, I guess we start trying." Galaxia drew near after nodding. She then began explaining the processes I needed to cast through the new source. When she would finish explaining something she would give me the chance to use it. Once I had mastered the concept she moved on to the next point.

I have absolutely no idea how long the training session lasted, as there was no indication of time within the vast and empty chamber. All I knew was that I was exhausted by the end, worn out from the major effort of relearning how to cast spells. It also didn't help that I was using the pearl, the house for my soul, as my magical focus. By the end, however, I could heal injuries once more, and I had learned the art of transformation. Once Galaxia was satisfied with my success she began trotting away before speaking. "Well, I'm almost surprised you lasted that long. You've got endurance that I wasn't expecting. When you're ready to continue with your life just trot through these doors. There will be a galactic wisp waiting to guide you home."

"Thank you, Galaxia."

"The pleasure was mine, Protectorate." A small smile broke across her face before she ultimately turned and left the room. I took a moment or two more to gather myself, trying desperately to find the drive to move, before rising and trotting towards the doors. I was stopped in my tracks when a pony suddenly materialised into view before me.

"Ah, so it did work. So you must be this Aqua character I've heard so much about."

I couldn't tell what colour he truly was in this dim lighting, but my guess was that his hide was grey, his hair black, white, and grey, but that his eyes were a piercing light blue. He was a unicorn; that much was certain. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"Why, you've never heard of me? I am Erazul, conquerer of voids and shepherd to my people." Upon hearing his name I took a step back to assume a combat ready position. "Oh, come now, don't be silly."

"You ordered those doppelgängers to capture me at all costs. You ordered the torture of an entire city to see if your sick experiments could turn my daughter-"

"Adopted, mind you."

"Adopted or not, your delusional fantasy permanently scarred her. You were also in league with MoonDusk until I killed her."

"I do have to thank you for that one."

"I don't care what you have to do. What in Equestria would ever cause me to trust you?"

"Because you're looking for something, something particular, are you not?"

"What does it matter to you?"

"I have what you want to know. Your parents are still a mystery, both in identity and in circumstance. You want to solve this mystery, do you not?" I sat in silence. He had me there.

"So what would it take to get that information from you?"

"How about we do a bit of a friendly wager, hm? I'm feeling a bit extra mischievous today."

My tone shifted to a more reserved one. "What's the competition?"

"A friendly spar, a small fight, a quick skirmish, whatever you want to call it. If you win I will tell you the information."

"And if I lose?"

"Then you will serve me in whatever way I please." I took a deep breath. Those were pretty steep terms, and I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to risk that much in pursuit of knowledge I had lived without for this long. "Go ahead, take your time. It doesn't exist in this room anyways, so we have an eternity for you to decide."

"I'll do it." What did I just say?

"Excellent. Now, as you have no weapons on you currently, how about I summon some for us. Nothing life threatening, like training swords almost. Sound fair?"

"Yes." With all of my training, I wasn't sure how fair it actually was. Suddenly, a weapon dropped onto the ground before me. As I picked it up I noticed that Erazul had one in his mouth as well. From what I could tell, they both seemed like unsharpened swords. I readied my stance, preparing myself to fight him.

"Then let the spar begin!" He charged in, using an easily parried strike. Swing after swing, it was more than apparent that his strikes were untrained and unprofessional, granting me easy shots. I'm not entirely sure how long he kept trying as he was, but after a while he stepped out of range. I charged in cautiously, successfully deflecting his counter strike. After a few more hits landed upon him Erazul teleported out of range. A grin broke across his face as he gripped the blade with new determination. He then teleported again, vanishing from sight. I quickly looked around, finding him behind me. I barely managed to get out of the way of his swing before turning to face him. Again he teleported out of sight, so I wheeled around immediately, catching his blade with mine. I shoved him back with a swing before wheeling around again. My tail connected, launching the unicorn across the room. I saw him teleport once again, finding him hurtling directly towards me. I barely braced in time as he plowed directly into my side with his tumble. Had I been my smaller form he surely would have knocked me over. As I was my larger form, however, his attempt was unsuccessful. As such, I quickly whipped my head down, holding the blade at his throat. When I saw him relax I spat the blade out onto the ground in order to speak.

"Well, it appears as if the victory is mine. Now is the time when you give me the information that is owed to me."

"Well, Aqua, there's a concept you must understand. I am an entity of mischief. Just when you think you might have pinned me down on something..." I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen, causing me to gasp in pain. I had a moment to glance back at the area, finding a blade sticking out of my midsection. Through a grunt of pain I finally spoke.

"You said these were training swords."

"Oops." He kicked me off, a feat in and of itself, before arising. As I skidded about a yard, and subsequently attempted to get back onto my hooves, I felt the sharp point of a sword touch the skin of my neck. "Well, would you look at how the tables have turned? It would appear as if I have won. A shame, really, I was almost excited to tell you about your parents. Oh well, such is life."

I felt something on my neck, forcing me to stop glaring at Erazul. I looked down to find a black collar with a small cord attached to it. The cord lead directly to Erazul's mouth. Despite the obstruction he spoke just fine. "Come now, Aqua, I must orient you on your duties."

With a tug of the cord I was being pulled in. When I was a few yards away the pulling ceased and he began trotting towards the door. I couldn't let him cross that threshold, so I snapped into action right before he did. I violently kicked down on the cord, almost causing the two of us to collide face-first into each other. I quickly reacted by kicking his face, causing him to fall. With lightning speed I was upon him, violently attempting to beat his face in. When I figured it enough I hefted him out into the hallway, getting on top of him again. "So you thought you won, huh?"

"You sneaky little...you can't cheat like that!"

"That's not what a bleeding wound in my midsection says about that."

"But-"

"I won. You're outside of the room and at my mercy. Now give me the information."

"Alright, fine. A deal's a deal. Your parents lived in the Everfree Forest for their own safety. Despite this, they were murdered when you were too young to know them. It was a drake and a mare."

"A drake?"

"A dragon that shapeshifts. He took the form of a draconic pony in order to court your mother. So you're more than a mere mortal. You're a creature of much grander design and a descendant of pure power."

"What else do you know?"

"That's all that I know, but I know of two ponies who'd have more information on them."

"Who?"

"Well, it's one pony and a group of ponies."

"Who?!" My tone was sharp, too insistent on getting the information I needed. I heard Erazul gasp in pain, which caused me to look for the source. Emitting from my shadow were sharp tendrils that had begun digging into his body. I leaped backwards in frightened shock, which caused the tendrils to recede. I was entirely without words, unsure of how my rage had materialised like that into my shadow. Erazul stood up.

"You could have just told me you needed the info instead of trying to torture me with that twisted black magic."

"I-I'm sorry. I don't know what that was."

"I'm going to assume by your shock and concern that you really didn't know what it was. Regardless, the group that can tell you more about your parents is a guild of assassins that live out in a large city in the Badlands."

"But there are no cities on our maps of the Badlands."

"And how many of your civilisation have actually ventured out there to make a map, nonetheless have managed successfully to return?"

"None that I know of."

"Exactly. Anyways, it won't be hard to miss; it's pretty big."

"And who's the pony?"

"You're not going to believe me when I tell you."

"Then tell me."

"Bane." I blinked and looked at him for a moment. "Told you."

"He's been withholding it this whole time?"

"Yup. Feels pretty bad, doesn't it, being led around like that?"

"Then I must speak with Bane at once. I must know."

"Well, don't let me keep you." With that, he disappeared. Galaxia was soon trotting up.

"And? How did it go?"

"I have to speak with Bane."

"So I heard. The wisp was supposed to lead you home, but it instead led me to you, most likely because it was startled by your sudden bursting through the door with Erazul. I suppose then that I should personally take you home to save on time." I nodded, liking the idea. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes." This time she nodded. I then saw her horn glow with a different pattern than I remembered. In here it illuminated, but in Equestria it stole light from the surrounding area. As peculiar as it was, I didn't have time to sit and think on it, as I was soon whisked away by the spell. When next my eyes focused I realised that I was standing in my house. Storm was nearby, oriented on the side where I had been stabbed. He rushed over when he had a few medical supplies and began binding the wound. As he did so he spoke.

"What happened?"

"I sparred with Erazul." He stopped, dead silent. "It was a friendly bout, which I won with ease."

With this he began wrapping again. "You do love to live your life on the edge, don't you?"

"I have to do what I can to figure this out."

"Figure what out?"

"Who my parents were and where they are...er, never mind on that last point." Storm looked at me inquisitively. "They're dead. Where they are doesn't matter."

"Ah."

"But there's somepony I need to talk to before I go off on any quests."

"Oh? Who?"

"Bane."

"Bane? What's he got to do with this?"

"A lot, apparently."

"Do you want me to contact him?"

"Yes, and when he arrives I believe it best that the conversation is had in private." Storm nodded, deciding to not question. He left the room once my injury was fully bound. I sat in silence, awaiting the moment that Bane finally arrived.

It didn't take long, perhaps a few minutes at most. When the door opened and Bane trotted in I could tell that Storm was hanging behind him, peeking around the corner. Bane spoke first between the two of us. "So you wished to speak to me in private?"

"Yes." I saw Bane nod to Storm, who closed the door and left I'm assuming.

"What did you want to discuss?"

"My parents." I could tell that his expression changed.

"What about them?"

"What do you know that you haven't been telling me?" He went to answer but the words got caught in his throat. I had enough time to add another statement in because of it. "Erazul isn't the only one who could tell me what happened to my parents, and he knew very little."

"There's a long story behind that one."

"And I'm injured, so it's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon." He looked at me for a moment before sighing.

"It started when I was exiled from my homeland. I fled here to Equestria to find asylum, and it was an excellent choice. The ponies were kind, open, and always friendly. Unfortunately, I brushed into the wrong crowd the wrong way, defeating their plans to seize power of the local government. They sent assassins after me because of it. When I received word about it from a friend I immediately fled to the Everfree, leaving behind all of my possessions. I stumbled upon your parents' cabin and, in desperation, begged them for shelter. I thought I was safe. So safe, in fact, that I even helped your father with work outside of the cabin. All good things, however, come to a close; the assassins found out that I had been hiding in their cabin. They attacked your father for information but got nothing. Instead, they followed behind, stalking him like a jaguar stalks its prey in the jungle. He led them straight home without realising it. When he arrived he informed me of what had happened. After tending to his wounds, and by this time night had fallen, I snuck out one of the windows and made my escape. After hiding in a dead log for two days I worked up the courage to return and help him fight the assassins, but when I arrived my heart sank. The cabin was decimated, burnt down and torn board from board afterwards. I was distraught, and began stealthily searching the nearby area. Just when I was about to give up I found you, by yourself, wrapped up as you always had been. There was no sign of your parents, no sign of a fight, nothing. Just...you."

"Then why was I alone in the Everfree?" My soft tone sounded as if tears were on the verge of erupting from my eyes.

"I couldn't raise you longer than I already had. The supply of berries you had for a while, the stack that taught you what you could eat, was provided by me when I had to leave. I did what I could, Aqua, including build that shed for you. When I returned, I did what I could to keep the malignant evil at bay; I was the only one nearby you."

"And that's all you know of it?"

"Yes. I wish I knew more, or even just where your parents went if they survived. I searched for over a decade with no luck."

"They didn't." He looked at me before sighing.

"Well, I know one thing, though. Your father would be very proud of who you have become."

"Thank you, Bane. I’m sure the sentiment would mean something if I had any clue who they were or what they were like. I guess there's just one more place I have to look to figure this out."

"Where?"

"Erazul told me that the assassins that murdered my parents are in a city located in the Badlands."

"You plan on going, don't you?"

"I have to know, Bane."

"Nothing that enters the Badlands comes out the way it went in. They always change, shift into something darker and more vile. Be careful that you don't do the same, Aqua. I'd hate to see this quest be your downfall."

"Yeah...me too." My dejected tone left the room eerily silent. As Bane went to speak again Galaxia appeared in the room.

"Aqua, there’s something...oh, am I interrupting?"

"No, no, Aqua and I had just finished."

"Oh, good. Aqua, there's something that just came up."

"Is it imperative that I help? I need to journey to the Badlands."

"How come?" Bane shot a glance over to her.

"Because I want to figure out what happened to my parents."

Galaxia looked at Bane for a moment before speaking again. "You told her, didn't you?"

"You knew too? When did you plan to tell me?"

"I had already said that you would learn when you were ready, and you were ready when you learned to harness the power of both heritages."

"So then I have to go to the Badlands to learn the rest of the story, and why any of this is possible anyways."

"Something more urgent has come up, Aqua."

"What could be more urgent than figuring out who I came from?"

"I discovered the source of the nightmare that caused you to shift forms." I blinked, thinking back on the massive obsidian creature. "It's been murdering ponies through the nightmare. The fact that you have survived is astonishing. That being said, however, as the Guildmaster of the Order of Protectorates, it falls on you to assign somepony to the task or take it yourself."

"I'll take it."

"Don't forget that delegation is a big part of leadership."

"This one's personal; it tried to kill me."

"Very well. If my source is correct," as she glances over at Bane, "then the monster will be appearing at your house tonight."

"Well isn't that convenient?"

"It's after Lazuli." Bane's voice cut in before Galaxia's. It certainly caught my attention, though.

"What?"

"That's why it's coming here. Normally, it wouldn't leave its realm of existence, but perhaps it figured Lazuli to be as tough as you are. It might just see the chance to keep her asleep while it murders her physically."

"Not going to happen. How much time to I have?"

"Not much. Sun's about to set."

"Then clear out and make ready. It's time I put this thing in its place." I could see both Bane and Galaxia look at each other, concern upon Bane's face, before agreeing.

"Stay safe, Aqua. I believe there is more in store for you than just this."

"I plan on it, Galaxia." She nodded and began leaving, prompting Bane to do the same. As he made his way out I made my way towards my armour. Once it was equipped I turned around. I found Galaxia standing inside the doorway once more. "Did you forget something?"

"Don't warn Lazuli; the creature won't come if you do."

"Got it." With that, she left. I was alone for a short while until Lazuli came back. In our usual fashion, whenever the two of us are actually in the same house for a change, we exchanged greetings, told each other the news, and enjoyed a meal before separating. Now was when I started my vigilant watch, monitoring everything that happened in her room. I positioned myself as close to her door as possible without being suspiciously close in case she left for any reason.

Several hours into the night had turned up nothing so far. I found myself starting to doze off, so I decided to begin quietly trotting about. I leaned in to the door to see if I could hear anything, but it was silent. After patrolling the living room a few times, being as quiet as I could in my large suit of armour, I decided to trot around the house. After silently closing the front door I started the round, heading first to the side of the house where Lazuli slept. As I rounded the corner I saw something protruding from her window, something that was moving. I almost didn't notice it at first due to the fact that the object, a tail as it was, was as dark as the night it was stalking through. Suddenly, upon realising this, my heart sank before beating quickly. I bolted over to the window, barely catching up in time to kick the tail with my front right hoof. Whatever it was, I got the attention of the source. The tail suddenly whipped inside and I went to follow it. As I began climbing over the windowsill I was rammed head on and launched outside again. After I hit the ground and oriented myself I finally had the chance to see what it was that tackled me out of the window. Standing above me was a creature with reflecting plating as dark as night. I could see faint lines of glowing, amber orange. Each breath caused the intensity of the light to pulsate. Suddenly it clicked; I knew exactly what was standing over me. With a heave I bucked the obsidian monstrosity off of me, barely launching it a few yards. If nothing else, the creature was heavy, as even my colossal strength was barely enough to throw it a few mere yards. I arose when I could and faced the glowing creature. I saw it approach, so I reared up and drew my swords. As the creature, which stood as tall as I did while bipedal, collided with me, threatening to bowl me over, I sank both blades into its body. This, itself, required extensive effort, but it effectively anchored me to the creature. With the position I had I decided to begin fiercely dotting one side of its body with holes. As my blades began to heat I sank my right blade in time and time again. Around the twelfth time the creature managed to lift me off of the ground. I felt pressure around my midsection, pressure strong enough that I swore my armour was buckling. With a twist the monster attempted to throw me. Because my blade was stuck in its shoulder I simply whipped around it before coming loose. The monster was thrown off balance as well, giving me a grace period for recovery.

When I arose next I could tell the monster was charging in quickly once more. With a swing of its claw it attempted to assault me. I pulled up one of my greaves to block the attack, as I couldn't properly position myself for a parry. Sharp pain followed as the claws tore through the armour, leg-mounted sword mechanism included. The machine sparked, sending small jolts of pain through my lacerated leg. The next time the creature swung I merely ducked underneath the blow, dodging to the side. With the window I had, as small as it was, I flopped onto my side in order to slice mightily at the creature. The blade cleaved through well over half of the creature's leg, causing it to buckle. It gave me just enough time to roll away from its reach. When I looked back I could see the obsidian beast crawling towards me on the three remaining operational limbs.

By the time it arrived I had prepared myself thoroughly. As it arrived in range I wheeled around, pelting its head with a blow from my tail that sent shockwaves up my spine. When I finished my circle I saw that the face of the creature had shattered and that it barely remained attached to the glowing interior. I swung my remaining blade, narrowly missing the weakened plating. In response the creature leaped upon me, pinning me to the floor. It began tearing fiercely into my armour, shredding it and the flesh underneath. My chest could only take so much, so I kicked its face as hard as I could with my free leg. This prompted the creature to pin that front leg down, holding it firmly with the punctures it inflicted with its wicked claws. I groaned as the creature returned to tear at my chest with the free claw. I took my blade and, in an act of absolute desperation, stabbed upwards repeatedly and violently. Time and time again the blade sunk deep into the chest, throat, and face of the creature. It seemed relentless in its pursuit of my demise, and I began to fear the worst. I tried a few kicks and bucks but the creature remained.

Just as I was on the brink of surrender I felt the efforts of the beast cease. At this point my world was blurred and surreal, I'm sure a consequence of my injuries. I finally managed to roll out from under the obsidian beast, barely staggering to a stand after sheathing the blade. The beast, with its faint glow even dimmer now, looked at me for a little while, the pulsating orange interior visible through the heavy damage I had inflicted. Indeed, there was almost nothing left of the chest, neck and right side of its face, as I’m sure was the situation with my chest. If I figured the monster to be in any way organic I'd say that it was panting in exhaustion. At that point, however, nothing it did mattered to me. I rose onto my hind legs and drew the functioning blade again, moving my way over. The creature tried to put up a fight, but I had more strength left in me that the creature had strength in it. I beat it down, eventually hacking at it until it stopped moving. I sat over top of it for a moment before listing. Suddenly I was kneeling, and then laying down, before I could get a grip of reality. I silently pleaded for help, as the shredded mess of my chest didn't give me much room to speak, or even breathe for that matter. As I was begin to fear the end I saw two black hooves step before me. There were silver bracelets upon them. It was when I heard the voice that I knew who it was standing above me. "Protectorate, I would have figured you were better prepared. Nevertheless, child, you accomplished the task. Bane, if you wouldn't mind preparing what you need to heal her."

"Mhm."

"Storm, you and I will carry her in." I heard Storm affirm his willingness to Galaxia. A moment later, I felt myself being lifted by the front legs. I was then being drug slowly, the pulling on my legs sending waves of numb pain through my eviscerated chest. When I was inside the house they lowered me back down, ensuring that I was on my side. I saw Bane trotting in with supplies as Galaxia's horn glowed in its usual manner. Before too long I felt my grip on reality slip.

When next I was aware of anything I saw the couch beneath my head. I sat upright, a surprising feat thinking back on it, and looked down at it. It was my couch, alright, so I began looking around. In the living room, my living room, there was nopony else. I shook my head a little before looking down. I saw the white bandages that adorned the front of my body. Directly on the front of my chest the bandages were crimson in colour. Around the edges of the crimson it had turned to a maroon or burgundy, depending on how far out it was from the epicentre. I blinked a time or two, staring idly at the mess, before I heard another pony in the room. To my surprise, it was Bane sitting nearby. "Well, you're awake."

"Where's Storm?"

"Cularix needed him for a mission, so I'm here instead."

"And Lazuli's alright?"

"Not a scratch, no lost blood, nothing. You did a mighty fine job, Aqua."

I looked down at my chest. "I had hoped so after getting this."

"I don't know how you always end up looking like that, even with as advanced of armour as you have."

"I don't know either, and I wish that such wasn’t the case." The room fell silent for a moment until Bane arose. He was heading towards the door. "Bane?"

"Yes?"

"Is there anything else I should know about my parents? Was there any family aside from me, or was I the only child?"

"You're not the only one asking that." With that, he turned and left. I blinked a few times, confused at his answer, before slowly making my way off of the couch. I carefully made my way over to the wall-mounted map. I stared intently at the simplistic geography sitting before my eyes. Thoughts began racing through my head, causing me to remember what all had been said. The thing that stuck out the most was all of the talk about the Badlands. I began searching for it on the map, finding it not long after I started. Once I found it I began carefully planning out my route to arrive.

I had just about finished polishing up the travel plans when my attention was torn away from the map by the sound of an opening door. I turned to face the sound, finding Storm. He seemed tired, but whole nonetheless. "Oh, Aqua, what are you doing up?"

His tone was a little flat, perhaps the product of exhaustion. "Figuring things out for when I recover fully."

At this point he closed the door, trotting over. "So what's the plan?"

"I'm going to the Badlands." I watched Storm's face, now no longer covered by his helmet, as concern stretched across it slowly.

"The Badlands?"

"Yes."

"You are aware of how dangerous it is out there, right?" I looked at him, then to my chest, before turning back to face him again. "Right."

"I'm sure I can handle myself."

"Not all of the danger is physical, though."

I cocked an eyebrow. "What?"

"They say that ponies who enter there never come back the same."

"I'll manage."

"Have you thought this through?"

"Storm." He was silenced for a moment. "I have to do this. I need to know what happened to my parents."

He looked at me for a moment before the defiance melted off of his face. "Just be careful, alright?"

"I will." Storm trotted away, heading upstairs to the room. I glanced back over at the map for a moment before heading back to the couch to rest.

7. The Estranged Champion

It wasn't more than a week before the bandages came off and the scarred tissue underneath was revealed. It was a sobering thing to see, thinking on the kind of damage that would cause such a contorted scar. I shook the thought from my head and started over towards my armour. As the last plates were folding down onto my face I heard Storm's voice. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes. I have to know." I turned myself about to face him.

"Then I wish you the best of luck, dear." The statement caught me off guard; he had never called me anything like that before. Accordingly, my tone came out a lot flatter than anticipated.

"...thanks." This caused Storm to cock his head.

"Everything alright?"

"Sorry, I wasn't expecting what you said."

"What part?"

"The title, the whole ‘dear’ thing."

"Oh, should I avoid things like that?"

"I don't know. I don't know what I think of it yet."

"Well, either way, good luck."

"Thanks. Hopefully I won't need it." I made my way to the door, opening it and leaving Storm behind. From there I made my way to the train station. There was little to no trouble boarding, a surprising fact considering that I was both far larger than those around me and fully armoured and armed, and I managed to figure out how the station worked with relative ease. I payed for the ticket with half of the bits I had packed, and my ticket was checked without a hitch. Once the train was in motion it was simply a matter of waiting.

The train eventually stopped in the town that I needed. I gazed out of the window and noticed that the uninviting dead brush of the far south of Equestria was foreboding at best. When I disembarked I took my first steps out into the heat and set my sight towards the mountains I knew to be the boundary between Equestria and the Badlands. From there I began the long journey there.

It took a little bit of searching, but I found a passage between the mountains, a pathway about as wide as two main Canterlot roads put together. As I approached I quickly noticed how different it was compared to everything around it. The passage was verdant, almost painfully so. Trees, grass, moss, and flowers grew abundantly in the little valley between the two mountains, giving it a refreshing, young atmosphere. Upon stepping inside the unrepentant growth it became vastly apparent that there was an entirely different atmosphere here. As I trotted within the glade I felt a deep sense of peace and relaxation wash over me, tempting me with repose and begging me to stop and rest my weary body, despite the fact that I was already well rested. It was quiet, almost unnaturally so. Rather than making me feel on edge, however, it made me feel secure, impressing upon my mind that I was completely alone and that such was a welcome thing. I began exploring around, finding a brook gently coursing through the greenery. As there was no source that I can think of, it was a strange sight indeed. During the time I was within the green passageway, however, the enigmatic presence of the brook seemed to make sense.

As much as I enjoyed the fertile, verdant glade between the two dead mountains I knew that I had to continue my journey. With remorse I finally left the beautiful paradise. As I did, every fibre of my being cried out for me to return, and I almost did. I had to remind myself that I was figuring out who my parents were. Such a thought was enough to keep me moving forwards. As I left the glade, having apparently removed my helmet in my time therein, the scorching hot, bone-dry air of the badlands washed over my face about as gently as a tsunami. The cool air of the verdant scene behind me was certainly inviting, but I countered the temptation by re-equipping my helmet. I then set forth into the depressingly dead landscape that stretched before me.

It was probably for a few, if not several, hours that I trotted before I found anything. In the distance was what seemed to be a gathering of huts. I couldn't tell exactly what it was, mostly due to the distance, so I began making my way over. When I arrived, finding that it was indeed a small gathering of huts, I was greeted by a few ponies wrapped in cloth. The cloth had been white in the past, I'm sure, but was too far soiled by moisture and dirt to remain anywhere near that colour. They seemed hesitant, distrusting of me, as I approached. "What brings you here, outlander?"

"I need to find the city."

"Which one?" I didn't know there was more than one.

"The one with the arena." I saw them look at each other for a moment.

"Why do you seek transport there? Only death will await you in that sick place, outlander."

"Death is no stranger to me. This will be no different. Will you take me there or not?" Again they looked at each other.

"We will do it. Do not blame us if you find yourself soon to die." They turned and began heading to a wooden structure, a boat of sorts. It had a sail, a fairly large one at that. The boat had two skims, with metal lining the bottom, and a back cabin, perhaps large enough to hold a dozen ponies if they crammed in tightly enough. Mounted to the top of the cabin was a strange device; it had shaped slabs of wood on the inside linked to a central point. The opening in the front aligned with the sail, pointing directly into it. I had no idea what purpose such an extension could serve, but I disregarded the thought and followed them on board. Without much delay the cloth-covered ponies activated the strange wooden device. The slabs began turning and, before too long, I could see the sail pick up wind. The faster the mechanism moved the more wind the sail picked up. After a short while, around when it seemed the device hit maximum output, the boat began moving. The metallic base began dragging across the dead, dry dirt below. It was clear that we were on our way now.

After most likely an hour or so we arrived at the boundary. The boat stopped well before the city, when it was just on the horizon to be specific. I looked at the one in control, who turned to me and spoke. "This is where we stop."

"You can't approach further?"

"We don't wish to be caught in the politics of that rat's nest. If you're brazen enough to venture, go. We will not follow." I nodded, not having a response, before disembarking the vessel. As soon as my last hoof left the deck the machine began spinning again. Within moments the skimmer was gone, leaving me stranded. I turned my attention back to the distant city and began my journey there.

It was about dusk by the time I arrived on the periphery of the town. Lights had not yet been lit, and a decent number of ponies were still out in the streets. As I entered the town it became very apparent the kind of place that I had just trotted into. There was really nowhere to look where there wasn't a fight. Whether it was in the street, on the roofs, or in the alleys, there was sure to be some kind of a scuffle. The buildings these ponies fought both on and around were flat on all surfaces, made out of shaped sandstone and dirt. The windows, which were roughly hewn out of the side of the buildings, were closed with thick wooden shutters. The doors were large, heavy wooden structures in and of themselves. Both were reinforced with iron bolts and bars, as if in an attempt to keep something out or to prevent breaking and entering. Beyond that, there was nothing of note, not that I had time to search. I heard some clanking nearby and turned to face it. What met my view was a group of ponies, or at least what looked like something that could have been ponies at one point. The scars and deformities that riddled their bodies made them a grisly sight, one that reflected a life filled with nothing but war and fighting. Their weapons looked like they were wooden hilts with sharpened bones embedded in them; some resembled swords, others axes, and one was a kind of scythe. As they continued to approach I spoke. "Can I help you?"

"Would you look at its pretty face? Unmarred, unscarred, whole. It's a shame, isn't it? Guess that means it's nubile. But is it mare or stallion? One way to find out." I had no clue what they were referring to, as my face was still coated by the plates of my helmet. Regardless, they were approaching, arriving dangerously close now. I got down into a fighting stance in anticipation of the fight. As the first approached I drew a blade. The first of the withered ponies swung, his weapon bouncing fruitlessly off of my armour. In retaliation I drove the blade through his throat, hearing his gurgled response of surprise. With a heft I sunk the blade to the hilt, touching one side of his throat with my hoof. I then reared up, lifting him about a yard off of the ground. I drew the other blade and crossed it underneath the blade that was already sunken inside the pony. The weight on my one leg suddenly decreased as the body of the pony separated from the neck. I then turned to the others and flung the head at them, watching it bounce off of the chest of one of the withered ponies.

"Any of the rest of you have any bright ideas? Or will you just tell me where the arena is so I don't have to murder the whole city finding it?" My sudden change of attitude and tone frightened me; I can only imagine the effect my words had on the ponies before me. One of them pointed with shaking hoof, which caused me to glance over. He pointed down the main street, so I assumed that was where it was. When I turned back around the group was gone, even the body of their friend. I decided it best to head towards where the pony had pointed, so I sheathed my blades, set myself down, and set off in that direction.

Night had fallen as I continued my path. As I continued on my way one of the doors opened. A pony, one that actually resembled a pony, opened the door. His scars were few, but still prominent. He spoke quickly and gruffly. "Get inside, now!"

I furrowed my brow but complied nonetheless; I was in no real danger with my armour on, so I feared nothing in taking up the stallion on his order. Once I was inside of the house the door closed behind me forcefully, the latch quickly being placed. I turned my attention to the pony barricading the door, who was ensuring that it was closed tightly. “Is there an explanation for the urgency of my entry?”

“The husks dominate the city, but even they are afraid of the monsters that come out to dominate the night. We built the houses this way to prevent their entrance. It’s been centuries at least since they started invading. I’d almost rather have dragons…”

“What invades every night?”

“Not every night. It’s periodic, but without pattern.”

“That still doesn’t answer the question.”

“Changelings.”

“Changelings?”

“These hideous monstrosities, they’ve got the whole town on lockdown. They’re insectoid in nature, but the shape of ponies. They cloak as ponies that they’ve seen before.” He paused for a moment before reeling away from me. I unfolded my helmet and cocked an eyebrow. “You’re not one of them, are you?”

“No, not hardly. My name is Aqua, and I come from Equestria. I belong to an organisation designed to protect ponies. Is there any way I can be of assistance?”

“No. We’ve tried and nothing has helped. That’s why the buildings are so reinforced.”

“I see. I have another question, however, that I need you to answer.”

“What is it?”

“What are these ‘husks’ you referred to?”

“Right now, this town is under a bit of political distress. The one side of the struggle consists of ponies like me, ponies who still resemble themselves and haven’t lost their basic morality. We run the businesses, the government, everything. Well, running the government is a bit of a stretch, but we’re the backbone of the city.”

“And the husks?”

“They’re lifeless, brutish creatures that have shed their morality for an increased bloodlust. It gives them strength beyond us, so we basically live in subjection to them. Any time they want something, but don’t want it properly, they put on these helmets they crafted by threading the fragments of multiple skulls together. They paint themselves in their own blood for added effect. They use weapons made by jabbing bones into wooden planks or sticks and sharpening the longer end. They pick fights with anypony and everypony, even each other. It’s all they do. They’re no better than thugs and vagabonds, or wild creatures fuelled only by the scent of blood.”

“I can see why you dislike them.”

“Hate. Hate is a better description.”

“Alright. So, I can’t go out at night?”

“Unless you want to die, or worse, I’d highly suggest you stay in here.”

“Or worse?”

“Many ponies and husks have been carried off in the middle of the night, never to return. We hear their screams outside of the door, then the buzzing, then silence. When we leave in the morning there is nothing there; no corpse, no remains, not a single trace. Sometimes there’s this sick, green, viscous liquid splattered about, but that’s all. We think the changelings take them, but we don’t know what for.”

“Then I think I’ll stay the night.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have a spare room, so you’ll just have to sleep in here. Is that alright with you?”

“Not like I have any other options, now do I?”

“True. Make yourself comfortable, then. I have a little food left over from dinner, if you’d like.”

“That would be appreciated. Thank you for your hospitality.”

“You’re a pony like us. We have to stick together at a time like this, since we have two fronts of enemies to face.” He said this as he went about preparing a plate for me. I happily ate the meal when it was presented to me and thanked the kind stallion. Once everything was set he went off to another part of the house, leaving me to myself.

When the morning came the stallion found me asleep in my armour. He woke me up and offered me breakfast, which I gladly accepted. I sat down to eat with his family, which consisted of him, his wife, and a small colt. The colt bombarded me with questions, which the parents tried to stave to no avail, and I patiently answered them all as I could. It persisted as long as breakfast did, after which I thanked them for the meal and shelter before heading out for the day. It didn’t take long for me to orient myself after leaving the front door. Once I knew my way I set out for the arena that I hoped was there.

It wasn’t more than a few hours by the time I reached the largest building I had seen in the entire town; it entirely dwarfed the nearby structures. It was both several stories higher as well as being large enough to hold an entire city’s population. I figured that this was what I was looking for. With this in mind I searched for a door. I managed to find one leading down a set of stairs, so I trotted within. I entered the door at the end of the stairwell and began looking around. A larger stallion approached me. When he arrived I noticed that he was still smaller than I was, but it only seemed to fuel him further. He had dark brown hide with hair about the same colour. It wasn’t short, but it didn’t get very far off of his head. His eyes almost looked like two black pits, but it was barely noticeable that they were simply a very deep brown. He spoke in a gruff tone, almost shouting at me. “And just what do you think you’re doing waltzing in here? What, do you think this is some kind of playground? Some magical adventure land for fillies? What kind of disregard do you have to have for any decency for you to be plowing through places like this, huh?”

