//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 -First Step- 
// Story: Shattered Skies 
// by Arctikfox 
//------------------------------//


-First Step-


Shattered Skies and Sif looked over the small village of Ponyville. Both had different opinions on its appearance; Skies thought it was a nice little village that would be ideal for a peaceful life, while Sif, on the other hoof, thought it looked too sheltered from the rest of the world.

"Tch"

"Oh, come on. It's not that bad." Skies deadpanned.

"You sure you don't want to look around for a better place to live? I heard that Arctic Wind is living near the Yaks. Wanna see if he’ll help you find a place?"

"He's still alive? Wow. No, he has a bad temper, plus that's too far." Skies waved a hoof dismissively. "Ponies nowadays can't be all that bad."

"You haven't seen the ways ponies have acted over the past thousand years." Sif scoffed. "Your consciousness has been bound to this one forest and you likely have only seen glimpses of the few ponies that dared enter it."

"True. Still, you should not make broad generalizations about creatures based on the acts of the few." Skies said before draping a wing over his companion.

"I know." Sif hummed while resting her head against Skies. "You should go, the sun is about to rise."

Skies transformed into his pegasus disguise and looked to the horizon. "Indeed, when I find a place, I will let you know. I wonder if my money is still accepted, it is a little old."

"I can take care of getting your money. It's gold, so it should still be accepted." Sif sighed knowing that the trek to get his funds would take some time. 

"Those sisters probably burned down my estate after my exile." Sky said, more as a statement than a musing.

"Yes, however, your basement and many of your belongings remained hidden."

"How so? I thought-" Sky's mind coursed with images of Luna and Celestia and of the event that lead to his exile. 

As her friend began to take upon a look of illness, Sif rushed to Skyfall's side. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, it's just… It's just that I saw memories of Luna, before she stabbed me. What happened after that?"

Sif wore a small frown. "You probably have some memory loss from the trauma you received."

Sif sat down and sighed heavily. "That night when you were..." Sif stopped and mentally reeled, the pain of not being there and almost losing a friend weighed heavily on her mind. "That night when you were driven through by Luna's blade, I, along with many of my kin, arrived the second you collapsed. We went into a frenzy and charged Luna, causing her to swing madly at us. I was able to get you out and to an Elder tree. Luna then fell to her dark side and became Nightmare Moon. After a fierce battle, Celestia used the Elements of Harmony-"

"Tch." Sky hated the very mention of the items, Harmony's sacrifice never sat well with him and he still resented Celestia for using them.

Sif, sensing no further comment, started again. "Celestia used the Elements and sealed Luna in the moon, a sentence that ended a few years ago."

"I'm guessing that’s what was roaming my forests a few years ago."

"That's the way I hear it." Sif deadpanned. 

Skyfall nodded. "We'll save that for another time. Time to go burn villages and plunder treasure."

Sif chuckled at Sky's antics. "It's good to have you back, Sky."

Skyfall had already started walking away before yelling back to Sif. "Say that in a week and I'll take it as a compliment."

After walking for about twenty minutes, Sky finally reached the village of Ponyville. It was quiet and filled with ponies flitting about their morning activities. Ponies greeted each other and made casual chit chat about the current day’s weather and activities. The ponies that passed Skyfall seem a little wary, and a mother even shielded her foal from walking past him at one point. 

Sky stopped and looked around. "Yep, seems like a good village, even if Sif may have been right about ponies and their lack of trust. Now all I have to do is find a real estate agent or something."

Sky looked around. I wonder, if I ask will the ponies run away in terror? Sky spotted a yellow filly and a red stallion setting up an apple stand. "Ah great, a father and daughter. Maybe they'll help." 

Sky started his labored walk towards the duo and stopped behind the stallion. "Um, sir could you point me towards a real estate agent." Sky sat there and waited. When he received no reply, Sky swallowed and let his even, baritone voice rumble so the stallion would hear him. "Sir."

