Chapter 3: Alchemical Equivalency
It had been a few days after the Blight scare with Rosie, but after no further cases were reported, things started to calm down again. The Apothecary, as was the official name for an alchemist shop, had two upstairs bedrooms, one on each side of the hallway, and the first floor was the shop itself. Most of the shelves were filled with potions, which Ashlan had stocked and labeled himself, but three shelves behind the counter had alchemical equipment, ranging from Apprentice’s to Master’s. Ashlan also offered a quick lesson on how to use the equipment for sale. He didn’t get too many visitors from outside town, but sometimes someone feeling brave would ask for something like a Potion of Shield or Invisibility along with some Restore Health potions so they could explore the countryside. One time two kids named Snips and Snails (Which Ashlan thought was a weird thing to name your kids) asked for a Turn Undead potion, which he had refused to make, let alone sell to two kids. When it came to dangerous potions like that he made them to order, and he made sure they were not cheap. He would also outright refuse to sell them to shady figures or kids. But out of everyone in Ponyville, there was really only one regular customer, whose requests kept Ashlan on watch for new uses for reagents. She usually came around ten in the morning, which meant she was due to arrive any moment.
“ASHLAN!” Right on schedule, Ashlan thought. The girl had pink skin and hair, literally pink, and her hair was ridiculously poofy. She always wore a brightly colored outfit, usually something that allowed for maximum freedom of movement. Today she was wearing bright blue shorts and a neon green shirt with pink squiggly lines all over it. Ashlan had to hand it to the Equestrians: They may not have a very advanced military, but their cultural advancements in things like fashion and entertainment were eons ahead of the Empire’s. After looking through all the shelves, as she always did, she rushed up to the counter to Ashlan.
“Hey Ashlan, I need something for a party coming up!” Pinkie Pie asked, “Got something really funny I can use?”
Ashlan grinned. “I had a feeling you were going to ask that. So I brewed up something you might like.” Ashlan pulled out a bottle labeled, “Dubstep Potion”. Pinky Pie gasped.
“What does it do? What does it do!?!”
Ashlan handed her the potion. “It took me three hours to brew this, and that was once I had the reagents. Now don’t open it until you’re ready, because it’s-“
Ashlan was interrupted by the sound of Bass Cannon in a bottle, which played for the next three minutes. After it was over, Ashlan continued.
“Because it’s one-time use only, even if you seal it back up. This is why I made it so you can’t reseal it, because that would be pointless.”
Pinky Pie’s hair drooped, which usually happened when she became sad.
“This is why I was up all last night with three different alchemy sets going at once to make these.”
Ashlan reached under the counter and pulled out a huge crate full of bottles labeled the same as the first. Pinky jumped and gasped the way only she could at the sight of the crate. “OHMYGOSHASHLANTHANKYOUSOMUCH!!! How did you even get Dubstep in a bottle anyway?”
Ashlan smiled. “Sorry, that’s my secret. All I’m saying is that it involves a few different plants from the Everfree forest. Which, knowing you would get the idea to go in there, I sell here. But…” Ashlan leaned over the counter. “I’m not going to tell you which ones.”
Pinky Pie crossed her arms across her chest with a slightly angry look on her face. “Fine. But…” Pinky Pie leaned over the counter to face Ashlan. “You aren’t invited to the party!”
And with that, Pinky pie rushed out the door before Ashlan could come up with a proper response, which both of them knew he could. Ashlan didn’t take it personally. It was the same thing every week.
Pinkie Pie would call ahead for Ashlan to make an amazing potion with some dazzling effect.
Ashlan would make the potion by Friday, which is when she would come to pick it up.
When she picked it up, she would ask how Ashlan did it, which he would keep partially secret.
She would refuse to invite him to whatever event the potion was for, and feel bad when he didn’t show up to the event.
She would come back afterward to ask for him to forgive her, which he always did.
