The brave, handsome paladin strode through the dark, foreboding, and mysterious forest. Light from the midnight's moon filtered through the trees, reflecting off his golden armor. Within his magic grip was the greatest of all great lances, Dragon's Bane. This protector of all things good and holy was none other than Sir Valiant The Just. Though the strength of his magic and his body was that of legend, this knight rarely traveled alone. By his side were his two closest allies, stallions who had fought with him against evils from Sigil to Athkatla and to all points beyond. There were none other in all the planes of reality that he trust more than them.

To his right was the wise cleric, Smithson The Wise, armed with his magic and his trusty mithril mace. Unlike the mighty paladin, Smithson was cautious in the face of danger, and tried his best to prevent Sir Valiant from rushing in head first at the slightest hint of evil's presence. He would be heard muttering, “I told you so,” during the few, rare, almost too small to even be worth mentioning times that the paladin's rash behavior got him into trouble.

On Sir Valiant's other side stood a cloaked pegasus, Shadow, a master among rogues. Despite the other two requesting it, he never added a special title after his name, for he considered them lame. The pegasus excelled in stealth and finding ways into places he didn't belong. While normally a stallion like him would have been an enemy to Sir Valiant, the two were friends since foalhood. They had their lives forever changed after witnessing the tragic events surrounding the fall of their home city, Doma. Sir Valiant swore himself to path to justice, and to fight to prevent another such tragedy. Shadow however decided that the only way to survive was to look out for yourself first and foremost. Their morals and methods may differ, but the pair couldn't argue with the fact that they worked better together than apart.

The three had been contacted by merchants who depend on supplies from caravans traveling through this region. All the ones that vanished were set to go through this forest at some point. They also were told of a small village on the far side of it, a place where caravan crews would often stop for the night, as they didn’t want to travel through the forest if they couldn't make it before sunset. It seemed like the best place to start their search.

Shadow stopped and tilted his head upwards to the trees. Soon, the other two stopped as well and looked to him for an answer.

“We shouldn't dawdle out here. Not all of us like traveling in the dark, you know,” said Smithson. He warily looked all around them, keeping his mace at the ready. “If this is the place where they disappeared, then we shouldn't remain out in the open during the night.”

“You worry too much, Smithson. If any threat presents itself, I, Sir Valiant, will slay it!” boasted the paladin, while making a show of swinging his lance. He smiled as he stared out into the dark forest, practically daring some monstrosity or bandit to come out and attack. It would simply mean the death of one more evil doer.

“Listen,” said Shadow.

The only noise aside from their talking was a gentle wind rustling the leaves. The forest was at peace, and one could likely hear the drop of a pin. “I hear nothing,” said Valiant.

“Forests aren't supposed to be this quiet. Where are insects? The birds? Anything?” asked Shadow.

“Now that you mention it, this is perhaps too quiet,” said Smithson. After they put some thought into it, the quiet grew from peaceful to eerie. The fur on the back of Smithson's neck stood on end, and his gut told him that this was a bad omen. “Like I said, we should be movin-”

Snap!

At once the silence was shattered and apprehension gripped the hearts of the adventurers. More twigs snapped in the distance, off the trail and deeper into the woods. “Shall we?” asked Sir Valiant, pointing his lance in the direction from whence the sound came.

“I swear, nothing good can come of us following that sound,” replied Smithson. “Let us be off to find an inn.”

“If it is something bad, then we should deal with it now instead of allowing this threat to continue,” said Valiant. His eyes stayed glued to the direction of the sound, and he was practically leaning forward, wanting nothing more than to go running off to find the source.

“What about you Shadow? Surely you know better.”

“If we see what it is, we may find something of value. It could be worth the risk.”

“Why do I even bother? Fine, we shall go see what was the cause, but please stick together.”

Sir Valiant agreed and took the lead. The three stallions did their best to avoid stepping on anything that would give away their position as they waded around the many trees, taking caution to remain silent. The farther in they went, the darker it became. Sir Valiant was grinning, picturing what new tale the bards would craft about him this time: Sir Valiant, protector of the forest; Sir Valiant vs the Grand Oak Demon; Sir Valiant did another amazing thing.

The sound was close now; had there been more light, they would likely be able to see the source. “Shadow,” whispered Smithson, “What do your senses tell you?”

“All I can tell you is that it's the size of a pony, and I don't think it knows we're here,” he whispered back.

“So, we have the element of surprise... good,” said Smithson.

“If we attack fast, we can bring it down in a single strike,” said Shadow.

Valiant readied his weapon and before the others could decide on a plan, he charged forward at the mysterious noise maker. Dragon's Bane pierced it with ease, going straight through the creature and out the other side. It didn't even get the chance to make a single sound before falling forward in death. Sir Valiant yanked the lance free and held it up in triumph. Once more he stood as the victor.