The voice startled the filly who looked up in surprise.

"Excuse me miss, my name is Skyfall, may I-" 

Sky was cut off as the filly punched her father. "Big Mac! Ah think this s-stallion was tryin tah ask you somethin!"

"Ah'm sorry there fella, I got caught up in these... stand directions." The stallion called Big Mac jolted and stammered while his eyes met Skyfall's, making the realization that this Skyfall had a full head on him.

"That's quite alright sir, I just wanted to know where a real estate agent is." Skyfall said politely. Skyfall began to grow uneasy under the stares of the two ponies. He looked himself over, confirming that he was, in fact, still disguised.

Big Mac shook his head. "Sorry fer starin' mister, it’s just yer bigger than most of the ponies that come through here."

Skyfall chuckled and put his hoof on the back of his head. "Yeah I get that a lot." No I don't. 

The stallion nodded. "Well mister, my name is Big Mac and this here-" he gestured to the filly "-is Applebloom, my little sister."

Whoops. That’s his sister not his filly. Sky thought, and mentally sighed in relief. "I am Skyfall, I am new to town."

"Ah guessed as much, Ah'm very good with remembering faces and your’s is one Ah haven't seen before." Mac said matter of factly, all the while, Applebloom was struggling to appear uninterested in their conversation.

"Yep, I wanted a change in scenery, so I decided to look for a place to settle down.. Ponyville seems peaceful enough so I thought  ‘why not?’" A shrug of his wings punctuated his statement.

"Eeyup, few places in Equestria are like Ponyville." Big Mac chuckled, knowing Ponyville had its own share of monsters and freak accidents. Big Mac tried glancing at Skyfall's cutie mark but the saddle bags obscured it. 

"I enjoy peace and relaxation, hopefully I can get that here."

"Just retired?" Big Mac asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Y-Yes, how did you know?" Sky looked at himself again confirming he was Skyfall and not Shattered Skies.

Big Mac chuckled. "Lucky guess. Ya said ya wanted a peaceful place and usually when a stallion says that, they're retired. Judging from yer size, I bet you were a royal guard."

Not gonna acknowledge the guard comment... "I am retired, you're good. Anyway, I'm sorry to cut this short Mr. Mac, but could you point me towards the nearest real estate agent?"

"We have none of those, Mr. Fall, but the mayor would be able to help you." 

"Excellent, where would he-"

"-She," Big Mac interrupted.

"She be?"

Big Mac nodded. "Applebloom, show Mr. Fall where the mayor's office is."

Applebloom's eyes shot between her brother and Skyfall. "But Big Maaaac, Ah have a crusader meeting soon!"

Big Mac gave her a stern look. "Now Applebloom, ya can go visit yer friends when you're done."

"Fine." Applebloom looked at Skyfall sheepishly. "Let's go mister."

The walk from the stand was a little too quiet for Skyfall’s taste. Applebloom seemed scared of him, something that he lamented over briefly. Skyfall disliked when innocent ponies were intimidated by him. With a sigh, Sky decided to break the ice.

"So, you're a crusader?"

Applebloom's face lite up. "It's a club me and mah friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo have where we crusade to help ponies find there cutie marks!"

Sky felt that the filly had an obsession for the idea, if her enthusiasm was anything to go by. "Do you girls go on a lot of adventures?"

Applebloom’s beaming smile wilted slightly. "Yeah, but mah sister gets really mad sometimes when we mess up. A lot of adults say we shouldn't be so rushed tah find em, but we wanna get em now!"

Sky chuckled at Applebloom’s attitude about being shut down by her sister. "Lemme guess, over protective brother and sister who boss you around?"

"Yeah! How'd ya know?"

Sky smirked while thinking about his arguments with his younger siblings. "Oh, I know those tricks."

"Yer alright, mister." Applebloom said.

