//------------------------------// // Chapter Five: Time Out // Story: The Long Path Home // by Grounders10 //------------------------------// The view from the balconies that lined the public square outside the castle was impressive. The sweeping vista visible from the cliff of the many small towns, farms, and occasional woods that made up the heartland of the nation could take the breath away. It certainly had the first time Akane had seen it the day after their arrival in Canterlot. It was still impressive, but a pretty view could hardly distract her from her thoughts. Especially with the clip-clop-clatter of hooves and horseshoes on the stone boulevard behind her. Or the soft chattering from the pair of unicorns in the next balcony who were flirting outrageously as they ate. Their giggling was almost enough to make her move to the next balcony. Ponies. She looked at her forehoof that rested upon the railing. The yellow fur around her fetlock, her fetlock, taunted her. She wasn’t the brightest yellow around, more ochre than straw or gold. In a way that was a small blessing. Gods knew what she’d do if she walked around sparkling like gold, but she was still yellow. A yellow pony. The colour went all the way down to her skin tone as she’d discovered the day before when she’d brushed back her fur out of curiosity. She shook her head and sighed. “Stupid Ranma,” she grumbled. Why didn’t being a pony seem to bother her fiancee? She’d just laid there and let those- She let out another frustrated sigh. She wasn’t angry at the two, what were they even? Spa attendants? Handmaidens? She hadn’t a clue, but they were simply doing the job. She shouldn’t be this angry about that, and yet… Her head turned to stare back at the courtyard. The fact that a human couldn’t turn their neck even half as far prodded irritably at the back of her mind. A column of ponies in gold armour was trotting across the square to the cadence their leader was belting out. In the background, she could see ponies in suits and tophats -- tophats of all things! -- going in and out of the castle. It was strange, like something out of a manga about spirits or one of those films by Hayao Miyazaki. A quick glance reminded her that as strange as this place was it didn’t seem to have flying castles. Yet. This place was nice, she would admit she hadn’t met a mean pony yet, even if she had heard rumours of a ‘Prince Blueblood’ who was apparently an ass beyond the usual for an upper-class twit. He was off on a cruise somewhere at the moment and was, thankfully, not due to return for at least a month. She dreaded finding out whether he was like Kuno. She shook her head again. The view wasn’t helping her get her thoughts in order like she’d hoped it would. With a pang of longing, she wished she was back home where she could watch the stars from their roof. Sure the view wasn’t the best at times, with how much light the city put out, but on some nights it was truly spectacular. More importantly, it was a place she could just get away from everyone. Not like here. She shot a venomous glance towards the flirting couple in the next balcony over, they’d progressed to feeding each other while making sickening cooing noises. With an annoyed grumble, she stood up and walked away from the balcony. This place wasn’t going to help her get her feelings in order. Maybe a walk would help. Yes, a walk through the city. She hadn’t done that before and it would give her some distance from everyone. Twenty minutes later Akane stopped her aimless walk and looked around melancholically at the brick buildings around her. Canterlot had vaguely European 19th century style to it. It was different from Tokyo, though she supposed it bore some passing similarities to some of the older concrete and brick construction from after the second world war… If she squinted really hard. More importantly it served as another reminder that this wasn’t home. She sighed, her anger long burned out, and ambled around the corner still not sure where she was going. A unicorn mare with a pale teal mane stepped around her, giving her a strange look. Akane ignored her. Probably wondering who the strange girl… Filly, pony girls were fillies, right? She scowled at the thought. She wasn’t even really a girl anymore just… She shook her head again to try and get rid of those thoughts. Her ears twitched at the sound of childish laughter. She looked up from staring at the ground and realised at some point she had stumbled across a park. Foals were tumbling about a playground or running free in the grass as parents looked on from picnic blankets or gossiped in small clusters. Tired of wandering Akane trotted over to the grass and lay down under a neglected willow tree. She stared out at the foals tumbling about and wondered for a moment what her sisters were doing. Kasumi had taken a curious interest in Ranma, though at least she didn’t have to worry about Kasumi stealing her fiance. Unlike Nabiki. Her other sister was likely getting into trouble scamming nobles out of their cash or trying to introduce fractional reserve banking or something equally silly. She’d probably find Kasumi at dinner with a story about some stupid thing Ranma had gotten involved in and Nabiki getting escorted in by the guards. Well… probably not the latter one. Nabiki was good at not getting caught. Akane sighed again and laid her head on her hooves as she watched the foals play. It was better than trying to navigate the tesseract of thoughts bouncing within her skull. “Hey, are you alright?” a young woman’s voice asked from right beside her. Akane would deny any witness who claimed that she squealed from surprise as she jumped a foot to the side and spun to face the source. A teal unicorn with a silver mane around her age blinked at her from she was sitting just around the side of the tree with a book. “How long have you been there?” Akane asked breathlessly. “A few hours. Are you alright?” the unicorn asked with some concern. “I’m fine,” Akane said as she got her breathing back under control. She’d completely missed that there was someone already under the tree. “You sure? You look rather…” She wiggled a fore hoof side to side. “I’m fine,” Akane repeated. She fluttered her wings and looked away from the mare. She tried to ignore the concern on the pony’s face, or the fact that she could already tell it was a concerned look, despite being an entirely different species. It was a bit disturbing just how human-like their faces were. “Well, if you’re sure. I’m Starry Sunrise,” the teal unicorn said, turning to show off her butt stamp- Cutie mark. They were called Cutie Marks. She was showing off her Cutie Mark of a half dozen stars in shades of orange and purple. It slowly shifted from orange at the bottom to purple up top. “Nice to meet you, I guess,” Akane said, “I’m Akane Tendo.” “That’s a different name,” Starry said, “I guess you’re not from around here, are you? You’ve got a bit of an accent.” She drew out the ‘bit’ and held her hooves inches apart. “That’s one way of putting it.” Akane lay back down and tried to ignore the feeling of grass and roots against her belly. She tried to ignore Starry, but the Unicorn seemed to find her interesting. “Did you just get here? Is this your first time in Canterlot?” she asked. Akane looked away. “A few days ago, and… yeah. First time,” She said, “We’re staying at the palace for now.” “At the palace?” the mare repeated, her tone going odd. A glance proved that she was getting a wide-eyed stare. “... It’s complicated,” Akane said. “I’ll say. Not many ponies get to stay at the palace,” Starry said before yawning and stretching. She gave herself a shake and stood up. “I’ve suddenly got a craving for donuts. Want to join me? My treat.” She smiled at Akane. The new pegasus blinked at the earnest smile. “Um… Sure?” She really had to wonder about how friendly these ponies were at times. “Excellent. There’s this place called Donut Joe’s, they’ve got the most amazing donuts…” -0-0-0-0-0- A Ranma ½ My Little Pony Crossover The Long Path Home By: Grounders10 -0-0-0-0-0- Chapter Five: Time Out -0-0-0-0-0- Once she was sure she wasn’t going to join the others in emptying her breakfast onto the floor, Ranma rolled onto her front and carefully looked around. She wasn’t feeling steady enough to risk walking, but the nice thing about being a pony meant that she didn’t have to stand to get a decent look around. A long neck had its advantages. The room they were in was the same one she had seen earlier. A long rectangle with displays of all sorts lining the walls and tables with yet more filling the center in two long rows. Brightly glowing gemstones shone clean white light across the room from a series of bronze chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, along with gem-topped candelabra on the tables and gemstones mounted in a seemingly random scatter across the walls. Several archways further into the room led out of the hall. Now that she had more than a few seconds something peculiar jumped out at Ranma. The walls were stone. Not stone as in concrete or brick, but