“Mark! What are you doing here?”
“My name’s Marked!” The little unicorn huffed and stomped his hoof, “And I wanted to see you.”
The orange stallion grinned, throwing his helmet off before wrapping his foreleg around Marked’s neck and giving him a noogie.“Damn picky about that aren't you? It’s good to see you kid.”
Marked laughed as he escaped the older pony’s hold, only to get grabbed again and attacked at his most ticklish spots.
“Gambit, who’s that?”
Ceasing his assault, Gambit turned to the voice, holding Marked at his side. “This is Mark, my brother. Mark, this is recruit number three.”
Recruit three ignored the colt’s snort at his false nickname and held a hoof out in greeting. “Hi there, my name’s Shining Armor, it’s nice to meet you.”
Rather than shake the hoof, Marked had other ideas, as he blew a raspberry at Shining. He received a squeeze from Gambit as consequence. “Mark, be polite.”
Shining chuckled at the little colt’s rebelliousness, “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got a little sister, so I know how it can be.”
“Yah, but I bet your sister doesn’t get into nearly as much trouble as this brat,” Gambit said humorously releasing his hold on his brother.
As if releasing a wild squirrel, Marked used his newfound freedom to run around Gambit and Shining before hopping onto Shining’s back. Marked looked around the stallion confused at not finding what he had set out for. He turned to his brother for assistance, “But you’re the one who taught me how to find who the suckers are, like him," he said, pointing to Shining. "So how is that my fault? And where’s his bit bag anyways?”
Shining’s ears perked up at that statement. “What?”
In a quick sweeping motion, Gambit once again grabbed the colt and turned away from Shining speaking in a low whisper so he wouldn’t be heard. “Mark, I’m kinda keeping that part of my life a secret. You mind not talking about it in public?”
Marked’s eyes widened and his ears splayed in guilt. “Sorry.”
Seeing the little colt’s look, Gambit rolled his eyes and sighed, turning to the other trainee for support. “Hey Shining, can you cover for me? I’m taking a break.”
Shining reluctantly shook his head. He understood wanting to spend time with family, but he and Gambit were in the middle of patiently guarding a doorway. For practice, of course. Not very exciting but still important…probably. “We’re supposed to wait here until the-”
Gambit interrupted, taking a cheap shot. “Cover for me and I’ll consider us even for that fifty bits you owe me. You know, the bits you lost last week when we played cards. Ring any bells?”
Shining cringed at the memory of that night.
“Who knows, maybe you could even use those bits you saved for your sister’s birthday. But well, I guess guarding a door to a hallway that nopony ever goes through is much more important.”
“Al-Alright, but make sure you're not late to the training assembly.”
“When have I ever been late?” Gambit laughed as he began trotting along with Marked.
Shining’s ears splayed. “Everytime.”
Gambit almost felt bad for putting the young stallion in that position but knew Shining well enough to know he’d get over it. The orange pony’s expression slowly dissolved into a troubled one. “So Mark, I was actually gonna give you a surprise visit in a couple of weeks. How’d you get to Canterlot? I hope you didn’t spend the emergency fund I left you for something like buying an airship. I know you’d do it.
“I didn’t use your money. And I came by train.” Marked said simply.
“Mark,” Gambit said with a flat expression, hoping for some more clarity.
Marked’s grin got wider and the colt began hopping excitedly, “It’s great! I got offered a job and I accepted! Now I can stay here in Canterlot with you.”
The stallion blinked multiple times while looking at the colt incredulously. “A job? Seriously?”
Marked began nodding vigorously, “Yup. I met up with this guy and he said he wanted to take me as a student-apprentice or something.”
Gambit sighed. “Mark...It’s not a job unless you get a payout. And even then you’re too young to be working.”
“Oh...” Marked replied with less confidence, but soon perked back up as he remembered the next good thing. “Well, I still get to stay here in Canterlot, he said he’d take care of the living expenses.”
“Who is ‘he’ exactly? I know you’ve got more than enough common sense than to talk to some sketchy pony, but this deal of yours is sounding really suspicious.,” Gambit said as he began thinking about this from every angle he could think of. Whomever this pony was that gave Mark the deal obviously had some influence, but what could they possibly want with the colt?
Gambit put his thoughts on hold for now as Marked began speaking again, “That’s what I thought too. But then me and Crystal met up with him and he’s actually super legit.” The colt said, stretching his forelegs wide for emphasis.
Unfortunately, rather than help his case, Marked’s statement had made Gambit a little more disturbed. “You brought Crystal? You should have brought somepony from the old crew. They’d look after you too you know.”
Marked looked down at his hooves and started twiddling them. “Umm…. Fence and Flower moved away together. They told me to tell you in my next letter, but I forgot.” He admitted in a guilty tone.
“What about Plum? He’s should’ve been your first choice given how protective he can be. Couldn’t you have talked to him into watching over you?”
The unicorn colt shook his head. “Plum lives in that red district you told me never to go into. The one with the really nice ladies who are always waiting for their special somepony.”