"I'm glad you think so, now all I need to do is convince the rest of Ponyville." Sky sighed while looking around, more ponies had woken up to walk around this village and that meant more ponies were eyeing him, though with varying results. Some treated him cautiously as one would a foaming stray dog, others with mild interest. "Your village seems very... untrusting, to say the least."

"Ah know, they all are afraid of random ponies or creatures that aren’t what they’re used too. Zecora was treated like a villain for the longest time before we finally met her." Applebloom got an idea, causing her to leap into the air, "Oh ah know! Me and the other crusaders can introduce you to ponies and get you acq-acquin-"

"Acquainted?"

"Yeah!"

"That sounds lovely Applebloom, though I’m afraid I can't." Sky said smiling.

"Awww, why?"

"We're here and you have a meeting to get to. In fact we've passed this building twice, you might be late." Sky said as he saw a pony who was presumably the mayor, entering the building with her assistants. 

"AH! You're right. Bye, mister Skyfall!" Applebloom said while scurrying off into the distance.

Good kid. Sky sighed and entered the circular town hall, knocking on the wood frame. "Anyone home?"

The assumed mayor's ears perked up at the noise before walking over with her head buried in a scroll. "Yes how may I help you...mister, wow."

How many ponies are going to look at me like a freak? Sky sighed internally before asking a question he already knew to break the ice. "Hello miss, I am looking for the mayor."

"I am her. Mayor Mare at your service, Mister...?"

"I’m Skyfall, I want to see if it is possible to move into your village." Sky said.

"Ah, a new resident!" The Mayor clapped her hooves before retrieving a paper and quill from a nearby desk. "Tell me, where are you coming from?"

Without thinking Sky responded honestly. "The Everfree."

The Mayor's quill tapped quietly. "The Everfree? That place is dangerous, why would you have lived there? No one lives there."

Mentally facepalming, Sky realized that the Everfree must be feared by now without a medium to keep its inhabitants under control. "I'm sorry, I misunderstood. I meant I passed through the Everfree when I got lost, I am originally from-" Sky paused briefly, he had not been integrated into Equestrian society long enough to know what countries were still around. Knowing this he decided to take a leap. "Neighpon?"

"You're neighponese?" The Mayor asked curiously, her new resident didn't look foreign enough to be Neighponese. Neighpon has not interacted with the world powers for at least the past hundred years, so seeing a native was rare.

"Half Neighponese. My mother was Neighponese, and my father was from Clydesdale." 

"Ah, that certainly explains your size." The Mayor looked Sky over and shook her head in an attempt to bring herself back to business. "So, you're seeking a house?"

"Preferably."

"Anything in mind?" The Mayor asked. "We have a few in the village, but they're usually unpopular."

Sky nodded, guessing said houses to be next to noisy neighbors; something Sky wanted to avoid. "I'm looking for something that can fit my size. Something with a few rooms."

"We have some houses that border Whitetail woods, those are some of the bigger ones."

Expensive. Sky thought. "Anything else?"

"We do have one other house, but it can never hold a pony for longer than a few days."

It’s probably too small or something. Sky nodded once more. "Well, I’m definitely interested. How about a tour?"

Four hours… Fours hours and nothing to show from it. 

Every house so far turned out to be a nightmare. All the houses for sale in Ponyville were placed in unfortunate locations. One of the houses we looked at was next to a DJ who was into dubstep and classical way too much, while another was next to a boutique that saw a lot of pony traffic. The remainder of the houses were too small for Sky, so the Mayor didn't bother with a tour.

Next the Mayor took Sky to the houses, or rather mansions, next to Whitetail woods. Both mansions were property of a stallion called Filthy Rich, so he could rent them to ponies and make more money than he really needed. He charged friends high amounts, but would charge outsiders even more, so the properties went unused.

The Mayor sat down outside the second Mansion. "So, do you want to know the prices before we proceed?" 

Sky looked at the Mayor. "Ma'am, if I had to ask, it's too much." 

