A muffled bang followed by the distant sound of laughter jolted me out of unconsciousness. I'd only just inhaled a breath to scream when that was scream was muffled to near silence by something cold, rough, and grimy. Even in my shocked and disoriented state, my brain was able to register the something as a hand that clapped itself tightly over my mouth. I whipped my eyes around in a full panic, trying to find the person attached to the hand. I took in the dark room I found myself in without really registering any actual details. Looking forward and to my left, my terrified gaze landed on a pair of cerulean eyes that somehow managed to glint brightly in the smothering darkness.

Who...?

The thought was fleeting, and I quickly tossed it to the side as I called upon my magic to push my assailant away. To my further shock and horror, nothing happened. There was no magical hum or ethereal magenta glow. That warm energy coursing through my entire body—that otherworldly sensation I'd come to know when using my magic—was gone. Completely absent. My panic rose to new heights, and I struggled to pull myself away from those almost luminescent irises, only vaguely aware that my hands were tightly bound in front of me. Before I could get too far, the unseen figure with the brilliant blue eyes clamped another hand on my shoulder and shook me roughly.

"Goddesses damn you, girl! Get ahold of yourself, would you?" a masculine and strangely cultured voice hissed. "You keep struggling like that and you're liable to get us both killed, you hear?" The harsh but quiet voice made me pause. The voice sounded firm and in control, but I could just make out a bit of panic hidden beneath. I focused on the man's obscured features, blinking a few times as my eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. It took a moment, but eventually my vision cleared and I realized the room wasn't as dark as I initially thought. My surroundings were bathed in the far too dim glow of a flickering orange light—the kind that came from a nearby fire.

The first thing I noticed was that my 'room' was in fact, a small prison. Wet, dark grey stone surrounded me on all sides save for one wall which wasn't a wall at all, but a row of thick iron bars. Built within the iron bars was a heavy looking iron door, no doubt locked from the outside. From where I was sitting against one of the walls, I could just make out the dull glow of a single torch next to another heavy iron door at the top of a small set of slick cobblestone steps beyond my prison. The room outside my prison cell consisted of another set of prison cells on the opposite side of a narrow stone corridor with the aforementioned iron door at the top of the steps at one end of the corridor.

I couldn't see what lay at the other end of the narrow corridor, nor could I make out if there was anything or anyone else in the other cells. The air was damp and moldy and as I finally took in the myriad unpleasant smells around me, my face twisted in disgust. My instinctual aversion only last a second before the reality of my situation settled in and disgust was quickly replaced with horror and confusion. I had no idea where I was or how I'd gotten here. The last thing I remembered was hiding out in a cave with Mauri and the pale blonde woman with the golden eyes that attacked me. I'm pretty sure her name was... Havik?

And then it all came rushing back to me in one horrifying flood. The ambush outside Qaedis' manor. The escape. Havik's appearance. The cave. The second attack by the bandits in the cave. The bandits. The memory of that attack was... hazy—more wild emotion than an actual concrete image. Still, I knew full well what I'd done, even if I couldn't remember all the gory details. The fact that I'd become that thing again—that I'd given in to some horrific murderous hunger I didn't understand not once but twice—made my heart lurch and my stomach turn. What is wrong with me? I knew it had something to do with the Headhunter, but I also felt like there was more to these... episodes.

If anyone had the answers I desperately needed, it was that creature, the owl. Owlowiscious, it called itself. I wanted to know more, but that creature hadn't shown itself since I first woke up back in the manor. I idly wondered if he would answer if I called out to him, but the idea of meeting that alien presence again made me shiver so I just decided to push past the whole thing and focus on how I got here. Like the battle with the bandits in the cave, my escape was also mostly a blur, but the one thing I did remember was Havik's voice. I didn't know how, but she'd been the one to get me out of that mess. Then everything went black and I saw another memory of my past life in Equestria.

Questions upon questions filled my head. Questions about the bandit attack, questions about what I'd seen in the memories of Equestria, the deeper, more existential questions I'd had since I first woke up in that place with no memory at all. There were always questions to ask, but I pushed most of them aside in favor of the here and now. Namely, where was I and how did I get here? Did Havik bring me here, and if so, why? I asked myself these questions, but already my mind was beginning to settle on some very unpleasant implications about Havik and my current predicament. There was something else that wasn't sitting right with me, a strange sense of urgency tugging at the back of my mind—like I was forgetting something extremely important.

