//------------------------------// // 3. Of Songs and Ambushes // Story: The Tears of Gaia // by Redback Spino //------------------------------// The hiking had been long and successful for the ponies that day. Despite their leisurely pace, Twilight and her friends had walked far over the vast grassy plains, following what seemed to be an old dirt road that had become overgrown. It stretched along the banks of the river. They knew from their map that the river flowed from the bottom of Neighagra Falls, and they only had to follow it to reach the Falls by dusk. But best of all, the day had been clear and sunny throughout. The ponies basked in the warmth of the cloudless sky as they strode across the plains in high spirits. So Rarity was most surprised when she felt, of all things, the cold plip of a drop of water bounce off her snout. “Ooh! Okay, who did that?!” “Did what?” Twilight called from the front of the group. “Somepony’s flicking water from the river at me! Have you any idea how filthy that stream could be?!” Rainbow glided overhead, rolling her eyes. “Take a good look, Rarity. None of us are anywhere near the water.” The white unicorn glanced at her friends. True to Rainbow’s word, they were all at the top of the riverbank, far from the water’s edge. She shrugged. “Hmm, must have been my imagination. Apologies, girls.” Plip! “No need to apologise, sugarcube, I’m feelin’ it too!” Plick! “Ooh, so am I!” “Look girls! Up ahead!” Twilight came to a halt and pointed up to the sky. Looming overhead, casting the plains in shadow, were great, grey, gargantuan clouds. The spattering of water from the sky became stronger as the gloomy raincloud approached. “Well, so much for our good hiking weather,” muttered Rainbow Dash as she fluttered down to the ground and folded her wings. “That must be the bi-monthly storm shipment. It gets shipped around Equestria, giving the whole country a good sprinkle… But it’s always worst when it’s fresh outta Cloudsdale.” She pointed to the skyline over to the west, where the faint shape of the pegasi’s cloud city could be seen hovering above the horizon. “Aw, c’mon girls,” Pinkie Pie chirped as she bounced along the increasingly damp road. “It’s not that bad!” As if nature itself decided to spite Pinkie, there was a low rumble of thunder in the distance, and the raincloud doubled its efforts to soak all below. Applejack turned to glare at the pink pony. “Ya just had to go and say it, didn’t ya?” “Don’t worry girls,” Twilight said as she set down her saddlebag and began rummaging through it. “I anticipated this, so I took the liberty of enchanting all our blankets before we left. They’re good against the cold and they’re also waterproof.” To prove her point she levitated her blanket from deep inside her bag, draped it around her shoulders and secured it with a safety pin. The end result was a rather amateurish, but altogether effective, cloak. Following suit, the ponies all extracted their own blankets and Twilight and Rarity helped make a simple raincoat from each one, clasping it with a pin. When all the ponies were clothed in their makeshift cloaks, they shouldered their saddlebags and continued down the road. Their newfound dryness did little to raise their spirits, though. As any hiker would have agreed, there was little in the world more miserable than walking through the pouring rain, as the path ahead became less and less visible through the downpour and the ground below their hooves just got muddier and muddier. “I reckon at this pace, we’ll never make it to Neighagra 'fore nightfall!” Applejack cried above the noise of the rain as the first traces of dusk crept over the sky. Twilight extracted the map from her bags and quickly scanned over it, careful not to let it get too wet. “You may be right, Applejack. But what can we do then? Set up camp and try for the Falls in the morning?” “You’re kidding, right?!” Rainbow shouted from behind. “We can’t camp out in this!” Fluttershy spoke up, her voice barely audible above the rain, “She’s right. Not just because we’d be sleeping in the rain, but we could get swept down into the river if this gets much worse!” “Oh come now, Fluttershy!” Rarity replied with a humourless laugh. “How could this get any worse?” But Luck, it seemed, was a cruel mistress. Especially when she had Nature as her fellow conspirator. From the rear of the group there came the sound of splashing and a most undignified shriek. Fearing the worst, the group turned around to see Rarity, her mane bedraggled and bespattered with mud and dirty rainwater, standing flank-deep in a murky-brown puddle. Her twitching eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates, contrasting eerily with her pupils, which had shrunken into tiny black pinpricks. “Oh… oh my,” the timid pegasus squeaked. The six ponies cantered along the path, not caring about the mud splattering against their legs and sides. Or rather, five cantered and one, a white unicorn who was frozen in catatonic shock, was tied on Applejack’s back. “This is ridiculous! If we don’t find some shelter soon we’re gonna drown out here!” Twilight paused for a moment to wring the water out of her mane. “You’re a pegasus, Rainbow! Can’t you do something?” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Even if I could do something against a storm that big, it’d mean the rest of Equestria wouldn’t get any rain for the rest of the month!” “Hey, look there, girls! I can see light up ahead!” Pinkie shouted as she skidded to a halt, throwing a small wave of mud all around her. The others also skidded to a stop, or rather, tried to and ended up sliding right into the back of her. As they got back to their hooves, they followed Pinkie’s pointing foreleg and saw a sight in the distance that almost made them weep with joy. Less than half a mile away was a tiny group of buildings, the windows glowing with a warm yellow light that occasionally flickered as a figure passed the inside of the window. The simple wooden architecture and surrounding fields came into focus as the soaked mares sprinted towards the lights, discovering the small group of houses and fields to be a farming commune of some sort. As they passed under the archway into the farmstead, they could hear the muffled sounds of many voices emanating from a building off to the left side of the courtyard. Above the door hung a wooden hand-painted sign depicting a plate laden with a loaf of bread and an apple, with a foaming flagon beside it. Beneath it were the words “THE WARM WELCOME”. Needing no second bidding, Twilight pushed the door open and the six friends staggered in. The first thing they noticed was the warmth. They had not exactly been tundra temperatures outside, but the sudden rain and the wind-chill had not helped matters. The ponies could practically feel the rainwater evaporating off their coats and fur. Tossing back their hoods, they shook droplets of water from their bodies as they passed through the porch. It was a small tavern, lit only by a few dim wall-mounted lights and a roaring fireplace opposite the bar. There were a good couple dozen ponies dotted around the room, mostly Earth-ponies, but with a scattering of pegasi and a unicorn or two. Some sat together at the small round tables, a few huddled by the fire and some stood or sat at the bar. Behind the bar was a corpulent old cream-coloured stallion with a bushy black beard and moustache, an apron tied around his belly. It wasn’t the best looked-after of inns, but it still had about it a general air of friendliness and, as the sign suggested, a warm welcome. As they approached the bar, they caught the eyes of a few ponies around the tavern, and there was a brief lull in the conversation. But the chatter soon swelled again, with a few voices giving some gruff greetings to the newcomers. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie instantly headed to join the ponies that were huddled around the fireplace, while Twilight and Applejack approached the old bartender and rapped a hoof on the worktop. “Erm…excuse me, sir…?” “One moment, please!” the old stallion called over the hubbub, as he hastily poured more drinks for the ponies standing at the bar, either popping open a bottle or filling a flagon from one of the many massive barrels behind him. After a few minutes, he finally had a moment to talk. “Sorry 'bout that. Things are always busy this time of day. Now then, how can I help ye, missies? I can’t say we get many visitors round here, ‘specially in a group your size.” “We’re, uh, making a little trip up north. Just a hiking trip, y’know?” Twilight replied. She was not sure she wanted them to know their real intentions up at the Mountains. “And you got caught out in the rain, eh? Well, ye couldn’t have picked a better place to shelter. We got hot food, drinks, a warm fire…” He glanced at Rarity, who still lay frozen and covered in mud on Applejack’s back. “Heh, and I’ll bet yer friend back there wouldn’t mind a warm bath.” “Warm bath?” Rarity’s ears perked up as she instantly returned to consciousness Applejack chuckled as she untied the bonds that strapped Rarity to her back. “Glad to have ya back with us, Rarity.” The bartender chuckled as well in his deep, bass voice. “Yeah, a pretty mare like that, covered in muck, just ain’t right. Hold on a moment… Hey, Songbreeze!” A young mare in an apron matching the bartender’s squeezed her way through the other ponies. She was a pretty young mare, about the same age as Twilight, with mousy hair braided into a ponytail and a pale tan coat. “What’s up, uncle?” The stallion pointed to Rarity. “This mare is in dire need of a bath. Be a dear and take her up to the bathroom, will ye?” Songbreeze nodded and beckoned for Rarity to follow. “Sure thing, uncle Butterbeer. Follow me, Miss…erm...” “Rarity.” She replied. “My name’s Rarity.” The young filly led the way up some stairs on the left of the porch. Butterbeer watched them disappear to the upper floors before returning his attention to Twilight and Applejack, a smile creasing his face. “Now then missies, anything else I can help with, or shall we skip to takin’ orders?” “Well, a nice hot meal