“This is the arena, yes?”

“And if I told you it was, then what?”

“I would like to join.”

“You? Join? Ha! Don’t make me laugh. I’ve seen butterflies tougher than you. This is no place for you. Get lost.” He turned around and started trotting off.

“Would you rather I beat you until you accepted my request?” He paused for a moment before turning back around.

“What did you just say to me?”

“I’m joining this arena whether you like it or not. Might as well make this easier for you and just let me in.”

“And if I did then what? They drag your massacred corpse back down here so I can steal your stuff and leave you to rot out in the streets? Is that what you’re looking for?”

“I’m looking for information, and I was told that this is where I’d find it.”

“If you want information then go to a library.”

“A library doesn’t have information on murdered parents.” He stopped again, looking back towards me. “I’m here to beat it out of whomever I need to. If it means I have to start with you then I have no qualms about it.”

“You’ve got guts. I like it. Welcome aboard the team. The next fight should be starting in a few moments. If our team member comes back resembling a pile of mashed strawberries then you get to go out. If not, then wait until he dies. Got it?”

“As clear as day.”

“Good. I hate repeating myself.” With this he finally trotted off into some other section of the underbelly of the arena. From here it was simply a waiting game. I sat down near the wall next to me and began waiting.

It didn’t take terribly long before I heard movement. I turned my attention to the origin, down the long hallway that lie before me, to see what it was. Before long, a few ponies were trotting down the passage. I couldn’t tell what was going on until they actually entered the main room I was sitting in. They dumped a corpse, positively coated in blood, over the side of the rig they were carrying it on. The stallion was little more than a bloody pulp at this point. The brown pony from before came out and looked at him for a moment before speaking. “Figures. He was worthless anyways. Newcomer, your time is up. Follow those two to find the entrance.”

I nodded and trotted over. When I arrived the two ponies with dead expressions bid me to follow, so I did. It was in deathly silence that I continued behind them until I was standing in a dug out section of the arena wall. Iron bars prevented me from entering the ring, so I had to wait further. Before too long I heard a voice echo through the arena. “Ponies of the city, we have gathered together two more combatants, fresh blood from each side. Only by killing their opponent can they hope to advance to higher levels of combat. In the West corner we have a skilled combatant from Equestria, a rejected royal guard seeking to hone their killing touch for revenge. In the East corner we have a giant of a Pegasus from Equestria as well, seeking answers to vengeful questions. Who will take home the victory, and march that much closer to their goal? Let’s find out. Combatants, begin!”

The gates suddenly dropped, allowing us out. I galloped out towards the centre of the arena, rearing up just before I arrived. The other pony, who had been charging aggressively, halted as soon as he could. He was trying to get a read on me through his guard uniform’s helmet. It gave me enough time to draw my blades and begin heating them. The pony finally approached, his pike thrusting towards me. I deflected the jabs expertly, leaving him looking a bit more than worried. I began stepping towards him, eventually cutting his pike on the handle and rendering it useless. He then drew his sword, which I easily parried. The pony was keeping just out of reach, but he could only manage for so long. He began to tire after a while, so I took action. I sheathed my blades and, from the standing position, leaped upon him. I drew a blade and held it to his neck, hesitating with the strike. It didn’t feel right, especially now that I had him helplessly before me. I saw his glance shoot over to one side, so I followed the look. It was towards a pavilion set up in one of the lower seats in the arena’s audience seating. The seating itself was about half full at this point, but that wasn’t the important aspect. What I saw within the pavilion was a pony, its dark robes aiding in its occult aspect. The shade made it fairly hard to tell what exactly they looked like. I hardly noticed them step up, barely protruding their head from the shade of the pavilion. A black cowl and mask hid all but their eyes, and a bit of their dark green hide from the side of one eye, across the bridge of the muzzle to the other, and ending just beyond the other eye. I saw a covered hoof reach up towards their throat before making a slicing motion. I swallowed and looked back down at the pony underneath me. “No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!”

I drove my hoof down hard, smashing his head in. The sudden outburst of blood from his crushed cranium shot across the sands of the arena. I removed my hoof and watched the blood trail off of my greave and back down into the sickening mixture of flesh and bone that painted the ground underneath the impact zone. Most of me cried out in protest at the murder of this pony, but some part of me I had never known about before rejoiced, begging for more destruction. I arose and began trotting off, contemplating what had just happened. I made my way back down to the underbelly, eventually standing before the brown pony who had been so hostile before. “Well, wasn’t that something? Beginner’s luck, nothing more. Wait until your next match; then we’ll really know if you can survive or not. I don’t think you will, but that’s just me.”

I nodded and trotted off, sitting in some part of the main room by myself. I looked at the caked blood around the lip of the greave, at whatever small portion of the remains that had barely managed to remain attached to my armour. I sat in contemplation of the mess, and it was as such that I waited patiently.

After perhaps a few minutes a pony came down to the underbelly and headed directly towards the brown pony, weaving through the other ponies down here. After a few minutes they left again. The brown pony followed them out, but stopped in front of me. I looked at him, as he stood eye to eye with me while I was laying down. “So I was just informed by the arena master that your armour is a no-go for the battles. If you keep using it, they’ll provide the other team with tools that can easily cleave an armoured pony in half, and I don’t think either of us would appreciate that.”

“So where would you have me leave it?”

“The corner. Where else did you think I’d tell you to leave it, at grandma’s house?” I looked at him blankly. “What, don’t have grandparents either?”

I got up, heading towards a corner of the armoury, before powering down my armour and placing it as close to the wall as I could. “Now what armour can you give me, then?”

“Find something that fits.” I suppressed a sigh of exasperation as I trotted over and began attempting to equip every last suit of pitifully rusted armour they had. None of them fit, so I turned back to the pony. “None of the sets fit. How am I supposed to do battle without a fitting set of armour?”

“Figure it out. Parry, dodge, whatever. If you’re too chicken to take a hit then leave, because this isn’t the place for pansies.”

“Can you not make a set?”

“What do you think we are? Millionaires? We run a club of savage murderers in a broken city in the middle of a dead wasteland. We don’t run a sportspony club for crying out loud. Even if we had the means to do so we wouldn’t have time. You’re in the next battle, so get yourself ready.”

“So where are your blades then?” He simply pointed over to a smaller rack in the armoury. It was filled with swords, axes, and hammers in very poor repair. With a grunt of frustration I picked one of the larger swords, holding it firmly in my teeth. As long as I didn’t contract some kind of fatal disease, I thought to myself, I should be fine; I was here for information, not diseases. I shook the thought, and just in time for the two ponies to come and bid me to follow them. I did so, finding myself in the arena once more. The announcer’s voice rang out before the battle began. Once the gates lowered I was pitted against a stallion, a unicorn specifically, who used a bow. I tried to make use of what cover I could, although there was next to none. I managed to evade most of the arrows by sheer luck, but I took a few hits. One landed between my left shoulder and my chest, narrowly missing key spots in both, while two others had sunk through my side. One had penetrated the front of my right hind hoof, a shot which had almost toppled me during the fight. I did eventually close in on the pony, swinging my sword in an attempt to suppress the pony. It worked, and I even cleaved the bow in half, before pinning the pony to the wall. My blade was stretched across his neck, giving me the opportunity to glance at the pavilion. From the corner of my eye I could see the sign of death, so I pressed in with as much force as I could. I only stopped when my muzzle hit the wall. By then, I heard a thunk on the ground next to me, followed by another, louder impact. I looked over to find the decapitated body of the stallion. I closed my eyes for a bit longer than a standard blink before turning my attention to the entrance to the underbelly. As I trotted my way back over I tried not to think about what I had accomplished once again.

Once down in the underbelly again I was briefed on my next battle, which occurred no later than ten minutes since the last. After that, I would head up to the fight before returning to the underbelly for further instruction. The pattern had been established, and I wondered how long it would take, how many dead ponies I would have to leave in my wake, before I found anything out.

I was preparing for the last match of the day, fairly tired and worn from my injuries, when the brown pony approached me. “The rules have changed. You can use your armour on this match.”

“What’s so different?”

“You’re fighting the other team’s last fighter.”

“Who is it?”

“It’s a pretty infamous pony known as Flowing Hammer. She got her name for a reason, and it’s because of her skill with her warhammer.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll beat her down just as easily as the rest of those pathetic mutts.”

“I wouldn’t take this one so lightly. She’ll be launching you across the arena so hard that you’ll wish you were back home drinking tea and munching on dandelions.”

“Uh-huh, right. Just let me at her.” I trotted over and equipped my armour, happily embracing the form fitting plates once more. Once the last plate folded onto me I turned and looked at the brown pony again. He nodded as the two escorts trotted in. I brushed them aside and eagerly made my way to the pen. I barely managed to contain my anticipation until the announcer finally spoke.

“Ponies of the city, you have watched fixated as this newcomer brutally killed every single last one of the West corner. Now, behold as she engages in mortal combat with the West corner’s champion, your personal favourite: Flowing Hammer! Who will obtain victory in a supremacy match between these two massive fighters? Let’s find out!”

The gate to the arena, now entirely packed to the brim with audience members, lowered, allowing me to finally get a look at this Flowing Hammer character. Most particularly, the look I got was best when I narrowly parried her hammer’s strike after we closed the gap between us. She was large, about as large as I was. Through her armour I could see what should have been her hide. Rather than the hide of normal ponies, her body was coated in thick red plates, almost chitinous in nature. Her stature was very similar to mine, almost to the tip of the tail. She had a large, long muscular tail much like I did. Across the top of it, and probably most of her back, were what looked like frills, perhaps membranous in nature. Off of her face came two short whisker-like protrusions that dangled down to around her chin. I couldn’t tell what her hair was like, as it was covered by her helmet, but I could have sword that a few white strands dangled down onto her face.

My look was interrupted when she brought the hammer around again. I ducked underneath the blow and lunged at her with a blade extended. She used the momentum of the miss to launch herself out of the way of my strike, skidding a short distance away. As I recovered from the botched landing I could tell she was swinging the hammer down towards me. I rolled out of the way, narrowly dodging the impact that shook the ground beneath me. As she attempted to yank the hammer from the ground I reared up with both blades drawn. I managed to land a few swipes before she swung her tail to launch me back. As I skidded across the dirt on my back I sheathed my swords again, preparing to get back onto my hooves. When I turned my attention back to Flowing Hammer I saw her charging at full speed, hammer trailing behind her. I readied myself, ducking down when I calculated the arc of her swing. I issued a low counterstrike with my tail, swinging it around in fury. It knocked her violently off of her hooves, causing to lose her grip on her hammer. The heavy weapon whizzed over me as she ploughed straight into my side. We both got up, equally glancing over at the hammer, before looking back at each other. She spoke first. “You fight well, almost as well as me.”

“I’ve never met another pony with a tail like mine, nonetheless one that uses it as a weapon.”

“I could say the same, stranger. Unfortunately for you, one of us has to die here.” With that, she bolted over towards her hammer again. I reared up onto my hind legs and drew both swords again. They had heated up fully by the time she arrived with her hammer in tow. She swung the hunk of metal at full force, a force that I was brave enough to try and counteract. I swung my swords out to meet it, jabbing both blades directly into the metal by the time I had compensated for the impact. The momentum carried me about a quarter circle around Flowing Hammer and left my front legs throbbing madly. I recovered my stance and began attempting to wrest the hammer from her grasp. She ultimately won the duel for supremacy, but not without exposing herself. I lunged in, disregarding any kind of grounding of stance that I had before. I landed squarely upon her, sinking my blades into both of her hips. She groaned in pain as a sizzling sound echoed through the arena. She managed to shake me off with her tail, a feat I’m still surprised by today. I sheathed my blades and arose again. Once I was back on my hooves I turned my attention to her once more. It was very clear that my strike had the intended effect, as she was stuck, crippled by the injuries. She did her best to rotate, her hammer still in her mouth. I charged in, parrying the severely weakened swing of her hammer. I ploughed straight through her, bowling her over onto her back. As I stood over her, blades pressed to the armour covering her neck, I turned my attention to the pony in the stands. Rather than a sign for execution, he waved his hoof in the air. Immense cheering came from the crowd before the announcer’s voice came echoing out. “Ponies of the city, the judge has decided that their fight was entertaining enough to spare them both. As such, this fight will be decided another day.”

I turned my attention back to Flowing Hammer, sheathing my blades. I got off of her, allowing her to roll over. She spoke as she did. “What is your name? They didn’t even announce it.”

“Aqua.” Her face seemed to light up in discovery.

“Aqua?”

“Yes, that is my name.”

“They told me I needed to find an Aqua to learn more.”

“Learn more about what?”

“Combatants, return to your corners so the next fight can begin.”

“Learn more about what I am, who I am.”

“I’m still confused. What do I have to do with you?”

“Combatants, the champion will come out to kill you both if you don’t stop fraternizing and return to your corners.” I looked up at the stands before trotting towards my corner. I turned my gaze back to Flowing Hammer as I trotted out, seeing her looking towards me longingly before crawling towards her own side of the arena. As I entered the underbelly again, and as the rush of battle wore off, I could feel the pain starting to ramp up in my front legs. By the time I got to the brown pony I practically collapsed. He saw it and spoke gruffly.

“And what’s the matter with you?”

“I took a heavy hit to the front legs.”

“I already knew that; I watch every battle. I meant why you decided to chicken out and start talking with the enemy.”

“I wanted to find out where she was from, where there are other ponies with tails like mine.”

“There aren’t, and there is no place like that. You two are just freaks, plain and simple. Now get over it and get ready for tomorrow’s match.” I went to step towards him again, finding my step very shaky and filled with immense pain. “Oh, don’t tell me you’re giving up.”

“Something’s wrong with my front legs.”

“It’s called being a pansy. Get over it.” I powered down my armour so I could get a better look at what was going on. Both legs were swollen at this point, and looked a little out of shape. “Great. You’ve gone and broken your legs, have you?”

I didn’t know how to respond. “Get lost, then. You can’t fight, so there’s no point in you wasting the air down here.”

I began re-equipping my armour, turning myself towards the entrance once the plates were fully covering me once again. “Well, what are you waiting for? A sympathy card? Get out of my underbelly!”

I set the coordinates for the warp core before discharging the energy it had accumulated during the fight. When next I focused on my surroundings I could tell I was back in the fertile land of Equestria. I wasn’t more than a few yards away from my house, surprisingly, but I also noted that I was falling. It wasn’t a fall higher than a couple of stories, but the impact still stung my front legs enough to paralyse me. I grunted, suppressing the cries of agony from the landing, before struggling to my hooves again. A tear or two slipped from my eyes as I barely trotted my way back to my house. Upon entering I found Storm finishing up a plate of food. He turned to me with a pleasant smile. “Welcome home, Aqua. How did things go out there?”

“You’re going to need to call Bane.” His face dropped immediately.

“What happened?” I powered down my armour, a mistake in and of itself. Once the hydraulic support was gone I crumpled down upon my front legs, unable to support my own weight. The pain of the impact froze me in place once again. Storm rushed over, most likely upon seeing the condition my legs were in. He helped me up, attempting his best to carry my heavy front half as we trotted together over to the sofa. He laid me down as best as he could to keep the pressure off of my front legs before going out to get Bane.

After several moments, perhaps minutes but I don’t know as pain warps time, had elapsed both Bane and Galaxia came trotting in. I could hear Bane’s sharp inhale before he emitted an ‘ooh’ of discomfort. “Well, you really messed up your legs this time, Aqua.”

“Can you fix them?”

“Of course we can fix them; we can bring you back from the dead.” It was true, and I hadn’t thought of it like that. Galaxia approached first.

“You know the procedure, Aqua.” I nodded as Galaxia began casting her usual spell. Before long I could feel the weight of drowsiness overpowering me. It wasn’t much longer that I succumbed to the inviting sleep.

When I next awoke it was in my bed, with Storm seated nearby. “Oh, you’re awake.”

“Yeah.” I went to rub the grogginess from my eyes, but wasn’t able to move my legs very far.

“You’ve got a few more days before you can continue performing again like before, but at least your legs will make a full recovery.”

“Good, because I still didn’t get answers.” Storm’s face read concern. “And now I have even more questions.”

“So you have to go back, don’t you?”

“Yup.” He sighed.

“Just try not to break any more legs this time, yeah?”

“I’ll try not to.” He shook his head with a chuckle before leaving the room. I set myself back down to rest, closing my eyes and waiting. Before too long my body gave itself up to sleep once more.

The sound of shuffling in my room awoke me next. I turned my attention towards the sound to find a pony sneaking about my room. I didn’t recognise them, probably because they were clad in black, form fitting armour that resembled leather. I sat up, causing them to stop and turn their attention to me. “What are you doing here? Who are you?”

My questions simply caused the pony to jump into action, leaping onto the bed and drawing a dagger. I dodged the first two stabs and went to kick them off, but found that all the pressure on my sheets didn’t allow me to move my hind legs. As such, when she went to strike again, I caught the leg that the dagger was mounted to, barely holding the tip above my neck. They were putting all of their might into driving the dagger down, and they had the help of gravity. Because of the weakened state of my legs I was unable to properly push back, so I was left maintaining the dagger dangling inches above my throat. “Get off of me!”

“Your time has come, Aqua. You know too much.”

“Know too much of what?!”

“We have to stop you before you realise your full potential. You cannot know who you truly are, and you will not leave this room alive. You ask too many questions. It’s time for you to die, just like your parents.”

“I don’t even know who they were!”

“Good. Now,” she grunted through the effort of trying to murder me, “time for you to be silenced, drake.”

I was fighting back as best as I could, and could only hope that somepony else in the house had heard my shouted responses. I managed to send the knife to the right of my neck as I gave up the struggle. The blade sunk into the mattress, giving me time to headbutt the assassin. They reeled slightly, giving me room to kick gently at their chest. It was enough to push them off of me so I could begin attempting to free my hind legs. I wriggled about enough to knock the assassin off of the bed, which gave me time to get out of my covers. When the assassin was next in my view it was with the dagger lunging directly towards me. I reacted as best as I could but still took the shot in the left shoulder. I grunted as they rotated the blade before yanking it out. I wheeled around as best as I could to pelt them with my tail, knocking them back over the bed. I saw the assassin get back up and lunge over the bed, so I bucked backwards at them. My hooves connected solidly, but not before the dagger had sunk through my right hind hoof and straight up my leg. As the assassin crashed through the wall by the door I was left struggling with the waves of agony creeping up my spine. I had crumpled to the ground, barely peeking over the bed in order to see the assassin dusting themselves off before coming back over. I noticed blood on the floor out in the hallway, perhaps signifying the success of the impact. They lunged through the hole and over the bed again, narrowly missing my ear with their swing. I took the chance and lunged at them while they recovered, pinning them to the wall. It was fear-filled desperation that kept the immense pain from crippling me. It was also about this time that I heard somepony else coming up the stairs. I turned my attention there to make sure it wasn’t another assassin sent to help the one I had pinned. The pony that burst through the door was Storm, fully clad in armour and wielding his sword already. The assassin used the diversion to violently swing her head back, hitting me in the side of the head and causing me to fall over backwards. She was already upon me before I could react, jabbing her dagger into my body time and time again. I tried in vain to kick her off. Suddenly, Storm’s sword plunged deep into the assassin’s chest, causing them to lock up. I got the chance to roll their body off of me, barely managing a sit. The assassin coughed a time or two, especially when Storm withdrew his sword, and spat out a large chunk of blood. He went to strike her again, but my voice caused him to pause. Through the pain of my own injuries I spoke. “Wait.”

Storm looked over at me in bewilderment. “They were trying to kill you! What do you want me to wait for?”

“Who sent you? Why are you here trying to kill me?”

“I’ll never tell you, drake.” She spat blood at me. “You ask too many questions.”

With ill intent I focused on the pony before me. Suddenly, I saw my shadow begin moving, reaching out to their body. Before long, the tendrils reached underneath their skin and began worming their way around. She cried out in agony and, after a few moments of her writhing underneath the pain of being flayed, spoke. “Enough! I’ll tell you!”

I dropped the spell and looked at her again. When the tendrils receded she spoke again. “The assassins sent me to kill you.”

“Who is your leader?”

“They hold a prominent place in the assassins. You’ll never find him on your own, and I won’t lead you to them. I’ll die before I betray them.”

“Even to that pain that made you talk?”

“Even to that. I can tell you, though, that the pony in the pavilion in the arena is a member of our group.” I nodded to Storm, who nodded back.

“Thank you for giving me the information I needed. Now, prepare to meet your end.” Her eyes widened, but she didn’t have enough time to react before Storm sunk his blade through her skull. She quickly fell limp as Storm withdrew the blade. He then turned to me.

“Are you alright?”

“Alive, yes, but not alright.”

“I can bind those injuries.”

“It’d be better to get Bane involved. I took a deep stab up the hoof.” I saw Storm wince before nodding. He rushed out, leaving me to myself again. I didn’t even have time to crawl my way onto my bed, or even into any kind of reachable position, before Storm and Bane entered the room again. When Bane saw me he simply shook his head.

“Wow. Can’t even recover from injury without almost getting killed again, huh?” His sarcastic tone caused me to chuckle, which was a mistake. As I winced through the laughter he spoke again. “Sorry. I’ll get to work.”

With that, he trotted over and rolled me onto my back. As he cast the spell the gold colour of his magic enveloped his blue horn. What I felt next was unlike anything I had ever felt before in my life, and I’m not sure if it was good or bad. It was painful, that was for certain. As I glanced down at my belly, which was pointed up to the ceiling with my legs spread, I saw the muscle underneath the skin begin stitching itself back together again, sealing up the wounds and causing a majority the bleeding to stop. My hide then followed suit, ultimately ceasing the flow of blood. When the spell was done, and the strange pain subsided, I looked up at Bane. He nodded in contentment before rising and trotting away. “If you two need anything else, let me know.”

He eventually began trotting down the stairs, the sound of his hooves going step by step echoing up the hallway. I looked back over at Storm, who carried a slightly flushed tone on his face. I cocked an eyebrow before rolling over onto my side and sitting up. “Why the look, Storm?”

“Oh, I had just never seen that before.”

“My injuries?” The look on his face told me that such wasn’t the answer.

“The pose, honestly. Ponies don’t typically lie on their backs.”

“A little too much for you to handle?” I said teasingly. His face seemed to get more flustered as he scrunched his face in bashfulness. It was probably the most adorable face I’ve ever seen him make and it make me chuckle, painlessly if I might add this time.

“When’s the next thing you have to do?” I could tell he was trying to either change the subject or figure out how much time I had to spend with him.

“Well, I still haven’t figured out what I need to from the arena yet, so I should probably head out there and get the information I’ve been looking for for a while now.” His face dropped to a pouting expression almost. I looked at him for a moment before adopting a sing-song tone. “But, that doesn’t mean that I can’t wait for a few days. Make sure I’m recovered, right?”

Storm’s face lit up. “So you’ll stay for a little?”

“Yeah, take a small break from putting my life in danger.” He happily scooted his way over. He kissed me on the cheek, causing me to curiously look at him. He returned a look of curiosity, most likely quietly asking about my own lack of knowledge.

“What’s the matter?”

“I just didn’t know what you were doing.”

“It’s just a token of affection that ponies do. Kind of like this one.” He leaned in and kissed me on the lips. Out of a lack of surety I pulled back my head.

“Ponies do that?”

“Well, the second is only in intimate situations. Like lovers, for example.” I could have sworn my face became a little warmer.

“I appreciate the notion.” I climbed into the bed, ignoring the now-returning, but dull, pain in my front legs. Storm followed suit, climbing on the bed beside me. He embraced me from behind with his wings, wrapping the feathered appendages around my midsection. I felt strangely comfortable like that, so I set myself down into a more comfortable position. He moved his wing out from under me, keeping the one wrapped about my body.

“I love you, Aqua.” His statement made me think for a moment. Did I have the same feeling? Didn’t I have to because of that ‘marry’ thing? What would he say if I didn’t return the sentiment? With those thoughts swirling about my head, making a concoction of doubt, I spoke.

“I love you too, Storm.” The room fell silent, my troubled heart calming. Perhaps I did love him, but just didn’t know it. Love was such a strange concept to me. I let out a soft exhaled snort before closing my eyes. I couldn’t help but smile as I drifted off to sleep.

The next several days passed without much commotion. No emergencies came up, and my journey to the Sanctuary, a trip merely to check on the Order, was too uneventful to do more than mention it here. On my way back, however, I was slowed in my return by a timberwolf. Now, as I was fully armoured this normally wouldn’t have caused me to do so much as double-take, but there was something off about this one. The wolf’s eyes, rather than being that glowing green hole in their head, carried a blue tint. It also seemed to vigilantly be standing in the way of the path, unmoving. As I approached I spoke to it, as I probably would have done with any other animal. “You better move. I don’t want to run you down or anything like that.”

“I will not move until you hear my message.” The fact that it spoke stopped me dead in my tracks a few yards away from it. “Marvel later, for what I have to say is of the utmost importance, Aqua.”

“How do you know my name?”

“He who sent me knows many things. Such knowledge is, at this moment, irrelevant. Heed my warning: Erazul will seek to use Storm against you.”

“How?”

“He will make Storm become your downfall if you are not vigilant. You cannot inform Storm, as his actions will become desperate and cause further devastation. Be warned.” With this, the timberwolf darted into the thicket faster than I could even see. I scoffed a bit at the speed which it used before returning to my journey.

I returned home again, Storm greeting me with food that he had prepared in my absence. I thanked him and partook of it. From there, the rest of the day passed as normal. Nightfall came, bidding Storm and I to turn in for the night. By now, Storm had developed the habit of falling asleep with one of his wings curled around my midsection. He did so this night as well, following his normal habit of sleeping behind me despite him being smaller. Perhaps he felt more like he was protecting me that way. It didn’t matter to me, though, as his wing did make me feel more secure. Rather than sleep in that security, however, concern began to seep into my heart, evolving into worry. Storm fell asleep, as his rhythmic breathing told me, so I sat up. His wing limply fell off of my body, giving me the room I needed to climb off of the bed. I quietly made my way over to the door, ultimately deciding to avoid the noise of the door and simply trot through the hole in the wall. I successfully made my way out without any sound louder than a few hooftaps. Once I was outside of the room I set about a vigilant watch, listening intently for any noise and generally keeping an eye on Storm through the hole in the wall. What the timberwolf had told me concerned me greatly, and I wasn’t about to fail.

Morning came and Storm awoke. When I noticed him stirring I quietly made my way to the bathroom. As I heard him climbing out of the bed I began heading towards the room, hoping it was convincing enough. He opened the door, finding me in the doorway. “Oh, good morning Aqua. You’re up early.”

“Yeah, sometimes I get up earlier.” I wasn’t about to tell him that I went without sleep just to make sure he was safe.

“Well, I bet you’re probably hungry then, huh?”

“Yeah, a little.” That was a lie. The hardest part about the entire night was keeping my stomach from waking Storm up in the middle of the night. I had contemplated getting something to eat several times, but decided against it in case I made too much noise.

“Alright. I’ll get something whipped up.”

“I can cook.”

“Nah, I really like it. It’s kind of fun, you know?”

“Alright.” He began making his way towards the stairs. I followed him down and eagerly awaited the meal. When he brought the food out, mostly an assortment of fruits and a few sandwiches, he spoke.

“So how much longer until you need to leave?”

“I’ve can spare a few more days.” I really couldn’t, but I really didn’t have much else for options. To be fair, though, calling upon Bane or Galaxia for help hadn’t crossed my mind at that point.

“That’s good. Maybe we could go somewhere, like a park or a trip through the woods or something, spend some time together, you know?” It did sound temptingly fun.

“Sure.”

“I’ll spend today thinking of somewhere to go and we can do that tomorrow. Sound good?”

“I like the sound of it, yeah.”

“Awesome. How’s the food?”

“Amazing as always, Storm. Where did you learn to prepare your meals?”

“I’m self-taught.” That statement seemed far more impressive to me than it probably should have. “Everything I know I learned by myself.”

“Then I guess you’re a good teacher, huh?”

“Not hard to teach a pupil if you are the pupil.” He tapped the side of his head. The statement made me chuckle. The rest of the conversation turned to slightly more monotonous subjects, such as the predicted weather or the latest royal news. From there, once the meal was finished, Storm set about looking over the map thoroughly.

The rest of the day continued as he planned and prepared, and as I watched over him religiously, until nightfall came again. As we curled up in the bed again, Storm spoke to me. “Hey, Aqua, try and get a better sleep tonight than you did last night. Within the last hour or two you seemed like you were getting pretty exhausted, and that’s not normally how you are. Are you sure you slept well last night?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I guess just try and make it more restful. I don’t like the bags under your eyes. Doesn’t compliment your beauty as well.” A flustered heat washed over my face, one that he couldn’t see thankfully.

“Alright. We’ll see how it goes.” The room fell silent. I began the painfully long wait for Storm to doze off so I could sneak away, a wait that was exponentially harder this night than the last. My eyes began to droop, giving me trouble as I tried my hardest to keep them open. Thankfully, however, Storm soon drifted off. His wing fell limp and gave me the signal that I needed. Once again I managed to snake my way out of his grip and trot my way out of the room. My hoofsteps were not loud enough to wake him, but were loud enough to cause me to worry about waking him. I did, eventually, work my way out of the room, taking the hole in the wall again. We really needed to get that fixed one of these days, I thought to myself, but when does my schedule ever allow for that kind of time? I shook the thought from my head and began my vigilant watch over the room.

Difficult is a word nowhere near thorough enough to describe the challenge I had in remaining awake that night. After what felt like several hours I wasn’t even able to keep myself trotting. With no real goal other than remaining awake I was finding it highly challenging to keep watch. My eyes grew heavier with each passing minute.

I snapped awake again, breathing heavily. I shook myself and arose to double check on Storm. I found him sprawled out in the bed, limbs going about every which way. I let out the quietest chuckle I have ever heard in my life before returning to my attempted diligent watch. I continued as best as I could, but I could tell the night was still wearing on me. My eyes were growing heavy again, and all I could do was pray that morning found us. I sat down to give my seemingly fatigued legs a rest.

Once more my eyes snapped open. I went to arise, but found myself unable to do so. Confused, I began looking about. A quick glance down at my legs revealed the reason: my legs were hogtied together in a combination between cuffs and rope. How tired did I have to be for that to happen without me even noticing? I shook the thought and began looking around. I was in my bedroom, on the bed specifically. Storm wasn’t on the bed, so I decided to call out to him. “Storm?”

I heard a slight shuffle from the floor to the side of the bed that was to my back. With concerted effort I managed to roll over so I could look. Storm was on the floor, sure enough. Perhaps it was a joke he was pulling on me. Whatever it was, I wanted out of the bindings so I called again. “Storm, wake up.”

He shifted around again. It was at that point when I heard another voice interject, one that was familiar. “I wouldn’t suggest doing that if I were you.”

I turned to the voice, finding a grey stallion. His flowing hair was white, grey, and black, a colour combination that was painfully familiar. The name suddenly came to me. “Erazul?”

“Glad you recognised me. Of course, I’d be a little surprised if you had forgotten already.”

“Why are you here?”

“You see, that’s a bit of a question now isn’t it? Before I answer it I have another question to ask you.”

“That’s not-“

“Ahp-ap-ap-ap, don’t interrupt me. Did you find out anything about your parents in the arena yet?”

“No.”

“What a shame. It would have been quite the interesting revelation. Perhaps you’ll find out the next time you go there.”

“Now will you answer the question?”

“Alright, fine, I’ll play nice. But remind me: what was the question again?”

“Why are you here?”

“Ah, yes, right, about that. So, here’s the deal. I needed Storm out of the way. Well, actually, I needed you out of the way, but getting you to render Storm useless so that I could render you useless is about as good. You see, I didn’t quite anticipate the two of you coming together as a couple. A bit strange if you ask me.”

“Enough dodging the question. What’s going on here?”

“You see, I’ve bound the both of you so that neither of you will be able to escape. I bound you physically, as it was probably going to be the most effective way of going about things. Storm, however, oh he’s bound in a completely and entirely different way. Just as he made you bound to him through marriage I made him bound to you.”

“What, did you perform some secret marriage ceremony for us while you tied me up or something?”

“No, although that sounds like it could be a good idea. I’ll have to remember that for the next streak of mischief.”

“Then what did you do to him?”

“You see, I tied him to you with magic. That silly timberwolf that warned you got it backwards. He kept saying that Storm would be your downfall. I guess it could be seen as being true in a way, but it’s not technically accurate. You see, you will be Storm’s downfall.”

“Why? How? I’m tied up.”

“You see, I put void magic on him and made you the trigger. Have you noticed that Storm writhes in his forced sleep every time you say something?”

“I suppose I did.”

“That’s because every single last word you utter moves the blades embedded in his hide another millimeter closer to his heart and lungs. So far, if my count and math is right, you’ve moved him almost a full two and a half inches closer to his demise. My goodness, you are tearing him up right now. Not much space left before he dies, you know. Not too many words left before his lungs start filling with blood and he drowns.” I glared at Erazul. “Well, I’ve got to make sure that the other troublesome pony is still in stasis. It’s hard work being a demi-god. I’m sure you’d know.”

“What do you…mean.” Before I could even ask he was gone. In frustration I let out a grunt. I tried for a little while to break out of the bindings, but found it entirely fruitless even with my savage strength. With a sigh, knowing how little room Storm had left, I called out. “Galaxia, I have no idea how to summon you, but you’re probably watching anyways, so I’ll say this: I need help. Come quickly.”