Gambit facehoofed, he had forgotten just how much of a ladies man Plum Crush could be. So of course the guy would move into an apartment in the Red-light district. “Alright, so bringing Crystal wasn’t the worst thing you could do. Before anything’s permanent though I want to meet this guy for myself. No normal pony just offers something like this to a random colt.”
“You did.”
“I don’t think being a former criminal counts me as normal, kid. Besides, normal’s overrated.” The orange stallion said with a warm smile. The day he met the colt was just a coincidence during one of his latest cons. But despite Gambit’s professionalism on the job, the kid had grown on him. Hell, the reason he had decided to get a clean career was so he could set a good example and lose the risks his previous ‘career choice’ had.
“I...guess,” Marked said, confused that Gambit didn’t think himself normal.
Gambit ruffled Marked’s mane as he returned to the subject matter. “Anyways, I don’t want you meeting this guy unless I’m with you. I’ll see if he’s really who you think he is or if he’s just a lying piece of shit.”
“But he’s not a piece of-”
Gambit placed a hoof over the colt’s mouth, stopping him from finishing the sentence, “Mark, no cussing until you’re older.”
“Awww you’re no fun,” Marked pouted, kicking a stray pebble that was close by.
Seeing the colt’s expression sink, Gambit gave him a comforting pat on the head,. “If it makes you feel better I’ve a got weapons training assembly next-”
He almost regretted mentioning it as Marked started running a circuit around him. “Can I come? Can I come?”
Gambit smiled as he gripped the sheathed sword at his side with his mouth. Reminiscent of flipping an egg, he quickly angled the sword under the colt as Marked passed by and flipped him into the air before catching the colt on his back. Gambit chuckled as Marked’s panic stricken face turned to one of awe. “Yah. As long as you don’t cause trouble, I’m pretty sure you can observe.”
Marked jumped off Gambit’s back with a wide smile, “What are we waiting for? I want to see you beat everypony up!”
Gambit grimaced a little as the colt ran down hall. “Oh, boy. Hindsight, you’re kicking my ass.” He mumbled before giving chase to Marked. It wasn’t hard as the the little unicorn always managed to stay within sight despite the somewhat winding turns. However, what was strange was that Marked seemed to know exactly where he was going.
Gambit stopped and shut his eyes as sunlight blinded him during his exit from the building. Opening them again, he oriented himself and saw that the other trainees, including Shining, were in formation, awaiting their commanding officer and that Marked had somehow disappeared.
Seeing the looks that the others were giving him for being out of formation and almost late again, Gambit decided that the best decision right now was to search for Marked somewhere in the training yard.
Taking his position in the formation, the orange stallion looked around frantically to where Marked could have gotten to, ignoring the fragments of whispers from his peers’ conversations.
“Did you hear? The lieutenant himself is coming assess our strengths and weaknesses.”
“And he even got his own student!”
“Gambit’s actually here on time! What’s the occasion?”
“Do you think we’re getting something edible tonight? Or do we have to eat gruel again?”
He and almost every other pony in the formation jumped as a loud voice rang over them,. “Attention!”
He looked forward with the rest and was greeted with the sight of a burgundy stallion with a black mane and tail. Though he wore the standard issue, non-magical armor of Celestia’s royal guard, everypony in the military knew who he was.
“I am First Lieutenant Armored Bastion. Today I am here to help you all determine your fighting classification, or ‘class’ if you prefer the shorter term. Do not be disappointed if it isn’t what you wanted or thought you were, you are all still young, and with practice it is possible to change and improve yourselves. Any questions before we begin?”
Gambit’s eyes widened as he noticed a small familiar yellow shape jump out from somewhere within the formation and onto one of the other trainee’s back then head. “What’s a lieutenant?” Marked asked, either ignoring or oblivious to the struggling trainee underneath trying to keep his head upright.
“Get down from there and come over here.” Armored Bastion ordered firmly.
The pony let out an oomph as Marked complied, bouncing off and trotting up to the burgundy stallion. Gambit could feel the sweat start to build as Marked jumped onto Bastion’s back so he could whisper something in his ear.
Bastion nodded and Marked jumped off but remained at his side.
Gambit gulped as Bastion made lingering eye contact with him before clearing his throat to speak again, “And this is my new student, Marked Defiance. If you have any questions concerning him, you will ask me. Do I make myself clear?”
******************************************************************************
Crystal walked steadfast and prepared herself for the worst case scenario.
Last night before the bandit attack, Mark said he’d met Chrysalis, the changeling queen. He’d met her.
This bothered the disguised changeling, since she couldn’t remember seeing him at all. Knowing Mark, it was likely just a bluff to sound impressive, but it would still be better to play it safe and find out how much he knew now that they were done traveling for the day.
Crystal slowed her pace as she heard Mark’s feminine voice talking to himself. Poking her head out from behind some bushes, she saw the young tactician without his cloak and looking closely at the calm but flowing river.
“-Really am hot…..Sheesh, can’t blame Big Mac for wanting to get closer to this.” He said, flipping his long mane to the other side of his head.
Too focused his reflection, Mark failed to hear the rustling of leaves as Crystal flew up and perched on an overhead tree branch.