Ashlan turned around to check the list of Potions he had to restock. Being able to make and restock the potions himself reduced the cost of running the shop greatly. The only expensive part was ordering new alchemical equipment when someone bought them, which the cost of which was covered by the purchase of the equipment. Ashlan loved to hassle and debate the price of the purchases made by adventurers passing through the town, always trying the get the best possible price for the expensive equipment. What he loved more was when they found out he would make special potions to help fight in combat, and having them ask him what he could do. But the thing he loved most of all was when people came in and stared because they couldn’t figure out whether he was argonian or a dark elf. Although sometimes the day was uneventful due to a lack of customers, sometimes it happened to be incredibly busy when a group of adventurers came through, each making their own demands for what they needed.
A few hours had passed since Pinkie Pie had come by, so he figured she would be coming by for her usual apology. The bell above the door rang, and Pinkie Pie slowly came in.
“Ashlan?”
Ashlan turned from the potion he was making. “Oh, hey Pinkie. I was just getting ready to close up. Did you need something?”
Pinkie Pie walked up slowly to Ashlan. “How come you didn’t come to the party? Everypony else was there; it was a real blast thanks to your potions.”
“They didn’t explode, did they?”
Pinkie Pie giggled. “No, but, you should’ve been there. It was a lot of fun. Is it because I didn’t invite you?”
Ashlan sighed and came around the counter. “No Pinkie Pie, it’s because I have to run the shop. Not all of us can be out and about all day like you.”
Pinkie breathed a sigh of relief. “Ok, I thought I hurt your feelings earlier. I’m sorry. We’re still friends right?”
Ashlan smiled. “Of course Pinkie Pie. Well, I’m closing up now, so you should probably get headed home. That, and it’s getting dark out.”
Pinkie Pie returned to her usual beaming self. “Ok! See you later Ashy!” And before Ashland could correct her on the nickname, she literally bounced out of the shop, closing the door behind her. Ashlan smiled.
“Well, it’s time for my night job.” Ashlan pulled out his bow, arrows, wakizashi, and several potions. He covered himself in a specially enchanted cloak, both to hide his identity and to heighten his sense of his surroundings. With that, he set out to hunt down the criminal known as Kochal.
Kochal was known in the area for leading a group of highwaymen known as the Gustcloak Bandits. They would assault passing travelers with a barrage of arrows, which Ashlan figured was accomplished by the 4 Bandits and their leader firing 5 arrows at once from several strategic positions. Once the initial barrage was complete, they would sweep up the survivors by moving in with morningstars and axes in hand. They would take the goods of the caravan back to a camp Ashlan figured was somewhere in the surrounding forest area. Ashlan’s plan was to use his illusory magic to send a mirage of a caravan forward to take the initial barrage. Once the arrows had been fired, he would rush in to the positions the arrows he noted to stealthily take down as many of the bandits as he could with a slit of the throat, then fight off the rest using his hopefully superior fighting style. From that point on it was simply getting Kochal to the guard station, whether he came willingly or not. His wanted poster had noted “Dead or Alive”. The poster had no information on what species Kochal was, due to the fact there were no survivors of his assault. Ashlan had to be prepared for anything, which is why he had brought the potions to assist him. He set out for the forest to the north, readying himself for the fight ahead.
Ashlan followed the path north of town, keeping himself fully aware of his surroundings. Although there was nothing yet, he had to be sure not to let his guard down for a second.The forest was beautiful this time of night, with the moonlight softly reflecting off the autumnal leaves. He could hear the chirping of a Cardinal just a little ways off the path, and the skitter of a small animal to his left. It was hard to believe that such sinister figures would lurk in such a beautiful place. Ashlan stopped to take it all in for a little bit. The moon was bright and full tonight, illuminating the path ahead for quite some way. Ashlan heard the straining of a bow being drawn from several directions. Too late to respond, several arrows flew into Ashlan from several different directions at once, tearing through him and leaving a lone figure lying on the ground.
