//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: Burning Hearts // Story: Caverns & Cutie Marks // by TheColtTrio //------------------------------// “Things just got a lot more complicated,” Purple Heart grunted, considering the next possible actions available to him and his new companions. Rainbow Dash’s turn was currently in-play. Twilight had spent her turn casting a spell that caused little to no damage to Hammer Hoof. Apparently, the hefty bugger was resistant to lightning damage. As of now, all three enemies remained, one of which was invisible. They had a significant advantage over Purple Heart, Twilight and Rainbow Dash. The purple stallion racked his brain, trying to think of a strategy that would get him and the two mares out of their situation without much injury. Rainbow Dash hovered in her square, anxiously waiting for Purple Heart’s orders. Twilight stood in her square, panic beginning to spread throughout her body. The alicorn princess had no experience whatsoever with this kind of situation and was absolutely certain that Rainbow Dash was as frightened and uncomfortable as she. Both pegasus and alicorn had been confident in their previous abilities and frequently used that fact to their advantage, but in this case, the two mares had no idea what to do. Discord had placed rules and limitations upon them and replaced their magic with strange, alien powers unlike any that they had seen before. And that scared them. Purple Heart glanced briefly over at Rainbow Dash and Twilight and instantly recognized the expressions both mares wore: fear. A frown creased Purple Heart’s forehead as the barbarian stallion turned to face Rainbow dash directly. “Rainbow,” he barked sharply. The blue pegasus blinked in surprise and met Purple Heart’s gaze. “Yeah?” she said, her voice trembling. Purple Heart’s frown vanished and was replaced with a sympathetic expression. She’s terrified, Purple Heart thought to himself. She doesn’t have any idea what she has to do. “Rainbow,” Purple Heart repeated, this time more gently. “I need you to close your eyes and think.” Both Rainbow Dash and Twilight frowned, puzzled. “Think?” Rainbow Dash echoed. “About what?” Purple Heart grinned supportively. “The things that make you who you are,” he said. Mien gott, did I just say that? That’s cheesy enough to make nachos out of. Rainbow Dash flared her nostrils in indignation. “Is your head okay?” she asked. “You didn’t get a concussion from getting hit, did you?” Purple Heart scowled, his grim mood returning. “Just think, speedy,” he growled. “Something might reveal itself to you.” “Like what?” Twilight asked. Purple Heart glared at the magenta alicorn. “Something that’ll get us all out of here in one piece,” the purple stallion snapped. “Now, THINK!” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes before closing them, clearing her mind of all thought. The sounds of the clearing seemed to drift away. Fowl Ring’s jeers became muted. Hammer Hoof’s deep chuckle all but disappeared. There was almost perfect silence; perfect, thoughtless silence. Then a phrase materialized in Rainbow Dash’s mind’s eye. Tri-Shot. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and the crash of sound sent her reeling in surprise. Fowl Wing was still jeering at Purple Heart and the purple stallion had started making scathing retorts. Twilight watched Rainbow Dash in silence as the blue pegasus shook her head in confusion. “Purple Heart? What does ‘tri-shot’ mean?” The barbarian stallion stopped his retorts and frowned at Rainbow Dash. “Haven’t the foggiest,” he stated flatly. “Try it anyway.” “Fine then,” Rainbow Dash grumbled, pulling an arrow from her quiver. “I use Tri-Shot on-” “Rainbow Dash activates Tri-Shot,” the Discord voice interrupted. “Designate three targets.” Rainbow Dash blinked. Twilight’s eyebrows rose in surprise. Fowl Wing and Hammer Hoof froze in shock. Purple Heart smiled. “Ho?” he grunted deep within his throat. “That sounds interesting.” Rainbow Dash smiled in realization as the implications of this newfound ability dawned on her. “I designate Fowl Wing and Hammer Hoof as targets,” Rainbow Dash called. Markers appeared over the two bandit ponies. “The third target is-” “Hold it,” Purple Heart interrupted. “Don’t name your third target yet.” Twilight and Rainbow Dash both frowned. “Why not?” Twilight asked. Purple Heart looked as if he was on the verge of exploding. “Because,” Purple Heart said softly, forcibly trying to remain calm. “You were going to mark Land Bet as the third target.” Rainbow Dash blinked in surprise. “How’d you know that?” she asked incredulously. Twilight looked at Purple Heart, wanting to know the purple stallion’s answer as well. Purple Heart sighed. “He’s the third enemy we have to dispose of,” the purple stallion explained. “But he’s also got ‘Sneak’ active. The marker won’t be able to find him. Try if you like.” Rainbow Dash thought for a moment, considering Purple Heart’s words. “I’ll take your word for it,” she said finally. “What should be the third target instead? In your opinion?” Purple Heart chuckled and looked to the sky. “Could we have coordinates please?” he bawled. There were several seconds of silence and then the grid flashed. Numbers and letters appeared at the grid’s edge. Purple Heart was quiet for a moment as he glanced over the grid. “There,” he said finally, pointing with a hoof. “Square A-7.” Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked at the square in question. It was at the edge of the grid near the treeline where the bandits had first appeared. “There’s nothing there,” Rainbow Dash pointed out, turning back to Purple Heart. The purple stallion smiled. “On the contrary,” he chortled. “There should be a certain sneaky pony in that general area.” Realization hit Twilight. “That’s where Land Bet was!” the magenta alicorn crowed. Purple Heart applauded. Fowl Wing and Hammer Hoof started sweating. Of the three ponies facing them, only one noticed. Purple Heart grinned devilishly as he turned to regard Twilight. “Exactly,” he confirmed. “Now hurry up and designate your target. If they do what I think they’ll do, our chance of survival increases significantly.” Twilight cocked her head in puzzlement, watching Rainbow Dash prepare her attack. “I choose Fowl Wing, Hammer Hoof, and A-7 as targets of Tri-Shot,” Rainbow Dash declared, drawing her bow string to her cheek. Three reticules appeared over the three targets and began moving swiftly in random intermittent intervals. Rainbow Dash blanched. “Uh...” she mumbled. “What that heck? There are three. And they’re all moving kinda fast.” “So that’s the drawback,” Purple Heart mused, rubbing his shin with a hoof. “Makes sense. If anything, Rainbow, just be patient and make sure two of them will definitely get hit.” Rainbow Dash gulped. “Ok,” she said. “This might not end well.” The blue pegasus watched as all three reticules moved at random. It was hard enough trying to hit one target, but three? That would definitely be something to brag about. If she succeeded. Rainbow Dash waited silently for nearly five minutes before she started to see something of a pattern emerge. Taking a slow, deep breath, Rainbow Dash released and watched as three arrows streaked across the intersection towards three separate targets. It was only after the arrows had been launched did Twilight understand Purple Heart’s plan. Rainbow Dash seemed to have realized it too, for both ponies turned to look at the purple earth pony. “Well shot, Rainbow,” Purple Heart complimented, a wide and creepy grin spreading across his muzzle. “Well shot.” The two winged ponies turned to watch as two arrows struck their targets while one whizzed into the distance. Fowl Wing and Hammer Hoof both grunted in pain, each with an arrow sprouting from their shoulders. Their green bars shrunk to half their current total. Rainbow Dash and Twilight turned back to Purple Heart. The purple earth pony was grinning in satisfaction. “Goal achieved,” he chortled. Twilight and Rainbow shared a confused glance. “You gonna explain?” Rainbow Dash asked, crossing her legs in front of her chest. Purple Heart nodded, waving his hand dismissively. “Yes, but not now,” he said. “Fowl Wing has her turn to complete.” Rainbow Dash turned to see the bandit pony’s name at the top of the list at the center of the intersection. Twilight needed no explanation. Purple Heart’s motives had been clear to the princess almost as soon as he had given Rainbow her third target. From what she had seen over the course of the previous round, each side was allowed one defensive action. After Rainbow Dash had discovered her newfound skill and told her teammates, Purple Heart had put his plan into action. By shooting at all three enemies, they were required to either take the damage or use the interrupt rule. Luckily for Twilight, Purple Heart, and Rainbow, Rainbow’s attack had been close enough to the invisible Land Bet and his compatriots to garner a reaction. And that reaction had been used to protect Land Bet from taking damage. Twilight grinned, understanding the purple earth pony just a little bit better. The magenta alicorn turned back to watch as Fowl Wing her attack on Purple Heart. “I’m gonna do a defensive reaction,” he called out. “That ok with you?” Rainbow looked around the battlefield, her brow furrowed. “Um...” she murmured. “Why?” “Go ahead,” Twilight replied. “I’ll explain to Rainbow.” Purple Heart nodded, understanding her hidden revelation. “As you