I sat for a while longer, attempting in vain once more to break from the bonds that firmly secured my legs together. It was then that Galaxia appeared. “I was surprised when I found out it was you who was calling me. Usually it’s other ponies calling me to help fix you. What did you need?”

“Help.” She began trotting over. “Not me, help Storm.”

“What’s wrong with Storm? He looks just fine.”

“Erazul’s spell.”

“What kind of spell?”

“My words force knives inside.” Galaxia looked over Storm for a while, eventually beginning to cast a spell. After a moment or two she spoke.

“I need you to speak again.” I shook my head, but she didn’t look. “Aqua, I need you to speak again.”

This time she turned her head to see me shaking mine. “Why not?”

I went to move a hoof over my throat, forgetting that they were all bound. I then went to do so with a wing, but quickly found out that my wings were strapped firmly to my side. All I could do was look up to Galaxia in desperation. She started trotting over. “I’ve got to get you untied.”

I started shaking my head more fervently, causing her to stop. “So then what do I do?”

I motioned towards Storm with my head. Ultimately, Galaxia sighed. “Fine. I’ll call Bane. Perhaps he knows a better way to find the pieces.”

She warped away, leaving me bound and mute. I watched over Storm helplessly until I heard the warping of magic. I looked over in hope to find Galaxia, only to be disappointed when I found Erazul standing in my view instead. “Aldorn’s still in stasis, so that’s good. And how goes the adventure here, hm?”

I merely stared at him. “Oh, have you gone and gotten quiet all of a sudden? That’s no fun. Your voice has a nice tone to it. I want to hear it again.”

He began trotting over, causing me to squirm a bit to see if I could make any grounds in escape. “Won’t you let me hear that voice of yours again? The voice of freedom, of protection, of pure, insatiable destruction waiting to be unleashed?”

He was uncomfortably close to my face when he finished that statement. He took a hoof and placed it under my chin, forcing me to look up into his piercingly vivid light blue eyes. He moved my head back and forth, looking at it from side to side. “I can see why Storm chose you of all ponies. Even in this form you don’t lack for beauty, at least to those who care about it. My only complaint is that you keep yourself too plain. You’d look much better dolled up even just a little, yes?”

It almost seemed like he was trying to egg me on to speech, but I was determined to not budge. “It’s interesting, you know, the fact that your hair gets shorter and longer, and even goes so far as to change its colour, depending on which form you take, but that you never need to cut it to do so. Magic can be so fickle sometimes.”

He dropped his hoof from my chin, placing it back down onto the floor. “Although, I have always been curious about one magical property about you.”

Once more he raised his hoof, but rather than placing it on my face he used it to poke at the pearl on my chest. He ultimately rested his hoof underneath the pearl, acting like he was holding it. “What kind of magical properties could a focus like this have? It’s not normal, and by the look of the glow it definitely isn’t like any other pearl I’ve ever seen before. Who is responsible for creating such a masterpiece?”

I stared him down in cold silence, a shiver running up my spine from his penetrating gaze. We stared at each other like that for a moment before he spoke again. “Not going to answer, huh? What a shame. I would have liked to employ them in my kingdom. I’m sure they would have enjoyed it too.”

I bit my tongue until I tasted the metallic flavour of blood. I couldn’t manage to swallow it at this point, so the sanguine fluid built up in my mouth. Erazul began trotting around as he spoke. “Trying so hard not to answer that you’re willing to bleed to death first, are you? You should know better than to cause yourself that much pain. You know, it’d be a lot less painful if you just spoke, even a single word. It’s not too much to ask, is it?”

He had about made his way to where my flank was situated when we heard the sound of teleportation. I looked over to find Galaxia, Bane, and Sparky all standing there. Erazul’s stance changed just as quickly as the trio’s did. “What are you doing here, Galaxia?”

“I could ask the same of you, Erazul. You’ve far outstepped your boundaries and you know that. As per the treatise, it is my duty to banish you to the Outer Realms.”

“You can’t banish me if you can’t catch me, and you’ve got bigger fish to fry.” With a laughter bordering maniacal he teleported away. After a moment or two Galaxia’s stance relaxed.

“The council will hear of this.” I let go of the grip on my tongue, the waves of pain still coursing through my mouth. I swallowed what blood I could, but judging by the looks of the three other conscious ponies I’d say it was a little late for that. “Aqua, there is no more need to silence yourself.”

I disagreed, but refrained from speaking so much as a word. “No matter, Sparky, you said that you were skilled in identifying injuries beneath the hide. If I recall correctly, you were the one that recognised Aqua’s injury first.”

“Yup!” As always with her bubbly personality.

“We need you to locate the position of every last piece of shrapnel inside of Storm’s body. I will extract them so that Bane can heal the wounds.”

“You’ve got it!” She trotted over to Storm, who still looked like he was peacefully sleeping on the ground. Galaxia and Bane followed shortly behind her, stopping nearby. The group focused intently on Storm, the occasional sound of magic echoing through the room. I refrained from trying to break out of the bonds so that Sparky could maintain her focus. In the meantime, I had to focus on not choking on the blood that would well up inside of my mouth. I’m sure at least some of it leaked out, but I was quickly growing both tired of and accustomed to the metal taste of that red fluid.

It didn’t take them very long to finish, and I’m glad it didn’t, from whence they turned to me. “Bane, get that tongue of hers or whatever healed up.”

“It’s her tongue.” Sparky’s normally vivacious tone would replace itself with a very serious, concentrated one whenever she used her ability to detect injury.

“Got it.” Bane spoke these words before trotting over and casting his healing spell. I could tell, although numbly so, from the strange sensation in my tongue. Galaxia then levitated a small bowl before my face. Within the bowl were the small slivers of metal, coated in blood, that used to be embedded within Storm’s body.

“Spit the rest of the blood into here. You’ve swallowed enough as is. We don’t want a vampony on our hooves, now do we?” I weakly chuckled before spitting an entire mouthful into the bowl. It nearly filled the bowl to the brim, a fact that left all of us reeling. “And you’ve been sitting on that mouthful for how long?”

“A couple of minutes.” Before I could stop myself I spoke. I snapped my mouth shut with wide eyes as I quickly locked my gaze onto Storm. He didn’t budge this time, and I started to wonder if I had killed him.

“There’s no need to be concerned for his safety anymore, Protectorate. The three of us removed the shards and disenchanted them. Storm is no longer in danger because of your words, though had you spoken even one more word he would have started dying.” I let out a sigh of relief. “The only pony left to help here is you. Will you finally let me untie you?”

“Now that I know that Storm isn’t going to die, yes.” Galaxia finally came up to the bed, undoing the restrictive bindings that had held me fast. Once I was free I stretched my limbs out. Doing so was a huge mistake, as I found out I was lightheaded to begin with. In reaction to this I simply flopped my head against the pillow and waited for the world to stop pulsating.

“We should also probably get you cleaned up. I don’t think you’ve seen yourself recently.” I shook my head, signalling that I hadn’t. When the world came back into focus I could see Galaxia’s hoof outstretched before me, so I took it. She helped me off of the bed and towards the bathroom. Once inside, and the light was turned on, I got a chance to see myself. The look would probably have caused me to recoil had I not been so tired and worn from the recent ordeals. Blood had streaked from both sides of my mouth, painting its way down my neck and to my chest. There was also dried blood coated onto my hide, roughly starting at the chest area. Most likely as a fortunate benefit, the mirror didn’t give me a wide enough range of vision to see my front hooves.

“Wow.”

“Yeah. Do you feel up to cleaning yourself off?”

“I don’t know. I just need rest.”

“We’re going to clean you before you lie down in that bed. We don’t wish for you have to replace the fabrics or spend so much time washing them. So, again: are you up to the task of cleaning yourself?”

“I don’t know. I’m pretty lightheaded.”

“And you fear falling or fainting?” I nodded, a mistake in and of itself. I stumbled a little, but Galaxia was still there to support me and keep me on my hooves.“Then which of us do you wish to assist you?”

“Can Storm?” I saw Galaxia’s stoic, unchanging face turn as she trotted towards the room. I heard distant, muffled conversation before approaching hoofsteps. Soon, Galaxia was standing beside me again. “Can he?”

“Between my magic breaking Erazul’s spell and Bane’s magic restoring his body, he should be as he was prior to this escapade. He will be up in a few minutes. Do you think you can last that long?” I sat down. “I take that as a no.”

“I’ll last longer like this.”

“If you say so.” The bathroom fell silent. What I could only assume were minutes, which felt like hours, passed as I sat with Galaxia standing over me. At one point I heard her mumble something about needing to be other places, but I didn’t really take note of it enough to dictate again. Eventually, I heard hoofsteps from outside of the bathroom. I turned my attention to the source of the sound to find the dark grey hide of Storm’s front legs. I looked up at him as he looked down at me. He then stuck one of his front hooves out, which I took. He helped me to my own hooves before escorting me over to the shower. Galaxia left the room and closed the door behind her, leaving Storm and I alone. I trotted into the shower before sitting down again.

“Standing is that hard right now, huh?”

“Mhm.”

“That’s fine, I can work around that.” After as short pause he spoke again. “Actually, let’s have you step out for a moment so I can get the water temperature right.”

I did so, letting him take the time to adjust the temperature of the shower. Once he was satisfied with the result he motioned for me to enter back into the water. I looked at him for a moment as an idea formed in my head. “You know, maybe it won’t take as much energy if I’m not in this larger form.”

“Hey, always worth a shot, right?” He chuckled, causing me to do so as well, before I managed to focus enough to cast the spell that Galaxia had taught me. Within moments my perception changed, signalling that the spell had worked. A quick glance to the mirror, which I was still barely within, revealed as much. “I always forget how beautiful that form is.”

I looked back over to Storm, who had his hoof outstretched to help me again. I decided to take it rather than find out the depths of my exhaustion. As such, he helped me into the shower, which was a little on the warm side. Once inside the spray of water I sat down, the streams pouring over my back. Storm then stepped inside and closed the curtain to make sure the water stayed inside of the tub. He then went about the process of cleaning my body, starting with my auburn hair and working his way down to the tip of my tail. “It’s been interesting these past few days, hasn’t it?”

“You could definitely say that.” He was probably talking with me just to make sure I remained awake.

“First the battles in the arena, then an assassin before you even recovered. What caused all the blood at your mouth, though? It wasn’t like that after the assassin, so what gives?”

“Well, I had skipped the last two nights of sleep.”

“You what?” His tone was surprisingly flat, not outraged like I imagined a question like that would carry.

“To watch over you, that’s why I did it.”

“But why?”

“When I was coming back from the Sanctuary, a timberwolf warned me that Erazul was going to use you to subdue me, so I began fretting and remained awake to make sure nothing happened.”

“So what happened?”

“Erazul put knife fragments in your body that would advance closer to your heart the more I spoke.” It fell quiet for a moment. “I almost accidentally killed you.”

Storm had just finished the tip of my tail at this point, so he swapped sides and came around the front. He sat before me, which caused me to look away. “Aqua, it’s alright. I’m still here, aren’t I?”

“Well, yeah, but-“

“No buts. If I’m alive it means you didn’t do it. Besides, it was Erazul who tried to kill me, not you.”

“I would have gone the rest of my life as a mute rather than get you killed, Storm.” I finally looked back up at him, the water running down my face from the shower concealing the possibility of tears. He wiped the hair out of my face before speaking again, but kept his hoof on the side of my face. I gently pressed my face into his hoof.

“I appreciate the notion, but I’d much rather hear your voice.” He looked at me for a moment before pulling me in for a kiss. When he broke it he spoke again. “Now, once I get the taste of blood out of my mouth I can continue washing you off, alright?”

I chuckled, realising that he hadn’t even cleaned the soiled part of me yet. I nodded, so he made his way around me carefully again. “Now, I need to get to your chest and belly. Think you can help me?”

“Yeah.” I went from my seated position, with a bit of manoeuvring and help from Storm as he simultaneously got out of the way and helped me down, to laying on my belly. From there I managed to roll over in the tub basin until I was on my back. Naturally, my legs spread from gravity alone. I looked towards Storm, who hesitated as his face flustered a bit. I cocked an eyebrow and playfully poked at his chest with my right hind leg. “Having problems?”

He scrunched his face up like last time, causing me to emit a cross between a giggle and a chuckle. “Shut up.”

I chuckled again, which caused him to break into laughter. He then approached and began washing my face. From there he worked his way down, going from my neck down to my lower abdomen, where the last blood stain was. When he finished he cleaned my legs and the underside of my tail. At that point he made sure all of the soap was washed off and had me sit up again. He then turned the water off, kissed me again, and pulled a towel off of the rack on the wall. He then dried me, having me step out of the shower, before drying himself. From there, he helped me towards the bedroom. When we entered it became apparent that Galaxia and Bane had left us to our own devices. We both climbed into the bed and curled up in our usual fashion. As exhausted as I was, it didn’t take long for my eyes to close themselves.

The morning found us asleep in the bed. I was grateful for the little sleep I got before the sun beat through the blinds. Storm was the first between the two of us to get up. He turned to me and spoke before leaving the bed. “I’ll bring you breakfast in bed, how about that?”

“That sounds like it would be lovely.”

“Alright. Sit tight and I’ll be back.” I nodded as he left. Once I was alone I took a deep breath in and let it out again. If nothing else, Storm was thoughtful. He was always sticking his hoof out for me, but a thought was nagging at the back of my mind. As I entertained it a little more it came to light. Was that what love was? Was love simply trying your best to help somepony, and that somehow intimacy followed? Or was there something else that I was missing that I had never been taught? If it was as simple at Storm made it seem, did that mean that I did, indeed, love him back? Perhaps I did, and perhaps it wasn’t as complicated as I was making it, but I still had a few doubts left. I decided to shake the thought from my head. No sooner had I done so than I heard a clanking sound downstairs. I figured that Storm had dropped a knife or something, but when loud thumping noises emitted a few times I decided to go and see if he was alright. I climbed out of the bed and trotted my way downstairs. As I rounded my way into the kitchen the first thing to catch my eye were four of the doppelgängers that I had fought before. I recoiled slightly at the surprise, giving them enough time to turn and see me. A voice carried on the wind, unbegotten by any mouth in the room, that bled with surprise and fear.

“She’s awake! Send in backup!” I quickly rushed in, knocking down three of them with a charge. I rounded about, whipping my tail into the fourth. The other three were in the midst of a panicked flight, attempting to flee through the window. I managed to catch one before they leaped through, pinning it to the wall with my tail. With fury I yelled my question at the quivering creature.

“Explain yourself! What are you doing here?”

“Orders from Erazul!”

“What were your orders?” It remained quiet. “Answer me! What were your orders?!”

“Capture Storm, but bring backup for Aqua!” Right then a hole ripped through the wall, the projectile piercing my right hind knee. I buckled as Storm rushed over to try and drag me from the line of fire. With a grunt of frustration I watched the doppelgänger escape.

“We need to get you to your armour, now. It’ll hurt but you have to move. Come on.” I got up, the pain from the shot keeping me from doing much more than limping. We heard the bearing of weaponry outside of the door, a noise which caused Storm to shout in fear. “Get down!”

Storm lunged towards the stairwell, while I simply flopped down a little closer to it than I had been before. Suddenly, the deafening roar of automatic weaponry ripped through the house, riddling the walls on both sides with holes and shredding any furniture in its way. Storm had made his way up the stairs, slithering like a snake at times, while I barely managed to crawl my way there. I took a hit in the left wing, blasting out some of the feathers, and a shot to the tail that paralysed me momentarily. I heard Storm shout from upstairs, perhaps hoping to overpower the noise of the weapons. “Come on!”

I began ascending the stairs by the time the weapon ceased its fire. As I continued my way up I heard the remains of the door get busted off of the hinges and commotion erupted downstairs. I was upstairs by the time the next rounds echoed out. Thankfully, they missed. I could see Storm putting on his armour at this point, preparing his blade. “Where’s your armour?”

“Downstairs, on the opposing side of the house to the stairs.” He looked at me for a moment. He then lunged forwards, leaping over my crawling body, to kill two of the creatures that had ascended the stairwell.

“Why did you come this way then?”

“I was following you.”

“I thought it was up here.”

“I don’t dare keep that kind of weight any higher than ground level.”

“Then get to it as quickly as possible. I’ll distract them.” I looked at him for a moment, trying to figure out how to tell him that such foolhardy heroism wasn’t needed. I decided against it and nodded. I got back onto three hooves and positioned myself behind him. As he went to rush down the stairs he suddenly stopped before backing up quickly. “Back, back, back!”

I moved backwards as quickly as I could, barely giving him the space he needed to avoid the ensuing onslaught of rounds. A hole was punched clean through the roof of the house by the sheer volume of ammunition pouring up the stairwell. Over the fire I spoke, if not to myself then to the pony I hoped it got to. “Galaxia, we’re in deep and we need serious help. Erazul’s attacking again and he brought his army. We’re pinned and losing ground fast. Please, help.”

“She’s not going to get here in time.” Storm’s voice barely echoed above the volume of the weapon downstairs. It suddenly grew quiet, the shuffling of doppelgängers echoing out as they began climbing up the stairs. “Get to the bedroom. If nothing else, you can break through the window and begin escaping.”

“And you plan to just die here?”

“No, but Erazul getting one of us is better than him getting both of us.” The creatures had arrived by then, so Storm’s attention was drawn elsewhere. I momentarily contemplated the options and decided it best to leap from the second story window. As such I began limping my way over. As I was approaching the bedroom I heard orders echo in the wind.

“Collapse the floor. They have too great an advantage.” I tried my best to limp over to the window, but as I approached I felt the house begin shaking. I was knocked off of my hooves, my imbalanced three-legged stance proving no match for the impending collapse. Suddenly, just as I went to vault through the window, the floor shifted before it began falling. The entire corner of the house was coming down, and I was caught in its path of destruction. I braced as well as I could, but the bed slid down and pinned me to the wall a moment or two before the impact. When I hit the ground the bed landed upon me. The impact also caused the roof to drop a few beams, not enough to collapse it but enough to weaken the structure. All I could do was brace and hope for the best.

When the dust settled I went to get up. I very quickly found that my hind legs were pinned underneath the bed. Turning my vision revealed as much. I let out a groaned sigh and continued attempting to free my injured leg. Despite the writhing agony I was willfully shooting up my leg I wasn’t accomplishing anything. I heard the shuffling of building materials nearby, eventually seeing more light pour into the little cavern of house that had formed around me. I hoped that it was Galaxia who found me, Storm even, but was sore disappointed. One of the large mechs of the doppelgängers was holding up the roof section while four of them moved in. Three of them moved the bed off of my legs while the other one maintained the barrel of his weapon directly in front of my face. “Get up slowly and you won’t have to eat bullets.”

There wasn’t much else I could do, and since I was trying to stall until Galaxia arrived I decided to do so as slowly as possible. I played off of the injury to my hind leg, but they didn’t seem too impressed with the concept. With several violent jabs with the ends of their weapons I was given no other option; I had to begin my three-legged trot in the direction they indicated. I turned my head back to behold the ruined house, a sight which stabbed me in the heart. After the revamping and renovation I had to put into that house after the torturer escapade, to see it so broken and desiccated filled me with immeasurable sorrow. I turned back around, a tear slipping from my eye.

We boarded their airship, which had been parked a quarter-mile outside of town and left with a heavy guard of several mechs, and lifted off of the ground. It was surprising that they could lift the vessel off of the ground with as much metal as there was on it, but I didn’t have time to dwell on the concept. After the initial launch, which we were forced to sit through by the metallic grasp of the mechs, we were forced into the underbelly of the vessel. Within the deepest part of the ship was a singular cell, the thick wooden latticework giving the impression that escape was both impossible and futile. Storm and I were both hurled into the same cell, bouncing painfully off of the rough wooden interior. The door was closed and we were left on our own. When the brig fell quiet Storm turned and spoke to me. “So they got you too, huh?”

“Yup. Didn’t make it to the window in time.”

“The floor under me collapsed and I fell directly onto a mech. It was game over at that point; too many guns were pointed at me for escape to really be an option.”

“Yeah, the whole bedroom tore off of the house and collapsed on me. I would have escaped if the bed hadn’t been pinned by support beams from the ceiling.”

“Well, at least we both tried, right?”

“I guess there is that. What do you think his plan is for us this time?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to try and imagine what he plans to do to us.”

“There is one thing, though, that’s at least somewhat hopeful.”

“What is that?”

“Their base is in the clouds. We both have wings.”

“But your wing is injured.”

“I’m sure I can still fly on it.”

“And the smoke is toxic.”

“Don’t breathe.”

He tilted his head while he responded. “I guess that’s true.”

“We just have to find a time when the guard is slacked.”

“Now there’s the tricky part. We just need to study patrols and timing. After that, we gallop like we never have before.”

“And once outside we fly straight down and escape the toxic smoke.”

“Until then, though, we wait.” I nodded solemnly as the cell grew quiet. After another moment he spoke again. “Quite the week though, huh?”

“It just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it?” Storm chuckled.

“I wonder what’s next.”

“I don’t. I don’t want to even think about what life wants to throw at me next.”

“Not even a guess?”

“Every time I’ve tried to guess what’s going to happen it goes far worse than I anticipate.”

“Fair enough.” It grew quiet again, and remained so for the remainder of the flight. Storm and I were sitting in the cell for a moment, the quiet air of the brig giving us an uneasy feeling. Suddenly, the floor beneath us split in half and opened downwards, dropping us out of the ship. We tumbled down a short distance before landing into yet another cell. When we oriented ourselves I had a rough idea of where we were. We brushed the dust off, recovered from the fall, and seated ourselves upon the stone floor coated in hay and blood. There were already several guards standing out front, causing Storm and I to glance over at each other. They moved off to the side and began talking with their ethereal, air-bound voices. I snuck my way over as best as I could with my limp to listen in.

“…then these are the two that the master was looking for, yes?”

“Yes. Erazul made quite clear that he preferred to have both, so here they both are.”

“I must congratulate you on the job well done. With the fight that the blue one has in her, I’m surprised you got her.”

“A surprise attack left her with too many injuries to fight back effectively, and we kept her away from that armour.”

“Excellent. Now, Erazul will arrive tomorrow to collect his prisoners. Ensure that they survive until then.”

“Understood.” The conversation ended and I shifted my way back to Storm. The guards passed in front of the cell, looking at us momentarily before leaving. I heard the sound of the door at the far end of the hall close, so I turned to Storm.

“What is it?”

“The guards say that Erazul is coming tomorrow. We don’t have time to sit here and figure things out.”

“No, we don’t.”

“So if we’re leaving, we’re leaving now. I don’t think these doppelgängers realise that I remember how to open the cell doors. Once it’s open we have to move quickly.”

“They still have my armour.”

“Do you know exactly where it is?”

“Not really, but I could guess.”

“You can try and find it, but I have to head straight for the exit.”

“I’ll meet you back home.” I nodded. When I got his affirmation in response I turned and headed over to the door of the cell. I stuck my tail out, as much as it hurt from the injury I sustained earlier, and sought the button in the stone wall beside the door. When I found it I gave Storm one last nod before pressing it. The door open, the faintest sound of beeping starting nearby.

“Go, quickly. I can come back up with my armour if you’re still in trouble.” He nodded and the two of us bolted for the stairs. Storm was the one to break the door, as he had more strength at that point. Once the door was open we began making our way as we could, splitting off in our separate directions. As my limp heavily restricted my speed, I decided to try and use my wings. As it turns out, the injury was a bit more than anticipated and my flight was little more than a very short glide. It was concerning at best when I thought of the practical application it gave with regards to my descent down from this place. I continued my escape, shaking the thought, and made as much ground as I could. I heard commotion in the chamber and a shout emit through the air. I knew my time was highly limited now, so I picked up my pace as best as I could. I stumbled several times, but successfully reached the doors. They were locked shut, so I wheeled about and bucked, doing my best to ignore the agony in my hind right leg, until it opened. Once it was open I made my way out. It was at this point that I heard the gunfire. I leaped out, barely clearing the lip of the building’s floating foundation and narrowly dodging the bullets that whizzed by. I was now in freefall, hoping that my breath was enough to hold through the toxic mist. I closed my eyes and tried my best to remain streamlined. I could tell when I hit the toxic gas, as my hide began to feel like it was burning. My breath was running short and my body began begging me to either breathe in or look to see how much longer it was. I was on the verge of gasping for air when the burning stopped. I opened my eyes, finding clear air, as I desperately gasped to recover. I was now freefalling in the open sky, so I decided to try and right myself, along with get some kind of gliding trajectory. It took several moments, perhaps a minute, to successfully correct my flight. Flapping my wings did very little, and it was hard to maintain a straight flight pattern, so I did my best to glide towards the main mountain where the castle was located.

The glide down took surprisingly long, but it didn’t leave me too far away from town. I turned my attention towards home, both excited to get my armour back as well as heartbroken at the idea of seeing the destroyed house again. I had to shake the depressing thought from my head in order to keep my hurried limp at as fast of a gimp as possible.

When I arrived at the ruined house I sighed. It wasn’t the kind of sight I wanted to see, especially not now. Regardless, I began making my way in. As I entered the surprisingly clear front passageway, for it really wasn’t a doorway after the collapse of the bedroom, I heard commotion inside. I curiously furrowed my brow and inquisitively made my way further into the destroyed house. To my surprise, although not entirely surprisingly, I found Bane and Galaxia rummaging through the debris. Bane’s voice was the first one I heard. “…and you said she called for you?”

“Yes, but when I arrived it was already filled with ruination.”

“So they already took her?”

“I have the highest hopes that they didn’t, or we will be in trouble.”

“Perhaps she’s in the wreckage of the bedroom.”

“I’m right here.” They both turned quickly, but Bane had far more emotion on his face than Galaxia’s unchanging, stoic expression.

“Aqua! Where were you hiding?”

“I just returned from the doppelgänger’s base. I knew I should have slaughtered them before…” Bane’s expression upon hearing that phrase managed to concern me almost as much as my statement concerned him.

“Um…alright. But you are safe, right?”

“Not yet. I have to get my armour and make sure Storm makes it out alive as well.”

“They have Storm up there too?” Bane went to move but Galaxia’s hoof stopped him before he could get very far.

“This is Aqua’s fight, Bane.”

“What do you mean? She’s injured!” Galaxia took a quick look over, but returned her gaze to Bane.

“This is something she has to do. Besides, I’d rather Erazul had just Storm rather than having you. You have to remember your position, Bane. Imagine the havoc Erazul could unleash upon the unwitting inhabitants of this land should he manipulate fate.” Bane’s expression sunk, most likely as he realised the truth of her statement. “Is your armour still here, Aqua? Or was it taken?”

“It’s here, and hopefully still in one piece.”

“Having a knowledge of your armour, I would say that it is probably without scratch or blemish.” I turned my attention to the corner where it was located, trotting over and pushing aside some of the debris from the furniture. I used my magic to shift into my larger form before stepping onto the armour. The plates began to unfold upon my body, eventually covering the entirety of my hide. When the suit was fully ready I turned back to Galaxia. “As I told you it would be.”

“Now the better question: I need transportation back up there. My wing is injured and isn’t capable of upwards flight.”

“I can take you up there, Protectorate. It will be your duty from there to assure the safety of Storm.” I nodded, causing Galaxia to turn back to Bane. “If you have enough time to allocate, I would ask that you attempt to organise and clean this place in preparation for reconstruction of the home.”

“Yeah, I’ll get on it.” Galaxia turned back to me as Bane set about to get the messy remains of my house cleaned up.

“Are you ready?” I nodded. Her horn began to glow, eventually whisking us away. When my eyes focused next I was standing back on the foundation of the building I had just skydived from. “Good luck, Protectorate.”

With that, she was gone. I turned my attention back to the building. I trotted through the broken door before me. I heard shouts carried by the air, mostly shouts of fear. “She has her armour! Get the heavy ordinance!”

I turned my attention to them, galloping over despite the pain in my leg. Perhaps they noticed the small gimp I carried, because they turned back towards me. “She’s injured. Open fire!”

Their rounds bounced off of my armour like nothing, giving me enough time to catch up with them. I heard the ding of the warp core as I neared them, but decided against using it. Instead, I reared up onto my hind legs, although I was barely able to manage such, and drew both blades. I began hacking apart those who were foolish enough to remain in melee range with me. Those that fled made their way over towards the large elevator where they had brought their machines in during the last fight I was involved in up here. I was slowly making my way over when I heard the lift dock on this level. When the door opened I saw Storm trot out, an armada of guns and mechs behind him. When the terror-filled soldiers caught up with the group the entire brigade turned about to face me. One of the mechs grabbed Storm roughly in one of the claws, pointing the gun directly at him. “Halt there or he dies. You know what these weapons do; you saw how they ate through your house like nothing, now imagine the body of a pony. If you really cared about him you would surrender yourself to us.”

“Pathetic fools, do you think your idle threats frighten me?”

“Uh, Aqua? What are you-?”

“Silence, wretch!” They shook him violently, disorienting him. My soul cried out for fury-driven vengeance, but I kept my calm outwards expression.

“Look, I’ll put this simply for you so you can understand the concept with your pitiful minds: let Storm go and none of you have to die. Simple, yeah?”

“I don’t think so.”

“You don’t think it’s simple? Huh, well, figures.” I don’t know where the attitude had developed from, but I thought it was helping.

“We’re not handing him over to you. We’re not failing Erazul twice.”

“So then what are you looking for, an exchange? Don’t you remember what happened last time you thought that was a good idea? How many dead did it leave, and you still had empty hooves?”

“We don’t ask for an exchange. We ask for surrender.”

“Now why would I do something as rash as that?”

“Because if you do not comply we will leave this pony as nothing more than red paste splattered across the floor.”

“Didn’t Erazul want both of us, though? So would you fail him like that?” The looked at each other momentarily.

“He wants you. This one is just a bonus.”

“Right. Yeah, that’s not what he told me.”

“Enough of your lies, drake! Submit or we will obliterate your husband.” The title caused me to blink a few times. I didn’t know what that was, and I’m not sure what sentimental value it carried, but they acted like it was important. Either way, I looked down at my hooves, my blades specifically, to make sure that they were heated fully. A quick look revealed such to be the case. In that moment I was grateful that I hadn’t used my warp core yet. I took a quick moment to calculate out where I thought I needed to warp. The doppelgängers were growing impatient of my time killing and spoke again. “You have five seconds to comply before we scatter the remains of your lover.”

I looked back up at them to double check my distance estimates before ultimately activating the warp core. I knew I had a matter of milliseconds to do what I needed to, so I made every moment count. I swung my legs down at the pony in the mechanical suit holding Storm. The blades cut straight through the heavy machine like it was nothing, killing the creature inside. The machine went limp, the pressurised joints holding Storm now letting him drop instead. As I touched down onto the mech I leaped off onto another. I could hear the others screaming orders to kill me as I sunk my blades straight into the doppelgänger within the suit. The sound of their heavy weaponry firing soon blanketed all other sound. I dodged about as best as I could, but my injured leg was slowing me down. Eventually, however, I reached a point where the only way to advance the fight was to bolt straight into their heavy fire. As such, I wheeled around the mech I was covering behind, taking a rain of bullets face and chest-first. I pushed through the overwhelming force, eventually making my way between the last two machines. I jumped up while in the middle and squirmed, causing several of the bullets to tear through the mechs instead of pummel me. The fire stopped, giving me time to land, turn, and subsequently lunge into one of them. Once the creature was dead I turned to the other. Blood dripped heavily from where the pilot would be, so I assumed that it was dead. I then turned my attention to the remaining forces. A quick look around, however, revealed that there were none left. Storm stood triumphantly over several of their dead, one of their guns in his possession. He dropped it, panting all the while. Once he cleared his throat he gained better control over his breathing. “Well, that was something. You had me worried there for a second. I mean, I still am, but in a different sense.”

“We’ll have to address that later. We need to find your armour and get you out of here. My injuries won’t let me continue this fight for much longer.”

“Right. Follow me; I know where it is this time.” I nodded and began trotting behind him. He made his way up the stairs towards the elevator I had first used when I arrived. Once we were both on it he pushed one of the buttons. Moments later, we were ascending the building. When we arrived at the destination floor he signaled me first, and for good reason. There were around a half dozen guards standing around Storm’s gear and gambling on it. I reared up, a bit shakily at first, and drew my blades. Standing here was hard, as I had to either hunch over or punch my head through the ceiling. Regardless, my stature did the trick, as all of the doppelgängers abandoned their gambles and weapons and fled to a nearby room. Storm trotted in and retrieved his armour. “Nice. I’m really glad you’re on our side, because I wouldn’t want to face something as big as you with as much capability of surviving in battle.”

“Thanks. Do you have everything now, though? All of your gear?”

“Yeah, this is it.” He equipped it before turning to me again. “Let’s go.”

“Yes, let’s.” We boarded the elevator again, letting it take us down to the entrance of the bottom floor. I heard the ding of the warp core as we rode down, but figured I didn’t need it yet. Rather, we made our way down to the door I had broken in the slave pens and approached the ledge.

“Ready to jump?”

“I can’t, not in this armour with this injury.”

“Fair enough. But do you have a way down then?”

“The warp core.”

“Right. Well, see you back home.”

“Back at whatever’s left of it, anyways.” His smile turned into a pained smirk.

“Yeah. Well, see you there.” He jumped down following his remark, diving nose-first into the black mist that surrounded the building. I focused on setting coordinates, ultimately using the core to get there. Once my eyes adjusted to the new location I trotted back inside the wreckage of the house. Bane and Galaxia were still there, trying to fix things. I came in right as Galaxia voiced a complaint.