"I apologize for the rough treatment, but I need you calm," said the man, his softer tone pulling me out of my thoughts before I could dwell on the nagging feeling. I'd almost forgotten he was there despite the hand still clamped over my mouth. Seeing me focused on him once again, the man continued, "Right now it's just you and me in here, but that could change if we cause a stir, and we don't need that right now, understand?" Another muffle bang resounded from somewhere beyond the prison chamber, this time accompanied by what sounded like a pained, masculine grunt along with more laughter. I jumped at the sound and though I couldn't see his face, I saw the man's outline twitch slightly.

My worried gaze flicked to the iron door at the top of the stone steps, but the man shook me again, bringing me back to attention. "Do you understand?" the man repeated, his every word slow, deliberate, and serious. I nodded quickly, trying to get my heart rate under control. "Good," he continued, "now I'm going to remove my hand and we're going to have a calm and quiet conversation about what's going on, alright?" I nodded again and he removed his hands from both my mouth and shoulder and shifted away and to one side, giving me a better view of his face. In the dim light of the distant torch the man looked haggard. His face was lined with age and stress and his skin pale and splotched with dark stains, likely from his stay in this dark dungeon.

His dark brown hair was shoulder length and unkempt, with a short cropped yet rough and uneven beard to match. His tunic and woolen trousers had also seen better days. Both were heavily stained and torn in various places and his feet were bare and callused. The man looked—and probably was—a veritable mess, but despite his beaten down appearance, the blue eyes that stared back at me were still bright and incredibly sharp. "Who are you?" I asked after a moment. My words were whispered but no less urgent or worried, "And where are we? What happened to me?" Another bang followed by another grunt and more laughter and unintelligible jeers. "And what is that?"

Do I even want to know?

"Alius is the name. Alius Tempus," the man replied with a tired smile. His smile faltered and fell, "and I imagine those are the dulcet tones of corporal punishment being meted out." The man grimaced at my confused expression and nodded to the door at the top of the steps outside the prison cell. "I think we'd best start with the 'where' and go from there. This, my unfortunate friend, is Dealande Fortress, stronghold of the Dealande Bandits. This place specifically is the dungeon below the fortress grounds, and you—" he nodded to me with a sardonic grin, "—are the newest prisoner. Congratulations."

"Wait, prisoner?! I don't—" I looked down at my tightly bound wrists, then took in the rest of my body. Beyond the ropes binding my wrists and the long dried blood sprayed across my traveling tunic, everything seemed to be in order... except... "—my sword! My bag! Where..." I looked around the cell for a second before realizing none of my things would be here if I was truly imprisoned by bandits. The panic from earlier started to make a comeback, but the man—Alius spoke before I could get too worked up.

"Hey, look at me," he hissed, this time slapping both his hands on my shoulders as he spoke. I turned to eye one of the grimy hands on my shoulder on reflex but he shook me yet again, more roughly this time. "Look. At. Me."

I looked at him.

"None of that now, you hear?" he continued, his unwavering gaze and stern, almost fatherly tone pinning me in place, "Panic is the enemy. Panic won't get you your things back, nor will it help you win your freedom. You need to stay calm, you need to stay focused. Don't think about what you don't have, think about what you can do with what you do have." He paused to let his words sink in. The cell fell silent save for the panicked breaths I was trying to get under control. Even then, Alius' eyes never once wavered from mine. His stare was so intense that it made me genuinely uncomfortable.

That discomfort more than anything is what allowed me to finally calm down and eventually I nodded. The man was coming off as a little too passionate to me. It put me off a bit, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't appreciate his words and willingness to keep things on track. "O-Okay, I'm... I'm good now," I finally replied. "You're right, I need to stop and think about the situation with a clear head. I just..." I shook my head as my thoughts wandered back to the events that brought me here—at least what I could remember of those events. "...I didn't expect to find myself here, but looking back, I guess I should've expected this kind of outcome."