Kochal waited for a few seconds to see if the figure would get up somehow, the rest of his men following suit, After a few seconds, he stepped out to appraise the value of the objects on the fallen argonian traveler. When he waited for his men to come out, none emerged from the forest. Rushing over to the figure, he kicked it, issuing a large puff of smoke. When the smoke cleared, a log filled with arrows was all that was left on the ground.
“The fault in any plan of attack is assuming you know more than your enemy,” a slithery voice said from behind Kochal.
Ashlan had detected the bandits almost as soon as he had left town. It was fairly easy, because they reeked of various alcohol. He took a fallen log and made it into an effective clone of himself. Taking out the men was simple enough due to their focus on the figure coming up the path and not the one approaching behind them. In all honesty he had taken out two of them almost as soon as they had fired the arrows. He could’ve taken out more of them before hand, but the lack of fired arrows would’ve roused suspicion. All that remained of the bandits now was their leader. He was roughly the same height as Ashlan, but that was where the similarities ended. His skin was a black shell, like that of an insect, and his wrists and ankles were filled with literal holes, ones you could stick a pencil through. He had a knife made from the tooth of some large animal at his side. It was roughly the same size as Ashlan’s wakizashi, and covered in some kind of poison.
“The fault in any plan of attack is assuming you know more than your enemy.” Ashlan said coming up behind the creature, which from readings he assumed was a changeling.
Kochal turned to face the cloaked figure.
“You’re that guy aren’t you? The one collecting on all of those bounties around here? We have a name for you. We call you Wyvernhide.”
Wyvernhide smiled. “That’s so nice of you to give me a nickname. Let’s get down to business then. Are you going to come quietly, or not? Your poster made it quite clear that either way works just fine.”
Kochal raised his Dragon’s tooth in a combat stance. “Like I would ever do that.”
Wyvernhide raised his wakizashi. “Very well then.”
The two circled each other for a few seconds, then Wyvernhide made the first move. He swung in a wide vertical arc, which Kochal parried with his own knife. Kochal responded with a horizontal swipe, which Wyvernhide leaned back to dodge and counteracted with a two fingered jab at Kochal’s eyes. The attack landed, which sent Kochal reeling back in pain. When Kochal removed his hands from his eyes, his vision was much worse than before, barely able to see his opponent. Swinging his knife wildly, he felt himself being disarmed and held by an elbow lock around the neck. Ashlan smiled at the helplessness Kochal showed once he had lost his sight.
“See, you’re not so dangerous once you're blind. I think the guards might be able to treat you if we go now.” Kochal was seething with fury at his defeat. Ashlan figured the fact that he had never revealed his face made it more frustrating to him.
After several more seconds of struggling, Kochal sighed in defeat. “Fine, you win. Let’s get this over with.” Ashlan binded Kochal’s hands with rope, and led him down the forest path back to Ponyville.
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After Ashlan had deposited Kochal at the guard station and anonymously collected his reward, it was almost one in the morning by the time he returned home. After taking a quick shower, he headed to his bedroom. Pulling out a small list he had put together, he crossed off the name “Kochal”. Next week, if he felt like it, he would go after another notorious criminal in the area.
Laying down on his bed, Ashlan thought about his life before he had come to Equestria. He had been a full-time, cold hearted killer whose only motivation for his actions was the lure of cash. Now...he was was a part-time, cold hearted killer, whose only motivation for his actions was the lure of cash.
No, he also liked the idea of making Ponyville and the surrounding area safer for travelers. He also liked having friends much more than he like having enemies. The thought crossed his mind of what he would ever do if Captain Odician discovered he existed. Although he hoped it would never happen, as long as he kept a low profile, he should be fine. That night, Ashlan had a wonderful dream about being pardoned for his actions in the past due to how he had changed.
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The town of South Hoovesdale was having an extravagant celebration, and why not? Not one, but two figures of authority sent by Celestia had come to visit their sleepy little town. Surely this would in turn attract more visitors, and maybe even further the town’s economy. Either way, having the captains of the guard from two different countries was enough to celebrate.