clean uninterrupted stone that seemed oddly smooth. Like it had been polished nearly to a mirror finish. “Is everyone alright?” Ranma asked as she finally stood up. The sounds of heaving had stopped a short while before. “Yeah,” Ryouga said, groaning, “It was probably a good thing I didn’t eat breakfast.” Rosey stumbled over to Ranma. “Are you alright, Princess?” she asked, shaking her head before kneeling down to rest her head on the cold floor. “Oh Luna, make it stop spinning.” Ranma watched her Hoofmaiden take several deep steadying breaths as she noted the implicit prayer to the older Alicorn. She had literally compared the two to Kami back on the dining terrace. Deciding to think about the implications later she instead asked, “Am I okay? What about you, Rosey?” “Oooh… I’ll be fine… in a few minutes,” the bat pony said, “Why did it spin that hard?” “I warned you,” Ranma said, patting her gently on the withers. “Where are we now?” Kasumi asked. The bacon-haired pegasus was staring at a suit of greenish armour seemingly made for a pegasus. Pitted blades lined the leading edge of its wings. “Ooh, this is cool,” Angel said, staring at the miniature woolly mammoth, “Looks a bit like my mother’s dresses after a bunch of moths got into the closet though.” Ranma cast her gaze around at the exhibits and then turned to the portal. It was a mirror, identical to the first, except for the fact that its base smoothly merged with the stone floor. She looked back to the exhibits. She walked over to the nearest one and peered at the copper plaque. It had oxidised to a uniform green colour. Not something that a museum would let happen normally. “I wouldn’t get too far,” she said loudly, looking at Angel Cake and Kasumi, “I don’t think we’re in a museum.” “Then where are we?” Ryouga asked, “It looks like a museum to me.” Ranma shrugged, fluttering her wings. “Okay so it probably is one, but it’s old. These plaques are covered in oxidation. I’m not even sure I could read these if I understood the language.” Kasumi peered at the plaque of the armour and grimaced. “These are in terrible condition, aren’t they?” she said, “Well, then we’re probably wherever this portal was meant to go then.” “That still doesn’t answer the question of where we are,” Ryouga said. “One of Starswirl’s hideaways probably,” Rosey said as she stood on slightly unsteady hooves. She gave herself a shake and walked carefully over to Ranma’s side. “Powerful unicorns have a habit of making secret hideaways full of whatever it is they prize. Starswirl was active for several millennia and built many before he disappeared.” “And prisons for monsters as well?” Ranma asked, recalling her words earlier. “Far too many of those mixed in. If we’re lucky this is just one of his private studies,” Rosey said, “If not… Well maybe we’ll get lucky and whatever it was died of old age.” “How likely is that?” Ranma asked, shooting wary glances about the ‘museum’. The bat pony shrugged. “I think it happened once before…” she said uncertainty. Well that was a cheery thought. Ranma glanced at the archways leading out. “Which way from here do you think?” she asked, hooves clattering as she walked over to the nearest archway. The hallway was wide enough for five ponies abreast and tall enough that an adult human could have walked comfortably. A few suits of rusted armour were on display leading to a decrepit-looking wooden door. “This one keeps going around a corner,” Angel said from the next one over, “I think it’s angling downward.” “A door over here,” Ryouga said. Kasumi joined Ranma and Rosey at their archway. “Any of them are probably as good as the rest,” she said, “Oh, I hope we haven’t wound up halfway across the world.” She fluttered her wings with a hint of panic. Ranma nudged her. “We’ll be fine,” she said, “We just need to find the exit.” “And hope that the portal isn’t the exit,” Rosey said. Silence stretched on a few moments as Ranma rubbed her forehead with a forelock. “Thanks. We needed that bit of good cheer,” she said after a moment. “Sorry, Ranma,” her Hoofmaiden said with a blush. Angel Cake wandered over. “I checked a few others, Princess,” she said nervously, “Some are dead ends, others go on for a ways before hitting a door. A couple turn. I can’t see any sign of an exit, though.” “Call me Ranma,” Ranma said reflexively before turning to Ryouga who was peering through an archway intently, “Hey! Don’t wander off Ryouga!” “There’s a light this way,” He called back. Ranma shared a look with the other fillies. “Like the gemstones?” she asked, walking toward him. She had to wonder if he was just seeing things because he wanted to, or if he had actually spotted something important. It was hard to tell at times. “No, it’s a bit orange,” he said as they joined him. Ranma peered down the hallway. The door at the end was hanging half open, its hinges barely hanging on. Through the gap an oddly orange light poured through. “It isn’t flickering, so that’s probably not a fire,” Rosey said. She glanced about, her ears twisting in all directions. “Not hearing anything crackling either.” Ranma gave it a sniff. “No smoke. Monster?” she suggested. “Maybe its prison?” Kasumi suggested in turn. They stared at it intently before Ranma shrugged her wings and started walking down the hallway. “Princess!” Rosey hurried after her with a clatter of hooves, “It could be dangerous.” “Or it could just be a sunset,” Ranma pointed out. It was about the right shade for certain sunsets. Maybe Celestia was taking it slow compared to the morning? She twitched an ear as she recalled the display of power from that morning. “Possibly, but the colour is a bit off,” Rosey said. Behind them Kasumi and Angel hurried in lockstep. Ryouga cautiously brought up the rear, looking very awkward as he did so. Ranma tapped the old rotted wood with a hoof and was rather unsurprised as the hinges chose that moment to finally give up on life. She skipped backwards to avoid the falling slab of rotted wood. “Careful,” Rosey said, the Lieutenant stepping in front of Ranma as she carefully entered the room. Her hooves crushed rotted wood beneath them as she entered the room. The room was small, or perhaps cramped would be a better word. At a glance, it seemed to be some sort of workshop or laboratory. The large orange glowing crystal on the far table seemed to suggest ‘laboratory’ more than a workshop. To the left was a skull of some mammoth creature that hung off the sides of a large table. Large gemstones glimmered from its cheekbones. They weren’t the strangest things. Stuffed between two oversized tables, one of which was covered in old books and yellowed parchment, was a pony, a unicorn with a green coat the colour of rich jade and a rich brunette mane. She seemed to be stuck with a look of concentration on her face staring at an orb of some sort on the table before her.. A plaque on the other table next to her was unreadable. “Hello?” Rosey said as she eyed the unicorn. “She’s not moving,” Ranma said as the rest crowded in. The Alicorn trotted over to the unicorn, and stopped throwing her wings in warning as she spotted something strange about the air. Like a line, the dust stopped mid-air. A fine almost invisible layer that on close inspection seemed to define a sphere centred on the unicorn. “The air is frozen as well. Don’t get too close.” Ryouga joined her. “It’s like she’s frozen in time,” he said. “Oh my,” Kasumi said from behind them while staring up at the large skull. Ranma tuned her and Angel Cake out as the latter started trying to guess what it was. “She might just be,” Rosey said, waving a hoof cautiously at the bubble, “The question is, was it deliberate or an accident? This could be a prison.” Ranma walked over to the table outside of the bubble and looked down at the notes. They were still legible, but… She let out a sigh that almost turned into a whiney of irritation. “I wish I could read the language,” she said. Her Hoofmaiden peered over her shoulder. “I can’t read that… What language even is this?” the bat pony muttered. “Shouldn’t you be able to tell?” Ranma asked. “I’m a soldier, not a scholar. Why would I need to know ancient… Whatever this is,” she waved a bat-like wing at it. Ranma had to admit she had a point. “This isn’t the way out. Let’s keep-” Ryouga started to say when the table holding up the giant skull broke under the prodding of Angel Cake. The Earth Pony skipped out of the way of the skull as it hit the ground and rolled towards Ranma. Acting on instinct Ranma jumped out of the way, landing in an attempt at a normal Anything Goes stance. The made-for-humans stance once again caused her to topple backwards. Straight into the dust-covered orb of stopped time. “Ranma!” Rosey and Kasumi both shouted as the red-maned Alicorn hit the orb of stopped time. Everything else was drowned out by the sound of countless mirrors breaking as time shattered and Ranma crashed straight through to land right on the Jade Unicorn. The amber glow of the unicorn’s horn went out as Ranma’s horn smacked into it and the two rolled across the ground into a