“I don’t see how mortals manage all of this. They can lose their homes and seemingly continue as if unfazed by the radical change that had just occurred.”

“The magic of mortal perseverance, Galaxia, is what you marvel at. Storm’s got it, and you’ve seen it a lot in Aqua.”

“That is true, however, I must interject that Aqua is, technically speaking, a demi-god in nature.”

“Well, Galaxia, there’s something about that.” My voice caused them both to turn about. “If I actually was a demi-god, wouldn’t that mean I was still, at least in some part somewhere, mortal?”

“Yes, and it would mean that we must get that armour off of you and get it fixed up. I don’t know what you faced up there that caused such damage to your armour.”

“Their machines of war.”

“You attacked them head-on, didn’t you?”

“I had no other choice. It was either that or try and pick up Storm’s entrails.”

“Well those aren’t many options.” Galaxia trotted over. I attempted to power my suit down, but the plates on my face and chest wouldn’t move beyond a certain point. As the first couple of plates managed to shift away I felt stinging pain where they had left. “In my time in the voids, I have never seen this kind of damage to armour that’s remained whole.”

I went to look down, but the way that the plates were folded didn’t allow me to. “What is it, Galaxia?”

“Well, Aqua,” Bane interjected, “the bullets didn’t pierce your armour, but they caved it in. Your own armour was stabbing you, and now we have to get it off and get you healed back up again.”

“Call for Aldorn, Bane.”

“Uh, that’s not going to work.”

“What do you mean, Protectorate?”

“Erazul had captured Aldorn.” Her face, although already sombre, seemed to grow even more so.

“Alright then, so who is the next pony we can call upon to remove this armour?”

“He taught me some of his craft, so I might be able to.” She nodded, signalling for me to at least try. I concentrated my efforts, managing to peel the armour off of my body. I figured I could just fix it later when I had the chance. Once the armour was off Bane trotted over. The golden glow of his magic enveloped his horn. It was then that I felt that strange sensation again as his magic reversed the wounds and bound them together again, leaving only minor scars behind. Once he was done he turned his attention back to the rubble pile, which was now somewhat smaller. “Uh, Bane, I’ve got a favour to ask.”

He turned back around. “What is it?”

“Do you think you could use that magic on my leg, tail, and wing as well?” I revealed the injured parts of my body in order to show him what I meant.

“Sure.” He, again, trotted over and used his magic to seal up the wounds. “There. Anywhere else that I need to touch up?”

“No.” I took a couple of steps on my hind right leg, finding that I was able to fully trot on it again. “I should be able to help clean up this mess now.”

Bane nodded before turning back to the pile before him. “Although, I have another idea.”

“And what is that idea, Protectorate?”

“Perhaps I could draw some of my Order over here to assist. It would also help us be prepared in case they attacked again.”

“Do what seems good in your eyes, Protectorate.” Galaxia turned back to the rubble, sighing as she looked at it. I had never heard that kind of expression from her before, and it’s possible that the destruction was getting to her. Regardless of such, I turned my attention to trotting towards Sanctuary. I set out with a brisk pace, hoping to return before Storm arrived at the house.

Upon entering the open square I was near-mobbed by the members of the Order. Among the faces were Ajiin and Sparky, but there were many faces that I didn’t recognise, new faces that filled the ranks of the Order. Ajiin was the first to arrive, pushing his way through the crowd. “Ah, you’ve returned, Guildmaster.”

“Aqua is fine. You can just call me Aqua. I kind of want to avoid the stigma that was around that title.”

“Regardless, Aqua, you’re back. As you can see, we’ve been successful in recruiting new fighters. They’re not the cream of the crop like it used to be, but we thought that enough training might fill that gap.”

“You’re most likely right. One isn’t just born a swordpony, and I believe that courage can be taught.”

“So what brings your return? You are usually too preoccupied with other matters to visit.” Hearing a phrase like that hurt.

“Well, when I’m not recovering from nearly dying I try to be here.”

“So what brings you here?”

“I need some assistance. Nothing major.” Sparky had made her way to the front now.

“How can we help you, Aqua?” Her bright, bubbly tone certainly was a change from Ajiin’s reserved tone; that was for certain.

“I was recently attacked by a group of ponies under the direction of our enemy, Erazul. They demolished a fair portion of my house, which means neither Storm nor Lazuli have a place to stay the night. I hate to ask such a trivial matter of you, but would any of you be able to render assistance?”

“I’ll go.” Ajiin’s determination was touching, if nothing else.

“Count me in!” Of course Sparky was excited to come along. After her, several ponies stepped up to the plate, including several craftsponies who turned to the path of the Protectorate. I had a small following of about ten ponies who galloped off to retrieve anything they might need. The rest of the group simply asked me questions about what had happened, which I answered. It was almost entertaining telling my stories to the crowd that looked to with wide eyes and open ears. When the group returned, and my story was finished, I turned my attention to the main gates. From there we trotted out. I set our course for the ruins of my home and began leading the way.

We arrived moments before sundown. It was clear to see that Bane and Galaxia had grown tired of the work, but were still trying. I approached them and spoke. “Bane, Galaxia, I have brought helpers. You can go back to your realms and rest.”

Galaxia seemed more grateful for the idea than Bane did. Once they left the group of Protectorates began work. It wasn’t much longer after that when Storm arrived. We were engaged in the heavy labour of removing the collapsed bedroom when I heard Sparky’s energetic tone signal his coming. As such, I move the last beam I was carrying and headed over. When he saw me he spoke. “Ok, I’m glad you made it. Who are these ponies, though?”

“Members of the Order. They agreed to help fix things up around here. What took you so long though?”

“I immediately took to the ground and continued my journey through as many forests and behind as many mountains as I could manage so that they wouldn’t track me.”

“Wouldn’t they know this was your destination anyways?”

“Not necessarily. I have a few other places I go to, but they don’t know where those are, plus this place was demolished.”

“Fair enough. How exhausted are you?”

“I’m kind of worn out, but I can help.”

“Alright. I just want to ask you something first.”

“What is it?”

“What’s a ‘husband’?”

“When you’re married, the stallion is the husband. A mare is a wife. So I’m your husband and you’re my wife.”

“Ah. So that’s what the doppelgänger was referring to.” He nodded. “I guess that makes sense now.”

“Shall we begin fixing the house, then, since we got that cleared up?”

“Yes. We will need a place to stay, after all. Lazuli does too.” He chuckled a bit before becoming serious and trotting over to help. I, as well, moved in to help once more.

We worked through the night, eventually clearing the rubble from the house. Once we had, as day was breaking, one of the Protectorates spoke up as he approached me. “Aqua, I’ve been looking at the remains of the house.”

“I think we all have.” It drew a few laughs. “What’s on your mind?”

“Looking at the sheer damage to the walls, I can’t help but think that razing the place and rebuilding is the only option you have. It might take less effort than restoring all of those holes.” I looked at the back section of the wall, the one that was barely managing to remain intact. “What are your thoughts?”

As much as it drew my soul in sorrow I responded. “Raze the building. We will build it anew.”

He nodded, trotting over to the others. By this time, Lazuli was trotting up from the right. I heard her voice and finally turned about to face her. “What happened here? What’s going on?”

“Storm and I were ambushed by Erazul’s minions.”

“Erazul?”

“He’s been trying to get me for a while now.”

“Ah. Evil then, I’m assuming?”

“Yup. Their strike force absolutely demolished the house, so it’s back to square one for us.”

“Like when you had to find the house when you took me in.”

“Kind of, but with a lot more heartache attached to it.”

“Right. How long have you been at this?”

“Since sunset yesterday.”

“You haven’t slept since?”

“Where do we have to sleep?” She got quiet. I sighed before responding again. “We’ve decided to raze the house and build a new one.”

“How long will that take?”

“I’m not sure. I think we might hole up in the Sanctuary until then.”

“Is Storm welcome there? Am I?”

“Yes and yes. After we instated a new Guildmaster things changed dramatically around the Order.”

“So once you were elected as Guildmaster.”

“Yes, but I still don’t really like taking that title.”

“Still yours, though.”

“Regardless, you both are welcome to visit. Your groups are also welcome to venture within our walls at any time you please. It’s time to end the cold silence between the orders that are all trying for the same thing.”

“Well, good luck.” She trotted towards the group of ponies working. “How can I help you ponies?”

They pointed her towards the pony that had conversed with me before. Once there she received her assignment and got to work. I joined in not too long after, brushing off the exhaustion that was creeping upon me. We had our work cut out for us to restore this house; that was for sure.

It took several weeks to finish the project. In the meantime, we had established a camp outside of the house, one that garnered the attention of both neighbours and the mayor. We were given the all clear in the end and continued the project. Once it was finished, though, we all breathed out a sigh of relief. We had taken several liberties in recreating the house, including putting steel plates within the walls, one connected to the exterior wall and one connected to the interior wall, and more thoroughly reinforcing the door. The glass was thicker, and with metal strings running through it to reinforce it. The door was metal with a wooden front to blend in with the rest of the town. Other changes were made as well, but most were either aesthetic in nature or simply changes to room layouts or designs. Once the project was finished I set out with the members of the Order back towards Sanctuary.

8. The Bloodied Arena

The journey to Sanctuary and back didn’t take long, and there wasn’t much to note about the time that I spent there. Nothing more than a few executive matters paired with seeing that those that had accompanied me received the rest that they needed. Once everything was all set at Sanctuary I returned home, anticipating a well-deserved rest. When I arrived back at my house, however, I called for Galaxia. It didn’t take terribly long before she arrived, and with her arrival was her perplexed question. “You called me, Aqua? There doesn’t seem to be anything amiss. Why was I called?”

“I need an answer to a few questions I have.”

“What are you questions?”

“First of all, who else is looking for information about my parents? It became very clear as I talked with Flowing Hammer that I am not the only pony seeking information revolving around me.”

“Who is this Flowing Hammer character?”

“A champion fighter in the arena in the Badlands.”

“What was it that she told you?”

“She said that she needed to find me in order to learn more about herself.”

“I am without inclination or idea as to why she would need to seek you out for information on herself.”

“Was I an only child? I feel almost as if her question revealed that her need to learn about me was a clue that I am an older sister.”

“I do not have an answer for that question, Protectorate.”

“Why not?”

“Because I simply do not know. I cannot divulge information which I do not have to begin with.”

“Alright then, since you don’t know anything surrounding Flowing Hammer, what do you know about the ponies who murdered my parents?”

“What knowledge do you possess currently and what information do you seek to obtain about them?”

“Who were they?”

“A band of assassins, an answer which should coincide with what Bane has already disclosed with you.”

“Granted, but when I was accosted by the one in my room, during the time when I was recovering, she said that I wouldn’t be able to find the one responsible for the order, but that the pony in the pavilion during the arena fights was a member of that group.”

“If they are then it is advisable that you pursue them before they are informed of the leaked information.”

“The assassin that chased me down here is dead.”

“Then I suppose that you have all the time in the world.”

“So you don’t know anything else about the assassins or the circumstances around my parents?”

“No. You will have to discover that information by forcing it out of those that were responsible.”

“Then I should let you be on your way so I can beat it out of them.”

“I wish you luck, Protectorate.” With that, she was gone in a puff of magic. I was left alone in the room once more. I decided to review any plans I had before I set out on the journey to the Badlands.

Ultimately, I decided to touch up a few things regarding the house, such as furniture placement and some decoration. I didn’t have much left after the attack on our house, but I used what I could to rebuild and renovate the interior. It took a couple of days, including the time I spent second-guessing my work and redoing everything. It was, however, finally all set by sunset of the third day. As I was retiring my things to go to bed a brilliant flash emanated from within the room, causing me to temporarily be unable to see. I set myself in a defensive stance and was ready to violently oppose anything that touched me. Rather than something coming into physical contact, I heard a voice. It was the voice of a mare, a little higher in pitch than most, that called out to me. “Relax your stance, drake, I have not come to conquer or kill you.”

“Who are you and what do you intend to do?” My question was just as defensive as the stance I had taken.

“My name is Flare, sister of Galaxia, and I wish to recruit you for assistance in a mission.” My stance finally slacked. I stood in a relaxed pose as my vision began slowly returning.

“If you’re friendly then why in Equestria did you think it necessary to blind me upon entry?”

“Your realm is not accustomed to the brilliance of mine, drake. It is only natural that my entrance is blinding.” My eyes had finally recovered from the flash, allowing me to see the mare in detail. Indeed, her frame was almost identical to Galaxia’s. The similarities, however, stopped there. The mare before me had hide that was a light peach, with hair in colours exhibited by fire; it was mostly orange, and glowing, but also had highlights of yellow thrown in that resembled the patterns of a large bonfire. It almost seemed like sparks emitted from the mane and fell, but by the time they reached the floor there was nothing to show for it. I also could have sworn the hair crackled like a fire, but I could have been imagining things. It did, however, seem to pop from time to time. The mare was adorned in a decorative gold chest plate that went over her back and covered her hips. Red fabric, outlined in gold, clung to her torso wherever the armour did not and draped out past her legs to cover both her tail and her hind legs. Upon the fabric, around where the flank would hold her mark, was what I can only describe as what I would imagine a solar flare would look like. Strings, consisting of the same orange colour as the rest of the speckled, sun-like mark, erupted out of and returned back into the circle in arcs. There were three of these arcs, spread evenly across the mark but with differing heights and widths. It seemed the taller the arc, the narrower it was. Her eyes were an intense, piercing amber colour. Her horn and wings, the same colour as her hide, extended much like any other alicorn’s would. Her presence itself was very commanding, even making one as big as myself feel subject to her. “Galaxia would frequently tell me of your reliability and determination, along with your capacity for getting results from a situation rife with impossibilities. So then perhaps you can help me, drake.”

“What do you need help with? And if Galaxia is a ruler of the voids, then what are you ruler of?”

“I command my own side of an eternal conflict, but that is not important currently. I must speak with you in my realm so that the information remains private. Do you accept?”

“Sure. I can’t think of a reason not to.”

“Excellent. Brace yourself, drake, for it is far brighter there than in this dull realm.” I shot her a look before she began casting her spell. The aura about her horn was almost pure white, most likely because of the sheer brightness of it. I didn’t dare stare into the highly luminescent aura for more than a quick glance for fear of blindness. Within moments, however, we were swept away. Flare was not wrong when she said her realm was much brighter. I spent a few moments squinting in some vain hope of adjusting my eyes to the light. Finally, after around a minute, I was able to see where I was going. Flare was already long gone, perhaps anticipating that I could follow her through the blinding light. What I could see, however, was a very large and imposing, palace-like castle before me. The brilliant, white towers extended far above me by several hundred yards at least. I didn’t bother to count the number of towers, but I would venture to say between two to three dozen pierced the turbulent, dust-coloured sky with their grandeur. The walls were as white as the towers and stretched at least five stories high. The gates were tall as well, but lacked the bridge above it as most castle walls have. They, along with the wall, rigidly jutted out of from the dull, grey-brown rock beneath. At that point, that was all I could really see of the exterior, so I moved closer to get a better look. Surprisingly, it took several minutes to arrive. Accordingly, I discovered that my original estimations were off, nearly halving the height of the walls that stood before me. As well, it seemed as if the walls themselves had a coating of what seemed to be diamond, or some other clear gemstone, that covered the surface of the white-gold metal within. The surface was smooth as glass with no blemish in sight. Not even dirt had managed to mar the beauty of the structure. It was as I was observing this that I heard motion beside me and turned to look. Flare was standing there. “Have you finished your gawking? As impressive as it is, there is still pressing business to discuss.”

“Yeah, yeah, lead the way.” I heard the massive gates begin opening moments before Flare began trotting into the narrow, open gap. I followed after her, the gates closing once I was inside as well. We then trotted towards the main hall of the castle. The structure wasn’t unlike the Main Hall at Sanctuary, but there were distinct differences. The first being the absolutely massive stained glass window in the front. Bright, pure colours formed together, mixing yellows and oranges to create the shape of a sun, while more peach and white colours filled the remainder of the window. The walls of the castle were made of what appeared to be, at first glance, polished marble. The doors to the castle were made of a material that resembled finely polished ivory, although there’s absolutely no way that any ivory was used in a door of this size. Once we were inside the near-shining doors, things were, again, different. The floors, walls, and pillars were all made of the same brilliant stone as the exterior, while the walkways and ceiling appeared to either be made of or supported by that same ivory-like material. All of it was absolutely impeccable, spotless and without as much as a speck of dust. Beneath our hooves was a brilliant red carpet, lined in gold much like Flare’s decorative armour was. The carpet extended forwards, and occasionally broke off into other branches, much like a pathway. Upon this thought I began to look around, as there was commotion within the hall. Suits of armour trotted, or walked if they were some form of bipedal creature, about the hall, maintaining their patrol across the red carpets underneath their hooves, or feet. We trotted our way down one of the paths, branching off into a separate hallway. One of the suits of armour passed us, giving me the chance to truly see what they were like. The full suit of plate armour had white metal that was plated with gold designs; too fanciful of work to be armour for a fighter. The armour itself, however, appeared uninhabited; it seemed like it was a suit of animated armour that trotted past us. I turned to Flare and spoke, asking her about it. “Are all of the suits of armour here animated?”

“They are. It’s a lot harder to cause fear in an inanimate object than in a pony or other creature.”

“The shapes were different, and a lot of them weren’t shaped like ponies, or anything else that I’ve seen in Equestria for that fact. Are there other creatures that exist here and not in other realms?”

“Creatures like you wouldn’t imagine. Equines make up a very small portion of the creatures here, and most of them are beyond what mortals can think of in their holiest meditations. The creatures themselves do a good enough job of keeping the castle protected. Or, at least, their suits of armour prove to be effective guards, more-so than those that had inhabited them before.” I didn’t want to try and imagine what that statement meant, so I dropped the subject. We continued trotting until, at last, Flare turned her attention to a doorway. She opened it and trotted within, so I did the same. Once the door was closed, and a spell placed upon the room, Flare began speaking. “I couldn’t speak as much as a peep of information about this outside of this room or this spell ward, but here’s the current situation: After some recent implications that occurred in the Voids, and the unfortunate fallout caused by it, Erazul has captured Galaxia.”

“He what?” My heart sank immensely.

“I intend to get her back, and for your sake I believe that it would be a good idea to do so.”

“You said you needed my help. How am I supposed to help with that?”

“Erazul wants you, he has ever since he knew that your mother and father had a filly. Bane kept you safe from his agent in the forest until you could grow up. He’s after you particularly now because you’re very quickly approaching a point where he fears that you can resist him.”

“So what does that have to do with this?”

“There are a few different things that I brainstormed in this room. There are three options, actually. The first is a full-frontal assault on his part of the realm. It would incur heavy losses and is a last resort. The second is a mock exchange, one where Bane sets it up. Bane would be offering to trade you for Galaxia.”

“I’m not just giving myself up to him.”

“That’s the thing: you’re not. My forces would be lying in wait. We’d ambush him and ensure that he cannot steal you away.”

“That still sounds pretty risky.”

“There is, as well, the third option.”

“And what is that?”

“If we draw his attention away onto you, as I am entirely confident that you and Bane can handle him by yourselves for the short duration, I could break my way into his realm and steal her back.”

“Those are the three options?”

“Yes. If we choose one of the last two it will exclude the other unless we spend more time than I’m willing to spend.”

“I can distract him.”

“Is that the plan you choose?”

“Yes. Just let me know what I must do and what the plan is.”

“You have to draw him out. Say something bold, make yourself vulnerable, I don’t know. It doesn’t matter to me. Once I know he’s after you I will stealthily make my way through his realm. Once I find Galaxia, and subsequently free her, the two of us will cause major disruption inside of his realm, forcing him to return. It doesn’t matter if it’s genocide, annihilation, or total destruction. He will have no other option than to return and salvage what he can, leaving you free to recover again. Do you think you can last that long?”

“Yes. Shouldn’t be difficult.”

“Don’t underestimate him, Aqua. Just because he’s a mere demigod doesn’t mean he’s anything to take lightly.”

“I don’t have to beat him. I just have to survive. It’s my ability, not his, that’s being tested here.” She shot me a glance but ultimately decided to drop whatever was on her mind. She then spoke again.

“Are you ready then, drake?”

“Yes.”

“Remember: don’t so much as breathe a word about the plan once this spell has dropped, do I make myself clear?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s do this.” The glow of her horn ceased for a short moment. “I will return you home.”

She then nodded, letting me know nonverbally what was really about to happen. Her horn glowed for a moment, threatening to blind me if I looked, before we were teleported back outside of my house. Flare quickly disappeared, leaving me alone. I knew that I had to either be weakened or injured in some fashion before Erazul would show up. As such, I decided against grabbing either my armour or warp core, hoping to make myself as appealing of a target as I possibly could. I turned my attention to the forest I had grown up in, trotting my way over. If there was somewhere that I could escape, or a place that would boost my chances of survival, it would be nestled amongst the trees of a forest rather than the open air of the plains or a town. With this in mind I set out.

It was as I reached a point a few minutes out from the trees that I got the wisecrack idea to taunt Erazul. My voice rang out across the open field I was trotting through as I openly talked to myself, something that I wouldn’t normally do under any normal circumstances. “It’s interesting to think how far I’ve gotten. I started as a helpless filly, fleeing for my life, and now I’ve become one of the greatest fighters in all of Equestria. That’s not the end of the road though, no. I know that I can get further. Maybe once I figure out the end of my parents’ tale I’ll reach a new capacity, a new level of fighting. I’d be fairly unstoppable at that point. I mean, if I killed the Oracle, MoonDusk, before then, I’m sure I could take on Erazul and win after I learn more of my nature. It’s just a matter of going back, getting my armour, and going in to kill him. Won’t be hard, either.”

Suddenly, I heard magic from behind me. I wheeled around, finding the familiar monochrome pony before me. “Well, well, would you look at what I caught today? Aqua, all alone, without her armour. It really must be my lucky day. Things have turned to the up and up for me after all. With both Aldorn and Galaxia in my possession it shouldn’t be hard to capture you. I was hoping to capture Bane first so you had no fallback options, but this works just as well.”

He materialised a weapon from the air. It wasn’t a sword or an axe, no nothing like that. What he was holding was a whip, one with wicked prongs and enlarged, almost tear-shaped tips. The whip had three cords on it, each of them of equal length. Metal ran across the entirety of the cord, the jagged material plainly showing. I didn’t want to find out what it would feel like, so I wheeled back around and bolted for the forest. I heard the crack of the whip, estimating that it was most likely a hair’s length away from my tail; at most it was a yard away. With near-panic settling into my heart I renewed my determination, very slightly increasing my speed as I hurtled towards the tree line. I could heard Erazul in hot pursuit, so I knew it was working. It was only a matter of time now.

We crashed through the underbrush of the forest for quite some time, the exact amount of time being unknown to me. I turned my head to ensure that Erazul was both following me and not close enough to land the hit of his whip. I found nothing behind me, causing me to stop. I was sitting in the middle of a thicket of thorns, as I came to realise, and was in the only opening thereof. I turned myself around, heading back towards where I had entered. Suddenly, Erazul appeared again. I stopped and prepared myself for the attack that I knew was coming. I ducked underneath the strike of the whip, hearing it crack overhead. I then leaped backwards, stopping only when I felt a thorn pierce my tail. I moved my tail away from the thicket and waited for Erazul’s next move. He, again, tried to use his whip. I jumped over the weapon’s reach, ensuring that my leap was towards him. Before he could recover from his strike I rammed straight into him. I landed as many swift kicks as I could to his head before he blasted me away with magic. I landed directly into the thicket of thorns, feeling the pain of all of those little punctures shoot across my body. Despite this, I arose once more and got a quick read on my surroundings. My impact had lowered the wall of thorns, perhaps allowing me to escape in that direction. I got off of the thorns and made my way back to the clearing. As I didn’t have much room to navigate, however, I was right where Erazul wanted me. I saw his whip extending again, causing me to backpedal as quickly as I could. It was barely enough, the jagged metallic lines of the whip not quite managing to wrap around my neck. Don’t be mistaken, though, the whip still made it around a majority of my neck, but didn’t quite complete a full loop. Instead, the sharp metal left numerous lacerations around the sides and back of my neck, causing pain to ride down my spine. As well, the three heavy, metallic tips nearly caused me to begin hacking when they impacted with the side of my throat. When he pulled the whip back it caused more cuts to form, sending more harrowing pain. As he recovered his strike I turned about. I had one shot out of here, and I needed to take it.

With as much might as I could muster I broke into a three-step gallop before leaping. I felt his whip strike my tail, cutting the flesh as it had with my neck, but it didn’t successfully wrap around the member. I was then left airborne, praying that I cleared the wall of briars. My legs and tail drug across the sharp points of the thorns, causing more pain to radiate up my body. I landed in the backside of the grouping of thorns, forcing me to groan as I pulled myself out of the torturous landing pad. I drug myself through a few more yards worth of thorns before I was finally clear. I took a quick moment to look at myself, finding nothing but a disgusting amount of small, bleeding lacerations that coated my body. If nothing else, it wouldn’t be hard for Erazul to track me. Regardless, I knew that I had to stall for time, so I began trotting my way around the forest once more.

I was being as quiet as possible, hoping to avoid detection. It worked for quite some time, at least until I saw Erazul a few yards off. I ducked behind a tree as quickly and quietly as I could, but it was in vain. I heard his crashing gallop coming over, so I got as low as possible. The whip wrapped around the thick trunk where I had been standing, at about neck level. I snapped upwards, grasping the whip in my mouth. As he tried to pull it out of my grasp, and as I yanked him towards me, I suffered several cuts across my lips, tongue, and the roof of my mouth. The taste of blood welled up inside of my mouth slowly but surely because of it. Regardless of such I whipped my head, yanking him towards me. I turned about, bucking back violently. My hooves connected, ripping the whip from his grasp, as well as yanking my head back and causing more cuts to form in my mouth as the whip slid slightly through my grasp. The pain was enough to force my mouth open as I dropped the whip, but did not prevent me from turning my attention back to him. He was recovering from a hit on a tree, but it appeared as if the impact hadn’t fazed him that much. He quickly recovered and was bolting over towards me. He conjured a sword next, swinging it when he got close. I barely managed to kick the aimed strike downwards, avoiding a hit to the leg. I took the moment to wheel about and peg him with my tail, sending him away once more. I tried to look for the whip that was on the ground beside me but found nothing; Erazul had unsummoned his weapons. He was now trotting casually over towards me. After a few silent moments, while he was still trotting up from several yards away, he spoke. “Still just as slippery as ever, aren’t you? Bane’s not here to protect you from me this time, nor is he here to save you from that presence that stalked you every day while you were a filly. Now you’ll learn exactly what it was.”

He began laughing before his horn glowed a lighter grey than his hide. Suddenly, a cold chill shot down my spine. I felt a presence from behind me, forcing me to roll to the side. I looked to where I had been and found something that I’m not sure how to describe. It was as if it were a creature made out of twisting shadows, but the shadows were palpable and opaque, able to move as a three-dimensional creature rather than as a mere shadow. The roiling flesh swarmed around itself like turbulent water, and its movements were as crashing waves or flowing streams, depending on the intensity of the motion. It was noiseless, only projecting an aura of dread rather than sound whenever it moved. The black-green creature, with glowing eyes of a sickly green and a mouth of similar composition hidden behind fangs of shadow, slowly crept its way over. I heard Erazul’s voice as I backed away from the terror creature. “Beautiful, isn’t it? Years, decades, of nightmares condensed into a fluid monster. It’s gotten bigger over the past decade or so while you’ve been gone. Now it’s time to understand what it was truly made for. Engulf her, terrorise her until she breaks.”

Suddenly, the creature whipped into action, coursing over. I wheeled around and began galloping away as quickly as I could. Rather than hear it crashing through the undergrowth behind me I heard accelerated wilting, the ensuing crackling of dead plants, and felt the pulsating dread and fear with each stride it washed over. A quick glance back revealed grasping hands, probably about six or seven of them, washing over each other as it drug itself along as quickly as I was galloping. I was propelling itself from either the ground or the trees, grabbing whatever it could to launch itself towards me more quickly. The mouth was agape, threatening to consume me if I slowed. With this horrifying image in mind I turned back around, trying to speed up my gallop. Suddenly, Erazul broke from the forest beside me, whip flying. I barely managed to roll underneath the strike, stumbling back into a gallop. The creature was surely closer now, but I didn’t dare look back. I had to escape from the tree line. It was either that or die from exhaustion; being captured wasn’t even an option at that point. I renewed my determination with these goals in mind.

Erazul tried a few more times to disrupt my flight, but he was moderately unsuccessful each time. The light of the outside world soon found an opening in the trees, bidding me to flee to its safety. I did so successfully, breaking out into the open field before me. Suddenly, I felt stinging as the whip wrapped around my hind left leg. I flopped down painfully, face-planting into the grassy soil. When I had recovered, and as I was being drug back, I looked back. The whip had wrapped around my leg, digging deep into the flesh and causing blood to course around each cord. The large, metallic tips were now attached firmly to the rough metallic coating of the cords. I followed the path of the elongated whip to find Erazul reeling me in, the horrid shadow monster waiting, looking almost gleeful in its deranged fantasising. I turned my attention back to the whip around my leg and began trying to buck it off with my other leg. I would strike the whip, knock one of the prongs loose, and then watch as it attracted itself back to the cord. Each strike, each attempt to buy myself freedom, shredded the flesh on my leg and threatened to cut my hoof asunder. I tried, unsuccessfully unfortunately, about four or five more times before coming to the conclusion that kicking it off wasn’t an option. I was a few mere yards away from the forest now, the shadow creature reaching out until the line of light in eager anticipation of the torture it was planning to inflict on me. “Give it up, Aqua, and I might just restrain my little pet here.”

“I won’t submit to you, Erazul.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.” He continued reeling me in, so I fired a shot of magic from my pearl, in an attempt to break the whip. It didn’t work, and the bolt merely shot off in some other direction. The whole spectacle made him pause momentarily before speaking again. “I made it resistant to magic just for you.”

Hope was quickly fleeting as I drew near to the appendage of the shadow. With ill intent I gazed at the cords drawing me in. I saw my shadow reach up to them, writhing their way inside of the metal plating. Suddenly, the cords snapped. I didn’t take the moment of surprise that begged at me but rather arose and bolted as quickly as I could. I heard Erazul cry out in anger before he began pursuing me. I was moving as quickly as I could, but the injuries I had sustained from all of the thorns and whip strikes were slowing me down. It became apparent that Erazul was catching up, so I turned about to face him. I was panting at this point, tired out from the flight and injury. Erazul conjured a sword and swung upon arrival. I leaped out of the way of the strike, and the next four as well. He grunted in frustration as he swung once more. I parried the strike with my hoof, knocking the blade down into the dirt, before leaping backwards again. He let go of the sword to conjure the whip again, lashing out in fury. I tried to dodge, but the cords contorted in a way that I hadn’t anticipated. I took the shot from the enlarged and heavy metal ends straight to the side of the face, knocking me off of my hooves and leaving my head spinning. I shook myself and arose as best as I could. When I focused again I saw Erazul charging with the sword. I did my best to get out of the way, but my best was nowhere near good enough. The blade sunk deep into my front left leg, leaving a gash down to the bone. He ripped the sword out as I lost my balance and fell. He went to swing again, so I rolled away to the side. Twice more he tried to strike my other leg but to no avail. As such, he tried a horizontal swing. It was here that I rolled underneath the blade, closing the gap between us. I saw his eyes shoot open wide mere moments before I bucked him in the chest as hard as I could. The force was enough to cause me to slide back a small distance. Meanwhile, Erazul was catapulted away from me, flying a long distance through the air before bouncing into a roll. I got to my hooves and turned my attention towards town, which was off on the horizon. If I could get to my armour, I thought while limping heavily, I could possibly survive for longer. With determination I crept my way along.

It wasn’t long before Erazul had caught up, whip at the ready. I heard the crack before I heard his approach. As such, I turned about to face him. He was still a few yards off, but the reach of the whip was within inches of my face. With another crack of the whip he tried to hit me in the muzzle, but I successfully dodged to the side. I continued limping backwards towards town as Erazul closed the distance, attempting to whip me all the while. At one point, while he was a couple of yards off, I hatched another plan that could possibly buy me time. The next time he went to whip I reared up onto my hind legs, intentionally placing my moderately injured front right leg in the path of the coils. The jagged metal wrapped around the leg, lacerating it as the whip wrapped time and time again. Three times it coiled around, threatening to cause more serious cuts with each wrap. I then yanked my hoof, using so much force that it threw me off balance. I landed on my left shoulder, but the pull had its intended effect. I quickly stamped a hoof onto the remaining length of the whip before Erazul had a chance to tear at my leg again with the vicious cords. I rolled my way into a standing position, Erazul a few mere inches away from me. I lashed out at him with the leg wrapped in the metallic whip, striking his face hard with the jagged metal. I swung twice more, landing it only once, as he reeled and let go of the handle. I then used the whip backwards, the twisting and grinding of the coils around my leg eating away my flesh. I landed two strokes of the handle upon Erazul before he managed to banish the weapon he had summoned. Blood freely ran from his gashed face, dripping rhythmically from his muzzle. I remained on my hind legs, mostly out of necessity, as I slowly backed away from him again. He was recovering, standing once more, while he spoke his frustrated retort. “What kind of persistent creature are you? You’ve probably lost half of your blood from all of those injuries and you still possess the strength and drive to beat me with my own weapons after wresting them from my grasp. Are you not exhausted yet?”

“I will never concede defeat to the likes of you, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I’m not, but I’ll cut you a deal. If you give up, I’ll just let you roam my realm. You’ll be free to recover your injuries and leave at your leisure.”