Smithson and Shadow walked up to check the body. With the threat gone, Smithson used a light spell, allowing them a good look at the thing Sir Valiant just killed: a mare in a green cloak.

“Um... she... she was a witch, I'm sure. Or an evil cultist,” said Sir Valiant as the other two searched her body, paying his words little heed. “Seriously, why else would you be out at night, in a forest, in a cloak?”

Shadow pulled a scroll out of her cloak, and read it aloud, “To do list: 1: Get more brezian mushrooms. 2: fill canteens with spring water. 3: dust shop before opening.”

“Congratulations Sir Valiant, you slayed an apothecary,” said Smithson.

“Now now, she could have been an alchemist,” said Shadow.

“She could have been an EEEVIL apothecary, or an EEEVIL alchemist.” He smiled at the other two, hoping to get them to agree. “Hey, owning a shop doesn't automatically make you one of the good guys.”

“Uuuugh, really?” asked Aegis, as she leaned back in her seat and stared at the ceiling in disbelief. “Gaffer, that was not cool.”

The four of them were in a den that Aegis had set up within one of the basement rooms of the Crystal Palace, away from any place that was normally busy. Cadance often teased her by calling it the nerd cave. The one back wall was covered by a bookcase full of comics and fantasy stories. Models of space ships and heroes were on top of it. The middle of the room had a table with four chairs, currently occupied by Aegis, Gaffer, 8-bit, and Poindexter. Upon the table was a regional map, various dice, and small, carved figurines to represent their characters – they weren't particularly detailed, just simple pieces designed to fit their classes. An enchanted crystal hung above them, designed to light up the room when commanded to. However, the group preferred to keep it off during their games, and instead used a mounted torch that was next to the door. Its unsteady glow served well in adding the right atmosphere to the room while they played..

“She was a quest giver. I didn't know you guys were going to haul off and kill her,” said Gaffer, defending himself. The unicorn had a green mane and mostly light brown fur. His legs and the middle stripe of his face however were white. At first glance, it almost seemed like he was wearing socks. “Maybe next time you wo-okay seriously, why are you a mare?” He turned to the two others. “Neither one of you are fazed by this at all? Not even a little? Not even going to ask why?”

8-bit shrugged. “I'm just happy we're all here dude. Been awhile since all of us could get together.” The pegasus had a short, light blue mohawk and grey fur. His cutie mark was a pixelated space insect from an old arcade game.

The last of the group, Poindexter, was a white earth pony with glasses and a messy brown mane. “Well, she did tell us about Aegis before now.”

“I know but hearing that your friend is occasionally a hot mare and actually seeing her as one are different. And you-” He pointed to Aegis.

“You think I'm hot?” asked Aegis, unsure if she heard him right.

“Don't change the subject,” responded Gaffer. He leaned forward against the table, towards her. “You just lounge around as a mare now?”

“I wasn't lounging around, before you guys got here, I was at the spa.” The other three froze, and each shot her with a curious expression. “Getting a massage after wearing armor for awhile feels really nice, okay? Also, I might be used to being one or the other, but it still takes time to get used to a new body when I make the switch. Cadance and I had something planned for tonight and I wanted to do it early so it wouldn't be a problem.”

Gaffer sat back in his chair. “Fine, I'll deal with my brain sending confusing signals about you then. Still weird though. By the way, your paladin just went through an alignment shift. He's now lawful neutral.”

“Why?”

“Because you killed an innocent shop keeper. Killing somepony based on suspicious activity can be considered lawful, but it sure as Celestia ain't good,” said Gaffer.

Aegis grunted and rested her chin on the table, staring at the little knight figurine of Sir Valiant. “Fine, I bury the old mare and pray for her soul while asking the gods to forgive my transgression. How's that?”

Gaffer nodded and scribbled something down on a piece of paper. “Right, and that's when the beautiful princess appeared.”

“Wha?” said the other three in near unison.

“Why Gaffer, you always were a flatterer,” said a voice from the open doorway, and the three players turned to see Princess Cadance standing there. “Good afternoon boys,” she turned to her wife, “and Aegis.” The princess pranced up to her and embraced her; wrapping a wing around Aegis' back and lovingly nuzzled her neck.

Aegis smirked to the others before kissing Cadance's forehead. Just because she was currently a mare didn't mean that she wouldn't show off having such a beautiful, affectionate wife. As she watched them from her peripheral vision, they appeared to have several reactions. Poindexter was blushing, 8-bit seemed conflicted and rustled his wings, while Gaffer turned away. She was confused at first, wondering what it could be that would have them acting so odd. Slowly the realization crept up on her: she was one of two fairly attractive mares – more than just fairly attractive in Cadance's case – being rather touchy-feely in front of them.

“Ahem.” Aegis quickly cleared her throat and sat up straight. “Cadance, I thought you were going to be busy until this evening?”

“What's the matter? Can't I check up on my lovely wife?” Cadance tilted her head to the side and softly nibbled at Aegis' cheek.