wall. Magic sparked between the two horns like an arch of lightning and Ranma’s old headache promptly returned with a vengeance. Ranma came to a stop on her back, her head roaring and spinning in equal measure with the unicorn mare atop her. Blue eyes several shades darker than her own stared back. Voices were talking but the words didn’t make sense to her. They stared at each other for a long moment, the Jade unicorn looking incredibly confused and pained in equal measure. Finally, finding the entire staring contest a bit worrisome, Ranma said, “Wes hāl.” A friendly greeting. “Konnichiwa,” the Jade Unicorn replied. Ranma furrowed her eyebrows and frowned at the unicorn. That… sounded familiar for some reason. Gibberish, but familiar. Then Rosey knocked the unicorn off of her and Ryouga pinned her to the floor…. While yelling at her in similar-sounding gibberish. Ranma blinked as Rosey started spouting different sounding gibberish as she checked Ranma over. What the hell was going on? “Iċ ne understande,” Ranma said since none of them were making sense. Rosey stopped and stared at her. Ranma fidgeted. “Hu eart þú?” Rosey continued to stare at her before turning to Ryouga and shouting gibberish. Well, they clearly understood what was being said so… Was she the one speaking gibberish? Well, this was a new predicament. Ranma sat back and rubbed her aching forehead with one hoof as the others angrily interrogated the unicorn. Some progress seemed to be being made at least, though unless Ranma missed her guess she seemed to only be able to understand Ryouga and Kasumi. How odd. She tensed as sparks of amber light started arcing along the Jade Unicorn’s horn before Rosey stepped in between them and pointed at Ranma. “Princess,” she said before saying something else, throwing in Luna’s name. “Hime?” the Unicorn asked Ryouga and Kasumi. The Pegasus said something, then pointed at Ranma and said, “Hime.” Okay, so… Hime meant Princess, or something… right? It sounded vaguely right, felt it too. Rosey said something else and swirled her hoof by the side of her head before pointing at Ranma. The Alicorn huffed and crossed her forelegs. She was not crazy. A few more moments saw the unicorn wincing and saying something that sounded like it was meant as an apology. Kasumi nodded and pointed at Ranma again, her tone authoritative. It was rare to hear her sounding so sure of herself. The unicorn nodded and then trotted gently toward Ranma. The two mares flanked her as she approached and Ranma raised an eyebrow, glancing from Kasumi to Rosey and back again. Kasumi nodded and smiled while Rosey just watched with a frown. It was probably a good thing then, but… Ranma eyed the horn as it started glowing again and took a step back. “Ranma,” Kasumi said sternly as Rosey placed a hoof on her withers to keep her from moving further. Her Hoofmaiden smiled in what was probably a reassuring manner. Ranma huffed. “Cassumee,” she replied, then frowned. That had been terrible. Absolutely terrible. Oh god- A glowing horn touched her forehead at the same time Rosey’s hoof touched her side as Rosey leaned too close. Magic snapped, crackled and- “-to relax,” Kasumi was saying, “While they-” “Ponyfeathers that hurt,” Ranma cursed as she took two steps back and buried her head in her hooves. “Ponyfeathers?” Ryouga asked with a weird look to Kasumi who shrugged. “My head is killing me,” the Jade Unicorn said, sinking to the floor in a boneless puddle. “How are you feeling, Princess?” Rosey asked. Ranma frowned at her. “Stop calling me that,” she said flatly, “And terrible. It feels like somepony’s taken a pick to my brain.” “Somepony?” Ryouga said flatly again before Kasumi prodded the groaning unicorn. “Excuse me, but I think you got the wrong language,” she said politely. The unicorn groaned. “I said, don’t touch her while I’m casting,” the Jade Unicorn grumbled, “Can’t cast that spell again for a bit. Not unless you want me to scramble her brain completely.” “I’ll pass,” Ranma said, “Is everypony okay?” She glanced over at Angel Cake who was very pointedly sitting in the doorway doing nothing. “I’m good. Are you good, Princess?” the lone Earth Pony babbled, “I can’t believe that happened. Oh, sweet Celestia, I’m doomed.” “We’re all fine,” Rosey said with a relieved sight, “This is Jade Ribbon, she claims to be a student of Starswirl’s.” “Apprentice. Senior Apprentice,” Jade Ribbon said before wincing, “Oooh, god my horn is killing me. Make the pain stop…” She trailed off into mutterings in another language that Ranma was mildly surprised to find she understood. “Hasn’t he been missing or dead for like a thousand years?” Ranma asked Rosey. “Missing, and a lot longer than that,” Rosey replied. “... A thousand years?” the Jade unicorn asked, one eye opening only to immediately close with a wince. Ranma shuffled awkwardly, ruffling her wings. “Um, yeah, apparently,” she said, shooting Rosey a look. The former guard pony awkwardly shrugged her own wings. The unicorn let out an expletive in her native language. “I messed up the spell,” she groaned. “What were you trying to do?” Kasumi asked as she knelt down beside Jade Ribbon Ranma cleared away a spot and lay down herself. Her horn was killing her. It wasn’t the same building pressure as last time. Instead, it was more like a normal headache. Like she’d taken one of Ryouga’s fists to the head again. “Hmm,” Jade sighed before opening her eyes to stare at Ranma, “Princess, huh?” “Legally required to be,” Ranma replied. The other pony sighed. “Right. So… Do you know what this place is?” she asked as she looked slowly around the room with a frown. “One of Starswirl’s many workshops?” Rosey asked. “Sort of. This isn’t just a workshop. It’s probably easier to show you,” Jade Ribbon said as she stood up, wobbling for a moment before she steadied. “Please, follow me.” Ranma rose to follow her. The rest followed a moment later. They walked down the hall and through the displays. Jade paused several times to stare at the displays. Ranma stayed silent as they walked, unsure what she could say as she spotted a few tears in the corners of the unicorn’s eyes. Their path led down one of the far hallways and up a spiralling staircase. After several minutes of walking up the stairs, it terminated in a simple rotted door. “Here we are,” Jade Ribbon said, pressing a hoof against the door. Instead of swinging open the wood let out a crunch and fell apart around the hinges before tipping forward. Ranma yanked Jade aside as the rest flattened themselves against the sides of the stairwell. The door broke into a hundred pieces that tumbled like a rockslide down the stairwell. “This place is falling apart,” Angel said, prodding a piece of wood with a hoof. It skipped down a few steps before crumbling away entirely. “Thanks,” Jade said breathlessly.- “No problem,” Ranma said, letting her go before turning her attention to the sunlight, and the breeze, pouring through the door. “Where are we?” Jade slipped past her and through the door. “The entire reason this place is here,” she said simply as Ranma followed her in. The large room beyond was open to the air on one side. A railing of stone went up to the height of Ranma’s shoulders, which wasn’t as high as it sounded for a pony. On the other side of the room were stone couches carved out of the mountain. They were elevated enough to give the seated an excellent view out of the window. At least if you were willing to put up with the old dry leaves that had filled the nooks and crevices. And the view was impressive in Ranma’s opinion. They looked out over a beautiful valley. Soft rolling hills ran the length of a valley filled with farms that ended in a small city of white stone and red-tiled roofs. A Western fairy tale castle stood in the center of the city, white pendants visible even from the mountain. Ranma could even make out the figures of ponies on its white stone paved roads and in its fields. Oddly, plumes of smoke seemed to be billowing up from the castle. There was, however, something off with it. It was a lovely view, but… “Jade,” Kasumi said, her voice hesitant, “Is the entire valley… Like you were?” Oh. Ranma’s eyes zipped to the plumes of smoke that she just realised weren’t changing. Then she stared at the fields of wheat and the ponies in the streets. Nothing was moving. Not a soul nor a plant so much as wiggled in the breeze. This valley, from the castle to the fields at the base of the mountain they were looking out of, was frozen in time just like Jade Ribbon had been. “If you mean, is the valley frozen in time, then yes it is,” Jade said sadly. Angel gasped with horror. Ryouga looked distinctly uncomfortable. Jade rested a hoof on the railing as she stared down at the valley. “This place is the Dream Valley Observatory. The second one technically. The first was abandoned when the Wendigos came.” Ranma stared down at the valley until she found the edges of the bubble. A thin shimmer where the light inside the dome didn’t quite match up with the rest of the world. “It’s a snow globe,” she muttered. Jade tilted her head