The Mayor nodded. "Well then, Mr. Fall, I am sorry, but we have no more homes unless you want to build one."

"That is unfortunate. I'm guessing the one you have that can't hold any residents is too small?"

The Mayor looked surprised. "No, it's actually an estate."

Sky turned his head in confusion. "That's odd, what turns all the ponies away then?"

The Mayor shuffled her hooves. "Its um.."

"Um what?"

"J-Just forget it, Mr. Fall. You wouldn't be interested in it anyway. It's next to the Everfree. The estate is slowly being taken back by the forest."

The Mayor tried to walk away, but Sky blocked her escape. "Surely you can tell me what happened. You have me interested now."

Mayor Mare shook her head. "I'm sorry, after the last few times I am afraid that somepony will get hurt living there."

"Sold." Sky said happily, knowing what her reaction would be.

"Are you crazy?! It's It's-"

"It's?"

Mayor Mare inhaled violently. "Under Equestrian law, Title XLII, Chapter 733, Section 626 (12) (E), I can't sell you a house until you have seen it and inspected it thereby freeing the property owner, I.E. me, from any wrongdoing or fraud in said homes’ sale to you, Mr. Skyfall. I can't show you the house because of the state that it is in. It is a hazard to walk through, because it has been over ten years since it’s had any maintenance done. The issues with the house vary, but the main problem is that it is haunted.

The Mayor looked over at Skyfall who was busy staring at her with a half smile. "Haunted you say?"

"Yes." She lowered her head. She hated that even demolition crews wouldn't go near it. Thankfully the estate was now partially hidden behind trees and a hill, so it wasn't that much of an eye sore.

"Let's go take a look."

Mayor Mare backpedaled, panic to seeping into her expression.  

Sky, however, was not afraid to go and take a look. He has met ghosts before, and they were usually wronged individuals seeking peace, much like Sky himself. "Then I’ll go by myself and I’ll meet you at, say, your office?"

"But-But Title XLII, Chapter 733!"

"Yes, yes. Chapter 733 with the sections and things." Sky smiled while patting her on the head. "I'm a big boy, Mayor. Plus I've been around the block. Trust me, I'll be safe and sound."

Sky walked in the direction the defeated Mayor pointed. He wondered to himself if the house was actually haunted or just an outlet to all the ponies’ paranoia. 

The estate was located along the Everfree forest bordering Whitetail woods, far away from Ponyville. When Skyfall crested a hill, he saw an all too familiar grey blur in the tree line; Sif was hard to miss even if you weren't looking for her. As he neared, she stood and exited the tree line with three smaller wolves.

Sif walked quickly once Sky was close enough. "We have a problem."  

"Listen. She was a Gemini, I, a Libra. It was a one night fling, I swear it'll never happen again." Sky put his hooves up in mock fear.

The smaller wolves cackled and looked at their annoyed mother-figure before she growled. "This is no laughing matter, be serious."

Sky deadpanned. "Well, hello to you too, dear."

After a moment of silence passed, Sky nodded. "What's wrong?"

Sif clicked her teeth signaling another wolf to emerge from the Everfree. "While patrolling around and meeting up with more of my kin, we met a pack of some kind of creature. They attacked on sight, but their power in numbers was no match for ours, and most of them were destroyed. We saved one body and brought it back."

The wolf dropped a pile of logs at Skyfall's hooves. "A pack?"

"Yes, a pack. They were wolves made of wood. Do you know anything about this?"

"No. Were there any more out there?"

"Yes." 

Sky sighed. "Great. Let's put this off and get to where I'm going."

"Where would that be?"

Sky smiled widely. "Our new home, honeybuns."

The affectionate nickname caused the wolves to giggle. Sif, on the other hoof, curled her lips into a scowl.

"Sorry, I have a thousand years of playing to make up!" 