Aegis squeaked, not just for the rather good feeling it gave her, but also out of fear. She was far too close to her ears for comfort, and past instances of Cadance using her weakness to tease her flashed within her mind's eye. Each time all it took was one little bite and tug to make the tough guard helplessly whine. A light blush spread across her cheeks. Please don't go for the ears. She had wanted to show off to her friends, not be part of a show for them. Luckily for her Cadance was merciful and turned her attention to the others in the room.

“And don't think I'm going to ignore you boys.” She walked around the edge of the table and started with Poindexter. Cadance leaned in, softly kissing the stallion on his cheek. “How have things been going for you, Poindexter?”

“W-well,” he stumbled over his words, “I-I don't mean to toot my own horn, but one of the most beautiful mares complimented me on my looks and manliness.”

Cadance giggled and playfully nudged his shoulder. “You get 'em tiger.” Next up was 8-bit, who got the same kiss on the cheek as Poindexter. “How's your lovely wife and son doing?”

“They're great. My boy has even come close to beating some of my scores at the arcade.”

“Sounds like his father, I'm sure you're very proud.” Finally there was Gaffer. “And you... just what kind of trouble have you been getting into lately?”

Gaffer grinned, “For your information, I haven't been in any trouble. Actually my shop has been doing pretty well for itself. I was even able to hire someone so that I'd get some time off. She's a little weird, but she knows how to draw a crowd.”

Meanwhile, in a comics and gaming store in Canterlot, a number of ponies were gathered round the new comics section. Most of them were there for the much anticipated Dr. Star Swirl: Master of the Mystic Arts issue #1, a gritty retelling of the history of ponykind's most famous spell caster – yes, it did happen to take quite a few liberties with changes to history for the sake of making the story more captivating. Of the Star Swirl fans, many were dressed in homemade copies of the wizard's iconic hat and cape.

Watching this display of fan hype from behind the counter was a blue unicorn who had been wearing her version of his costume long before it became popular. Trixie smiled at the sight and thought to herself, Finally, Trixie has found where she belongs.

“Aww, Gaffer, I'm proud of you,” said Cadance as she hugged him and gave him that kiss on the cheek she withheld earlier. “Next time Shiny and I are in Canterlot we'll make sure to stop by, I promise.”

“I'll hold you to that.” Gaffer turned back to the table, the map, and the game pieces. “Though since you're here, I guess you're gonna drag away 'Shiny' to your date.”

“Nope.” Cadance walked back around the table to her spouse. “I know you guys don't get the hang out as much anymore and I don't want to break up the party. I actually came down here since I was wondering if I could join.”

Aegis blinked a couple times, letting her mind process that information. “W-wait, what? Really? You actually want to join?”

“Is it that much of a shock?” she asked.

“Well, you've never asked to join us before,” Aegis replied.

“Yeah, this is the first time that I can recall you wanting to join our game,” added 8-bit.

“I'm bored and I want to spend time with you guys.”

Gaffer shrugged. “Well, I'm not against helping a newbie learn D&D, but the campaign was set up for a party of three.” He looked around at the other ponies, stopping on Aegis. “Unless...” He grinned. “Hey Shining, would you switch to one of the important NPCs?”

“That depends, what is his-”

“Her.”

“What is her role in the story?”

“Well, if I told you that, it'd give away the whole storyline.” Gaffer got up and walked to the doorway. “Step outside with me for a second.”

Moments went by as the two talked of the character Aegis would take control of. From inside the room, the others could hear them murmuring about the plan.

“Good news everypony, she'll do it,” said Gaffer as he walked back in and sat down. “First, we need to write out Sir Valiant.”

8-Bit raised his hoof. “How about he gets word that he needs to be involved in something back at the city we left?”

“Good enough for me,” said Aegis as she removed her figurine from the map.

“And he dies along the way,” added Gaffer.

“Hey, you know the rules,” said Aegis.

8-Big and Poindexter laughed loudly at the exchange, while Cadance was left with a lot of questions. “Sweetie? What's going on?”

“Our great dungeon master loves to try to kill off any paladin I make.”

“Why?” Cadance looked over at Gaffer.

“Ugh... To make a long story short, one of her paladins once forced me to throw out my campaign and try to improvise the whole thing.” Gaffer entered a staring match with Aegis.

“I may have gone off script a bit, but I say I made it better.”

“So, what actually happened?” asked Cadance.

“Well, I wanted them to be low on funds in the beginning so I had a pickpocket rob them.” Gaffer rubbed his temple. “Biggest mistake I ever made in a game. Little miss truth and justice over there decided to chase the pickpocket and was utterly relentless.”

Aegis waved off Gaffer's comment. “It wasn't that bad.”

“You chased him through nine planes of reality, interrupted a dark earth pony civil war, and killed an elder god – I'm still not sure how the hay you managed to pull that one off – to catch a pickpocket who stole all of twenty gold bits from you.”