“If there was a mare that looked like this I’d be all goo-goo eyes too. I mean look at me, well formed figure, beautiful, and if I tone it down a tad, my voice can sound so se~xy.” He said, demonstrating his ‘sexy’ voice.
Crystal rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to snort at what she was seeing and continued looking on in curiosity as Mark’s focus shifted for a moment, spacing out briefly. Suddenly his eyes widened and a heavy blush spread across his cheeks, “Dammit, Brain!”
Crystal tilted her head in confusion at Mark’s sudden outburst but watched in silence.
Turning around, Mark began scanning the forest to make sure he was alone, though he failed to look up where Crystal was perched. Deciding that it was safe, Mark craned his neck back and began backing towards the water, biting his lip in anticipation for something.
It took only a couple of seconds for Crystal to realize what the stallion-turned-mare was hoping to see and it took all her self control to not laugh herself off of the tree. Still, she had probably let this go on longer than she should have and glided down to him. “Am I interrupting something?”
“WAWAWAWAAAH!!!” Mark started before falling into the river with a splash.
Crystal walked over to the edge and watched the bubbles rise out from the water.
A yellow hoof shot out followed shortly by another, digging into the soft ground at the edge of the river. It didn’t take long for a gasping Mark to then climb his way out completely soaked, coughing out some water, and attempting to keep his mane out of his eyes. “H-Hey Crystal….You surprised me, hehe….How long have you been there?” He asked in a nervous attempt to regain his composure.
“Not long,” Crystal replied with a smug grin.
Mark let out a sigh in relief, “Oh, well I was just getting some alone time and doing some uh...thinking and um...strategy stuff and...stretches.”
The changeling in disguise waited a moment, nodding and lulling him into a false sense of security before she struck in her most sickly sweet voice. “Yes, you really know how to stretch that neck of yours.”
Mark froze as his face flushed until his whole head was red with embarrassment. “Y-Y-You saw that?”
“And heard your ‘sexy voice’.” Crystal added, giving him some dreamy eyes and an exaggerated shiver. “I want to take you now just thinking about it.”
“I-I-I think you’ve made your point!” Mark stammered, his blush getting even heavier.
“Have I? I don’t know, I can go at this all day.”
The unicorn let out a small whimper, he knew full well she could. “Please don’t.”
Seeing that he had more than enough, Crystal cleared her throat, grinning with complete and utter victory. “Fine. I was looking for you because I wanted to ask you some things.”
“Gimme a sec,” Mark said, before turning around and dunking his head in the water. Crystal could have sworn she saw some steam before he had resurfaced, no longer looking flustered but still sporting a light blush. “Sorry you had to see all that.”
“I’m not. It just proves you’re a healthy young stallion trapped in a mare’s body.” Crystal said mockingly.
Mark rolled his eyes, “Hardy har har. What did you want to know?”
“Well, last night before we were so rudely interrupted, you were about to tell me your heroic survival against the changeling queen during the Canterlot Wedding.”
“Well to be honest it’s not very heroic at all and is kinda embarrassing,” Mark said, scratching his head at the memory.
Crystal gave him a devious smirk. “As embarrassing as getting caught trying to look at your own-”
“ButIThinkICanLiveWithYouKnowingAboutIt!” Mark all but shouted.
“Do tell.”
*************************Eight Months Earlier*********************************
“Dammit, I can’t believe Bastion’s making me wear this.” Mark said to himself as he walked through the hall. With clear reluctance, the unicorn placed the helmet back on his head and watched as his coat changed to white and his mane and tail changed to blue, now resembling some of Celestia’s royal guard. “As cool as this is, if it wasn’t for the weight of this damn thing, I could probably get away with all kinds of shit.”
‘You should just be happy you got invited to the damn wedding.’
‘Why wouldn’t I be? Shining’s known me for a long time.’
‘That’s only because he’s the one who had to deal with you when Bastion was busy elsewhere.’
‘Hey! I feel happy for the guy. I mean seriously, that Princess Mi Amore Cadenza...’
‘That flank?’
‘That flank.’
‘To be honest, something feels familiar about her though.’
‘I don’t think being royalty and an alicorn counts.’
‘No, something else. But I can’t put my hoof on it.’
‘You don’t have hooves.....Do you hear singing?’
Mark snapped out of his thoughts, his ears turning to the sound of somepony singing. With a smile he realized he was just passing Princess Mi Amore’s room.
‘Well, someone sounds excited for their wedding.’
Mark thought to himself but froze in confusion as the next lyrics hit him.
“No I do not love the groom, in m~y heart there is no room-”
“Wait, what?” Mark whispered, putting his head against to the door to make sure he was hearing this right.
“-But I still want him to be all mi~ne!”
‘That. Bitch.’
‘Admit it, despite the awful implications behind it, she’s a damn good singer.’
‘Not now, I’ve got a princess to interrogate.’
‘Should I chalk this up as one of your boldest, or foolish decisions?’
‘What do you think?’
Mark thought before kicking open the unlocked door.
‘I guess foolish gets yet another check.’