I grimaced as a flare of anger laced with a tinge of betrayal flickered in my gut. Once I stopped to think, I had no trouble putting the pieces of what likely happened together. I could blame Havik for my imprisonment—and I did to a certain extent—but honestly, I was more upset at myself for falling victim to my own persistent naivety once again. Of course, given how things had ended, it wasn't exactly like I had any real say in the matter but even so, it still stung. I'd gotten myself into this situation by giving in to that thing and likely put Mauri in danger—

Mauri!

"Hey, did you see anyone else arrive with me?" I asked suddenly, "Another woman maybe? Short, kind of looks a bit like a child, green hair, blue eyes, slightly pointy ears?" Seemingly satisfied that I had myself under control, Alius sat back to give me some much needed space.

He furrowed his brow at my question and scratched at his thick beard thoughtfully. "Can't say that I have, I'm afraid. Though, your description is an interesting one..." He paused a moment and tilted his head, giving me a questioning look, "A friend of yours I assume?"

"I... I guess she is, yeah," I replied, only then realizing how right it felt to say.

Alius nodded as if he'd known all along. "My apologies then. You're the only one they've hauled in since me and I've been here for quite some time... as you can probably tell." He gestured to his ragged attire with a wry smile.

"Ah, well... that's troubling." I tried to humor him with a small smile of my own, but it came out as more of a grimace.

I gave up and dropped my gaze to my bound wrists with a despondent and slightly frustrated sigh. "I can't believe this happened again, and so soon too..."

At least this time I didn't wind up nearly stabbed to death in the woods. That has to count for something, right?

"Again, you say?" Alius asked with some interest, "And I'm sorry, Miss, but I didn't quite catch the name." I blinked and looked back up at the man in surprise. I could've sworn I mentioned it already, but thinking back on it, I never actually gave him a name.

"O-Oh, I guess I didn't mention it, did I?" I began, somewhat embarrassed at the social faux pas, "Sorry, my name... well, I know part of it at least is 'Sparkle' but that's all I can remember right now. I don't know if that's my first or last name though. I've just been assuming it's my last name and Mauri—the green-haired woman I mentioned before—she's been calling me Amethyst."

"Amethyst Sparkle, eh?" Alius looked me over curiously, then smiled, "Ah, for the eyes, no doubt. Quite striking I must say, as is the hair. I've not seen such a... vibrant individual as yourself before—not in Vale at any rate. Are you perchance a foreigner?"

This time it was my turn to smile, though mine was a sardonic thing. "You could say that. I'm certainly new to this place at least," my smile fell, "...and not very wise to the way of things it seems."

At that, Alius gave another knowing nod. "You do have the air of the inexperienced about you, though that idea does clash rather strongly with the blood-drenched tunic."

I looked down at the offending article of clothing and winced. Disjointed memories of what happened in the cave flitted through my mind but I pushed the images down as far as I could before giving a helpless shrug. "I've... seen battle. Doesn't mean I'm an expert or that I know any more about the world." Alius gave a small, wry chuckle at that.

"Ignorant but not innocent," he replied, "a troublesome combination to be sure. If nothing else, I'm certain your latest trial has graced you with a bit more worldliness, eh?"

"I would have rather not experienced that kind of trial at all, thank you very much," I groused. That just made Alius chuckle again.

"Ah, but I find that experience is the best teacher," he countered with a toothy grin. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger and all that, right?"

I'm not sure if it was the smile or his words or maybe a combination of the two, but the man was beginning to irritate me. "Well, the last time I was captured by these bandits I was nearly stabbed to death by a madwoman and now I'm here. In a prison cell. Once again captured by those same bandits." I raised my bound wrists to drive my point home, "I'm sorry, but I don't particularly feel any stronger than I was before."

I made sure to conveniently leave out my wholesale slaughter of the bandits during both my encounters. It didn't change the fact that I was caught off guard and captured both times, anyway.

"A fair point," Alius conceded, wholly unperturbed by the clear annoyance in my tone, "still, you made it out alive, didn't you? That's progress, no matter how you slice it. You just need to be willing to learn from life's trials, and the worse the experience, the better the lesson." He leaned forward and his bright blue eyes flared with interest as he watched me, "I must admit, I am curious as to how you escaped the first time round. I'd also like to know how it is you found your way back into their clutches." He nodded to the rest of me, "Your attire certainly tells a fascinating tale, I'd bet."