Aegis swelled with pride, loving every memory he was bringing back up. “I stand for justice and it was my duty to bring down that thief.”

“And this is why everypony hates paladins,” said Gaffer with a sneer. “Anyways, moving on, Cadance, what kind of character do you want?”

“Um, what kind are there?” she asked.

“A lot. Hm... generally speaking, what kind of characters do you like in stories?”

“Well... Oh! I've always really liked characters that are good singers. Does that help any?”

“So we now have a bard on the team.”

"Um, a bard?" Cadance's ears perked up as she heard the class' name. "What's that?"

Aegis got Cadance's attention with a quick nudge to her side. “In the most basic terms, a charismatic rogue who can use music to help the party or hurt the enemy. They're actually fairly useful to have around.”

“That sounds fun, I'll be a bard.”

Gaffer rolled the dice a few times and scribbled on a character sheet. “To save time, I'll make your character for you. I just need a name.”

“Midnight Melody.”

“Good enough.” He finished it and slid the paper over to Cadance. “There's a list of your abilities on there.”

Sir Valiant's justice sense went off. “My town needs me,” were his only words before he ran off back up the trail, leaving his companions to their own devices.

“Well, that was random,” noted Smithson.

“Investigations aren't really his strong suit. We’ll be better off without him.”

“Sadly, I must agree.” A gust of wind sent a chill through his body. “Now, may we please return to the road? I would rather not kill any more innocent townspeople tonight.”

As the two got back on the right path, they spotted a new traveler. It was not a hard task to see her in the dark, considering that her pink fur stood out compared the murky surroundings. Smithson called out to her, “Greetings fellow traveler.”

“Aaaahhh! Robbers!” The mare spun around and pulled out a lute. “Don't make me use this. I can... I can, um, distract you with it.”

Smithson glanced over at Shadow. “Can't say I blame her for thinking you're a robber.” He got a simple grunt in return. “Excuse me miss, we are simple travelers here to investigate the disappearance of some caravans. You wouldn't happen to have heard anything about this, would you?”

“Missing caravan? Oh, that sounds exciting.” She practically squeed after hearing that news. “I love mysteries.”

“That would be a no.” Smithson shook his head. “But, I won't turn down any assistance. Would you care to join us?”

“I don't know...” She stared a hole through Shadow. “He seems untrustworthy.”

“He is, for others.” Smithson patted Shadow's shoulder, showing that he's on their side. “But, he's loyal to me and to anyone in our group.”

“Hmm, alright, if you say so. But I'm keeping my eye on you, whoever you are.”

“It's Shadow.” He walked forward, growing tired of waiting any longer. As Shadow passed her by, he added, “And if you want to threaten someone, your dagger would be far more effective than a lute.”

“...I knew that.”

It would be another hour before the band of three reached the village, finding it to be in fairly good condition. There wasn't any apparent damage to the buildings and the few guards that were patrolling the outskirts of it seemed to be relaxed. If the source of the trouble was around here, it didn't seem to be directly messing with the village itself.

They stood on the edge of the village, looking around for any signs of foul play. “It seems pretty peaceful to me,” said Midnight Melody. “Are you guys sure we're in the right place?”

“Yes. But, it could be happening on the roads around this village,” said Smithson. “Still, I'm sure they would have heard something about it. Maybe we should ask around.”

“Um, Smithson was it? Yeah, it's the middle of the night.” Melody pointed up to the moon to emphasize her point. “Do you think ponies want to be woken up by complete strangers and interrogated?”

“An inn,” said Shadow, motioning towards the middle of the town. There stood a large building with a sign that had the image of a bed carved into it. “We can sleep for tonight and investigate in the morning.” Melody and Smithson silently agreed with a nod and followed Shadow into town. Odd that the guards didn't seem to bother even to look in our direction, thought Shadow. Perhaps they just aren't good at their job... Still, you'd think they'd notice brand new ponies coming to a little village.

Once inside, there was a stallion at the welcome desk, yawning. To his left was a set of stairs going up to the second floor, and to his right was a closed door. “You lot picked a good time to show up, I was just about to close down for the night.”

“Our apologies for coming in at such a late hour,” said Smithson as he gave the stallion a polite bow.

“Think nothing of it.” The stallion pulled a key out and placed it on the counter. “Each room has four beds, so you guys won't have to share.”

Shadow sat in the back near the door and stared at the man. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. After a second, his eyes start to lose focus and stung, causing the sight of the man to grow blurry. For the briefest of seconds, there appeared to be blood coming out the corners of the stallion's mouth and from atop his head. Shadow fought to keep his eyes open and focused, but the longer he tried, the more they stung until finally they closed themselves against his will. When he opened them, the stallion looked normal again, and the feeling was gone.

“Your room is upstairs, and to the first door on the right. I hope you lot have a comfortable sleep.”