quizzically before shaking her head. “This was the first home of Ponykind, where the Kingdom of Ponyland was first established and later ruled by the first Alicorns,” she said. Ranma’s ears perked up. “First Alicorns?” she asked. Jade nodded. “Yes, the royal family were Alicorns. It’s said the last ruler of the Kingdom was Queen Faust,” Jade said, “Though, that name comes from sources many generations removed from the fall of the kingdom. We lost a lot when our people fled north to escape the Wendigos.” She sighed. “They look different,” Kasumi said, peering over the railing. “Makes sense, we’re millennia separated from those ponies,” Angel said, “If we looked just like that it would be a little strange.” “That’s part of it,” Jade said, “But most ponies are descended from more northern stock these days.” She turned away and walked over to one of the benches. A flash of light cleared one of the seats and she lay down. “Supposedly the Royal Family was also northern stock, though that’s one of those details that is hard to say if it was true or not. There’s just no way to check. We can’t exactly get into the bubble to see for ourselves.” Ranma stared down at the ponies within the bubble. They seemed to be smaller and stockier than those she had seen so far. More muscular perhaps. It was hard to say exactly from such height. After a minute she turned away, shivering as the feeling of something cold crawled along her spine and down her wings. “Do you know what happened here?” she asked Jade. The Senior Apprentice was silent for a long minute before saying, “Grogar happened.” Rosey, previously staring silently at the valley with a truly horrified expression, started. “They say he has been a plague on the world for millennia, but I never heard of this,” she said, waving a wing out the window. “I’m not surprised. Dream Valley is… was barely spoken of in scholarly circles,” Jade Ribbon closed her eyes and sighed, “Undoing this was always one of Master’s goals. But he never managed it. Most others stopped caring after millennia of failure. Without him driving discussion it was probably relegated to an impossible task.” “Or simply forgotten about,” Ranma said, glancing back at the Valley. A forgotten valley lost to time. “So, we’re rather new to Equestria,” Ryouga said, the brown unicorn walking up to Jade, “But can you tell us who Grogar is?” The three natives exchanged looks. “Right, of course, you wouldn’t,” Rosey said, rubbing her chin, “Grogar is…” she trailed off trying to find the words. “He’s a goat,” Jade said when it was clear Rosey couldn’t find the words, “A mountain goat specifically. As large as the Princesses and a powerful necromancer said to be of a long-forgotten city somewhere in these mountains. Legend says he killed his own people and turned it into a city of the dead with the ringing of a bell he wore everywhere. Eventually, as the legends go, he came from Dream Valley.” Rosey tilted her head. “Wasn’t his first attack on Ponykind ended by an artifact known… I think it was the Medallion of Light?” She muttered with a frown, clearly trying to remember. “The Rainbow of Light,” Jade corrected, “It shattered his bell and he fled. They believed his powers came from the bell, so they let him leave. It was a mistake. Several centuries passed before he returned, and yes we’re sure it was the same one.” She said as Kasumi opened her mouth to speak. The bacon-haired pegasus nodded. “What I’m about to say is mostly conjecture based on reports from Pegasi who flew over the dome. Grogar is there in the center of town in the plaza before Dream Castle. They report he appears to be laughing over the body of a red-haired Alicorn, assumed by many to be Queen Faust, and that a bell on his neck is glowing. Likely the source of the spell that has cursed the city ever since.” Ranma frowned. “That’s nuts,” she said, turning back to the railing and staring towards the castle. Her vision was good enough that she could make out the folds of the fluttering pennants obscured by the plume of smoke. “What sort of lunatic freezes themselves in time just to get revenge?” “They don’t,” Jade and Rosey both said. Ranma turned back. “But you just said-” “He had preparations made beforehand,” Jade said, “His body is in there, but the spirit is not bound to something as ephemeral as time.” “There’s a cauldron,” Rosey said, fluttering her wings nervously, “They say Grogar carved it from obsidian and filled it with blood. With it, he can return from the dead no matter how many times he has been slain.” Jade Ribbon wiggled a hoof back and forth. “Technically correct. He doesn’t truly return from the dead since his original body is safe and acting as an anchor for his soul. What the Cauldron of Grogar does is allow the creation of a homunculus body that is then inhabited by his spirit. Because of this, he has bedevilled Ponykind ever since as a phantom conjured again and again to plague us. He is the creator of the Wendigos, Ursa Majors and so many more monsters.” Rosey stepped in, “Fortunately, the last time he rose up the Princesses put him down and managed to secure the Cauldron. The last I heard it was safely stowed away in Tartarus under heavy guard.” “Did they really?” Jade said, brightening. “It has been over a thousand years since he last bothered Ponykind,” Rosey confirmed. The unicorn pumped her hoof before wincing. “Right, well…” She rubbed her forehead, “Good to know.” “Well, at least we won’t have to worry about him,” Ranma said, “So is there an exit around here somewhere?” “Yes. There’s a tunnel on the lowest level that leads toward the nearest village. Assuming it hasn’t been blocked up,” Jade said. “We can handle it if it has been,” Ranma said, shooting Ryouga a grin. He snorted. “You mean, I can deal with it.” “Potato, potahto. We’ll be fine,” she replied. “How exactly did you get in here if not that entrance?” Jade asked with confusion. “Portal in the museum,” Ranma said. “Oh… Oh, the escape tunnel from Canterlot Keep… Why did you use the escape tunnel?” The unicorn seemed even more confused. Angel coughed. “Um… I… May have accidentally triggered it,” she said with a blush. “Ah, before we go, I have an important question. How did you get me out of the time bubble?” Jade asked curiously. That… That was a really good question. Ranma tilted her head to the side. Judging by the looks everyone was exchanging they hadn’t much idea either. “I… Kinda just bumped into it?” She said after an awkward silence. The unicorn stared at her. “I’m sorry, you what?” she asked. “I bumped into it,” Ranma repeated. “It was a bit more like you fell backwards onto it after being startled by Angel,” Rosey said. Ranma waved a hoof her way and tried to suppress the blush that started up. Jade stood up and hopped off the seat. “That’s not possible. If it was that easy to break, I’d have been freed years ago,” she said pacing with sharp eyes. “Maybe no one thought to actually touch it? I mean, we didn’t want to,” Ranma said, “I figured touching it would be bad.” Poking a manipulated time bubble wasn’t something she would have thought was healthy to do. “And you touched it anyways,” Jade said. “Accidentally.” Ryouga chuckled and murmured something to Kasumi. The pegasus sighed and gave him a disapproving look. Ranma stared pointedly at him, meeting his eyes before he grinned and turned his attention to the giant snow globe. Jade Ribbon hummed. “You are a strange one, Your Highness,” she said, staring at Ranma’s flank. The Alicorn shuffled around to face her, only for the unicorn to keep walking, matching her turn. “Do you mind?” she asked after a few seconds. Jade Ribbon stopped and coughed into a hoof. “Sorry, Your Highness,” she said contritely, “But I can’t help but notice that you don’t have a Cutie Mark.” “Well, no. I wasn’t a pony until a few days ago,” Ranma replied, “Neither Kasumi nor Ryouga were either.” Kasumi waved as Jade Ribbon turned to them both. “... Not Ponies?” Jade asked, sounding befuddled. She gazed from one to the next with an expression of genuine confusion. “We came from another world,” Kasumi said, “We woke up in this one three days ago.” The Unicorn sat down and tilted her head to the side. One ear flicked right, then left. “And yet one of you has a Cutie mark and they aren’t the one who is an Alicorn,” she said finally. “Both of my sisters have Cutie Marks as well. A Pegasus and an Earth Pony,” Kasumi said. “I am even more confused now,” Jade murmured, “Alicornism originates in two forms. Most only know of the latter mind you.” “Two forms?” Ranma asked, sitting down herself. She scratched an itch on her side with a back hoof. Jade nodded. “Yes. Since the time of Dream Valley, the only Alicorns are those who ascended in a moment of absolute clarity and understanding of the meaning of their Cutie mark. They became so in tune with magic itself that they gained the traits of all three types of ponies. Both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna fall into this category.” “As does Princess Mi Amore Cadenza,” Rosey said. Jade turned to her, “Another Princess?” “The last we know