//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: Lightning Strikes  
// Story: Dungeons and Ponies 
// by Font of Mythos 
//------------------------------//

	From the brush around them, a strange green creature hurled itself into the group, knocking Rarity into the dirt.
"Oof!" Rarity exclaimed as she hit the ground.
Applejack immediately rushed over and, with a powerful kick, sent the enemy flying. As it smashed into a tree, the group could get a good look at it. It had rough, green skin that was far thicker than a pony's. It had four legs, two of which ended with gryphon-esque claws.
"What the hay is that!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as her eyes darted between the creature and the deep thicket it had attacked from.
"OOOOH, I've heard of these things!" Pinkie Pie smiled broadly. "They're GOBLINS!"
"Um, what nows?" Applejack scratched her head.
"Goblins! You know, mean hunched-over little green creatures that attack in groups and plagued travelers for centuries before the arrival of the Princesses? Duh, I thought everyone knew that!" Pinkie rapidly spoke, at a speed that put Rainbow to shame.
"Alright, well... If that's true, how in the hay is it here today!" Applejack remained puzzled at the existence of these creatures.
"Well, I could tell you that but... IT'S A SURPRISE! I can't ruin the surprise!" Pinkie bounced as she explained. The Goblin regained its consciousness, groggily opening its eyes. Upon seeing the ponies all around it, it hurled itself at them, using its clawed hands to slash at the nearest pony. Fluttershy didn't respond quite fast enough to duck the large claw that sunk itself into her back, just in front of her wing.
"AAAH!" Fluttershy sank to her knees under the force of the blow. As the goblin tore its claw from Fluttershy, the blood-covered claw dripped a horrible red. The goblin turned to the sound of galloping hooves to find an attacking Rarity impaling him with her horn, smiting the deadly creature. A trickle of blood crept down her horn as she shook, her pupils dilated and her nose flaring.
"Fluttershy! Please tell me you're alright..." Rarity ripped her horn from the monster, leaving it to die with a literal hole in its heart.
“I... Ah! I think I'll be ok," Fluttershy responded as she shakily rose from the ground. She flapped her wings to give her enough lift to get up.
“Will you be alright ‘til we get to the town sugarcube?” Applejack inquired.
“I... I don’t know... I might be able to use some of the leaves for a makeshift bandage but... I don’t know...” Fluttershy began to gather some leaves. “Would you get me a bit of bark... um... if you don’t mind...?” Rarity floated a bit of soft bark over to her. Fluttershy quickly wrapped up her shoulder using the bark as string to hold the leaves in place.
"Hey Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash edgily watched the brush around their feet. "Didn't you say these things attack in groups?"
"Yeah, they do!" Pinkie replied.
“Then why was there only one?” As if on cue, three more goblins leapt from the brush, springing at the ponies in a moment of weakness. Or, so they would have if not for Rainbow thinking of the implications of Pinkie’s knowledge. As such, they were prepared. Pinkie herself neatly sidestepped her assailant and laid him out with a light tap to a point on the back of the neck. The motion was surprisingly elegant for Pinkie, but the other ponies all attended their own urgent matter. Applejack wasn’t able to avoid sustaining a slight scratch across the chest before she bucked the goblin into the distance. Rainbow Dash was able to loop around her target and lift it into the air. It managed to lightly scratch at her muzzle, but its armor prohibited it from doing any real damage. It, quite suddenly, realized that there was no longer anything to scratch at. Its scream was cut short by a loud crack. Blood spurted from the goblin's broken neck, as the ponies tastefully avoided the refuse from the battle.
“We should get to the town! I don’t want to fight any more darn goblins!” Rainbow Dash fluttered down a bit as she shouted to the other four ponies. 
“Yeah, we’re goin’.” Applejack scooped up the grounded Fluttershy and led the ponies galloping towards the town they saw in the distance. Soon, Rainbow Dash caught up to them, her shoulder burdened with a newly acquired piece of armor.
“OOH! Nice shoulder-pad Dashie!” Pinkie bounced along the trail in her own unique way. 
“Thanks, I grabbed it from one of those goblins! I figured he wouldn’t need it anymore.” Rainbow Dash flew just behind the group.
“Now, normally I would demand you replace that item and stop committing such atrocities as looting, but I’m not sure we have a choice. If this was just a day-to-day occurrence then the practice of such atrocities may become necessary for us to survive.” Rarity glanced back at Rainbow Dash, a look of indignation barely suppressed by her impressive self-control. “I still think we should try to avoid such things, as they wouldn’t be fit to you anyway. Thus they’d be much less effective anyway.”
“Thanks for being so practical Rarity,” Applejack thanked Rarity.
“Well, when the ladies take to war, such pompousness has no place, as it cannot be afforded,” Rarity spoke intelligently.
“Um, what?” Applejack was lost by the string of complex words.
“It means I must give ground to you in such times of conflict, as there is no room for those like me in a war-filled world,” Rarity explained.
The ponies continued their frenzied charge toward the town. As they ran, the sun began to set...


Twilight Sparkle was more able to adjust to the role of Game Master, and continued the constant dice rolls. As she worked, she took the time to construct the townspeople as well as a few early game dungeons. She settled into her new role nicely, observing and gently guiding the little ponies to exactly the story she had planned...


To be continued...