“Shadow?” Smithson pokes his shoulder. “You look worried.”

“I-it's nothing.” Shadow rubbed his eyes. “I'm probably just tired.”

“Well, only one way to fix that,” said Melody as she grabbed the key. “I hope the beds are comfortable.”

They wearily walked up the stairs, Melody and Smithson yawning along the way. “No need to keep watch tonight, Shadow.”

“If you say so.” He cast one more glance at the stallion before following them up.

Shadow awoke after only a couple hours of sleep. His mind couldn't get rid of the image of the inn keeper's bloody face. His instincts were screaming at him, telling him he should leave this village. I need some fresh air.

The room was cramped, with only enough space for the beds and for a pony to walk around each. Shadow's bed was the closest to the window. Smithson was to his left, near the door. Melody's was against the opposite wall, also close to the door. He rolled off the bed and went to the window, the floorboards lightly creaking under his hooves as he walked. He opened the window, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath of the cool night air. When he opened his eyes once more, something from the house across the street caught his eye, little movements from the curtain in its window. He stopped and watched it for a good minute or two, but nothing happened. Probably just my imagination... but I really don't like the feel of this place. Giving up on the idea that anything was going to appear, he returned to bed and slept for the rest of the night.

“Shadow, rise and shine,” said Melody, rousing him from his rest. “Smithson and I are going to check out the tavern for information.”

“Tavern?” Shadow slowly sat up and brushed his mane from his face. “Sounds like a good plan. Hey Melody?”

“Hm? Something wrong, Shadow?”

“Have you sensed anything weird about this village?” Shadow knew that clerics weren't particularly well known for spotting traps, illusions, and the like, but perhaps a bard would be able to confirm his uneasiness.

“Not really. It seems like just any other small village to me.” She turned towards the window. “Except, it is really quiet. You'd think they would be making some noise in the morning. Maybe they could use the help of a good bard to liven things up a bit.”

She had a good point, even a village this size shouldn't be this quiet in the morning when everypony is getting up and going out. “Let's hurry up and check out the tavern.”

It was only a short walk to the tavern. Then again, a walk to anywhere in the village would have been only a short walk. The tavern had the typical set up of a bar with stools lined up at the counter, a few tables, and a small stage.

“Don't go anywhere, I'll be right out!” called a female voice from a backroom, behind the bartender area. Through the doorway walked a unicorn mare, dressed up in a green and brown barmaid dress. “We don't get too many outsiders coming out this way that aren't traders.” She leaned against the counter. “So, pick your poison, what kind of drink would you like?”

“Aegis, we are totally getting you a barmaid outfit sometime soon. I really want to see this now,” said Cadance, as the stallions in the room snickered and agreed.

Aegis groaned and tried to ignore the comment and get on with the game.

“Well actually, we're looking for information,” said Smithson.

“Nuh uh.” the barmaid shook her head. “One mug of ale minimum for information.” The looked to each of them. “What? I wouldn't be a good bartender if I just gave away the information for free.”

“Fine, I'll have a mug of ale. What about you guys?” asked Shadow.

“Well, it couldn't hurt,” replied Smithson.

Melody just shrugged and sat on one of the stools.

The barmaid quickly filled three mugs. “So, what are your names?” she asked as she passed a mug to each.

“I am Midnight Melody, a soon to be world famous bard, at your service.” She pointed to Smithson. “This is Smithson.” She pointed to Shadow. “And the stallion that looks like he'd take your coin purse in the blink of the eye over there is Shadow.”

Shadow shook his head but didn't respond, mainly because it was true.

“And I'm Charged Cider, nice to meetcha. Ok, guess I should hold up my end, what's the information that ya'll want?”

Melody put down the mug after taking a drink, looking rather silly with her new foam mustache. “Alrighty then, we're looking for trader caravans. Some that pass by this area have gone missing.”

“Drat!” Cider stomped her hoof. “Those darn goblins must be at it again.”

“Goblins?”

“Yep.” Cider nodded. “There's a cave packed full of the little buggers down the road, maybe half a mile from here. You know, this would explain why that shipment of wine is late. I don't suppose you three can deal with them?”

“Is that all?” Melody laughed. “We'll have that cave clear before you know it.”

“The folks around here will be mighty happy to have them gone. I'll even throw in a reward if you retrieve anything useful from them.”

Smithson finished his mug and stood up. “Well, it's the best lead we have. Let's head out.”

“Actually, I'm going to sit this one out guys,” said Shadow. He quickly added, before they could respond, “An experienced cleric should be able to take goblins out with ease, and the novice there could use the experience.” It may have been true, but it definitely wasn't the whole story; Shadow wanted to scope out the village. His instincts were rarely wrong, and he knew there was something off here.

Melody shrugged. “Suit yourself buddy. Come on, Smithson, let's go goblin hunting.” She finished her drink and quickly trotted out of the tavern.