I frowned at the man and turned away. "Sorry, but I'd... rather not tell that tale if it's all the same to you." For some reason that made Alius smile again and when he spoke again, his tone was that of some wise elder.

"There, see? You're learning already. Best not to trust without reason or verification, especially in a place like this." Then, to my surprise, his affable expression suddenly turned grim, his cerulean eyes growing cold as ice. "It's good you learn that particular lesson now, Miss Sparkle. You'll likely need it soon."

"Wh-What do you mean?" I asked, completely thrown off by the sudden shift in atmosphere. Instead of responding right away, he eyed me for a another few seconds. Then the grave look vanished as if it had never been and he shrugged, his friendly smile returning once more.

"Just saying to be careful is all. You can't trust a bandit as far as you can throw one, and I've tried." His words were light, but this time I could feel the gravity behind them, and he wasn't wrong. I still trusted Mauri. I trusted that if I couldn't get myself out of this mess, she would come and get me. I had faith in that.

But then there was Havik.

I thought maybe Havik, for all her faults and the fact that she tried to kill me... I thought she might've been... I don't know. Different? Better? Something in my gut back then just told me she wasn't as bad a person as she made herself out to be. In a way, I still want to believe that, but I can't ignore the facts. I can't ignore my current situation or the person that put me in it.

"Well, I don't plan on trusting any more bandits any time soon, so there's no need to worry about that," I replied after a long moment, "If I ever get out of here, I'm keeping my distance altogether." Another question came to mind and returned my full attention back to my cellmate, "Incidentally, did you by chance see where they took my things or if I had them with me when they threw me in here?" The bag and rifle were one thing, but I felt entirely naked and completely vulnerable without my Spellblade. There was a hollowness in my chest, like something had been carved out of me.

Is this why my magic isn't working?

I'd been trying to ignore it, but the absence of my magic was weighing heavily on both my mind and body. Naturally, I had no intention of mentioning what I could do to this man I'd only just met, but I was getting increasingly restless without my sword and by extension, my magic.

Alius, for his part, stood up with a groan and stretched as he replied. "Not that I've seen, no. The only thing they tossed you in this cell with were the clothes on your back, and frankly, I'm surprised they left you with even that." He looked me over again, this time with some bemusement.

"Now I don't want you to get the wrong idea, Miss Sparkle, but objectively speaking, you are what the stuffy nobles in Ruvenbor would call a 'comely dame'." My face went slightly red at the compliment, but Alius didn't seem to notice as he pressed on. "That said, bandits tend to be a rowdy lot and when it comes to women... well..." his face twisted into a disdainful sneer, "they're more likely to let thier groins do the thinking, and they don't give one whit for petty things like consent." My face went pale at that, the red in my cheeks draining away as quickly as it had come.

I was suddenly all too aware of my previous lapse in consciousness and the myriad number of things that could've happened to me in that unknown span of time. I may have been ignorant of how this world worked for the most part, but I wasn't completely blind to the darker temptations of the heart and mind. "They... th-they didn't—" I began, but Alius held up a hand.

"I couldn't say for certain, but I don't think so." His expression was serious but his words were calm. I wasn't fairing nearly as well with this previous unthought of possibility.

"And what makes you so sure?" I hissed, then paused at the thought of another possibility. "And what about you? How do I know you didn't... take advantage of me while I was out? For all I know—"

"For all you know, I could have ravaged you just as those bandits might have done." Alius interjected. His face hadn't changed and neither had his tone. I shuddered, feeling horribly violated, but he paid my discomfort no heed as he kept going, "I might have had my way and dressed you back up so you were none the wiser. That is the problem with this situation. There's no way for you to know and I doubt there's much I could do to convince you that I've done nothing of the sort." He held up his hands in a show of helplessness, "Ultimately, Miss Sparkle, it's up to you whether or not to take me at my word and believe that I've not touched you since you awoke."