would be nice,” Twilight replied, “But also, we were wondering if you have any rooms to stay the night.” His smile sagged. “Ah…Sorry young miss. ‘M afraid we got no vacancies at the moment.” Applejack frowned. “Seriously? Ah, shoot! Ain’t there anywhere in this place that’d have somewhere we could sleep?” “Not likely,” replied Butterbeer, “Most houses here are pretty crowded to begin with, and we just don’t got room to house six more ponies. Again, sorry missies… Yer welcome to stay till the bar closes, but after that, I’m afraid yer on yer own.” When Rarity finally returned from her bath, Twilight gathered her friends together to share the bad news. Once they were done groaning and moaning with frustration, they resigned to the plan of staying until the bar closed at midnight, then continuing on their way. Rainbow and Twilight had headed outside again and gauged that the raincloud may have let up a little by then. Until then, they could just say at the tavern and enjoy a hot meal and a warm fire. “It’ll be a sleepless night all round, but we don’t really have much choice,” Twilight explained to the ponies assembled around one of the round tables. Rainbow nodded “Besides, it’s just a couple hours from here to Neighagra Falls, and we can chill all we like once we get there.” “S’cuse me, but did I hear right that yer heading to Neighagra Falls?” Twilight turned around and saw a grizzled old stallion sitting at the adjacent table. “Erm, that’s right sir…we’re heading to the Crystal Mountains, and we’re planning to stop at the Falls on the way.” The stallion took a swig from his flagon before replying, “Well, if yer lookin’ for a place to stop and sleep, then the Falls are the place to go.” “What d’ya mean?” Applejack asked, joining the conversation. “Well, there’s an old pony who lives up by the Falls. Bit of an odd mare, but she’s welcoming to most ponies. If ye go at a quick pace and just go straight north from here, ye can reach the Falls in an hour. She’ll be perfectly willing to give ye a place to sleep.” At that moment, Songbreeze came by, a platter balanced on her back with the six ponies’ drinks. “Yeah, but you wanna be careful around here at night,” The mare said, cutting into the conversation. “There’s talk of strange creatures abroad.” At this all the ponies’ ears perked up. “What kind of creatures?” Rarity asked as she sipped her cup of cider. Songbreeze shrugged. “Dunno. Haven’t seen any myself, and most of the rumours just talk about ponies in funny outfits goin’ about the place. And some say they aren’t even ponies, but somethin’ else that looks kinda like a pony, but not quite…” “Now, now, Song, let’s not spook our visitors,” Butterbeer said as he trotted to the tables. “In fact, it’s a bit gloomy in here all around, I think.” “Yer right, uncle” Songbreeze replied with a grin. Turning to the ponies all seated in the tavern and at the bar, she called aloud, “C’mon you old lot, whaddaya say we liven things up a bit!” Her suggestion was met with a hearty cheer from the gathered ponies. Without further ado, she went right into a bouncy little ditty which soon had the whole tavern singing along and thumping their flagons on the tabletops. The six mares were rather caught off-guard by Songbreeze’s singing voice, which truly lived up to her name, and was most unexpected from a barmaid: “Oh, the weather’s cold outside But we’re all snug in here! With you and me, good company! With cider, food and beer! Oh, the winds can blow outside, And whistle and wail and moan. But sit us by a roaring fire, And you’ll hear not a moan! Oh, the night is dark outside, But the dinner’s good and hot! Good food, good friends and happy hearts, I’d say we got the lot!” The tavern joined her in enthusiastically shouting the last line, and ending in another hearty cheer and a round of applause for Songbreeze. Even Rarity, who was not a pony given to enjoying the sort of songs sung in inns and taverns, had to admire the filly’s lovely voice. As the night went on, the six friends were treated to more delicious drinks, though they stuck to the non-alcoholic stuff, as well as some quaint, yet appetising food. Soups, stews, pies (which were really little more than bowls of stew with lids made from piecrust), all very heavy and much stodgier than Ponyville fare, but undeniably delicious. As yet another song (which Twilight was sure was one big euphemism for something incredibly dirty) drew to a close with a roar of laughter, they found themselves called upon to provide a song of their own “C’mon ladies!” shouted Butterbeer. “Surely you know some good songs!” “Yeah, let’s hear something new, we get bored of our own music!” “Ooh! Ooh, I have one!” Pinkie bounced up and down on the spot, delighted to have a willing audience. The ponies cheered and fell quiet, waiting for her to begin. The pink pony took on a dramatic pose, one hoof on her chest, another extended before her, her face uncharacteristically solemn. Played by some unseen musician, an accordion and a fiddle were heard, along with a steady drumbeat. “Listen now,” Pinkie