“I better hurry and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. Stay out of trouble Shadow.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Shadow circled around the village, keeping his eyes peeled for anything out of place or unusual. Though all he saw were placid villagers going about their morning routine. He turned and walked down the first road he saw, passing by a few small shops: a candle maker, a blacksmith, and the apothecary. The last one was where he stopped. We should probably tell them what happened... or tell them she was killed by goblins. I wonder if there's any good loot in there. He reached out his hoof and turned the knob. Huh, not even locked.

Shadow walked in and the sight stopped him in his tracks. Surprise took the breath right out of his lungs, and his mind was divided in two – half wanted to attack, half wanted to run. For behind the counter was a kindly mare smiling at him... wearing a green cloak. There was no mistaking it, she was the one from last night. Shadow closed his eyes and tried to force his body to relax.

“Hello and welcome to my humble shop, traveler. What is it that can do for you on this fine day?” she asked.

“I...” Shadow swallowed and took a deep breath. “My friends and I are here to investigate missing caravans. By chance, w-what were you doing last night? See anything strange?” Just what kind of magic is in play here?

“Hmm... last night, last night.” She tapped her chin. “I remember going out to pick some ingredients, but it gets foggy after that. I did manage to tear a hole into the back of my cloak somehow. I'll need to take it to the seamstress sometime today.”

That hole wasn't torn, it was cut. “Thank you for your time ma'am, that'll be all.”

“Don't mention it. Come back at any time.”

Shadow turned and ran out the door. He trotted back towards the tavern, the barmaid was one of the few ponies in town that wasn't setting off alarm bells in his mind. Well, don't go looking for something and then get upset when you find it, as the old saying goes. He had brought his nerves under control as his mind busied itself still trying to make sense of what just happened. I didn't sense any malicious motives in her. She was genuine with her answer of not knowing what happened. Perhaps there's a wizard in the woods that brought her back. It is odd though that Smithson didn't sense any magic use then. Thinking back to the innkeeper, I doubt she's been the only one brought back from death. He passed by a small group of colts and fillies on the road. And what if that goes for the others in this village too?

After reaching the tavern, he went back to his stool from earlier.

“What's the matter, sugar, you look like you just saw a ghost?” asked Cider. “Need a little help in relaxing?”

“Y-yeah. I probably could use a bit of help.” A mug of cider was placed in front of him. “Thanks.”

“So tell me, Mr. Shadow, how many ponies have you lost in your life?” she asked, nearly causing him to choke on his drink.

“How many...” He looked her over and she was rather nonchalant about the question, as if she merely asked him about the weather.

“It's your eyes. I can see the sorrow that only comes to those that have lost ponies close to them.” She walked around the bar to get closer to him.

Shadow's eyes wandered to her hips, taking notice of how she sashayed as she walked. “I've lost plenty.” He wasn't sure why, but he couldn't stop from answering her question. “When I was a young, this power hungry jester poisoned my town. There weren't many survivors.”

Cider was right by him now, and she rubbed his shoulder. “You poor thing. That must have been traumatic on a young colt.” She leaned in and nuzzled against his cheek.

A magical charge swept through Shadow's body, leaving a tingle in its wake. He felt himself nuzzling her back. His peripheral vision blurred until she was the only clear image.

“Would you like to hear a little story?”

Shadow slowly nodded.

“A long time ago there was a village out in the middle of nowhere. From time to time the odd goblin or two would wander close by, but there was enough strong farmers around to keep them at bay. Then one terrible night, the town was celebrating a particularly big harvest and ale was passed around freely. Every stallion drank to his hearts content. The goblins took notice and attacked en masse while most of the town was in a drunken stupor. Normally, it might have stood a chance, but not on this night. One by one the ponies fell and the goblins took everything they wanted. There was just a single survivor, a mare who hid in the backroom of her tavern.” She rubbed his chest and more magic permeated his body, chipping away at his resolve. “Oh, but it's not all bad. After they left, the mare cried out for help, but at first now one came. She screamed until her voice gave out and then silently sobbed. Suddenly, the tavern was lit up and she peered over the counter to see a demon. She looked like a pony, but at the same time, she didn't. The demon has light purple fur, and in place of her mane was dark, purple energy. From the sides of her head hung two long horns. She proclaimed herself to be a demon of desire.

“She told the mare that she could bring them all back. That she would never have to worry about losing them again, or dying herself, but this was not a gift, it was a trade. In return, the mare would have to gather some items to allow the demon to walk in the flesh rather than a spiritual projection. The mare did so. She knew you shouldn't trust demons, but she was desperate to return things to the way they were. She let loose a demon upon the world and in exchange, she got to be with them all again. The bodies started moving, and a simple illusion spell was all it took to make them look and sound normal. It wasn’t what she wanted, but she learned to love them all the same, just as she had before. However as time passed, she noticed that she stopped aging. Just like them, she wasn’t affected by time anymore. The others, her, the buildings, they were all frozen in time.”

