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// 27 - Dire Portents 
// Story: Tarnished Silver and Clouded Diamonds 
// by David Silver 
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Diamond Tiara and the others arrived back at their room, full of good cheer from their shopping trip. The door slammed against the wall, knocking a book free from the shelf its peers rested on. Blue hurried over to rescue the book, but took note of the title and frowned. She sat down with the book, looking quite perplexed.

Pinkie bounced over to her. "What's wrong? Forgot where it goes? Let me help!" She reached for the book but Blue pulled it away. "Oh, reading it?"

Blue shook her head. "No, but I don't much believe in coincedence when it comes to books, Miss Pinkie. Luminace speaks through them, and this one seems to say we may be hurrying..."

Diamond approached Blue and Pinkie. "What are you talking about? We have the best equipment money can buy on the way." She huffed softly. "We are going to solve this problem like a snap." She clopped her forehooves together.

Blue smiled at Diamond. "I'm certain you would do your best, and well, but none of us are very experienced."

Pinkie pointed at herself. "I helped save your god thing. I've been to a lot of places!"

Blue seemed relieved to hear that. "Then you're the exception. The rest of us, I fear, are new to the, uh, adventurous lifestyle. We won't help anyone if we rush directly into this extreme peril just to get killed."

Silver Spoon joined the conversation, trotting over to the group. "What do you think we should do? This was your idea in the first place."

Blue set the book where it had fallen carefully. "An artifact of the gods will not wither away quickly. I do not think it is in danger, just being hidden. Time is on our side in this. We should learn how to work as a team, and what it means to be what we are. I have learned all I can from reading alone. I need practical experience."

Silver grinned. "That's practically sacrilegious."

Blue shrunk a little. "But true... Luminace would forgive saying that. Reading must be mixed with true knowledge if you want to learn things worth writing yourself." She smiled then. "Understand?"

Gneech shook his head. "Gneech not read much, but learn by doing, this Gneech understands. How you plan to do that?"

Diamond Tiara pointed at herself. "Let's not forget who's in charge here, and that's me! A team-building exercise is what you want? Fine. Half of us are new to this operation, so a few low-scale things to get us working together is probably a good idea, and I know exactly where to go."

The next day, after breakfast, Diamond Tiara trotted along with her team, heading to a manor that stood in the southwesterly part of the city.

Pinkie tilted her head. "Hey, I remember this place. What are we doing here?"

Diamond swiveled an ear towards Pinkie. "If you remember it, you should know why we're here, Pinkie." She strode ahead without waiting for reply.

Silver Spoon slid up beside Pinkie. "What is this place, Miss Pie?"

Pinkie pointed up at the manor. "This is where a bunch of adventurer types of ponies hang out. We stayed here once a long time ago. Fun times! I think I'm still technically a member..."

Gneech looked curious. "Member of what?"

Blue pointed to a small sign that announced 'Seekers of the One Herd, Chapterhouse'.

Diamond had reached the front door, signal enough to get the rest of her party to hurry up to her side, and they entered the building, paying little mind to the smattering of practicing people in the front courtyard.

There was a pony behind the desk that looked up at Diamond with a mixture of uncertainty and curiosity, but it slid away when Pinkie entered. "Pinkie Pie! I thought you'd left us."

Pinkie smiled brightly. "What me? Nah! I just had to take care of business on another world, but here I am!"

The mare raised a brow. "There aren't many ponies I'd accept that from at face value, but you happen to be one of them. Who are your friends?"

Pinkie pointed to the irritated-looking Diamond Tiara. "This is our new leader, sh--"

Diamond thrust up a hoof, cutting off Pinkie. "I'm here to get a job. Something for my group to hone our skills on."

The mare looked Diamond Tiara up and down a moment, then over the rest of her group. "I see... We are not a casual 'adventurer's guild'. We only assign tasks to members, and I'm afraid I don't recognize you, miss...?"

"Tiara, Diamond Tiara." Diamond flashed a smile, then pointed at Pinkie. "You just finished confirming she was a member."

She nodded slightly. "Oh, certainly. She is, but the rest of you aren't."

Pinkie hopped forward. "But they're with me! I'll take care of them, promise!"

The secretary put a hoof over her long face. "You haven't changed much, Pinkie Pie. Very well, let's try something simple." She reached for her filing cabinet and began running her hooves over the many folders within. "Mmmm, here we are." She pulled one out between her lips and set it on the desk. "The city is offering a bounty on k--" She pulled short and looked up at Gneech, then slowly put the paper back and began looking for a new one.

Gneech blinked. "What? What did Gneech do?"