of,” the Hoofmaiden said. “Hmm. Well, they are the most recent examples, but there have been others throughout history. Most fell prey to Grogar, but others disappeared for reasons unknown. Likely Grogar admittedly,” Jade said, muttering the last line before sighing, “The only other way of being an Alicorn hasn’t happened since the time of them,” she pointed out at Dream Valley, “and that’s being born an Alicorn.” “Born an Alicorn?” Ranma repeated, glancing down at herself. Born an Alicorn? She had been born human, so that was a little outlandish. “Yes, though you not being ponies and being from another world raises the possibility that this is just the most natural for you,” Jade said, “Though it then brings up the question as to why the rest of you weren’t also made Alicorns and how he already managed to receive a Cutie Mark in a handful of days.” “He had it when we got here,” Kasumi said. “That’s even more confusing. How do non-ponies qualify for Cutie Marks? How do they wind up as Alicorns? How does said implausible Alicorn shatter time magic with a touch?” Jade asked, waving a hoof at Ranma, “And then there’s the question that if you can do so, will it affect Dream Valley?” Ranma’s eyes darted toward the Valley. “... We could try-” she started. “No. Not a smart idea,” Jade said, cutting her off. “Ignoring that it might not even work, there’s still the fact that Grogar is inside the bubble. That’s not something anyone wants to unleash without preparation.” “Like several armies, and both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia,” Rosey said, “And probably the Elements of Harmony as well.” “The what?” Jade asked, looking confused. Ranma had no idea what the elements of Harmony were either and said as much. Rosey looked from one to another and sighed. “I’ll explain, but we really should get moving. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting really hungry and somehow I doubt a place like this has much in the way of edible food anymore.” On cue both Ranma and Ryouga’s stomachs growled, followed by Jade and Kasumi. “Oh my,” Kasumi said flatly, “Food would be nice.” “I can cook nearly anything,” Angel said before glancing about, “But I can’t work with nothing.” “I-” Jade Ribbon sighed, “Yes, food. There used to be a village not so far away from the main entrance, but who knows if it’s still there. I could try to teleport us to the Capital, but the headache I have makes that… Ill-advised, even if we weren’t several hundred miles away.” Ranma rapped her forehoof against the floor. “Why don’t we start with a way out of here, then make more plans later?” she asked. “We could just go out through here,” Ryouga said, waving over the railing, “It’s not that steep.” “We could, but then we would have to walk around the mountain rather than just go through it,” Jade said. She stood up and shook herself off, “And I’d rather not risk the Princess here unleashing the most ancient evil in the world by tripping and rolling down the mountain.” “I’m not a clutz,” Ranma muttered, but she had to admit it was probably a danger best avoided. Honestly, the thought of something able to pick a fight with Celestia and Luna or do that to an entire valley was… It made her nervous. She cast a final glance toward Dream Valley, then gestured for Jade to lead the way. “C’mon Ryouga, don’t get lost again,” she said over her shoulder. “Ranma…” he grumbled as they descended the stairs. She stuck her tongue out at him and smirked at the glare she got in return. Spirits bolstered, she hummed a tune as they descended through the observatory. They passed more workshops, some bedrooms, and what might have once been a kitchen before they finally reached a straight tunnel at the bottom of a stairwell. The crystal lights down there were like those in the tunnels leading to the portal. Dim, flickering, and sometimes out, it made the long winding tunnel rather uninviting. “This is it,” Jade said, “This terminates in a cave on the edge of town.” “Do you recall the town’s name?” Rosey asked. “We just referred to it as ‘the town’. I’m not sure it even had an official name,” Jade replied as they started down the tunnel. “Well if it’s still there we’ll be able to find out where we are,” Rosey sighed, her wings drooping so that the tips nearly dragged along the ground. “Earlier you mentioned teleporting to the Capital. We’ve changed capitals a few times over the last thousand years.” “You have? Why?” Jade Ribbon asked. “It’s a long story, but the Castle of the Two Sisters was abandoned to the Everfree along with the castle town,” Rosey replied, “The Capital was Trottingham for a time, then shifted to Manehattan, before Canterlot was chosen as the permanent Capital.” Ranma caught Ryouga mouthing ‘Manehattan’ to Kasumi who was trying not to giggle. She wondered what was so funny for a few moments before it clicked. She sighed. Sure it sounded like ‘Manhattan’ which was a place in America, but it wasn’t that funny. Maybe she’d have found it funnier if her brain hadn’t been scrambled earlier. Then Angel stumbled and fell. “Ow,” the Earth Pony said as she picked herself up. Ranma stopped by her side. “Is everything okay?” she asked as the rest stopped. “I’m fine, Your Highness,” Angel said, but despite the bright smile she put on Ranma could see how tired her eyes looked. She was feeling a bit rough herself. They had been going since early that morning. “Everypony, let’s take a little break,” Ranma said. “I can keep going,” Angel protested. “Yeah, and we all need a break. Kasumi and I have been going since before dawn,” Ranma replied, letting out a yawn. Rosey let out a yawn of her own a moment later. “And Rosey’s been going since…?” Ranma lay down below a flickering torch. “Before midnight,” Rosey said, “I can probably last until we hit the town, but I’m getting rather tired myself.” “I can keep going,” Ryouga said, though he found a place to lie down. “We’ve got at least three-quarters of the tunnel to go. A few minutes of rest won’t be a bad thing,” Jade said, sitting down at the front of the group. Getting agreement from everyone Ranma took the opportunity to lay her head down. It was weird curling up a bit like a dog or a cat, her head resting on her hooves, but strangely comfortable. Probably a quirk of her new anatomy. Ranma let out a yawn and her eyes flickered shut. She was asleep almost instantly. -0-0-0-0-0- It was nighttime as they left the tunnel. Jade pushed aside a veil of ivy with her magic and held it aside as the rest of them filed out. The stars were out and a full moon beamed down on them. They were in a small copse of trees through which the shadowed silhouettes of homes could be seen. “It’s grown quite a bit since I was last here,” Jade said, “it used to be a ten-minute walk from here.” It was hard to see in the gloom, but she was smiling. “Let’s see about finding the Mayor’s home,” Rosey said, “I can use the Nightguard’s authority to get us places to stay for the night. Hopefully, they have a telegraph up here.” Ranma hummed as she brushed past the other two ponies. Something felt… off. Her ears twisted and turned as she led them out of the trees. The night was quiet, very, very, very quiet. It was the sort of quiet that didn’t occur in nature. Not unless a predator was hunting. She shot a glance at Ryouga. His eyes and ears were scanning just like hers were. “Something’s wrong,” she said, “Keep an eye out and stay quiet.” “What sort of wrong?” Jade asked, her expression shifting instantly while Kasumi pulled Angel into the middle of their little group. “It’s too quiet,” she replied, trying to tiptoe carefully toward the buildings, “Something has spooked the animals.” The question was what? The hope of finding proper shelter, and food, faded as they reached the end of the woods. The buildings Ranma could see were run down. Their paint was peeling, the walls leaning, and as they reached the corner of the first building she could even see one with a caved-in roof…. And another three that were gone entirely. There was just a hole filled with debris where a group of houses should have been. “Oh no, no no no,” Jade whispered. Kasumi placed a comforting wing over her side. “Rosey, what’re we looking at?” Ranma asked, scanning for any signs of life. The town’s streets were cobbled stone. Lampposts were bent or scattered across the street. “Look for a name, Princess,” Rosey said, her voice worried, “Everyone, move quietly.” “So, we aren’t going to be getting a warm welcome, I guess?” Angel Cake asked softly. She peeked over Kasumi’s back at the buildings. “Likely not. Follow me and stay low,” Rosey said. Despite her continued tiredness, her voice had firmed up. Perhaps the danger was giving her a little energy back. They crept through the streets of the small town. There were no lights in the windows of homes nor in the many street lamps that dotted the sidewalks. The siding of colourful homes was faded and peeling, those that hadn’t been smashed to pieces. Plants were growing through the debris so whatever had happened had been a while back. Ranma paused as they passed a storefront whose