Despite his sudden entry however, Cadenza didn’t look surprised in the least. “Aren’t you a little short to be a guard?”
“Aren’t you too much of a bitch to be getting married?”
Cadence looked aghast, her eyes welling with tears. “What? That’s so cruel. I was just getting ready for my wedding. First my sister-in-law and now a guard? Why are you all being so mean to me? What did I ever do to deserve this?”
Knowing crocodile tears when he saw them, Mark’s voice came out low and vicious.“I don’t know what is wrong with you, but the last thing I’m gonna do is let you screw around with the heart of one of the few ponies I know who actually tolerate me.”
The princess ceased her attempts to gain sympathy and sneered, preparing a different tactic, “Hmmm…you have guts going against Celestia’s niece. Though if you keep this up, you may find yourself without a job. Or any future job for that matter.”
“It doesn’t matter who you are, I’m taking you to your aunt, and you’re going to have a nice, long chat about-” Mark stopped, and his eyes widened when he realized he was being lifted by a green aura.
Looking back at the princess, he saw her horn glowing green and she wore a wicked expression before he felt himself getting slammed into the stone wall, knocking the wind out of him and hitting his head hard. If not for the armor he was conveniently wearing, Mark would guess he’d have broken something. Not that these thoughts mattered as the blackness consumed his vision.
When he came to, his surroundings seemed…different. Taking a moment he realized that he was not only upside down with an eagle eye view of Cadenza’s room, but inside some kind of liquid filled container and somehow still able to breath.
Panicked, he began struggling to move as much as he could and shouting for help, unfortunately whatever the liquid was prevented his voice from being heard as it only came out as bubbles. Mark turned his head as much as he could when a pink shape entered his peripherals.
Princess Cadenza in her full wedding attire had a wicked grin as she used her wings to hover just outside the cocoon. “Looks like you’re awake. Don’t worry, this is just the beginning and once Canterlot is ours, me or one of my subjects will be with you so be a good little guard and wait right there.” She said, her voice becoming even more mocking as she landed back on the floor and exited the room, not even bothering to take a glance back at the still struggling unicorn.
***************************************************************
“So yah. I missed the whole wedding and reception and was stuck in a cocoon on the ceiling until I was found a day later...Random fact, that stuff they put in there is edible and weirdly enough, tastes citrus-y.” Mark said, rubbing the spot where he had hit his head all those month ago.
Crystal looked at her friend in concern, if she had known that the guard who walked in on her was Mark...she’d have knocked him out more gently. “Were you okay afterwards?”
“Yah, I was fine, other than my pride and reputation,” he said with a warm smile. He took a moment to gaze at the evening sky before turning back to Crystal and using his magic to wring his mane one last time. “I’m thinking it’s almost dinnertime, why don’t we head back to camp?”
Crystal looked skyward for confirmation before nodding in agreement and walking alongside the yellow unicorn. “I didn’t know you already had a reputation.”
“Well, I was already a little infamous as the troublemaker around the castle but even more so after I may or may not have tackled the real Princess Cadence once I was free…” Mark shrugged as Crystal had a bout of laughter. “She forgave me but news travels fast in a castle and maids and nobles are gossipy.”
“I wish I was there when that happened,” Crystal said through a laugh as she imagined the princess knocked into something preferably pointy. Her merriment slowly dissipated when she realized Mark hanging his head a bit, not looking as indifferent as he had originally seemed. “Mark?”
The yellow unicorn lifted his head back up, “Sorry...I just wish I could have done something more, you know? Against that changeling I mean, not the tackling princesses part. I can only imagine how much of that I’d be able to get away with before, phwoosh, straight to the moon or sun or something.”
“Is that what’s bothering you?” Crystal asked, genuinely concerned.
“A lot of things are bothering me Crissy.” Mark admitted, letting out a puff of air as he looked to her.
Crystal met his look, knowing exactly what ‘things’ he was referring to. “We’re not going to have another argument are we?”
Mark shook his head, “No, I’d just end up angry, you’d cry again, I’d feel bad even though I shouldn’t, and the cycle will start at another time.”
“You make me sound manipulative.”
The yellow unicorn smiled and snorted. “You are manipulative.”
Crystal gave Mark a sharp look, “Anything else?”
Mark grinned mischievously. “And mean, and rude, and arrogant, and-”
“ENOUGH!” Crystal said through grit teeth at the snickering unicorn.
“Of course you do have your good points. You’re driven, you’re clever, and I’m not ashamed to say you’re beautiful. I also know that you do have a soft spot for those you care for.” Mark added with a small, sad smile.
Crystal frowned. After Mark’s sudden compliments she had scanned his emotions and found that they were in a chaotic state with sadness and affection being the most prominent. “And I bet you’re wondering if you fall into that category, huh?”
Mark lifted an eyebrow, surprised that she had read him that well, but not willing to show it. He did however let out a drawn out sigh. “Actually I think I know which category I am. So whatever.”
Acting swiftly Crystal moved in and gave him a peck on the cheek, smiling at the sudden burst of love Mark released and the fact that she had flustered him again. “Do you now? Maybe you fall into a category of your own? What would you say about that?” She said, savoring the taste of his love as she subtly began draining it.
