Author's Notes:

hey everybody, I got a sudden boost of inspiration and hammered out another chapter for you all. let me know what you think. they are almost ready to drop into the dungeon, but they need to get ready first and register with the guild.

“So, what did I miss?” Looking around the room, Makarov was a little confused at the looks he was getting from the girls. As his eyes came to rest on Celestia, he continued “Um… not sure what is going on here, but we have Angle Bunny here, and Fluttershy is ready to form a familiar contract. Do you need any equipment Hel… Celestia?”

Smiling at him, “If you wouldn’t mind Makarov. It’s been a long time since I went on an adventure, I don’t have any adequately leveled items anymore.”

Nodding he responded “No problem, what lvl are you now anyway, I didn’t bother to check. But I expect that you likely maxed out a long time ago.”

Blushing a bit, she answered, “Well, you see… Life kind of got in the way and. Well, I’m lvl 75.”

Looking at her with confusion, “Really? How in the nine hells have you not ground out the last 25 lvls in the last five millennia?” She looked down at her hoofs and didn’t respond. Scratching the back of his head, he sighed, “Whatever I guess, you are still overlevled for the 25th floor anyway. But you better believe that we are going to work on those last few levels. How was someone that wasn’t at least maxed out considered the best magic user in the world anyway? Is there no one that took the time to max out?”

Shaking her head, Celestia responded, “No, I’m afraid that after the cataclysm, and when the precursors all left, most were just concerned with surviving. There weren’t many that had the time to worry about maxing out. They just wanted to survive.”

Shrugging he looked back at the group “Well I guess that makes sense. In any event, I have equips for everyone. Let's start with Twilight here.” Stepping over, he looked down at her; “You are a mage, are you not?” She nodded up at him. “Good good, well for you I have this robe, staff, hat, rings, belt, necklace, and boots.” As he named off each item, they formed in the air next to him. The robe was a low lvl item that he had kept in storage out of his hoarding tendencies. They were all sitting in just at lvl 9, but they were still considered rare class gear. Funny enough, the Robe was a deep purple that had stars woven into it. Giving a general status bost and a mana boost as well. The two rings held enchantments that shortened cast time and had a hp boost. The Necklace added a last resort shield spell. The belt likewise added a hp boost and the boots gave an agility boost.

The hat, like the rings, shortened cast time, and last but not least, the staff had a fire magic enhancement on it to boost flame spells.

Twilight looked at the items with wonder in her eyes. “These!!! These are extremely rare pieces of equipment! I don’t think I have seen anything like them before. How do you have these?!”

Shrugging “I dunno, it’s just some old gear of mine. It was helpful back when the total number of spells available was under the 100 mark. Firebolt is one of the weakest spells there are, and that stuff kept me alive. Kinda just held onto it, to be honest. I’m a bit of a hoarder.” Smiling, he stepped away from the baffled unicorn and walked up to Rarity.

Looking her over, he asked, “Now correct me if I’m wrong, but I expect that you have some formal training with a rapier. Am I right?”

She took a step back, “How! Ahem, why would you say such a thing, darling?” Her eyes shifted around the room. Lingering on Applejack for a moment.

Makarov Smirked as he noticed her gaze “Call it a hunch, but the way you carry yourself, says that you have the training, and as far the weapon is concerned. I just couldn’t imagine you wielding any kind of standard sword. The rapier is a far more elegant weapon. Something that I feel you would do well with.”

Blushing, she nodded, “Yes. I am trained with the rapier. As well as a whip. I had a rather nasty encounter with some Diamond Dogs a few years ago and took it upon myself to take up a weapon to prevent something like that from happening again.”

Makarov rose his eyebrow in confusion at the mention of Diamond Dogs “I’m afraid I’m not familiar with Dimond Dogs. What kind of creature is that?” He turned to Celestia with confusion.

“I apologize Makarov. They are a subspecies of Gnolls. Brutes that crave jewels more than anything. They have taken up the rather disappointing act of slavery to obtain more.”

The moment that Celestia mentioned the word slavery, the temperature in the room drooped around 15 degrees, frost began to form on the windows as steep rose from each of their mouths. In a voice so even that it sent shivers down the mares backs, he responded, “Slavery? Hmmm.” cracking his neck “I guess after this, I have some hunting to do. I have to admit, this world got a little boring after I cleared filth like that from its face the first time. I missed their screams.”

With a nervous look in her eyes, Twilight slid up next to Celestia and quietly muttered to her, "Does he know about the Griffon nation?"

Celestia shook her head, "Not yet, but he will likely find out soon. I was just trying to distract him for a bit before he discovers that they fell back into the practice. May Foust have mercy on their souls."

Twilight looked up at her mentor with concern in her eyes "Isn't there something that you can do about that? He sounds like...' hunting' slavers is some kind of game to him."