The secretary pulled out a new slip. "Goblins are harassing the trade caravans running from here to Arcysus. The city has a small bounty on each, and a much larger reward on proven termination of whatever little town they've got hidden. If you manage to scatter the lot of them and set fi--"

Pinkie Pie gasped. "That sounds super mean. Why would we do that to anypony?"

The secretary chuckled softly. "Never change, Pinkie. All you have to prove is that the town is gone. If you convince them to move away, that's good enough. Most Seekers would just rush in and start hacking the place apart as soon as they found it, but, with you involved, I'm sure you'll figure something interesting to do." She pushed the paper forward. "I trust you all know what goblins are?"

Gneech bobbed his head. "Seen goblins before, yes. Green big teeth, two legs, no scales or tails."

Pinkie shook her head. "I don't th--Oh yeah! I ran into those when I first came to Everglow. They were funny!"

Diamond Tiara put a hoof on the paper. "Sounds like we'll take the case. Do we need to be carrying any proof or other bits of red tape?"

The secretary pulled the paper back from Diamond. "Simple as can be. Defeat the goblins, get proof of the ones you took care of, and turn them in at the castle, ditto for any proof of their town's removal. If they give you trouble about payment, you come to us, you do not argue with them. The Seekers take care of arguments over pay, not its members. Also, remember that you are representing us in this task, so keep it civil and polite."

Diamond fell back to all fours. "That's the way we do most things. Don't worry about it any longer, we'll have those 'goblins' out of the way of progress in no time at all."

Blue glanced towards Pinkie, then Diamond. "I'd rather they were convinced to move away, or maybe we could even get them to be helpful? They need friends too."

Diamond snorted softly. "Don't get yourself hurt with idealistic thoughts like that. We're a team, and we stick to the plan, and I have one ready to go..." She led them out of the manor and back out into the city, pausing a moment to watch an earth pony with a lance traumatizing a unicorn in physical combat. The earth pony was a mare, and she moved with clear skill and ease as she shouted commands and advice at the struggling unicorn.

Pinkie leaned in. "Oh, that's Fast Shadow. She's super amazing at fighting. She makes a lot of noise, but she really cares about her students. She's, uh, like Miss Cheerilee with a lance and permission to poke her students with it."

Diamond flinched with grit teeth at the idea of Miss Cheerilee chasing her around with that lance, screaming at her like Fast Shadow was doing. The very idea of it was terrifying. "Is she half as good as she is loud?"

Pinkie bobbed her head. "Uh huh. Sparring with her was a real challenge! She knows how to use that thing." She pointed at Fast Shadow's lance. "When I was here with Twilight, you couldn't claim to be a full member of the party without surviving a few rounds with her."

Diamond took a slow breath, then let it out. "Did Twilight do it?"

Pinkie gave a soft mmhmm. "She did. So did Spike, and me."

Diamond clopped a hoof on the ground. "Spike?! If Spike and Twilight can manage her, than I will too. Get her to spar with me." She pointed at Fast Shadow while glaring at Pinkie with her intimidating stare.

Pinkie shrugged. "Well if that's what you want!" She bounced towards Fast Shadow. "Hey, Fast!" Fast Shadow looked up and abandoned the unicorn, giving him time to recover as she met Pinkie halfway and they met in a fierce hug. "How ya doin'?"

Fast Shadow nodded. "It is good to see you well and whole, Pinkie Pie. I'm beating some sense into some recruits after getting back from an assignment. It went well, how about you?" She pointed at Pinkie, her dangerous-looking hoof-spikes on display.

Pinkie pointed back at Diamond Tiara. "She really wants to train with you. You up for a little more sparring?"

Fast looked past Pinkie to Diamond and raised a brow slowly. "Are you certain she's ready for that?"

Diamond proved to have quite keen hearing when it came to things being spoken about her. She advanced on Fast Shadow. "Of course I'm ready! Are you scared?"

Fast slowly smiled. "It would be a pleasure, Pinkie." She flicked her hooves, deploying her spikes. "I am normally gentle to first time sparring partners, but I can tell you're a very... advanced... student. You are clearly ready for me, and I won't hold back. I trust that is what you desire?"

Diamond nodded quickly before she hopped up to two hooves and drew out her flaming axe. "That's exactly what I'm talking about." If she could hold her own on the first try against Fast Shadow, that would make her better than Twilight and Spike. How did Spike even survive? He was a runt... Diamond bounced from hoof to hoof, ready to fight.

Fast raised a brow at Diamond. She was surprised like many before at how Diamond casually held the axe with her flat hooves. "Have you used that before?"

Diamond gave the axe a few swings. "Enough stalling. I'm ready!"

Fast shook her head. Diamond's posture was clearly that of an amateur, and her swings were wild, fierce only with eagerness, not any skill. Still... Fast smiled gently. There was potential there. Potential she'd bring to the surface through painful lessons...