Mark stumbled, dumbfounded as he processed, thought and realized the moment all at once. His mind raced and he didn’t know what he would say until it was said. “H-How’s that wing doing? I don’t want you overstraining it after healing it with that elixir.” Crystal smiled and gave a couple flaps with her wings to demonstrate and brushing the feathers along Mark’s back as she did so.
“It’s doing fine.” She said, glad that she didn’t need to lie about how her rapid healing was from forcefully draining the bandit leader for all he was worth.
“That’s good,” Mark said with a nod, finally recomposed. “I was worried when you went up against that bandit last night.”
“I can handle myself,” Crystal said with an air of confidence.
Mark gave her an uncertain look, “He sent you flying into a building. Thanks to that elixir you came out of there looking healthier than when you went in.”
“I am healthier,” the disguised changeling said with a smirk.
“Too bad I only had a vulnerary back when you were hospitalized. If I had one of those little blue bottles of medicinal magic, you’d have been up and about sooner.”
“And out of that town sooner too,” Crystal said louder than she meant.
“You didn’t like it in Ponyville?” Mark asked in shock. Crystal however, answered with silence as they continued their walk back to camp. Confused, he felt the need to dig for an answer. “Seriously? Everypony was nice to you as far as I could tell, did you hate the fact it’s not a big city? Or did that changeling attack just leave a bad impression?”
Crystal looked extremely annoyed at him, “I have my reasons Mark, and if you really cared about your friends in Ponyville you wouldn’t have left without warning like that.”
“I’m sorry but I was too occupied trying to help you out!” Mark replied defensively.
“And that ended up with us on a rocket and nearly dying from it and the fall!”
Mark stopped and rubbed his temples, trying to remain calm, “And I’ve already apologized for that! Look, I did feel guilty for leaving them without notice. But at least I was considerate enough to send a letter explaining myself.”
Crystal’s eyes widened. “What? You sent a letter to them! When?”
“Last night before bed I had some free time and when I was in Canterlot, Princess Celestia taught me taught me the spell to send a letters to Spike so the next time I was away I wouldn’t worry them so much.”
**********************************************************************
“Still no luck…” Twilight said through a sigh as she closed the door behind her.
She and her friends had searched every nook and cranny they could find at the locations Bastion had marked. They had even looked in the areas surrounding the locations, but got the same result: no sign of Mark or ‘Crystal’ having passed through there. After searching the whole day, everypony decided that it was best to retire for the night and think of what to do tomorrow.
Mimzy who was standing nearby, hung his head, crestfallen. Occasionally he lifted his head up to look at the violet unicorn before bringing it back down. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help more…”
Twilight looked at the changeling. To her surprise, Mimzy had been very willing to help and even went so far as to start sniffing around like a bloodhound. The only issue was when he’d get distracted by any love that he happened to smell. “You were fine Mimzy. Why don’t you find somewhere to sleep, it’s been a long day for all of us.”
Mimzy hung his head a bit lower, looking on the verge of tears. “But I don’t have anyplace to go.”
“I meant find somewhere in here you can sleep.” Twilight said a bit exasperated.
The changeling perked up happily but his face tinted pink for a moment. Scratching the chitin along his forehoof nervously, he spoke again. “Umm...Can I have a pillow?”
Bringing a hoof to her head, Twilight looked to him a little annoyed. “Yes, you can borrow one from my bed. Now leave me alone, I need to think.”
With a smile, Mimzy quickly launched himself into the air, his wings buzzing as he flew up to Twilight and Spike’s room. Twilight raised an eyebrow as two yells of surprise emanated from upstairs followed by a familiar baby dragon tumbling down the staircase.
“Spike are you alright?” Twilight asked, catching Spike in her magic just before he reached halfway down.
Spike rubbed his aching rump as Twilight gently set him down in front of her. “I’m okay but you could have told me the changeling was staying here.”
“Sorry,” Mimzy called down from the bedroom.
Twilight gave the changeling a cross look, causing Mimzy to gulp before hiding out of sight. “Bastion told me to keep an eye on him so I intend to,” she said, addressing her number one assistant. “Anyways, I’m glad you’re awake, I need to send a letter to him about any other places to look for Mark.”
“Um, right.” Spike said, running over to the corner where he kept the blank scrolls and ink. His eyes lit up when he saw the sealed piece of paper next to it so he grabbed it too. “I almost forgot, this letter came for you with your name on it. Do you want to read it first?”
“From Princess Celestia?”
“No, it says it’s from that pony, Deviance.”
“What!” Twilight exclaimed, grabbing the letter with her magic and tearing the seal off.
Dear Twilight and friends,
Sorry for leaving on such short notice. Crystal had some trouble that I wanted to help her through. Don’t worry about me, I plan on getting her problem taken care of as fast as possible and I’ll be back before you know it.Your Friend,
Marked Defiance or if you want to call me that, DevianceP.S. If you're wondering, yes I am still a girl, stop rubbing it in.