Captain Odician walked through the streets of the small town, smiling at the scene around him. True, most equestrians didn’t have a natural tendency for fighting, but they sure did know how to throw a party. Captain Odician was a tall figure, standing 2 inches above most other imperials from the Empire. Although he could be quite aggressive when confronting a lawbreaker, he was normally a calm-mannered man. He had a yellow, almost goldish color to his hair, with the stubble on his face to match. He was Captain of the Imperial Guard, and beside him stood the Captain of the Equestrian Guard, Shining Armor.
Shining Armor stood about an inch taller than most Equestrian men, putting him at two inches shorter than Odician but no less of a man. He had a passion for protecting his country, but had adapted quite well to the treaty between Equestria and the Empire. Most Equestrians had strange skin and hair colors,and Shining Armor was no different. He had a bright white skin, and blue hair. He was proud of his job, and you could see it in all of his men.
The two had come to South Hoovesdale to investigate the claims that a lone hero had taken out an entire burrow of diamond dogs, freeing all the enslaved townsfolk and solving the food shortage problem in the process. If the claims were true, they were to bring this hero to the princesses to be personally honored for his bravery and selfless deeds. So far all the citizens stories lined up-he had walked out to the intersection where they ambushed the travelers, taken down the ambush team, and followed them back to their burrow, where he defeated all of them, including the alpha, with great ease. After that, he had all the newly freed slaves bring back the diamond dogs supply of food, sold some things he had found in the mine, then disappeared over night.
There was only one part of the story that was left to be told: what this anonymous hero looked like. No one seemed to remember his face clearly. Some said he was an argonian, others said he was a dark elf. Either way, no one the two had interviewed about the hero so far had gotten his name or a clear picture of him. Finally, their last stop was an Imperial trader. If they couldn’t get the information from him, this hero might just remain anonymous. Upon entering the shop, the two were greeted by a bell above the door. The trader came from the backroom to the two captains.
“Ah, yes, you two. I’d heard you’d been asking around about Ashlan.”
Captain Odician looked shocked to hear that name, much to the other two in the room’s confusion.
“Are you sure you didn’t get the name wrong on him?” Odician inquired.
“Of course not. I may be getting older, but I remember him like it was yesterday. Hard to forget a face like his.”
“Why, what did he look like?” Shining Armor asked.
“Well, it’s funny,” The shopkeeper said, “He looked like an argonian until you got to his head. His face was still plenty argonian, but he had hair just like a dark elf. I also remember him because he had an artifact I had read they were searching for up north in the Crystal Empire.”
“And where did he get the artifact? Did he say what he was planning to do with it?” Odician asked.
The trader smiled. “It was the Crystal Cuirass of King Sombra. He got it from down in the mines during his big raid. He tried to sell it to me, but I told him I wouldn’t be able to afford it here. He didn’t say what he was going to do with it, but I’m sure he’ll find some use for it if he has decided to keep it. Why, is something wrong?”
Odician forced a smile. “No, nothing, but...do you know where he was going?”
The trader thought for a little bit, then said, “He was escorting some girl through the Everfree forest. Yeah, I remember now. She said she had gotten lost and needed to get home as soon as possible.”
Odician smile was losing the battle to keep himself under control. “Ok, well, thank you for your time. We should continue looking for this...hero, right, Shining Armor?”
Shining Armor was confused, but decided he’d better play along for now, just for Odician’s sake.
“Right, um, let’s take the train to...where did you say he was going?”
“The girl said she was headed back to Ponyville.” The trader said.
“Right, we’ll take the train back to Ponyville, and keep looking there. Thank you for your time.”
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“Ok, so tell me what’s going on.” Shining Armor said as soon as they were seated.
The two were riding first class, as all knights did in Equestria. The seats were made from a smooth finish oakwood, and the cushion was red silk on top of the finest cotton. The table was a darker wood, and on top of it was a top rate lunch made by the chef aboard the train, although Odician hadn’t even touched his yet.