“Not a chance, Erazul. I know of your conniving ways. You’ve tried to kill or capture Storm and I far too many times for you to be able to play on some kind of suppressed naivety in me.”

He spat a mixture of blood and saliva onto the grass beside him before speaking again. “So be it, then. I guess we’ll do this the hard way.”

The next item he conjured was a flail, a wicked rod with dull spikes adorning the end of the chain. He charged in, swinging violently. I dodged the first strike, but it was clear that my speed was too far handicapped to be able to dodge his strikes for very long. After deflecting the second and third swings I had to block the next hit with my leg. Using my front left hoof I tried my best to deflect the blow, but rather than redirecting it in a direction that I needed to, I miscalculated the angle, winding up taking the shot in the shoulder. An audible snap echoed across the field as I collapsed in pain, falling from my bipedal stance. I struggled to a three-legged stance, barely managing to do so over the pain echoing from my flayed and tattered front right leg. He swung again, from the same side, forcing me to roll onto my right side. The flail narrowly missed my face in the process, a shot that surely would have killed me. Erazul took the chance while I struggled to my hooves again to bolt around me. He swung his flail as he did so, landing the spiked rod between my right hip and my back. There was no crack this time, but it made me collapse all the same. I grunted and began attempting to rise to my hooves again, only to be met with a flail hit in the leg. It swept me off of my stance, landing me painfully onto my broken left shoulder. I let out a cry of pain with the impact before seeing if I could arise once more. My body screamed out in protest and refused to arise. Erazul finished his lap, standing at my face once more. He unsummoned the flail before he began his approach. When he arrived he placed a hoof under my chin, drawing my face close to his. “Well, defeated at last, it seems. Not so tough are you? So, are you ready to see what my realm looks like?”

I spat in his face, causing him to recoil and drop mine. “Eat filth, swine!”

He wiped the bloody spittle off of his face before responding. “You know, I was going to let you get off easy, but you just made me change my mind. What if I shattered your jaw so you can’t spit those kinds of remarks at me anymore, huh?”

He summoned the flail again. “You can certainly try, pig!”

He approached me, swinging the flail in preparation to strike my jaw. I sat in apprehension, begging my body to allow me to move. Suddenly, Erazul stopped. His flail clunked heavily into the dirt before he began gazing off into the distance, as if trying to tell if something was there. It gave me the chance I needed to start raising up. He took note and began trotting over menacingly. “Well, it seems like it’s your lucky day. It would seem a siege has begun on my realm and I must tend to it. I cannot, unfortunately, let you attend the reunion there while it’s so dangerous, so I’ll leave you with a parting gift.”

He trotted over, swinging the flail one last time with as much effort as he could. I did what I could to get out of the way, but my body was too battered to respond as I needed it to. The flail connected with my tail, roughly near the hip. There were a few cracks as pain shot up my spine, forcing me to fall down once more. The collapse landed me on my left shoulder once more, forcing me to groan in agony. Erazul then left, disappearing without a trace. The pain unwittingly drove tears to my eyes as I sat trying to recover. I called out any and all names that I could think of; I needed serious help or I would die out here. Storm, Ajiin, Bane, Galaxia, Flare even, were all names that I cried out in agony. All I could do then was wait. I began to feel numb, realising that I would soon fall under from the pain. Sure enough, the overwhelming blackness consumed me.

When next I awoke it was inside of a cave. It wasn’t any ordinary cave, no. It was outlandishly bright to be a cave of rock or a den of metal. What I was situated in was a cave of crystal, pure and brilliant. I groaned as I sat up, trying to get a sense of bearings. It was then that I felt the overwhelming cold that prevailed in the cave. I looked around to see what I could find to keep me warm. There was a heavy blanket beside me, so I did what I could with my mouth to drape it over my body. It was after the third attempt that I gave up, frustrated and tired. It was then that a thought struck my mind, one that terrified me. It was a question, specifically. Who brought me here? With that thought in mind I began looking around anxiously, fearing for my life. I heard hoofsteps coming from the mouth of the cave. The sound forced me to begin searching for somewhere to hide. There was nowhere, as I quickly discovered, so all I could do was face the incoming pony. I got into whatever stance my body could manage, pain shooting up my body from the numerous injuries I had sustained. The pony rounded the corner and my stance relaxed as I let out a sigh of relief. The blue hide of Bane appeared, although heavily covered in winter gear. He spoke in a surprised tone when he saw me standing there. “Oh, Aqua, you woke up. That was a little earlier than expected. How do you feel?”

“I prefer not to at this point.”

“Fair enough. When I found you in the grass I was wondering if you had died. When Sparky found that you still had a pulse she instructed me on what I should heal. I refrained, deciding it might be best for Erazul to believe that you had died for the time being. I’m just glad you survived the journey up here.”

“So where am I and why am I here?”

“Welcome to the Crystal Mountains, Aqua. It’s a desolate, snowy landscape of pure barrenness. Detecting anything, any kind of magic, through the blizzards of the frigid north and especially with the properties of these caves, is nigh impossible. If any other unicorn within about a hundred mile radius casts a spell it all but cloaks any magical signal coming from in here. That’s why I pulled you here, as there are a few ponies that excessively use magic from within that circle. As such, I could effectively heal you while keeping Erazul in the dark.”

“What became of the mission? Erazul abandoned me there because he said there was a siege on his realm.”

“Flare successfully recovered Galaxia, and the two exploded about half of his kingdom by combining their magic into a singular, potent spell. He’ll be distracted for quite some time with rebuilding his kingdom, so you’ll be safe for a while. They couldn’t have done it without you, Aqua.”

“I’m just glad we moved when we did. Erazul said you were next on his list of targets to capture, but turned instead to me when I made myself alone and vulnerable.”

“Aqua, never do that again. I don’t care who asks you to, just refuse to do it. That’s the worst I’ve seen you messed up. I did what I could, but it’s still going to take you several weeks before you can do anything more than limp or trot.” Considering how I was normally up in a few days, that was fairly alarming. “How do you even manage to get that many cuts on you? That was an absurd amount.”

“Briars and a jagged metal whip.”

“Well, that might do it.”

“Question, Bane.”

“I should have an answer. What’s your question?”

“How long do I have to be up here in the mountains?”

“It would be best if you were here until you fully recovered.”

“So several weeks?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Then you’re going to need to give me some source of warmth.”

“There’s the blanket to start.”

“I can’t even pull it over myself, Bane.”

“I can help with that. Meanwhile, we’re rallying supplies in order to keep you up here. We just called it ‘Drive for the Mountainfolk’, so that Erazul wouldn’t know where you were. Helps keep you secret.” He trotted over, draping the large blanket over me. It was actually surprisingly warm.

“Thanks.”

“Your order has pitched in a bit, and Storm’s group is helping as well. We haven’t been able to reach out to the group that Lazuli is in yet.”

“That’s fine.”

“There’s one other thing.”

“What is it?”

“I’ll be the only pony up here, and it won’t be frequently. Erazul’s going to be trying to find any suspicious activity now, since he is on high alert after his castle was hit as hard as it was.”

“I’ll manage. I did so for how many years as a filly?”

“Fair point. Just try not to overdo it while up here, alright? Any exertions you make are going to delay your recovery.”

“I’ll do my best.” He shot me a glance before heading out. When I was all alone I curled up again on the cold crystal floor. I wrapped the blanket around me as best as I could, trying my best to stay as warm as possible.

The weeks crawled by slowly as I rested in the cave. Bane came back thrice in that time, carrying large saddlebags filled with supplies. He would drop off the supplies before leaving again. When the time came for my departure I was ecstatically thankful to leave the cave. Despite the beauty of both the cave and the snowy landscape surrounding it, I had things I needed to do; I couldn’t bear it much longer as the idle thoughts ate away at me. Before long I was back home again. I opened the door to find Storm sitting there. He quickly got up and came over. “Aqua, you’re alive!”

“I am.”

“I was starting to wonder with how much Bane was avoiding the question.”

“It was to protect me. Erazul needed to believe that I was dead, or at least gone, until I could recover fully.”

“So you’re all better then?”

“Yes, but I don’t have time to lose. I need to find out the answers to my questions about the arena, my parents, and Flowing Hammer.”

“Flowing Hammer? What’s that?”

“A mare in the arena. She said she needed to find me in order to find out more about herself, so she has to have some kind of tie to me.”

“So you’re heading out now?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Did you want to eat first?” I looked at him for a moment, a pleading look on his face begging me to stay.

“Yeah, I don’t see why not.” He perked up.

“Alright. Just wait here for a little and I’ll get something prepared.”

“Ok. Take your time.” I closed the door behind me and trotted over to the couch. I sat down, letting out a sigh as I did. I still felt a little tired from the trek down the mountain. As much as I wanted the information that I was after, I decided that I should probably rest a little before heading out again. The final decision came to my mind with clarity as Storm trotted out of the kitchen with a small platter of prepared sandwiches balanced near-perfectly. As he approached I spoke. “I’ve been thinking.”

“About what?”

“I’ve decided to stay a few nights before heading to the arena.” Now his face really lit up. He almost couldn’t contain himself.

“Really? What caused the change?”

“I realised I’m still kind of tired from the trek back.”

“Back from where?”

“The mountains to the north.”

“Oh, yeah, that might do it. Why were you up there?”

“Recovering from the fight.”

“The fight?”

“With Erazul. I’m sure somepony has told you by now, right?”

“Not really, no.”

“I was a distraction so they could rescue Galaxia. I did my job well enough, and thankfully I’m alive on top of it all.”

“You can say that again.”

“Just proved to me that a fight with Erazul will have to be on my terms if I’m ever going to beat him.”

“It never will be.”

“Yeah, but I can at least have armour or some form of teleportation before going into the fight. That would help out quite a bit.”

“True.”It grew quiet as we finished the meal. Once things were all set we went about the rest of the day as usual.

Night came and passed, as did the following few days. At last the day of my departure arrived. Storm found me suiting up when he came down from the room. “So, heading out already?”

“Well, it has been several days.”

“Now, are you sure about this, Aqua?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

“Just be careful, alright? I don’t want you coming back with splintered bones in your legs again.”

“Well, even if I did I don’t think I’d be attacked by assassins or Erazul in my down time again.” He chuckled slightly, but I could tell there was still some worry in his tone and face. “Look, I’m just going for information. It shouldn’t be too dangerous.”

“If not, then why use the armour?”

“For getting there. It also makes me feel safer.”

“Alright. Well, good luck, dear.”

“Hopefully, I won’t need luck.” I began trotting towards the door, my hoofsteps amplified by the weight of the armour on me. I closed the door behind me as I turned my attention towards the train station.

From the experience I had earned before, the journey was easy. The train rides went smoothly, and after disembarking and trotting a ways I found myself in that verdant glen. As much as I wanted to stay and enjoy the flourishing nature around me I knew that I had a mission to accomplish. Due to this, I trotted through unhindered and with determination. I eventually found the settlement of desert boat ponies again. I approached them, receiving a bit of a warmer welcome from them this time. “You have returned, outlander. What has caused such?”

“I need to go back to the arena.”

“Again? What for?”

“There’s information that I’m after, and a pony there has it. I don’t plan on murdering them, before you ask. I just want to ask them some questions.”

“Alright. Climb aboard the skimmer and we will drop you off outside once again. Sound good?”

“Yes, thank you.” The pony bid me follow onto the wooden platform of the skimmer, so I did. Before long we were off, skimming across the dead floor of the Badlands.

When the city was on the horizon they, again, ordered me off. I obliged and left them to depart. I turned my attention back to the city, trotting at a steady pace until I arrived. A few of the husks gathered about the edges of the alleyways, perhaps seeking to rough me up. A quick glance over, a slight tilt of the head, and they retreated into the shadows like dogs with their tails between their legs. Perhaps they had learned from the last husks that tried to accost me. Either way, it made the path clear and free of confrontation. I made my entire journey to the arena like this. As I approached I began noticing that the sun was approaching the horizon during a couple of my glances up to the sky. Not wanting to be caught by whatever those ‘changeling’ creatures were that the townsfolk spoke so fearfully of, I entered the underbelly of the arena. The brown pony from before came trotting over, stopping only when he realised that it was me. “Oh, would you look at that. You’re back. Guess I have to tell the other team to not send all of their ponies to be murdered by you again.”

“That would leave me fighting Flowing Hammer, would it not?”

“You would be correct to assume that, yes. I’m surprised you managed to guess that. So are you ready or what?”

“I’m ready.”

“Good, because you’ll have to wait until tomorrow. There are already two fights booked and night is coming. I’d rather not get all of the ponies here murdered or turned into those freakish creatures. Hell knows we’ve lost enough to them already.”

“So then do I just camp it here?”

“If you don’t care about sleeping in dirt like some kind of wild animal. Otherwise: find a room. There ain’t none here, though.” I nodded before settling down in a seated position on the floor. It was a waiting game at this point. As such, I decided to get as comfortable as I could on the rough dirt floor.

I watched the two combatants return, the one alive and the other mangled beyond recognition. Once the second came back, nearly in a basket more than anything, ponies began leaving. It didn’t take long before the brown pony was the last one in the room. As he trotted by he spoke. “Don’t steal anything.”

“With as piss-poor as your gear here is, the only reason that I would steal it would be to fix it.”

“Aren’t you funny?” His tone dripped with sarcasm as he left. Soon I was alone in the underbelly. It was almost peaceful down here now, regardless of the blood that soaked the dirt floor where the bodies collected throughout the course of the day. They would be removed at night, as I discovered, but they still merely sat there in a pile until their removal. Once the removal had occurred it was, once again, completely silent. The only noise to be heard was the shifting of the plates of my armour. The sound eventually, after long enough, helped to lull me to sleep rather than keep me awake.

Morning found me. Specifically, the brown pony found me and forced me to wake up. Once I was on my hooves he spoke. “Alright, so here’s the deal. The fight between the two of you is going to be the first battle. There’s an entire arena that’ll be jam packed with spectators, so don’t let them down. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Good. They’ll be eager for blood. Give it to them.” I had no plans on doing such. Perhaps a light spar to begin with, but I wouldn’t murder the pony from which I needed information. Thankfully enough, my answer was good enough for the stallion, as he began trotting away. It wasn’t too long after he left that they came to retrieve me for the fight. I trotted up eagerly and waited in the penned-in corner of the arena. The announcer’s voice soon echoed out, quieting the crowd.

“Ponies of the city, we have gathered again the two massive fighters from both sides of the underbelly. The judge had determined that another fight was in order, and you’ve been begging for it, so here it is! Let’s let these two vicious fighters know that we have been waiting for this day!” Suddenly, the arena erupted into near-deafening noise as ponies and husks alike stomped their hooves in the stands in applause. The gates soon lowered, perhaps announced by the voice that rang out, but I couldn’t hear it over the noise. Regardless, I charged out in a full gallop, finding Flowing Hammer doing the same. She was swinging her hammer, though I could tell it was restrained. I reacted accordingly, deflecting the blow without causing harm to either of us. I drew my blades and reared up. When she swung the hammer next I parried, the gentle blow of her swing being easy to catch. As we struggled, as loose of a term as it was in that situation, she spoke.

“I’m not going to kill you. I need to find out more about you.”

“Same.” I broke the grapple, waiting for the next chance to start it again. This time, however, I clasped the hammer in between my hooves and made it look like we were struggling again.

“You’re my key to figuring out who I really am.”

“And if that’s the case, then there’s information I need regarding you so I can find out who my parents were.” She shoved me back as I finished my phrase, causing me to stumble. I recovered in time for her next swing. I decided to roll out of the way, landing back on my hind legs. I swung my swords, letting her parry it with her hammer. She held the parry for a little while.

“Who were your parents?”

“I don’t know. They were murdered. Yours?”

“Murdered. A mare and a drake.” I blinked, falling backwards when Flowing Hammer broke the grapple.

“What?!” She paused momentarily, confused at my sudden outburst. Hopefully the other ponies saw it was my disbelief because I was outmatched in that struggle.

“What do you mean ‘what’?”

“Unless there was another drake I haven’t been told about, you have the same story as I do.” She approached, causing me to roll to the side so I was standing once more. We went to continue our fake spar when we heard a voice from the stand. The excessively loud clearing of a throat drew our attention. We both turned our attention to the origin of the sound, finding the judge standing on the precipice of the shadows. He spoke when he believed that he had our attention.

“This ‘fight’ of yours is the most pathetic display of fraud I have seen in my life. Either you two begin murdering each other or I will call upon the champion of the arena to murder you on your own behalf.” Flowing Hammer and I both looked at each other for a moment before turning back to him. My voice rang out before hers could.

“We will not fight.”

“Good. I was hoping you’d say as much. Send in Volt, Brawn, and Crusher!” The arena grew deathly silent for a moment. Not long after the order was given three ponies, entirely coated in armour, arrived from the underbelly. I couldn’t tell any aspect of their appearance because of the sheer amount of armour that adorned each one. One of them carried a blade, another a large hammer not unlike Flowing Hammer’s weapon, and the last one had spikes that extended downwards from the sides of all of his hooves; the spikes of the third dug into the dirt and flicked it behind him with each step. From their stature alone I could tell that all three were stallions, and very large ones at that. “Two on three. Fair enough for rats like you. Let the fight commence.”

As he retreated back into the shadow of the pavilion and sat down once more, the crowd burst into an absolute uproar of approval. Flowing Hammer and I glanced at each other before moving closer to each other. The three stallions began trotting around us in a circle. The one, whose weapon had not been drawn yet, spoke. “Well, two similar ponies that don’t want to fight. Looks like we’ll enjoy this one, boys. I’m sure you two will enjoy it as well. You see, Brawn here kicks so hard that his spiked greaves puncture any suit of armour. Well, it pierces it after the armour has already pierced the wearer, at least. Crusher, here, does what his title tells you: he swings his hammer with force enough to crush any of the bones in your sorry little body. As for me? They named me Volt for my weapon. You’ll learn soon enough why that is.”

As he finished his statement he drew the weapon on his back. It was a bastard sword in size, with a thick handle that appeared well-worn. There were spaces in the middle of the blade, which I wasn’t sure the purpose they served at first, that eventually began conducting small jolts of lightning between the two sides of the blade. I reared up onto my hind legs and drew my own swords in anticipation of the fight. Suddenly, they charged in. Flowing Hammer and I separated as they did, picking our battles. She had the one with spiked greaves, Brawn, while I had to hold off the ensuing onslaught of strikes from Volt and Crusher. It was the massive morning star-looking warhammer that frightened me more, if I were to be honest. I was barely able to deflect the hefty blows.

Strike by strike the two tried to whittle me down. The jolts of electricity would flow from the sword into my armour wherever it came close to contact. Meanwhile, ducking and rolling were about my only two options for evading the relentless pursuit of the bludgeoning nightmare. As he went to strike I managed to sink my blade into the ball at the end, being extremely careful to not break my legs like the last time I pulled a stunt like this. I quickly sunk my other blade into the other side before hefting the entire mass upwards. The pony didn’t let go, instead hoping that his mass was enough to prevent my action. It wasn’t, thankfully, so I flipped him over top of me, plastering him to the ground. I quickly turned my attention to the other pony before me, narrowly parrying a stab directed at my chest. I retaliated as best as I could, ending up more slapping him with the blunt end of the sword than anything. It worked in forcing him to a safe distance from me. It was at this point that I realised the error of my fighting, as I now had them on separate sides of me. I tried to manoeuvre out of the situation as best as I could, but Volt was on top of things faster than I could be in my upright position. I either had to sacrifice my defense for speed or hope that I could keep up with strikes from both sides. Right as I went to sheathe my blades Volt charged in again, forcing a decision on my part. I blocked his strike, capturing the sword between my two blades. Despite the overwhelming flow of energy I began attempting to wrest control of the blade from his grasp. With twists and flails we battled for supremacy of the sword until a hefty impact bowled me over from behind. The pain was heavy but nothing shattered from the impact. I used the momentum to force a couple of rolls before finally rising to my hooves again. The two were both already coming at me with vengeance, so I had to simply roll under the strikes. I lashed out at one while executing my final roll. The hit landed, slicing open the hind leg of Crusher. He grunted as I did, letting me know that the non-aimed strike hit any target at all. As I recovered, disoriented from all of the rolling, I saw the morning star hammer headed directly for me. I tried to block it but was not quick enough. The weapon collided directly with my side, launching me across the arena and sending throbbing waves of pain through my body. I got up as quickly as I could, taking a quick moment to glance at Flowing Hammer. Her fight was going far better than mine, as she was about to fully win the match of dominance. She had vastly overpowered the pony fighting her and would soon end his life. I turned my attention back to the two approaching me, hoping to hold their attention until Flowing Hammer was done. “You call that a hit? Hah, I barely felt it.”

The two ponies charged in once more, arriving right when I had reared up again. Using both of my blades was the only way I could manage to parry both of their concurrent attacks. As the ferocious exchange continued I could tell that I was tiring. I tried my best to keep up with the relentless assault, but it was starting to prove futile. Eventually, my guard slipped. Unfortunately, it was for the wrong attack. Rather than the crushing, launching force of the morning star, I felt the stinging of a sword. Whereas Volt had struck my armour several times before, this shot was aimed. He landed the thrust between the plates of my armour, allowing the blade to sink deep into my midsection. I grunted from the pain, but it was only the start. Electricity surged through my body, causing me to seize up. Volt held it for a moment before driving the blade further. He then attempted to twist the blade, finding his efforts unsuccessful. Accordingly, he pulled the blade out and watched me drop. Weak convulsions rocked my body as I tried to recover. Volt was coming back over, blade prepared, when he suddenly hit the ground face-first. He was then yanked away, thrown to another part of the arena. The other one was upon me with his heavy morning star, swinging it in a hope to kill me. I barely managed to evade the strikes despite my impaired movement. Before long I was able to stand again, my muscles finally cooperating. The pain in my midsection tried to halt me, but I bit my way through the inconvenience and rose to my hind legs once more. In anger, following another missed strike, Crusher screamed out. “Hold still, slippery little whore!”

I readied my blades as he rushed back in. With just the one pony assaulting me it became exponentially easier to defend myself. I played very defensively to start, waiting for him to strike before parrying. After seeing the ease I had with this tactic I decided to press the envelope and try to become more aggressive. I began applying my commanding presence and overwhelming strength. It very quickly became apparent that the pony before me was going to lose. Upon seeing this, he tried to turn tail and run. Due to my stance I was unable to chase him down, so I activated my warp core to teleport in front of him. He tried to skid to a halt and turn away, but I was far too close. I shoved my blade straight through his muzzle, jabbing it out of the other side of his head. He quickly fell limp as the sizzling sound of his head cauterising around the blade emitted faintly. I retracted the blade and let the body fall to the ground. I then turned my attention towards Flowing Hammer. It was then that I noticed the bloody pulp that used to be Brawn. Honestly, there was nothing left of the body; Flowing Hammer had continued to beat a dead horse until it was no longer a horse. With a chuckle resembling more of an exhale than anything I turned my attention to Flowing Hammer. My heart sank when I saw the scene. Volt’s blade was keeping her at bay, threatening to end her life if she slipped up once. I sheathed my blades and dropped to all four hooves again, galloping over as quickly as I could manage. As I was booking it over the slip up occurred. Volt landed a strike on the exposed part of Flowing Hammer’s shoulder. The blade sunk in sideways, electrocuting her leg. I picked up the pace as he pulled the blade back. He thrust the blade as I tried to tackle her out of the way. I was stopped suddenly when the blade pierced through the plates on my right shoulder. I don’t know how deep the blade sunk, but my guess was at least as far as a vital organ. As the electricity coursed through my body it became hard to breathe. In one colossal effort I turned around, ripping the sword from his grasp. I fell over, unable to remain standing any longer, and landed on my right side. The blade sunk further, causing me to try and take a deep breath of agony. Rather than a deep breath, though, what I got was a feeling of drowning. I hacked out whatever it was in an attempt to breathe, getting the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. I folded back my helmet to spit it out before equipping it again. I could feel Volt attempting to roll me over, but I resisted as much as my convulsing body would allow. I soon heard him get dragged away again, leaving me to suffer.

It took quite a while before the electricity stopped. By then, however, I was entirely numb. I had folded my helmet down to allow me to hack blood out of my lungs as much as I needed to, but I refused to roll over and allow anypony to touch the blade. I could faintly hear the sounds of combat, but my eyes never managed to focus on it. The world was a blur, and showed no intentions of changing. The figures of Volt and Flowing Hammer fighting were little more than blobs, though they were but a yard or two off. In a grunt of effort I began focusing, forcing myself up. I could not die here; I had things I needed to do and ponies I wanted to see again. Once I was on my hooves, perhaps from the effort of concentrating, I could focus more intently on the world around me. I heard voices now, though muffled. Volt’s voice rang out more than any other, and his line was startling. “I killed your sister; I’ll kill you too!”

I was too out of it to truly understand the significance of his statement at the time. I was barely keeping myself stable at the time, but was doing everything I could with magic to keep myself conscious. I noticed that Volt was starting to beat Flowing Hammer, landing more and more strikes successfully. She succumbed to the battering, eventually dropping. When she got up he would simply beat her down until she stopped moving. He wasn’t content with just that, though, and brought Crusher’s hammer up for a killing blow to the head. Realisation struck me about as hard as that hammer had, forcing me into what action I could take. In desperation I focused what magical affinity I had left, wishing death upon him with whatever I could muster. Suddenly, a shadowy tendril shot out of the ground, piercing his midsection and threatening to rip him in twain. He dropped the hammer fruitlessly and let out a gasp. I focused as much as I could, forgetting the idea of stabilising myself. More and more tendrils erupted from the ground, piercing him in different areas. Eventually, when a fair number had been summoned, they turned inwards and began to rip the pony apart. Screams of agony tore through the colosseum as the tendrils hurled scraps of flesh and bloody muscle across the arena. Aside from the terrorised voice of Volt the arena was silent. Eventually, all of the meat had been torn from the skeleton, which tumbled bone by bone to the ground as it was freed from its living cage. Once the grisly deed was done the blood-soaked tendrils retreated into the ground and returned to me. As they returned I reeled and fell over, landing on my right side. I heard cheering as the announcer broke the stone-cold silence that had prevailed. I was unable to focus on his words, and barely noticed Flowing Hammer limping over. I wasn’t able to keep my eyes open. They eventually closed and darkness surrounded me.

When next I struggled awake I found surroundings entirely alien to me. It was dark in the room, but the dim candles kept it light enough to determine what was around me. The room was fairly plain, hardly containing any furniture. Thinking on it, the only furniture I remember was small cot I was resting on and a table off to the side with the candles. The walls were plain, as sandstone in appearance, and entirely flat. The windows were almost entirely filled, aside from a small space closest to the interior, by wood. Each of these had a thick metal rod placed inside of a holder. Occasionally, there’d be a thunk or two on the windows, but nothing else. I heard the opening of a heavy wooden door, the metallic knocker on the front clanging against it. I turned my attention there to find Flowing Hammer. She still had a slight limp, and was wrapped in a few small patches of bandages, but seemed fine overall. She spoke when she noticed me sitting up. “Ah, so you’re awake.”

“For the most part.” She chuckled before responding.

“Well, that’s good. You’re tougher than you look, Aqua.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

“How together are you right now?”

“What?”

“How aware and conscious are you?”

“I’m doing fairly well. I’m just tired, is all.”

“Well, you did just wake up after being down for about a week.”

“…what?”

“What?”

“I was down for a week?”

“Yeah, your body had to recover from all of that electrical shock to the heart and lungs. Your lung was pierced, but I found a unicorn who could fix it. Nice fellow with blue hide. Haven’t seen hide that perfect in years.”

“Blue hide?”

“Yeah.”

“Did he have yellow or gold eyes?” My question was asked with an idea already formulating in my mind; I knew who the pony was, but wanted to confirm my suspicion before saying anything.

“Yeah, how did you know?”

“Because he saves my life a lot more than I’d like to admit. His name is Bane.”

“Well, it was very kind of him to drop by, because I have questions I need to ask you. Being dead makes it hard to answer.”

“Well, then, fire away. I mean, I’m not going anywhere, right?” We both chuckled in response to my statement.

“Volt called you my sister. What do you know of that?”

“I could ask the same thing of you. I thought I was an only child. Well, an only orphan, I guess.”

“You did say your mother was a pony and your father a drake, right?”

“Yup. Didn’t you say that too?”

“Yeah. I think I’m starting to piece things together, but that still doesn’t explain why you ended up with hide and I wound up with this chitinous stuff.”

“I don’t have an answer for that. As for the parent situation, though, I might have a way to find out.”

“What is it?”

“I can’t tell you, not just yet at least.”

“How come?”

“I have to do this alone so that it’s easier to manage.”

“I’m not sure what difference it would make, but alright.”

“Return to the arena like normal. You’ll probably have fights and stuff lined up. Winning that fight would have made you champion, right?”

She sat for a moment before responding. “I guess you’re right.”

“So go and do champion things while I figure this out.”

“But wouldn’t you be a champion as well?”

“This isn’t my place. Even if I was one of the champions of the arena I wouldn’t be able to stay and hold the title. I have an organisation to run.”

“What organisation?”

“The Order of Protectorates. We’re a group of ponies that swear to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”

“Sounds noble enough. I guess I can only wish you luck, then.”

“Thanks, I might need it.” As my words drifted off the room grew silent. Eventually, Flowing Hammer spoke.

“Want something to eat?”

“After being out for a week, I think it might be a good idea.” We both chuckled as she trotted to the door.

“Alright, sit tight. I’ll whip something up.” She left, leaving me alone in the room. I waited patiently for her return, which didn’t take more than a few minutes. She had two bowls on a tray that she carried in her mouth. She set it down and gave me one of them. It appeared to be no more than wet oats, if I had to take a guess at what the dull paste in the bowl was supposed to be. I looked over at her for a moment. “Sorry that it’s nothing glamorous. The land out here is dead. We’ve tried growing crops, but they either wither due to the lack of nutrients or the changelings steal them. The only other option, if you wish to lose your sanity to bloodlust, is what the husks eat.”

“And what is that?”

“Horse.” It grew silent. I simply stared at her. After a moment she spoke again. “How else do they get all of the blood and bones they decorate and arm themselves with?”

“I guess you make a fair point, but that begs the question of how can they even manage to eat meat.”

“A mystery to us all.”

“That’s messed up.”

“The whole town is messed up, Aqua, and it shows no signs of improving.”

“Is there any-?”

“No. Everypony here has already tried everything we can think of short of restrained genocide.”

“Hm.” Again it grew silent as we continued to eat the bland paste.

“We’ve been trying for a while to fix things here. Planting crops is out of the question, as I have already explained. Building the arena to rid ourselves of the husks backfired; regular ponies like me are drug in there. The husks enjoy watching ‘creative fighting’, as they sometimes call it.”

“What do you mean ‘creative fighting’?”

“Fighting that’s more than two ponies with sharp sticks galloping straight at each other, swinging it around mindlessly, and hoping that the enemy dies. They love our tactics but lack the dedication and desire to ever learn them, no matter how simple. Try to teach them and they try to kill you.” She set her bowl down, having finished the liquidised oats. “So we wait for something to rescue us.”

“Well, maybe-“

“No, Aqua, you won’t be able to. We need more than just a singular pony. We need some kind of calamity or uprising. That won’t happen, though, because our spirits are broken, so we simply submit. And there’s nothing to rally us, Aqua. They don’t know you, and I’m stuck in the arena. Until something happens there, nothing will happen out here.” I nodded, surrendering my response to the depths of my mind, before setting down the finished bowl of food. She took the two bowls and headed for the door. “Hey Aqua.”

“Yeah?”

“Think you can move?”

“I should be able to.”

“Let me know if you need help.”

“Alright.” She left. I turned my attention to getting out of the bed. It was true that my shoulder was sore, the shoulder that had been stabbed, but I was generally ok. I was at least mobile and mostly unhindered, at least. I trotted to the door, eventually making my way out. The room that I trotted into was far more furnished than the one I had been in. There were chairs, mostly made out of sandstone, surrounding a table, which was also made of sandstone. There were banners on the walls, their vibrant colours contrasting the otherwise dull appearance of the interior. Small lamps burned in various places, dimly illuminating the place. Before I had much more chance to look around, however, Flowing Hammer came out of one of the side rooms.

“Well, seems like you’re doing just fine.”

“Just about, yeah.”

“Well, just in time for sleep. We’ll wait until dawn before opening either the doors or the windows.”

“Yeah, that sounds like an intelligent thing to do.” A sudden realisation hit as I contemplated our departure. “Wait, where’s my armour?”

“Bane managed to get it off of you. Should be sitting in the corner of the room that you were just in.” I made my way back to the room, looking in each of the darkened corners. I found it resting, packed up, against the corner of the wall with the door and the wall with the window, the side oriented to the right of the entrance to the room. I let out a sigh of relief before returning. “Did you find it?”

“Yeah. All’s good in the world again.”

“Alright. Well, I’ll see you in the morning, then.”

“Goodnight, Flowing Hammer.” I began trotting towards the room.

“Goodnight, Aqua.” As she finished the phrase I closed the door behind me and made my way over to the bed. I curled up onto the small cot, barely fitting on it. From there I let my eyes droop and sleep overtake me.

The morning came when Flowing Hammer woke me up. Had it not been for that, I would most likely have continued sleeping in the near-pitch black room. She prepared the very humble meal once more, over which we discussed a little more of her situation as the new champion, before we set out. She made her way towards the underbelly, but I decided to hang back a little. When I entered the underbelly I simply put my armour in a corner and changed forms when nopony was looking. Once I was my smaller form I snuck out and made my way into the crowd. I entered the stands of the arena, making sure to sit as close to the pavilion as I could. Now all I had to do was wait until the end of the day.