Sky trotted down the old, worn path. A cold wind grew stronger the farther Sky ventured. Sky’s ears lost track of the soft padding of his companion, so he slowed to allow Sif to catch up. Sky started to see why the ponies thought this place was haunted. He wasn't even there yet and all the signs of a bad horror movie started to play out. He yelped when he ran into a chest high stone wall. Sky rapidly scanned his surroundings and discovered a stone pillar emblazoned with text too worn to read. “I guess we’re here.” 

Sky looked out on the small valley, and saw the object of the Mayor’s fears. The house stood tall in the distance, with a field of dead grass surrounding it. Unlike the rustic, country style of the village, this house was medieval in design. The large house sat by the forest, standing three stories tall with what looked to be a chimney coming out of one side. The whole house looked to be made of stone with wooden beams throughout its design for support. The outer walls of the bottom floor were slightly different in that they were made of cobblestone instead of a smoother stone. The main building had many smaller interconnected buildings branching off to the sides. 

He walked through the field to the house, and gave the outside a thorough look; it was dirty and a few walls were in desperate need of replacing. He turned to see the field between the house and forest. The Everfree hadn’t quite taken as much of the property as the Mayor had implied, but not for a lack of trying. Sky nodded heartily. "This will do."

Sif deadpanned. "It's a dump."

"It's perfect-"

"-ly horrid."

"Sif, why do you always gotta attack things that I like?" Sky sighed.

"Someone needs to." Sif chuckled. "Anyway, what's next, buying the estate?"

"Yes, but first things first." Sky looked around slowly and reverted back to Shattered Skies. In his disguised form Skies could only use a fraction of his power, but in his normal form, he could use his abilities to their greatest extent. He breathed in slowly, dropping the disguise, and scanned the Everfree for as far as he could in search of the wooden wolves Sif talked about.

Sif looked at Skies, he was nearly eye level with her. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure."

"Can you sense them?"

Skies exhaled and changed into Skyfall again. "No. I will need to meditate on this. I may still be weak from my exile, or..."

"Or what?"

"Or they're being cloaked somehow." Sky looked out onto the forest with ire. He had been back for only one day, and problems had already started to show themselves.

"What action do we take now, m'lord?" Sif bowed her head. She recognized the look on his face, he was angry. Years of serving as Skies’ noble second in command taught Sif how he thought, and thus how to act in response.

"We'll do nothing, for now." Sky made his way around the side of the house and saw a pony walking toward the estate. "Sif, retreat deep into the treeline. Someone is approaching. Remain close enough for me to call, I need to discuss this matter with you later. Also, if you see more of these... wooded wolves, grab as many as you can for me to examine."

"I will return with the funds needed to purchase the estate." Sif nodded and ran silently into the Everfree.

Sky watched the pony approach. She was a lavender unicorn with a saddle bag overflowing with books on her back. No doubt sent from the Mayor to lecture him on Chapters and Titles and Statutes. 

Nope.

Sky hurriedly walked into  the dilapidated house. "I guess I should see the extent of the decay."

Sif was right for once. The house was horrid. The decay was so much worse than Sky had anticipated. Support beams were rotted through and the walls were plastered with some form of mold, not to mention that the forest had grown into the structure with vines and roots poking through the floor and ceiling. I can undo much of this with root magic, but much more of it will need full replacement like the stone foundation.

"Now all I-"

Suddenly a wet knock sounded through the house, no doubt the result of that unicorn knocking on the decayed frame of the front door. "Excuse me, is anypony here?"

"Yeah, I'm in here!" Sky shouted from the back. He really didn't want to deal with...an Alicorn? How can there be another one?

Since being nearly slain by an Alicorn, Sky lowered his head preparing to attack if she did.

The Alicorn misinterpreted Sky's bow. "No. Please, rise. I may be a Princess, but nopony needs to bow to me."