sign was still legible. “Sparkleberry’s, Bakery and Cafe,” she read aloud. “What?” Kasumi asked with a confused expression as the group stopped. Ranma pointed at the sign. “Sparkleberry’s, Bakery and Cafe. I can read the sign,” she said. She hadn’t had a clue how to read the local language before. “That’s… not supposed to happen,” Jade said after a moment, wincing. Ranma gave her a worried look. That sounded very concerning. “What’s wrong?” Ryouga asked with an exasperated tone. The larger unicorn was trying to keep an eye out. Jade Ribbon shuffled awkwardly from hoof to hoof. “Well… That spell should only work on spoken language,” she said. “I’m not seeing an issue…?” Ranma trailed off. “It means I might have overloaded the spell and possibly came even closer than I realised to frying your mind entirely?” Jade rattled off looking rather embarrassed in the moonlight, “I’m so sorry.” Kasumi gasped. Well, that would explain why her head was still killing her. Ranma rubbed her forehead below her horn. “That’s… Fine. I’ve just got a headache,” she said, waving her off. “What does this mean for me being able to remember… Nihongo?” She glanced at Kasumi who nodded. “... Probably shouldn’t try for at least two months, and you might have to relearn how to read and write it,” Jade said, turning an interesting shade beneath her coat. Oh. That was a problem. “Hopefully we have time before going back then,” Ranma said while trying to ignore Kasumi’s horrified staring or Ryouga’s pity. Had she mentioned she hated magic? “As mixed as this is,” Rosey said, stepping into the conversation, “Can we keep moving? Please?” She shot a worried look around. “Would flying up to take a peek be a good idea?” Ranma asked. “Not if there’s what I think there is running around,” Rosey said, “Let’s try and keep low for now, Princess.” Ranma had to wonder when being called a Princess had become something she didn’t instantly protest. It had only been a day after all, but she was already feeling tired of complaining about it. “What are you thinking of?” Ranma asked as they started walking again. Rosey paused to point at the destroyed buildings. “There isn’t much that can do that. If a Unicorn had done it there’d be melted terrain or other signs of magic. If it was a dragon, well there’d be a lot more fire everywhere. Which just leaves, well…” “Ursa Major,” Jade finished grimly. “You mentioned those,” Ryouga said, pushing forward, “When you were talking about Grogar.” “They’re a creation of his. Giant bears bigger than these houses with a hide that looks like the night sky,” Jade said. “Without Grogar they’re not overly aggressive, no more than any bear, but they are territorial,” Rosey said, “Stopping one takes either a coordinated force, one of the Princesses, or an exceptionally powerful and talented unicorn.” “And I’m good, but I don’t have that sort of power,” Jade said, looking pale in the moonlight. Ranma exchanged a grimace with Ryouga who glanced at the damage. She hated fighting giant monsters. The Phoenix had been bad enough, and the entire visit to Ryugenzawa was… Hopefully, it wasn’t more durable than the Orochi had been. “Since you’re a rather new Princess and we don’t have an army, let’s try to avoid running into whatever did this,” Rosey said nervously. “I’m up for not fighting a giant angry bear made of starlight,” Ranma said, “What about you Ryouga?” “Scared? I’m sure we could take it,” he scoffed. Ranma rolled her eyes at the usual bravado. “Well yeah, but then we’d have to explain to Akane that we put Kasumi in danger,” she replied, getting a wince from the stallion. “Oh I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Kasumi said with a smile, “You never let anything bad happen to Akane so I’m sure things will be fine.” She turned toward the ruined buildings. “Though I’m not sure it’s a bear we’ll have to deal with.” “Why not?” Ranma asked. “Because there are plants growing out of the ruins,” the bacon-haired pegasus said. Rosey glanced up and down the street then quickly ran over to the wreckage. A few moments later she was back. “She’s right. This must have happened a while ago. Several years ago at least,” she said, fluttering her bat wings anxiously. “That’s not good, right?” Angel asked, “I mean, if the Ursa was dealt with then they’d have rebuilt the town, right?” the Earth pony frowned. “Unless it decided to stay afterwards, or something else got involved, or there weren’t enough ponies left to rebuild,” Rosey said, trailing off with a frown. Silence fell After a minute Ranma shook herself and stamped a hoof. “We’re not getting back to Canterlot just standing here. Rosey, which way do we go?” she asked her hoofmaiden. The former Night Guard looked around with a frown. “The issue is I don’t know what town we’re in. If I knew that I’d be able to figure out which way to go,” Rosey said. “If I may,” Jade said, “we should be about one hundred and sixty miles northeast of Canterhorn Mountain.” Rosey paused, turning on the spot before looking to the starry sky. “In that case, we’d have to… that way.” She pointed in the direction of the trail of wrecked buildings. “Erm… We might want to give that a wide berth.” “But it’s a start. Lead the way, Rosey,” Ranma said, prodding her along. It wouldn’t do to get too down about everything. Ranma, Ryouga and Kasumi had been through worse. Though she did wonder what had happened to the ponies of this town. She kept one eye on the signs as they navigated the town. It was novel being able to read the curvy script that the ponies used. They reached the edge of town after a swift ten minutes of trotting and Rosey paused as they stared out over what had once been well-tended farmland. Now it was poorly maintained grasslands that ran down the valley dotted occasionally by the shadowy forms of barns and farmhouses. The mossy cobbled street rapidly turned into a dirt path that wound down through the valley. The full moon was bright enough that Ranma could even make out the far end of the valley where a broken tower stood vigil over the road. Though she suspected that had as much to do with the lighting as it did with being an Alicorn. She was pretty sure that she wouldn’t have been able to see nearly as well if she was still human. “It’s beautiful,” Angel Cake said, voicing Ranma’s thoughts of the view, “But sad.” “It is,” Jade Ribbon agreed, “I remember when this valley was still mostly trees. To see how far it came and yet, how far it’s fallen…” She shook her head, sending her mane everywhere. Kasumi patted her reassuringly on the back. “Where do we go from here, down the road?” Ranma asked Rosey. “I think so…” the Bat Pony replied as she hummed, “Can anyone see an Ursa Major? Look high, they like to try and silhouette themselves against the night sky. It makes it harder to spot them.” Ranma glanced about, but the first to say anything was Kasumi. “There,” the pegasus said, pointing up at the ridge ahead to their left. Ranma followed her hoof and after several difficult seconds found a section of stars that shifted and moved. “I see it,” she said, swallowing nervously. If she was right about how far away it was, then that was a very big bear. “Same,” Rosey said, “We’ll have to stick to the east side of the valley and try to follow the woods.” “Where is it?” Ryouga asked, squinting. “There, on the ridgeline between the two peaks,” Ranma replied, pointing it out with a hoof. Ryouga hissed as he spotted it. “That’s a big one,” he said. “Would fit right in with Ryugenzawa, right Ryouga?” Ranma laughed nervously. Fighting those giant monsters hadn’t exactly been Ranma’s idea of fun. Ryouga chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, kinda average size too… I’d have thought it would be bigger,” he said. “It would be, if it was an adult,” Rosey said flatly. Ranma rubbed her forehead. “Does that mean we need to keep an eye out for a mother?” she asked. “Unlikely. It’s too old for that, but-” Rosey was cut off as the Ursa Major rose up and spread its forepaws out. The roar that followed sent all the hairs along Ranma’s spine sticking straight up as it reverberated around the valley. A few moments later another roar, much deeper in tone, came from behind them. Ranma spun around and tried to spot the source, but the second bear was hidden by the old buildings. “There’s two,” she said. “Yeah, that’s not good. We’re right on the dividing line between two territories,” Rosey said, dancing on the spot nervously. Ranma scanned the valley as the first Ursa roared again. “The grass is fairly long in the fields. We could keep low and travel through the fields. Cross the open areas only when we’re sure the bears aren’t looking,” she said. This would have been a lot simpler if they didn’t have Kasumi and Angel, but if wishes were cake she’d have been able to open her own bakery. “That could work… Stay close. We’re going to have to take the valley as quickly as possible while they’re focused on each other, and just pray to Luna and Celestia that they don’t decide to come down off their hills to fight for territory,” Rosey said. Nothing was said as Moonrose