“You remember when we first met? We were both rattling off a list of our accomplishments to try and impress one another?”
Shining Armor was now more confused than before. “Yes, but what does that have to-”
“Do you remember about the assassin I told you I apprehended before coming to Equestria?”
Shining Armor pieced it all together. “But, I thought you said his ship sank! it was attacked by a dragon-”
Odicain shushed Shining Armor. “Keep it down! Apparently he survived, and swam all the way here. I don’t know what kind of cover story he’s using, if he’s even staying in one place for long, but if he’s here, that’s not a good sign for us.”
Shining Armor fell back in his seat. Odician had told stories about the things this guy had done, and if he was in Ponyville, let alone Equestria…
“So what do we do? You’re the one who’s caught him before.”
Odician looked down. “Only through sheer luck.”
“What?” Shining Armor wanted to know just what exactly that comment meant.
“I would never admit it to him,but he could easily beat me in a one-on-one fight. For as good as I am with my sword, he’s just as good with his. Not to mention he has better knowledge of marksmanship and alchemy than both of us combined.”
Shining Armor was starting to get nervous. “But you caught him before, right? How did you do it then?”
Odician sighed. “Through the only advantage we still have: the element of surprise. I snuck up behind him and caught him off guard. But if he’s even heard about me being here, that’s not going to work again. And if he is still in Ponyville, he’s probably established a presence there.”
Shining Armor leaned in. “What do you mean?”
Odician looked up from his thoughts. “What I mean is that if he’s stayed there it won’t be as simple as making an arrest. He’ll have connections with the townsfolk. Make them think he’s a good guy. If we openly arrest him, they’ll riot. So right now it’s actually in our best interest that he fled town a long time ago.”
“That’s not going to be our only problem if he stayed, either.” Shining Armor said.
Odician looked up. Shining Armor continued. “My sister and her friends live in that town. If he really has tricked them, she’ll never forgive me for this.”
Captain Odician thought for a moment, then said, “Well then, best case scenario is that he stayed near town making as little trouble as possible.”
Shining Armor spoke. “Worst case scenario is he has control over the entire town.”
Odician shook his head to disagree. “Worse case scenario is that he’s established a positive reputation. From what I’ve heard about this country friendship is quite powerful, perhaps even to drive people to the point of madness and illogicality. Nothing less than what I’d expect of him.”
Odician noticed there was a wood elf across the car that seemed highly interested in their conversation.
“Can I help you, miss?”
The wood elf looked away for a second. “I thought I heard you mention the name Ashlan for a second.”
Now Shining Armor was interested as well. “Why? Do you know him?”
The wood elf cracked her knuckles and smiled. “We’ve met a few times. You said he’s in Ponyville? Well, if he is, I’ll be the first to find out. You can count on that.”
Shining Armor smiled. It was nice to know someone else was after this rogue assassin too.
“Why? Looking for some retribution?”
The wood elf turned her head to face the window. “Yeah. He’s in for a world of hurt when I get a hold of him.”
Captain Odician chuckled. This girl had probably woken up to find Ashlan escaping from a murder scene of some relative. If that was the case, she had no idea what she was getting into. Ashlan wasn’t some simple street thug. His knowledge of the arcane may have been limited to Alteration and Illusion, but he was a master in both fields. The creature was able to move quickly and quietly, issuing numerous silent deaths in his path. He could easily pick off targets from a distance with his archery skills, and in a direct fight, could shoot 5 men through the heart before one of them even got close enough for him to dispatch with his wakizashi. Odician knew that particular fact from personal experience. He had lost some good men that day. There was a rumor that people back in the empire that he was a mix of every race. Odician didn’t believe that rumor for a second. Yes, he may have been both dark elf and argonian, but that was where the mixing ended. Everything else could be explained rationally except his motive. That, Odician believed, was the only sign of truth in the rumor Ashlan was part dragon.
