//------------------------------// // Gone Fishing // Story: The Storybook Collection // by Mr Extra //------------------------------// The sun sinks over The Lonely Peak as our heroes journey to find the revered Sage of Blackrock Mountain. Among their number is Brush Hawk the Hippogryph Rogue from the Glenwood Forests, Hornstalk the Minotaur Paladin of Bullgaria, and Starcaller the Unicorn Mage of Arcanholt. Together they trod up the path towards a pair of lonely doors set into the mouth of a cave. Dusty and tired from the day's journeys Starcaller knocked upon the wood with her staff. “Do you think he’s still here?” Hornstalk asked. “Every other house looked like it had a stampede run through it, and the sages were nowhere to be found.” “He better be,” Hawk replied, “we’ve been looking for these sages for days. I don’t wanna have to tramp through another ‘dark forest of doom’ with you guys. No offence but eventually even killing Mirkwood Crawlers gets old.” Starcaller knocked on the doors again before anxiously turning to the other two. “It’s our best bet. It’s far away from town so maybe The Dark Drake hasn’t gotten here yet.” They waited for a few moments before Hawk spoke up. “Maybe we should just-” At that moment the doors swung inwards to reveal an adolescent dragon in a brown smock and glasses. “Thank Celestia you’re alright sage,” Starcaller said, bringing her hoof to to her chest in relief, “we were worried that-” “I’m not the sage,” the dragon interjected, “I’m his scribe, Nail. Sage Cotton Ears is on vacation.” “Well where is he?” Brush Hawk demanded, “Drakeovitch is probably after his life already and if we have to go save him I’m not going to be a happy bird." Nail dismissed the notion with a wave of his claw. “I wouldn’t worry about Cotton. Drakeovitch hosts an event every now and then that all the sages are invited to. They go on a cruise, get massages, and talk philosophy. Bleh!” “Pinkie...” “What’s up Twilight?” Pinkie asked innocently, glancing up from the map and dice scattered before her. “Why is he on vacation?” the unicorn asked, “And why would Drakeovitch be sending him on a cruise? That doesn’t make any sense.” “Silly Twilight.” she replied, “YOU said to make to make the game challenging, so I had Drakeovitch read the Evil Overmare’s List. Any good Evil Overmare knows that when a band of heroes show up you should send all the sages and elderly mentores on vacation so they can’t help the heroes. It’s rookie stuff Twilight.” “But Pinkie,” Rainbow said, a hoof pressed to her forehead in frustration, “if all the sages are off playing in the water, how are we supposed to get to the evil guy before he does his super ritual thing?” “I have to agree with Dash on this one sugarcube.” Applejack nodded to the pegasus, “As much as I like searching abandoned buildings and wrastling critters, I’d like to move this here story along. Ain't there some way you could cut us a smidgen of slack?” Pinkie let out a dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes. “I guess you could try asking Nail if he knows anything about secret rituals or passages into evil castles or anything. But-” she said, and leaned towards Applejack to whisper in a not so subtle manner, “you didn’t hear it from me!” “Alrighty then,” Applejack said, “I ask the scribe if he knows anything about rituals or how to stop the Dark Drake Drakeovitch.” “Roll it!” Pinkie said and the two each picked up a die and tossed it back to the table. Pinkie glanced at the results before looking down at her books. “So Nail turns to you and says that, actually, he’s not supposed to be taking to you cause Drakey is paying him not to help traveling bands of adventurers-” Twilight levels a flat stare. “Pinkie.” “-and he’s really sorry but Drakey has him under contract and breaking contract is really unhealthy.” “Oh come on!” Rainbow says, “How are we supposed to get anything done if this guy’s one step ahead of us all the time?” “Sorry Dashie, but story dictates character. It’s not my fault Drakey learned so much, I just gave him the list!”