spoke, “to the tale of a pony, and his endless quest for adventure and justice. This is the epic tale of the great knight, Shiny Shield!” Applejack facehoofed. She’d heard this one before. “Oh good gravy, here we go…” “Old Shiny Shield was mighty brave, As I was told by my mother, Fair maidens by the bucketload He’d save, one after another. Each morning he rode from his abode, Riding the back of a giant toad, Searching the dangerous forest roads, A-looking for those fair maidens! He spied a fat old pony there, And doffed his hat quite proudly The mare was frightened out of her wits And started to shriek so loudly! He shoved her upon the back of his toad And tried to ride off down the road, But two fat ponies was one heavy load, And the toad was squashed like a beetle! Then out there came a stout old colt Who yelled, ‘Oh woe and strife! I spy some villain, tryin’ to steal My lovely fat old wife!’ So he took up a great, massive club And gave poor Shiny quite the drub And a mighty bruise for him to rub While his wife ate all their supper!” She had to pause mid-song, for the assembled ponies were drowning out her singing with roars of hearty laughter. Even her friends, who had been living in fear that she would ever sing this song again, were giggling and guffawing. Only Applejack could control herself long enough to shout above the din, “Don’t encourage her, folks! That song goes on fer another forty-seven verses!” The singing and mirth went on long into the night, until the midnight hour finally came, and Butterbeer and Songbreeze closed down the bar. The dozen or so ponies who were still drinking returned to their own houses, some supporting their staggering, inebriated friends, while many other ponies headed upstairs to their rooms in the inn. Soon the only ponies left were Twilight and her friends, along with Songbreeze and Butterbeer. “Once again, I’m really sorry we can’t accommodate you girls tonight. Especially after all the fun we had tonight, ye seem like such nice girls!” Twilight gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s alright, Mr. Butterbeer. At least we had a chance to dry off and cheer up a bit.” “And besides, the rain’s lettin’ up as it is. We’ll be fine,” Applejack added. True to her word, the downpour outside had let up into a gentle drizzle. “Well, I went ahead and dried out yer stuff.” Songbreeze replied, carrying the ponies’ saddlebags and cloaks from the back room. “Nice and warm from the heater.” Each of the six ponies smiled as they felt the warmth of their cloaks and saddlebags on their backs. “Thank you so much!” Twilight said as she clasped her blanket around her shoulders. “So, that stallion was saying that if we head straight north from here, we’ll reach Neighagra Falls in an hour?” Butterbeer nodded. “Yep. Cut across country and keep goin’ north. After a while you’ll be able to see the place. As best I know, the old mare keeps a light in the window fer any traveller headin’ her way.” “But who is this mare?” Fluttershy inquired. “She goes by the name of Rowanoak. Nopony really knows who she is or where she came from. She just lives up by those Falls all alone,” Songbreeze replied. “But like Butterbeer said, she’s usually welcoming to travellers.” Applejack nodded as she led the way out into the courtyard. “Well, it's sure been a delight. Thank you kindly for your hospitality, but I reckon we better be going then.” “Well, safe journey to the lot of ye,” Butterbeer called from the doorway. “And remember what Song said about strange folk abroad. Take care of yerselves!” “We will!” Pinkie Pie replied, waving back. “And you take care too! Who knows, maybe we’ll come back this way and I can finish Shiny Shield’s story!” “If that's the case, take all the time you need to come back!” the old bartender joked. With one final wave, the six friends donned their makeshift hoods and headed back out the gate and onto the road. As they trudged over the grasslands and moors that dominated the area, the notable reduction in rain did little to improve their moods. Every now and then a hoof would get caught in an especially deep puddle, or somepony would slip and narrowly avoid an unwanted mudbath. But one pony in particular felt even more ill at ease than the rest. “Applejack?” Twilight looked back to see her Earth-pony friend standing stock-still at the back of the group. She trudged over to join her. “What’s up? You’ve been stopping and starting like this a lot.” Applejack shook her head, as if dispelling some unwanted thought. “Sorry Twi. I dunno what it is, but somethin’ feels mighty off. I can’t put my hoof on it, but I just reckon somethin’s up…” “Like there’s somepony out here other than us?” Rainbow asked in a low voice as she joined them. “Actually, I’ve been feeling something like that too,” Fluttershy added. “A few times, I even thought I could see something.” “Was it a group of shadowy cloaked figures that seemed to be getting closer?" The pegasus was unnerved by Rarity’s oddly specific question. “Erm…yes, actually. Why?” Rarity was perched atop a slight mound on the moor, staring