Celestia looked at her student and in a motherly tone, responded, "For him it very much is. The vile act of slavery was once very rampant in this world, thousands of years ago. Makarov made it one of his goals to hunt down everyone that he could find. His crusade is still one of the legends among the Griffons today, though they look at him as some kind of boogeyman now. The only reason that I didn't do it myself was that I had to look after my nation. The world is about to change my student." With resolve in her eyes, she finished her statement, "For the better."

After a moment, he shook his head, and the room was brought back up to average temperature, “Sorry to get sidetracked like that, Back to business.” Thinking for a moment, Makarov summoned another set of gear. A collection of Studded leather armor that held purple and gold highlights, a white hat with a large purple plum, elegant leather gloves, Thigh high boots, a beautiful belt, another Necklace, and to finish it off. A silver blade and a black whip that had thorns along the end. “The armor, gloves, and boots are made of wivern hide. Nasty buggers, but they make great armor. If you ever run into one, lookout. They have little to no intelligence, but they love to kill things for sport. As for the blade, it is forged from Mithril, the guard as I am sure you noticed is forged to look like a rose with its vines curling around to form the sweepings and the knuckle guard. The Mithril helps to reinforce the Debole while keeping weight down. The Whip is again made form wivern hide, though the rose theme carries over. The but of the wipe is a rose with the image of the rest of it being the stem.”

Rarity was running her hands of the leather, it’s smooth surface held a surprising softness to it that she hadn’t expected. “This is exquisite. I had no idea that something as crass as battle armor could be so elegant. Thank you.”

Smirking, he shot back, “Thank me after it has saved your life.” Stepping away, he turned to the bouncy pink mare. Something told him that she knew more than she should “Bard?” she nodded “Already know how to use the equips?” she nodded again. “Cool” Dropping a load of equipment in her arms she flashed away leaving a pink mist where she had been standing a moment before. Less than a minute later, she was back, fully kitted, and ready to go. The Lute on her back was a rich mahogany color, and her hat was plopped on her head at a rakish angle.

Looking at him with a randy smile “These fit just fine Macky. They press all the right things together.” As she said this, she pressed her rather impressive chest up.

Blushing, he turned away “Bloody bards.” he muttered under his breath “Now for the fast one.” Looking over at Rainbow, he nodded to himself, “I take you for a hit and run artist. Take this gear.” He dropped a pile of equipment into her arms that was very similar to
Rarities though instead of a plumed hat, she didn’t get one. She also received two daggers. One longer than the other. “Let me know if you need any help in learning how to use that.” She just looked at him with a grumpy look in her eyes. Makarov couldn’t help but think to himself, ‘she acts like I just insulted her. Meh, whatever. If she wants to be like that, may as well have a little fun once we get there.’

Applejack was up next. “For you, I have something a little different. From the looks of you, you wouldn’t do well with a weapon. At least with a weapon that wasn’t your fists or legs, am I right?” She looked at him with suspicion but nodded all the same. “That’s what I thought. Guessing you could take heavier armor as well, but to be honest, keeping you light would be a better move. Not sure if anyone knows what they are anymore, but I suspect you could be a great monk. Try this stuff on.” He passed her another load of equipment. This time the armor was replaced with a light cloth garment. Its orange hue had red highlights, and it appeared that it would fit her quite well. Loose enough to not impede her movement, but tight enough to not get in the way. It was magically hardened to the point that one could mistake it for a set of heavy armor. To go with it, she also had a pair of red greaves to go on each leg and some hand wrappings. “That should work well for you, I think.

Then turning to Fluttershy, he smiled with warmth “For you my little druid, I have something extra special. He pulled yet another set of equipment from his storage. The robe was dark green in color with a complex vine pattern woven in. Scattered over it were various birds and small animals. A crown made of dark wood woven together into an intricate pattern, interlaced with leaves that somehow were still alive. Sturdy boots as well as a rope belt. Three rings as well as a knarled staff that held a large amber gem. Her hat was similar to Twilight’s in that it was a cone, but the brim was far wider. Her necklace had a pendant of a complex root system that seemed to be tangling in on itself endlessly. Not finished he looked at the small bunny “Now for you, I noticed that you do not have your horn little one. I am to fix that.” Pulling what appeared, at first glance to be a unicorn horn, which of course shocked both Rarity and Twilight, he smiled, and he crouched down next to the rabbit who had jumped fro his shoulder after he had started to hand out equipment. “It is regrettable to see a rare Almiraj without its horn. This is one that picked up a long time ago, but it would do better to be used by you.”