“Listen, I don’t think you know what you're dealing with. I’m the Captain of the Guard back in the empire, and I was barely able to catch him.”
For some reason, the elf gave him a look of disgust and didn’t talk to him the rest of the ride to Ponyville. Which Odician thought as strange. If the woman wanted vengeance on Ashlan so badly, he thought she would show some sign of respect. Perhaps she was just jealous he had caught Ashlan before her. That was the only logical explanation that came to his mind. Except if…
“Excuse me, what is it you do for a living?”
The elf looked over at him. “Pay-for-hire.”
Odician was interested. “Care to elaborate?”
The woman simply turned to face the window, choosing to ignore him. Odician did the same.
The colorful scenery flew by at a rapid pace. He had to admit, for its lack of military might, Equestria more than made up for in things like beauty and culture. Perhaps one day when he retired he would come here. But that day was far off, and Odician had more pressing issues on hand. Like how he was possibly going to catch the Assassin for the second time. If it was the best case scenario that he’d mentioned earlier, then it was simply a matter of tracking down his hiding place. No, it was much more than that. He would have to somehow follow him back to his hideout, without being noticed. That alone would present a problem. Odician barely had the advantage in a direct fight, let alone one that would require stealth. The second problem would be how to catch him off guard. Perhaps when he was sleeping? No, he wouldn’t be caught that easily again. The worst case scenario was easier in some aspects, but much worse over all. He eventually figured he would assess the situation once he got to Ponyville. It was almost nightfall now, and Princess Luna would most likely be using her magic to raise the moon.
If there was one province where emotion ruled, it was Equestria. Apparently Luna had been transformed by bitter hatred, banished in sorrow, returned in vengeance, and reformed by friendship. The reformation had actually been caused by six artifacts known as the Elements of Harmony, which were powered only by people who possessed the 5 traits of a powerful friendship, and magic.
And apparently they were quite powerful. They had transformed a wicked witch of darkness into the benevolent Princess Luna, defeated a chaos god twice, and were a symbol of hope to the people in times of need. Shining Armor and his wife Cadence were nothing to sneeze at either. They had defeated an entire army of insect like creatures called changelings with just their love alone, and inspired the people to overthrow a tyrant of darkness. Initially Odician had dismissed this to be a tall tale Shining Armor had thought up to impress him, but numerous sources indicated they were true.
Yet the province was delicate. People used the word evil like it was some kind of taboo swear word. There was almost no standing military, which made the negotiations made by the emperor quite generous to say the least. On top of all that Equestrians were quite prone to panic. When Odician and his men had first arrived the people were actually afraid of him. Which was understandable, considering he was an armed foreigner from a strange land. Still, he had felt bad for the initial trouble their presence had caused.
Now his job was to help the country soothe into its place as a province of the empire. The exact details of the negotiations were unknown, but Princess Luna and her sister Celestia were still in charge of day-to-day ruling, with the emperor intervening in times of crisis if he felt necessary. Of course there were citizens in both sides of the agreement that cried foul at the negotiations. Equestrians wanted less control, and most Imperials wanted more.
But that was the emperor’s place, not his. Emperor’s throughout the history of the empire have been known to do strange things in order to preserve the order. It was said they had the power to foresee when a certain individual would change the course of history, and act accordingly.
It was getting late now, and everyone was heading to the train’s sleeping quarters. Captain Odician took off the metal parts of his armor, as Shining Armor did as well. Odician respected the Captain, and not with the grudge filled respect most of his men had just because they had to. Odician had gotten a sense of the type of man Shining Armor was. Shining Armor understood just how important the treaty had been, but wouldn’t have has hesitated to give his life fighting if it hadn’t worked out the way it did. Shining Armor also held a deep respect for Odician and his achievements. It was a two-way respect, and it was the first step toward a long road of integrating Equestria into the Empire.
That night, Captain Odician dreamed of Ashlan willing handing himself over without a large fuss, telling others just exactly what he was.