intently eastward. “Because I can see them too. About half a mile away.” With a sudden flash of light, Twilight was by her side, looking out over the moors. Over the lip of a low hill they could see a shadow rise, or more than one. Squinting and peering through the mist and rain, they watched as the shadows seemed to grow in size and number. Soon there was no doubt about it, about four or five shadows were standing there on the hill, peering back at them with the piercing yellow dots that seemed to be their eyes. Twilight thought that she could hear faint hissing or growling from their direction. Then the shapes began to advance. Twilight was immediately spurred into action. “We need to get moving. Now! Head straight north, fast as you can!” They turned on their back hooves and began to gallop across the land, ignoring the spattering of mud or the scratching from bushes and scrub as they ran by. Applejack led the way, pumping her strong workhorse legs, followed closely behind by Rainbow Dash, who had taken to the air, flying low along the ground. Twilight and Pinkie galloped behind them. Bringing up the rear were Rarity, who gasped for air as she tried her best to keep up, and Fluttershy, who glided alongside. Chancing a quick look behind, Fluttershy gulped as she saw the strange shadows gaining ground behind them. She could clearly see their eyes now, and noticed that they were not like any pony she had seen. They seemed to be nothing more than bright yellow rings in a shadowy, cowled face. As the ponies sprinted desperately, they noticed that more and more of these strange figures appeared, running behind them and even alongside them. About ten or so of them were now following them. But the six ponies came to a halt as they found their way barred by another five cloaked figures who formed a line before them. Within seconds they were surrounded. The largest of the figures stepped forward a few paces, and called in a snarling voice, “You will go no further!” Now that they were standing still, Twilight was able to get a good look at the figures. She too noticed their strange eyes, nothing more than yellow rings, staring out from beneath hooded and cowled faces. From what she could see of their limbs and tails beneath their cloaks, she noticed with unease that they did not look very equine at all. And while she and her friends’ breath came out as pale puffs of steam, there seemed to be a constant stream of black smog seeping from beneath the creaures' hoods. But swallowing her fear, she stepped forward to confront them. “And why not? We’re just travellers on our way to Neighagra Falls!” “You will come with us!” the cloaked figure shouted. “And what if we don’t?” Rainbow shouted back defiantly, scuffing the ground with a hoof. Another cloaked figure on the right of the larger one stepped forward and pointed with a foreleg at the group of ponies before him. Twilight’s fears were confirmed when she saw that the armoured foreleg ended not in a hoof, but in a clawed hand. Then a million things happened at once. The dozen or so figures bore down upon the group of mares, silently charging forwards. In an instant Rainbow Dash had zoomed skyward before any of these strange creatures could touch her. Flying above the ground, she would zoom down on any of their assailants who made a grab at her friends, barrelling into them like a cannonball. Twilight and Rarity held their own, bolts of magic shooting from their horns and lighting up the darkness. Every now and again these flashes of magical energy would make contact, blasting one of the beasts back. But many would catch them off guard, swooping down upon them on wings that were sometimes feathery, and sometimes not so much. Through the darkness of the melee, Twilight called out, “Girls! Over here! Everypony around me, now!” Through the dark there were the sounds of scuffles and snarls and grunts of creatures as they were beaten back, and within moments, Twilight found herself surrounded by her five friends. Through the darkness, and the veils of rain and mist, she could see the shadowy figures regrouping and heading their way. Glancing over to the north for a moment, she then closed her eyes and focused all her will into her horn. She had always been warned about the dangers of teleporting somewhere she did not know or could not see, but this was desperate. “Girls, hold on tight!” she shouted as she could feel the magic welling up in her horn. She felt five pairs of hooves grabbing on to her as tightly as they could. Ignoring the pain, Twilight cast the enveloping net of magic around her friends and herself, before finally releasing the spell. With a blinding flash of white and magenta light, they were gone. Many miles away, in a cottage by the waterside, a light came on. An ancient, grey-haired mare got up from her chair, stretching her creaking old limbs and slipping into a dark blue nightgown. Picking up a candlestick on her way out, she opened the door and slowly made her way across her garden. She passed by the small lake that gradually shrunk down into a stream, snaking