Sky rose to his full height and stepped into the light causing the small Alicorn to shudder. Sky saw the Alicorn’s weary expression and cut the tension. "Thank you Princess, how may I help you?"

"Oh sorry." The mare shook herself from her stupor. "The Mayor came to me wanting my help; she was unclear about some Equestrian statutes concerning liability in selling houses. Apparently you're interested in buying Amity Manor?"

"I am, Princess." Sky looked her in the eyes, trying to figure her out. A new Alicorn hasn't appeared since-. 

Sky thrashed his head from a painful memory.

"Are you okay?" The Princess asked, worry edging into her voice.

"Yes, of course Princess." Sky kept the facade up.

"Please, call me Twilight. What's wrong?" She asked while magicking open some old blinds, trying to let as much light in as possible.

"I just have a headache, that's all." Skyfall sat down while Twilight looked him over. The room fell silent when Twilight realized she was violating another pony’s personal space.

She backed away slowly, rambling out a collection of apologies and intellectual explanations about why Sky could have had a headache. She stopped when she saw Skyfall's confused look. "What?"

Sky shook his head. "Nothing, sorry. It's not everyday you hear a pony talk like that."

"Sorry. I know many ponies dislike when I use scientific jargon."

Sky chuckled. "No, that's not what I meant. I understood everything you said, I haven't heard ponies speak like that in a long time."

It was Twilight's turn to laugh. "I grew up surrounded by books. I even lived in a library for a few years when I moved here from Canterlot."

Skyfall ignored the fact that she came to his 'soon to be' house to talk him out of purchasing it. "Ah you lived in Canterlot?"

Since Twilight became the Element of Magic and an Alicorn, all parts of her life were chronicled and talked about, so she thought it odd that an Equestrian didn't know this; even colonial ponies in other parts of the world knew that. "Yes, I lived in Canterlot as Princess Celestia's student, before she sent me here to learn about magic."

That name.

Skyfall felt slightly weak in the knees after hearing Celestia's name. He had not imagined to hear it so soon, let alone actually meet her former student. Skyfall wondered if she gained control over more of Equus since he had went under. As more questions arose in Sky’s mind, his curiosity prompted a question. "Where is the library?"

Twilight was about to happily answer before a small section of wall crashed to the floor, startling her. "AH!" She shook slightly, remembering that she was standing in the village’s haunted house with an enormous foreign stallion.

"Are you okay, Twilight?" Sky asked.

Nodding her head, Twilight remembered why she was there. "If I might ask. Why do you want to buy this place?"

"Oh, why do you ask?" Sky answered her question with one of his own.

"B-Because."

"Is there something I should know about this place besides it being a fixer upper?" Skyfall played coy.

"Yes. Well Mr. Skyfall, please don't freak out, but," Twilight thought the Mayor had not told Skyfall about it being haunted, but she could barely bring herself to say it. The thought made Twilight's coat go rigid and prickly. 

"But?"

"This place is haunted!"

Skyfall deadpanned at the shivering Alicorn. One thousand years and this is one of the country's leaders? 

Twilight looked at Skyfall's blank stare as if he had not registered a single word she said. "Didn't you hear me? I said the estate is-"

"Haunted? Yes, the Mayor told me."

"And, you're okay with that?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" Skyfall didn't sense anything in the house, so his belief that the 'haunting' was probably a folk tale run wild.

Twilight’s jaw gaped at his indifferent response. "Well, I must admit, it's not everyday you see a pony willingly buy a haunted house."

Skyfall giggled and walked Twilight to the front. "I believe everything will turn out fine."

Twilight giggled. "You remind me of somepony." 

"Your brother?"

Twilight's eyes became saucers. "H-How…?"

Skyfall rolled his eyes. "You would be even more shocked to hear how often I get that. Y'know, the 'you remind me of my brother or father' thing."

"You don't sound too pleased about it." Twilight said with a small frown. 