P.P.S. I forgot to mention that the way we left so fast was because we rode a rocket. It was fun until it exploded.
P.P.P.S. Dammit, I should have just put this stuff in the main body of this damn letter. We’re fine, the rocket was no problem, so far the only issue we’ve had was some punks trying to cause trouble in town. Like I said before, don’t worry about me.
“Whats it say?” Spike asked as he picked up the day’s paper, looking for the comics.
“It says Mark’s fine but I don’t think he realizes just how much danger he’s in,” Twilight said, rereading the letter, just to be sure that Mark was the one who wrote it. “Or worse he’s been brain-washed like Shining was at the wedding!”
“Wait, Deviance knows where Mark is?”
Twilight facehoofed, “Mark is Deviance!”
Spike gaped, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. “Really?”
“Yes! If Mimzy and Bastion are right, then the changeling pretending to be his friend, Crystal, is manipulating him; or brainwashing him,” Twilight said, laying the letter flat on the floor and scanning it for any residual magic. If Mark had used his magic to write, it might be possible to use it to track him or at the very least use her magic to send a reply. She jumped in surprise when Spike tapped her shoulder.
“Umm...Twilight.” Spike began, getting his claw swatted away.
“Not now Spike! I may be on to a way to find Mark.”
Spike tapped again, this time a little more insistently. “But Twi.”
“Not now!”
Spike huffed a moment, as he started rolling the newspaper up. Taking a moment, he lined up the shot before giving her a light swat on the head, the newspaper unrolling and now laid out over the letter. “What are you doing Spike?” Twilight said, annoyed.
“Deviance is all over today’s paper. See?” The little dragon said pointing to the cover of the Daily Hoof Newspaper.
***************************************************************
“Does this bother that much dork?” Gilda asked Mark who jumped in surprise at suddenly being addressed.
‘Told you to stop staring.’
‘I wasn’t staring!’
‘Told you to stop gazing obsessively while drooling on yourself.’
‘Shut up.’
“N-No. No problem here.” Mark said, raising his forehooves in a surrender-like manner.
The griffin gave him a suspicious look as she took another bit from her jerky. “Then why are you staring at me while I eat?”
“Did you scout that other camp?” Mark asked quickly, trying to change the subject.
Gilda gave the unicorn an annoyed look, “I already told you, it’s just some griffin military unit that probably wandered too far on their patrol. Now tell me why you’re staring at me before I knock that dumb look off your face.”
Mark forced a jovial smile as he thought of an appropriate answer. “Just wondering how it tastes.”
Gilda took another bite, chewing as she considered the tactician. After taking gulping she produced a large smile. “Like pony.”
“WHAT!” Mark and Trixie shouted in unison causing Gilda to start laughing as the two ponies distanced themselves away from the griffin. Crystal and Sugar remained silent and seemed completely unfazed as they continued eating the apples, carrots, and some other fruits and vegetables that Mark had bought in town.
“Just screwing with you. It’s beef jerky and it tastes like beef. Why? Does being so close to a predator make you uncomfortable?” Gilda asked in an antagonizing manner.
“Only when I’m on the menu.” Mark said, visibly relaxing after hearing that it was a joke, though Trixie still looked a little on edge.
“Why do you want to know what it tastes like anyways?” Gilda asked with her mouth still full.
“Um...Well…” Mark looked uncomfortably at his pony companions then back at the griffin before motioning her with his hoof to lean in. When she did, Mark whispered nervously into her ear. “I was wondering if I could try some later.”
Gilda retreated back into her normal position, puzzled. “Really? I thought pony’s didn’t eat meat.”
Frantically, Mark jumped up and held Gilda’s beak closed, “SSSHHHH! Not so-”
“What’s this about eating meat?” Trixie asked, causing Mark to wince at his failure to keep it quiet.
Shoving Mark away, Gilda addressed the showmare. “Pony’s can’t eat meat right?”
Trixie gasped, horrified at the prospect, but before she could respond Sugar interjected. “Technically they can. Why?”
“She wants some of my jerky.” Gilda said, pointing at Mark who was currently giving the griffin a sour look.
“Subtle Gilda. Real subtle,” Mark said flatly.
Crystal’s eyes widened in what seemed to be pleasant surprise. “I didn’t know you ate meat.”
“It’s a...recent thing.” Mark admitted through a sigh.
‘Oh come on. Be proud of who you are!’
‘Really? I thought you’d be rubbing it in since I was freaking out about it in Elibe. ’
‘Why would I do that you meat loving freak of ponykind?’
‘I hate you so much.’
“In that case, give me and Sugar some too.” Crystal said calmly, getting more shocked looks from Mark, Trixie, and Gilda.
“Really?” Mark asked in disbelief.
“Do I look like I’m joking?” Crystal said in a serious tone with a glare in Mark’s direction daring him to answer back and see what happens.
Despite her harsh tone, Mark was a relieved that Crystal was talking to him again. For some reason she had become increasingly anxious and angry since hearing about the letter. His thought on the matter was interrupted as a chunk of jerky smacked him in the face.