its way into the distance past the boundaries of her home. She crossed the bridge over the silent water and ambled slowly down the colonnade. Finally she reached the two pillars that marked the entrance to her home and stood there, waiting. They should be arriving any moment now. In four, three, two… BANG! “Ooh, you’re early!” the old mare said with delight as she watched the six young ponies flash into existence. They appeared to be two of each pony kind, young, and absolutely filthy. Mud caked the sides and hooves of the six mares, and scratches and bruises could be seen where there was no mud. “Well, come on in, no sense in sitting out in the rain on a night like this,” the old mare said as she passed between the pillars. Agonizingly slowly the six mares got to their hooves, barely able to stand up under the weight of their bags and their own exhaustion. “Go on, hurry up and get inside. Best shed those heavy bags of yours; I’ll have them brought in.” Twilight and her friends could only stare dumbly at this strange old mare, who did not seem to mind that six very exhausted and very scared young mares had just materialised on her doorstep. She just smiled back. “C’mon, scoot! Down the colonnade and over the bridge, straight into the cottage. You don’t need to fret, yer safe now.” Nodding dumbly, Twilight motioned to her friends to follow her, and they headed towards the bridge. But as they passed the pillars, the old mare spoke up again. “Ah, wait young’un! Go between the pillars, if ya don’t mind. The barrier won’t work properly otherwise.” Taken slightly aback, Rainbow Dash and Rarity, who had been making to walk past the two pillars, backed up and headed through them. When they saw the old pony’s satisfied smile, the group continued to stagger towards the colonnade. The old mare stayed behind, gathering up their saddlebags and carrying them between the pillars, before setting them down on the ground and following her new guests. “Hmm, s’funny. Only five bags for six ponies… Ah well, there’s probably nothing to it. Now, let’s go get these girls some tea!” “You useless vermin! How’d this happen?!” The cloaked creatures groaned and growled as they sat about in the grassy field and licked their wounds. They tried their best to ignore the berating words of their leader, who paced up and down before them. His tail whipped back and forth in frustration as he spoke in their tongue, “Ponies… Nothing more than six ponies, and you let them get away! I ask you, am I the only competent one here?!” He received little more than grunts and hisses in reply. Running a hoof down his face, he groaned, “Never mind, don’t answer that. Athaps, what’s the damage?” “Bruises and scratches. Nothing broken. These ones are good to go anytime now Maugoth,” replied a thin cloaked fellow with a reedy voice. “Right,” Maugoth replied, eager to be on the hunt again. “We may not have caught those little meals, but there’s bound to be more of them somewhere nearby. Be ready to go in five minutes!” Before he could say any more, another one of the cloaked creatures was at his side, beckoning with a claw. “What is it, Gadhup?” The little creature, Gadhup, beckoned for Maugoth to follow him, leading him to the spot where the six ponies had vanished. There on the ground, covered in muck and filth, was a set of white saddlebags, clasped shut with a small magenta clip, shaped like a starburst. Maugoth picked up the bag and unclasped it, rummaging through for anything of value. “Anything good in there?” Gadhup asked, eagerly peering over his master’s shoulder. The cloaked pony knocked him back and continued rifling through the bags. A few old books, some quills and inkpots, blank scrolls, maps, some food, but nothing of serious interest. He pulled out a bunch of sheets of paper and skim-read a few pages. Nothing of interest, just some old history notes. But then Maugoth saw on one page, the words “Source of near-unlimited power”. His attention was instantly grabbed. As he read through the pages again, his mouth broke into a cruel smile. Flipping to the final page, he saw a simple map of Equestria, with an X scrawled onto the mountain range that lined the top of the page. “Oh, this is good,” the pony muttered aloud. “This is just what we need.” “Did you find something good?” Athaps joined Maugoth and Gadhup, peering at the map and the notes that Maugoth was holding. “Only the best possible. Get Laga over here, we need his magic.” Gadhup nodded and scampered to the rest of the group. Maugoth tossed back his hood and cowl, revealing the face of a young stallion, perfectly normal except for a few extra-long teeth poking out from under his top lip, and his unnatural eyes. They were devoid of whites, completely black save for the irises, which were a bright, piercing yellow. He flipped the bag onto its side and saw a tiny label on the back. In both the common Earth-pony alphabet, and the Runicorn pictogram script, were the words “If found, return to Twilight Sparkle, Golden Oaks Library, Ponyville”. “We may just be able to work this to our advantage.”