bolted for the nearest field and they followed at a gallop. Grass, thankfully, was much quieter to run on with hooves than the clatter of hooves on stone. They made solid time as the Ursas postured on the heights. Their pace slowed as they ducked into the long grass, but they kept up a solid canter down the valley. The farmhouses they passed were as empty as the town. A few looked less run down, as though they hadn’t been abandoned as quickly. Or perhaps they simply hadn’t been damaged by an Ursa Major rampaging through town. There was no way that something that big didn’t make the earth jump whenever it walked or ran. “How long are they going to keep posturing?” Ryouga asked as they skirted the edge of a farmhouse. “It isn’t unheard of for two Ursa’s to posture for up to a full day, but usually with one either backing down or advancing to answer the challenge before then,” Jade said between breaths. “Then we have plenty of time,” Angel said cheerily. “Well in theory. They’ve been at it for at least an hour already. It’s about now that an impatient one would-” The Ursa on the hill to their left changed its tone and there was the sound of shattering stone. All eyes tracked a large shadow passing through the sky before it crashed down somewhere in the fields to their right. “... Start throwing rocks,” Ranma finished for Jade. “... Quite. I’d suggest we all start running faster,” the unicorn said as another rock took flight from the mountaintop. Caution was cast aside as the group galloped for the far end of the valley. Rocks, hurled by both Ursas, crashed down across the valley crushing crops and smashing the trees that lined either side of the valley. Their accuracy left a lot to be desired in Ranma’s opinion. “SPLIT!” Kasumi shouted abruptly and the group leaped to either side without breaking stride. A rock the size of a minivan crashed where they would have been and bounced, sending shards of stone in all directions as it did so, sailing over Ranma’s head. It rolled off into the darkness, crushing a path through wild corn and grass. “Good eyes, Kasumi!” Ranma said as they came back together. “That was too close,” Angel added. “Keep your eyes and ears on a swivel, girls,” Rosey said as she flapped her wings and took to the air. She didn’t pull ahead, instead pacing the group from a few feet above. “Isn’t that a risk?” Ranma asked. “They’re too caught up with each other. They won’t break their posturing just to hunt a few ponies,” Rosey replied. The farmland gradually degraded the further from town they went. Small farm houses, smaller fields, more trees. Not that it stopped the rocks as the two Ursas raged at each other. A few times they had to duck around large rocks that had clearly already been there for a while. This likely hadn’t been the first time these two Ursa had postured for superiority. At long last they reached the point where the valley turned and the farmlands gave way to forest. They didn’t stop, however, as the rocks continued to fall far too close for comfort. Or roll, as they tended to follow the slope down the valley. Eventually, however, they came to a stop as their run intersected with the main road. Little more than hard packed earth, it was good enough for them to stop and catch their breath. “Well… That was exciting,” Angel giggled, rolling onto her back in the middle of the road and pawing the air before sagging. “It was,” Kasumi agreed, demurely lying down beside the earth pony. “Is everyone alright?” Other than tiredness from the run they all seemed to be fine. They lay on the road for a while as the angry roars and crashing continued. A full gallop for so long was rather tiring. Then Ranma’s stomach rumbled. “Um…” she felt her face going red as everyone turned to her, then snerked as everyone else’s stomachs grumbled. “Let’s keep moving and see if we can find something safe to eat as we go.” “That sounds like a good idea,” Angel said, bouncing to her feet, “I can probably make something with berries or wildflowers if there’s some blooming.” “I could kill for a sunflower and daisy sandwich right now,” Rosey said, stretching languidly. “Never had that before,” Ranma mused. She was a pony now, so that meant an entirely different diet than before. She was going to have to get used to eating flowers now… She flicked an ear and wondered how cherry blossoms tasted. Hungry, but glad to be out of immediate danger, the group of ponies started walking down the moonlit road away from the Ursas and the town. It had to lead somewhere with ponies. Their progress was much slower than their brisk dash down the valley. In part because they weren’t running anymore, and partly because they were letting Angel Cake gather flowers and other plants from the overgrown road. Ranma paused as they crested the top of a rise and looked back. She took in the sight of the first Ursa as it rumbled its way down the hillside. It had evidently finally decided to pick a proper fight. The town was mostly out of sight with just the corner visible, its battered roofs and broken walls visible as colourless shadows beneath the moonlight. Something, however, caught her eyes. Visible in the far distance, framed by mountains and hills over which it just barely peaked, was a flag. Shrouded in smoke, frozen in mid moment as it fluttered over a forgotten valley. A slight fogginess, like looking through a dirty glass pane, was the only sign of the bubble of time that surrounded Dream Valley. Ranma blinked and lost sight of it as Kasumi bumped into her. “Sorry, Ranma,” she said, glancing over with a sheepish smile. “No problem, Kasumi,” Ranma said, glancing back, “Just… Thought I could see Dream Valley for a second.” The bacon-haired pegasus turned and looked back as the second Ursa rumbled into view at a full sprint. Everyone in the group stumbled as the two bears collided and a shockwave rolled out across the valley shaking every leaf and every bough. Kasumi peered back before shaking her head. “I can’t see it,” she said. “I only had a glimpse for a moment,” Ranma said before shrugging her wings, “C’mon. Let’s keep moving. I’d like to get back to Canterlot before your sisters figure out how to skin an Alicorn.” Akane was going to be so angry that Kasumi had gotten caught up in this. “Oh they wouldn’t do that,” Kasumi chided with a giggle, “Akane might be a bit of a violent maniac, but she’s not that bad.” Ranma snorted and ducked her head as her mane was blasted to the side by another fierce gale. “You know I thought you were exaggerating way back then,” she admitted as they hurried to catch up with the rest. Sure Akane had hit her with a table, a stone one no less, but… Well, in the depths of her own head she’d admit she’d been a bit of an ass… Not that Akane had been much better. “So did I,” Kasumi said, glancing away. An awkward silence fell between them. That first day at the Tendos had been an awkward one and honestly it had set the tone for everything else that followed. Barring the rare moments when everything was peaceful. Or… well… Ranma just really hoped that this little adventure wasn’t a sign that her time in Equestria was going to be as crazy as her time in Nerima. She could use a little bit of downtime. They descended the far side of the little hill and the gusts from the clash of giants vanished. Instead they found themselves buffeted by the sound of rustling trees and the echoing roars of the two bears. They kept walking as the forest grew darker. Clouds began to obscure the moon. Angel pronked ahead of the group each bounce accompanied by happy humming. She’d pause, pick a flower to toss on her back, then continue on somehow keeping the plants in place despite the breeze. And the bounce. Jade and Rosey were chatting about something to do with history, probably still explaining what had happened over a thousand years; and Ryouga had taken to kicking rocks off the road into the trees, sending more than one bird flying. Kasumi was humming something. Ranma simply listened to the breeze as it rustled her mane and tweaked the ends of her ears. After the excitement of the Everfree, the sudden pressure of being a Princess, and the chaos of falling down a drop chute into a spider golem infested cavern it was a nice break. A chance to finally relax a little. Even if she was still hungry. “Any chance we can get something to eat?” Ranma asked as Angel picked another flower. “Um… Possibly, Princess?” the chef said, peering at her back, “If we can find a stream I can clean them up and make us a nice salad. It would be better if we had a knife or a pan or something though…” “A light wouldn’t be too bad either,” Ryouga said. “Bet you’re wishing you still had your backpack, huh Ryouga?” Ranma asked, getting an understandable grumble from the brown unicorn. He had had that bag since before he and Ranma had met in middle school. The umbrella had been a gift from his parents. Kasumi patted him on the withers with a hoof. The snap of cracking wood caused Ranma to turn her head to the forest on the right. After a few moments nothing else snapped, she hummed and peered into the forest with narrowed