A long, uncomfortable silence stretched between us as my mind worked. I wanted to believe Alius, that he didn't do anything. I wanted to believe the bandits didn't do anything but it was like he said, I had no way to know for sure. I didn't feel like anything was amiss or off with my own body other than that empty sensation born from the loss of my sword and magic. And what about Havik? I thought, She's one of them, right? Would they do that to one of their own? In the end, all I could do was try not to think about it. It wasn't something I could do anything about, so I just decided to let it go for the moment—or I did my best anyway.

Unfortunately, that didn't mean Alius was done with the topic. He must've seen the resignation in my eyes because he sighed and continued on with his point. "I may not be able to convince you of my innocence," he began, leaning back against the grimy stone wall opposite of the iron bars that made up the front of the prison cell, "but where the bandits are concerned, I do have reason to believe they left you alone—at least in that regard." He waited for me to reply, but I just gestured for him to continue, suddenly too tired to speak myself. He looked at me for a second, gave a small shrug, and continued. "They didn't have your belongings when they brought you in—Cassius likely confiscated everything you had beforehand."

"Cassius?" I asked. The name sounded vaguely familiar.

"The leader of the Dealande Bandits," Alius explained, "anything useful or valuable obtained during one of their raids goes to him for inspection and he usually keeps whatever catches his fancy. If you had anything worthy of note, he's probably got his grubby hands on it now, sorry to say." He gave me an apologetic smile but all I could was sigh in response.

There was no way he didn't have my Spellblade, which meant I was going to have to confront him sooner or later. I don't know what the near future held, but I wanted my sword back. I needed it. If I had to fight my way through a bunch of bandits to retrieve it...

Well, I guess I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it. I just hope Mauri is there to cross it with me...

"So, what does this have to do with... you know," I pressed.

Alius nodded. "Right, well," he cleared his throat, "the two brigands that brought you in didn't have anything in tow but your unconscious body. That said, they were rather chatty." A sly grin crossed his face, "I feigned sleep so I could listen in, and they wound up letting a few interesting tidbits slip about you and your situation." I sat up straight against the wall.

My heart skipped a beat and my waning focus sharpened to a razor edge. "What 'tidbits'?" I asked, trying to hide my nervousness behind severity, "What did they say?" Alius chuckled and raised his hands placatingly.

"Calm down, Miss Sparkle. No need to get worked up," he replied reassuringly, "I only heard two thing of any real interest. The first was regarding their complaints."

I frowned. "Complaints?"

He nodded. "Indeed. It seems they were none too pleased that they couldn't 'get a piece of you', if you catch my meaning. Mentioned something about how the boss decreed you were 'off-limits' for the time being."

I wanted to be relieved at that, but for some reason, that just made me even more anxious. "Why?" I asked, "If that's true, then I'm not going to complain, but did they give a reason?" Alius nodded, his expression turning serious once again.

"That was the second thing," he replied, "one of the grunts figures that Cassius has plans for you. What those plans might be, I can't say, but if I know that bastard, he likely wants something from you." He raised a hand and scratched at his scraggly beard, "If he's keeping you from his boys, then either he wants you for himself, or..." his eyes raked over me and he frowned, "...or he wants to recruit you."

That surprised me and I couldn't help but blurt out, "What, me? Why?"

Alius shrugged. "Can't say for certain, though I have my guesses. You'd probably have a better idea as to why than I do, though."

I... couldn't argue with that. When I stopped to think about it, I knew exactly why he'd want to have someone like me join his little bandit camp. I may been a novice who knew little about the world, but I was strong—unnaturally so. It wasn't hubris, just a simple, objective fact—an entirely inexplicable fact, but a fact nonetheless. I looked down at the ropes keeping my wrists tied and flexed my fingers. Even without my magic, I suspected I was still strong enough to tear apart these thick ropes with little effort. I could probably even pry those iron bars wide open and escape if I wanted to.

But I'm not so sure I could get past that door at the top of the steps though. If there was a padlock of some kind I might be able to destroy it, but I don't see one, and I don't think it'd be a good idea anyway. After all, I'm only one person and there's probably a ton of bandits on the other side of that door...

