By the time the caravan had reached what Ancient Scroll had discovered was the last clearing before the exit, Celestia had already set the Sun on its course below the horizon.
In the waning light of the setting Sun, a dark green pegasus quickly and quietly zipped through the underbrush at an incredible speed.
Fell Wind flew low to the ground, dodging trees left and right as she scanned her surroundings for any sign of a path wide yet hidden enough that they could use. She hadn't had much luck in her search, much to her own annoyance.
It wasn't until several hours of flying later that she had spotted another clearing in the trees near the forest's exit. It wasn't large enough for the entire caravan, but it was just wide enough for the group to travel on hoof.
She backtracked along the path, trying to find out where it led, and to her satisfaction, it wasn't too far from the clearing the Vardo was currently parked in.
Happy with her find, Fell Wind landed on the platform of the Vardo and made her way back inside to tell the old stallion what she had found.
Ancient Scroll himself had just finished pouring over the last tome he'd been reading through when Fell Wind stepped into the sitting room.
"Ah, Fell Wind welcome back," Ancient Scroll greeted, floating the book back over to the shelf, "I take it, finding a clear path proved harder than expected?"
"You could say that," the pegasus mare grumbled before lightening her tone somewhat, "anyway, I managed to find a smaller path that leads all the way to the edge of the forest, but we'd have to hoof it. The path's not big enough for the caravan."
"I see," Ancient Scroll replied thoughtfully, "well, if there aren't any other paths, I suppose we have no choice," he paused and tapped his chin before looking back to Fell Wind with a raised eyebrow, "and what of the focal points?"
"Good news? The path leads right to one of the anchors holding their Barrier spell together," Fell Wind replied before grimacing, "bad news? Aside from the Guard acting as the anchor, there's three other Guards... and one of them's got some pretty fancy looking armor."
"A captain then, is it?" Ancient Scroll muttered with a troubled frown, "just our luck. And there are three Guards protecting the anchor? It must be the linchpin to the entire spell..."
"Oh, sweet!" Fell Wind replied happily, "so we just gotta take 'em out and—"
"It won't be that simple," Ancient Scroll interjected with a shake of his head, "captains are no joke, Fell Wind. I know how confident you are in your abilities, and after fighting against you, I'm sure you could easily take out the grunts without a problem, but captains are in a league of their own."
"Oh, really?" Fell Wind replied with an eager smile, her wings twitching in anticipation, "sounds like a fun time to me."
"No, Fell Wind," Ancient Scroll chided, "even if you manage to take out the captain, they'll just send more Guards after us, and if that happens, we'll have a lot more to deal with than just a simple roadblock."
Fell Wind huffed and looked away. Her eyes settled on the large husky sitting on the couch and studying a large map in front of him.
He looked up and met her gaze for a second before giving a small shrug and grinning at the mare.
"Take it from an old dog who's been 'the muscle' for a lot longer than you've been alive, girl," he began with a smirk, "sometimes it's better to just hold back and let the brains of the operation do their thing."
At Fell Wind's flat look, he gave a hearty laugh before shaking his head.
"Come on, soldier girl," Yojimbo chuckled, "they must've taught ya some kind of discretion when dealing with threats out there in the Outlands during that Hunter training of yours?"
"Of course they did," Fell Wind replied, shaking her mane out of her face and scowling at the old husky, "I just prefer the direct approach is all. Nothing wrong with that."
"Oh, I hear ya," Yojimbo agreed with a knowing nod, "nothing beats a good beatdown every now and then, believe me I'm one hundred percent with ya on that one," his smile turned to a slight, disapproving frown, "but it's important to know when to hold back too."
"Yeah, yeah," Fell Wind muttered, looking around the room, "hey, where's the cat lady?"
"Rouge went out to do some scouting of her own," Ancient Scroll answered as he trotted towards the entrance, "while you were out, we discussed a few plans for making our way past the blockade."
"And?" Fell Wind asked with a raised eyebrow, "what'd you guys come up with?"
"Nothing concrete yet," the old stallion replied, standing near the doorway as he responded, "can't really make a full plan without all the details, but we did decide it would be best to make our move around nightfall."
"Makes sense I guess," Fell Wind agreed after a moment, but then frowned in thought, "but the Guards are already gonna be on high alert as it is, won't it be even worse at night? And what about the caravan? How are we gonna get that through?"
"As I said, we haven't worked out all the details yet," Ancient Scroll replied with a shrug, "that aside, Rouge should be back any moment, and the fillies are still studying in their room."
He trotted out of the room, motioning for Fell Wind to follow as he continued speaking.
"We don't have a lot of time before night falls and I'd like to scope out this path you found," Ancient Scroll continued, "I want to see what advantages we can gain, if any."
He slowed to a stop and hummed in thought.
"You know," the stallion mused aloud, "if we can't come up with another suitable plan, I suppose we could simply wait them out," he turned back to Fell Wind who stood just behind him, raising an eyebrow as he spoke, "watch their movements, learn what we can, and make a move as soon as they've left the area."
"Eh..." Fell Wind replied, rubbing the back of her neck, "I've been on missions like that before, and they... kinda suck... like, really bad. Not a fan to be honest."
She lowered her hoof and her expression grew serious.
"And besides, I don't wanna waste anymore time in this forest—especially if my brother really is in Canterlot and had a relapse."
"Fair point," Ancient Scroll replied, once more resuming his trot towards the backdoor of the Vardo, "it was simply a thought that had occurred to me. Still, if nothing else works out, it might be a plan we may have to fall back on, so I'd at least keep it in mind."
"Noted," Fell Wind replied dully, "really hope it doesn't come to that though."
"Let's hope not," Ancient Scroll answered with a nod, "while I have enjoyed the scenery quite a bit, I'd also like to move on... ah, give me a moment."
Ancient Scroll stopped just before they reached the backdoor and turned his head back the way they came.
"Oi, Yoji!" he called out, "let Rouge know we went to check out a path Fell Wind found through the forest when she gets back!"
"Got it, Scroll," Yojimbo called back from within the sitting room, "just be careful out there!"
With that said, Ancient Scroll nodded and the two ponies made their way outside the Vardo and deeper into the woods.
A few moments after they left, the door to the three fillies' bedroom cracked open and Fia's head poked out. She looked towards the backdoor for a minute before stepping out of the room and quietly closing the door.
She raised the book she had held in her magic and looked it over once more before nodding in satisfaction. She made her way towards the platform wearing a frown of determination on her face.
While there was no way in Tartarus she'd attempt to try Blood Magic anytime soon, there were other, less dangerous Branches of Dark Magic the filly could delve into.
Both Corona and Trixie had fallen asleep sometime during their study, and Fia had decided to take the opportunity to practice a few more Dark Magic spells that might help Ancient Scroll and the others during... whatever they planned to do.
She had already known their plan was going to take place sometime tonight, and had made a plan of her own to surprise Ancient Scroll with a few really useful spells she had been reading about.
Truth be told, the filly had been feeling somewhat magically pent up from having used so little magic over the past few weeks, and was itching to use some kind of magic.
In reality, the idea of helping Ancient Scroll and the others had merely been an excuse she told herself in order to justify the additional practice without Ancient Scroll's consent.
Fia knew it was wrong, but lately her desire to actually cast the spells she had been reading about had grown more and more.
She had kept quiet about it, fearing Ancient Scroll and the other two fillies would think the worst, but it had gotten to a point where she needed to cast something, and besides... how would she get better if she didn't practice?
Practice made perfect after all...