The day was bloody and violent, but thankfully I was not a part of it that time. I watched a battle or two from Flowing Hammer, which were short and brutal. She won each in a few minutes or less. This made the day progress quicker, so the wait for sundown didn’t feel like it took as long as it would have otherwise. When the sun set the crowd began to disperse. I made sure to follow the pony in the pavilion with my eyes very closely and track from many body lengths back, some several dozen yards. We left the arena stands and began trotting about the town.

Night was about to fall by the time the pony was alone. I quickly began closing the gap as he worked to get into his home. As he entered I changed forms, breaking into a full gallop. A split moment before he closed the door I barreled through it, knocking him back. I then quickly made sure the door was closed, placing the bar down. I turned back around to find him lunging at me with a dagger drawn from his attire. I used my tail to pelt his face from the hilt-bound side, launching both him and the dagger across the room. He hit the wall with a thud, giving me enough time to charge over. As he reached for the dagger I pinned him to the wall. Once he saw that he was helplessly stuck he spoke. “What do you want from me?”

“Information. You’re going to talk.”

“What do you want to know? What could possibly be so important that you assault me in my own home?”

“What do you know of my parents?”

“I don’t even know who you are! How am I supposed to know who you came from?” He was playing me, but I didn’t buy it.

“You ordered me to murder dozens of ponies against my own desire. A simple gesture and their life was forfeit.”

“So you’re a fighter in the arena. Big deal. We get lots of those.”’

“Champion, actually. You ordered Volt, Crusher, and Brawn to murder Flowing Hammer and me in the arena when we refused to fight. That doesn’t matter now, though, because I’m here on the brink of murdering you.”

“And what of it? What do you hope to gain from it?”

“Like I said: information.”

“I can’t talk if I’m dead.”

“Oh, you’ll wish you were dead.”

“What’s the worst you can do to me, huh?”

“Flay you alive.”

“That’s it?”

“Oh no, that’s just the start. Now tell me, before we waste any more of the night, who killed my parents? It was a drake and a mare.” I could see some kind of recognition on his face; he knew who I was referring to.

“I can’t tell you who killed two vague ponies in a town centered on fighting. Ponies die every day here.”

“You know exactly who I’m talking about.”

“No, I don’t!”

“Then perhaps this will help you to remember.” I focused on him with ill intent, extending the shadowy tendrils. He looked fearfully at the approaching extensions until they touched onto his body. They wormed their way into his hide before they began writhing about. His face instantly shot to one of agony as he cried out against the onslaught of pain. As it continued, and in order to allow him to hear me, I shouted out. “Who killed my parents?!”

“Gah! I don’t know!”

“You lie!” The torturous pain continued for a few more moments before his voice cracked out.

“Okay! Okay! I’ll tell you, just make it stop!” I withdrew the tendrils, a tinge of disappointment startling me.

“So who did it?”

“The organisation I’m in. We’re assassins.” He was panting, the pain wearing heavily upon him.

“I already knew that. Who, specifically, killed my parents?”

“It was a team job; everypony had their hoof in it.”

“And how many is that?”

“Aside from the mare that went missing, there are seven more.”

“The mare you sent to murder me while I was recovering.”

“I didn’t send her. She went of her own volition.”

“Either way, it doesn’t matter. What matters is you identifying those ponies so I can exact justice.”

“There’s no way you’d be able to find them. The fact that you found me means that somepony told you exactly where I was every day.”

“The mare.”

“I knew we should have stopped her.”

“So I can’t locate them, then?”

“No, not a chance.”

“Then you’re going to rally them all together into the arena.”

“No, there’s absolutely no way I would betray them like that.” My face changed to a scowl, forcing him to react in fear. The tendrils reached back up and began making their way underneath his hide again. After several moments of him gasping, squirming, and screaming he cried out again. “Alright fine! I’ll bring them together!”

“That’s a good pony.” I dropped him, letting him hit the floor as the tendrils withdrew once more.

“But then what are you going to do to me afterwards?”

“If you prove useful enough in gathering them and keeping them in the dark about it I might just let you live.” He swallowed hard, nodding. “Now, I expect them in the arena tomorrow by sunset.”

“What if I can’t get them all there?”

“Then your hide will complement the red tint of my armour as I wear it like a cloak.” I saw the terror in his eyes. My intimidation had worked. Hopefully he carried through with it, because I knew exactly where he’d be otherwise. I trotted over to the door and left, not hearing a peep out of him.

I trod carefully, dodging through alleys as I avoided the buzzing sound above me. I caught a few glimpses of what I assumed to be the changelings, although their black, chitinous hide made it difficult to tell. It was a risky move, I had to make it to the underbelly and retrieve my armour; that much was certain. And so, with measured steps I made my way.

I was trotting through an alley, on the verge of emerging, when a changeling suddenly whizzed by. I quickly ducked back into the dark corridor. I slowly backed up, trying to remain as quiet as possible. I hit one of the crates with my hoof, sending the moderate sound echoing up the narrow passage. I froze momentarily before turning and quietly cantering further down the path. I hid behind a stray barrel that had fallen over. I barely peeked my head around the corner in time to find a silhouette enter the alley. I ducked my head back behind the barrel, hoping that I could remain hidden. I heard the sound of hissing as the creature approached. I did my best to quiet my frightened heart as the breathing of the creature and the buzzing of its wings echoed in the alley. It sounded close, too close for comfort at least. Eventually, the alley became quiet, the sounds of the creature disappearing as if around a corner. I peeked my head back around to find the alley clear of enemies. Regardless, I took a different path, making sure to avoid the main road again.

I continued my way for as long as I could down the side alleys and pitch-black corridors therein. I found an opening to the outside once more and decided to investigate. It seemed as if it led directly to the arena, so I banked upon it. I heard a sound behind me, but figured it to be nothing more than a shuffle, perhaps from one of the husks. As I broke into the clearing it became apparent exactly what had made the shuffling sound. It was also apparent that they had found me. I heard the familiar hissing sound behind me. I would have frozen in dread if I hadn’t already broken into a full gallop by the time I heard the sound. I was making good progress when I suddenly felt something hit my tail. I was stopped suddenly, falling forwards onto my face. I picked my face up out of the dirt and looked back, finding a viscous green fluid pinning my tail to the ground. With a bit of effort I drug myself forwards and lifted my tail. Sure enough, I popped the sticky substance off of the loose dirt road. I continued my path, feeling another glob strike my hip as I rounded the corner of the entrance. I bolted, nearly leaped, down the stairs, forcing the door open and quickly entering. I slammed the door closed behind me before quickly making my way over to my armour. I knew that the plates were going to become plastered to my tail and hip as soon as I equipped the armour, but it was a price I was going to have to pay. I heard the expected slapping as the fluid stuck to the plates that folded over my body. I shuddered at the thought, but managed to remain still enough for my armour to fully equip. From there I decided that the best course of action was to wait for morning.

The creature never came down and attempted to open the door, surprisingly enough. My sleep was undisturbed until the brown pony from before woke me up. His gruff tone rang out as he got me to stir. “What, are you homeless or something? Got nowhere else to be?”

“Got caught outside too late. Had to duck into here until morning.”

“The sun’s a pretty big clock, you know. Not hard to miss what time it was.”

“I had matters to tend to.”

“Whatever. Are you here to fight?”

“Yeah, I can do a few matches. Got nothing else to do.”

“Good. The ponies have been thirsting for your brutality. Don’t disappoint them, alright?”

“You got it.” He snorted and trotted off, leaving me alone. There was a meagre meal shared between the fighters that were there before the day began. From thence we simply waited for the combat to start.

The day couldn’t have drug on for any longer than it did, but sunset eventually found us. The arena had cleared by that time, predictably, so I awaited the arrival of the assassin. It wasn’t much later than when the last spectator had left that the group came trotting in. I could see the group getting into aggressive stances, so I called out to them. “There’s no need for that. I wish to discuss a matter with you.”

Their stances relaxed, but it was easy to tell that they were still on edge. Once they had all settled into their positions one of them spoke. “So what did you want to discuss, horse?”

“There were two ponies of interest that I was hoping for some help with.” They almost perked up.

“You got coin?”

“I have sufficient.”

“Who are the targets?”

“’Who were the targets’ would be a better question.” Now they were showing signs of confusion. “Now, will the pony that I talked with please come towards me.”

Again were they confused, but one stepped forwards and away from the group. Once he was clear I focused the fury that was slowly building inside of me. Tendrils shot out of the ground underneath each of the seven. They began crying out in fear, rage, and concern, though not pain just yet. “Enough!”

My voice, paired with the vice-like grip the tendrils adopted when I shouted, caused them to silence themselves and turn to me. “Now, you’re going to answer my questions. Do I make myself clear?”

“Why do we have to answer to you?”

“Because I can snap you all in half like twigs right now if I really wanted to. That would be the merciful outcome.”

“What’s the worst you can do? Spit on us?”

I turned to the pony who was now standing beside me. “Care to explain to them what it was like?”

He shook his head, terrified at the thought of the pain he had endured. One of the assassins, a mare, cried out. “What did you do to him?!”

“Well, the pain of being flayed from the inside out is not too comfortable. If you want, I can dislocate every single joint in your body, snap every bone in half, or grind your organs into pulp, all in addition to flaying you alive. So answer my questions or live in bitter agony for the rest of your miserable lives.”

“Then what are your questions?”

“My parents were a mare and a drake. Why did you murder them?”

“They housed our target, so we had to get them out of the way.”

“If he had already left, was it still necessary to hunt them down to the ends of Equestria and butcher them?”

“They knew too much.”

“As you know too much of me.” I could see fear enter their eyes. “Regardless, Volt called Flowing Hammer my sister. Why? Care to explain?”

“That’s insane. Just because you look similar doesn’t mean you’re instantly related.” I began to constrict the tendrils around the pony that answered, receiving his pained grunts in response.

“With as many similarities as we have, it’s pretty hard to deny that we are, at least in some distant term, related. So I’ll give you another chance; if my mother was murdered shortly after my conception, how do I have a sister?”

It grew silent in the arena. After a minute or two I decided that I was done with waiting. “Alright, looks like I’ll have to wring it out of you.”

I began to constrict all of the tendrils, threatening to outright crush the ponies before me. Their cries again echoed out. It persisted for a few moments before the pony beside me spoke. “I can explain.”

In surprise I slacked the grip, allowing the ponies to breathe again. “Oh?”

“When we found your mother we thought that they only had you and that was it. As I observed your family prior to moving in I noticed just the slightest bulge around your mother’s torso, a bulge only explainable as being with foal. So when the others went to move in, I preemptively warned your mother. She took her, you, and your father and left. I carefully tracked their movements while my cohorts burned the cabin to the ground. When I saw that they were quickly gaining ground on your family I warned your mother. She hid you in a bush off the beaten path. She tearfully whispered goodbye as she left you there, hoping against hope that you’d be protected by something, anything. She then caught up with your father as they continued. The problem is, a pregnant pony can’t run as fast as a normal one, especially not as fast as ponies trained in strength, speed, and endurance. Your father turned about to delay the others while your mother continued on. I covered her tracks to allow her to escape. Once my colleagues had left I quickly tracked her down. The only safe place she had was hiding in plain sight, so I took her under my care, used my skills in alchemy to change the colour of her hide and hair, and threw together a story of who she was, or wasn’t, technically. They bought it, but only until the foal came. With a tail like the one she had it was a dead giveaway. They executed her, nearly executed me, and forced the filly to be adopted by the pit master of the side opposite of yours in the arena. From there I volunteered to be the judge so I could watch her grow. It had to be the alchemy that changed her hide, that made it different from yours in such a radical way.” I was without words, trying to process what I had just heard. “Your father was always ferocious. He killed over half of our guild by himself, even after the poisons had been successfully injected into him. I’d take the operation back if I could, save your parents, but what’s done is done; I can’t change the past.”

“No, but I can change the future.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can finish what my father started in those woods all those years ago. I have the rest of your guild right here, and it will be here that it ends.” I saw the fearful expressions of the ponies in the tendrils. They were begging for their lives, promising change. The fury and rage had eaten a hole in me so large that it was wholly irreconcilable. With the fury of a sun I lifted them up from the dirt. The tendrils began to dig into their skin, whirling about and stripping the flesh as thick drops of blood began to seep out of their bodies. Screams echoed through the colosseum, most likely pouring out onto the streets outside. With the first that I turned my attention to I focused mostly on what the tendrils were already doing. They worked furiously, eventually separating all of his hide from the muscle beneath. It then burst out of his back, ripping the skin off as he spiralled out of his own hide. He hit the ground with a thud, wailing as a damned soul and writhing about in agony before ultimately succumbing to his injuries.

I turned the free tendril upon the next pony, a mare, and began violently beating upon her chest with it. After several dozen hefty impacts that shook her whole frame I heard cracking. I kept at it until the tendril burst through the shattered ribcage. It then tore her chest open and ripped her organs out through the cavity. She fell limp, her screams ending long before then, so I dropped the emptied carcass. The blood from her corpse had pumped out of her vitals across the dirt, spurting and splashing over the thirsty soil until there was no more blood to bleed.

I then turned the tendrils to the next, grabbing her by both ends and pulling. Her agonised screams hurt to listen to, and not from the decibel level, as her spine continued to stretch to unnatural proportions. Eventually, there was a snap, a crack, and a sickening, wet suction noise as she began tearing in half. Not much longer after that, her blood and entrails were strung out between her two halves before I ultimately threw them to two separate parts of the arena floor.

I wrapped one of the tendrils around the next stallion’s neck, squeezing it tightly. As it constricted and worked its way up his neck I wrapped the other tendrils around the remaining hide, making sure they wrapped up underneath his jawline. He was hacking and gagging, his constricted airway not letting any air through. As it continued to wrap about it I could see the pain build on his face. Blood began to seep through the cracks in the tendrils. Before too long, his face lost all of its emotion, dropping to a dead look. The tendrils constricted further, eventually pushing his body and head apart from each other. I released the body, finding that the only thing that remained of his neck was his dislocated spinal column and whatever bloody pulp hadn’t been stripped away.

With the next, I wrapped the tendrils around each of her legs, yanking them outwards. After a short delay, and the emittance of several sickening sounds, her legs tore out of their sockets. The flesh and muscle began tearing asunder as she screamed for mercy, but I did not relent. When the limbs came free I dropped them around the body as she ceased flailing whatever was left of her. Before too long she stopped moving, the blood welling up around her body.

Once free, the tendrils began shoving their way into the mouth of the next stallion. His eyes opened wide in fear, his jaw being forced open. The tendrils began shoving their way down his throat, the bulging shape writhing about almost unnaturally within his neck. Before too long I heard a few cracks just before he began screaming into the tendrils in agony. The hide around his lips began tearing open, eventually tearing all the way down to the joint of his jaw. Blood seeped down the jawline, dropping from his dangling chin. With another push the entirety of the jaw popped off, leaving his tongue to loll out of where his throat began. Again the blood dripped, but from the remaining hide on the upper part of his jaw. Regardless, the tendrils continued to course into him, causing the skin on his neck to begin splitting from the strain. His belly had been bulging immensely and, before too long, burst entirely. Blood mixed with bile poured out onto the dirt below with a splash as the tendrils writhed about in the opening it left. I retracted the appendages, letting him drop into a pool of his own fluids.

With one more to go I turned my tendrils on her. I swung the appendage with great force directly at her face. The tendril adapted to the intention moments before colliding with her face. When it did it cleaved right through her, splitting her body in half from muzzle to tail. Using two tendrils I yanked the body into its respective halves and threw them against the ground. They bounced, flinging blood a little farther than it would have otherwise travelled due to the whipping of her organs, before retracting the last of the tendrils back to me. Once they were contained I turned to the pony beside me. He was trembling mightily, shrinking from before my gaze. His ears were back as he assumed a terrified and cowering position. “Be thankful that you cooperated and assisted my parents. Otherwise your fate would have been the same. Your organisation is demolished, so don’t create a new one. Perhaps being judge of the arena will pay you well enough.”

I turned and left, contemplating the numb tone I had adopted in that moment. I set my heading for the underbelly, hoping to spend the night here. Instead, upon leaving the front gate of the arena, I turned my heading for Flowing Hammer’s house.

It took a while for me to find it again, as I had only been there once before. The fact that the houses all looked nearly identical to each other certainly didn’t help. Eventually, as the buzzing overhead began, I ducked into the alleyway where her door was. I knocked, waiting patiently for her to arrive. A small sliver of the door opened up, from where her eyes gazed out at me. Her voice echoed through the gap shortly thereafter. “Aqua, is that you?”

“Yeah.” She closed the sliver of the door before opening the entirety of it. She beckoned me inside, which I happily consented to, before closing the door behind me. When she had secured the door she turned to me.

“I didn’t hear about any of your fights today, and none of the ponies came back in any kind of shape that you would have left them in. What happened?”

“I set my sight on a different fight.”

“Aqua, what did you do?”

“I learned new information.”

“Your tone is different. You’re talking really flatly right now, like you’re distracted by something. What did you find?”

“Well, first and foremost, we are, indeed, related. We’re sisters, you and I.”

“World shaking information, but not enough to rock a pony to the extent that you’re shaken currently. What else?”

“I found the organisation that killed our parents.”

“And what about it?”

“It doesn’t exist anymore.”

“How so?”

“They’re all dead is how.”

“Well that’s nothing to be ashamed of or to feel guilty for. You killed off bad ponies, so why the glum tone?”

“I’ve never been this barbaric in my life, Flowing Hammer.”

“What did you do to them, exactly?”

“Their bodies will still be in the arena by morning unless the changelings and husks get to them first. Whether you find them or not, I can’t stay here. I have to leave town.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Completely butchered. Eviscerated beyond recognition. I’ve never been this angry before. I don’t know what it is. I just couldn’t control myself, I couldn’t stop. The only thing I could do was hurt those that had hurt me, and to do so in the worst possible way that I could imagine.”

“You need to get back to Equestria where there’s more peace around. You’re not used to this much fighting.”

“But fighting is what my life is, Flowing Hammer. I’ve trained since I was a filly. I’m no stranger to death or war, so why do I feel this way?”

“There’s a different air here than back home for you. Aggression bleeds in the air here, but it’s peace and wellbeing that emanates throughout where you’re from I believe. Go back home and recover, and that’s not a suggestion.” I nodded blankly. “Want something to eat, at least, before the night ends?”

“No, I’m not hungry. Not after that, at least.”

“Alright. Maybe you should curl up and try to get some sleep.” Again I nodded emptily. I trotted towards the room, entering and heading to one of the corners. I went to take my armour off, but found it stuck around my tail and hip. I tried to pull it off, but it only caused me pain as I did, so I stopped. I sat for a moment before resigning to my fate and fully equipping my armour again. I shifted about a bit, seeing if I could get comfortable in the plates. It must have been because of the sound of my armour sliding across the ground, but Flowing Hammer entered the room. She looked at me, and I at her, for a moment before she finally spoke. “Need help?”

“It’s stuck.”

“Where?”

“I got some of that green goop on my flank and tail and now the plates of my armour are stuck to it.”

“I’ve got some solvent for it. Give me a second.” She left the room again, leaving me alone. I sat speechlessly, the thoughts of the brutal murders still swirling about in my head. It wasn’t until Flowing Hammer returned that I was able to break from the haunting replay. She set the bottle of solvent down on the floor, freeing her mouth to talk once more. “Alright. I’ve got it here.”

“So how does this work?”

“I simply have to pour it onto wherever the mucus is plastered and it’ll dissolve it right off of you.”

“This is safe, right?”

“Yup. We developed it for obvious reasons, so we had to make sure it wouldn’t melt somepony’s hooves off.” She chuckled before speaking again. “So, where was it that the armour was stuck on you again?”

“Well, the hip and tail, but it’s not going to be able to go through my armour with that. The solvent, I mean.”

“Not even through the plates?”

“No. It’s basically airtight.”

“I see. Well, that complicates things a bit.”

“Maybe if I could pull the armour off far enough-”

“I’d be able to pour the solvent on the edges, working it off little by little until we got you freed.”

“That might work.”

“Alright. Let’s try it.” I nodded, powering down my armour. It, predictably, got stuck on the plates around my flank. Flowing Hammer retrieved a cloth and poured a little of the brown liquid onto it. She then wiped the edge of the armour, right where it met my flank. Sure enough, it was as if the green, viscous mucus was erased from existence. There was no trace left, neither on my flank nor on the cloth. Not even the armour’s exterior had any residue. From here, however, started the difficult process. Flowing Hammer had to pry back the armour plate with whatever she could manage, and I did what I could to help her. Granted, my assistance was little more than simply positioning myself so she could reach the next spot to wipe, and to maintain some kind of height that she could reach with relative ease. We eventually worked out a system, and from there it was little more than a waiting game.

It took until dawn to free me from my armour. The only indication we had of such was when Flowing Hammer left for another break. She returned with the news of daybreak right as I was trying to shake the last plate off of my body. She stilled me and finished her work, making sure I was entirely clear of the ultra-sticky substance. She also had me unfold my armour to ensure that she had cleaned all of the mucus off of the plates. I was glad she did, as there was a little left on the inside. I would prefer to not have to pry my armour off of my body once again, so I was grateful for the help with that. Once she had taken care of the armour she picked up the now half-empty bottle that was resting on the floor, taking it and the rag into the other room. She poked her head back in and wished me a good night. Once I had returned the sentiment she closed the heavy wooden door, leaving me alone with the few small, flickering oil lamps that dotted the room. I made my way over to the cot that had held me before and climbed onto it. I curled up, closing my eyes. All I could do was wait and hope that sleep would find me.

It didn’t. I was kept very much awake by the haunting vision of what I had done to those ponies. The horrific images replayed time and time again at full speed, with no intention of stopping, for the entirety of the night. When Flowing Hammer entered the room to signal the arrival of the noonday sun she found me restless and exhausted. She gave me a gentle shake to make sure I was awake, and alive, as she had approached me from the back. I turned over and looked at her. My restlessness must have been fairly apparent, as she almost immediately cocked her head and asked a concerned question. “Everything alright?”

“Not really, no.”

“Does it have to do with those ponies?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you manage to get any sleep?”

“No. I was plagued by the streaks of vile blood that coat my hooves now.”

“Do you regret killing them off?”

“No, but I regret the way I did it. It wasn’t natural; it wasn’t humane. No, not in the slightest. It was barbaric and cruel; that’s not me.”

“You did what you had to.”

“I didn’t have to eviscerate them, Flowing Hammer. I could have just cut them down fast and easy. Torture isn’t even a strong enough word for the atrocities I committed in that arena yesterday.”

“Perhaps it’d be best for you to take some time off and come to terms with yourself, Aqua. The experience has you shaken, and you can’t properly fight while you’re shaken.”

“But to what end? I can’t even rest.”

“That’s why I didn’t tell you to rest. I told you to come to terms with yourself. Figure out who you are and what you stand for, and if what you did in there was defining of you or an outlier experience.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

“It’s just experience talking.”

“You’re awfully mature for where you are in life.”

“That sounded like an insult, but I’m going to take it like a compliment. It’s the responsibility of being a kind of unspoken hero to the ponies around here. They need somepony to look up to, some hope against the husks.”

“I feel it. I have to be an example for the Protectorates, but with instances like this, I’m not sure that-“

“Aqua.” I silenced for a moment, looking at her. “Go home, spend some time thinking. Not about what you did, but about why you fight and why you stand for what you do. Don’t think about the ‘what’ of this, but the ‘why’ of it, the reasoning behind killing them. Maybe a few weeks will be enough time for you to realise where you really stand. If nothing else, it can’t hurt.”

I nodded, which she took as a sign of victory in a sense. “Now, put your armour on and head out. When they find the bodies they might treat you differently.”

“Good idea. Thank you, Flowing Hammer.”

“The pleasure was mine; I finally got to meet my sister, the only family that I might have left.”

“I’ll make sure to visit from time to time.”

“Good. It gets kind of lonely around here.” She left the room, so I arose and trotted over to my armour. After equipping it I made my way for the front door. Flowing Hammer wished me goodbye and good luck as I left, a sentiment which I returned. Once the door was closed I set my aim towards home.

As I was trotting through town it very quickly became apparent that news had spread about the events that had transpired the night before. It was also clear that the demolished corpses had remained through the entirety of the night, allowing them to find the atrocity in the morning. They put two and two together, and the aftermath was more than apparent. As I trotted down the main boulevard both pony and husk alike would violently veer away from me, tucking away into whatever corner they could find. They wouldn’t reemerge until I had distanced myself by several dozen yards. This continued for the entirety of the boulevard, leaving a bubble of disdain-filled anxiousness between them and me. I held my head up, trying to appear as if nothing had happened, despite the fact that the only thing I wanted to do was hang my head in disgrace.

Once I had broken free of the periphery of the city I began making my way across the dead, barren ground of the Badlands. When I was sure that nopony was watching me I hung my head down and sighed. It was a pained sigh, a noise I couldn’t recreate if I wanted to. The thoughts and memory of the recent murders rested heavily upon my mind, occupying almost all of the space therein. I managed to keep enough of myself together to point my path in the direction of home, but it was hard to substitute all of my thoughts across the open, barren landscape. There’s only so much that one can use to distract themselves with while trotting across an open field of dead, dry rock and heat distortion. I found myself constantly returning to those scenes as I continued on.

I eventually made my way to the glade in the valley, finding temporary respite from my thoughts therein. It was almost unnatural, in a way, how the glade could erase worries and cares. I went directly from being tormented by the sickening images of my own brutality to a sense of serenity so profound that I wanted nothing else than to forget my name. I was a welcomed respite, a greatly appreciated break from the onslaught of my own making. Because of this, I ended up tarrying for quite a bit longer there than I had intended, as the setting sun snapped me back to my heavy reality. I arose, making sure that I had everything with me still, and left the tranquil passage. The dead landscape of the south certainly weren’t an inviting sight, moonlit or not. After the first few steps, I wanted nothing more than to simply return to the green, lush paradise that I left behind, but I knew that I had matters to tend to. First, there was my rest and recovery. It wasn’t recovery from any kind of physical injury, no. I also had to see to matters in the order. As such, I continued making my way towards the train station of the nearby town.

Once aboard the train, and once it was in motion, I found the most secluded seat that I could. Once seated, I let my heavy thoughts wander, staring down at my hooves. At the moment, it seemed as if they were drenched in blood, the vivid sight of the sanguine fluid dropping to the floor still etched upon my mind. I snorted out and looked out the window, trying to distract myself from the very real hallucination. Despite looking back several times, I did what I could to distract myself from the reality of it all. It was all I could hope to accomplish as the train ride drug on.

9. Endgame

The train pulled into the station, bidding me to cease my destructive thinking. With a short, sharp inhale I turned my attention to the interior of the cab once again. I could see a few ponies, although I never remember their entrance, staring at me with concern on their faces. I don’t blame them, though, because it would be strange to see a pony staring out the window and at their hooves for an entire train ride, not to mention my physical appearance either. They did, however, eventually begin disembarking. I followed them out once they had already left, leaving enough room between us to avoid questions from the worried ponies. Once I was in the station, and once the train had loaded the next journey’s worth of passengers and departed again, I began methodically making my way towards the exit. As I approached I saw a familiar figure, albeit cloaked in a shroud. The other ponies didn’t seem to so much as notice his presence despite the fact that they wandered within mere inches of the pony. It was still strikingly obvious to me that the pony was standing there, and I guessed his frame to match that of a stallion. When he turned his head up to look at me I saw that same grey hide I had become sick of seeing. His grey horn barely poked out of the cowl, his greyscale hair barely noticeable behind it. Those striking, light-blue eyes glinting from underneath the cover of his cloak. I lowered my stance, which caused the ponies around me to veer away and look at me in concern, as he removed the cowl. “Well, would you look at who I found at the station today? It’s rather a shame that you still have your armour with you, but I couldn’t let you get back with Storm, now could I?”

“What are you doing here, Erazul?” My flat tone of annoyance rung out above the sounds of panicked flight.

“Oh, nothing much. I was hoping to be able to reason with you, perhaps give you a deal that you cannot refuse. You seem to be taking things in an aggressive light, however, so I’m inclined to rescind my offer.”

“You have nothing to offer me, Erazul, and no power of bargaining either. You’ve already tried killing me, even those around me, off several times. I’m not falling for that kind of trick.”

“Well, isn’t that a shame? You could have enjoyed grandeur and ease, but you instead throw a past mistake back into my face. How…uncouth of you. I guess that just means things have to get a little ugly.” His horn began glowing a light grey before purple streaks shot into the ground around me. I leaped out of the area just in case. Rather than a cage or some kind of magical explosion I saw figures breaching the ground. Screams echoed out from the crowd as they fled the area, or at least most of them anyways. The stone manifestations were not pony, nor were they gryphon, hippogryph, nor sphinx. They were bipedal, but warped in some demented way. As they turned I could see their faces, or at least what I equated to be such. Two eyes was far too low of a number to estimate with. Their mouths hung open like depressed maws of anguish. Almost as if entirely random, spikes and tendrils of stone and root, respectively, projected from the bodies. As for size, they clearly stood about as tall as I did while I was on my back hooves. I could tell that much when I rose into my bipedal stance and drew my blades. The golems of stone began shuffling their way over as Erazul’s voice rang out above the grinding of rock upon stone. “You should have surrendered when you had the chance, Aqua. Now I have to beat you to a pulp before bringing you back. No matter what happens know this: you are going to return with me to my realm one way or another.”

“No matter what happens know this, Erazul: a bloody pulp is all that will remain of me by the time I’m done fighting against you. Either that, or a bloody pulp is all that will remain of you when I’m through with you.”

“We’ll see about that one, drake.” With a nod from him, perhaps a mental command issued to the golems around me, the creatures dramatically increased in speed. They charged headlong towards me. I parried the first, shoving the massive weight to the side. As the second arrived I stabbed both heated blades into its frame. I tore the creature in half with a hefty force, causing it to drop through the floor beneath. Before I could react, the first had charged once more and was upon me. The strong, stone arms wrapped tightly about my midsection. I stabbed at the appendages as I was lifted from the ground. After a circle or two, the force increasing at an alarming rate, I was hurled away. I crashed through the exterior wall of the train station, bouncing and rolling a few yards further until I slid to a stop. I withdrew my blades and arose, shaking the impact and the dust off of me. As I reared up again, drawing the still-heated blades I heard the crack of a whip. Erazul was going to try and capture me with the same vicious weapon; at least that was what I could predict. The creatures surged out of the gap in the wall, seemingly greater in number than before. I readied myself, swinging with as much speed and ferocity as I could muster in order to keep up with the wall of stone. Of course, no matter how great my effort, the creatures were still overpowering me. After I had hacked down about a half-dozen more of the creatures I was violently tackled to the ground by one. I bucked it off, barely causing it to skid a yard or two. I didn’t have a chance to rise again, so I simply continued hacking, slashing, and bucking from my compromised position. I felt an impact on my tail, one that wasn’t as forceful as I imagined a stone golem would hit me for. I eventually took the short glance that was afforded me. Erazul’s whip was wrapped firmly around the plates, almost as if a little sunken into it or connected by some other force. I felt pressure as I began to slowly slide across the floor. “Oh ho, just wait until I get my hooves on you. There won’t be an escape then, slippery little drake.”

I doubled my efforts, both in trying to hack down the ever-growing stone pile on top of me as well as to free my tail from Erazul’s whip. Neither effort was proving effective at much more than tiring me. Still, I fought on. If Erazul was to have me it would be in pieces.

It was around the time that he was going to grab my tail when I felt a massive gust of wind whip over the whole of us. Erazul was launched a dozen or so yards to the side, bouncing and rolling to a stop. The golems were cast to the side, leaving skid marks of upheaved grass behind their sliding frames. I, myself, was barely able to remain in the position I was in. When the wind ceased I withdrew my blades and rushed to my hooves in an effort to evaluate the situation. I first turned my attention to the cause of the wind, as it was in no ways or means normal. I found a familiar set of armour standing there with a large, ornate blade in the mouth. The armour was Storm’s, so I figured it was he who joined me. This notion was reinforced when he nodded after looking me up and down. I reared up onto my hind legs again, drawing my blades. Erazul was raising up, shaking the dirt off of his frame. Once he was on all four hooves again he spoke. “Ah, I see. Insert ‘a heroic endeavour from Storm in a vain attempt to save his love interest’ here. How noble, and how predictable, of you. But it’s already too late, Storm. If it’s not her then it’s this town.”

Before we had time to react, golems emerged from the station holding a large collection of townsponies. It was clear that they were in danger. “Leave them out of this, Erazul. This quarrel is between you and Storm and I; they have no part of this.”

“Oh, but they do now. You see, aren’t you the Guildmaster of the Order of Protectorates? Doesn’t that mean that it’s your job, your duty, your vow if you will, to protect these ponies with your life?” He had me there on that technicality.

“So what do you expect me to do? Surrender myself in some silly hope that you’ll let these ponies go?”

“Exactly.” It grew quiet. I could feel Storm staring at the back of my head in disbelief, as if begging me to decline.

“This is a new low, even for you Erazul.”

“Sometimes you have to take desperate action against a pony as slippery as you. I’m sure you understand what that’s like.” He had found out about the arena incident.

“So if I turn myself in to you then you’ll let them go?”

“Yes. You have my promise.”

“Just like how you promised that they were training weapons in our spar in Galaxia’s realm?”

“Touché.”

“Your word means very little to me, so how can I be sure?”

“As soon as I have you bound to me the golems will disappear.” I looked at him skeptically.

“Don’t do it, Aqua. You know this is a trick.”

I turned back to face him. “Even if it is, Storm, I have an obligation.”