eyes. “What was that?” Angel asked, taking a step backward toward the other side of the road. A rustle of leaves came from the left. Ranma flicked up a pebble and kicked it with her rear hoof toward the sound. There was a cry of pain and Ranma spun and leaped to the Earth Pony’s side as a dark cloak wearing pegasus crashed to the ground beside the chef. “Eep!” Angel squeaked and kicked the pegasus over the edge of the roadway. They rolled to a stop by the hooves of a large female earth pony. Her dark purple fur was near black in the shadows as was her dark blue mane. She looked down at the pegasus and sighed. “Now why did you have to do that?” she asked with a sweet voice that failed to match her bulk, “Now we’ll have to use violence.” As she said that a dozen more figures, all equally clad in dark cloaks, emerged from the shadows of the forest. Several Pegasi hung about in the trees. Ranma looked from one strange pony to the other. Distantly she could hear the sound of the bears roaring and clashing. Something felt off. “You have Highway Ponies in Equestria?” she said with exasperation to Rosey as they formed a circle around Kasumi and Angel. Jade Ribbon’s horn lit up and she stamped a forehoof. “I would have thought the last of such ponies would be long gone,” the Unicorn said. “This is news to me,” Rosey said, “Whoever you are, by the Authority of the Night Guard, stand down immediately.” The bat pony spread her wings wide and reared back, an act Ranma echoed. “Night Guard, ooh how scary,” the Earth Pony said with a chuckle, “If’n you’re Night Guard, where’s your uniform? “ She took a couple steps forward. “I’ll give you credit girlie, you’ve got chutzpah, but I’m not that easily fooled. Seriously, taping a fake horn on a Pegasus just so you could pretend you had a Princess with you?” She scoffed and eyed Ranma. “Did you forget there’s just three of them and they’re all much much larger than this?” “I’m rather new to this whole Princess thing,” Ranma admitted before stamping hard enough to leave an impression of her hoof in the road, “And I don’t really have much handle on this whole magic thing, but I don’t need magic to deal with a few bandits.” Distantly an Ursa roared and the ground trembled. “Knock them out, they should make fun prisoners,” the mare said before charging Ranma. “Jade, protect Kasumi and Angel!” Ranma shouted as she sidestepped the larger pony’s first haymaker. Despite being tired and hungry with sore muscles she barely needed to pay attention to this Bandit. Left step, back hop, slide right, duck under right cross, sweep the legs. The purple mare hit the ground and immediately rolled to her hooves and threw another punch. Ranma met it with one of her own and with a bored look the air cracked from the force of their combined strikes… and she powered straight through the mare’s guard to punch her in the face. She seemed rather shocked. Another pony lunged at her from the side, only to get knocked to the ground as Ryogua kicked a Pegasus into its path. She ducked a lunge from another pegasus that immediately leaped for a tree. Reacting on instinct, Ranma spun and bit down on the pegasus’ tail. Its wings hammered the air trying to pull away. Ranma’s hooves started leaving the ground. She swept her wings forward hard, forcing herself back to the ground, dragging the startled pegasus behind her with a yelp. She swung the pegasus by its tail as an improvised weapon and slammed them down onto their leader who was struggling to rise. Neither stood up again. She turned from them to find Jade blasting the final bandit off his hooves and into a nearby tree with a beam of crackling magic. Spinning in a circle she confirmed that everypony was fine before frowning at the bandits. “This was weird,” she said, nudging the mare in charge with a hoof. “It’s weirder than you think,” Rosey said, “What are Bandits doing out here? We’ve been following the road. It should only lead to that uninhabited village. There’s no one out here to prey on.” Jade grabbed the large mare in charge and pulled her out from under the pegasus Ranma had smacked her with an amber aura. Moments later the purple mare was divested of her cloak and the saddlebags underneath were emptied into thin air, their contents shuffled about in the amber glow of magic. “Check them for food and anything else,” she said. “Good idea,” Ranma said, walking over to the pegasus she knocked out, “If they’re so eager to attack people then they probably don’t need this, eh, Kasumi?” “Oh, I’m sure there was some reason behind all this,” Kasumi said, prodding an unconscious unicorn that was floating upside down. It drifted toward the forest until Angel pulled it to the ground and pinned it in place with a hoof. “They’re bandits, not really that complicated Kasumi,” Ryouga said. He was fiddling, unsuccessfully, with the latch on the cloak of an earth pony. “Hello, what’s this,” Jade said with a grin, staring at an unrolled sheaf of parchment. “We have a map… of this area unless I’m wrong. Moonrose, can you read this for me?” The guard pony trotted over and peered at it. “... That looks like the area we just went through,” Rosey said, tapping the map, “And we went this way til…” She glanced at the increasingly clouded sky, “Well, we’re somewhere around here. Hard to say without the stars.” Ranma peered over their shoulders. After a moment of orienting herself she pointed to where the village was on the map. “Moonbrook. That village was called Moonbrook,” she said, noting that there was another village in the direction they were heading called Saddle Hill. A moment later Rosey nearly punched herself in the forehead as she let out a groan. “Moonbrook! Horseapples, I’d heard of what happened to Moonbrook,” she said. “What happened?” Ranma asked her hoofmaiden. “From what we can tell there was a spike in the Ursa Major population and three of the bears decided to try and claim the area for themselves at the same time. You saw the damage from their fights. It’s amazing how much of that town is still standing,” the former Night Guard said. “How long ago was this?” Jade asked. “... About a year before Princess Luna returned,” Rosey said after a few seconds. “Hasn’t Princess Luna only been back for a couple of years?” Kasumi asked, joining the conversation. “Just over, but yes,” Rosey said. “So three years ago,” Jade concluded, “Why hasn’t the guard gathered to force them out already?” Rosey shrugged her wings. “Jade, I’m a Lieutenant. How much do you think ponies tell me?” she asked. Jade grimaced. “Not much, I take it?” “Not really, no. I’m a junior officer, I only get told as much as I need,” Rosey said.  Ranma tapped the map. “This is interesting. What is with this goat head here?” she pointed to a black goat head some distance away from the road. A quick inspection showed several more. “It could be Hideouts? Stashes maybe? Weapons or even treasure. We should pass this to somepony in the guard when we get back to Canterlot,” Rosey said. “... It could also be something related to the Cult of Grogar,” Jade said. “Not likely. These days the Goat Head is used by bandits, pirates and others as a symbol of fear and intimidation. For all we know they could have just used it to mark where the Ursas den,” Rosey replied, “O’course it could be them, but the odds of that are tiny. The Cult’s still around but they’re so weak after so long that most ponies who use the Goat’s Head are just your average thugs trying to be creepy or whatever.” Jade let out a thoughtful hum. A voice behind them cleared their throat. “Um, not to be rude,” Angel said, “But, shouldn’t we do something with these ponies?” Ranma glanced about. “We can’t exactly take them with us,” she said, eyeing the group. “Do they have any rope? We could just tie them to a tree and leave them,” Rosey suggested. “If they can’t get themselves free that would be rather cruel,” Jade said, “I suggest just taking what we need and tossing the rest into the woods. Let them find their things after they wake up.” Ranma shrugged. “Good enough for me… though, tie the leader up by her legs and hang her from a tree,” she said. If they were bandits then they would probably have a lot less faith in their leader after seeing her swinging upside down from a tree branch. It took only a little while to gather what food and water the strange bandits had and wrap them up in a cloak, minus a few bites they each had. Ranma had a nice apple the lead mare had been carrying. Oddly nice actually. It was fresh and unlike a lot of wild apples not filled with worms. Just one more strange thing about this group. Once they were done gathering the useful items they cared for they tossed the rest into the woods and draped the ponies over convenient tree branches. Ranma made sure to put some extra kick into her toss. By that point, however, the clouds had properly obscured the moon leaving them with only the glow of Jade Ribbon’s horn. The breeze had changed as well. “The wind’s picking up. We should probably hurry,” Ryouga said. “I’ll lead. Follow my light,” Jade said, breaking into a canter down the dirt road.