Yona fell through the hole in the sky. She landed hard on her belly, but her thick fur was enough to cushion the impact. Gallus was able to slow his fall with his wings. Starlight hit the red stones hard. Gallus stood up. He wheezed and coughed, but Yona knew he’d be fine. He was a tough griffon. Starlight didn’t move.
(Yona takes 1 damage after damage reduction. Gallus takes 0 damage. Starlight takes 3 damage)
Yona stepped closer and rolled the pony over. The hair near Yona’s hooves stood on end. She could feel the crackle of magic in the air around Starlight. Yona tried to nudge Starlight gently then tried again a little more firmly. There was no response.
Yona looked around to see if anyone or anything nearby could help them. Smooth red stone walkways circled between buildings, stalls, and tents. It was the biggest and most amazing market Yona had ever seen. The sun sparkled on the gold paint that decorated many of the stalls, and the tents were all of the finest fabric. All of Yona’s hometown could have fit in one little section of the market. Yona could see walls and gates in some directions and a huge building with columns in the other direction. The strangest thing about the market was that there were no creatures walking through it. Strange bronze and gold griffon statues stood behind the counters displaying all sorts of wares.
Yona took a few steps toward a tent with a potion sign. Her foot caught on a tent stake and she almost tumbled into the potion tent, but she felt some claws on her back. Gallus was there with Starlight over his shoulder.
“Careful! We should stick together. This place is strange. It almost reminds me of something, but I can’t remember what.”
“Yona find potions for Starlight.” Yona pointed ahead and lifted the tent flap.
“That’s great, but I wonder who owns all this. I don’t see prices. Here, you take her.”
Gallus placed Starlight on Yona’s back and walked around the tent in front of Yona. Yona’s hooves sunk in the thick carpet on the floor. Some magical spell seemed to be chilling the air to help preserve the potions. One of the griffon statues was in the middle of the room. Its eyes seemed to follow Yona. She went behind one shelf, and then it was facing her again when she was on the other side. It made her feel uneasy, so she hurried to catch up to Gallus.
He stopped suddenly, and she accidentally bumped into his flanks.
“Hey! Watch your step. I think I found something that could help.”
Gallus picked up a potion, and Yona read the label.
Panacea
“Yona thinks we should try it.”
“I don’t know. Whoever owns this place might want us to pay for it.”
“But Starlight needs it!”
“Fine. I guess we can pay later.”
Gallus uncorked the potion and poured it into Starlight Glimmer’s mouth. He tilted her head back to make sure it went down. She glowed for an instant and then coughed.
(Starlight healed to full stamina.)
“Ugh… Gallus? Yona? Where are we?”
Yona was too distracted as the statue came to life and stepped closer to them. Its mouth didn’t move, but it spoke in a rich, deep voice.
“Ah, customers! Welcome to The Bazaar! Please do not damage or consume any merchandise until a price is agreed on.”
The statue’s eyes lit up with a golden glow as it looked around.
“Oh, you already got into the potions, didn’t you? Fine, I’ll be there in just a moment. No creature leaves without paying, so stay right there. I’m sure we can make a deal.”
The statue walked to the entrance to the tent and spread its metallic wings as if to block the way. Starlight slid off Yona’s back and sat down.
“Let’s all just wait,” Gallus said. “This place reminds me of the market at Griffonstone. If you break or steal anything there, you’ll be working off debts for years.”
“Yona not take or break anything. But we should tell Starlight what happened.”
Starlight agreed, so Yona and Gallus filled her in while the three of them waited. Starlight thought it all over.
“I have only heard about this place in books and legends,” Starlight said. “Maybe we should run before something dangerous finds us. We seem to have got the attention of whatever is controlling that.”
The statue still stared with glowing golden eyes.
“But maybe he could help us, too. While I was stuck, I got to see Cozy Glow’s spell. If we could somehow find artifacts with enough power and make a similar vortex, we could make it send us back home. We’d need six special magical items.”
Starlight suddenly winced as magical energy crackled from her horn. She curled up and groaned.
“Ugh… there’s so much magic inside me. It’s way more than a pony should be able to handle. That potion helped, but I think we need something more permanent. And I feel like if I try anything too complex, I might just explode.”
“You might as well use up what’s left.” Gallus handed over the potion vial. There was enough for Starlight to drink one more mouthful. The magical surges coming from her settled down after she drank it.
“Yona not like waiting. Yona want to find other friends.” Yona snorted and rolled onto her side. The soft carpet was as good as the softest bed she could remember, but the situation was keeping her from relaxing. “What Gallus and Starlight want to do?”