"I'm okay with it, it's just..." Skyfall paused, unsure of himself. "It's a title I'm not overly enthusiastic about."

Twilight looked at Skyfall, she was only half truthful when she said that the Mayor had come to her seeking help. In reality, a hoof full of ponies sought her out concerning Skyfall and his intimidating appearance. 

She had tried to gather mental notes of Ponyville's newest resident, but most ponies she met were on a different plane compared to this stallion. Aside from the fact that he stood a full head above Big Mac, he also wore a foreign scarf and low hanging saddlebags that hide his cutie mark. If she had to guess, he was from a colony far to the east. 

When she mentioned Princess Celestia's name, his coat went rigid for the briefest of moments. Twilight didn't want to jump to conclusions, so she took a deep breathe and tried to look past these oddities to try and understand her newest subject, and hopefully befriend him. However, when looking over him, her eyes met his, and for a brief moment she saw a glimpse of Skyfall's tired expression before he smiled at her.

"I am sorry Twilight, but I have much to do. I still need to buy this place and draw up floor plans. I'm sure you're busy as well, being a Princess and all." 

"Ah, yes, I suppose you're right." Twilight said. "If you come into Ponyville and wish to rent a book, feel free to come to the library and get one. Just look for the large crystal castle."

"Count on it." Skyfall smiled watching the Alicorn leave. He then turned and walked inside, instantly dropping his smile, "This is worse than I thought."

Sky walked the grounds for the next couple of hours inspecting the estate, it became more obvious that it had been abandoned for more than a few years, based on the state of decay. Nearly everything would need to be redone, but it was nothing beyond his capabilities. Sky reached the edge of the property, and grinned widely as he pondered the house. The Mayor doesn't have to know about my intent to rebuild. I can use that to haggle a lower price. 

As he looked over the property once more, Sif walked out of the Everfree with a sack in her maw.

Sif dropped the bag. "I've got your gold."

"Excellent, now I can buy the deed and relax."

"Are you sure you want this?" Sif asked.

"Yeah, I want to relax. I've spent the past thousand years regaining strength. I want to try living a normal life again. Though I feel I will be dragged into something, eventually."

"You always are, doofus." Sif giggled before resting her head against Sky's.

"Yes, but I'm your doofus." Sky returned the gesture.

Sif looked at the house in the distance nestled by the forest. "So, that's your new home?"

"Our new home." Sky corrected.

Sif was about to retort with a snarky reply before Sky cut her off. "When you finish your potion you'll be able to join me, until then I can smuggle you into the basement."

Sif laughed bitterly. "The potion is complete, I just need one more ingredient. Unfortunately the ingredient isn't in the Everfree, or in Equestria for that matter."

"What is it?" Sky asked. "Nothing I can't make?"

"No, it's called Verdigris and can only be found in the Griffon Kingdoms, or, should I say, what's left of it. It's a toxic pigment from weathered copper that's used as a fungicide."

"What?" Sky asked in awe.

"It's a fungicide?" Sif repeated.

"No, the part about the Griffons. What happened to their lands?" Skyfall reiterated. "Weren't they a sprawling nation that was renowned for their metals and warriors?"

"Exactly, in the past." Sif started before Sky got up.

"This is going to be a long story, I can tell. I need to get that deed first, but I'll be back soon." Sky patted Sif on the side as he hefted the gold into his saddle bags and began walking.

Sif smiled as she watched Sky leave. She was glad that Sky's optimistic outlook remained intact to offset her skepticism, buthe frowned when she saw the familiar color of flesh protruding from under each of his wings. The scar that formed on both sides of his body was a mark he would carry with him for the rest of his life. A fact that Sif blamed herself for.