“First time I’m hanging out with ponies in a while and they’re taking all my food.” Gilda mumbled, tearing off another piece with her talons and tossing it to Crystal.
Sugar who had received her jerky before the two, chewed slowly, savoring the taste. “Not bad. That’s quality beef,” she noted appreciatively.
Gilda’s beak creased in a small smile at the comment, tearing off another piece and tossing it to Trixie. However, the unicorn caught it in her magic and tossed it back with a look of disgust. “No. Trixie will not partake in such a vulgar dish,” Trixie said as Gilda casually caught the returned meat and started eating it.
Mark discreetly spat some of the jerky out. Though he admittedly liked the taste, which countered the bit of shame he had for liking it in the first place, he was surprised at how much more difficult it was to chew meat since he became a pony again. “I can think of worse things. Besides I-” A loud groan as Mark’s gut told him something wasn’t agreeing and was threatening to make itself known in the worst of ways. “Excuse me I got some business to take care of!” He said in a hurry before running out of the campsite.
***********************************************************
‘Do you think it was the meat?’
‘Don’t talk to me right after emptying your bowels. It’s weird and it’s gross.’
‘Guess what? I don't care. Now answer the question.’
‘No, it was most likely those moldy looking carrots I warned you about eating.’
‘No one else would eat them and it would have been a waste of money!’
‘Worry more about your health! I don’t want to die because you got food poisoning.’
There were several snaps from twigs causing Mark to instantly freeze and look in that direction. He tensed in preparation to run as he scanned his surroundings for the source of the noise. A bush in his peripherals started rustling, garnering his immediate attention.
Mark held his breath as the rustling got more intense and violent. Whatever manner of deadly creature it was, it was getting ready to pounce. He cringed as it finally showed itself, hopping out of the bushes. It’s long white ears high in the air, it’s nose wiggling toward him in curiosity, and it’s fluffy white tail occasionally twitching.
“A fucking bunny...” Mark said, in a low voice, his eyes narrowing into a glare at the cute little bundle of fur.
‘Awww, don’t be like that it’s so cute!’
‘That’s just what it want’s you to think.’
‘Oh you’re just bitter that Fluttershy’s pet kept outwitting you.’
‘That’s because you kept distracting me with how ‘adorable’ he was!’
Mark snapped out of his thoughts when he felt the something cold touch his leg. Looking down, the bunny had hopped up to him and was sniffing him closely. Mark let out a small growl to scare it away but the bunny just tilted it’s head, wondering what the quadruped was doing.
‘Awwww! He likes you.’
‘Ugh, I would give almost anything for him to go away. Do you think Gilda would eat it?’
As if reading his mind the rabbit froze stiff before dashing away at an amazing speed.
“Yah, you better run.” Mark said with a triumphant grin, which turned into surprised shout as something knocked him into a nearby tree and then lifted him into the air.
“Got you now Ivan the Shredder!” A voice yelled, locking a hoof around his neck as whoever it was, flew a little above the treeline.
Wiggling around, Mark was able to find the right spot and bit as hard as he could into his attacker’s foreleg causing her to drop him with a yelp. To his luck, the tree branches below broke most of his fall, though by the time he reached the ground, the only thing he wanted to do was lie there and try to ignore the excruciating pain.
Slowly lifting himself up, he cursed as he heard the hooffalls of somepony landing nearby. Looking towards the noise, he was greeted with the sight of a light grey bat pony. She was a mare with a long mane and tail of dark purple and silvery white as well as bright golden eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness and her cutie mark was what looked like a blood red flower.
Her hoof extended out, dropping a satchel with a lance tied to it, onto the ground.
"I'm sure we can talk about this," Mark said nervously.
Without warning the bat pony tackled him again, this time locking his foreleg into a position where it was easy to dislocate or break. “Shut up! I’m placing you under arrest, you have the right to remain silent and if you don’t, I’ll start punching till you do.”
“I don’t-!” Mark didn’t finish as the mare kicked him.
“You said you would pun-” He was once again interrupted as the mare quickly released him, punched, and regained her hold.
‘You really need to learn when to shut up.’
“Now where’d the rest of your friends go?” The assailant asked angrily, her pupils narrowing into slits. She froze as the sharp, cold pressure of steel touched right under her chin.
“I’d say they’re pretty close.” Crystal mused, guiding the point of her rapier so that that the mare was forced to raise her head and look at her. Crystal then looked toward the still subdued unicorn. “Mark, what did you do this time?” Mark gave her a flat expression at the accusation.
The bat pony released her grip, angry that she had been caught by surprise. Mark for his part, remained laying there. “Don’t you read the news?” Said the mare, her eyes never leaving Crystal as she carefully gestured towards her satchel with her head.
Sugar walked out from her hiding spot, spitting out the bow since Crystal had the situation under control now, and walking to the bat pony’s satchel. Finding the rolled up newspaper inside, she laid it out to read and raised an eyebrow at the front page headline. “Mark you have some explaining to do...” She said, tossing the paper in front of Crystal and shaking her head as she walked back to camp.