In a quick motion, he slapped the horn down on Angle’s head. Fluttershy cried out for a moment until Angle Bunny grew three times his size. Now larger than Winona, Angle looked at his paws with wonder. “Now that I fixed that little issue, its time for form your pact. Fluttershy if you would come here please.” Still intimidated at what he had just done, she shuffled forward “Hold out your paw and hand, and pay attention. You can use this to form pacts with other animals in the future to give Angle here more support. He placed Fluttershy’s hand against Angles paw and placed the blade of a dagger between them. Loosely wrapping a cloth around there hands, he spoke. “Many look down on those that use the magic of nature. They fail to see its power and utility. But those of use that have glimpsed into the wildlands understand its power, its terror, and its kindness.”

Looking into her eyes, he continued, “Repeat after me as you hold onto the grip of the dagger.” Her free hand shook as she reached up to grasp it. “Now repeat after me. We swear, By peace and love to stand. Heart to Heart and Hand in Hand. Mark O Spirit, and hear us Now, Confirming this, our Sacred vow. This, I swear. Once you are finished, you will need to slide the blade so that it cuts both your hand and Angle’s paw. This will seal the pact and bind him to you and you to him, do you understand?

She nodded though she was shaking as she did so. “Remember, be clear and firm in your conviction as you do this. It is a sacred vow to the druids, it is the deepest connection that one can make with a familiar. As much as you bind Angle to do your bidding, you also bind yourself to ensure that you never force him to do something that he doesn’t want to. The druidic path is one that demands sacrifice, to put what is just and good first, to protect the wilds against those that might destroy them with impurity. Remember, not all destruction is bad, it is part of nature, the eternal cycle, and in some cases, destruction is needed for new growth. In the land that I come from, there are trees whose seeds can only grow after their parent trees have been burned down. Remember this, some times, the old must be cleansed for the new to begin.”

Gripping the dagger with resolve, Fluttershy spoke the words. As she did so, a green mist began to form beneath her and Angle. As she finished her oath, she looked right at Angle bunny and slid the dagger between their respective paw and hand. As their blood mixed, a bright flash issued forth. And just as quickly as it started, it ended. Blinking the flash from her eyes, she felt Makarov’s hands slowly remove the binding cloth. Expecting to have to deal with her cut hand, she was shocked to find that it was without injury. As was Angle’s paw. Makarov smiled at her “Congratulations, you have taken the first step down a long path, but at its end, glory awaits.”

Now finished with the girls, he stood back up and turned to Celestia “So then that leaves you. Considering that you held my title up to this point, does that mean that you changed your fighting style then?”

She shook her head “No, I still prefer my old fighting style, but when the world needed a Makarov, I stepped up to take the position. In the long run, it prevented a lot of wars. So if it were not too much trouble, I would love similar equipment to what I once had.”

Smirking, he shook his head “Darn, I had hoped that you had taken a bit after you sister and started to seriously study magic. Oh well, beggars can’t be choosers.” He waved his hand and dropped a new set of equipment on the ground in front of her. A full set of heavy golden armor, thick plates that would cover her entirely as well as a massive halberd. Each piece looked like it would weigh over forty pounds each. No average person could ever hope to put it on.

Celestia smiled “You even remembered that I love golden armor. You have always spoiled us.”

He chuckled, “As if I would ever forget you spending a week begging me to go on that quest to get the materials to make your first set. It was strange to see such a young girl so happy to get a set of full plate.”

Twilight who had been silent as each of her friends had been given. Frankly, a treasure trove in equipment that seemed to be tailor-made for them spoke up, thoroughly confused. “How is it that all of this equipment is a perfect fit for us?! What kind of ceremony did you do with Fluttershy, Why is Angle so big now. And Why is Princess Celestia asking for Full Plate?! I thought you were a magic-user?!”

Celestia grimaced “Well, to be honest with you, dear Twilight, I only started to rely on magic after I was appointed to the position of the Makarov. To be entirely upfront with you. Luna is a far better magic user that I ever was. But she insisted that I was the better public face for the title. I have always been more partial to using a halberd and full plate mail.” Snapping her fingers, the armor disappeared from the group and reappeared on her body. Makarov smiled as it came to rest on her. Something that he had loved about Quest Online was that the difference between male and female armor was in the fit. But not in the aesthetic. This armor was made to be used, none of that bullshit boob cup nonsense. It did have a bit of a larger cavity to compensate for her rather impressive chest, but that was it. If she ever took a hit to the chest, it would absorb the impact and deflect it away, rather than potentially crush inward and cause breathing issues.

Responding to her other questions, “And to answer your other questions, Twilight. The armor fits because it is magic. It would fit you just as well as it fits Celestia, though depending on your abilities, you wouldn’t be able to use it as effectively. The ceremony that I helped Fluttershy and Angle complete was a druidic binding. It is something that druids use to bind familiars to themselves. And as to why Angle is so large now, well he should have been that large, to begin with. The issue was that he was for whatever reason a hornless Almiraj. Not sure how it happened, but I just gave him a horn again. As for what an Almiraj is, well, they are a type of magic animal that can be used as a familiar. As for his abilities, they will have to figure that out for themselves. In any event, shall we go now? I’m getting excited. It’s been a long time since my last Dungeon crawl.”