will,” he said, turning to watch as Fowl Wing’s Javelin hurtled towards him. Twilight turned to the blue pegasus and focused her mind. “I have a pretty good idea of his plan, Rainbow,” the magenta alicorn thought. “What?!” Rainbow Dash screeched, looking around in surprise. The other ponies glanced at Rainbow in confusion, then turned back to their antics. “Just think and I’ll hear you,” Twilight soothed. “As it turns out, I have the Telepathy skill. I took Purple Heart’s advice about finding unknown skills. Seems like it worked.” “Scary,” Rainbow muttered. “You were explaining Purple’s plan?” “From what I’ve seen,” Twilight began, “Purple Heart is a strategist. He sometimes thinks several moves ahead. Not always, but sometimes. Remember him telling you to aim at where Land Bet had been previously?” “Yeah?” “He knew that if at least two arrows were close enough to deal damage to the bandits, they’d try dodge or use some other defensive stratagem. Thanks to you, all three arrows were close enough to be a danger.” “And Land Bet dodged, wasting their defensive action!” Rainbow Dash crowed in realization. Twilight smiled. “Exactly. Now, since Fowl Wing declared an attack on Purple Heart, what do you think the Bandits’ plan is?” The sky blue pegasus considered the question for a moment, watching as Purple Heart successfully dodged the Javelin aimed at his head. “They think the most dangerous opponent is Purple Heart,” Rainbow said finally. “He’s also the closest to one of them, which makes him the biggest threat.” Twilight nodded in confirmation. “That’s why Purple Heart asked to use the defensive action. He’s already taking damage every turn and clearly deals the most damage per strike. They’ll want to get rid of him first.” “So what is Land Bet going to do?” Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight paused. Honestly, she didn’t know what the purple earth pony was plotting. It was possible he was moving to finish Purple Heart off, but the bandit pony could also be sneaking to attack either Rainbow Dash or Twilight. The magenta alicorn frowned as Land Bet’s name moved to the top for several seconds before moving to the bottom of the list. Purple Heart’s name was at the top now. “He moved,” Purple Heart explained over his shoulder to Twilight and Rainbow. “This makes finding him a little more difficult.” “I’ll say,” Rainbow Dash snorted. “What now?” Purple Heart turned to face Hammer Hoof, wincing as the turn’s debuff took effect. “Now we knock this bugger out,” he smirked, raising his hooves to his face. “I attack Hammer Hoof with Rock, Paper, Hoof.” “I’d like to see you try that,” Hammer Hoof sneered, bracing for the imminent impact. Purple Heart’s smirk widened. “Jan, ken...!” he rumbled, pulling his hoof back, gathering tension in his midsection as the yellow glow appeared around his hoof. “Hufu!” With an earth rattling roar, he torqued his midsection and unleashed the built up force directly into Hammer Hoof’s chest. The bandit pony squeaked in surprise as he rocketed away from the attack’s contact and into the trees. A small fanfare played over the spot where the bandit pony had been not seconds before and the phrase ‘Critical Hit’ materialized as well.. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Fowl Wing all stared in shock and awe at the purple earth pony. Somewhere in the clearing Land Bet gulped, sweat rolling down his body like rain. “Seriously?!” Purple Heart snapped. “Why is it in this place that natural successes are a thing?! I can’t get a crit worth squat back home! This is ridiculous! GAH!” Rainbow and Twilight blanched, realizing that the only reason Hammer Hoof had left the clearing was because of luck. Seconds later, Hammer Hoof’s name disappeared from the list and Twilight’s moved to the top. Purple Heart calmed down, wincing as he turned to face Twilight. “Do you by any chance happen to have an Area of Effect spell in your arsenal?” the purple earth pony asked, his voice ragged from the exertion of flinging a rather hefty pony off the grid. Twilight was silent, still in awe of the lucky power Purple Heart had tapped into. Then her senses returned. Still reeling from the gravity of Purple Heart’s attack, Twilight closed her eyes and focused. She knew what Purple Heart intended, but they actually needed a spell that could accomplish the goal he had chosen. If the magenta alicorn did in fact have an area effect spell, that would be rather convenient for them. “Well?” Rainbow Dash prompted. Twilight opened her eyes, her muzzle twisted into a grimace. Fowl Wing was hovering close to the ground, fear plain on her face. Twilight turned to look at a haggard and very weary looking Purple Heart. The stallion was near collapse and his health gauge was