“Think of it this way: if you turn yourself in to him he’ll spare these ponies-“

“Which is exactly why-“

“I’m not done yet.” I closed my mouth, waiting for him to finish. “Yes, he’ll spare them, but for how long? How long will he wait until he uses you to butcher and slaughter everypony in sight, decimating the population of Equestria? So is it better to lose this crowd’s worth of ponies, or to lose this land’s worth of ponies?”

I looked at him for a moment before turning back to Erazul. “Storm is quite the thinker, but your obligation still demands that you surrender now to save these ponies.”

I turned to Storm again, who could extrapolate my plan based solely on the expression in my eyes. “You’re not thinking of…”

Again I returned my attention to Erazul before powering down my armour. I heard Storm let out a cry of shocked fear. I muttered an apology under my breath, unsure myself of who it was addressed to or for whom it was. I began trotting over, remaining in my larger, orange form. “I don’t even get your lithe stature?”

“You’re lucky you get me at all, Erazul.”

“Alright then. Tell you what, then. Rather than a simple collar and leash, why don’t I use the whip to fulfill that role?” He conjured the weapon again before I could speak, lashing it out at me. The barbed, jagged edges of the three-pronged metallic whip dug into the flesh on my neck, causing me to wince as I felt my warm blood seeping down my body. “Now, then, are you ready to go?”

“You have me. Let them go.”

“As promised.” I saw the golems collapse into piles of stone once again, allowing the ponies to panic and flee once again. “Now, as you promised me-“

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Can I say something to Storm first?”

“Fine, but make it quick. I don’t have all day in this realm.” I nodded. Rather than attempting to gently turn to the pony I had agreed to marry, hoping to avoid injury, I whipped about. Before Erazul could react he was yanked towards me before being pelted with a full-fledged strike from my tail. His grip gave way after yanking against the whip again. Between the two pulls I was sure that the metal edges had dug too deep for an optimistic recovery; I felt the blood now coursing down my chest. Storm didn’t waste any time I rushing over, blasting him down with a hefty gust of wind. As he went to strike Erazul down there was a magical poof. Erazul was standing beside me, attempting to grab the whip. Rather than allow him, I yanked myself about in a motion that caused the handle to peg him squarely in the snout. He recoiled as Storm neared again. Once more he warped, but this time it was away from me. Before Storm could rush back over he spoke. “I’ll leave it this time; I can’t have her dying or dead, now can I?”

He, and the whip, both disappeared in a puff of magic, leaving me grasping at the horrendous injury I had just sustained. “Sweet Celestia, Aqua, you need to stop killing yourself like this.”

He called out for Galaxia and Bane before trying to speak to me again. At this point, however, his words rang hollowly in my ears, almost as if reflected back out as soon as they entered. I felt a wave of vertigo wash over me, threatening to topple me. Next thing I knew I was on the ground, struggling to get back up. Storm was keeping me down, as I found out eventually, but it didn’t stop me from trying. I think I said something about having to continue on, but it was all a haze at that point. The world was spinning violently, forcing me to close my eyes to abandon the agony of watching such a sickening situation. It would just take a blink to get a hold on reality again.

When I opened my eyes I was alone, or at least I thought I was. Looking around the room didn’t reveal Storm, Bane, or Galaxia standing nearby. Not even Aldorn was here. I shifted and heard a noise beside me. I turned to see what sound could have come from the bed beside me. What I found was Storm lying there. I let out a quiet chuckle, imagining him exhausting himself as he watched over me. I moved the covers aside to get out of the bed in order to orient and feed myself. As the covers folded away from me, though remaining on Storm, I noticed a bit of white from under the sheets. In curiosity I pulled the covers aside far enough to get a better view. The sight worried me, almost causing me to gasp. Wrapped tightly around Storm’s midsection were bandages. The white part, the portion that I saw, was about the only bit of it that remained white; the rest of the wrappings were stained a deep crimson, and I’m not sure if they were dry or not. I didn’t dare touch him, as I knew exactly what that felt like. The memory of the icicle quickly flashed in my mind, causing phantom pain to shoot up from just above my hips. I shook the memory, placing the covers back over Storm and getting off of the bed. It was difficult to trot, as the world wanted to keep spinning if even just a little. I did, eventually, make my way downstairs and into the kitchen. I prepared a humble meal for myself before thinking on it. I then made the same for Storm, thinking that perhaps he might awaken and desire food. I brought the plate upstairs and left it on the nightstand beside his side of the bed. I then made my way back downstairs to begin eating. As I sat down to enjoy my meal I heard the door open. I turned my attention away from my food in order to see who it was that entered. Bane’s form met my view as I did. His expression showed a bit of surprise, but it wasn’t a whole lot. “Oh, you’re up earlier than I expected.”

“Seems to be a pattern.”

“Galaxia’s magic doesn’t seem to work as well on you, it seems. I mean, even my magic has some difficulty patching you back up from time to time.”

“How come?”

“Beats me. Might have to do with your father’s side of things.”

“The dragon side of my heritage?”

“Yeah. They might be magic resistant or something like that.”

“Interesting to know. So because I’m half dragon it means that magical effects are weaker to me?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, that’d explain a lot…”

“Anyways, I have to check up on Storm.”

“I was just going to ask about that.”

“What?”

“What in Equestria happened to him?”

“Well, after we had taken care of you, getting you all patched up and whatnot, Galaxia and I set out for our respective realms. We were called back a little later, only to find Storm with a huge gash across his chest, side, and back. Sucker was deep, deep enough to cut through about a quarter of him. We also found Erazul there with his weapon dripping in blood. Galaxia drove him out with some pretty potent magic while I tended to Storm’s wounds. Once we got his injuries bound and cared for we both took you here. Galaxia put a spell on the house that would disintegrate anything that attempted to enter the sphere of influence. Erzul tried sending a thing or two through, only to watch it cease to exist. Galaxia only dropped the spell when I came to check up on you two.”

“Can’t he still teleport inside? He knows well enough where the bedroom is.”

“You mean where the bedroom was. You have to remember that your layout has changed since last he was here. He might be desperate to kill you and Storm, but he’s not an idiot; he knows that a poor teleport might end up splitting him in half on a wall that hadn’t been there before.”

“And how did Lazuli get in and out of here?”

“She’s spent the whole time at her guild of mages studying new magicks in an attempt to expand their bank of knowledge.”

“I see.”

“Any other questions?”

“Yeah, I’ve got one.”

“What is it?”

“How does one go about invading Erazul’s domain?”

He was silent for a moment, blinking at me. “Please tell me you did not just ask that. Anything but that.”

“Why not?”

“You just put everypony within a ten mile radius in extreme danger by so much as asking that. You do realise that, right?”

“Not if I act fast enough.”

“Look, it’s not that simple.”

“It’s going to be the only way I can defeat him. Every time he gets weakened or close to defeat he flees back to his realm.”

“And in his realm he has unparalleled power. Do you really intend to try and compete with that?”

“What are my other options, Bane? Sit here until he attacks again while I’m without my armour? Let him murder Storm and capture me? Let him slaughter this town’s population in an act of genocide, in some hope to bait me out of my comfort zone or for me to surrender?”

“And what options do you have when you get into his realm? Get captured? Get butchered?”

“Get even is an option.”

“So is sacrifice.”

“What do you mean?”

“Perhaps it’s not too bad of an idea to sacrifice a little here in order to draw him out of his comfort zone. If done right-”

“No.”

“You didn’t even let me-”

“I said no, Bane. That is not a sacrifice I’m willing to take.”

“The loss of life will be minim-”

“Shut your mouth and listen to me, Bane!” It grew deathly silent in the room. “I’m not losing a single soul here, do you understand that? Not in this house, not in this town, and certainly not in this land.”

He simply glared at me. “It’s not my position to do that either. I am the Guildmaster of the Order of Protectorates. What would it do to the Order if I decided that getting dozens, if not hundreds, of ponies killed in a selfish display was worth killing one pony?”

“Well, I see there’s no convincing you, as you won’t listen to reason-“

“Because there is no reason in selfishness. There’s no reason in sacrificing so many ponies over the life of one. It’s supposed to be the other way around, Bane.”

“Then just let me know when you’re ready to commit suicide and I can teleport you into his realm.” He turned his head up at me before near-storming off upstairs. I was left alone, but I didn’t waste any time. I went over to where I always stashed my armour, finding the heavy saddlebags heaped haphazardly upon the ground. Thinking on it, I never remember bringing it in from outside. Perhaps Aldorn had helped in some capacity, or it was Galaxia and Bane struggling to move it. Either way, I was glad it was secure. I briefly took a moment to properly arrange it before equipping the massive weight. I arose, a difficult task at the time, and unfolded the armour onto my form. When the last plates has finished hugging down onto my hide I turned about. I saw Bane trotting towards the door.

“Not so fast, Bane.” He froze, turning with a sigh.

“What is it, Aqua?” His flat tone was one of exasperation and frustration.

“I’m ready to go now.” He looked me over for a moment.

“What, are you crazy? You’ve barely recovered!”

“I’ve already put this town in danger. I have to resolve this.”

He sighed. “Fine. But there’s one place you have to go first.”

“And where might that be?” His horn was already glowing, casting me off to the destination he had in mind. As my eyes adjusted to the near-pitch black conditions it quickly became apparent where he had sent me: Galaxia’s castle. I groaned quietly before heading towards it.

I was no more than inside of the gates of the main hall when Galaxia burst out in front of me with a poof of magic. “Have you lost your mind?”

“I know what I’m doing.”

“No, you have not a clue what you are accomplishing. You are entirely without clue, actually. Not only that, but you are recklessly endangering the lives of hundreds in some petty display of vengefulness.”

“What are you talking about, Galaxia?”

“Threatening to attack Erazul directly?”

“I know what I’m doing.”

“You do no know how to kill him.”

“With a sword.”

“That will not work.”

“What do you mean ‘that won’t work’?”

“He has crystals inside of the deepest layer of his castle. Not Flare, not Bane, and not even I, not one of us, have managed to find the room yet. What makes you so sure that you can?”

“Determination. You’ve seen the wonders it can do when I use it.” She bit her tongue for a moment, perhaps realising the truth of my statement. “Besides, what’s so special about these crystals he has?”

“Each one is like an ankh of resurrection, in a way. Every time he dies he resurrects back in his realm, in that room, amidst a pile of crystal fragments.”

“If none of you have ever managed to find the room, how do you know this?”

“That does not matter.”

“Well, it’s-”

“Disregard it. There is not enough time to worry about that.” Galaxia quickly cast a spell, a small bubble forming around us. “He cannot hear this.”

“So did you do something to prevent him hearing it?”

“That’s what the bubble is for. Flare used a similar spell when she discussed freeing me with you.”

“How do you know about that?”

“We are sisters. Do you really think she would not tell me afterwards?”

“Right.”

“Those crystals are the key to Erazul’s survival. If he has any of them then he will still be there at the end of the day. You have to shatter the crystals before trying to kill him, as he resurrects at full strength every time. You do not have the endurance, resources, or means to kill him several dozens of times over, but you can destroy his dozens of crystals with little effort. Is that clear?”

“Yes.”

“Now, there are a few more things we must discuss before you go off on this silly little errand you have burdened yourself with.”

“Like what?”

“Shifting focuses on your heritages.”

“What?”

“Have you ever noticed how hard it is to kill you?”

“Well, I’m still alive, aren’t I?” She rolled her eyes.

“Regardless, there is a secret to that. You are extremely resilient.”

“I already knew that.”

“Let me finish.”

“Fine.”

“Imagine your resilience like a bar, call it a percentage gauge if you want. You have two heritages of resilience: the determination for life that your mother had, which saved her several times, and the physical resilience of your father. You can tap into either side entirely, gaining the mental determination to outlive anything if you choose your mother and the physical resistance to survive nearly any abuse and injury, and survive, if you choose your father. You can mix the two to form different levels of resilience, something they didn’t have. Most of the time, you’re mixing the two, and it tends to be about 65-35, with favour to your mother’s side. The more you lean on your father’s resilience, the more pain you can numb, the more blood you can lose, and the more organs you can have fail before you actually succumb to your injuries.” I looked at her in confused awe, having been entirely unaware of that kind of power. “There are drawbacks to using more of the one than of the other, obviously. The more you rely upon your mother’s side of things the easier it is to kill you off like any regular pony; a broken rib into a punctured lung and you’re gone if you rely only on her resilience alone. It can be remedied, but it’s nice not having to fully bring you back from the dead so often. With your father’s side, however, things get more complicated. Bane can only heal so much. The more physical abuse you take before death, the harder it is for us to revive you. If you solely rely on your father’s side you will take so much abuse that there won’t be anything left of you to heal by the time you die and we will not be able to bring you back.”

It grew silent for a moment. “Well, isn’t that quite the tradeoff?”

“It is not something to mess around with, as there is a lot more that you have to accomplish. If I had to estimate what Bane could handle with the aid of Flare, I’d say we could bring you back from a 20-80 death. You certainly wouldn’t be pretty afterwards, but you’d be alive.”

“So then how do I shift that bar?”

“Honestly, it is little more than how you react to your situation. You’ve done it before, ignoring pains that would cripple or drop regular ponies. The farthest you have ever reached was when you had to rescue the mare from the Serpanians, and you hit a balance of about 35-65 in favour of your father.”

“So I’ve been doing it all along?”

“Yes. All you have to do is put your mind to it and the shift will happen of its own accord. Focus more on numbing pain and surviving injury and you will tap into your father. Focus more on recovering afterwards and the resolution of no longer needing to ignore fate and you will tap into your mother.”

“Sounds simple enough. Is there anything else I need to learn before heading out to kill Erazul?”

“There is a magic that you have been using that pertains to it.”

“What would that be exactly?”

“Void magic.”

“Void magic?”

“Yes. It is the kind of magic that Erazul and I use. It taps into darkness to cause effects upon physical things.”

“So what void magic have I been using?”

“Weaponised Shadows.”

“What?”

“When you focus your magic on ponies and your shadow reaches out to harm them. That is Weaponised Shadow.”

“So I’ve been using void magic?”

“Yes, although unintentionally and unawares. It is strange that you can, as only gods or demigods can accomplish such…”

“How did I even end up with that magic?”

“It might have to do with when the sphinx attempted to wrest control of your soul from you. It is very possible that he left some of his magic behind, as a sliver of arcane potential, when he was forced from you again. Perhaps it is this shard that you held on to before allocating it for this void spell.”

“Before, you told me that any spell I cast has an adverse effect upon me because I have to cast it through my soul. What is the effect of this one?”

“It makes you more aggressive. Think on it, at least before and after you used it frequently. Most particularly, think about how you killed ponies and how you felt.” I took a moment to think. The first time I had killed ponies was in my mentor’s house, and it had shaken me. It was self-defense, quick and painless, but it still rocked my world. I then thought back to the most recent event. The screams still echoed through my head, the haunting voices of the assassins bidding me to forget the whole idea. I fought past it to bring the painful memory to the light of my forefront of thought. This incident was bloody, excessive, and as painfully slow as possible. I felt horrible, but there was something congratulating me. I finally shook the thought, unable to handle it.

“I see.”

“Most void magic will react like this for you. Magic from my sister’s side of things, such as your healing spell but more potent, will cause an opposite effect generally. The only void magic I know of that would not cause an aggressive shift would incorporate spells such as my sleep spell. That being said, however, there is one spell that will certainly help you in your battle with Erazul.”

“And what would that be?”

“Summoning and controlling void creatures.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. He is going to be using them; that much you can be certain of. Being able to control his constructs, along with summoning your own, will be a major asset.”

“Then teach me.”

“We will need to go to the space-time chamber for it, and hopefully I can keep up the ward on the room. When I drop this ward, say not a word. Do I make myself sufficiently understood?”

“Yes.” She nodded, the bubble disappearing. We then swiftly made our way towards the gargantuan, empty chamber. Once we were inside, she closed the doors. I saw her cast a spell, which I assumed to be the ward. Her horn continued glowing as she began instructing me on what to do.

I followed any orders she gave me meticulously. If I’m being honest, I had no other choice but to perfect the magic. I’m not sure how long it took us in that chamber, how much time we might have spent had we been outside of the area. Either way, it didn’t matter; the room warped time and space in such a way that it was mostly irrelevant anyways. I managed to master the spell, effectively ripping away the control that Galaxia had over the creatures she had summoned, along with creating my own and resisting her influential pull to convert them as her own. By the end of the exercise I could tell that she was suffering from magical fatigue, albeit much less so than myself. As she dematerialised the last summon she spoke. “With as exhausted as you are I would suggest you rest.”

“I have to-“

“Resting is all that you must do. You cannot face Erazul while exhausted.” I looked at her for a moment before nodding. Her horn then stopped glowing. “So I will let you rest up before sending you back home.”

She winked, making me realise that she really meant that she was going to send me to Erazul’s realm when I had recovered. It was a good cover in case he was listening in. I also quickly realised that I had to remain quiet about the fact, so I did little more than nod. Galaxia then led us out through the door, pointing me down the hallway. “There should be a vacant room in that direction. Make yourself comfortable therein and rest up.”

“Alright. Thank you, Galaxia.” She nodded before trotting away. I made my way in the direction she had pointed. I tried every door I trotted past until I found the doors to the correct room. The inside was about as dark as the hallway had been, and all of the furniture had deep, dark shades of blue, purple, and black as decoration. Small flecks of white, perhaps signifying stars, adorned the fabrics. The room seemed lush and expensive, but I wasn’t aware of any kind of economy here. Regardless, it was certainly above my regular level of décor. I made my way towards the bed, unequipping my armour before settling into the bed. Once I was comfortable, something that wasn’t hard to do in a bed of that quality, I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to overtake me.

When I awoke, feeling refreshed from the exercises we had practiced, I headed out to find Galaxia. It didn’t take me long to find her, as she was heading towards me anyways. She had a bit of food prepared and invited me to partake of it. She apologised that it might be different from what I was used to. Indeed, it did look rather bizarre, but I decided that being picky at a time like this was not a good idea. I ate the food, which certainly was interesting, before returning to my armour at her command. I equipped it as she cast the warding spell once more. Once it fell quiet, the spell in place, she spoke. “Now, Aqua, here is how this is going to transpire. When this ward drops, I am going to tell you that I am warping you back to your home town. I am not actually going to do that. What I am going to do is plant you as close to Erazul’s chambers as I can effectively recall. From there, it is all up to you to find his secret room and begin smashing the crystals. Once all of the crystals are gone, fight him and win. Have I made myself understandable?”

“Yes.”

“Are you ready for this?”

“Yes.”

“I trust you, Aqua. Do not render that trust misplaced.” She dropped the ward before speaking. “Well, I enjoyed your presence here, Aqua. If there is anything that I need from your Order I will inform you. Until then, enjoy a little rest back home.”

“So you’re sending me to Ponyville?”

“Yes.” I nodded. Once she saw the signal her horn glowed in its usual fashion before I was suddenly whisked away through teleportation. It didn’t take much adjusting with regards to my eyes, as the destination was as dark as the place I had been. I quickly ducked into whatever cover I could find and evaluated my surroundings. As far as I could tell, there was nothing. Even the buildings seemed razed or heavily damaged. It became quickly apparent that Galaxia had teleported me near to where she and Flare had wreaked such havoc upon Erazul’s realm, the place that they drew Erazul towards to ensure my survival. I could hear some slight bustle nearby, the shifting of debris, and a strange, guttural language. I peeked my head around the corner to see what was causing such noises. The closest description I had for these creatures was a mixture of bipedal bear, large gorilla, and shadowy nightmares. There were several of them, their four arms effortlessly sifting through the rubble, organising it and cleaning the area. Their deep blue and purple hide was hard to notice amidst the general surroundings, which about shared the same colouring. I quietly, at least as quietly as I could in bulky armour, made my way back through the cover. I made my way out of the back, doing my best to survey my surroundings and get any sense of a heading. Any clue I could get to show me Erazul’s main palace would help immensely.

At least, any clue would have helped immensely if I had found anything. I found nothing in all of the searching I was doing from my hiding spot, so I decided it was time to move. I ducked between rubble-ridden rooms in an attempt to find anything to direct me. I managed to dodge several more patrols of those four-armed hybrid creatures, barely slipping past a group as they rounded a corner nearby me. I continued my march to what I assumed was the centre of the city. Hopefully I would find something eventually.

I almost missed my one shot at finding his palace, and it was not quite what I had been expecting. Mounted to a post stuck in the street, although barely still in the ground after the havoc of Galaxia and Flare, was a sign pointing towards a place. I could not read the script upon the sign, as it seemed to be little more than scribbles and dots. I shrugged it off and set myself on that path, as it was the closest thing to a clue that I had, before trotting inside of whatever cover I could find.

It was like this that I continued until I saw a building that was both actually still intact, as well as architecturally different from those around it. It didn’t draw attention to it or anything like that, but it was still noticeably different from the surrounding structures. I trotted towards it, ducking back into cover when I saw a patrol of about a dozen or two creatures pass by. These were different from the four-armed hybrid beasts cleaning the rubble several blocks away. These creatures appeared as anthropomorphic tigers, but with claws much larger than they should have been. Their faces were covered in appendages only describable as tentacles. They wore heavy armour, although still a mix of blue, black, and purple, and carried weapons that looked like they would inflict wounds so nasty that death by infection was as likely as death by blood loss or mortal injury. I waited patiently to watch and learn the patrol pattern that these creatures were following, and quickly discovered it. They wandered about the outside of the building, around its perimeter, time and time again. I could only assume that this was the place I was looking for, so I waited for them to round the corner once again before moving in.

I barely managed to get the door closed by the time I heard their clanking armour around the corner. Once secured, I trotted my way quietly about the chamber, searching for anything I could find. I found a stairwell down, so I took it. From what I remembered, Galaxia had told me that the chamber I was looking for was in the depths of his realm, so I figured that down was as good of an option as I had.

Floor by floor, farther than I thought possible, I descended through the building. By the twelfth or thirteenth floor I had come to the realisation that this was, more than likely, the place I was looking for. Eventually, and after dodging the patrol of a few suits of animated armour, I managed to make my way to the bottom of the stairwell. The area opened up into an absolutely massive hallway, perhaps ten or so stories tall. There were equally massive doors at the end of the hall, shaped in a crystalline fashion. I was approaching the doors when I heard a voice. “So, turns out I wasn’t imagining things.”

I wheeled around to find Erazul standing at the base of the stairs, some fifty yards off. “I guess Galaxia really did get you into my realm. This is the end of the line, drake. You’ve been a big enough thorn in my side.”

“I’m fighting you under my own terms this time, Erazul; no more tricks, no more surprises. This ends here with one of our deaths.”

He smirked, eventually breaking into what I can only describe as maniacal laughter. “Did you really imagine that you could defeat me in my own realm? Well, it doesn’t matter now. I’ve got you here, and at a major disadvantage.”

“I have more up my sleeves than you might like to think, Erazul. I didn’t come unprepared.”

“Well, either way, it will be fun to torture the life out of your frame. Hearing your screams of mercy choke and fail will be like music to my ears as I tear the last of your breaths from your throat.” He drew his spiked whip again, breaking into a full gallop and laughing in the same, frightening manner. I turned to the doors and attempted to open them. I found them to be securely closed, a sign that I wasn’t getting in without brute force. I didn’t have enough time to cut through the door, so I focused my magic. After a short delay, and right as Erazul was reaching plausible attack range, the floor erupted as a massive, worm-like creature burst through. Debris flew about the room for a split second before the creature slammed maw-first into the door. The massive force was enough to rupture the locks, blasting the doors open. It gave me the opening that I needed, so I attempted to bolt into the colossal opening. I managed to get a glimpse within before anything happened. Within the room was a roughly cut stone chamber, about the same size as the massive hallway I was currently in. Crystals floated about the room, glowing with a soft pink aura. More of the crystals were embedded within the walls, floor, and ceiling of the room, but were not glowing as those that were floating. I didn’t have much more time than that to observe, as I felt the whip wrap about my hind greave. I whipped around in a full circle, yanking Erazul towards me. He barely dodged my buck backwards, taking advantage of the time it took for me to recover. He positioned himself between the crystals and me, hoping to block me. Seeing his bold move, I decided to one-up him. I began charging directly towards him, forcing him to roll to the side in order to avoid being trampled by my overwhelming mass. I was now within the room, and my work could begin. I focused my magic to summon the worm again, aiming it towards the crystals. As I felt the creature coming again, Erazul wrapped the spiked whip around the neckpiece of my armour, constricting the spiked cord as hard as he could. I grasped at it, but his diversion was enough to cause the worm to go off course. Rather than consume or smash the crystals, the creature simply knocked them to the side. I reached up, wrapping the free length of the makeshift garrote around my hoof. I yanked him towards me again, drawing a blade this time. With a swing I managed to clip the tip of his ears, also sending some of his hair tumbling to the floor. He grunted before magically charging the cord that was still stuck around my neck. “You’re going to pay for that one!”

I felt something creeping into my armour, starting from the neckplates, so I quickly moved to get the whip off of me. I yanked him in again, forcing him to either drop the whip or figure out what superheated metal tasted like. He chose to do the former option. I quickly unwrapped the whip from my neck, pulling out shadowy tendrils from my neckplates. Once it was completely removed I threw the weapon to the side. I quickly made my way over to one of the low hanging crystals, galloping my way over and ramming straight into it. The large mineral shifted over until it clunked against the wall. I bolted after it, wheeling around as I arrived. I could see Erazul galloping towards me frantically, sword in a thrusting position. With a deep breath I bucked back. My hooves connected firmly, the sound of shattering crystal echoing through the massive chamber. The room fell silent for a moment, and even Erazul stopped moving. It gave me enough time to duck out of the way before he tried to charge again. I drew a blade once more and parried the attack easily. I tried to counter with a swing, but he read it too quickly and got out of the way. Either way, it gave me the opportunity to charge towards the other crystals. The ground suddenly began to rumble, forcing me to come to a halt or stumble into a roll. Suddenly, a large creature burst out of the ground beneath us and began roaring. It resembled some sick fusion between a fox and a bear, with claws viciously prepared to cleave through even the largest of enemies. It took a quick swipe down towards me, something that I barely dodged. I focused my magic, hoping for anything that could help me. I saw energy begin building around me, almost as if forming a mass. I was elevating, too, taking a bipedal stance moments before lifting off of the ground. The creature took a swipe at me, or the substance around me, and cleaved out a chunk. It quickly regenerated as I continued being formed into something new. The form continued creating itself around me as Erazul cried out. “When in the Voids did you learn that kind of control?! I watched you tirelessly for the last week!”

As I finished forming into this strange new form I swung my leg, perhaps trying to see if I could free myself. Rather than make any progress at slipping out of the beast that engulfed me, the beast followed my command. The massive, clawed appendage swung heftily at the creature before me. The impact caused the creature to reel, leaving deep lacerations across the face. It returned a swing, which I blocked. I punched forwards, hitting the creature square in the chest. The creature fell, but I wasted no time in moving over towards it. I grabbed the creature by the scruff of its chest, lifting it off of the ground and hurling it towards some of the crystals. It landed upon several of them, shattering them beneath its weight. The room froze momentarily again, giving me enough time to head over to the creature. It dissipated, much like mine began doing. I dropped quickly from the interior of the transparent material, flopping against the ground beneath me unexpectedly. Erazul was already on top of me by the time I arose, thrusting a sword at me. I did what I could to parry the blow, but ended up taking a shot to the shoulder. I grunted as I returned the blow, launching him back several yards with a solid kick to the muzzle. I focused my magic again, although I was feeling a bit drained at this point, to summon the worm again. I managed to focus on both the spell and Erazul enough that I could parry the incoming projectile while still keeping the worm’s path true. A few more crystals shattered, again leaving the room silent and still momentarily. I quickly leaped backwards, further increasing the distance between us. I saw him charging a spell, one that appeared to be a large blast of energy. I quickly focused the spell again, summoning the worm just in time. The blast was engulfed by the erupting creature, which, after a few moments, exploded violently. It launched the two of us backwards violently. So violently, in fact, that a few more of the crystals shattered on the surrounding walls. There were but a couple more crystals left to be destroyed, so I quickly, and painfully, arose. I made my way over, ignoring the numbing pain from the hefty impact, along with the lack of air in my system because of it. I whipped my tail about violently when I reached the crystal, pegging it violently against the wall. The sound of shattering echoed as the room fell still again. When things worked back into motion I heard Erazul emit a roar of fury. As I looked over I saw him being engulfed in a creature much like I had, although not to the same size. “You will die for this!”

He charged over, forcing me to bolt towards the next crystal. I didn’t quite make it in time, being bowled over by the charge. I tumbled several times, eventually stopping with a skid. Erazul was still bounding over, so I took desperate action. I roughly guessed where the crystal would be, hoping that my warp core functioned in the same way that it did on my plane of existence. As he swung down with colossal force I activated the mechanism, warping away. I saw the back of the creature as I began falling down, the rocks beneath his fist upheaving violently. I then looked at where I was falling, finding myself near the crystal. I spread my wings in an effort to redirect my path, barely managing to do so with the short window of time allotted me. I landed upon the crystal, barely clipping the side hard enough to shatter it. The room stilled again for a moment before I heard his enraged cry once more. The impact of the fall had stunned me momentarily, more than enough time for Erazul to approach. I went to arise, but he bashed me back down violently. A few more times this repeated until he had me pinned inside a crater. The creature then gripped my helmet, digging claws into the metal and trying to rip it in half. I did what I could to get out of the vice-like grip, but nothing worked. Suddenly, the plates caved, ripping to either side and leaving my face exposed. I had felt several sharp pains across my head, and the subsequent warmth of blood seeping down. Suddenly, Erazul dropped from the creature as it dematerialised behind him. He quickly seated himself upon my chest, keeping me down. He then began kicking my face violently with his front hooves. I drew my blades and swung back at him, hoping to either stab or mortally wound him. I was unsuccessful, my first strike not rotating correctly and merely slapping the cold metal against his side. He used his magic to draw the rocks from beneath me in order to pin my leg. He did the same when my other blade hit, but this time leaving a deep laceration in his side. He began kicking again, speaking in between hits. “Your kind is so motivated that it’s disgusting.”

“Better to be overly motivated rather than barbaric and cruel.” My own speech was broken up between his strikes. I could taste the blood welling up in my mouth, and felt its warmth running down my face.

“Why won’t you just shut up and die already?!” I spat a glob of blood into his face. He responded by summoning a lance and jabbing it violently into my lower abdomen, in the space just behind him. The pain caused me to hack up another mouthful of blood onto him.

“I am your undoing. How else would I do it but with the trait you can never actually possess?”

“Silence!” Again he summoned a lance, but this time he drove it past the side of my face, leaving a deep laceration on my cheek and jabbing the end through my ear. Perhaps he had been aiming it at my muzzle, but my reaction got me out of the way quick enough. Regardless, I let out a stifled cry of pain before spitting another remark at him in a spray of blood.

“Is that the best you’ve got?”

“Your petty words will be the end of you, drake!”

“Just as weak as I imagined you to be!”

“I’ll beat your face to a pulp if you don’t shut it!”

“DO IT! KILL ME, WRETCHED CAITIFF!” Erazul roared out in anger, I groaned in pain as he continued beating my face in. Each impact caused the lance in my ear to wiggle back and forth, shooting pain down my spine. I resisted as well as I could, ignoring more and more of the pain as it came and spitting taunting remarks back at him whenever I had the opportunity to do so. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could continue, so all I could do was silently call for Bane or Galaxia.

The beating continued for a while, and I’m not sure how long. I wasn’t just sitting idly by, though; as Erazul, blinded by barbaric and animalistic rage, continued wailing upon my broken muzzle, I was charging my pearl full of arcane power. What I was creating was an arcane bomb, the trigger being that of my death. It would be a large enough explosion, I was sure, to either rock or annihilate his whole realm, just to make sure that he didn’t survive. The pearl was ready by the time I was entirely numb and clinging on with whatever shreds of will I had left. Suddenly to view came a large blade, swinging directly downwards onto Erazul. The blade sunk into the centre of his skull, cleaving down to the jawline before getting stuck. Suddenly, the blade erupted into an explosion, scattering whatever was left of his head. Erazul’s roughly decapitated body dropped on top of me. It was rolled off to reveal Bane standing there, the massive sword dropping from a special mechanism on his two front legs. He quickly began digging at the rocks around my legs as he called out to Galaxia. Figuring I was safe enough, I began dissipating the spell locked inside of the pearl while I stopped resisting the pain as much as I had been. My eyes suddenly grew heavy, eventually encapsulating me in darkness.

For the longest time, the only thing that I could feel was the encroaching darkness around me. I had no direction, no directive, and no direct contact with anything. I couldn’t feel, in any sense of the word, and was frighteningly and comfortingly content with my emptiness that I had found.

My eyes opened for a moment, fluttering in drowsy restlessness. I couldn’t focus on my surroundings, and carried that same, floaty feeling as I had for however long it had been. I barely recognised that I was on my side, laying down. I raised a hoof before my face, looking over the alien appendage. I couldn’t feel the motion, nor really control it; the leg flopped down as I lost focus again. My ears perked up with the sound of chatter elsewhere. For but a moment they focused enough to piece together words, but it wasn’t a whole lot. “…e found that there remains one in the city of Maneha…”

I tried to bring it back into focus, hoping to figure out the subject, or even any details, but was unsuccessful; the harder I tried, the harder it became. Eventually, my body gave way under the pressure and I dropped back to the void of limbo.

I eventually roused to senses once more, shifting a bit. I could feel this time, but I wish that I couldn’t. It was numb, but in the way that a limb feels after it falls asleep, with the pain of pins and needles included. When my mind decided to obey the signals of my eyes I could see Galaxia trotting over. She began speaking, but her words bounced off of my face as water. Her words eventually came into focus, as if being tuned in from another plane of existence. “…so the fact that you are even alive right now is, in and by itself, a miracle.”