Crystal took a careful look at it before rolling her eyes and sheathing her blade. Weapon out of her face, the bat mare sighed in relief, but kept the three in her sights.
Picking up the paper in her mouth, Crystal showed it to the Mark who began reading before gasping in shock. “I can’t believe it! Canterlot’s House of Enchanted Comic’s stock lowered again! That’s one of my favorite stores!”
Crystal gave Mark a light smack on the head before turning the paper around. On the front page was a picture of Mark, or ‘Deviance’ as written on the newspaper, winking at whomever took the photo. The headline in question read: Bandits Attack Hoofington!
Crystal raised her eyebrow in a questioning manner at the unicorn who had a sheepish grin on his face. “I may or may not have gotten more than that letter done before bed.”
“Like attacking a town!” The strange bat mare said accusingly. She received condescending looks in return.
Crystal begrudgingly helped Mark back to his hooves before returning her attention to the bat pony, “Hey you, we’re actually the ones who saved that poor excuse for a town, not attacked it.”
“Liar. Her picture’s right here on Equestria’s most wanted, see.” The bat pony said, flipping the page of the newspaper for the bounty list and showing Crystal.
Crystal’s eye twitched ever so slightly. “There’s a hole in your paper.”
The mare stared blankly at Crystal before double checking the paper, and there was indeed a hole in it where a criminal’s picture would be, however, filling that hole was the frontpage picture of a familiar yellow unicorn. The bat pony paused, her eyes widening to dinner plates as she put the pieces together “Oh shit!” She exclaimed, rushing over to Mark, and invading his personal space. “Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry! I was tracking these bandits close by and once I read the paper I thought you were their leader or something.”
Mark coughed, clearing his throat as he rubbed his foreleg, “Didn’t- Don’t mention it. It’s apparently the newspaper’s fault for not making a clear enough headline,” he said, not wanting to anger the pony who had nearly dislocated his foreleg.
‘Though if she had read the fine print and noticed the hole...’
‘Oh, don’t be such a bitter baby. Nothing’s broken.’
‘This time.’
'And you made headlines!’
‘Damn right I did.’
Grabbing the hoof she had held hostage just a moment ago, the bat-pony began shaking it vigorously. “I’m Moonlit Aurora, though my friends call me Aurora. Sorry I didn’t realize my mistake sooner, I tend to have a one track mind,” she said with an apologetic grin.
“It’s fine,” Mark said, his voice an octave higher than usual as he pulled his abused foreleg out from her grip and tenderly massaged it. “Nice meeting you. Good luck next time. Bye.”
“No need to be rude Mark.” Crystal said, amused by the unicorn’s predicament.
‘Yah Mark. Sheesh.’
“So you were tracking bandits? By yourself?” Mark asked through an annoyed groan. From what he saw and felt first hand, this mare could handle herself in a fight, though Mark had to wonder about her IQ.
Apparently Aurora shared some feelings of frustration as well as she started to buck a nearby tree. “Yup. Heck, I might’ve even become famous this time with these bandits getting braver and going deeper past Equestria’s borders. And I was so close this time to getting the Red Wings too. Ugh! Stupid griffin deserters.” She said, through a couple of more bucks.
Mark froze and turned his head slowly towards the batpony. Something about that statement didn’t sit well with him. “Who are the Red Wings?”
“The Red Wings. The griffin the deserters-turned-bandits that attacked Hoofington. If I had been just a bit faster I could’ve taken them out myself and then it’d be ME on the front page.” Aurora said with a pout.
Mark let out an exasperated breath, “No, the bandits that attacked Hoofington were diamond dogs calling themselves the Bloody Barrows.”
“Oh, I heard about them. They’re supposed to be super dangerous! Which means a higher bounty.” She said, looking at the newspaper again and actually reading the small text this time this time to confirm. When she put the paper back down, there was an excited gleam in her eyes. “Hey, your right! That means they’re still out there. Ooooh, and I bet they’re still close too!”
“I was afraid you’d say that.” Mark said, his hoof on his forehead.
It didn’t take long for Crystal to piece it together too, “Mark that camp that’s not so far from ours…”
“Yes Crystal. Yes it is.”
“What are you two talking about?” Aurora asked as she retrieved her satchel and lance.
“Those bandits you mentioned are-” The familiar clang of metal and screaming of someone on fire, erupted from the direction of camp. Mark and Crystal looked to each other and nodded before running towards the noise.
“What’s going on?” Aurora asked, having gone along with the spur of the moment by running alongside Mark.
Mark breathed hard as he continued running. “Those bandits you mentioned are-WHOA!” He exclaimed narrowly ducking as an arrow whizzed by. "They're-" Crystal tackled Mark to the ground right as a stray fireball from Trixie broke through the foliage and almost hit him.
Standing back up, a griffin in red plated armor now blocked their path back to camp with his sword and shield at the ready. “BOYS I FOUND SOME MORE! LETS GET’EM!”
“-Going to interrupt me when I’m talking.” Mark mumbled to himself through grit teeth. “Crystal, would you be a dear?”
Said pegasus had already drawn her rapier and sported an equally annoyed expression. “With pleasure.”