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.