I went to struggle to a sit, but found my body almost entirely unresponsive. Before I could speak I heard her voice again. “Remain stationary, child. Your body is in no position to move.”

I went to speak but found no words. “I suppose it is not prepared to converse either. I think it is best that you rest for now before I inform you of the current situation regarding Erazul.”

I took a slightly deeper breath than normal, the closest thing I had to a sigh, before resigning myself to that fate. I blinked a time or two more, not of my own volition, before Galaxia began casting a spell. Soon, sleep found me.

When next I awoke I felt entirely different from how I had been before. Rather than a painful numbness I was overshadowed by an overwhelming physical fatigue. Despite this, however, I was full of energy. I struggled as best as I could to raise to a seated position. Shuffling came from nearby, bidding me to look. Bane was trotting over. He spoke as he approached. “Easy, now; we don’t want you passing out or overexerting yourself and complicating things.”

“Where am I?”

“Once I dug you out of the rubble in Erazul’s chamber, my thanks for finding it and calling out to me from within by the way, but once I dug you out and drug you outside for Galaxia to see she immediately pulled us back here. She and I worked furiously to bring you back, and we were exhausted by the end.”

“One has to beg the question, child,” Galaxia’s voice rang out as the door closed, “just how much did you lean upon your father’s resilience?”

“Enough to survive.” My voice was surprisingly hoarse, a realisation that caused all three of us to reel in different degrees.

“Regardless, I remain astonished that we managed to bring you back. It took so long that both Bane and I were growing magically exhausted.”

“Wait, how long was I out for?”

“At least several months.” Bane’s voice was the last thing heard in the room for the space of a few minutes. I sat there in utter disbelief.

“Come again?”

“It took us several months to drag you back from whatever place death was dragging you off to.”

“You’re kidding, right? Please tell me you’re not being serious with me right now.” The two looked at each other before turning back to me in silence. I knew well what message that silence portrayed. “I see.”

“How do you feel?”

“How is the Order?”

“Aqua, you’ve been on the verge of death for months and the second real question you have for us is about the Protectorates?”

“Are they well? Does the Order thrive? Who took charge?”

“Aqua, breathe.” Bane’s voice outpaced Galaxia’s, beating her to the response. “The Order is fine. Are you?”

“I feel exhausted and lively at the same time.”

“Well, I do suppose that such is an aftereffect of extended use of my sleep spell, so that sounds normal. You will be back at it in a day or two if that is all.” I let out a sigh of relief. “I would, however, suggest that you don’t attempt something so bold in the future. We were able to recover you this time, but there might not be a next time for you to recover from. Bane is still surprised that he got your muzzle back on straight.”

“Wait, back on?”

“If it hadn’t been for the cartilage bonded to skull fragments, you’d be missing your muzzle right now.” I swallowed hard following Bane’s statement. Faced with such a frightening prospect, I was certain that I wouldn’t allow myself into such a position again. “Regardless, I think it’s best that we let you continue resting.”

“Before you leave I have a question.”

“What is it, child?” Galaxia was the first to respond.

“I’m not sure who said it or when, but one of the ponies in this place said something about one being in a city. What were you discussing?” I saw the two of them shoot glances to each other again. “What?”

“Erazul had another crystal, a failsafe if you will. He hid it, disguised it, as regular jewelry. It’s in a city to the east-northeast of your town.”

“Just give me a name and I’m there.”

“Not so fast.”

“Why not, Bane?”

“You need to recover first.”

“Obviously, but after that.”

“Are you sure you can wait that long?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, fine then. Manehattan.”

“Never heard of it.”

“The train station will be able to get you there. There are rails extending across your entire country. At least one will lead there.”

“Alright. Although, my other question, is: will Erazul be able to return in the meantime, while I sit here idly?”

“No. It will take him about another month to be drawn close enough to consume the crystal in exchange for his life.”

“Why? Wasn’t the deal with those crystals that he would regenerate almost instantly if he died?”

“Well, yes, but the thing is-”

“It is no more than a fragment, Aqua. It does not possess the proper capacities like those in his realm did. As well, the fragment is not in his realm, and has transferred several times since he last checked upon it. He’s scouring hard, but it’s hard to find material objects from the ethereal side of things.”

“And if I crush that jewelry then Erazul is gone for good?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. Thank you.” They both nodded before heading towards the door. Once they were outside I took a moment to look around the room. I quickly noted that it was the same one that I had rested in before. Perhaps they were dedicated guest chambers. Either way, it didn’t matter. My goal was to rest as well as I could to speed up my recovery. As such, I laid back down and closed my eyes, waiting for sleep. It came eventually, after who knows how long, and took me in its warm embrace.

The next two days passed in sluggish anxiousness. When they were over, and Galaxia figured me fit enough to return home, I gladly accepted the invitation for teleportation. Her spell dropped me off directly outside of my house. When I entered I found my armour sitting in the middle of the living room floor, a piece of paper attached to it. I quizzically looked at it before moving closer. I took the note in my hoof and read it.

Aqua

I’m not quite sure how you always manage to mess up such a strong mineral on such a regular basis. I’ve seen warriors preserve steel plates for decades without injury, yet your armour, despite being far tougher than steel, almost always ends up ruined at the end of the day. Either way, I took the liberty of fixing it up after Bane had me get it off of your lifeless body. Until about a week ago I believed you to be dead, until Galaxia informed me that your vitals returned. After such I folded up the armour from the display stand, packed it back here, and wrote this note. Hope you take care of it better; it’s the only thing between you and being murdered.

Yours truly,

-Aldorn

I chuckled, his frank nature coming out. I put the note down and was on the verge of equipping the armour when I heard the sound of somepony coming down the stairs. I looked up to find Storm emerging from behind the wall that separated it from the rest of the room. “Aqua? You’re back!”

He came bounding over, nearly tackling me in a hug. “I thought I had lost you for a while there. What are you doing scaring me like that?”

“Well, it wasn’t exactly my intention.” It kind of was in a way, but that’s not the kind of thing to say at a time like that.

“Do you at least have some time that you can spend with me?”

“No. Erazul is still out there, but he’s cornered and on the verge of defeat.” I broke the hug, looking Storm in the face. He was returning the look. “I have to go and finish things once and for all. Once he’s gone I believe that we will have a lot more time to ourselves, and you wouldn’t mind that one bit I’m sure.”

He chuckled bashfully. “But until then, I have to suit up and head out.”

“I understand. Please just come back to me again, alright?”

“I promise I will.” He nodded, giving me one more hug. As he broke the hug he reached his face up to kiss me on the lips. My face flushed with warmth at the notion.

“Go, win this fight. I believe in you.” I nodded, determined, before stepping into my armour. The plates folded out around my body, encasing me in their safety. I bid Storm farewell as I left the house. I then turned my attention to the train station, planning out what I was going to do once I got to the city.

I managed to figure out how to make my way to the right train, boarding it once it arrived. From there, I simply waited until I arrived at my destination. Once I had disembarked I began looking around. Galaxia had said that it was a piece of jewelry, so I began searching for signs that read ‘Jewelry Store’ or the sorts. As I began searching through the stores, looking for anything out of the ordinary, not only did I get strange glances from the ponies of the city but I also got a feel that there were a few classes of jewelry stores. There were low-end ones, filled with a few pieces that weren’t anything special to look at. These were like street vendors, in a way, but restricted to buildings. The middle class of stores carried a good collection, with pieces of varying quality. The high-end stores, which tried to kick me out several times, were filled with only the most exquisite of jewelry, with price ranges far above what anypony should have been able to afford. Despite all of this, I was having a hard time finding what I imagined I was looking for.

Just as I thought I had scoured the entire city, having either left or been kicked out of every jewelry store here, I found one more. It seemed wedged between being low-end and mid-range as far as price. As I entered I could tell that the salespony grew tense. His tone called out from behind the counter, suspicion almost causing his voice to crack. “Can I help you?”

I folded my helmet back, which seemed to ease the tense atmosphere if just a little. “I’m browsing, seeing if there’s something that catches my eye.”

“Alright. Let me know if you have any questions.” I nodded and turned my attention back to the displays in the store. I had to bend down to most of them, as I stood about three-quarters or a little more of the height of the store. I began my routine observation of all of the gems, starting with the counter and spiralling my way inwards. My attention was grabbed almost unnaturally by a particular piece in the middle of the room. My interest was piqued as I trotted over. I began looking it over, almost mesmerised by the thing. It looked like a necklace or circlet of sorts, with a double helix of gold and silver wrapping outwards from the brooch. The socket for the gem was also a mixture of gold and silver in very intricate, painstakingly detailed designs. Inset in the frame was a gem. It appeared as if onyx, but transparent. There were brilliant, but dark, streaks of blue and purple, with white dots barely noticeable throughout. The gem was mesmerising, the intricate, space-like pattern seeming to draw me in and beckon me to take it. I was suddenly snapped out of the trance I was in, pulling back several inches from the jewel, when I heard the shopkeep speak. “Find something there, ma’am?”

“This gem, where did it come from?”

“Well, I bought it off of another competitor as they were going into liquidation. Bloke was retirin’.”

“Do you know where he got it?”

“Bought it from a mare, I think.”

“Any further back than that?”

“Now what are you askin’ for?”

“I want to know the origins of this gem. Any rumours, legends, stories, quarry even that could be tied to it?”

“No, not a breath about it. Last owner said it was oddly mesmerisin’, like it called out to whoever looked at it.”

“There’s definitely a magical property to it, I can tell you that much.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“The price should be higher, then.”

“Well how much does it cost now?”

“About 500 bits. After what you told me, a ten-time increase is needed. What magical property does it have?”

“I’m not sure, but if it comes from where I think it comes from then I’m going to have to take it for public safety.”

“Now wait just a doggone minute there, lady. What authority are you from, trottin’ in here and bossin’ me around like you were the police?”

“My name is Aqua, and I am Guildmaster of the Order of Protectorates. It is my duty to ensure the safety of the citizens of Equestria, and as the Guildmaster the highest threat levels fall to me. If this gem is the one I believe it to be, then anypony so much as nearby is in grave danger.”

“And what makes you say that?”

“Do you see how badly scarred my muzzle is?”

“Yeah, makes you look like some kind of monster yourself.” I bit my tongue for a moment, biting back a retort.

“There is a pony that sealed his essence away into things like this gem. I have tracked down all but one, and this is most likely it.”

“Yeah, and what does that have to do with anything?”

“He was the one that left my muzzle like this. Thanks to potent healing magic, it’s actually still attached. Otherwise, we’d be having a very different conversation about this subject matter.”

“So what’re you going to pay me for that gem?”

“Sir, it’s an extreme public safety hazard.”

“A gem. You expect me to believe that a gem is going to murder an entire city’s worth of ponies?”

“Not the gem, but the pony that would use the gem to reconstitute his body using the energy that forms the gem.”

“Now this story sounds like it was blown out of your rear. How do I know that this isn’t all just made up to try and rob me of my most valuable piece?”

“Technically speaking, you don’t.”

“Then why on this verdant planet would I give it to you?”

“Because this will go one of three ways. First: I let the gem sit here until the stallion reconstitutes, you see every warning I put out for you, and the entire city’s population is decimated. Second: you give me the gem and I properly handle its destruction. Third: I take the gem anyways and properly handle its destruction. Your choice.”

“You drive a hard bargain. If you take it, are you willing to pay me back for the theft you’d be committing?”

“When I have the money and the time to return, yes.”

“But at ten times the listed price there.” I folded my helmet plates back over my face before speaking again.

“I’m feeling generous. How about twice the price.”

“Generous? Why, you’re ripping me off!”

“Take it or leave it, but I’m leaving with this necklace either way; I’m not going to have the blood of an entire town on my hooves.” He looked at me for a second, jaw tensed in deep thought.

“Alright, you win. A thousand bits the next time you’re in town. Don’t forget it; we don’t take kindly to looters.” I nodded, stepping to the side to allow him to open the display case. He pulled the ornate piece from the stand, placing it inside of a bag. Once properly wrapped up he slid the bag across to me. As I went to grab it he stressed his point again: “Bring those thousand bits next time you’re in town. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now get outta here.” That was the plan, so I turned and headed towards the door. I left, making my way back to the entrance of the city. Wherever I was going with this, it was not going to be in any kind of crowded area. As such, I made my way out through the main gates leading to the city. I trotted about a mile out when I decided that such a distance was far enough to be safe. As such, I sat down, pulling the gem out of the bag. I looked it over for a while, the attracting spell attempting to draw me in. I resisted the impulsive urge to put it on, drawing out my sword instead. I aimed my strike and silently pleaded that this was the right jewel. I struck downwards, hitting the gem squarely. The sound of shattering glass echoed out as the world around me suddenly fell pitch black. I looked around to figure out what was going on, eventually finding that the silver and gold ornamentation for the gem had gone missing. I began searching about, confused. With one last turn I finally noticed where it had gone, but it was too late. The socket and band had become more of a worm-like creature than a piece of jewelry. Before I could even react, the thing leaped at me, latching firmly to my neck. I felt it begin wriggling its way inside of the plates as I furiously attempted to dislodge it. It proved in vain, as the strange creature continued forcing its way inside. Suddenly, breathing became hard and I was losing air fast. Before long, I felt myself tip over, hitting the ground. Not much after that, the world darkened and my fight ceased.

When next I was aware of my presence, and of the world around me, I found that I was moving, not of my own volition but moving nonetheless. As I continued coming to I attempted to gain control of my motions, but it was in vain. I struggled, with increasing ferocity, until I felt just a small fragment of control. Following this slight twitch of my leg I felt a sharp pain jab into the corresponding limb. As I went to react, the same resistance prevented it. Forcing myself hard enough caused me to stop my movement. Sharp pains jutted out of my legs as I heard a voice. It was a mixture of voices, ones I wasn’t quite able to discern. There were voices both high and low, as mares and stallions, and something else. “Your efforts to free yourself will only lend to your untimely demise.”

I went to speak, but my mouth wouldn’t open for it. Rather, it did for the next time the creature spoke. “We’re headed to your home town. Whether you arrive with legs or not is your decision.”

Again I tried to speak, but found it to be in vain. There was little I could do, and I wasn’t sure exactly what I was doing either, so I simply let the force carry me across the sunset-orange landscape. Once it discovered my subjugation, it carried on more quickly.

The journey carried through the sunset that had hung over us, through night, and into the wee hours of the morning. It was just as the sun was emerging, a few ponies moving about, when we arrived in town. I found myself approaching my house, or at least some trajectory of it. As I was heading over, a few ponies began to gather around me. These early risers seemed eerily curious about me. As one approached, hoof about to extend to poke at my chest, I felt my leg kick out. The pony was launched across the grass of the park, stopping several yards away. In horrified shock I tried to look at my own hoof. Indeed, I had lashed out even before I could react, and such was a frightening proposition. I found myself unable to glance at my leg, nor lift it. Not even my voice came out when I bid it to. Just as I was finishing up my attempt to resist and cry out, the creature spoke. I recognised my own voice in there, along with some growling undertones. There was a third tone that I didn’t quite recognise yet that spoke in tandem with the other two voices. I felt my own mouth, my tongue as well, moving in concert to match the creature’s will. “Where is the one they call Storm?”

I saw the ponies look at each other. It was true, Storm and I weren’t exactly famous or renowned. In fact, I wasn’t sure if anypony here actually knew our names. Regardless, the creature called out again. “Where is the one you call Storm?”

A stallion spoke out. “We don’t recognise that name.”

“You lie!” The creature leaped forwards, lunging towards the pony with a vicious strike. I barely managed to resist enough for the blow to stop within a mere inch or two of the pony’s face. He promptly fled as I silently groaned in response to the pain granted by my resistance. The voice spoke out again, long enough for me to try and recognise the unknown voice. “The longer that you harbour Storm, the more likely that somepony will die here today!”

My eyes, had they not been controlled by the creature, surely would have shot open. The voice I had been hearing was Erazul’s. “Tell me where he is and you will all continue living your pitiful lives.”

“We don’t even know who that is!” A mare called out this time, to which my body bounded over, preparing to whip the tail about. I managed to drag it high enough to whiz a few inches above her head, something that sent a horrid pain shooting up my spine; I would have shivered if not entirely restricted.

“You have one more chance to find him before I set this town ablaze, so think well, ponies.” The others looked fearfully at each other. They looked around the town, perhaps for somepony they didn’t recognise. Before much time had passed, the creature spoke again. “I’m growing impatient, ponies.”

“Good thing you don’t have to wait any longer.” Storm’s voice called out. I was both relieved and frightened by his arrival, but could show neither. I couldn’t even look towards him until the creature turned my gaze there. I found Storm crouched into a lowered position, sword nearby and ready to be grabbed. He was clad in full armour, something he didn’t normally wear around the house. My only thought is that perhaps he had received prior warning to our arrival and prepared sufficiently. Before I could assess the situation further, however, the creature spoke again.

“Well, would you look at who it is? I’m honoured to finally fight Storm in person. Let’s see if you can match, even in the slightest degree, the combat prowess of your wife. Have at you, then.” The creature leaped towards him as he quickly drew the sword. I tried resisting, but the control exerted over me was even fiercer at this point, as if my body was conceding defeat with a hope that the creature would protect me. The two began exchanging blows, giving me window enough to view my leg through my peripheral vision. Roiling, sanguine metal, paired with silver and gold, and that strange galactic design that the jewel had presented, coursed over my body. It hid all of my hide, not allowing one bit of the light orange to see the light of day. The coating was currently extended as a blade off of my leg, something that the creature was using to deflect Storm’s blows. The combat was quick and fierce, perhaps not quite to the level that I was used to fighting at, but it was still formidable. I heard Storm mutter under his breath, calling for Bane and Galaxia during the fight. He then took a desperate action, rolling under the blade-like extension and stabbing upwards towards the belly of the beast. I very quickly realised that he did not know that I was underneath the creature’s substance; the blade sunk straight through me, hitting the other side of the creature’s roiling exterior. Storm yanked his sword in a circle before pulling it out and rolling away. I went to groan, but the creature caused a chuckle to emanate instead. The chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh a few short moments later. Each laugh caused sharp pain to radiate through my body from where I had been stabbed. When the laughs subsided, the creature called out to Storm again. “Oh, you have no idea what you just accomplished, did you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You just managed to do something that I don’t believe you would ever do in any other circumstance.”

“Explain yourself!”

“You might just have to tear the explanation from me, Storm.” Although the three voices were there, I could tell that mine was shaky. Storm hadn’t yet figured out the composition of voices, so he charged back in without a second thought. The creature went to strike back at him, but he more than predicted the strike. Storm rode directly alongside the strike, jabbing his own sword in to the shoulder connected to the extension. The problem was, it went directly into my shoulder. He twisted the blade with enough effort to cause him to wince, and I felt my left shoulder crack before a sickening ‘pop’ sound echoed out. Pain shot up my spine and wholly paralysed me, begging me to cry out in pain. I couldn’t. I was stuck, instead, chuckling as Storm’s blade slithered out of the shoulder. The creature pushed him back fiercely, the motion causing more pain to run down the length of my body. “You just keep going, don’t you? This will be fun then.”

“Stop taunting me and just tell me what you actually mean by using all these cryptic answers!”

“Aren’t you going to try and rip it from me?” Storm growled in anger before galloping in again. This time, however, the creature didn’t even try to block it. Storm’s blade swung high, lodging itself into the left side starting at my shoulder and working its way down to the spinal column. Another laugh echoed out as I tried in vain to worm my way away from the pain. The creature spoke as the laugh came to an end. “Ah, you really are something different, aren’t you Storm?”

“Tell me!”

“Well, since you insist.” I heard some kind of sloshing noise echo through the material surrounding my ears, a noise I recognised had played in the blinks before I would be stabbed or slashed by Storm. I then saw Storm’s eyes shoot open wide. For good measure, the creature made me look down at the sight that Storm was seeing. The roiling material had parted, revealing my hide underneath. I would have taken a deep gasp out of shock, but my body still was not my own. I was forced to look back up at Storm’s distraught face as I heard the creature speak, the presence of my voice nearly gone from the mix. “Every time you’ve been trying to attack me, I simply move aside and let my host take the fall. A shame for you that my host happens to be your wife.”

“How dare you! Let her go!”

“You’ll have to rip her dead body from me if you want to ever see her again. Then again, I’ll probably move to you after that.” Just then, I saw a warp of magic, with Bane and Galaxia standing nearby. “Well, we’ve got more ponies here in the party, and what a group we have assembled!”

“Leave her, Erazul. Your time has drawn to an end.” Galaxia’s cool tone was barely enough to mask her anxious attitude.

“Oh? And how are you going to go about that, hm?”

“Erazul, look at who you’re against.”

“And look at who I’ve got, Bane. Obliterate me and you obliterate her. Storm has found that out the hard way.” Bane glanced over to Storm, whose head drooped a little, while Galaxia kept her sight fixated on the creature. I saw her begin channelling magic, the reverse glow around her horn consuming more and more of the light around it. “Oh? And just what do you plan to do with that, Galaxia? Banish the both of us?”

Suddenly, her horn erupted in a burst of magical flame. The dark flames licked around her horn as the spell continued to grow. “Ah, I see now what spell you cast. Well, she is doomed either way. If not by your hoof, then perhaps I can finish the job.”

As it finished this statement, I suddenly felt a large amount of shifting across the top of my hide. Suddenly, sharp pain erupted from enough places on my body that it felt like it was the whole of it. Enough control was released from my body that I was able to gasp in pain before my mouth quickly clenched closed at the command of the creature. I used what effort I could and forced the thinly-spread creature to turn and look at what it had done. As I saw my body from the corner of my eye, I saw many spike-like protrusions that had penetrated much of my body. The creature cut into my throat as it whipped my head back around. The weakened and muddled voices spoke mostly to me as the attention focused on Galaxia. “If I die, you’re going to watch the one who caused your own undoing. You will be haunted by this betrayal for the eternities, and nothing will resolve it, drake!”

Galaxia’s spell fired off, sending a shockwave through the town that both hit and passed through me simultaneously. I’m sure several others felt the same, but I was unsure. The pain caused by it was exquisite, but it did the job; I felt my strength, what was left of it, return to me as control was once again mine. The problem was, I didn’t have the needed strength to so much as breathe, so I collapsed down into a pile on the grass beneath my hooves. A wet splatting sound rung through the quiet town as I hit the bloody mud under me. I quickly lost focus and blackness consumed me.

A bout of sharp pain jolted my exhausted frame awake. “Good, at least you’re alive after that.”

I didn’t recognise the voice, and I was far too groggy to focus enough. I thought the hide was blue, but I could be wrong. The voice wasn’t clear enough to make out after that, so all I knew was that it was a stallion. My most accurate guess would be that Bane was the one standing there. I didn’t have enough time to think on it before I fell under the blanket of darkness once more.

Waking was a come-and-go thing for a while, and I’m not sure just how long. Eventually, though, I stabilised enough to understand what was being said to me by Storm. “Aqua, can you hear me.”

Groggily, and with a considerably rough tone, I responded. “Yeah.”

He let out a sigh of relief before he spoke the next line. “So you’ve finally come to. I was beginning to wonder for a while there. Bane had told me to call him if you didn’t stabilise within the next week.”

“How long?”

“A week…?”

“How long was I out?”

“Oh. Uh…”

“Tell me.”

He looked at me for a moment, breathed in deeply, scrunched his face for a moment, and let his breath out with a sigh before finally conceding. “About six months.”

All I could do was look at him for a moment before sighing and flopping my head back down onto the pillows beneath. “Sorry if that’s not quite what you were wanting to hear as a response.”

“Not really, no.”

“It was the best we could manage, unfortunately. There were shards of metal and jewelry embedded into your wounds, not to mention the fact that we had to very thoroughly scrutinise your body to make sure that there was nothing physical nor magical left from Erazul, especially not inside of you. It’s a miracle you’re even alive, nonetheless awake after 6 months.”

“What did you do all that time?”

“Worry, watch, pace, eat, sleep, decline missions from Cularix, the whole shebang, basically.”

“How has the Order been?”

“The Order? Well, it’s been fine. They’ve seemed a little lost without you, but they’ve been adapting recently. They set up a new system to take care of business while you are gone. In fact, they don’t even know that you’re alive yet. Did you want me to send a letter there to inform them?”

“You can if you want, but it’s not necessary.”

“Alright. I’ll get to it eventually.”

“Thank you.”

“Is there anything you needed, Aqua?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Let me know if there’s ever anything you need me to get, got it?”

“Mhm. Oh, real quick, Storm.”

“Yes?”

“I think my armour is still outside of Manehattan. Could you get that for me?”

“Aldorn already retrieved it for us. Galaxia was ahead of the program when it came to you and that jewel.” I nodded, figuring it better that I didn’t even ask. I could feel a new wave of drowsiness washing over me, my eyes getting heavy. I think Storm noticed, as he left the bedside and trotted elsewhere for a little. Before too long, I slipped under again.

There wasn’t much else to note during my recovery until the very end. When I was finally able to trot, and traverse the stairs, was when the first incident happened. I decided to head outside and get a breath of fresh air, for the first time in some seven months or so. As I was trotting slowly through town, enjoying nature and making sure I didn’t overexert myself, I saw some commotion not too far from my house. My interest was piqued, so I made my way over. As I neared I could discern the ponies; Shade was battling with Blaze. As I neared, I called out. “Enough! Break it up!”

The two momentarily looked over before Shade tried one more strike. With a burst of speed that I thought I wasn’t capable of managing yet, I slid between the two, catching Shade’s strike with my front right hoof. I then rounded it down to the side of me, lodging the blade into the ground. “I said: enough.”

“This doesn’t concern you, Protectorate. You believe in duty, do you not?”

“And what does this have to do with that?”

“It is my duty to claim the life of the one that has escaped death’s grasp.”

“And who is it this time? I already foiled your plans to take Terrn once.”

“A bold move, yes, but his death is still planned, just not yet.”

“Then who have you vainly targeted this time?”

“You should know her well enough, Protectorate.”

“Lazuli is not meant to die!” Blaze’s tone rung out from behind me. I took a deep breath in, something that almost caused a tinge of fear in the plated pony before me.

“Care to explain, Shade, what you plan to do to my daughter?”

“She’s not your daughter.”

“She’s daughter enough for me to watch over her. Whether you accept adoption and rescue as a legitimate introduction into a necessary parenthood is your own issue! Either way, tell me what you were planning to do to her.”

“Well, isn’t that a silly question? You know very well what I planned on doing: the same thing I do to everypony else. I planned on killing her.”

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”

“You cannot stop me, Protectorate. My goal is final.”

“Just like with Terrn?” I could tell that the remark got to him, as he took a breath and broke the stance we had. Blaze moved up to my side, sword at the ready and horn alight with magic already. I crouched down as far as my shoulder would allow, which was far enough apparently. Shade looked at me, then at Blaze, then me again before sheathing his blade and speaking.

“Fine. You might win this round, Protectorate, but only because I know you are a worthy foe. Fight me in a one-on-one match and we’ll determine fate. If you win, I will cease attempting to murder ponies under your Order’s jurisdiction. If I win, you will cease attempting to interfere with my work. Do we have a deal?”

“No.”

“What, scared?”

“No, I will protect them either way, whether or not you approve.”

“So be it. If you change your mind, you can find me at the base of the mountain. My portal is there.” With that, he turned and left. I watched him closely to make sure that nothing else happened. Once he was outside of the town I sighed. I then tried to get up, but didn’t have quite the mobility I needed in order to do so. Blaze turned to thank me, but found me still in the stance.

“Uh, everything alright?”

“I need help up.” His eyes widened as he realised the danger I had thrown myself into, the danger I wasn’t even aware of until just then.

“What were you doing with that kind of bravado?!”

“Scaring him off, apparently.”

“I mean, it worked, but please don’t throw yourself into suicidal situations like that, please.”

“I do what I have to, and it’s pure idiocy from time to time.” He shook his head as he did what he could to help me up. Eventually, through a bit of struggle, I managed to get to a regular stance again.

“How did you even end up like that?”

“Quite the story behind it, but needless to say, I helped bring the demise of a demigod.” I could tell he sat, staring in awe, for a moment before speaking.

“Well, no wonder they made you Guildmaster. Any of the rest of us would have been wiped out in an instant.”

“I appreciate the flattery, but I should go home and rest.”

“Yes, you should.”

“Just one thing before I do, Blaze.”

“What is it?”

“Keep a close eye on Lazuli. I don’t want to lose her.”

“You’ve got it, Guildmaster.” He began trotting off, leaving me to head towards my house. I made my way back upstairs to my bed, realising I needed more rest if Shade was upping his game. Storm wasn’t home at the moment, so I simply curled up under the covers and waited for sleep.

I decided to take a few more weeks before making another expedition to the outside world. I made a successful trip to the Order and back, but there wasn’t much of note therein. It was little more than informing the Protectorates that I was still alive, and checking how their newly implemented system worked. Indeed, I was impressed by it. The fact that they could effectively split the work of a single, dedicated pony who sat at a throne all day was impressive. The fact that they managed it on top of their regular duties as faithful Protectorates was even more so.

That aside, it’s time I returned to the journey at hoof. I said my farewells after officially implementing the system they were using. Once on the road, I set my course for home, arriving before too much time had passed. As I was on the edge of town, however, I was passing through the last bit of the forest. I heard a small bit of rustling nearby, so I stopped. I perked up, hoping to find the source of the sound. I heard rustling again, followed by a snapping twig. I pinpointed the sound, facing directly towards the bush where it came from. “Reveal yourself. I know that you’re hiding, and I know where.”

A little more rustling ensued before the crashing of leaves echoed out. Shade lunged at me from the bush I had been staring at. I barely sidestepped the attempted attack, narrowly dodging his sword’s blade. “Ah, so it’s you.”

Through teeth clenched to the hilt of his blade he spoke. “I will get you to fight me, Protectorate. This will be settled through battle.”

“Look, I have matters to tend to.”

“Matters more important than the lives of innocents?”

“I don’t need your loaded questions to dictate the direction of my life. I can figure that out well enough on my own.”

“Their blood will be on your hooves, Protectorate, because of your inaction. Lazuli can be protected by Blaze for only so long.”

“Long enough for me to get things in order in order to face you.”

“If you had any honour, you’d accept my challenge.” Something seemed to spark inside of me, some part I wasn’t aware of. The challenge seemed to burn itself into my very will. It took quite the effort to refuse it.

“Look, I’m not fighting you.”

“You are a disgrace of a coward, Aqua. Lives will be lost because of your selfish desire to tend to your own life before theirs.” With that, he leaped back through the bushes, galloping away. When all fell quiet I began making my way back home. For some reason, though, I still could not get his words out of my head.

I trotted through the front door, finding Storm on the sofa. He perked up and trotted over. “Good to see you back, Aqua. How did it go?”

“It went well, but there’s something that’s been on my mind.”

“What is it?”

“Shade challenged me to a duel, but I can’t seem to shake it. No matter what I do I keep coming back to those words he used, words doing little more than outlining a challenge of bravado.”

“Don’t pay them any mind.”

“That’s the thing: I can’t help but do so. It’s like some part of me finds some connection to it, like some heritage behind it, and won’t let me live it down.”

“So what are you planning then?”

“I think I might have to fight him. It feels like the only way that I can shake this strange feeling.”

“Well, I won’t hold you back, but please don’t go in alone.”

“I have to. Those were the rules of the challenge.”

“Aqua, last time you went in to something alone was with Erazul. Both times, you were out for several months afterwards. I don’t think I can keep surviving with that kind of risk held above me all the time.”

“If I take care of Shade then there will be no more major threats and life will simplify itself.”

“But what if you don’t return, or you return and die for good?”

“That’s not the plan.”

“You didn’t plan to be out for six months because of a necklace either.” His words hurt, but I had to ignore it.

“I’m sorry, Storm, but this is something that I have to do. My duties as a Protectorate bind me to it.”

“Didn’t you just say your heritage did?”

“No, just that it might have part of why I feel so driven to fight him. My duties drive me to winning.”

“But-“

“Storm.”

“Yes?”

“There are no buts. I’m doing this.”

“Why, though?”

“Shade endangers more ponies than I can stand, especially as the Guildmaster of the Order of Protectorates. I have to ensure their safety, at least from this threat. Those under me will be able to handle the rest after that.” He looked at me for a moment.

“I still don’t like this. It just feels wrong.”

“Wrong or not, I have to do this, Storm.” He exhaled a soft snort, a sigh of kinds, before speaking again.

“Fine. I can tell that you won’t budge in your opinion of the matter, so I’ll let you fight him. Just know that I’m informing Bane and Galaxia of this.”

“That’s perfectly fine. I’ll most likely need their help afterwards anyways. Thank you, Storm.”

“For what? Letting you trot straight into your own death?”

“In a way I suppose yes, but for preparing the necessary safety nets for when I return from this fight.”

“For if you return from this fight.”

“I will, Storm. Just wait and see.” He decided against continuing the argument further, as he turned and trotted away. I made my way upstairs, deciding that I should be well rested for the fight ahead. I curled up in the bed alone, closing my eyes and waiting for sleep to overtake me at last.

When morning came I awoke, finding Storm asleep beside me in the bed. I chuckled softly before carefully getting off of the bed. I quietly made my way downstairs, equipping my armour. I then made my way out of the door, heading here to report this to you. I set out in a few moments for the base of the mountain. If I don’t return, well, you’ll know what the outcome of the encounter was. If that is the case, which I hope it’s not, then tell the others. They’ll want to know what has become of me. Thank you, faithful scribe, for writing all of this down for others to read. I wish you well, and hope that I will return to tell you more of the tale.