Celestia nodded, “Yes, let us be off. I can teleport us to the base came if you like Makarov. It will be faster, and then you can go whenever you like later. Besides we will have to register with the guild before they will let us enter.”

Smiling, he nodded. In a flash, the library around them was replaced by clearing that stood before a massive building at the base of the mountain. As the fully-equipped group walked up to the front door, various adventures looked at the party with awe. Many stared at the Princess, resplendent in her golden armor, the famous Elements of harmony each wearing a different set of unique equipment, followed closely by a large horned rabbit. But what stood out the most, was the large being with his beard and long hair. His robes shimmered in the light and the magnificent staff connected with the groud at each step. They didn’t stop to speak or address any of the other adventures before entering the office.

The clerk and the desk had been looking over her notes for the day when he noticed that the room that was typically filled with boisterous laughter and music had suddenly grown silent. Looking up, his face grew pale as he saw that Princess Celestia was standing with a group at his counter. Dropping his work, he made to bow to her before she stopped him with her words, “Hello there, we are looking to register with the guild and enter the dungeon. Would you be able to help us with that?”

The clerk was shocked, the princess was standing in his guild office and had asked to register as an adventure. “Y-your m-majesty. Y-you mean to s-say that y-you are going into the dungeon? I-I guess I c-can help w-with that.”

Rolling his eyes at the pitiful display, Makarov rose one hand and pointed it at the clerk {Lion’s heart}. A wave of confidence washed over the clerk as his nervousness and fear were swept aside. Not sure what happened, but glad that he had gotten himself under control. “Of course, you are, after all the Makarov. I don’t think there would be an issue with letting you in. Um... I have the paperwork right here. Now normally any first-timers would have to rake up from bronze, but.”

He was cut off by Makarov who had leaned in next to him “Don’t worry about that son. We are just fine raking up like everyone else. We don’t need any special treatment. And keep this under your hat, but she isn’t the Makarov anymore. I am. Or at least I came back for my title.”

His face dropped again at hearing this. Looking over at Princess Celestia, she smiled and nodded at him. He was back to being intimidated, but the effects of {Lion’s Heart} was still in effect, so he managed to keep his composure. After finishing the paperwork, they walked out of the guildhall wearing copper plates on their chests.

“Well that took longer than I had hoped, but now we can get to it. So is anyone as excited as I am to jump right in?” Makarov beamed as he looked at his party.

They looked a little less than confident, so deciding to give them a bit of a boost he responded “Well then, time for final preparations, come on over here. I have some buffs to cast on us before we get moving. Better to do them here rather than worry about it later. And if needs be, I can reapply them later once we are down there.”

Celestia calmly walked up to stand next to him. The mane Six looked at each other before nodding and joining her. “Alright, here we go.” Taking his staff in hand, Makarova began to speak, “Because we are only doing PVE, we shouldn’t need to worry about things like false life info or teleportation delay or redirection. So I will just go with the basic boosts for now and see what comes up later.” Closing his eyes, he began to cast. {Lion’s heart}{Greater Magic Sheild}{Greater Ability Boost}{Luck Boost}{Greater Protection Negative Engery}{Greater Protection Evil}{Greater Agility Boost}{Greater Health Boost}. As each spell was announced, a different shade of light draped over the group. Whispers had started up once they came out of the guildhall, but they were once again silenced as he rambled off the various buff spells.

As he finished, the girls couldn’t help but notice that they felt amazing. Applejack could feel that her arms and legs had become stronger and was itching to try it out. Walking over to a large rock, she wondered what would happen if she were to try punching it. Figuring that she wanted to test it out, Makarov spoke up “Go ahead, you shouldn’t have to worry about it hurting. The buff spells effectively doubled your base lvl. Nodding, she took a stance and slammed her fist into the stone.

As her wrapped fist hit the rock, a resounding crack echoed across the staging area as it was blasted to dust. Applejack stood there, looking at her fist in awe, unable to speak after what she had just managed to do. As she was doing this, Makarov noticed that a light rosy color had shown itself on Rarity’s cheeks. Smirking to himself, he smiled as he muttered “I totally ship it.” After shaking his head, he announced. “Well then, are we ready?” The group nodded with awe still evident on their faces, eager to test out the new power they had been granted. Fluttershy looked more confident then they have ever seen her before, Rainbow had lost her look of annoyance, and Celtia beamed, thinking to herself that Luna was going to be rather upset that she missed this.

Smirking, Makarov Announced, “Well then, as a wise man once said ‘Allons-y.’”