Given the circumstances, I could see the bandit leader's reasoning. If Havik told this Cassius what I'd done to her group or to the bandits in that cave, then of course he wouldn't want that kind of power to slip through his fingers. It would be a waste to just kill me, especially if he couldn't use my sword himself. I didn't know if that was true, but something told me that was the truth—a feeling of certainty I couldn't quite place. With all this in mind, I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or worried. On one hand, if I played my cards right, I could use this to my advantage. On the other, if I messed this up, I could end up in a truly horrid position. I could end up dead... or worse.

I shuddered and tossed the thought aside before looking back up at Alius, who was watching me curiously. I couldn't help but wonder about the man. He'd clearly been in this place for a long time and yet he somehow managed to remain so... grounded and chipper. There were some aspects of him that grated on my nerves, but on the whole, Alius Tempus seemed a genuinely pleasant sort—pleasant... and suspicious. I couldn't figure him out and I didn't know how much he'd truly grasped about me either. What were his motives in speaking with me? Why was he thrown in here?

"Alius... just who are you?" I finally decided to ask after a bit of deliberation, "Why were you locked down here, and what's your relationship with the bandit leader?"

Alius' eyes seemed to light up at the questions and he smiled. "Ah, finally asking the important questions, I see." He hummed in thought for a second before nodding to himself, "I don't see the harm in sharing a bit of my life story. I've nothing really to hide at this point, anyway. But where to begin..." He slid his back down the wall until he was sitting cross-legged on the stone floor and fully turned to face me. "Well, I suppose the first thing you should know about me is that, like yourself, I am not a native of Vale. You see, my father was a—"

A heavy click broke the surrounding silence and stopped Alius' anecdote cold before it could even begin. The sound was quickly followed by another sharp click and the heavy metal door at the top of the steps suddenly swung open with a deep groan of metal. Alius and I watched as a massive fur and leather-cloaked man with bulging arms and tree-trunk thick legs stepped into the room and down the short flight of stairs. Everything about the man was rugged and looked chiseled from stone. His oily chestnut hair was cut short and I could see his square chin even beneath his bushy beard. His face was heavily scarred and his nose looked like it'd been broken at least a few times.

He carried a gigantic single bladed axe on his back and a comparatively small shortsword and buckler on his hip. The two things that caught my eye the most, however, were the flinty grey eyes that seemed to take in everything at a single glance, and his right hand. He'd pushed open the door with his left hand which looked fine, but his right hand was another story entirely. Each finger on his right hand looked as though it had been smashed flat with a hammer. The injury was recent, the red flesh raw and blood spilling from his limp hand to the stone floor below. Looking at it made my stomach turn slightly, but the large man didn't look bothered by it in the least.

Is that him? Is that... Cassius?

"Well, looks like I was right about corporal punishment." Alius muttered. The closeness of his voice made me jump slightly. At some point he'd moved next to me, but his eyes were fixed on the newcomer as he spoke, "Cassius, that damned fool. He's not going to be of use to anyone like that." He stood up and called out to the man, much to my horror. "Burkin, you old dog, you look a right mess! What, did Cass catch you with your hand in the stash again?" The large man—Burkin, apparently—gave an annoyed grunt as he made his way to the bars of our cell.

"Shut it, Tempus," he growled, his deep, booming voice like gravel against my ears, "you'll get yours, you can bet on that, but I ain't here for you. Not this time." He pulled a set of keys from his leather trousers as he spoke. His words were directed at Alius, but all of his concentration seemed to be on unlocking the cell door.

"Ah, here for your latest prize then." Alius replied with a look of faux disappointment, "A shame, really. I do so enjoy the friendly banter. Tell me, how is Cassius these days? We rarely get to see each other anymore." Burkin just grunted again as he singled out a key from his keyring and put it in the lock on the cell door.

With a single twist and a loud clack the door unlocked and he wrenched it open, the metallic screech of the hinges making me wince. The massive bandit poked his head into the cell and looked around. His piercing gaze roamed the dingy prison until he spotted me still sitting on the floor. His slate grey eyes narrowed and he jerked his chin toward the exit, ignoring Alius entirely. His expression was stony, but there was a strange glint in his eye as he barked out his next words.

"Come on then, girl, up you get. Best not to keep the big man waiting, yeah?"

Next Chapter: Episode VII – The Bandits ~ Part II Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 21 Minutes