His addled mind still had enough sense to think about the cloaked mare. “A-and...” his voice was just a whisper, “if one of the people were killed again, they'd continually be brought back. Right?”

“Yes. And the best part? They won't even remember dying. But, it gets so lonely being surrounded by the undead. I love them like family, but I desire more... I need more. I need somepony to truly love me.”

Her muzzle was no more than an inch from his, and Shadow saw into her eyes. The loneliness, the pain, it was all laid bare within them. He also clearly saw that she had no intention in giving him a choice in the matter. She drew closer...

Aegis and 8-bit stopped just moments before it was too late. They hadn't realized it until just this second that they had been acting out the scene, leaving them now in a just-about-to-kiss pose.

“Wah!” Aegis stumbled back a couple of steps. “8-Bit!”

“Hey, don't get upset at me.” He pointed to her. “You were the one going in the for kiss of death. I was just standing there, frozen by your feminine wiles.”

“I do not have feminine wiles and... and I wouldn't have... I...” She turned to Cadance, who was blushing as she watched the too. “Cadance I swear I wasn't going to actually kiss him.”

“Those two can really get into their roles,” explained Gaffer to Cadance.

Cadance had to smile. “I'm the newbie here. If this is how it's done then this is how it's done. So... by all means, continue.” Cadance motioned with her hoof for them to keep going.

“Fine, but I'm not acting it out!”

8-Bit sighed. “Remind me to pick up something special for the wife while I'm leaving. I suddenly feel like I owe her one.”

“Well, we got a pretty nice haul from them at least,” said Melody, rather proud of their raid. “We found missing caravans and a bunch of old trinkets.” She held up a locket. “Pretty, isn't it?”

“Was it really necessary for you to charge at the first guard you saw?” asked Smithson. The stallion had a slow, weary pace. Though occasionally he made himself trot a little faster to keep up with her.

“Sorry about that. I got better at the whole, staying behind you thing, as he went on though, right?”

Had it been either of his usual companions, he likely would have made some sarcastic remark. However, the novice bard did actually improve a little with each battle, and she seemed genuine in her desire to learn to be better at her craft. “Indeed.”

“I wonder if this locket belonged to anypony.” She fiddled with the opening mechanism until she finally heard a little click. “Oh, there's an old note inside of it.” She pulled it out and read. “'To Charged Cider, hopefully my words and this present will get me a date with you. You are the most beautiful mare in all the village and any stallion would be lucky to call you his. If you say yes, I swear to the gods that I'll do my best the cherish every moment and make you feel like a princess, just as you deserve. Let's make this festival a new start for us.' It's signed Summer Breeze.”

Smithson stopped in his tracks. “Read the name again.”

“Charged Cider. Wait a minute... that was the barmaid's name, wasn't it? This seems way too old to be directed to her though.”

“We should get back back to Shadow, now.” He took off running. Smithson wasn't one to believe in coincidences, and he would want an explanation from Cider right after they found Shadow.

After checking the inn and finding it empty, they rushed to the Tavern to see Shadow calmly drinking at the bar with Charged Cider. “Shadow, are you alright? Did anything happen while we were gone?” asked Melody.

“Nothing too interesting,” replied Shadow, not so much as glancing in their direction.

“Did you find what you were looking for amongst the goblins?” asked Cider.

“Yeah, we found gear from the missing caravans. We also found this.” Smithson tossed the locket with the note still inside of it to Cider, who caught it with her magic. “A present from Summer Breeze.”

Cider opened it and mouthed the words as she read the note. She sighed and slumped against the bar's counter, her eyes never straying from the locket. She gently caressed it with her hoof before slipping it on. “Idiot. You freaking idiot. Why were you waiting until the festival?” Her words were soft and somber. “We knew each other since we were kids and even back then, he would always go out of his way to help me. If only... if only you would have asked me out the day before the festival. We could have spent your last day together.”

“Shadow, get away from her. She's not what she appears to be.”

“...no,” was his reply.

“Shadow? What's wrong?” asked Melody.

Before any answer was said, the sound of a moan and teeth chattering came from the backroom. Whatever it was, its hooves dragged against the wooden floor with each step. Smithson pulled out his mace as the sounds got closer to the door. From out of the room stepped a zombie pony, its flesh gnarled from what appeared to be repeated smacks with clubs. Smithson stepped between Melody and the ghoul, making sure to shield her.

Cider pushed herself away from the counter, slowly walking over to the zombie, and kissed his cheek. “My poor, sweet idiot.” She turned to Smithson and Melody. “I really am grateful that you found this and brought it back to me so I'll give you the chance to run. The rest of the ghouls are coming this way and will attack if they see you fighting me. Run now and you may avoid them.”

“I'm not leaving without Shadow,” said Smithson.

“Yeah, what did you do to him?” asked Melody.

“A simple little charm potion is all, but it'll keep him around long enough for me to make a stronger, permanent one.”