almost gone with only about 2/8ths remaining. “Where do you think Land Bet is?” she asked shortly. Purple Heart looked around for a second, taking in the battlefield. “E-7,” he croaked. “What are you planning?” Twilight considered the square Purple Heart had indicated. “I don’t have any big Area of Effect spells,” she explained, picking the only other spell she had in her arsenal aside from Lightning Bolt. “But I do have something that might work.” Rainbow Dash switched her gaze between Purple Heart and Twilight, watching the exchange. “Aha,” Purple Heart grunted. “Roight. Go ahead then. Hopefully they’ll surrender after this turn.” Twilight frowned, but dismissed the comment as she turned to look at square E-7.. “I cast Flare at E-7,” she declared. A crimson glow appeared at the tip of Twilight’s horn for a second before flashing across the clearing to land on E-7. All the grass within a two square radius withered under the intense heat. Nearly a minute passed before Land Bet screeched in pain. “Alright!” he cried. “We surrender.” The grid disappeared along with the list. A trio of blue wisps materialized in the clearing’s center and darted towards the trio of conscious ponies. Purple Heart shuddered as the wisp disappeared into his chest. “I hope there are health regeneratives,” he grumbled, walking over to glare down at Land Bet. “I sorely need one now.” Twilight and Rainbow Dash fluttered over to hover behind the purple earth pony. Fowl Wing landed and crept up to hide behind Land Bet, using the dark colored pony as a shield. “I have two things to ask of you,” Purple Heart declared. “Well, one question and one demand.” “Which is first?” Land Bet asked cautiously. “Demand,” the purple earth pony stated. “Gimme your stuff.” Twilight stiffened in surprise while Land Bet happily tossed his satchel to the purple barbarian’s hooves along with Fowl Wing’s and Hammer Hoof’s. “Why are you stealing their belongings?” Twilight snapped. Purple Heart poked his hoof into one of the bags and began rooting around inside. “Spoils of war,” he explained, moving on to another bag. “Or spoils of conflict in this case. The winner takes the loot. Simple logic.” Twilight twisted his muzzle into a scowl, but didn’t stop the earth pony. Rainbow Dash watched curiously as Purple Heart pulled an oddly shaped flask filled with red liquid from the bag. “AHA!” he crowed, popping the cork and guzzling at the red contents. Twilight stepped forward, trying to stop the purple barbarian. “What are you doing?!” she screeched. Purple Heart stopped drinking and frowned at the alicorn. “It’s a health potion,” he said, holding up the flask. “‘Regenerates drinker’s health’. Don’t stop me. I kinda need this.” He ignored Twilight’s look of horror as he downed the rest of the liquid and smacked his lips in satisfaction. “Eeyup,” he grunted. “Tastes awful. At least it works though.” “It does?” Rainbow queried. Purple Heart just pointed at his health gauge. The two mares blinked in surprise as the green bar filled completely and the debuff vanished. Purple Heart pulled the bags behind him and took a step towards the bandits. “Now, the question: what are you doing here?” Purple Heart asked Land Bet harshly. The bandit pony shivered under Purple Heart’s hostile gaze. “We’re here under orders,” he squeaked. “‘Patrol the forests and ambush any-’” “I’m referring to why you’re here in this forest,” Purple Heart snapped. Twilight pursed her lips. The purple stallion was being unnecessarily aggressive. The battle was over. There wasn’t any need to add insult to injury. “Honestly, we weren’t told,” Land Bet pleaded. “Our orders were to patrol the forest and make sure no one enters or leaves the village.” Twilight cocked her head. “What village?” she asked. Land Bet balked, looking over his shoulder at Fowl Wing. The pegasus waved him on. “The purple one sent Hammer flying,” she sighed. “You should probably tell them.” Land Bet nodded, turning back to look at the trio of ponies before him. “The village is called Roads Crossed,” he explained, pointing over his shoulder at the intersection. “Go left and keep straight. You’ll reach it in no time.” A vein in Purple Heart’s forehead twitched. “I’m not sure which angers me more,” he muttered as the trio started down the left path of the intersection. “The fact that there’s got to be a pun somewhere in the name ‘Roads Crossed’ or the fact he said to go left.” Twilight and Rainbow Dash shared a puzzled look and looked at the purple stallion. “What’s that got to do with being angry?” Rainbow asked. Purple Heart gave the two mares a strange look. The two winged ponies blinked. The look almost seemed... fearful...and haunted. “When we meet my hometown friends,” Purple Heart said. “You’ll understand.”