Mayor Mare poured through papers, still worried that she or her office would get sued in the coming weeks for selling a dilapidated house. The Mayor lamented, she ordered it to be demolished but it scared demolition ponies, so they wouldn't go near it. All the construction companies she wrote to said that the place was a lawsuit waiting to happen. Even Twilight's conversation with Mr. Skyfall ended with him still wanting the estate. Twilight said that after her conversation he seemed even more eager to move in. Mayor Mare was about to pull out a glass of Sweet Apple Cider before a slow knock rang throughout her office.

"Um, please come in, it's open!" The Mayor announced.

Skyfall walked in slowly, slower than a pony should. The look in his eye seemed off to the Mayor which, made a pit form in her throat. He lumbered in slowly, his large size casting an even larger shadow. Her fears were turned into awkward silence when his head hit her desk and his flank hit the floor in one simultaneous action. "Uggggh."

"Everything alright, Mr. Fall?" Mayor Mare asked. "Did the house scare you?

"Huh? No, I'm exhausted. I've walked a lot today." Sky said. If you just did more walking in the past few hours than in the past thousand years you would would be tired too.

Sky lifted his head off the desk. "Anyway, enough of the head trauma. I am here to purchase the estate."

Mayor Mare's fears were realized, he did want the estate, even after Princess Twilight's talk. Maybe if I charge a high price I can change his mind. Nopony wants to be ripped off. "Ah, the property will be 500,000 bits."

Sky knew the property was listed at 85,000, and caught on to the Mayor's little game of dissuading him. 

"Oh, is that all?" 

The Mayor stared at Skyfall with shock. "Wha..."

Skyfall looked at the Mayor's panicked expression. It was obvious she was terrified to sell him the estate, but for reasons that eluded him. "Though, I am concerned about the state of the property. The structures are riddled with dry rot and the foundation is crumbling. The repair costs alone will run into the thousands. Why, I'll have to demolish the entire thing and rebuild. Unfortunately, I'll have to make myself responsible for everything when the construction ponies are working."

The Mayor, having been a born politician, picked up on Skyfall's meaning and nodded her head. "I see. Well, what do you suggest?"

"Well." Skyfall stopped for effect and looked her in the eye. "I will buy the estate minus the rebuild costs."

"Ah, good, good." The Mayor said while mentally cheering. 

"Which will leave the bill around 55,000 bits."

Both ponies looked at each other in awkward silence. This went on for about a minute while the Mayor weighed her options. On one hoof, she could refuse to sell him the estate and continue having a large problem on her hooves. And on the other hoof, she could sell him the estate at a vastly reduced price and take a hit on the investment her office made when it bought the property. Both options were tough, but in the end she bit her lip and chose. She looked at the savvy business pony sitting across from her, and wondered what he was planning.

I wonder what kind of mane dye she uses… maybe I could get some as a joke on Sif...

"We have a deal." The Mayor said in a slightly bitter tone. Before Skyfall could announce his happiness, she continued. "Now that the price is agreed on. How will you pay? With bits or credit?"

Sky sat in silence for a bit. She said bits or credit, which lead Skyfall to believe that the trade of gold was now uncommon, and only used in large country-to-country transactions. These 'bits' were probably this era's equivalent of currency where metal coins are used in lieu of actual gold. Sky looked at his saddle bags which contained small deck shaped gold bars, I should tread carefully.

"That has become a little bit of an issue for me." Skyfall said calmly. "My credit information and other valid forms of payment are in my personal belongings that are taking a little longer to arrive than I first expected."

Skyfall looked at the Mayor's blank expression and thought she was about to order him out for wasting her time.

"Ah, I'm sorry to hear that. Well, you seem like a trustworthy stallion, so as for right now I will let you remain on the property while I retain the deed. Just be sure to pay the bill as soon as your belongings arrive." Mayor Mare playfully stuck her hoof up at Skyfall. "And if you don't, then I'll sic the town's party pony on you ‘till I get it."

Sky chuckled at the absurd statement and held his hooves up. "You'll be my first stop, Mayor." 

The Mayor gave Skyfall the scroll and shook his hoof. "Welcome to Ponyville."