“Why him?” asked Melody.

“It has to be somepony like him, somepony who knows what it's like to be the one who survivors when others don't. To know what it's like to have your world ripped away from you.” She reached out with her magic and threw one of the stools at Smithson, who easily knocked it away with his mace. “I refuse to let him go.”

“You can't just drug a pony and make them fall in love with you! That's psychotic!” yelled Melody.

“I don't care. Run now or this town will have two new permanent residents.” She raised several more stools and some bottles.

I have a potion that can purify him, but I need an opening, a distraction... Smithson cast repel undead on the zombie in the room, who suddenly turned tail and scuttled away.

“Hey! Get back here!”

“Melody, run outside and distract the any zombie trying to get in here.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Trust me.”

“If I become a zombie, I am so going to eat your brains.” Melody ran outside.

Ok, probably only have one shot at this. Smithson darted forward, towards Shadow. Sorry I have to do this. A stool slammed into his side and shattered but it wasn't enough to knock him off course. Smithson leapt at Shadow, crashing into him and pinning him to the floor. “Drink!” He forced the potion into Shadow's mouth. Though Shadow tried to cough it up, most went down his throat and he stopped struggling.

“No!” The objects being held by Cider dropped, and so too did she. “It isn't fair! Don't I at least deserve one living pony?” She cried into her forehooves. “J-just go. Get!”

Smithson wasn't going to waste this opportunity to retreat. After helping Shadow back up to his hooves, they ran outside to the unusual sight of Melody singing and dancing on her hind hooves in front of a hoard of zombies.

“Hello my baby, hello my darling, hello my ragtime girl, can we run away yet?” she asked, keeping in rhythm with the song.

Smithson nodded and Melody followed them, not slowing down until they reached the outskirts of the village.

“You're lucky I always keep some purify potions,” said Smithson.

“I swear, zombies are the worse audiences. They just stand and stare menacingly at you. At least there weren't any hecklers,” said Melody.

It took the two a few seconds to realize that Shadow had stopped. When they did, they turned to see him looking back at the village. “Is something wrong?” asked Melody.

“I'm going back,” said Shadow

“WHAT?!” said the other two in unison.

“Shadow, she tried to brainwash you,” said Smithson.

“But, she was right about something, I know what it's like to be the one to survive. I know how she feels.” He thought of the deal she made and knew deep down, that he would have done the same.

“...you're really going back, aren't you?” asked Melody. “I'm not sure if that's touching or utterly insane.”

“How do you know she won't use a charm potion on you again?” asked Smithson.

“There's no sense in charming the willing. Besides, I know what to look for now. I'll see you guys around, hopefully not as a zombie.” Shadow started walking back to the village.

Smithson shook his head. “I vote that it's insanity... but if it's what he feels like he has to do, fine. I won't stop him. Come on, Melody, we should go report what happened to the merchant.”

“Yeah... I guess so.” She followed Smithson away.

Back at the tavern, Cider's crying was interrupted when she felt a hoof touch her shoulder. “Hey, I could use another round. One without any potions added to it this time would be nice.”

She wiped her eyes and saw Shadow standing in front of her. “Y-you came back?”

Shadow bent down and kissed her forehead.

“Aww, that was a sweet,” said Cadance as she hugged Aegis. “You don't end up alone.”

“Sweet but weird. Hey 8-bit, why'd you do it?” asked Aegis.

“Gotta admit, I didn't think one of you would actually stay with her, or you know, let her live,” added Gaffer.

8-Bit rubbed the back of his mane and shrugged. “It just seemed like what Shadow would do. Besides, I've been thinking about retiring him for awhile, and what better way to do it than to let him spend the rest of his days with an eternally youthful barmaid and a town full of zombies?”

“That's the way I'd want to go out,” said Gaffer.

“Did you have a good time, Cadance?” asked Poindexter.

“Yeah, it was pretty fun. I can see why you guys play this whenever you get together.”

“Hey, feel free to sit in on our games. There's always a few npcs or extra party members,” said Gaffer. The others nodded in agreement.

“Though if you boys will excuse us, I am taking my wife out for some romance. Though I do hope you three can come around more often.” She led Aegis out of the room.

Gaffer groaned.

“What's wrong?” asked Poindexter.

“Getting the mental image of one of my best friends as a chick making out with her hot wife and then noticing that I'm focusing more on Aegis than Cadance.”

Poindexter blushed and 8-Bit's wings went up.

“And now you two are doing the same, aren't you?”

“Yep,” replied 8-Bit.

“This is so messed up,” said Gaffer.

Author's Notes:

Special bonus chapter for the sake of directing everyone's attention to the sequel, that just updated again today:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/160814/kinds-of-love-the-world

I realize that most don't pay attention to blog posts so I figured that would be more effective. I'll likely do another bonus chapter or a chapter of cut content when the third part of the trilogy is ready.